[M&M 3e] House Rules/System Overhaul (PEACH)

[Quellian-dyrae]

Introduction

This is a fairly-large-scale overhaul of the M&M 3e rules. It's meant to patch up some of the more glaring balance issues, clear up some rule ambiguities, and add a bit more mechanical diversity. I'm not saying I've gotten everything, and I'm not saying it comes without cost. These rules will not be good for players who favor simpler, lighter rules and a greater focus on GM adjudication than RAW rulings. They're more likely to be useful for groups that are more mechanically-minded and don't mind some extra complexity in the name of balance.

Some highlights of the rules include:
Rebalanced Abilities, Stats, and Skills. Trading off for Defense should now be just as viable as trading off for Toughness! Niche skills got consolidated! Presence doesn't cost more points than it gives you!
Skill Stunts! Use your skills to perform power stunts! Designed to reward both focusing on a skill and investing modestly in several skills.
A substantially expanded and heavily rebalanced condition list, providing more options for special attacks.
Actual rules for knocking people back and causing conditions that last more than a minute or so.
Significant power rebalancing. Impervious is actually useful! Healing and Regeneration don't make you nigh-unbeatable to single foes! Environment can actually be relevant!
New Effects, Flaws, and several Extras.
Completely revised rules for Arrays, Variable powers, Linked powers, Metamorphs, and minions of all sorts. Should actually cost something resembling what they're worth now.

Throughout the rules, I've marked several important bits in sky blue. These are generally significant changes from standard rules that have a fairly important impact on some of the other changes.

Anyway, that's enough rambling (well, for now anyway, I might go back through and add some design notes later :smallamused:). Hope you like them, and I'm very open to critiques, suggestions, questions, whatever.

Contents:
Post 1: Introduction.
Post 2: Character Building.
Post 3: General Rules.
Post 4: Condition List.
Post 5: Powers (Effects and Flaws).
Post 6: Powers (Extras).
Post 7: Arrays, Proxies, and Combos.
Post 8: Descriptors.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Character Building

Core Resources

PL Exchanges: A character can lower its PL for purposes of PL limits to raise it for purposes of PP, or vice-versa, on a one for one basis. So in a PL 10/150 PP game, you could instead be PL 8 with 180 PP, or PL 12 with 120 PP.

Hero Points: Characters begin each adventure with one Hero Point per three PL, rounded up (if using PL exchanges, use base PL for this calculation). Additional Hero Points can be purchased for 10 PP each, and starting Hero Points can be reduced for 5 PP each. A character cannot more than double starting Hero Points, nor reduce them to less than 0.

Abilities

Strength: You can lift a Mass Rank equal to your Strength Rank. Your basic physical attacks have a Damage rank equal to your Strength rank.

Additionally, all Affliction, Damage, Move Object, and Weaken powers you possess can be designated as "Strength Discounted". Each rank of Strength reduces the PP cost of such powers by 1. However, in any given round, you may only use one Strength Discounted power at a time, so if you want to Link multiple attacks or have some use lower action types, only one may be Strength Discounted. Strength Discounted powers cost a minimum of 1 PP each.

Stamina: Each rank of Stamina provides +1 Toughness and +1 Fortitude.

Agility: Each rank of Agility provides +1 to your Ranged Attack bonus, +1 Dodge, +1 Mobility, and +2 Initiative.

Dexterity: Each rank of Dexterity provides +1 to your Melee Attack bonus, +1 Parry, +1 Stealth, and +2 Initiative.

Fighting: Each rank of Fighting provides +1 to your Melee Attack bonus, Ranged Attack bonus, Dodge, and Parry. Note that while these bonuses do stack with Agility and Dexterity, they are still capped at your PL limit.

Intellect: Each rank of Intellect provides +1 Investigation, Technology, and Treatment, as well as +1 to a single Expertise skill.

Awareness: Each rank of Awareness provides +1 Will, +1 Insight, and +1 Perception.

Presence: Each rank of Presence provides +1 Deception, Intimidation, and Persuasion, and also provides a free rank of the Benefit Advantage (note that while Presence does provide a slightly greater PP value than its cost, this is mitigated somewhat by the fact that Benefits are highly niche Advantages, and the three social skills largely accomplish the same goals, just in different ways).

Power Level Limits

Base Limits: The following statistics are limited to your Power Level:

Attack: Your Attack Bonus with any given attack.
Damage: Your Effect Rank with any given attack.
Defense: The average of your Dodge and Parry.
Toughness: Your Toughness rank.
Fortitude: Your Fortitude rank.
Will: Your Will rank.
Skills: Your highest skill rank, minus 10.
Powers: Your highest power rank, excluding powers whose ranks allow you to make purchases from a list of options, such as Immunity, Movement, and Senses.

Tradeoffs: You may alter your PL limits by making tradeoffs, lowering your PL for purposes of one limit to raise it for another. No limit can have an effective PL more than 5 higher than your actual PL. Unless otherwise noted, a tradeoff may be performed in either direction.

Attack for Damage (this tradeoff may be done on a power-by-power basis).
Defense for Toughness.
Fortitude for Will.
Attack and Damage for Defense and Toughness.
Damage, Toughness, and Powers for Attack, Defense, Fortitude, Will, and Skills.

Stances: The Accurate Attack, All Out Attack, Defensive Attack, and Power Attack maneuvers are revised to stances. There are six different stances, described below. A character may only be in one stance at a time, and can only change stance once per round. Taking a stance, changing a stance, or leaving a stance is a move action. A character may exchange as many as two points through a stance. A stance is functionally a temporary tradeoff, and thus cannot bring a stat above PL + 5.

Each stance has an Advantage that comes with it of the same name, just like before. However, these are ranked Advantages. With the first rank, entering, leaving, or changing to that stance becomes a free action (but changing from that stance to a different stance is still a move action unless the character possesses the new stance's Advantage). With the second rank, the maximum swap for that stance goes up to 5 points, but going above two points again requires a move action. With the third rank, even swaps higher than two points are free actions.


Accurate Attack: Trades Damage for Attack.
All Out Attack: Trades Defense and Toughness for Attack and Damage.
Power Attack: Trades Attack for Damage.
Active Defense: Trades Toughness for Defense.
Stalwart Defense: Trades Defense for Toughness.
Total Defense: Trades Attack and Defense for Defense and Toughness (the benefits of this stance are received only in rounds where the character actually attacks).


Reducing Traits: Characters may reduce traits, either assigning reduced traits along with certain powers that aren't always active, or naturally lowering a trait below 0. A situational reduction cannot reduce a trait below 0. A natural reduction cannot reduce a trait below -5. Reducing a trait awards half as many PP as it would cost to increase the trait.

Skills

Combine Acrobatics, Athletics, and Vehicles into one skill, Mobility. Mobility also gains the Escape and Contortion options from Sleight of Hand.

Stealth gains all other functions of Sleight of Hand, which is removed.

Remove Close Combat and Ranged Combat skills entirely.

Once you purchase Expertise, you may acquire equal ranks in another Expertise skill for 1 PP each (you may divide these ranks among multiple Expertise skills if you wish, but none can go above the main purchase, similar to an Alternate Power). Expertise (Linguist) becomes an option, and you learn one language per rank.

You can use Treatment to help others recover from conditions; see the Conditions and Recovery rules. Treatment can also be used to improve certain applications of the Healing power.

SkillAbility
DeceptionPRE
ExpertiseINT
InsightAWE
IntimidationPRE
InvestigationINT
MobilityAGI
PerceptionAWE
PersuasionPRE
StealthDEX
TechnologyINT
TreatmentINT

Skill Stunts: You can use skills to perform amazing feats, similar to power stunts. You must have at least one Hero Point to perform skill stunts - it doesn't cost Hero Points, you just have to have one available. Skill stunts aren't normal uses of the skill - they're special feats that heroic characters can perform. An NPC may gain the ability to perform skill stunts for one scene as a sort of GM Fiat; the group as a whole gets a single floating Hero Point that any one member can use, and which expires at the end of the scene if not used beforehand.

In any given scene, you may use any given skill once as part of a skill stunt (Expertise counts as a single skill, although multiple forms of Expertise may broaden how you can use it). You may use multiple skills in the same stunt, although doing so is difficult and uses up your per-scene use of each skill.

When you perform a skill stunt, you design a temporary power, as with a power stunt. It is not an alternate power; you may use all other powers you possess normally. You may even use a skill stunt to improve an existing power, adding additional ranks or Extras as allowed by the stunt. A skill stunt always lasts for a maximum of one round (or one cohesive action, outside of combat time). Additionally, a skill stunt may only be used for an action of immediate relevance to the current scene. If you're currently interrogating a captured villain, you might use a skill stunt to gain, say, a Mind Reading effect, but you couldn't use one to gain Remote Viewing to spy on some other villain.

The power you design has to be logically thematically related to the skill being used - although it may certainly take it beyond the human capacity for that skill. This is more a matter of flavor and creativity than balance - an entertaining line of reasoning is more important than strict logic, but basic common sense does apply (it's hard to justify any situation where Deception would provide Leaping, for example).

Additionally, while skills can be highly effective, they aren't really meant for feats of extreme raw power. Any Measures provided or improved by a skill stunt cannot be increased by more than 1/3 your Power Level, rounded down (so a PL 10 character couldn't add more than 3 ranks to, say, its lifting strength, or its speed, or its Quickness, etc). Similarly, if the power involves selecting options from a list (as with Senses, Movement, Immunity, etc), you cannot select more than one rank's worth of such options per three PL, rounded down. So for example, a Senses skill stunt for a PL 10 character could provide Darkvision and Extended Hearing, but not Counters All Concealment or Extended 3 and Rapid 3.

Finally, a skill stunt may include a maximum of one Extra per skill involved (although the same Extra may be applied multiple times if normally allowed without counting further against this limit).

To perform a skill stunt, design your power first and choose the primary skill involved. To perform the skill stunt, you must make a check with the relevant skill against a DC of 10 + the power's PP cost. Using multiple skills does not increase your maximum PP value, but allows you to add more than one Extra. If you take this option, you must also make a skill check for each additional skill used with a DC of 10 + the number of points spent for that Extra (reductions for Flaws and the like only apply for the total power cost; the per-Extra cost is always the full cost of the Extra). If you succeed all of your skill checks, you perform the stunt successfully.

If you fail any of them, you bungle the attempt, losing the opportunity to use those skills for a skill stunt in this scene. You also suffer some minor mishap, resulting in a penalty determined by your GM and appropriate to what you were attempting. The general penalty is suffering a Tier 1 condition with Instant Recovery, although the GM may apply other, similarly detrimental mishaps at its discretion (for example, during a social scene, you might annoy the person you're trying to influence and lower their reaction by a step, or unintentionally reveal some information you wanted to keep secret). A failure by at least three degrees causes a more severe penalty (generally a Tier 2 condition with Short Recovery). A failure by five degrees causes a colossal blunder (generally a Tier 3 condition with Standard Recovery). If you are rolling multiple skills, degrees of failure stack.

If you wish, you may also use multiple skills to boost the primary skill as with a Team Check (although you gain no benefit from Teamwork since you're not actually assisting someone else). You make a DC 10 check with each skill used in this way, and one degree of success provides a +2 bonus to your primary check, while three degrees provides a +5. This uses up the per-encounter use of the skills. A failure causes no penalty, aside from wasting that skill's stunt for the encounter. You can't use a skill to both provide a bonus and allow an Extra.

Removed Advantages

Artificer: Use Skill Stunts, or for a dedicated artificer, a Variable array. The way the advantages are set up is exploitable.

Defensive Attack: Actually just renamed Total Defense, but whatever, new stances rules means Total Defense also works kinda differently anyway.

Defensive Roll: Toughness can be purchased directly. The revised Removable Flaw is appropriate for Toughness that is negated while Vulnerable.

Equipment: See the Equipment and Devices section. Short version is, most major Equipment should be purchased as normal traits/powers with a Complication allowing for potential loss.

Inventor: Same as Artificer.

Languages: Replaced by Expertise (Linguist).

Luck: Replaced with new rules for starting Hero Points (Luck as an Advantage is just too good).

Minion: Replaced by the new Proxies rules.

Quick Draw: Drawing a weapon is considered a free action, same as changing literally every other array in the game.

Ritualist: Same as Artificer.

Sidekick: Replaced by the new Proxies rules.

Revised Advantages

Accurate Attack: See the new Stances rules above. Damage for Attack.

All Out Attack: See the new Stances rules above. Defense and Resistance for Attack and Damage.

Beginner's Luck: Grants temporary ranks equal to half your maximum ranks for a skill.

Close Combat: Provides +2 to the relevant attack bonus per rank, rather than +1.

Daze: Can be used as a move action by taking a -5 penalty on the check.

Eidetic Memory: Lets you use half your highest Expertise rank for any untrained Expertise skill for purposes of recalling facts, in addition to normal effects.

Evasion: Changes to: If an Area effect misses you, you take no damage rather than half damage. Evasion is no longer ranked.

Fascinate: Can be used as a move action by taking a -5 penalty on the check.

Jack of All Trades: Lets you use half your highest Expertise rank for all untrained Expertise skills for purposes other than recalling facts, in addition to normal effects.

Leadership: Can remove any condition that a Hero Point can normally remove (these have been expanded; see the Hero Points section). It can be used on a single ally as a free action, or on every ally you can interact with as a standard action (in the latter case, you must remove the same condition from all allies).

Power Attack: See the new Stances rules above. Attack for Damage.

New Advantages

Active Defense: See the new Stances rules above. Resistance for Defense.

Stalwart Defense: See the new Stances rules above. Defense for Resistance.

Total Defense: See the new Stances rules above. Attack and Damage for Defense and Resistance.

[Quellian-dyrae]

General Rules

Actions and Combat

Action Limits: An action that is normally a Standard action cannot apply to the same target from the same character more than once per round (whether due to reduced action costs, increased duration, Extras that repeat its effects, Proxies performing the same action, or any other means). Doing so resolves the group of actions as a Team Check. Actions that are normally Move actions cannot apply to the same target from the same character more than twice per round. Extra actions provided by Extra Effort are exempt from this rule.

Different powers with the same Effect are considered the same action for this purpose; if you have a power that lets you attack as a Reaction, for example, you can't use it against a target you attacked with a different power on your turn, but you could use it to attack other opponents.

