Multiple Power Categories For Heroes Unlimited
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The following rules allow for multiple power categories. Note that while some of these categories only require time taken out for study, others can be downright dangerous. Players and GMs are asked to read the applicable sections carefully before using anything from this article.
Many of these entries have two sets of rules: one for characters who are dual-classed at creation, and some for existing characters who wish to become dual classed.
NOTE: I do not have rules for the robot category or for magic weapons, objects, or mystically bestowed powers. All of these are abilities/equipment, which the players may earn on their own if the GM allows, but they should be acquired in the course of the game (i.e.: your super soldier steals an exoskeleton, your Hardware character is given power by Odin, your physical training character finds a magic sword, etc.). Just be careful of game balance.

• Aliens
• Bionics
• Experiments/Mutants
• Hardware/Physical Training/Special Training/Magic/Psionics

Aliens

Aliens are the only power category which are automatically offered the chance to have multiple categories (such as alien mutant). However, not everyone can be born on another planet.
Luckily (or not) there is an alternative. A character may receive alien DNA to become a hybrid between the two species. Even aliens may receive this treatment, but there are a few limits. First, organics cannot mix with non-organics, so no humanoid/mineral hybrids are allowed. Second, the success rate is decreased for species which are not alike. Third, the most likely outcome is death.
That being said, roll on the following tables to make the species hybrid. It is possible to continue splicing DNA to produce even more hybrid types, however this is generally not a good idea because the benefits of each form will get lost or diluted as more DNA is mixed in and each new procedure dramatically increases the risks of permanent disfigurement, disability, or death.
It is possible to use this technique with mutants (even of the same species) in an attempt to convey specific abilities, but not without penalty.
NOTE: The following tables assume a genetic technology level on par with that of Heroes Unlimited or possibly Rifts. These tables may need to be modified for use with highly advanced alien or future cultures. Also, if you are generating a new character as an alien hybrid, then you will probably want to reroll any death or no change results.

Penalties to Initial Success Table

• Super Abilities Not Common to Species (in Recipient or Sample): -3% for minor ability and -6% for major. -2% for every Super psionic and -1% for each lesser psionic
• Juicer Conversion in Recipient: -2%
• Splicing Different Species Types of the Same Order (i.e.: Humanoid and Feline or Reptilian and Atroxian): -10%
• Splicing Different Species of Different Orders (i.e.: Mammal and Reptile): -15%
• Splicing Vertebrate Species With Insectoid: -20%
• Splicing Animal or Insectoid with Vegetation: -25%
• Using a mutant/experiment representation of either race: -5%

Initial Success Table

1-35: Failure: Instant Death

36-50: Failure Lingering Death

51-65: Failure: Debilitating/Unwanted Mutation: Roll 1D4 times on Unwanted Mutation tables. 35% chance of become hybrid as well.

66: Failure No Change

67-80: Success: Hybrid
Character becomes a hybrid between the two species. Go to the hybrid tables.

81-00: Success: Complete Species Change

Character loses all powers, statistics, etc. from his own species and gains all power possessed by the new species. Add or subtract dice rolls from attributes, hit points, and S.D.C. accordingly. Character will retain mutant or unnatural powers (super abilities, psi, etc.) only if the new species can also possess those powers.

NOTE: No matter what the outcome, the massive reengineering of the cellular structure will make the character sick for 6D6 days, provided he lives.

Unwanted Mutation Table

1-40: Roll on Mutant Traits table
41-50: Roll on Experiment Side Effect Table
51-60: Life Span Shortened. Life span is reduced to 20 + 3D10% the original duration
61-70: Insanity. Roll 2D4 times on Random Insanity Table and once on Crazy Hero table
71-73: Massive Hearing Loss: -5 Initiative. Also, the character can only understand speech if the speaker is shouting loud and slow at him.
64-75: Major Eye Problems: Either nearsighted or farsighted. The character will suffer the following penalties unless corrective lenses are worn: -8 initiative, -6 to strike, parry, and dodge
76: Brain Damage: Reduce I.Q. and I.S.P. by 1/2. Reduce M.E. and M.A. by 1D4. The character also suffers memory loss which may cause skills to disappear (5% per skill)
77-78: Chronic Dizziness: During moments of activity or stress, there is a 30% chance of a dizzy spell coming on. This raises to 60% if the character is moving fast or upside down. When dizzy, the character loses two melee attacks and is -6 on initiative and -4 on all combat rolls. Also, any physical skills such as gymnastics or climbing are performed at a minus -30% penalty.
79: Physical Deterioration: Reduce P.S. and P.P. to 1/2. Reduce H.P. and S.D.C. by 1/4.
80: Character loses one special ability
81-85: Immune System Weakened: Character is -1D6 (roll once) to save vs. toxins and disease, and suffers the effects for twice as long.
86-96: Minor Brain Damage. Reduce I.Q. by 2. -5% on all skills. Also the character cannot concentrate easily, so reduce M.E. and M.A. by 1D4 and reduce I.S.P. by 3D6.
97-00: Hideous Freak: Player's call here. The character can have all sorts of sores all over his body, or maybe the effect of the transformation is not uniform (a human head with part of a canine snout sticking out of it, or patches of scales on otherwise human skin), or some other horrible effect. Reduce P.B. to 1/4 of current value.

