Character sheets for most NPCs with Willpower A simply list the power. Sometimes there's an additional note reminding the GM to give the NPC pain resistance when applicable.

Several characters with Willpower apply the variable-use option to gain two-three skills. Here are examples.

Shrew from Crisis at Crusader Citadel
Willpower: Variable Usage, PR = 1/turn.
a) Heightened Endurance: +16
b) Heightened Agility: +12
c) Heightened Strength: +6


Vendetta from Pre-Emptive Strike:
Willpower A: PR = 1 per turn
a) Heightened Intelligence: +17
b) Heightened Agility: +13


Oberon from Pre-Emptive Strike:
Willpower A:
a) Heightened Agility: +11
b) Heightened Strength: +18
c) Heightened Attack: +7 damage (This may be a typo, as he is 8th level)

As a point of comparison, Boosterman (Blake Sagle) from Opponents Unlimited has this related but unique ability.

Boosting: For a period of up to 24 hours at a time, Blake may increase any one of his physical attributes by a factor of 2, 3, or 4l After the boost wars off, the score drops to normal and Blake cannot use this power again for a period of time equal to the factor of boosting times the period of duration of the boost, with a minimum of one day of resting the power. For example, Blake increases his strength by a factor of three for twelve hours. He must refrain from boosting for  (3 x 3) x 12 = 108 hours.

The sourcebook includes a chart showing how a raised ability score adjusts his hit points, power points, and auxiliary attributes.

These are all really high boosts, aren't they?   

My first PC was rolled as all Skills (for a really high-powered group) and he had less total amount of powers (at least compared to the other characters in the group).  So my friend/co-GM allowed me to use Willpower: Type B to boost my character's Agility by +4d10 (I got a 26, IIRC).

Over the years I have to say that I've generally been more stingy than what's shown here.  Some of our characters use it to gain a boost to all three physical Basic Characteristics (so like a +1d10 to Strength, Endurance, and Agility).  But generally I haven't allowed as much as some of these show here.

I agree, that's what I'm doing, trying to use the experience of the posters on this board who've been playing for 20+years.  I love the flexibility of V&V, but am looking for some balances.  I've run into some of the problems with the game that have been posted here, ice powers and heightened speed... ugh. 

Your postings here have been very helpful in pulling info from printed material.  I got rid of all my modules a long time ago, and I've started rebuilding my collection recently, but I don't have a lot of the stuff you pull from.

So all that to say, Thanks, and please keep doing what your doing!

Skydiver wrote on Oct 4^th, 2009 at 11:43pm:


The character sheets for Shrew, Oberon, and Vendetta show all of their willpower-based boosts in effect at once. Based on the rulebook write-up, you would think only one ability would go into effect at a time, but that's not the case for these three characters.

Without the PR cost, Devil's Domain includes two characters with relatively modest bonuses from Willpower (apparently type B).

Meganaut has Willpower: Intelligence Bonus of +12
Pet Fiend has Willpower: Agility +6

As an aside, I get a kick out of seeing characters with heightened abilities but still end up with scores that aren't superhuman. My favorite example is second-level Blackjack from Super-Crooks. He has Heightened Agility: +7. His total score is 12. That means his pre-heightened score was 4 or 5 (depending on training).

Super-Crooks could have simply given him 12 agility and left out the heightened part, of course. But characters like Blackjack serve as a reminder that the game doesn't assume that everyone starts out with great abilty scores.

I've used a variation of this for characters who are themed like Daredevil or Batman, the olympic level trined athlete type.

Willpower B: add 2d4+2 to Strength, Endurance, Agility. It give a slightly higher average than a simple 1d10 without getting out of hand 

A lesson learned the hard way, but with the average of 3d6 being 11, and the average of this being this being 7 you should really end up in the ballpark of an 18 when your done and in my mind at least 18 is an olympic level athlete

Like all character generation the GM has to sign off on the end result because if your Olympic themed athlete ends up with a 28 strength and 7 agility something went really wrong