Attacking: All attacks require an Attack check, including Area and Perception attacks. Area attacks ignore Concealment, and cause half effect on a miss. Perception attacks ignore Cover, have no range limits beyond what you can accurately perceive, and automatically receive one application of the Alternate Defense Extra.

If an attack succeeds by two or more degrees, subtract the degree of success from the number of points the target must fail its Resistance check by to earn a degree of failure. So if an attack hits by two degrees, the target suffers one degree of failure for every three points it fails its Resistance check by, rather than every five points.

If the attack imposes a condition tree directly, getting the same condition twice moves you up to the next condition in the tree. This only applies for the specific condition you're currently on. For example, if you are currently Staggered, getting Staggered again will move you to Stunned, but getting Dazed won't cause any additional effect. This only applies for attacks that inflict the actual condition tree. An attack that causes, for example, Impaired/Staggered/Helpless/Unconscious wouldn't cause an already Staggered character to move up to Stunned.

A character's basic, unpowered physical attacks are a Damage power that imposes conditions from the Dazing tree.

Critical Hits: The Alternate Effect option of a critical hit still adds +2 to the DC. The Added Effect option uses the normal rank. A new option, Lasting Effect, increases the recovery time for the attack by one step and adds +2 to the DC, or by two steps at no change to the DC.

Move Action Tactics [Optional Rule]: The following actions can be performed as a move action by taking a -5 penalty on the check:

Aid, Demoralize, Disarm, Feint, Smash, Trip.

This rule is tagged as optional - it makes move actions more useful (and thus, conditions that prevent move actions more debilitating), but this can slow play as players will generally have more choices to make.

New Maneuvers: The following maneuvers are all standard actions, but if the Move Action Tactics optional rule is in play, they can be performed as a move action by taking a -5 penalty on the check.

Challenge: You attempt to taunt an opponent, challenge it to fight you, or just make yourself appear to be the most dangerous opponent on the field. You may target a single opponent who can interact with you (or an entire group of Minions if you take a -5 penalty on the check). Roll an Intimidation check against a DC of 10 + the higher of your target's Intimidation, Insight, or Will ranks. If you succeed, for three rounds per degree of success, the target counts as Disabled for purposes of attack rolls made against any target other than you. It also counts as Vulnerable against your attacks in any round that it makes an attack roll against a target other than you. Each degree of failure the target rolls against attacks from your allies reduces the duration by two rounds.

Feign: You attempt to discourage the enemy from attacking you. You may target a single opponent who can interact with you (or an entire group of Minions if you take a -5 penalty on the check). Roll a Persuasion check against a DC of 10 + the higher of your target's Persuasion, Insight, or Will ranks. If you succeed, for three rounds per degree of success, the target counts as Disabled for purposes of attack rolls made against you. It also counts as Vulnerable against attacks from your allies in any round it makes an attack roll against you. Each degree of failure the target rolls against your attacks reduces the duration by two rounds.

Manhandle: You attempt to forcibly move the target. You must make an attack roll to hit the target. If you succeed, the target must roll a Strength or Mass Rank check against a DC of 10 + your Strength rank (or your power rank, when using a power such as Move Object to manhandle a target). If it fails, it receives the Pushed condition.

Reactive Defenses [Optional Rule]: Defensive actions can be taken as Reactions, as long as you are not Dazed or Vulnerable. This includes actions like Defend and Counter, uses of powers such as Deflect, and even swapping an array to a defensive power such as Immunity or taking a defense-oriented stance or Aiding an ally's defense. However, any action costs or per-round limits on the action are considered spent for your next turn. So you could Defend in reaction to an attack, but you lose your next turn's standard action. Likewise, you could swap an array to an Immunity as a Reaction, but you couldn't change that array again on your next turn.

This rule is tagged as optional - it provides more tactical (and in my opinion, somewhat more realistic) defensive options and prevents the whole "on my turn, I use this defensive move" "Okay, on the enemy's turn, it uses this attack mode that just so happens to completely ignore that form of defense" issue. On the other hand, it can slow down play as players have many more opportunities to take reactions.

Conditions and Recovery

There are five possible Recovery Rates for most conditions: Instant, Short, Standard, Prolonged, and Permanent. Attacks that deal Damage use Standard Recovery by default. Attacks that cause Afflictions use Short Recovery by default, upgrading to Standard Recovery for their Tier 4 conditions. Weakens use Instant Recovery by default.

Some forms of recovery require a Recovery Check to remove the condition. This is generally a Fortitude check, unless the condition was resisted by Will, in which case it is a Will check. The Alternate Recovery Extra can change the check required. The DC is always 10 + the rank of the attack (only use the normal rank, not any modifiers from things like Power Attack, critical hits, Multiattack, and so on). A natural 20 on a Recovery Check reduces the DC by 5, even if the 20 isn't enough to pass the check on its own.

If the condition was inflicted by an attack that caused a full condition tree, recovering from a Tier 2 or higher condition only lowers the condition to the next Tier down, at which point the character continues recovering. So a character Stunned by a Dazing Tree attack would have to recover from being Stunned, then Staggered, and then Dazed, whereas a character Stunned by an attack that just inflicts, say, Vulnerable/Defenseless/Stunned/Unconscious simply recovers from the Stun and is fine.

Generally speaking, M&M favors getting the heroes back into play fairly quickly. A PC who suffers from a condition that lasts for more than one scene after the scene it was inflicted in should receive a Hero Point in each scene that the condition hinders their performance, as if it were a Complication.

Characters only recover from one condition at a time. They recover from whichever condition has the fastst Recovery Rate first. If multiple conditions use the same Recovery Rate, they recover from the most severe (that is, highest Tier) condition first. If these are also the same, the player can choose which condition it recovers from. Once a character begins recovering from a condition, it may continue to do so even if a new condition is imposed that has a higher priority. If the player wishes, it can instead start recovering from the new condition, but this resets any progress towards its next Recovery Check for the other condition.

You cannot begin recovering from a condition while you are still subject to the power that imposed it. Normally, this doesn't matter since such powers have Instantaneous durations. But if they have their durations increased, you cannot begin recovering until the duration expires (or you move out of the area, if the power has the Zone Extra). You may recover from other conditions during this time however; the condition simply doesn't enter your priority list for recovery until you are no longer subject to the power.

Where it matters, recovery for a given round occurs at the end of the character's turn. Recovery is not considered an action.

Instant: Each round that the character attempts to recover from a condition with Instant Recovery, it automatically removes the condition with no check required.

Short: Each round that the character attempts to recover from a condition with Short Recovery, it rolls a Recovery Check. A success removes the condition.

Standard: Each minute (ten rounds; Time Rank 3) that the character attempts to recover from a condition with Standard Recovery, it rolls a Recovery Check. A success removes the condition. The character takes a -5 penalty on the Recovery Check if it is not resting for the entire recovery time.

Prolonged: Once the character starts attempting to recover from a condition with Prolonged Recovery, it must spend fifteen minutes (Time Rank 7) doing so. At the end of this time, it may make a Recovery Check. A success removes the condition. If it fails, the Time Rank that it must spend recovering increases by one per degree of failure. This increase accumulates through multiple failures, so if the first failure is by two degrees, the next Recovery Check comes an hour later. If that fails by one degree, the next one is two hours later, and so on. In a more realistic, gritty game, a Prolonged condition that takes more than a week to recover from may leave behind a lasting Complication. The character takes a -5 penalty on the Recovery Check if it is not resting for the entire recovery time.

Permanent: The condition does not recover on its own. Powers such as Healing or Regeneration are required to remove it (and it might be possible for the character to receive things to lessen or negate its effects, such as a prosthetic limb, at GM discretion). In a more realistic, gritty game, even if a character manages to remove a Permanent condition, it may leave behind a lasting Complication.

Exertion Conditions: Any time a character purposefully takes on a condition to power its own actions (such as with Extra Effort, or the Tiring or Side Effect Flaws), those conditions are designated as Exertion Conditions. Exertion Conditions don't use any of the above recovery methods. Rather, an Exertion Condition lasts until the character rests for a Time Rank equal to 8 + the condition's Tier. So a Tier 1 Exertion Condition lasts one hour, Tier 2 lasts two hours, etc. Time spent performing strenuous activity (moving faster than a slow walk, fighting, using powers, etc) doesn't count towards recovery of Exertion Conditions. Note that most Exertion Conditions impose a condition tree, so removing a high-Tier condition merely downgrades it to the next lower one.

Spending a Hero Point can remove one Exertion Condition instantly. The Recover action can remove an Exertion Condition that was acquired in that combat scene (it cannot be used to recover from Exertion Conditions acquired in previous scenes or outside of combat).

Using Treatment: The Treatment skill can help speed the recovery of Short, Standard, and Prolonged conditions, as follows. In general, techniques used to mitigate Permanent conditions will require a Treatment check against the condition's Recovery DC to work.

Short: As a move action, you can attempt basic first aid to help remove a condition with Short Recovery. Roll a Treatment check against the condition's Recovery DC. If you succeed, the condition is removed.

Standard: By spending some time treating the patient's injuries, you can improve its chances to remove conditions with Standard Recovery. You have to spend at least three full rounds tending to the patient for each such condition you want to help it recover from. If you do so, each time the patient rolls a Recovery Check to remove the condition, you may also roll a Treatment Check; the patient then resolves the recovery attempt as a Team Check using whichever roll was higher as the primary roll (so, it uses the higher roll, adds +2 if the lower roll beats DC 10, and adds +5 if the lower roll beats DC 20).

Prolonged: By spending an extended period of time providing care, you can help remove a condition with Prolonged Recovery. During each recovery period, you must spend an amount of time tending to the patient equal to the Time Rank required to recover minus 3 (so for the first check, you would have to spend two minutes tending to the patient at any point during its fifteen-minute recovery process). You can reduce the Time Rank required by 1 per -5 you take on your Treatment check. If you tend the patient in this way, when it makes its Recovery Check, you also make a Treatment Check and the patient resolves the recovery attempt as a Team Check using whichever roll was higher as the primary roll. If the attempt nonetheless fails, you must tend the patient again if you wish to assist its new Recovery Check (using the newly increased Time Rank to calculate how much time you have to spend).

Hero Points and Extra Effort

Certain aspects of Hero Points and Extra Effort are revised. Those not listed here use their normal rules.

Cost of Extra Effort: Each time you use Extra Effort, you gain one Tier of the Fatigue Tree as an Exertion Condition.

Extra Effort - Bonus: Always provides a Major Bonus (+5).

Extra Effort - Power: The increase changes to half the power's normal rank, minimum +2, maximum +5.

Extra Effort - Power Stunt: A Power Stunt no longer provides an alternate power outright. When performing a Power Stunt, choose one of the following options. The effects last for the remainder of the scene.

The Enhanced Trait Effect and the Limited Flaw are entirely off-limits for power stunts; they can't be added, removed, or changed through power stunting.

Augmented Power: Choose one of your existing powers; you gain 1 PP per rank of that power which can be used to add Extras to it. You may also gain additional PP by applying Flaws or removing existing Extras.

Modified Power: Choose one of your existing powers; you gain an Alternate Power of this power. The Alternate Power must have all of the same Effects and Modifiers, but you may change any other choices about the power, such as its Descriptors, the shape of its Area, the conditions it imposes, and so on. When you first spend the Extra Effort this new Alternate Power is automatically activated without using your 1/round array change.

Modified Power: You gain 2 temporary PP per PL, which you can use to build a new power. You may only create a single power in this way, and it can only draw from Effects and Extras that you already possess. For example, if your only powers are a Ranged Area Attack and a Secondary Effect Healing, you could create a Secondary Effect Attack, or a Ranged Healing, or an Area Secondary Effect Attack, etc. But you couldn't create a Multiattack Attack or an Area Mind Reading power.

Extra Effort - Resistance: You may immediately make a Recovery Check to throw off an Instant, Short, or Standard condition, or a new resistance check against a power with a duration that is currently upon you. The normal rule about not fatiguing yourself into unconsciousness to avoid Influencing conditions applies.

Extra Effort - Speed or Strength: The rank increase is half your normal Speed Rank or Strength Rank, or +1, whichever is higher.

Hero Point - Heroic Feat: The Advantage lasts for the rest of the scene.

Hero Point - Instant Counter: In addition to performing the counter instantly, a roll of 10 or less on the check to counter gets a +10 bonus.

Hero Point - Recover: You can spend a Hero Point to instantly remove a condition with an Instant, Short, or Standard Recovery Rate, or an Exertion Condition. You can spend a Hero Point to get an immediate new Recovery Check or resistance check against a Prolonged condition or a power with a duration that allows a resistance check, with a roll of 10 or less getting a +10 bonus. Failing this check does not have any negative impact aside from simply failing to remove the effect (and wasting the Hero Point). Immediately upon receiving a Permanent Condition, you may spend a Hero Point to have it downgraded to Prolonged. Finally, immediately upon being killed, you may spend a Hero Point to survive by some contrivance. Anyone who witnesses your apparent demise is convinced that you are dead (enemies won't go searching for your body to make new Finishing Attacks, for example).

Stealth and Detection

Detection DC:

The base DC to detect something is 10. If a character is actively attempting to keep the subject hidden, it may either add its Stealth skill directly to the DC, or it may roll a Stealth check to set the DC rather than using the flat DC. Generally speaking, hiding something other than itself or on itself is a standard action, and the benefits end of the hidden subject moves from the spot. Hiding oneself, or hiding an object (or small creature) on your person is a move action and you can retain stealth even while moving. Someone not actively attempting to hide doesn't add Stealth. In the case of a Stealth check, the result generally lasts for the current scene, even if the character reveals itself and attempts to hide again.

This DC is then modified as follows:


Subject has Total Concealment from all of your senses: DC +20.
Subject has Total Concealment from all of your senses, except mundane Touch: DC +15.
Subject has Total Concealment from all of your Accurate and Acute senses: DC +10.
Subject has Total Concealment from all of your Accurate senses: DC +5.
Subject has at least Partial Concealment from all of your Accurate and Acute senses: DC +0.
Subject has at least Partial Concealment from all of your Accurate senses: DC -5.
Subject has no Concealment from at least one of your Accurate senses: DC -30.

Distance and size also matters. The above DC is appropriate out to 30' (Distance Rank 0). Each additional Distance Rank imposes a -4 penalty to the Perception check. Extended senses, as always, multiply the range between penalties by 10, so if you have Extended Vision 1, you take -0 out to 300', -4 out to 600', -8 out to 1,200', and so on.

