AD&D Spell Spotlight: Heroism & Superheroism
These are the kind of spells that make a fight worth remembering. Heroism and Superheroism take a fighter and make them something more, if only for a short time. The target fights as though they are higher level, with more hit dice and bonus hit points.
It is not just padding their hit points. It is letting them fight like a veteran who has seen a dozen battles. They can take hits that would normally drop them and keep swinging. Once the bonus is gone, the reality of their level sets back in.
For a DM, these spells are perfect for big moments. The farmhand holding the bridge against a hobgoblin charge. The town guard standing up to an ogre. A low-level fighter finally getting to see what it is like to trade blows with something well out of their league.
Superheroism goes further. More levels. More hit points. Longer duration. It is for the truly desperate fight. The one where the enemy is too strong, and you need to give someone a fighting chance.
The real story comes after the fight. How does it feel to lose that sudden strength? Does it make the fighter hungry for more? Does it change how the others look at them? Maybe it becomes a moment that defines the character.
Run these spells right and you will give your table a scene they will talk about for years.
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