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Not every story is about the big fight.
Sometimes the best moments happen between the punches. That’s what Subplots are for.
Buried on pages 141 through 144 of the DC Heroes core book, the rules for Subplots remind us that heroes live lives outside the cape. They have jobs. They fall in love. They argue with family. They hide secrets that eat at them.
Subplots are ongoing threads that run alongside the adventure. They don’t replace the villain showdown. They enrich it. A Family subplot might mean your hero has to race to the hospital after a rooftop battle. A Job subplot might leave you exhausted when your boss calls you in after an all-nighter.
And here’s the hook: Subplots earn Hero Points. But not by ticking a box. You don’t get rewarded for waving at Mom and flying off. You get rewarded when you actually role-play the moment. When it matters. When it has the same weight as a fight with a villain.
The categories are wide open: Criminal Past, Death Guilt, Enemies, Friends, Job, Power Complications, Romance, School, Secret Identity, Secret Past, Wealth. Every one is an opportunity.
The rules even let you pull the plug. If it’s not fun? Cut it. No shame. No penalty. It’s a safety valve that keeps the story playable.
I’ve run plenty of campaigns where a subplot made the whole table lean in closer. Where the real drama wasn’t the villain’s scheme, but whether a character could keep his secret past hidden. Or if a family member was going to survive the fallout of being close to a hero.
That’s the gift of Subplots. They make the character human.
Because the mask is only half the story.
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