Each Size Rank of the subject larger than -2 lowers the DC by 4, while each Size Rank smaller raises it by 4. Since this is now built into the detection system, these modifiers do ignore PL limits.

The size effect also applies to other senses. For example, a human walking at normal speed or speaking in conversational tones would be the "default size" for sound, while hushed tones might increase the DC by 4, a whisper by 8, and speaking "under one's breath" by 12. Likewise, speaking loudly would lower the DC to hear by 4, calling out by 8, and shouting or screaming by 12.

Detection Results:

A successful Perception check means you detect the subject. That is, you are aware of its presence; its attacks against you are not considered Surprise Attacks, and you are not surprised if it initiates combat. As long as it doesn't have Total Concealment from all of your Accurate senses, you are also aware of its position, allowing you to target it and to affect it with Perception-range effects. As long as it doesn't have Total Concealment from all of your Acute senses, you can also determine details about the target depending on your degree of success:


One Degree: You can recognize, generally, what the subject is. So you would know you're looking at a human or a dog, or that you're hearing a song or an argument, or that you're sensing a strong, dark emotion.

Two Degrees: You get broad details. You can't identify the target, but you get a vague description or gist. For example, you'd know you're looking at a dark-haired male wearing blue, or hearing an argument about the quality of food, or sensing anger. This level of detail is not possible if your total check bonus is -20 or less (typically due to extreme distance).

Three Degrees: You get specific details. You can identify the target (and probably recognize it, if you're familiar enough with it). For example, you'd get a clear look at the person's face and be able to recognize him, or hear the exact argument and be able to recognize the voices, or sense who the anger is directed towards and what is causing it. If you are using an Analytical sense, you get explicit, thorough details as appropriate to your sense. This level of detail is not possible if your total check bonus is -8 or less (typically due to significant distance or circumstance penalties).

Once a character has been detected, it cannot hide again without a distraction or unless circumstances improve. Powers that might offer the opportunity (such as Teleport) should be treated as Distraction attempts, though the character may substitute its power rank for its Deception skill when using powers in this way, if it wishes.

A failed Perception check means you do not detect the subject. If the subject hasn't done anything to reveal its presence (most actions that manipulate objects or target other characters), you are unaware of it entirely, and if it attacks you, you are considered Surprised. Otherwise, you are aware of it by its actions, but can't pinpoint or identify it, which generally means you can't target it with actions (although a good guess or big enough area attack could still affect it) and all of its attacks against you are considered Surprise Attacks until you manage to detect it.

Note that even if you detect a target, you still take any relevant penalties on attacks against the target due to Concealment.

When to Detect:

By default, detection is resolved as a Routine Check against the relevant DC. You are constantly detecting everything you could potentially perceive with a check result equal to 10 + your Perception rank. Perception is considered the active check, so a tied result is a one-degree success on detection.

You can also roll Perception checks actively in certain situations:

If you know what you are looking for, you can roll a Perception check against that specific subject as a move action. This is called a Scan action. You don't have to perfectly identify what you're looking for, but you have to be reasonably precise. So, "traps" or "enemies" is too broad, but "whoever just shot at me", "whatever made that noise", "whoever just opened the door", or a specific individual, for example, are all okay. Scanning covers your full range with that sense.

You can also Search a specific area as a standard action. You can Search an area about six feet (Distance Rank -2) on a side (or a character with a Size Rank of -2 or less) with a single action. Each application of Quickness to this action increases the Distance Rank by 1. Each rank of Rapid on the sense is equivalent to three ranks of Quickness (Limited 2 [One Task - Perception]), so each application of Rapid increases the Distance Rank by 3. When searching, you detect anything hidden or concealed in the area that you roll high enough to detect.

Any time a character targets another character with an action, everyone nearby can choose to Scan for that character as a Reaction. Unless the action itself has specific concealment (through the Subtle and Insidious Extras), any senses that the character has Total Concealment from, it is considered to only have Partial Concealment from, for purposes of this check. Additionally, the character must roll a new Stealth check, which applies only to this specific check. It is, thus, very difficult to maintain complete stealth during active combat.

Powers and Detection:

The Concealment power, as normal, provides Total Concealment for the listed senses. Note, however, that due to the new rules for calculating detection DCs, Total Concealment does not necessarily mean immunity to detection. Even a character concealed from all senses could be detected from certain tells in the environment or even pure instinct.

The Subtle Extra removes a power's sensory signature from the normal senses, save touch (that is, Vision, Hearing, Smell, and Taste). The power itself is considered to have Partial Concealment from those senses, but no Concealment from other senses that could detect it (such as appropriate types of Awareness, or Infravision for a heat-based power, etc). This generally means the DC to detect a Subtle power with normal senses is 10 + the user's Stealth rank.

Two applications of the Subtle Extra removes a power's sensory signature from all senses but touch. The power is considered to have Total Concealment from mundane senses except touch (Vision, Hearing, Smell, and Taste), and Partial Concealment from super-senses. Resultantly, the DC to detect the power is generally 25 + Stealth for mundane senses, or 10 + Stealth for super senses.

Subtle powers used by a character with Total Concealment from relevant senses do not downgrade the character's Concealment to Partial for purposes of reactive checks to detect the character, unless the power successfully causes an effect. Even in this case, the downgraded Concealment only applies to characters who were successfully affected. This benefit also applies to Indirect powers with regards to mundane senses (relevant super-senses can better discern where the actual source of the power is).

Insidious removes the sensory signature of the effects of a power from all senses, including the mundane sense of touch. The power's effects are considered to have Partial Concealment from all senses, generally resulting in a DC to detect of 10 + Stealth. If a power is both Subtle to all relevant senses and Insidious, it never downgrades a character's own Concealment; a fully Concealed character using Subtle, Insidious powers is exceedingly hard to detect for opponents who don't have either superior Perception skills or means of countering its concealment, even when slinging powers in the heat of battle.

Senses that Counter or Penetrate Concealment only fully counter natural concealment. Concealment from powers is instead reduced one step; Total to Partial, Partial to None. Resultantly, the ability to Counter Concealment does not automatically reveal opponents with concealing powers; a Perception check is still required. A character with the Hide in Plain Sight advantage treats natural concealment as concealment from a power for this purpose.

The mundane Touch sense cannot be improved by Senses powers. You may, however, create custom tactile senses as normal (for example, a telekinetic touchsight might be Ranged Radius Accurate Tactile Detect [Physical Things]; a 5 PP sense, rather than simply 1 PP Ranged Touch sense).

Equipment and Devices

Equipment and Removable Devices no longer provide PP discounts, and Equipment is removed. The Removable Flaw remains, and now covers both what was originally Easily Removable items and other options where by default your character can expect to have the power but it can be removed in combat by enemy action (making it a sort of stop-gap between a Limit and a Quirk). Gear is handled as follows:

Devices: This category of gear means any sort of item actively used by the character to provide effects comparable to powers. The assumption here is that the character is expected to have access to and use this sort of gear to roughly the same degree it could use powers. Such equipment should be purchased as normal powers, with a Power Loss complication to represent the possibility of removal. Devices that can be removed during combat by enemy action (grabs, disarms, etc) may have a discount from the Removable Flaw.

Mundane Equipment: This category of gear is for run of the mill items that don't compare to powers or are reasonably common and available in the setting. This equipment is not purchased. Generally, it has limited mechanical effects, often including some degree of mitigating factor.

Characters can be assumed to have mundane equipment appropriate for the setting. In a developed, modern society, for example, most characters can be assumed to have cell phones, computers, and so on. Characters likely don't carry a lot of mundane equipment around on a day-to-day basis, but given notice will likely have access to many basic things at home or by stopping at a store. Characters who have less access to such equipment should note such as a Complication. As always, characters can spend a Hero Point to declare they happen to have a specific item on hand.

While the power of mundane equipment doesn't scale, Benefits can broaden one's access. Wealth, for example, provides higher-quality goods, while various other benefits might provide access to more restricted materials or logical access to things most people wouldn't normally have. This is largely flavor, but like all Benefits, can occasionally come in handy.

Similarly, ranks in an Expertise skill generally come with access to mundane gear relevant to the skill. Expertise (Mechanic) means the character presumably has access to tools, wires, metal, and other parts. Expertise (Survivalist) likely entails access to camping tools, rope, light sources, maps, and similar exploration gear.

Vehicles: Characters can generally be assumed to have access to mundane vehicles appropriate to the setting and their wealth level. In a medieval fantasy game, characters can probably have horses to ride, while in a modern setting, they likely have a car, truck, or motorcycle. Advanced settings may even have flying vehicles, and wealthy characters may have access to a yacht or speedboat (the extremely wealthy may even have a private jet!)

Mundane vehicles generally should not be armed or really have any major powers other than their relevant movement mode and basic stats. Likewise, they are likely fairly restricted as far as how easy they are to access and where they can go (moreso for more extravagant ones; a private jet will still require some prep to ready for takeoff, for example).

More advanced vehicles that are combat-capable can be treated as a Proxy.

Headquarters: Characters can be assumed to have a basic place to stay; typically a Small headquarters with no features except Living Space. Each rank of Wealth a character possesses automatically provides a size increase to the character's Headquarters, and two free features. Additional Headquarters effects can be purchased at the rate of 1 PP per 5 EP as normal by taking ranks of Benefit (Headquarters).

[Quellian-dyrae]

Condition List

Conditions are assigned a tier from 0 to 4. Tier 0 conditions cause minor or situational penalties, are easy to recover from, or have limited effect on combat. Tier 1 conditions impose a notable but not severe combat penalty. Tier 2 conditions cause a major combat penalty, significant enough that a character so afflicted should strongly consider escape or surrender. Tier 3 conditions make it functionally impossible for the character to contribute effectively to further combat. Tier 4 conditions leave the character essentially at the mercy of its foes.

Many conditions are grouped into related trees, each containing one condition of Tiers 1 through 4, in order. Attacks that impose an entire tree make it somewhat easier to escalate the condition and somewhat harder for targets to recover.

Dazing Tree

Conditions from the Dazing Tree restrict the target's actions.

Dazed: Can only take a single move or standard action each round.

Staggered: Can only take a single move action each round.

Stunned: Cannot take any action (including free actions or reactions).

Unconscious: Stunned, Defenseless, and Unaware.

Fatigue Tree

Conditions from the Fatigue tree hamper most of the target's general capabilities. Fatigue is not inherently harder to recover from than any other condition. The lasting nature of things like Extra Effort comes from being designated an Exertion Condition, not from the Fatigued/Exhausted conditions themselves.

Fatigued: The target's Speed Rank, and the Mass Rank that it can lift, are halved or reduced by 1, whichever is worse. Routine tasks take one additional Time Rank to perform, or the character's Quickness rank is halved, whichever is worse. Finally, the Time Rank between Recovery checks for any conditions upon the character increases by 1, or its Regeneration rank is halved, whichever is worse.

Exhausted: As Fatigued, but the modifications are doubled (effects that are halved are quartered, ranks reduced by 1 are reduced by 2, etc).

Depleted: All of the character's Abilities, defenses, skills, and measures are reduced to -5.

Spent: Depleted and Stunned.

Impairment Tree

Conditions from the Impairment tree penalize the target's checks, including Resistance checks, but not Recovery checks.

Impaired: -2 penalty on all checks except Recovery checks.

Disabled: -5 penalty on all checks except Recovery checks.

Impotent: As Disabled, and the best result you can receive on checks is one degree of failure.

Incapacitated: Impotent, Staggered, and Defenseless.

Influence Tree

Conditions from the Influence Tree exert control over the target.

Influenced: The target is forced to act in accordance of a certain course of action, chosen at the time the condition is inflicted. This must be an action that the target would reasonably take, and not contrary to the target's personality or goals, either long-term or immediate. For example, you couldn't force someone to attack its friends, but you could force it to attack its most heavily defended enemy. Likewise, you couldn't force a target to stop fighting outright, but you could force it to take on a supportive role or focus on personal defense rather than attacking directly.

Compelled: As Influenced, but the controlling character may choose what the target does with its move action each round, as long as that action is in accordance with the stated course (note that the target's other actions must still be in line with the stated course, but it can still choose exactly how it goes about doing it).

Controlled: As Compelled, but the controlling character can choose either the target's move or standard action each round, and while the chosen course cannot be against the target's nature or loyalties, it can prevent the target from working directly towards its goals (for example, you still can't make it attack an ally, but you could make it stop fighting or run away). If this control persists beyond the scene in which it is established, you must spend a Hero Point for each Controlled NPC that aids you in any given scene.

Commanded: As Controlled, but there is no limit to what commands you can give to the target, you are not limited to a single course of action, and you can control all of the target's actions. If this control persists beyond the scene in which it is established, you must spend a Hero Point for each Commanded NPC that aids you in any given scene.

Injury Tree

Conditions from the Injury Tree cause continual harm and can eventually lead to death.

Injured: You receive a Bruise in any round that you make a Resistance Check, whether it succeeds or fails, and in addition to any effects of the check itself. Powers that reduce penalties sustained do not affect those gained from Injury Tree conditions.

Wounded: As Injured, but you take a Bruise every time you make a Resistance Check. Also, each round, roll a Fortitude Check, DC 5 (this is a Resistance Check). For every three points you succeed by, the time until the next check is delayed one Time Rank. If you accrue three or more total degrees of failure on these checks before removing this condition, you die.

Critical: As Wounded. Also, the Fortitude check DC becomes 15, and you must make another one every time you take a move or standard action. The checks prompted by actions are not delayed by degrees of success, and successes on them do not affect the time between the normal checks.

Dying: Critical, Staggered, and Disabled.

Suppression Tree

Conditions from the Suppression Tree restrict the target's powers.

Suppressed: The target must make a power rank check against the Recovery DC of this condition to activate a non-innate power.

Drained: As Suppressed, but the target can only use one rank of power per point check succeeds by. Upon receiving this condition, the target must immediately check for current active powers.

Neutralized: All non-innate powers deactivate and cannot be reactivated.

Powerless: Neutralized, Staggered, and Disabled.

Vulnerability Tree

Conditions from the Vulnerability Tree leave the target more susceptible to attack.

Vulnerable: Attacks against the target get a +5 bonus.

Defenseless: The DC to hit the target with an attack is set to 10 and modified only by external circumstances (such as cover). Opponents can attack the target as a Routine Check or make Finishing Attacks against the target.

