Gotham & Beyond Podcast - Season 2, Episode 2 - Hero Points: More Than Just Numbers

 

Let’s get this out of the way.

Hero Points are not XP. They’re not tokens. They’re not some reward you toss at players when they say something funny or roll a natural 10.

They are momentum.
They are tension.
They are the heartbeat of DC Heroes 3rd Edition.

And they’re brilliant.

This week on Gotham & Beyond, I took a dive into how this system uses Hero Points. Not just as currency, but as a moral compass. As narrative fuel. As a test.

Because here’s what the book tells you, plain and clear:

“Players should not be afraid to suffer in order to gain Hero Points.”
Page 88. That’s the soul of the game, sitting right there in black and white.

You don’t earn points for winning. You earn them for playing true. For sticking to your flaws. For failing in character. For making the hard call instead of the right one.

Green Arrow choosing not to take the shot.
Batman letting the villain escape so he can save a kid.
Nightwing hesitating just long enough for someone else to get hurt.

That’s where the points live.

The mechanics? Simple enough.

You spend Hero Points to boost your AV, EV, OV, or RV.
Want to hit harder? Spend one.
Want to resist better? Spend three.
Every point shifts the column. Every shift changes the odds.

But the real beauty? It’s not the math. It’s the timing.

Spend too early and you’re empty when it counts.
Spend too late and you’re face-down in an alley wondering why you saved them.

It’s gambling with conviction. And the system loves it when you lose with style.

And then there's the twist no one talks about:
You can give your Hero Points to someone else.

That’s not a house rule. It’s in the book. Page 89.

You’re not just a character. You’re a team. You see another player step up, take the hit, make the sacrifice? Toss them a point.

That mechanic alone? That makes this one of the most human systems I’ve ever run.

And then there's the twist no one talks about:
You can give your Hero Points to someone else.

That’s not a house rule. It’s in the book. Page 89.

You’re not just a character. You’re a team. You see another player step up, take the hit, make the sacrifice? Toss them a point.

That mechanic alone? That makes this one of the most human systems I’ve ever run.