Superheroes have a unique problem not shared by most other role playing characters; they’re famous. Chances are everyone in your local city has at least heard your name. Several news agencies make it a point to film super-battles and any action you take will be analyzed and dissected. It’s no surprise then that Public Relations have a large effect on superheroes.
All players have a Public Relations Score that goes from 10 to 0 where 10 is Paragon of Virtue and 0 means the police are looking for you. Players start with a PR Score of 7 (but can use character points at character creation to buy it up, or sell it back for extra points. Each step costs/gives 3 points). Having a high PR Score has a number of advantages such as a Public Approval (PA) bonus to rolls relating to the general public and a free positive reputation as a hero. Characters with a high PR Score are media darlings; the Oprah of the Champions Universe. Conversely, characters with a low PR score may get a penalty from Public Approval, or begin to develop a negative reputation.
The effects of PR is summarized in the table below.
| PR Score | Effects of PR | Raise threshold | Lower threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Paragon | PA +3, Rep +3d6 | Saving the world | |
| 9 | PA +2, Rep +2d6 | Saving the country | Doing BODY damage |
| 8 | PA +2, Rep +1d6 | Saving the city, saving a reporter | Property damage |
| 7 Hero | PA +1 | Saving a skyscraper, capturing a villain | Letting a villain get away |
| 6 | PA +1 | Saving a baby | Extensive Property Damage |
| 5 | PA +0 | Saving a damsel, stopping a crime | Angering a reporter, using lethal force |
| 4 Vigilante | PA +0 | Opposing a villain | Killing an agent |
| 3 | PA -1 | Serving time for your sins | Killing a villain |
| 2 | PA -1, Rep +1d6 | Apologizing for crime | Killing a civilian |
| 1 Monster | PA -2, Rep +2d6 | Working with heroes | Killing a civilian on purpose |
| 0 Villain | PA -2, Rep +3d6 | Killing a law enforcement officer, declaring intension to rule planet through force, etc. |
Whenever a hero is seen doing something at any level above his current PR score on the Raise Threshold list or below his current PR score on the lower threshold list he must roll Presence (applying any reputation modifiers, Striking Presence modifiers, and Public Approval modifiers). If trying to raise his PR score his roll also gets a bonus for every two steps above his current PR score the action was. If he succeeds the roll, his PR score increases by one. He may choose not to make this roll if he prefers to remain obscure and the action was not heavily publicized. If trying to avoid lowering his score he suffers a penalty for every two steps below the action was. Failing this roll causes his PR score to fall one level.
In either case, the roll represents conscious or sub-conscious attempts at spinning some good publicity (or at least downplaying bad publicity) from the event, and so the player may receive addition bonuses or penalties based on his handling of the event and its aftermath (up to +3 for professional handling and careful damage control, down to -3 for gleeful ignorance or appalling arrogance).
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