Helpless: As Defenseless, and if the target fails a Resistance check, it automatically suffers the worst possible result.

Exposed: Helpless, Drained, and Disabled.

Stacking Conditions

Stacking Conditions are all considered Tier 0. Unlike most conditions, they fully stack, increasing the penalty taken each time they are applied.

Bruised: For each instance of this condition, the target takes a -1 penalty on resistance checks against Damage and Injury Tree conditions (this applies to all Resistance checks, but only against Damage effects and Injuries). Further, powers that remove conditions (such as Healing and Regeneration) must remove all Bruises before removing more severe conditions.

Crippled: For each instance of this condition, the Time Rank required for any form of recovery is increased by 1.

Hampered: For each instance of this condition, the target takes a -1 penalty on Recovery checks.

Hindered: For each instance of this condition, the target's Speed Rank for all movement modes is lowered by 1.

Weakened: For each instance of this condition, one of the target's traits (based on the power that imposed the condition) loses one rank. Powers have a minimum rank of 0. Abilities, stats, and skills have a minimum rank of -10. An Ability that is reduced to -10 is considered Debilitated.

Disruption Conditions

Disruption Conditions are always considered Tier 0. Unlike most conditions, Disruption Conditions don't use any standard recovery method. Disruption Conditions either apply an instant effect and then end, or last until the character takes an appropriate action (generally a move action of some kind).

Disarmed: The target is forced to drop a held item, or a loose worn item. If the attacker has a free hand, it can grab the disarmed item. The condition ends immediately; the character does not need to remove it and can recover the dropped item by picking it up as a move action (or taking it from the enemy with another Disarm or by similar means).

Pushed: The target is forcibly moved a Distance Rank equal to the number of points it fails to resist the attack by minus three, to a maximum equal to the attack's rank minus the target's Mass Rank. If the target strikes another creature or object, it suffers Damage of a rank equal to the remaining Distance Rank, as does the struck subject. If the subject fails to resist by at least two degrees, the push continues (and the new subject is pushed as well) with its Distance Rank reduced by the subject's Mass Rank, minimum 0. The condition ends immediately, but the character can always move back to its old position by normal means unless something else prevents it.

Prone: -5 penalty on melee attack rolls. Attackers in Close range get +5 to hit. Attackers at further than Close range take -5 to hit. -2 penalty on Land Speed Rank. Standing up from prone is a move action.

Miscellaneous Conditions

Miscellaneous conditions are other conditions that don't heave enough in common with other conditions to fall into their own group.

Mute (Tier 0): The character cannot speak.

Restricted (Tier 0): The character cannot move its arms and hands, or similar limbs (including wings).

Revealed (Tier 0): The target loses all Concealment.

Immobile (Tier 1): The character cannot move from its current space, except by means of teleportation. It also cannot change its current facing or orientation. If another character attempts to move the character, it must roll a Strength or Movement Rank check against the Recovery DC to do so; success breaks the condition, failure stops the movement.

Unaware (Tier 2): All of the character's senses become useless, losing all sensory effects. This can be limited to visual senses only as a Tier 1 condition, or to a single non-visual sense type as a Tier 0 condition. A character with no Accurate senses treats all foes as being Hidden. A character with no Acute senses cannot make Interaction or Investigation checks. A character with no Ranged senses cannot make Perception checks.

Dead (Tier X): The character is dead, incapable of action or recovery. Death can only be removed by a Resurrection effect. Barring that, the character is removed from play. The Dead condition cannot be directly inflicted by normal effects; it comes about due to sufficient failures against Injury conditions or Finishing Attacks.

Complex Conditions

Complex conditions are special conditions based on one or more of the above conditions. Generally speaking, a significant limitation on a condition results in a complex condition one Tier lower. Two conditions of a given Tier generally amount to a complex condition one Tier higher. The following complex conditions are some common examples, but players and GMs may create their own complex conditions as well.

Entranced (Tier 2): The target is considered Stunned, but the condition can be removed by an ally as a move action, and is immediately removed if the character has to roll a Resistance check.

Restrained (Tier 2): The target is considered Vulnerable, Impaired, Hindered, and Restricted.

Asleep (Tier 3): The target is Unconscious (Stunned, Defenseless, and Unaware). However, it can be awakened by an ally as a move action, and it immediately awakens if it has to roll a Resistance check.

Bound (Tier 3): The target is considered Defenseless, Immobile, Impaired, and Restricted.

Paralyzed (Tier 3): The character is considered Stunned (for purposes of physical actions only) and Defenseless.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Powers

There are two important general rule for powers: First, you may selectively choose not to apply any or all of a power's Extras to any given use of that power. You get no discount or other benefit for doing so, and you can't ignore Flaws (even if you also ignore Extras), but if you have, say, a Ranged Area power you could use it as a Close range targeted power, a Ranged targeted power, or a Close range Area power without having to purchase alternate powers.

Second, you may not apply more PP/rank increases to a power (before counting Flaws) than the power's rank. So, if you have a rank 2 power, you can't add more than +2 PP/rank worth of Extras to it. This mainly prevents abuse with low-ranked powers with heaping stacks of Extras, but does also put some degree of a cap on how strong powers can get even with large numbers of Flaws.

Removed Effects

The following Effects have been removed entirely and folded into other options:

Deflect: The current functions of the Deflect power are folded into the new Shield power.

Growth: The benefits of Growth outweigh the cost. To simulate Growth, use appropriate Enhanced Traits, and take both a Feature and a Complication to represent the miscellaneous benefits and limitations of increased size.

Shrinking: The hindrances of Shrinking outweigh the benefits. To simulate Shrinking, use appropriate Enhanced Traits, and take both a Feature and a Complication to represent the miscellaneous benefits and limitations of reduced size.

Summon: Summon is no longer a power in itself; see the Proxies rules.

Swimming: Swimming has been revised into a Movement option.

Variable: Variable is no longer a power in itself, but an option for building Arrays.

Revised Effects

The following Effects have either new or revised rules. Unless otherwise noted, anything not explicitly changed remains as normal.

Affliction: The conditions caused by an Affliction use Short Recovery, except for Tier 4 conditions, which increase to Standard Recovery. Afflictions can now impose four degrees of failure, and the normal condition list is simply replaced by any condition with a Tier equal to the degree of failure. An Affliction also imposes one instance of the Hampered condition to the target unless it succeeds its resistance check by at least two degrees.

Concealment: While not changed in and of itself, the use of Concealment is modified by the new Stealth and Detection rules.

Create: Even for a non-Proportionate Create, objects only receive maximum Toughness if they are at least one foot in their smallest dimension. Each halving of this minimum lowers the object's Toughness by 2. Moving a created object that is large enough to provide you with cover is always at least move action (whether you are physically moving it, or doing so using Extras like Tether or Movable). Note that this is separate from an action used to move personally, so to move while under created cover would require two move actions; one to actually move, and one to move the cover.

A Selective Create cannot offer more than total cover; it is unable to fully block line of effect. Further, any defensive benefits from Selective Created objects are restricted by Power Level limits.

For a power that provides mobile protection for others, consider the new Shield effect.

You can Create larger objects by spending proportionately more time. Each additional Time Rank you spend using the power increases the Volume Rank of your creation by 1.

Damage: The conditions caused by Damage use Standard Recovery (including the Tier 1 condition; the daze doesn't just last one round). Damage by default imposes conditions from the Dazing Tree, but you may choose different conditions as with an Affliction. The DC for Damage changes to 10 + rank, and Damage causes a condition of a Tier equal to the degrees of failure, as with Afflictions. Damage also causes one Bruise to the target unless its resistance check succeeds by two degrees or more.

Damage powers can now receive the Cumulative and Progressive Extras.

Elongation: Increase the cost to 2 PP per rank.

Environment: Higher ranks improve the effect as well as the area, and there are new options to choose from, as follows. If two opposed environments overlap, the higher-rank one remains, but with its effective rank reduced by the lower rank. If they are equal rank they cancel out in the overlapping area.

A Selective Environment lets you mix-and-match, but each environment you can choose from beyond the first costs 2 additional PP (and if you want to use multiple environments in the same area simultaneously, you must pay the appropriate cost per rank). Bonuses from a Selective Environment are subject to PL limits; those from a non-Selective Environment are not.

The Environment power can be given the Proportionate Flaw, requiring the ranks to be divided among area and effect.

Cold: If generating intense cold, then any character in the area whose Fortitude rank is less than or equal to the effect rank takes -2 on Dodge and Parry as the cold slows its movements and reactions. If generating extreme cold, the penalty increases to -5 for those with Fortitude ranks less than or equal to half the effect rank.

Cover: You create various solid obstructions. Anyone in the area can take a move action to gain Cover. For 2 PP per rank, this becomes Total Cover. The cover has a Toughness rank equal to the Environment rank.

Hazard: You create some hazardous terrain of some kind. Anyone in the area with a Toughness, Fortitude, or Will rank (chosen when you gain the power) equal to or less than the effect rank suffers a Tier 1 condition (also chosen when you gain the power) while within. For 2 PP/rank, the effective rank for this purposes increases by 4, and those whose resistance rank are half the effect rank or less instead take a Tier 2 condition.

Heat: If generating intense heat, then any character in the area whose Fortitude rank is less than or equal to the effect rank takes -2 on resistance checks as the heat saps its endurance. If generating extreme heat, the penalty increases to -5 for those with Fortitude ranks less than or equal to half the effect rank.

Impede Movement: At 1 PP/rank, you can reduce the Speed Rank of anyone moving through the area by 1 per two ranks. You must choose a specific movement mode (land, by default) to impede. For 2 PP/rank, you can impede all movement modes except for teleportation. You may also use Impede Movement in reverse to cancel other movement impediments (either natural or from another Environment power).

Impede Projectiles: At 1 PP/rank, you can reduce the Distance Rank that a ranged attack moving through the area can target by 1 per two ranks. For 2 PP/rank, you impose an equal penalty on all ranged attack rolls made through the area. You may also use Impede Movement in reverse to cancel other projectile impediments (either natural or from another Environment power).

Light: The light negates all darkness even at 1 PP per rank. At 2 PP per rank, the light also imposes a -1 penalty per rank on Stealth to all within the area.

Visibility: The hindered visibility provides Concealment to all within the area, and imposes a -1 penalty per two ranks on Perception checks made into the area. At 2 PP per rank, the penalty becomes -1 per rank and the Concealment becomes Total Concealment. Depending on the descriptor, these effects may only apply within the area, or may apply through the area (so someone within treats everyone as concealed, even those outside).

Healing: Healing by default only removes Damage conditions. It does not remove Affliction or Weaken conditions regardless of the descriptor that applied them unless it has the Purifying or Restorative Extras, respectively. How healing works depends on the Recovery Rate of the condition that the target is currently recovering from.

If you are trained in Treatment, using Healing on a target also provides the benefits of using your Treatment skill upon it for purposes of recovering from that condition.

Instant: A single use of Healing instantly removes one condition with Instant Recovery per rank, with no check required.

Short: Roll a Healing check; if it equals or exceeds the Recovery DC of the condition, the condition is removed.

Standard: Roll a Healing check; for each point rolled, the target is treated as if one round has passed for purposes of recovery, reducing the time before its next Recovery Check or allowing it to make a new Recovery Check instantly if the time is reduced to 0 rounds (overflow can apply towards a different condition using Standard Recovery or towards the next Recovery Check against the current condition if the check fails). If the character receives any Healing while recovering from a given condition, it counts as having rested for the entire recovery time, and the Progressive Extra won't trigger off of that Recovery Check.

Prolonged: Prolonged conditions cannot be healed instantly. However, a character with a Healing power can spend time healing such conditions. The time required is equal to the Time Rank until the target's next Recovery Check minus half the Healing rank. At the time, the character makes a Healing check against the Recovery DC to remove the condition. If it fails, it does not prolong the time until the target's next natural Recovery Check, but does prolong the time required to remove the condition with further Healing.

Permanent: Permanent conditions are healed like Prolonged Conditions, but the base Time Rank is equal to 20 - the Healing rank.

Illusion: Illusion costs 1 PP per rank, and by default affects vision. Additional Sense is now an Extra that costs a flat 1 PP per rank (1 rank to affect an additional sense, 2 ranks for an additional sense type, ten ranks for All Senses).

Senses with Counters Illusion do not automatically negate illusions. Instead, they allow a check to detect illusions immediately upon perceiving them, and allow the character to use the higher of Insight, Perception, Investigation, or Will for this check, rather than just Insight.

You can craft larger illusions by spending proportionately more time. Each additional Time Rank spent using the power increases the Volume Rank of the illusion by 1.

Immunity: The Penetrating Extra now applies against immunities. Immunities are also in some ways a Complication. When a PC encounters enemies who are Immune to its main modes of attack (it doesn't count if it has other, equally effective modes of attack, but does if it has less effective backup options) it receives a Hero Point for the Complication. Likewise, when a PC with one or more immunities suffers at least a Tier 2 condition, it may choose to roll a check of 1d20 + the total number of PP it spent on non-arrayed Immunities, against a DC of 20. If it succeeds, it gains one Hero Point, plus one Hero Point per two additional degrees of success, to represent the complication of facing opponents who are able to circumvent its immunities, whether by alternate attack modes or Penetrating attacks. It may only attempt this check once per adventure.

A character who is normally immune to an attack form, but is subject to it anyway due to the Penetrating Extra, its immunity being Nullified, or any other special circumstance, may substitute its Power Level for its normal resistance check. Unattended non-device objects are considered PL 0 for this purpose.

The costs of immunities are also modified, as follows. See the Descriptors section for additional information.

If you take an immunity to a condition within a Condition Tree, it includes immunity to all lesser conditions of that tree. If you take an immunity to a condition that is not part of a condition tree, it also includes immunity to any lesser conditions included with that one in a complex condition.

1 Rank: A Precise Descriptor; Aging; Mundane Disease or Poison (including those acquired as Equipment, but not all powers with those descriptors); one Environmental Condition (cold, heat, high pressure, radiation, or vacuum); one type of Suffocation (breathe normally underwater or in an alien atmosphere, for example); Starvation and Thirst; Need for Sleep; a Specific Individual's powers.

2 Ranks: A Specific Descriptor; a Tier 0 condition (however, you cannot take immunities to any Stacking conditions); Critical Hits; Suffocation (no need to breathe at all); a Tiny Group's powers (roughly ten individuals; one's immediate family is a common example, or maybe a group of people who all received their powers from the same immediate cause).

