Everyday Heroes Core Rulebook Review: A Modern Action TTRPG for 5e Fans

“I need a hero, I'm holding out for a hero

'Til the end of the night

He's gotta be strong

And he's gotta be fast

And he's gotta be fresh from the fight”

Bonnie Tyler

If you've ever wanted to run a high-octane TTRPG campaign set in the modern world, then Everyday Heroes by Evil Genius Games is your next must-play system.

Building on the legacy of d20 Modern, this new 5e-compatible RPG brings contemporary storytelling, cinematic action, and genre-spanning adaptability into one streamlined, rules-rich package. Whether you're a veteran GM or a player looking to kick through windows and quote ‘80s action flicks mid-combat, this book delivers the tools you need.

The Core Rulebook is, for all intents and purposes, a huge toolbox for creating any contemporary role-playing experience imaginable. With this book, you can recreate the thrill of Die Hard, Jason Bourne, and James Bond. However, it doesn’t stop there as Evil Genius Games has released a series of cinematic adventure supplements taking your games further still. Now you can save the Big Apple in Escape from New York, fight the Kurgan in immortal combat in Highlander, and explore Skull Island in King Kong! The decision to tie in with famous movie licenses is an inspired one. We know these blockbusters intimately, so expect plenty of movie quotes from your players at the gaming table!

The game's core mechanic is simple and universally well-known:

1. Roll a d20
2. Add any relevant modifiers
3. Compare the result to a target number

That’s it. Sure, plenty of bells and whistles are added on, but the core mechanic is sound and has been playtested more than any other, so you’re definitely in safe hands here.

Following a short introduction to role-playing and rules jargon, we’re onto part one: Heroes, beginning with character creation. This is where the rules change things up considerably. Rather than the standard character classes one expects, such as fighters, thieves, and bards, we’re presented with six archetypes based on the standard abilities of strength, intelligence, wisdom, dexterity, constitution, and charisma. It’s a great way for those new to the hobby to visualise their characters. Want to play a tough hero? Then go for a good constitution score. Agile heroes favour dexterity and so on. The six archetypes are divided into classes based on action movie classics, so if you fancy playing Bruce Lee, then choose the Agile archetype with the Martial Artist Class. With three classes per archetype, you’ll have no problem recreating your favourite movie character or your own unique creation.

Every archetype is detailed in terms of saving throws, skills, expertise, and talents progressing through ten experience levels with commensurate benefits throughout. You’ll also gain level benefits from your chosen class. So a 1st-level Agile archetype with the Martial Artist class receives Fast Reflexes and class talents, along with martial arts, of course! Everything is clearly laid out, making character creation fast, intuitive, and fun. We finish character creation appropriately enough with a chapter on finishing touches, where the secondary statistics are calculated, such as movement rate, passive perception, weapon attack bonus, etc. There’s a comprehensive guide to determining your character's persona, delving into your motivations, attachments, beliefs, appearance, virtues, flaws, and quirks. There are enough evocative descriptions and advice here to make every character a unique role-playing experience.

What modern TTRPG would be complete without a plethora of guns? And other stuff, of course! The equipment chapter has everything your hero could possibly need. Want to quickly equip them and jump right into the action? Then choose a class-related equipment pack. An extensive range of weapons from knuckle dusters to anti-material rifles, Molotov cocktails to anti-tank rockets, is covered, along with an assortment of armour and the ever-popular explosives. The chapter rounds out with a huge selection of electronic devices and hardware. And no self-respecting hero catches the bus, so we have a bevy of automobiles, boats, tanks, and aircraft to cause vehicular chaos on the land, in the air, and at sea.

Every vehicle is fully stated out and simple to include in your games.

The final chapter covers over fifty feats broken down into basic, advanced, and multi-classed varieties. Feats are acquired at every even class experience level, with the player choosing either two minor feats or one major one, with the latter granting more powerful benefits.

Part Two covers the game rules; if you’re familiar with 5e, this will be plain sailing. We’re told what the various abilities and proficiencies mean, how to make ability checks against Difficulty Classes (DC), passive skills, etc. The skill list includes modern counterparts such as computers, mechanics, and vehicles, essential for modern campaigns. We finish on saving throws and how conditions affect your character.

When the going gets tough, the tough shoots lots of bullets, which means we’ve arrived at the chapter, and every Gamesmaster takes a peek at combat first!

It follows the familiar pattern of determining initiative and acting each round until all the bad guys are dead. What you can do is broken down into a series of succinct, well-explained actions ranging from attacking a target, clearing an annoying gun jam, to performing first aid on an injured colleague to get them back into the fight. Hitting someone is simple, roll higher than their defense on d20 + modifier + proficiency bonus. And when the bullets start flying back, your archetype determines your own defense. Critical hits and misses are included along with rules for automatic weapons and explosives.

A miscellany of rules helps with situations that invariably crop up from time to time, such as environmental extremes, sneaking around, hiding stuff, and breaking stuff. Oh, and there's a nice selection of traps you can lay down for those poor, unsuspecting henchmen to blunder into.

