Hero High (HH3) is the latest sourcebook for third edition Mutants & Masterminds, and the primary author is Lucien Soulban, the same as on M&M 2e Hero High. It can be preordered from Green Ronin for US$32.95, with the option of adding a PDF copy for $5 more. (No word on cost of PDF alone, but probably about $15 based on previous PDFs.) The PDF will be available to you immediately but there is no release date for the softcover print book as of now. I wouldn’t be surprised if it has not gone to print as of this writing; Green Ronin often uses the preorder PDF as a kind of beta test, with a thread for forum users to post mechanics/fluff problems, typos, and other errors, to be fixed before printing. For those who have played previous editions, I feel obliged to point out that one or two posters on Green Ronin’s forums have said that the first few chapters are pretty much reprints of the 2e chapters. I cannot confirm as I don’t have HH2e.
Like most of the M&M 3e books, there is an overview of relevant comic book history, which I always enjoy, as I am not as comics-era savvy as many M&M players and love history of any sort. This chapter includes 1 or 2 eras I had never heard of. An added bonus in this chapter is an interview with Marvel Comics Executive Editor Tom Brevoort, which made the history come alive. Speaking of bringing things to life, the narrative sidebars, scattered throughout HH3, featuring Claremont Academy students and staff bring the Teen School series style to life. HH3 takes a casual style and light tone throughout. There’s the pseudo Question & Answer style format plus Chapter 3 sections have titles taken from various movies and songs, most of them teen-themed, of course. <Makes a note to ask Mr. Soulban why Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is missing if I get a chance to interview him.>
I was particularly amused by “Dude, Where’s My Super-car? Driving and Driver’s Licenses. Question 32: I can fly…Why do I need to drive?” Like the other Chapter 3: Gamemastering sections, the material is serious, discussing the pros, cons, and Complications of various transportation solutions from chauffers to strange vehicles. Don’t pass the vehicles sidebar, it’s got fun options for any series!
Chapter 3 naturally has the most material that can be used for all kinds of M&M campaigns. If your campaign needs a change-of-pace adventure, read “Part-time Situations: Importing Adult Characters.” There are several options to turn back time for players’ grown-up PCs. Because I often have characters with pets in various games, I really paid attention to “Critters.” First tip: “[If] you come across a ravaged world in fiery ruin and the only survivor is something cuddly with big, adorable eyes, something that looks too cute to have survived on its own…run. You’re probably looking at what smoked the planet in the first place.” Assuming this doesn’t describe your new pet, there’s all kinds of advice of care and feeding, plus stats for three sample pets. The only part of this chapter I didn’t care for was”Bring It On: Teen Hero Rituals.” These are rites de passage for young heroes, like Power Trials (think Jedi Padawan trials) and special ceremonies like graduation or gaining a codename. Your group’s mileage may vary from mine, as the “issue” isn’t with the fluff and mechanics, but simply my taste.
All the material in chapters 2 and 3 is applicable to any teen-hero campaign. There are a variety of teen archetypes (PL 8) to get players started. Unfortunately the only mage archetype is very specific (a Young Mage with a supernatural “ally” statted as a PL 8 Heroic Summon). I don’t mean it was a bad PC concept, I like it a lot. However, a player who wants a different sort of mage but is not comfortable creating their own magical hero entirely from scratch could easily use the Young Mage archetype and buy other abilities with the 40 power points used for the Summon or lower the PL of the Mystic archetype/quick character generator in Deluxe Hero’s Handbook.
The fourth and final chapter is Claremont Academy, the original school/teen setting for M&M, updated for today. Again, I cannot say what has been changed or added, as I don’t have HH2e, but I gather from Green Ronin’s forums that there are changes. Although Claremont Academy is the featured setting/series framework, the book is not completely Claremont-centric.
Chapter 4 has a large portion on Elysian Academy, mentioned in passing in Players Guide to Emerald City, as a teen supervillain high school. I liked this a lot, as there was so little in that Players Guide on school settings. However, I was hoping for a full chapter on the Arcadian Academy, one of the series frameworks from that sourcebook. Instead, Hero High suggests using Claremont for Arcadian Academy if your game is in Emerald City. I don’t like this. Although the Storylines (adventure hooks) section is usable in any school-based setting, a number of teachers, students, and staff are too closely tied to the Claremont setting to be dropped into other ones, in my opinion. That leaves the GM to create everything except the physical plant and grounds.
Another thing I like about this book is, that like many comics, it is solidly in the 21st century. M&M 3e has been LGBT-friendly for years, and HH3e continues this, which I applaud. I was also pleased to see that social media is covered in a sidebar, Social Media and Superheroes, page 107. After lots of consideration, I recently decided my adult heroine, Yule Queen, was getting an account. I am sure that both I and my GM will be studying this half page carefully. Related to this, there are plenty of just-for-fun text conversations. (I have strongly advised Yule Queen to avoid having any of these conversations.)
Hero High, like most of the M&M books I have read or used is quite entertaining even if you aren’t planning on playing or running that type of supers game. It is certainly an improvement on my middle and high school years. Plus, as I mentioned above, there are many bits that can be used in other types of games.
Linda Whitson
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