5 Ranks: An Uncommon Narrow Descriptor; a Tier 1 condition; Forced Movement; Interaction Skills; a Small Group's powers (could be up to a hundred individuals; a clan, extended family, or military unit for example).

10 Ranks: Life Support (includes immunity to mundane diseases and poisons, all environmental conditions, suffocation, and starvation and thirst); a Common Narrow Descriptor; a Tier 2 condition.

15 Ranks: An Uncommon Broad Descriptor; a Tier 3 condition; attacks resisted by anything other than Toughness, Fortitude, or Will; a specific power Effect other than Affliction, Weaken, or Damage.

25 Ranks: A Common Broad Descriptor; a Tier 4 condition; attacks resisted by Fortitude or Will; Afflictions or Weakens.

50 Ranks: Attacks resisted by Toughness; Damage Effects.

Leaping: The speed rank of Leaping is not capped (although you may make some ranks of Leaping Limited to only affect total distance per jump without affecting speed rank).

Morph: Reduce the ranks required for each step of Morph by 1; the ability to assume a single alternate form is considered a Feature instead. Metamorph is removed.

Movement: Swimming is now a Movement option; with it, you can use your full Flight or land speeds under water. If you have the Swimming Movement, you could take Speed Limited to Swimming, if you wish.

Time Travel is no longer a Movement option (see the new Temporal Extra).

Nullify: Reactivating a power that has been Nullified is now a Move action, and requires a Will or power rank check against a DC of 10 + the Nullify rank. Failure wastes the action. Each Nullified power must be reactivated separately (although Linked powers, as always, all activate together).

You may choose a single Narrow Descriptor that you can Nullify. With the Broad Extra, you may choose a Broad Descriptor. If you take the Broad Extra twice, you may Nullify any non-Innate power.

Regeneration: Regeneration functions depending on the Recovery Rate of the conditions you have sustained (although as always, it only works against Damage conditions unless you have the Purifying (for Afflictions) or Restorative (for Weakens) Extras.

Instant: Each round you attempt to regenerate from Instant Recovery conditions, you automatically remove a number of them equal to your Regeneration rank plus 1, with no check required.

Short: When you make your Recovery checks against Short Recovery conditions, you add a bonus on the check equal to your Regeneration rank.

Standard: If you have Regeneration, you don't take any penalty for not resting during recovery. Each round spent recovering from a Standard Recovery condition also applies a number of rounds towards your next recovery check equal to your Regeneration rank.

Prolonged: If you have Regeneration, you don't take any penalty for not resting during recovery. The base Time Rank before your first Recovery Check is reduced by half your Regeneration rank. Additional Time Ranks for failures are then added to this new base number. You must always wait at least one round between Recovery Checks, even if the Time Rank is reduced below 0.

Permanent: Permanent conditions are healed like Prolonged Conditions, but the base Time Rank is equal to 20 - your Regeneration rank.

Senses: Note the Stealth and Detection changes, as these have impact on several Senses options.

You cannot use the Senses power to modify the mundane sense of touch. You can create custom tactile senses, but you have to purchase the relevant senses individually (so a telekinetic touchsight would be a Ranged Radius Acute Accurate Tactile sense, for 5 PP, rather than merely a Ranged Touch sense, for 1 PP).

Postcognition and Precognition are no longer Senses (see the new Temporal Extra).

Teleport: You can teleport a Mass Rank equal to your Strength Rank, which can then be modified by Increased Mass as normal.

Transform: You can transform larger objects by spending proportionately more time; each additional Time Rank spent using the power increases the Mass Rank you transform by 1.

Weaken: A Weaken can now cause any one Stacking Condition (Weakened, by default). It imposes one instance of the condition per point the target's resistance check fails by, though it cannot bring the target's stack for a given condition above its rank.

When applying the Weakened condition, you may Weaken one of the following: a single Ability, a single Defense, a single Skill, one power of a single Effect, or one power of a single Narrow Descriptor. Extras such as Broad, Simultaneous, and Additional can let you weaken more traits simultaneously.

Conditions imposed by the Weaken power use Instant Recovery.

New Effects

Boost: Action: Standard. Range: Close. Duration: Instant. Cost: 1 point per rank.

Choose one of the following: a single Ability, a single Defense, a single Skill, a single Effect, or a single Narrow Descriptor. You can augment that trait for yourself or an ally (if you choose an Effect or Descriptor, you can augment a single power of the appropriate Effect or Descriptor). If your power rank is lower than the rank of the trait in question, it gets a +1 bonus. If it is at least equal, the bonus is +2 instead. If it is at least twice as high, the bonus is +5 instead. This bonus lasts for one round and does not count towards PL limits. It does not stack with bonuses from Aid actions, Team Checks, or Stances.

Multiple Boosts don't stack, but can support one another. Add up the ranks of all the Boosts applied to the same stat to calculate the total bonus.

Boost has the following unique Extra:

Bestowal (Flat 1 PP/rank): For each rank of this Extra, choose 1 PP worth of traits (you make this choice when you gain the power, not when you use it). While the Boost lasts, the target receives these traits as well, subject to normal PL limits. For example, if you took Bestowal 10 (Flight 4, Movement 1 [Safe Fall]), the target of your Boost would gain four ranks of Flight (subject to PL limits) and one rank of Movement (with the Safe Fall option) for the duration of the Boost.

If your Boost affects a power, your Bestowal may provide Extras, which then apply to that power. Of course, if you do not purchase enough PP worth of the Extra to cover the target's entire power rank, it will only apply to those ranks you did purchase enough for.

Divine: Action: Free. Range: Perception. Duration: Instant. Cost: 2 points per rank.

You can gain information that you otherwise would not have access to. You can use this power as a free action once per round. The target must make a Will check opposed by your Divine check. If the target lacks the ability to make Will checks, you simply roll a DC 10 Divine check. If it fails, for each degree it fails by, you may ask one question about the target from the following list:

Gain Insight: You may ask for insight into the target's abilities or nature. You may ask a question about one of the target's traits, Complications, or personality. You could ask about specific traits ("What is the target's Dodge score"), or some piece of mechanical data regarding a certain trait ("What is the target's highest Defense?" "How many powers are in the target's largest Array?") Likewise, you can ask about specific personality traits or Complications ("What is the target's attitude towards the President?" "What is the target's Motivation?") or for data regarding them ("What is a Complication that hampers the target tactically?" "Who is most important to the target?")

Glimpse Fate: You may ask for a glimpse of the target's fate; the target must immediately roll a d20. At any time during the next round, before it rolls a die or another character rolls a die against it, you may choose to apply the pre-rolled result instead of having the die be rolled. If you ask for multiple glimpses of the target's fate, it rolls multiple d20s, which you must use in order. Each round that goes by without you using one, the next die is lost (so if you get three glimpses, the target rolls 3d20, you have to use the first within one round, the second within two rounds, and the third within three rounds).

Predict Action: You may ask what the target is going to do on its next turn, or outside of combat, how it would react to a specific circumstance. If you do so, it must spend a Hero Point to not react as stated when the time comes (or, for NPCs, you receive a Hero Point as this is a form of GM Fiat).

In addition to the above options, you can using a Divine power when you spend a Hero Point to gain Inspiration. In this case, you don't need a target for your divination. Roll a Divine check, DC 10, and you can ask the GM one question per degree of success. If a character is actively attempting to keep the information you are seeking secret, that NPC may roll a Will check against your Divine result for each such question you ask, preventing you from gaining the answer (and thus wasting the question) if it beats your result.

These questions are not unlimited in scope. The GM must respond to such questions with accurate, helpful, and relevant information, but the amount of information you can expect from this power is limited. This power is not expected to solve puzzles in itself. Rather, it can be used to get hints and clues that help you reach a conclusion, leads that can help you decide what to do to get more information, pieces of data that can narrow down the possibilities or provide tactical insight, or direct yes-or-no answers to questions to confirm or refute suspicions. The GM may elect to provide more information if it wishes (and can also provide information through this power even without the character actively using it, if it wishes).

For example, you can't expect to use Divine to, say, solve a murder by asking who the killer is. But you could get clues about the killer, such as learning a specific physical trait for each question asked, or get a lead to further clues (such as learning where the victim was actually killed). Or if you have a suspect, you could use Divine to confirm or refute it. Or, who knows, maybe your GM doesn't want to run a whole mystery scenario and just tells you who the killer is outright. That could happen too.

Shield: Action: Standard. Range: Close. Duration: Instant. Cost: 1 point per rank.

When you gain a Shield power, choose either Dodge and Parry, Toughness and alternate resistances, or Fortitude and Will. When you use the power, roll Shield rank check. For one round, the target receives a minimum result on resistance checks of the chosen type equal to your check, and its active defense of the chosen type becomes equal to either the check result (if you rolled 11 or higher) or the check result + 10 (if you rolled 10 or lower). If a Shield power gains a duration, you roll a new check each round.

Your Shield is limited by your relevant defensive PL limits, instead of by your Powers PL limit. For example, if you are PL 10 but you traded 2 Defense for 2 Toughness, you could only have a rank 8 Shield for purposes of Dodge and Parry, but you could have a rank 12 shield for purposes of Toughness. If you traded Fortitude for Will or vice-versa, you can create a shield of the average rank and it will apply the relevant tradeoffs to its rank (so if you traded 2 Fortitude for Will, you could get a Rank 10 Shield, and it would get +2 for shielding Will and -2 for shielding Fortitude).

Your Shield is also penalized by any negative tradeoffs of the relevant defense the target possesses, including from stances. For example, if you use a rank 12 Dodge/Parry shield on an ally with a -2 Defense tradeoff or who All Out Attacked for 2, the shield would only act as rank 10 for that ally.

Removed Flaws

Concentration: Folded into Reduced Duration.

Diminished Range: Folded into Reduced Range.

Grab-based: Removed 'cause in some ways it's as much an advantage as disadvantage, since it auto-triggers on a successful grab. Use Limited [Only against targets who have been successfully Grabbed] to achieve this effect.

Wings: Wings are removed as a specific Flaw; they now would use the new Removable rules, since binding the wings is basically a specialized action enemies can take to prevent you from using the power.

Revised Flaws

Activation: A Sustained or Continuous power with the Activation Flaw cannot remain active for prolonged periods, generally beyond the scene it is activated in. Activation can now have more than two ranks; three ranks makes activation take a full round (standard and move action), which is Time Rank 0. Each additional rank increases the Time Rank to activate the power by 1.

Check Required: Becomes a -1/2 ranks Flaw. The DC of the check is 10 + the power rank. The check does not auto-fail on a 1. A character may only apply Check Required for any given skill to one power or array (Expertise is considered a single skill for this purpose, although different powers in an array could use different Expertise fields), and cannot apply Check Required for multiple skills to the same power or array. A Sustained or Continuous power with the Check Required Flaw cannot remain active for prolonged periods, generally beyond the scene it is activated in.

Using a power with Check Required in a given scene costs that scene's available Skill Stunt with the required skill.

You may make Check Required attempts as Routine checks (although you must have Skill Mastery to do so in situations where you can't normally make Routine Checks). You may not Take 20 on them, even if you also have Quickness.

If you do not roll high enough to use your maximum power rank, you must wait a number of rounds equal to the points you failed by before trying again.

If your bonus for the check changes after you have activated the power, your effective rank is recalculated to use the new bonus with your original check. For example, if you become Impaired, your power rank will be reduced by 2 (unless you succeeded by two or more points in your original check).

Distracting: Choose a Tier 1 condition when you gain the power; as long as the power is active, you suffer that condition. When you deactivate the power, the condition automatically ends. It cannot be removed by any means while the power is active. You can apply Distracting multiple times, taking a condition one Tier higher each time (you can't just add multiple Tier 1 conditions, but your higher Tier conditions could be Complex Conditions). You may not use Tier 0 conditions for this purpose unless your GM decides that the nature of your powers or Complications makes them a sufficient hindrance (and you don't gain Hero Points for Complications accrued as a result of your own willfully-inflicted conditions).

Fades: Powers with an Instant duration lose ranks each round they are used. Powers with a Concentration duration lose ranks each minute you concentrate. Powers with a Sustained duration lose ranks each ten minutes you sustain them. Powers with a Continuous duration lose ranks each hour they remain active. The lost ranks occur at the end of this time, but if you deactivate the power beforehand you do lose the rank for the partial time period.

By default, you recover from Fades at the same rate, starting three time periods after your most recent use. For example, a Concentration power would recover one rank per minute starting three minutes after your most recent use. The GM may allow other recovery methods, but they should be proportionate to the fade rate.

Powers that only tend to be used occasionally should recover much more slowly. Immortality, for example, may only recover one rank per adventure. An Extended Teleport may only recover one rank per scene.

Feedback: Damage from Feedback is an Exertion Condition.

Increased Action: Can only be applied to powers with Instant and Concentration durations. Other powers must use Activation instead. You may Increase Action beyond standard, which means the action requires both a standard and move action to use.

Limited: You can apply Limited only to certain Extras of the power. This changes the Flaw to -1/2 ranks. For example, a power that detonates a shockwave when you hit an enemy might be Damage (Burst Area, Limited [Area only applies if initial target is hit]), costing 1.5 PP/rank.

Reduced Range: As with Increased Range, you can apply this only to some ranks of a Ranged power to reduce the Distance Rank by one per rank.

Removable: As detailed in the Equipment and Devices section, Removable is no longer used for devices in general. There is only one form of Removable, which is a flat -1/5 PP Flaw. Adding Removable to a power means it can be taken away by some form of active enemy action or special circumstance. Disarming or Grabbing a held item is a default possibility, but things like binding a flyers wings, blinding a monster's eye, knocking an enemy on its back (Prone) to get at its vulnerable belly, and so on are some other possibilities.

The clause about Removable needing to apply to the whole power is removed; you can make only parts of a power (or certain powers in an Array or Combo) Removable, gaining the discount only for those powers or only for the portion of the power rendered Removable.

Resistible: Resistible is a -1/rank Flaw if the resistance check is Toughness, Fortitude, Will, higher of Dodge/Parry, or higher of Strength/Speed Rank. You can choose any Ability, Defense, or Skill instead, but that makes it a -1/2 ranks Flaw. You can even choose a specific power, but that makes it a -1/5 ranks Flaw.

