Character development in Hero Kids

Let's talk about character development in Hero Kids.

The number one thing that people ask me for in Hero Kids is:

MORE ADVENTURES

But the number two thing that they ask for is:

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Thus, I recently directed the Eye of Sauron to the task, and worked up some ideas for how character development could work in Hero Kids.

Before we discuss these actual ideas, these are the principles that guided the development work:

• Maintain compatibility with existing heroes and expansions (i.e. equipment)
• Minimise straight-up escalation of die pools
• Allow players to choose what aspects of their characters to develop
• Enable advancement in each of the aspects of characters (dice pools, armor, health, actions, abilities, and skills)
• Continue the look and feel of Hero Kids

So.

Here's the idea, the Hero Chronicle:

And here's how it works:

• Each hero has a corresponding 'Hero Chronicle'.
• The Hero Chronicle as a number of character development options
• Each character development option on the Hero Chronicle has one, two, or three check boxes
• Each time the hero completes an adventure (or a reasonable adventuring time period, such as 90 minutes), the player can check off a box on one of the development options
• When all of the check boxes next to a development option are checked, the hero has 'earned' that development
• The development options are:
• 3x Increase a dice pool by 1 die (Melee, Ranged, Magic, Armor)
• Add a new dice pool (Melee, Ranged, Magic), such as a Magic pool to a Melee character, and gain that pool's standard attack action
• Add a new health level (Grazed)
• 4x Add a new special action or skill
• Add a new bonus ability
• Each development option has matching set of Development Cards, representing all of the development options (such as different skills, special actions, or bonus abilities)

In play, a hero would venture forth, and as they completed adventures or adventure sessions, the player would check off boxes on the Hero Chronicle, and progressively accumulate additional development options, each of which would be represented through a Development Card:

The Development Cards would look like these:

So, that's the working idea.

Leave a comment below with feedback and discussion.  I'm keen to hear whether this seems feasible, or whether the great eye needs to look further afield.