Hybrid Tables: For each aspect of the character (described below), roll on this table. Of course, you should not roll for stats which are identical between the two species.

1-20: No Change: Retain original stats
21-50: Even Change: Divide the difference between original and new species evenly. For example, a human mixing with an alien with 5D6 P.S. would receive 1D6 additional P.S.
51-90: Percentile Change: Like the Even Change but roll percentile and use that to determine how much the other form influenced the character. Multiply the alien stat by this number divided by 100 and multiply the human stat by (100 - this number) divided by 100.
91-00: Full Change: Character loses the power, statistic, etc. from his own species and gains that of the new species.

• Appearance: Build: This dictates the height and weight of the character
• Appearance: Face Structure: This dictates what the face looks like. For example a human who is spliced with a canine would look like a fuzzy human, a wolf-man, or a walking dog based on the levels of each set of DNA.
• Appearance: Hair/Body Hair/Fur
• Appearance: Skin Tone
• Appearance: Hair/Fur Color
• Stats: Roll individually for each attribute, as well as H.P., S.D.C., I.S.P. P.P.E., etc.
• Natural Abilities: Skills. If the skill is from the original form, then the character will probably retain the knowledge. However, if the skill is from the new species, then give the character that skill, but multiply the base percentage by whatever percentage of the DNA is of the new species in regards to that skill.
• Natural Abilities: Super Powers and Psionics: If the powers belong to all members of that species (or subspecies), then give the character the powers, but multiply all factors (range, damage, duration, etc.) by the percentage of DNA which is of that species in regards to this trait. i.e.: a human who receives a 25% splice with an alien capable of firing an energy blast 600' and inflicting 8D6 damage would be able to project his blast 150' and inflict 2D6 damage
• Natural Body Armor: This is a bit trickier. Basically, if the DNA is mostly influenced by the non-armored species, then the flesh will be tough and thick, but still pliant. If it is more affected by the armored form, then it will have the body armor, but it will be weaker and possibly more flexible
• Extra Appendages (Roll for every limb set, tail, etc.): Roll percentile. 1-50: No extra limb. 51-75: Vestigial Limbs (wings cannot fly, arms have only 1/4 PS and PP, legs are pretty much useless and will have to be amputated or reduce Spd to 1/2). 76-00: Full Limb Usage

Bionics (optional rules variant)

Making a character bionic is fairly basic. You just buy the implants and install them. Below are some optional rules regarding super abilities and bionics.

When bionics are implanted in a super being, under the current rules, all super abilities are lost. For energy based, force control powers, and bizarre powers such as Growth and the Alter Physical Structure powers, this makes sense. However there are some powers which are derived solely from the biological or cellular structure of the character, or his neurological traits. These powers will not be excised by bionic conversion, but they will only apply to the portions of the body which remain organic. For example, a character with Body Weapons who has a bionic left arm can only make a blade from his right arm.

Purely Biological or Neurological Super Abilities:

• Alter Facial Features & Physical Stature, Shape Change Alter Physical Body
• Alter Limbs, Body Weapons
• Alter Metabolism
• Animal Abilities (except for the command animals sub-abilities)
• Immortality
• Invulnerability (GM's call)
• Natural Combat Ability
• Stretching (Elasticity)
• Supernatural and Superhuman Strength
• Adhesion
• Extraordinary Attributes
• Winged Flight (of course, the weight of the bionics may make the wings useless)
• Healing Factor
• Heightened Senses and Super Vision powers (except X-Ray Vision)
• Horror Factor (GM's call)
• Impervious to Fire and Heat (GM's call)
• Multiple Limbs
• Power Channeling (GM's call)
• Radar (GM's call)

Experiments/Mutants

Since experiments are often performed on viable adults, it makes sense that a non-super powered character could become the recipient of such treatment.