Side Effect: Any conditions received from a Side Effect are considered Exertion Conditions. The Side Effect's effect does not need to be based on the point cost. A default Side Effect is basically just a Damage, Affliction, or Weaken power with the same rank as the power the Flaw applies to that automatically hits (so if the Side Effect triggers, you just roll a normal resistance check and determine the results). The GM may allow other Side Effects that are similarly debilitating.

Tiring: At the end of any scene in which the power was active, you gain a Tier 1 Exertion Condition. If you already have the Tier 1 condition, it upgrades to Tier 2, then Tier 3, then Tier 4. You do not begin recovering from these conditions until the power is deactivated. You can take Tiring multiple times, setting the starting condition one Tier higher each time.

Alternately, you can gain two instances of a Stacking Tier 0 condition. Each additional use before recovery then doubles the number of instances you receive (so the second results in four, the third in eight, etc).

Uncontrolled: In addition to the normal "power triggers at GM discretion" effect, you can instead set a circumstance where it automatically triggers regardless of your desires (such as "any time another character touches you.") This doesn't change the action required, so if the power is normally a standard action, when the situation comes up, you must spend your next standard action to trigger the power.

Unreliable: Concentration powers retain the result of an Unreliable check for one minute. Sustained powers for ten minutes. Continuous powers for one hour. So if you succeed, you can maintain the power normally for that time period. If you fail, you can't try again for that time period. The "five uses" option is removed from Unreliable and revised into the new Costly Flaw.

New Flaws

Costly (-1 PP/rank): Using a Costly power expends some limited resource. All of your Costly powers must draw from the same resource, chosen when you first gain a Costly power. You may choose one of the following usage limits: two uses per hour, three uses per scene, five uses per day, or ten uses per adventure. The GM may allow other usage options at its discretion. You may apply Costly multiple times to the same power, causing that power to expend that number of uses per use. You can also lower the cost per rank modifier to -1 PP/2 ranks to make a power expend only half a use.

If you are using the per-scene limit, powers with durations expend one use per three rounds they are active. Otherwise, Concentration powers expend one use per minute, Sustained powers one use per ten minutes, and Continuous powers one use per ten minutes (for a per-hour limit) or per hour (for per day or per adventure limits).

Heroic (-2 PP/rank): Using the power costs a Hero Point. Once you spend the Hero Point you can use the power freely for the rest of the scene.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Removed Extras

Alternate Effect: No longer considered an Extra; see the new Arrays rules.

Extended Range: Function is folded into Increased Range.

Linked: No longer considered an Extra; see the new Combo rules.

Reaction: Folded into the Increased Action Extra.

Sleep: Asleep is just a condition that attacks can impose, it does not need its own Extra.

Revised Extras

Accurate: Only provides +1 to hit per rank.

Affects Corporeal: Cost increases to flat 2 PP/rank.

Alternate Resistance: Alternate Resistance to Toughness, Fortitude, or Will does not increase the cost per rank; these are typical resistances. Another option for +0/rank is "Prowess Resisted" which allows the target to resist using the higher of: Dodge, Parry, Strength, or Speed Rank. Powers such as Snare now use Alternate Resistance (Prowess) rather than Alternate Resistance (Dodge).

In a Combo of attack powers, or in an array that includes multiple attack powers, all of the powers must use the same resistance by default. You may then use Alternate Resistance at +1/rank to change one or more of the powers to a different resistance. This surcharge is because when using Combo powers that use the same resistance check, there is only one check, while those that use different resistance checks require a separate resistance for each.

For +2/rank, you can assign a power Alternate Resistance (Defense), allowing the target to resist with the higher of Dodge or Parry; or Alternate Resistance (Force), which uses the higher of Strength or Speed Rank.

For +3/rank, you can choose any one Ability as the Alternate Resistance. If you do so, a target may also resist using any skill tied to that Ability, if doing so would be advantageous.

Other traits are simply too specific to be available as Alternate Resistance, although could potentially be uses as options for the Resistible Flaw.

Area: The Line Area is 3' wide (Distance Rank -3) and 120' long (Distance Rank 2). Additional applications of the Area Extra can increase both if desired.

The Shapeable Area instead can be any contiguous shape that fits entirely into a cube 30' (Distance Rank 0) on a side.

There is a new Area, Trail, which functions as a Line Area but only 60' long. The line also does not have to be straight.

There is a new Area, Storm, which allows you to place a number of 6' diameter (Distance Rank -2) bursts equal to half the power's rank within range. Each additional application of Area both increases the burst size by one Distance Rank and doubles the number of bursts.

Broad: Broad can be applied to any power that requires you to choose a Narrow Descriptor that the power affects; it can instead affect a Broad Descriptor. Two applications of Broad lets the power affect any descriptor.

Contagious: The power is contagious from the original target and from those who acquired it from the original target; tertiary targets are not contagious. Each additional application of Contagious makes another generation of targets contagious.

Dimensional: This Extra only allows you to affect targets in other dimensions than the "main" dimension of the game, from the main dimension. If you have means of Dimensional Travel, you cannot use Dimensional powers to target enemies in the "main" dimension from other dimensions.

Homing: Cost changes to +1/rank per application.

Impervious: Impervious provides immunity to attacks with ranks equal to or less than the Impervious rank - 5 or half the Impervious rank, whichever is higher. If you apply Impervious twice, it only counts the actual attack rank, not any bonuses from things like Team Attacks, Power Attacks, and critical hits.

Additionally, each time you roll a resistance check with your Impervious resistance, you may note the result. Until the start of your next turn, if you roll lower than this result on a resistance check with your Impervious resistance, you may use this result instead. If your Impervious rank is less than your actual rank, you reduce the result by the difference. You also reduce the result by the attacker's ranks of Penetrating.

For example, a character with Impervious Toughness 10 is attacked by five enemies with Damage 8. Four hit. Its first Toughness check is a 20, and it takes a bruise. Its second check is a 13, which would normally Stagger, but it replaces that with its previous 20 and only takes another bruise. Its third check is a 25 and it takes no damage. Its fourth check doesn't matter; it can just replace it with the 25 and take no damage again. Next round, its replacement result resets to 0 and it has to use its rolls from that round's attacks.

Increased Duration: You may change Concentration duration to Sustained. However, powers whose durations were originally Concentration or higher that are changed to Sustained or Continuous cannot be maintained for longer than the scene in which they are used (although the Lasting Extra can circumvent this limit to an extent). Additionally, maintaining a Concentration power uses the same action as using the power, rather than a standard action.

Increased Range: The Distance Rank that you can use a Ranged power at is equal to the power's rank - 1. You may only apply Increased Range to some of the power's ranks if you wish, gaining only the Distance Rank for the ranks it is applied to. If the power requires an attack roll, you can take a -2 on the roll to increase the Distance Rank by 1, or -5 to increase it by 2.

A Perception Range power must have the Extra applied to its full rank. Additionally, if you have any Extended Accurate senses, each one increases the number of applications of this Extra required to make a power Perception range by one. So if you have Extended Vision 2, you would have to pay 4 PP/rank to change a Close power to Perception range (the normal 1/rank for Ranged and 1/rank per Perception, and then another 2/rank surcharge for the Extended Vision). If you choose not to do so, your Perception range is calculated using your normal sensory range only (or the number of Extends that you do pay for).

Attacks that are increased to Perception Range do still require attack rolls (other powers do not). However, they also receive one application of Alternate Defense for free (basically, you still have to beat the target's active defense, but it isn't defending with agility anymore).

Incurable: Changes to 1 flat per rank. For each rank, the Recovery DC of conditions inflicted by the power increases by 1.

Indirect: When using an Indirect power, you may spend a move action to Feint immediately before using the power. If you do, the Feint applies to all targets of the power; they don't need to be in Close range. The normal -5 penalty applies, but if your power has at least two Extras that provide this advantage, it is reduced to -2, and if it has at least three such Extras, it is negated entirely.

Insidious: Insidious removes the sensory signature of the effects of a power from all senses, including the mundane sense of touch. The power's effects are considered to have Partial Concealment from all senses, generally resulting in a DC to detect of 10 + Stealth. If a power is both Subtle to all relevant senses and Insidious, it never downgrades a character's own Concealment; a fully Concealed character using Subtle, Insidious powers is exceedingly hard to detect for opponents who don't have either superior Perception skills or means of countering its concealment, even when slinging powers in the heat of battle.

Penetrating: The Penetrating Extra also applies against Immunities.

Persistent: Changes to 1 flat per rank. For each rank, any Recovery Checks made due to this power, or power rank checks made against a Recovery DC, get a +1 bonus.

Reach: One rank of Reach gives you a 15' reach (Distance Rank -1). Each additional rank increases the Distance Rank of your Reach by 1.

Reflect/Redirect: These Extras can be applied to any defensive power, reflecting or redirecting any attack that the power blocks, negates, or otherwise prevents.

Restorative: A Healing, Regeneration, or similar power with the Restorative Extra can apply against conditions inflicted by Weaken effects.

Resurrection: A Healing power with the Resurrection Extra can bring back the dead. This requires an elaborate ritual or prolonged power use; using the power takes a Time Rank equal to half the Time Rank that the target has been dead for. At the end of this time, roll a Healing check against a DC of 10 + 5 per three Time Ranks the target has been dead; a success returns the target to life, a failure means it cannot be resurrected by anyone with a Healing rank less than or equal to your own. The target must spend a Hero Point to return to life; if it does not have any Hero Points, it can only return to life with GM Fiat. Other PCs may spend Hero Points for dead PCs, and a PC may spend its own Hero Points for the resurrection of a character who is part of one of its Complications.

You may apply the Resurrection Extra multiple times; each time you do, the effective Time Rank that the target has been dead is reduced by 3 for purposes of both time required and determining the DC.

Ricochet: When using an Ricochet power, you may spend a move action to Feint immediately before using the power. If you do, the Feint applies to all targets of the power; they don't need to be in Close range. The normal -5 penalty applies, but if your power has at least two Extras that provide this advantage, it is reduced to -2, and if it has at least three such Extras, it is negated entirely.

Secondary Effect: Can be applied multiple times, extending the effect for one round each time (remember, if the same Effect applies to the same target from the same source multiple times in one round, they resolve as a Team Check). If desired, Secondary Effects can cause different conditions than the initial attack would.

Simultaneous: The Simultaneous Extra allows a power to affect all powers matching a chosen Effect or Descriptor, rather than just one. Simultaneous does not apply to powers when used to affect traits other than powers. For example, you could have a Simultaneous Weaken Magical Powers, but not a Simultaneous Weaken Abilities (to weaken multiple non-power traits, see the Additional Extra).

Subtle: The Subtle Extra removes a power's sensory signature from the normal senses, save touch (that is, Vision, Hearing, Smell, and Taste). The power itself is considered to have Partial Concealment from those senses, but no Concealment from other senses that could detect it (such as appropriate types of Awareness, or Infravision for a heat-based power, etc). This generally means the DC to detect a Subtle power with normal senses is 10 + the user's Stealth rank.

Subtle powers used by a character with Total Concealment from relevant senses do not downgrade the character's Concealment to Partial for purposes of reactive checks to detect the character, unless the power successfully causes an effect. Even in this case, the downgraded Concealment only applies to characters who were successfully affected. This benefit also applies to Indirect powers with regards to mundane senses (relevant super-senses can better discern where the actual source of the power is).

If a power is both Subtle to all relevant senses and Insidious, it never downgrades a character's own Concealment; a fully Concealed character using Subtle, Insidious powers is exceedingly hard to detect for opponents who don't have either superior Perception skills or means of countering its concealment, even when slinging powers in the heat of battle.

When using a Subtle power, you may spend a move action to Feint immediately before using the power. If you do, the Feint applies to all targets of the power; they don't need to be in Close range. The normal -5 penalty applies, but if your power has at least two Extras that provide this advantage, it is reduced to -2, and if it has at least three such Extras, it is negated entirely.

Triggered: A power set on a trigger remains active even if the power itself is deactivated (such as to swap to a different power in the array). However, if the triggered power has a duration greater than Instant, it will only last for the round it is triggered if the power itself isn't still active.

Vitalizing: Vitalizing applies to Exertion conditions in general now, since Fatigue is no longer a special condition; you can use it to heal Exertion conditions, but you must take them upon yourself to do so.

New Extras

Additional (+1/rank): The Additional Extra can be applied to any power that has a selection of options that apply when the power takes effect, such as Damage, Affliction, Weaken, Boost, and so on. For each application of the Extra, you may choose an additional option that applies when the power takes effect.

Alternate Defense (Varies): You may add the Alternate Defense Extra to any power that requires an attack roll. The DC to hit the target is set by a different one of the target's traits than normal. The cost varies based on the trait chosen. Swapping Dodge to Parry or vice-versa has no additional cost. Swapping to Toughness, Fortitude, or Will costs +1 PP/rank. Swapping to a chosen Ability costs 2 PP/rank, but if you do this the target may use either the Ability itself or any skill based on the Ability, whichever is better.

Alternate Recovery (Varies): You may add the Alternate Recovery Extra to any power that imposes conditions. Recovery checks made against conditions imposed by the power use a different trait for their Recovery checks than normal. You can use Dodge, Parry, Toughness, Fortitude, or Will for no additional cost, a chosen Ability for +1 PP/rank, or a chosen skill for +2 PP/rank.

Augmented (+1 PP/rank): You may add the Augmented Extra to any power that interacts with Stacking Conditions in any way. Each time the power affects or imposes one or more Stacking Conditions, it affects one more per application of this Extra. For example, Augmented Damage would impose two Bruises if the target doesn't make its Resistance check by at least two degrees, Augmented Enhanced Toughness would negate the Bruise for a one-degree success on resistance (or reduce the number of Bruises by one, if the attack is itself Augmented), Augmented Healing would heal an additional Bruise or other Stacking Condition any time it heals a Stacking Condition, etc.

Aura (+1 PP/rank): You may add the Aura Extra to a power that already has the Zone Extra. When you target the power, you must center it on another character or object. While the duration lasts, the power's area moves with this target.

Brutal (Cumulative +1 PP/rank): You may add the Brutal Extra to any power that opponents make checks against which have more severe effects if they fail by multiple degrees or points. The number of points they must fail by to receive another degree of failure is lowered by 1 per application of the Extra, or for every five points they fail by they are treated as having failed by an additional point per application of the Extra. This does not stack with similar effects, such as the reduction for an attack roll succeeding by multiple degrees. The cost per rank for each application is equal to the current applications + 1, so Brutal 2 costs 3 PP/rank, Brutal 3 costs 6 PP/rank, etc.