What does every action movie rely on to break up all that boring dialogue? Why a chase scene, of course! It allows the director to justify their huge budget and showcases all the stunning locations they've filmed in, from bustling cosmopolitan metropolises to snow-swept mountains and shark-infested waters. They’re the canvas on which a great action movie is painted, and the chapter on chases lets you easily recreate them in all their adrenaline-filled glory.

Chases follow a similar format to combat, with a few differences. They’re timed events, regular obstacles will present themselves, and you’re constantly on the move. An innovative game mechanic using “Chase points” makes tracking each vehicle a simple affair. Earn more than your opponent's side by the end of the chase, and you win. Each round, the GM will present an obstacle to be avoided. Fail and you lose chase points. Simple. There are welcome rules for handling combat while hanging out of the passenger window with your bazooka, suppressive fire, and diving for cover. The chapter ends with a detailed look at vehicles in combat. What they can do and how to control them. Vehicle stunts are handled in a cinematic fashion and damage in a quick 3-level effect. Level 1, and you’re struggling for control, level 3, and your ride is totaled. A great chapter.

Part three is for the Game Master only. A cornucopia of useful advice from setting DCs to designing exciting encounters. An “opponent values by level and CR table” lets you adjust the difficulty of an encounter to make them more or less deadly to avoid those pesky TPKs. NPC combat roles are discussed, chases are covered in more depth, with a dozen pages given over to complications in different rural and urban environments.

And when you’ve run out of ammo, social encounters get a mention too.

There’s advice on restricting gear depending on varying legal and location restrictions. A nice idea if you want to run a Metal Gear Solid stealth mission relying solely on fists and knives. Go Snake! Cybersecurity and hacking are discussed from a real-world and gaming perspective, and the role of a sniper is considered in combat encounters. There is even a discussion on when to call in the authorities when the heroes need a helping hand or get out of hand.

Some tools are used more than others, and what we have next are those specialized tools for when the GM and players are comfortable with the core mores and want to experiment with more to inject verisimilitude. Here, then, are optional rules for tracking ammo, sudden death, poison, injuries, disease, and recreational drugs. These rules can drastically alter your game.

The next chapter is good old-fashioned GM advice. The rules are the substance of the game; what's discussed here can be considered the style. Every GM is different, but we all need advice no matter our level of experience. We start with the basic loop of the GM describing, the players deciding what to do, and the consequences of their actions. All role-playing games follow this basic premise. What follows is advice on narration beyond reading a passage from an adventure. How can the players engage their senses to live out the scene rather than just observe it? They are the heroes after all and should be the center of attention. The copious advice extends to when and when not to roll the dice, saying “yes, " rather than no, spotlighting players and rules arbitration. Further advice is given on running a session 0, improving your improvisational skills, PVP, and the game's tone. All fantastic stuff to help both novice and experienced Game Masters.

Eventually, every GM will want to try creating their own adventures, and this chapter discusses running one-shots, single adventures, and entire campaigns. Guidance is given for the power level of your group, the elements of a good adventure, such as conflict, player motivation, and goals, and using the classic three-act story structure. If you want to set the game in the 20th century, then the changing face of technology will help you, and why not try an alternate setting? Maybe a post-apocalypse, urban fantasy, or even another timeline grabs you. There’s also the genre to consider, where the tone of the game will change considerably. You can have comedy, horror, mystery, survival, or a combination. Encounter structure and how to handle player choices finish things off nicely.

The final chapter is one of the longest as it details all the antagonists your heroes will face and overcome. A handy master NPC table collects all the bad guys and beasties by Challenge Rating, which is extremely helpful for building balanced combat encounters. We then head to the section of modern NPCs for the standard fare of punks, goons, and thieves. Higher CR will have you facing off against hitmen, assassins, and mob bosses. Cultists, spies, police, and soldiers are ready to be easily slotted into an encounter.

There is a broad selection of animals from every environment, even historic and prehistoric NPCs for those time travel adventures you’re bound to run one day.

We have alien abductors, queens, and gods for those increasingly frequent alien invasions. And just when you thought it was safe to restock at the gun store, the forces of hell turn up with their legions of devils, vampires, and zombies. Oh, what fun! A comprehensive index and two-page Character Sheet mark the book's end.

Well, we’ve reached the end of the review, and it’s been a wild ride. D20 Modern was the start, but Everyday Heroes finishes with aplomb. This is a masterful toolkit for every conceivable eventuality in your modern adventures. It is very highly recommended, and this is just the beginning…

Whether you're crafting a military thriller, gritty noir mystery, superhero drama, or globe-trotting espionage epic, Everyday Heroes is built for versatility. With loads of character options, modern gear, vehicle rules, and Game Master tools, it’s the ultimate system for running bold, cinematic 5e adventures in the modern world.

Buy the Everyday Heroes Core Rulebook now on Quest Portal and build better blockbusters one session at a time.