However, you should roll on the following tables for each 2 minor or 1 major power

NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECT TABLE
1-5: Death
6-15: Coma
16-30: Roll on Unwanted Mutation Table
31-55: Roll on Experiment Side Effect Table
56-80: Roll on Mutant Traits Table
81-00: No Negative Side Effects

POWER SUCCESS TABLE
1-20: No Power Received
21-40: Power Received at 1/2 power
41-50: Random Power (Full Strength)
51-00: Successful Bestowment of Power

Hardware/Physical Training/Special Training/Magic/Psionics

OK, these entries deal with skills. You can choose to create a character who automatically has these abilities, or give them to an existing character. Also, it should be noted that becoming a hardware character does not automatically get you that $50,000 to $12,000,000 super vehicle budget. Any special equipment will have to be bought, assigned, given, or stolen normally.
This section allows a character of any type to gain these specialties, but there are penalties which reflect the lack of a singular focus. Also, if mutant powers, magic, or psionics are possessed and those abilities increase as the characters grows in level, then those powers increase at 1/2 the normal rate. If the character gains these training specialties later in life (i.e.: at a higher level, then the previous advancements are not affected, but any subsequent advancements are affected)

To create a character with these specialties:

• Hardware: Look under that hardware entry for the penalties for having another hardware specialty with that one. Take on those penalties and then take away half of your secondary skills
• Physical Training: Reduce all stat bonuses from this category (not the ones from skills) by half. Remove 2 physical skills, and 1 melee action
• Special Training: All: Halve all base skill percentages for special skills.
• Special Training: Ancient Master: Start martial arts skill level at 7, not 15 and lose half the WP's
• Special Training: Hunter/Vigilante: Lose one of the special skill programs.
• Special Training: Stage Magician: Do not take the one scholastic skill program of choice
• Special Training: Super Sleuth: Do not take the one scholastic skill program of choice
• Psionic: Start with 1 super and either 4 from one lesser category or 3 from any of the lesser categories. By foregoing ALL secondary skills, you can get an extra super psi and an extra 4 lesser psi. Gain Psi powers at half the normal rate. I.S.P. is ME + 1D4 per level
• Magic: Mystic Study: Start with 2 spells each from levels 1-3 and 4 spells from 5-7. Can receive an additional spell from levels 1-4 (one spell from each) and an additional 2 from level 4-7 by foregoing ALL secondary skills. Gain 1 spell from level 1 up to your current level at each new level of experience. P.P.E. is PE + 1D6 per level

To grant an existing character these specialties: NOTE: When I say substitute secondary skills, I mean the skills you get for advancing in levels. If an ability is too expensive to purchase with one level's worth of skills, you can "save" them and combine them with your next advancement. Also note that character who already have a particular power category or a similar one (i.e.: any hardware, magic/psionics, etc.) cannot use these rules to enhance their own category.

• Hardware/Special Training: If the character meets the requirements listed below, then he can forego 2 secondary skills at a level of advancement for one hardware or Special Training ability (at 3/4 base skill percentage). Look at the information below for requirements:
  • Hardware: If the character has an IQ of 14, and has Mechanical Engineer/Basic Mechanics or Electrical Engineer/Basic Electronics (at least one must be the engineer skill)
  • Special Training: Martial Arts: Hand to Hand Martial Arts (or a N&S form), PP: 16
  • Special Training: Hunter/Vigilante: Tracking, wilderness survival, land navigation, WP: Rifle
  • Special Training: Secret Operative: The espionage scholastic skill program
  • Special Training: Stage Magician: 16 M.E., 18 P.P., 16 P.B.
  • Special Training: Super Sleuth: The espionage, journalist, or police skill program
• Psionic: Substitute 2 secondary skills for one lesser psi power and 10 + 2D4 I.S.P. or 4 secondary skills for one super psi power and 5D4 I.S.P. I.S.P. raises at a rate of 1D4 per level. Add your M.E. score to your I.S.P. only if you had no I.S.P. before selecting these powers. Psionic powers can only be selected by characters with M.E. of 15, and are limited to Detect Psionics, Resist Fatigue, Mind Block, Resist Hunger, Resist Thirst, Telekinesis (with a 30 lb weight limit), Astral Project (counts as 3 secondary skills), Clairvoyance, Empathy, Object Read, Presence Sense, See Aura, Sense Evil, Sense Magic, Sense Time, Sixth Sense, Speed Reading, Telepathy, Total Recall, Advanced Trance State (but with half bonuses and no hovering), Empathic Transmission (must have Empathy first), Hypnotic Suggestion (victims are +2 to save).
• Magic: Mystic Study: Forego 2 secondary skills and gain one spell from level 1 to 1/2 the character's current level (round up) and 3D4 P.P.E. If your character had no P.P.E. before making this selection, then give him a one time bonus equal to current P.E.