Charged (+1 PP/2 ranks): You may add the Charged Extra to a power with an Instant duration. You can charge the power up before use to cause a stronger effect. For each Time Rank spent charging the power before use, it gains 1 PP/rank that can be used to increase the applications of its existing Extras (you can't add new Extras). You can charge the power for a maximum number of Time Ranks equal to half the power rank. Once the power is fully charged, you can only hold the energy until the next Time Rank passes; at that point, the effort is lost. If the power has a Side Effect, it is triggered if you don't use the power after you begin charging it.

Cloak (+1 PP/rank): You may add the Cloak Extra to the Concealment power. All of the powers of anyone concealed by the power gain the Subtle Extra. You may apply Cloak twice to apply the effects of Subtle twice.

Diverse (Flat +1 PP per rank): You may add the Diverse Extra to any power that has a list of options that you choose when you gain the power, or that includes an Extra with such options (such as Area). For each rank of Diverse, you may choose another option. These options are not available simultaneously, but you may choose which you use each time you use the power. If different options carry different costs, you must pay for the highest.

Immediate (+3 PP/rank): You may add the Immediate Extra to any power that offers a Resistance Check and has a scaling effect for more points or degrees of success. A target that fails its Resistance Check must immediately roll the check again. If it fails, it adds the number of points of failure together to determine the results. The target must continue rolling new Resistance Checks until it succeeds a check or achieves the maximum possible result of failure.

Improved (+1 PP/rank): You treat your power rank as one higher for each application of this Extra, ignoring PL limits.

Reduced Action (+1 PP/rank): For each application of this Extra, you reduce the power's action type by one step (Standard -> Move -> Free -> Reaction). An action that is normally a Standard action cannot apply to the same target from the same character more than once per round. Doing so resolves the group of actions as a Team Check. Actions that are normally Move actions cannot apply to the same target from the same character more than twice per round.

Different powers with the same Effect are considered the same action for this purpose; if you have a power that lets you attack as a Reaction, for example, you can't use it against a target you attacked with a different power on your turn, but you could use it to attack other opponents.

Lasting (+1 PP/rank): You may apply the Lasting Extra to a power that imposes conditions or that operates on a duration. If the power fulfills both criteria, choose which benefit it receives (you may purchase Lasting multiple times to provide both).

If the first case, the Recovery Rate of conditions imposed by the power increases by one step per application of the Extra.

In the second case, you can spend additional time using the power to allow its duration to persist even if the power itself is deactivated or is otherwise limited to operating in the scene it is used in. You can increase the time required to use the power to a number of Time Ranks up to the power's rank, plus two per application of this Extra beyond the first. If you do so, the power will remain in effect even if deactivated for half again as many Time Ranks, rounded up. For example, if you spend an hour (Time Rank 9) initiating the power, it would last for up to a day (Time Rank 14).

You cannot extend the duration of powers that directly affect a creature, unless they are immobile Zone powers (in which case, the Zone remains fixed and affects everyone within, but the benefits end when they leave as normal). For example, you couldn't make an Enhanced Trait power Lasting, but you could make a Create or Transform power Lasting.

Lasting does not change the duration itself, it just allows it to extend beyond the power's activation. But you must still concentrate on a Concentration power, or be able to take actions to maintain a Sustained power, or the power will end as normal.

Lethal (+1 PP/rank): You may add the Lethal Extra to any power that allows a Resistance Check. If a target fails its Resistance Check by at least four degrees, it dies.

Mobile (+1 PP/rank): You may add the Mobile Extra to any power with the Zone Extra. Once the Zone is placed, you can retarget it as a move action for as long as the duration lasts.

Piercing (Flat 1 PP per rank): Whenever a power with the Piercing Extra is opposed by other powers, it ignores one PP worth of Extras upon the opposing power per rank of Piercing. You choose which Extras you ignore upon encountering an opposing power. You can only ignore Extras that affect the power's ability to oppose yours or the result of the power's conflict with your own. For example, an Enhanced Toughness power with Piercing could ignore, say, an incoming attack's Augmented, Brutal, or Secondary Effect Extras. It could ignore the Multiattack Extra when used to provide a Damage bonus, but not when used to attack multiple targets. And it couldn't ignore the attack's Area, Increased Range, or Reduced Action Extras, since these alter the power before it comes into conflict with the Enhanced Toughness.

Purifying (+1 PP/rank): You may add the Purifying Extra to any power that heals Damage conditions. The power can now also heal Affliction conditions.

Primal (+1 PP/rank): When using a power with the Primal Extra, you may choose to set all modifiers outside the raw ranks of the traits being used to 0, good or bad, for both your checks with the power and checks made to oppose the power. This means circumstance bonuses, stance modifiers, bonuses for Team Checks or Aid actions, Boosts, critical successes, and even the +10 bonus for rolling below an 11 on a Hero Point reroll. Be warned, you cannot selectively allow some modifiers and deny others - if you use this option, all modifiers are set to 0, whether good or bad for you. Any benefits you or the opponent receive as a result of willingly taking negative modifiers upon yourself are also lost (so if you Defensive Attack with a Primal attack power, you also lose the Defense bonus, for example).

Reliable (+1 to +3 PP/rank): Checks you make with a Reliable power have a minimum d20 result equal to the power's rank or 10, whichever is less. Normally, this Extra costs +2 PP/rank. If the checks you would make with the power result in worse effects if the check fails by more than one degree, the cost changes to +3 PP/rank. If you wish, you can restrict this Extra by requiring that you choose whether or not to use the minimum result before rolling; if you do this, reduce the cost per rank by 1.

Shroud (+1 PP/rank): You may add the Shroud Extra to the Concealment power. All of the actions of anyone concealed by the power act as if they were powers with the Insidious Extra.

Sweeping (+1 PP/rank): Sweeping functions much like Multiattack, but rather than make a flurry of rapid attacks, you make wide, sweeping strikes. A Sweeping attack can provide cover like Multiattack, or provide one of the following benefits:

Attack Multiple Foes: As with Multiattack, you can use your wide swings to hit multiple enemies. This prevents you from focusing your full power on a target though, so you take -1 on your attack's effect DC per target attacked (rather than the penalty to hit that Multiattack would impose).

Glancing Blows: When attacking a single target with a Sweeping attack, even if you can't score a solid hit you might be able to land a glancing blow. If you miss your target by only one degree, your attack counts as a hit, but the target gets a +5 bonus to its resistance check.

Temporal (+1 PP/rank): You may add the Temporal Extra to any power that involves a Distance Rank, such as Teleport, Remote Sensing, and even simple Ranged powers. Rather than project those powers across a distance in space, you can project them across a distance in time! You must choose whether you can project to the past or to the future; to do both requires two applications of the Temporal Extra. Being able to also project the power across space requires another application as well.

You can project the power a Time Rank equal to its normal Distance Rank, so an Extended Temporal Teleport 8 could teleport you up to 30 minutes as a move action or four days as two move actions.

You always calculate the "present" for temporal powers as your normal present. For example, if your normal time is January 1, 2015 and you have a Temporal Teleport and Temporal Remote Sensing that can each work up to a year in the past, the furthest back you could reach is January 1, 2014. You couldn't, say, teleport to January 1, 2014 and then Remote View to January 1, 2013 (or, for that matter, teleport twice to reach January 1, 2013).

Temporal powers are primarily useful for purposes of gaining information. Generally speaking, you can't make changes to the past to alter the present, or obtain equipment or abilities from the future. However, while your temporal powers are active, your options for using Hero Points or Extra Effort are expanded as follows (note that not all options are necessarily available to all powers; what you do still has to make sense with the powers you have):

Edit Scene: When you spend a Hero Point to Edit Scene while a temporal power is active, the edit can come from some retroactive change you made. For example, you could say you went back in time to leave yourself a message or a crucial piece of equipment. Alternately, when actually using your temporal powers, you may, with GM approval, spend a Hero Point to make a change to the past actually have an impact on the present. The GM can also award you Hero Points by making your changes to the past negatively affect the present, as a Complication.

Extra Action: When you spend Extra Effort to take an additional action while a temporal power is active, you can take that action "retroactively" so that its effects apply as of the end of your last turn, potentially undoing events that have occurred since then. For example, if a bunch of reinforcements start pouring out of a hallway, you could retroactively block the hall and prevent them from entering in the first place.

Inspiration: When you spend a Hero Point to gain Inspiration while a temporal power is active, you can ask a specific question about something that happened in the past or that would happen in the future (given certain circumstances), within the range of your power. Your GM provides as accurate an answer as it can.

Power Stunt: When you spend Extra Effort to perform a Power Stunt while a temporal power is active, you can draw from capabilities your character could develop in the future. This doesn't leave your stunts completely unrestricted - they still have to make sense within the sort of capabilities your character could reasonably develop within the range of the power - but it expands your options some.

Reroll: When you spend a Hero Point to reroll while a temporal power is active, you may reroll any check you made since the start of your last turn. This can retroactively change the result and perhaps some things that have happened since. Alternately, if you reroll normally (that is, immediately after rolling), and your roll comes up less than your original roll, you can retain the Hero Point.

Zone (+0 PP/rank): By default, an Area power that has a Duration applies to everyone in the area and then lasts for all those targets while the duration lasts, whether or not they leave the area, and doesn't affect anyone who enters the original area later during the duration. The Zone Extra changes this; the power lasts over the area for the duration, and applies to any valid targets as long as they remain in the area, ending immediately for anyone who leaves the area. For +1 PP/rank, you can get both effects; anyone who enters the area at any time during the duration receives the benefit, and the benefit lasts for the full duration even if they then leave the area.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Arrays, Combos, and Proxies

Arrays, Combos, and Proxies are, essentially, collections of traits (often powers). Arrays are groups of traits that can't be used simultaneously. Combos are groups of traits that can all be used in one action. And Proxies are groups of traits that make up other characters or other "forms" or "modes" of your character.

The new rules for arrays replace existing rules for Alternate Effects and Variable powers. The new rules for Combos replace existing rules for Linked powers. And the new rules for Proxies replace existing rules for the Minions Advantage, Sidekicks, Summons, and Metamorphs.

Arrays

Arrays are groups of powers, typically related in usage, that can't be used simultaneously. You can use arrays to broaden your options without having to purchase each power individually at full price.

All Arrays have a base point value; you spend PP directly on purchasing your Array's point value (so if you want a 30-point Array you would spend 30 PP on it).

Once you have decided your array's point value, you can purchase array slots. Each slot is a selection of one or more traits, with a PP value less than or equal to the array's value. So if you have a 30-point array, each slot could contain up to thirty points worth of traits. Each slot costs 1 PP as long as its point value is less than or equal to twice your PL. Each time it exceeds this value, the cost of the slot goes up by 1. So a PL 10 character pays 1 PP for a slot with up to 20 points of traits, 2 PP for 21-40, 3 PP for 41-60, and so on.

You may only have one slot active in a given array at a time. All other slots are inactive and thus you don't benefit from the traits therein. You can change which slot is active once per round (per array) as a free action on your turn.

Each slot also has a cost multiplier, which is 1 by default. However, most array slots are limited in various ways. There are several possible modifiers to array slots, which adjust these limits by increasing the cost multiplier. For purposes of the slot's cost, multiply its PP value by its cost multiplier (this doesn't affect the actual PP value of the slot, just its cost to purchase).

You may have a maximum number of slots in a given array equal to 1 + half your PL. Each slot beyond this number has a cost multiplier one higher. If you exceed this number again, the cost multipliers continue increasing by one each time. So if you are PL 10, your first six slots have a base multiplier of 1, your next six have 2, your next six have 3, etc.

All powers in an array must have the same resistance by default. Choose Toughness, Fortitude, or Will, and all powers in the array automatically default to that resistance type, even if it's not a normal resistance type for the power. You can then use Alternate Resistance (at at least +1/rank) to change the resistance of certain powers in the array, if desired.

Action (+0.5 or +1): By default, an array slot can only include powers with a base action cost of Standard (before any adjustments for Modifiers). With this modification, the slot can include powers with a base action cost of Move or Reaction (+0.5 multiplier), or any action cost (+1 multiplier).

Duration (+0.5 or +1): By default, an array slot can only include powers with a base duration of Instant (before any adjustments for Modifiers). With this modification, the slot can include powers with a base duration of Concentration (+0.5 multiplier), or any duration (+1 multiplier).

Dynamic (+1): By default, you can only use one array slot at a time. However, if you have at least two Dynamic slots in an array, you can use their traits together at lesser effect. When swapping to such slots, you may divide the PP value of the array among their traits. You can only activate certain traits, or only some ranks of the traits, or leave out certain Extras, etc, mixing and matching options from both slots so long as the total PP value of the traits simultaneously active does not exceed the array's PP value.

Number (+1): By default, you can only have a maximum number of slots in an array equal to half your PL (rounded up) + 1. Any slots that exceed that number require this modification. You must apply the modification a second time to slots that exceed twice that number, three times to slots that exceed three times the number, etc.

Reaction (+1): By default, changing an array's slot is a free action on your turn. You may swap to a slot with this modification as a reaction instead. You may still only change the array once per round, but if you changed it on your last turn you can use your change for the coming turn to do the reaction swap. If you haven't already changed it you may use the swap for your last turn and then change it again on your next turn as normal.

Traits (+0.5 or +1): By default, array slots can only include powers. With this modification, you can include any trait - Abilities, skills, Advantages, etc. At +0.5 cost multiplier, you must take Enhanced Traits; that is, they count as a power and can thus be Nullified, and since they can't be made Permanent as part of an array you either have to pay to make them Continuous or keep them as Sustained, meaning you could lose them if unable to take free actions. For the +1 cost multiplier you can take normal fixed traits just as if you bought them directly with PP.

For purposes of this modification, Enhanced Trait does not count as a power. That means you can't just buy Enhanced Traits in an array without getting this option, but it also means you don't need to buy the Action and Duration modifications to add Enhanced Trait once you do have this option.

Variable (+2): By default, your array slots are set except at points where your GM allows you to edit your character sheet. Slots with this modification, however, can be changed during play. You may change the traits that make up the slot between scenes (at GM discretion, you might choose other triggers for swapping that are at least as limited as "between scenes", such as upon dying or automatically at a certain time; particularly limiting scenarios might even be worth a -1 cost multiplier discount). The new traits cannot increase the cost of the slot, and must still obey all normal limits of the slot; you may not change its modifications. Choose three of the following aspects of the initial power when you designate a slot as variable: one of its Descriptors, one of its Effects, one of its Modifiers, its base Duration, its base Action cost, or its Type. The three aspects you choose must remain in any new powers of the slot. You may choose up to two Effects and Modifiers; the other options can only be chosen once.

