Damage in Mutants and Masterminds

[Bryan1108]

I am about to join a game M&M and I have read through the rules now. Is it just me or is your character in the same basic threat range facing a machine gun as a baseball bat?

I get that you have to roll higher on your toughness to avoid the damage but if you fail, you more or less take the same damage depending on your roll which isn't that different.

I admit that I JUST read through the rules this evening but am I missing something here?

[Grod_The_Giant]

No, that's about right. Damage in M&M can be really swingy at times, since you're rolling a d20. I personally prefer to use 2d10 on Toughness checks for exactly that reason. It tends to work out alright in play, though, so don't feel too worried.

It's worth noting that if you want to have a Superman type who can effortlessly shrug off low-damage weapons like baseball bats (and assault rifles!) you can take Impervious Toughness and gain total immunity to low-ranking damage effects.