Heroes being badass

[IVhorseman]

It'd be significantly less badass. Fortunately, that sounds like what you're going for. Give it a shot!

[stubby]

So the Trattorian military is mostly run by armchair generals and admirals (or worse, politicians). I like the idea of them doing cliché feats since they are the leaders after all, but I don't feel (as a general rule) that they're physically and stronger or more badass than the average grunt. I'm thinking about modifying their hero stats to keep the higher skill but drop the move and armor bonuses. What do you guys think I should do?

It sounds to me like they're not the Heroes at all, they're the bureaucrats who command the Heroes. Why would you want to give Hero stats to someone who's not on the front lines?

[Keldoclock]

Because Collette built the figs and now he has to justify the money he spent

[Colette]

So the Trattorian military is mostly run by armchair generals and admirals (or worse, politicians). I like the idea of them doing cliché feats since they are the leaders after all, but I don't feel (as a general rule) that they're physically and stronger or more badass than the average grunt. I'm thinking about modifying their hero stats to keep the higher skill but drop the move and armor bonuses. What do you guys think I should do?

It sounds to me like they're not the Heroes at all, they're the bureaucrats who command the Heroes. Why would you want to give Hero stats to someone who's not on the front lines?

Because I always get the impression that heroes are the guys in charge. Then again, this only works in a "authority-equals-asskicking" type of society which Trattoria is not but is otherwise typical in the rest of the brikverse. As an idea, maybe Trattorians can take units with the superior strength and feats of a hero but use them as a very rare, specialty grunt unit. I would imagine that might take its toll on the heroic ego though...

[Natalya]

Unless they were jetpack lawyers. Those guys are heroic enough.

[Whiteagle]

Unless they were jetpack lawyers. Those guys are heroic enough.

Or Ninja Lawyers!

[IVhorseman]

As an idea, maybe Trattorians can take units with the superior strength and feats of a hero but use them as a very rare, specialty grunt unit.

[stubby]

How about, instead, you take the guys who are heroes, and make them the Heroes.

(And if Trattoria doesn't have any heroes, then it doesn't need to make troops with Hero stats just for the sake of making troops with Hero stats.)

[Colette]

How about, instead, you take the guys who are heroes, and make them the Heroes.

(And if Trattoria doesn't have any heroes, then it doesn't need to make troops with Hero stats just for the sake of making troops with Hero stats.)

Does a hero have to have an action-cliché? I could totally imagine a heroic politician pulling off charisma feats and doing impossible things like raising taxes or improving the economy.

[Whiteagle]

...I think Colette wants to pull off a Non-action Hero.
Problem is, he can't think of a proper cliche for one, and thinks the only requirement for a Hero is highly skilled Leader unit.

You see Colette, a Hero isn't always the Leader of his army, he's just the coolest guy in it.

For example, Sergeant Badass is the toughest, hardest fighting sunufohbitch in X Army, so awesome that his very presence on the battlefield gives a moral bonus to his troops...

He is clearly the Hero of X Army, but because he is only a Sergeant he is still technically below officers like General Pussywillow, even though Pussywillow cost less Construction Points because they only have a high skill die.

Point is, Hero's actually do shit that matters on the field of battle, even if they themselves aren't awesome with a sword, like my Astromeks for Briktoid Automata.
Since they are basically supercomputers on legs, they can't even hold weapons, but with their cliche of "Teknology Miracle Worker" they give all Mekanical Creations within a certain radius bonuses as well as being able to completely repair 1d6 worth droids within 2 inches every turn.
And that's before getting to teknological related Heroic feats.

...They also might speak in a Scottish Accent and/or seek out any alcoholic beverage on the field, having really polished that up yet...

[Rev. Sylvanus]

Not to get nit-picky, White Eagle, but a cliche called "Teknology Miracle Worker" sounds about as exciting and actiony to me as "heroic politician"...

[Whiteagle]

Not to get nit-picky, Whiteagle, but a cliche called "Teknology Miracle Worker" sounds about as exciting and actiony to me as "heroic politician"...

Well that's because you are probably imagining a really good IT guy at the office, instead of the head spaceship engineer who has the brilliant idea to fire the exploding antimatter core out a photon torpedo tube to blow up the enemy's SUN.

Hence Heroes are individuals who try and get shit done on the battlefield through hopefully awesome means.
What's a "Heroic Politician" going to do, campaign the enemy to death?

[stubby]

Heroic Clichés are based on Action Heroes, not Word Heroes - Heroic Feats must always be based on Actions rather than words. If a Hero wants to inspire his allies, he does it by leading a Charge, not by making pretty speeches about it while sipping tea in the rear guard.

If players decide that a Hero's Heroic Speech is Heroic enough to ignore this rule, then they can allow it, but if the speech fails to inspire then it means the Hero is no longer inspiring, and an uninspiring minfig loses his Hero status automatically and permanently. Word Heroes deserve to be punished.

In addition to not being Word Heroes, Action Heroes are also not Inaction Heroes. They ESPECIALLY can't use Feats to inspire others to withdraw from combat safely, negotiate more diplomatically, or surrender more sweetly. They exist to increase action, not diminish it.

[Colette]

I realized I have my scientist heroes. Problem solved.

[Zupponn]

What's a "Heroic Politician" going to do, campaign the enemy to death?

No, he has the power of persuasion. He can get enemy minifigs to do things that he wants them to do.