Quote from: J Arcane;543925Hah! Try this one!
(Cyborg: Exoskeleton)

Fighting: Good (10)
Agility: Good (10)
Strength: Good (10)
Endurance: Poor (4)
Reason: Excellent (20)
Intuition: Typical (6)
Psyche: Good (10)

Health: 34
Karma: 36
Resources: Poor (2)
Popularity: Good (6)

POWERS:
DT17: Telescopic Vision (Excellent)
D10: Resist: Emotion (Incredible)
DT8: Hyper-Touch (Good)
I1: Animate Image (Incredible)

He's easily winded because his exo-suit doesn't have any batteries, which he can't afford because of his Poor Resources.  His Incredible Resistance to Emotions means he never gives in to the frustration, and he amuses himself by Animating Images a couple of hundred miles away and watches them with his Excellent Telescopic Vision.

If you really want to take up a superhero concept from when there were few game options, I always treated superheros under the artifact rules of AD&D 1, which would be the same as under Original D&D.  So, a player has whatever race, class and level character developed normally, then the character goes through the addition of powers as described in the artifact creation rules.  It is a D&D way of doing a superhero.  There is no boundary to the selection process, other than the modeling of the desired superhero.  Weaknesses that a superhero may have are defined by that which the character doesn't have as defenses and attacks.  It is very much like writing up a high power monster.  So, it is very much like a monster as character set-up.  Most superheroes have various invulnerabilities, for example.  It works, and it uses back in the day concepts.  I find there are a lot of overdone rules for superhero campaigns.

The powers are all of those listed as options in the artifact section of AD&D 1 plus a few to fill out the lists.

Dungeons & Dragons Powers

Minor Powers

1.   Animate Dead – 3/day
2.   Bless (by touch) – at will
3.   Blur  – 3/day
4.   Change self  – 3/day
5.   Clairaudience  – at will
6.   Clairvoyance  – at will
7.   Color spray  – 3/day
8.   Comprehend language – 3/day
9.   Create food and water – 3/day
10.   Cure light wounds
11.   Darkness  – 3/day
12.   Detect charm  – 3/day
13.   Detect evil  – at will
14.   Detect invisibility  – at will
15.   Detect magic  – 3/day
16.   ESP  – 3/day
17.   Feather fall  – at will
18.   Find traps  – 3/day
19.   Fly
20.   Hypnotic pattern  – 3/day
21.   Immune to charm or hold
22.   Immune to disease
23.   Immune to fear
24.   Immune to gases
25.   Immune to magic missiles
26.   Improved Invisibility  – 3/day
27.   Infra-vision  – at will
28.   Know alignment  – 3/day
29.   Levitate  – 3/day
30.   Light
31.   Mind blank  – 3/day
32.   Need neither food or water
33.   Object read  – 3/day
34.   Obscurement – 2/day
35.   Pass without trace  – at will
36.   Protection +2
37.   Remove fear  – at will
38.   Sanctuary – 3/day
39.   Shield  – 3/day
40.   Speak with animals  – 3/day
41.   Speak with dead  – 1/week
42.   Speak with plants
43.   Tongues  – at will
44.   Ultra-vision – at will
45.   Ventriloquism  – 3/day
46.   Water breathing  – at will
47.   Web – 3/day
48.   Wizard lock
49.   Write – 3/day
50.   Zombie animation  – 1/week

 
Major Powers

1.   0 armor class
2.   Animal summoning III  – 2/day
3.   Animate object
4.   Cause serious wounds  – at will
5.   Charm monster  – 2/day
6.   Charm person  – 7/week
7.   Cone of cold  – 2/day
8.   Confusion
9.   Cure blindness  – at will
10.   Cure disease  – at will
11.   Dimension door  – 2/day
12.   Disintegrate
13.   Dispel illusion  – 2/day
14.   Dispel magic  – 2/day
15.   Double movement speed (foot)
16.   Emotion  – 2/day
17.   Exorcise  – 1/month
18.   Fear  – by touch or gaze
19.   Fire shield  – 2/day
20.   Fireball  – 2/day
21.   Giant strength  – 2/day
22.   Haste
23.   Heal
24.   Hold animal
25.   Hold monster
26.   Hold person
27.   Lightning bolt  – 2/day
28.   Minor globe invulnerability
29.   Passwall  – 2/day
30.   Phantasmal killer
31.   Paralyzation
32.   Polymorph self
33.   Regenerate 2 hp/turn
34.   Remove curse
35.   Slow
36.   Speak with monster  – 2/day
37.   Stone to flesh
38.   Suggestion  – 2/day
39.   Telekinesis  – 2/day
40.   Teleport  – 2/day
41.   Transmute rock to mud  – 2/day
42.   True seeing
43.   Turn wood
44.   Wall of brambles  – 2/day
45.   Wall of fire  – 2/day
46.   Wall of ice  – 2/day
47.   Weapon damage +2
48.   Wizard eye  – 2/day
49.   Word of recall
50.   X-ray vision  – 2/day

