Editing Hero System (section)

===Powers===
The powers system are the variables players can manipulate in the characters of Hero System.  The powers in the Hero System are categorized roughly as follows:

:*'''Adjustment Powers''' — Modify the Characteristics of self or another.
:*'''Attack Powers''' — Inflict physical damage or some other negative effect on an opponent.
:*'''Body-Affecting Powers''' — Change shape, size, density, etc.
:*'''Defense Powers''' — Protect against an attack or mishap.
:*'''Mental Powers''' — Detect and/or affect the mind of another.
:*'''Movement Powers''' — Employ various forms of movement.
:*'''Sense-Affecting Powers''' — Alter or hinder a character's senses.
:*'''Sensory Powers''' — Improve or expand upon the sensory abilities.
:*'''Size Powers''' — Growth and Shrinking.
:*'''Special Powers''' — Powers with some unusual quality, including ones that do not fall into the other categories.
:*'''Standard Powers''' — A "catch-all" for Powers that are not Adjustment, Mental, Movement, Size, or Special Powers.

Within each of these categories are multiple Powers that have more specialized effects. Thus for the movement category there are powers that can be used for [[Running]], [[human swimming|Swimming]], [[Climbing]], [[Jumping|Leaping]], [[Gliding]], [[flight|Flying]], [[Tunnel]]ing through solid surfaces, and even [[Teleportation]]. For certain game [[genre]]s there are even powers for traveling to other dimensions or moving faster than light.

Also, many Powers appear in at least two categories.  For example, most Attack Powers are also Standard Powers, and Size Powers are basically just a subcategory of Body-Affecting Powers.  Darkness is in three categories — Standard, Attack, and Sense-Affecting.

====Point Cost====
Each power has a base point cost for a given effect. This could be, for example, a certain number of points per six-sided-die (or "d6") of damage inflicted upon a foe.

Powers can have both advantages and limitations.  Both are modifiers applied at different stages in calculating cost.  These modifiers are typically changes of ±{{frac|1|4}}, but can range up to ±2 or even higher.

After the base cost is calculated, advantages are applied.  These, which can make a power more useful, typically expand its effectiveness or make it more powerful, and thus make it more expensive.  Once advantages are applied, the base cost becomes the Active Cost.

The Active Cost is calculated as an intermediate step as it is required to calculate certain figures, such as range, END usage, difficulty of activation rolls, and other things.

The formula for calculating the Active Cost is:
:'''Active Cost''' = '''Base Cost''' × (1 + ''Advantages'')

Once Active Cost is calculated, limitations are applied.  These represent shortcomings in the power, lessened reliability or situations in which the power can not be used.  Limitations are added separately as positive numbers, even though they are listed as negative.

The Real Cost of the power is then determined by:
:'''Real Cost''' = '''Active Cost''' / (1 + ''Limitations'')

The Real Cost is the amount the character must actually pay for the Power.

====Power Frameworks====
The rules also include schemes for providing a larger number of powers to a character for a given cost. These power frameworks reduce the cost either by requiring the group of powers to have a common theme as in an Elemental Control Framework, or by limiting the number of powers that can be active at one time with a Multipower Framework. Powers within a framework can share common limitations, further reducing the cost. A third type of power framework, the Variable Power Pool (VPP), trades thrift for flexibility. With it, powers can be arbitrarily chosen on the fly, granting enhanced in-game flexibility. The price is a premium on points, called the Control Cost.  Additionally, it is marked as potentially unbalancing, so not all GMs will permit VPP's.

Elemental Controls were eliminated in the Sixth Edition.