 
Prime Powers

1.   Astral
2.   Attribute raised to 19 or +2
3.   Body Weaponry  – at will
4.   Charm Dragon
5.   Contact higher plane
6.   Control Weather
7.   Creeping doom
8.   Death ray - as ranged Finger of Death
9.   Dimension Walk
10.   Earthquake
11.   Etherealness  – at will
12.   Expansion – 3/day
13.   Finger of Death
14.   Fire Storm
15.   Gate
16.   Immune to all mental Attacks
17.   Imprisonment  – 1/week
18.   Magic resistance 60%
19.   Mass Charm
20.   Meteor storm
21.   Monster summoning VIII – 2/day
22.   Plane shift
23.   Polymorph any object – 3/day
24.   Power word blind
25.   Power word kill
26.   Power word stun
27.   Precognition – 1/week
28.   Prismatic spray
29.   Probability travel
30.   Restore youth – 1/month
31.   Restoration
32.   Shades  – 2/day
33.   Shape change  – 2/day
34.   Speak with monsters  – at will
35.   Spell Absorption – 25 levels/week
36.   Stone tell
37.   Summon 1 djinn/efferti – 1/week
38.   Summon 16 HD Elemental – 1/week
39.   Summon demon lord  – 1/month
40.   Super sleep  – double, effect 90%
41.   Symbol
42.   Temporal stasis  – 1/month
43.   Time stop  – 1/week
44.   Total cold resistance
45.   Total fire resistance
46.   Trap soul  – 1/month
47.   Turn bones to jelly
48.   Vanish  – 2/day
49.   Vision
50.   Wish – 1/month


 
All powers in italics operate as described in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook, except where an alternative frequency of use is noted.  Otherwise, frequency of use is once per day.  Powers are innate to the possessor, and they may be adjudicated in the same manner as monster special attacks and defenses.  Although each power is described in the Players Handbook under specific class spells or psionics, powers do not draw power from the same sources as spells or psionics.  A power described in the psionics section does not make a character psionic. Where a power is described in the psionics section, the possessor is considered to have a total of 200 psionic ability points for the implementation of the innate power only.

An example superhero under AD&D 1:

Name: Prince of Atlantis
Class: Fighter
Level: 10
Race: Atlantian (equivalent to Sea Elf)
Alignment Chaotic Neutral


Ability Scores

Strength: 18  
Intelligence: 13
Wisdom: 10
Dexterity: 14  
Constitution: 16    
Charisma: 17


Save Throws
   
Paralyzation, Poison or Death: 8      
Petrification or Polymorph: 9      
Rod, Staff or Wand: 10
Breath Weapon: 9      
Spell: 11


Combat Statistics

Hit Points: 72  
Armor Class: 0  
Armor Type: Equivalent to Plate for Armor Class Adjustment
Weapon: Trident +3
Spells: None
Magic Items: Horn of the Tritons


Contacts

Followers: 80 0-level Atlantian Men-at-arms (20 AC 3 with tridents, 60 AC 8 with spears)
Henchmen: 7th level Atlantian fighter AC 3 with trident +2


Powers

Fly - 1/day
Immune to fear
Change self  – 3/day,
Remove fear  – at will
0 armor class
Giant strength  – 2/day
True seeing
Total cold resistance
Earthquake (used to produce Tsunami)
Restore youth – 1/month

A low level example superhero under AD&D 1:

Name: Orphaned Student of the Secret Arcane
Class: Magic-user
Level: 1
Race: Human
Alignment: Lawful Good


Ability Scores

Strength: 12
Intelligence: 17
Wisdom: 13
Dexterity: 12
Constitution: 11
Charisma: 14


Save Throws

Paralyzation, Poison or Death: 12
Petrification or Polymorph: 11
Rod, Staff or Wand: 9
Breath Weapon: 13
Spell: 10


Combat Statistics

Hit Points: 4
Armor Class: 8 (see powers)
Armor Type: Clothing
Weapon: See Powers
Spells: Read Magic, Sleep (memorized), Protection from Evil, Find Familiar
Magic Items: Wand of Illusion, Broom of Flying (both willed to him by parents)


Contacts

Familiar: Owl (Large)
Henchmen: 2 1st level magic-users
Arcane Masters: 12th level Magic-user, 9th level Magic-user, 7th level Magic-user


Powers

Blur  – 3/day
Find traps  – 3/day
Detect evil  – at will
Protection +2
Charm person  – 7/week
Cause serious wounds  – at will
Spell Absorption – 25 levels/week
Speak with monsters  – at will

An example of a very high level superhero under AD&D 1:

Name: Herald of the Galactic Demigod
Class: Fighter
Level: 18th
Race: Alien (see powers)
Alignment: Neutral


Ability Scores (see powers)

Strength: 18
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 14
Dexterity: 20
Constitution: 15
Charisma: 12


Save Throws

Paralyzation, Poison or Death: 3
Petrification or Polymorph: 4
Rod, Staff or Wand: 5
Breath Weapon: 4
Spell: 6


Combat Statistics

Hit Points: 95
Armor Class: -6 (see powers)
Armor Type: Equivalent to Plate for Armor Class Adjustments
Weapon: See Powers
Spells: none
Magic Items: Righteous Swick (as Carpet of Flying)


Contacts

Sage: 16th level Cleric/Planetary Queen


Powers

Clairaudience  – at will
Clairvoyance  – at will
Ultra-vision  – at will
Need neither food or water
0 armor class
Body Weaponry  – at will
Lightning bolt  – 2/day
Giant strength  – 2/day
Regenerate 2 hp/turn
Attribute raised to 19 or +2
Death ray
Etherealness  – at will
Immune to all mental Attacks
Plane shift
Probability travel
Total cold resistance

There doesn’t seem to be a list of old superhero specific games in this thread, other than the honorable mentions.  So, here is a list of most of the old superhero games prior to 1983.

Champions by George MacDonald and Steve Peterson, (Hero 1981).
Superheroes and Supervillians by Brian Phillips, (Heritage 1981).
Superhero 2044 by Donald Saxman, (Gamescience 1977).
Supervillians by Rick Register, (Task Force 1982).
Superworld by Steve Perrin and Steve Henderson, (Chaosium 1982).
Villains and Vigilantes by Jeff Dee and Jack Herman, (Fantasy Games Unlimited 1979).
The Official Superhero Adventure Game by Brian Phillips, (Phillips 1982).
Supergame by Jay Hartlove and Aimee Hartlove, (Hartlove 1982).