Variable slots may also have the following additional modifications:


Diverse (+1): As one of your aspects that have to stay the same between swap, you can select multiple Effects or Extras, and as long as one of them is present, it meets the prerequisite. Each application of this modification adds two Effects or Extras to your list, but each application beyond the first increases the cost multiplier by one. So one application is a +1 cost multiplier and gives you a list of two, two applications is +3 and gives a list of four, three applications is +6 and gives a list of six, etc. You may mix and match Effects and Extras.

Fluid (+2): Your slot must have the Rapid modification to get the Fluid modification. You may apply Fluid multiple times, but the cost multiplier of each application increases by one each time. For each application of Fluid, you can change the slot once per scene without using Extra Effort.

Mimic (+2 or +3): You don't need to specify aspects that have to stay the same between swaps. Instead, when you swap the slot, choose a character who you can accurately perceive. Your new traits must be drawn from that character's traits. This is a +3 multiplier if the character can't do anything to prevent it. If some PL-limited check is required for your effort to succeed against an unwilling target (for example, you have to touch it, or it gets a resistance check) this is only a +2 multiplier.

Reconfigure (+1): You don't need to specify aspects that have to stay the same between swaps. Instead, when you swap the slot, you can mix and match any traits that you already have. For traits themselves, you can't more than double their normal ranks. For powers, you can basically mix-and-match any existing Effects and Extras you have, including those in other slots in the array.

Rapid (+2 to +5): You can swap the slot during a scene. Doing so requires a use of Extra Effort. It also takes an action; a standard action for a +2 cost multiplier, move action for +3, free action for +4, or reaction for +5. You can only swap a slot once per round, however, and doing so also uses up your per round ability to change your array to a new slot.

Uncontrolled (+0): You don't have full control over what your slot swaps to, but you also don't have to specify aspects that have to stay the same between swaps. When you get the slot, you designate a general "goal" the slot has, such as "protect me from harm", "help me defeat my current enemy", "let me ignore my opponent's powers", etc. When you swap the slot, the GM chooses what exact traits it gives you. The GM must choose traits that will assist with the stated goal of the slot, and should do so effectively, but it doesn't necessarily have to provide the perfect or most desirable solution (in particular, the GM does not need to take into account any of your current goals, just the stated goal of the slot).

Unrestricted (+2): You only have to choose two aspects that stay the same between swaps, rather than three.

Combos

A combo is a group of powers that can be used simultaneously. The combo itself is a special trait that allows two (or more) existing powers to be used together. Combos can always be added to array slots with no additional modifications needed - although note that this is only for the combo itself; any powers that the combo joins together can only be added to appropriate slots.

When you create a combo, you bind it to two powers. You have to be capable of activating them simultaneously to bind them to the same combo. In general, this means they can't be in different slots in the same array (unless those slots are Dynamic). You may not have more than one power with the same Effect in the same combo.

You may choose to use the powers individually or together as you wish. If you do use the powers together, they must affect the same target or area. Using the entire combo takes one action, and all powers in the combo use the worst action, duration, and range of the constituent powers. For example, if one power in the combo is a move action, instant duration, and ranged and the other is a standard action, sustained duration, and close, then when used together as a combo they both use a standard action, have an instant duration, and are close range.

A combo is ranked, just like a power. A combo cannot be joined to powers with a higher rank than its own. The base cost of a combo is one point per two ranks (of course, you must also purchase the powers to be bound to the combo as normal). Combos can also have a limited selection of Modifiers applied. The following Modifiers can be applied to a combo (for Modifier purposes, a combo works like a power with a base cost of 0 PP/rank, so adding a +1 Modifier would make it 1 PP/rank, a -1 would make it 1 PP/3 ranks):

Action (+/- 1 PP/rank): You may apply Reduced Action or Increased Action to the combo itself, changing its action cost directly, rather than applying them to each power individually. If you do so, you may not use any powers with Increased Actions as part of the combo (you can use those with Reduced Actions if you want, though it's admittedly inefficient).

Dependent (-1 PP/rank): When you initiate the combo, you must resolve one power in the combo first. This must be a combo that involves one or more opposed checks against an opponent. If the power succeeds, the other powers of the combo trigger. If it fails, they do not.

Duration (+/- 1 PP/rank): You may apply Reduced Duration or Increased Duration to the combo itself, changing the duration of all powers within, rather than applying them to each power individually. If you do so, you may not use any powers with Reduced Durations as part of the combo (you can use those with Increased Durations if you want, though it's admittedly inefficient).

Individual (Flat 2 PP or +1 PP/rank): Each power in your combo can affect a different target, if you wish. This is a flat 2 PP if all powers in the combo are either beneficial or detrimental. It is +1 PP/rank if the combo includes a mix of beneficial and detrimental powers. For instance a combo of Damage and Affliction or of Healing and Boost would be a flat 2 PP, but a combo of Damage and Healing would require the +1 PP/rank.

Multiple (Cumulative +1 PP/rank): You can combo more than two powers. Each application of this Extra lets you combo an additional power. The cost is 1 PP/rank for the first application of this Extra, 2 PP/rank for the second, 3 PP/rank for the third, and so on.

Range (+/- 1 PP/rank): You may apply Reduced Range or Increased Range to the combo itself, changing the range of all powers within, rather than applying them to each power individually. If you do so, you may not use any powers with Reduced Range as part of the combo (you can use those with Increased Range if you want, though it's admittedly inefficient).

Versatile (Flat 2 PP per rank): You can mix and match your powers into a combo. Choose the normal number of powers bound to your combo (2 + any applications of Multiple), but then select one additional power per rank of Versatile. For five ranks of Versatile, you can even select an entire array, including any Variable slots in that array or power stunts made off of it. When you use any of those powers, you can combo one of the others (or more, with Multiple). The powers must be legal for your combo; for example, you could have two Damage powers available to be bound to a combo, but you still couldn't bind them together in the same use of the combo. Likewise, if your combo is Individual but paid only the flat 2 PP for it, and you mix a beneficial power with a detrimental one, it wouldn't be able to apply the Individual benefit. The combo's base action, range, and duration is the worst among the powers used, not the powers available. GMs may wish to take care with Versatile combos, not so much for balance concerns, but because they do add a level of flexibility that could slow down the game.

Proxies

Proxies are, functionally, entire alternate character sheets under your control. They could be actual other characters - such as sidekicks or minions - or alternate versions of your character, such as a transformation. Proxies can be very powerful, but they carry high costs. It is generally a good idea, if you want to use proxies, to create them first, as your proxies will not only have an impact on your PP, but also your Power Level!

You develop proxies similarly to powers. The proxy itself has a base cost of one PP per Power Level you possess before any modifications for Proxies or for more or fewer PP. So, the game's base PL. You then add Extras to the proxy to expand its options. The PP cost for your proxies cannot be reduced below this base number if you choose to have proxies at all.

However, the final cost in actual PP is not necessarily equal to the base cost. If the cost of your proxy is 25 or fewer points, you simply pay that cost in PP as a normal trait. Otherwise, each full 25 PP in the cost is converted to a cost in PP of 5 + the game's base PL, and your Power Level lowers by 1. You do not lose any PP as a result of this PL loss; it's basically the same as if you lowered your PL to raise your PP. Any remainder PP in the proxy's cost is also spent as normal. For example, a PL 10 character who gets a proxy worth 60 PP would only pay 40 PP (the first two increments of 25 PP change to 15 each, and the remaining 10 PP are paid as normal), but would lower its PL by 2.

If you lower your starting Hero Points to gain additional PP, if you wish, you can instead lower the initial cost of one of your Proxies (and thus, potentially push the cost below a benchmark for a lost PL).

A basic proxy is a duplicate of your character, with all of your traits. It can be cosmetically different, but it is mechanically identical. It receives only a move action each round in combat, although you can spend your standard action to have it act rather than you. It is subject to the Minion rules. If has no Hero Points of its own and cannot exert Extra Effort, although you may spend Hero Points or Extra Effort on its behalf. Your proxy is a real living (well, probably living) character in the game world, and if it is killed or otherwise removed from play it does not spontaneously return. However, you may replace a lost proxy with a different proxy between adventures, or get the PP and PL you spent on it refunded to respend elsewhere. You lose a Hero Point if your proxy suffers a Tier 4 condition, if you have any. Your proxy's arrays must have the same slot active as your own do. You may only have one proxy.

Your proxies actions are still treated as having the same source as you, and as such, you and your proxies cannot all apply the same action to the same target multiple times in the same round with normal resolution, though you may do so as a Team Check. Your proxies act on your initiative and must possess the same initiative modifier as you do or better.

You cannot place a proxy into an array.

You can apply the following Extras to improve your proxy:

Active (+10 or +20 PP): Your proxies are more active in combat. For +10 PP, they can take either a move or standard action each round. For +20 PP they can take a move and standard action each round like normal characters.

Action (+/- 5 PP): You may apply the Action Extra to proxies that have the Alternate or Summoned Extra. Each +5 to the cost lowers the action required to swap to or summon your proxy by one step. Each -5 to the cost raises the action by one step (Reaction -> Free -> Move -> Standard -> Move+Standard).

Additional (+25 or +15 PP): You have one additional proxy per application of Additional. If your proxies are considered minions, you instead double the number for each application of Additional, and the applications only cost 15 PP each. If your proxies have the Alternate Extra, the cost is only 15 PP, but it remains one proxy per application.

You may choose for different proxies to have different Extras if you wish (although they must all have full applications of Additional). Your proxy cost is based off the highest-cost proxy.

Alternate (+0 PP): Your proxy is not another character; it is an alternate form or mode of you. Alternate proxies are not separate characters - they receive no actions of their own, and many Extras don't apply to them (Active, Controlled, Dependent, Equal, Expendable, Flexible, Multiple, Independent, Restrictive, and Summoned all have no effect on Alternate proxies). Your alternates are not subject to the minion rules, but any conditions or other effects upon you remain regardless of which form you are in. The primary purpose of an Alternate proxy is to have different selections of traits by using the Versatile Extra. Changing to or from an Alternate proxy is a free action which you can perform once per round.

Controlled (+10 PP): Your proxies are under your complete mental control. You can communicate with them telepathically and they unfailingly obey your orders. They have a +5 bonus to resist any conditions from the Influence tree. You can also actively control them, one at a time. You are Vulnerable while doing so, but you can perceive through their senses and use your own mental traits through them.

Dependent (-25 PP or -10 PP): Your proxies require your active effort to act. You must spend a standard action each round concentrating for your proxies to act (if you do, all proxies receive whatever actions they normally would). In any round you do not concentrate, they take no actions at all. Summoned proxies instead vanish if your concentration lapses. A lesser version of Dependent, worth only a 10 PP discount, simply requires you to take a free action each round for your proxies to be able to act.

Equal (-5 PP): Your proxies are your peers, your equals in every way. There is no longer a "main character"; it is just another proxy, subject to whatever rules your other proxies are subject to (although the group as a whole still possesses and can use its normal Hero Points).

Expendable (+10 or +30 PP): Your proxies are automatically restored to full normal health and status at the end of each scene - even if killed! You don't lose a Hero Point if your proxies suffer a Tier 4 condition. If the proxies are also Summoned, you can take a greater version of Expendable that costs 30 PP rather than 10; if you do, your proxies are restored to normal status simply by resummoning them.

Flexible (+10 PP): Your proxies may have their arrays set to a different slot than yours. Proxies who have any different arrays than you must also have the Flexible Extra.

Heroic (+20 PP): Your proxies are not considered Minions. They receive conditions as normal characters, are not subject to Takedowns, can crit non-Minions, and so on. If the proxy is an Alternate, you track its conditions separately from yours.

Independent (+5 PP): Your proxies are particularly willful. They can exert Extra Effort on their own, but the conditions they accrue must come from the Influence tree. When you create the proxy, you and the GM can decide what it is compelled to do as a result of such influence. The compulsion should be a major part of the proxy's personality, and while it shouldn't usually be completely detrimental to your goals, it should at least be inconvenient.

Multiple (+5 PP): If your proxies have both Summoned and Additional, you can summon multiple proxies at once. Each application of Multiple lets you summon one applications worth of Additional proxies simultaneously (so if you have Additional 3 and Multiple 2, you could summon three of your four proxies at once (or four of your eight, if they are Minions).

Restrictive (-1 PP): Your proxies place some limitations upon you. For each application of Restrictive, choose two PP worth of traits. Those traits are unavailable to you if one or more of your proxies are active in the current scene. For example, a mage who can summon creatures along with performing other spells might make its proxies Restrictive by removing its array of spells while it has a summon on the field. Your proxies also lose the relevant traits.

Subordinate (-5 PP): Your proxies are not as strong as you. For each application of Subordinate, your proxies lose 1 PL and 15 PP worth of traits.

Summoned (+10 PP): You can summon your proxies to your side once per round as a standard action. You can summon one proxy per action unless you have the Multiple Extra. If your proxies are also Dependent, then when you cease maintaining them they simply vanish until you summon them again. Otherwise they are physically present normally and the summoning is purely a means of transport. You can summon your proxies into Close range; for +5 PP, this becomes Ranged, and for +10 PP it becomes Perception Range. If you summon a proxy into a battle, it gets its first turn on the round after you summon it.

Uncontrolled (-10 to -50 PP): You don't have full control over your proxies! They are NPCs controlled by the GM, although they are Helpful to you and will generally follow your orders to the best of their ability. For each additional -10 PP, their default relationship towards you goes down by one step, which can limit their willingness to assist you barring special circumstances or manipulation.

You can take Uncontrolled as an Alternate, resulting in an alternate form that the GM controls when you enter it. An alternate with a lower relationship is less and less like your normal form and more and more at odds with your normal goals!

Uncontrolled proxies place an additional burden of work on the GM, and so are particularly important to discuss with your GM and get approval on.

Versatile (+5 PP): Your proxies have their own strengths. For each application of Versatile, your proxies may change up to 15 PP worth of traits to be different from yours. They do not gain any additional PP, they just change what it is spent on.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Descriptors

Some of the new rules reference specific types of descriptors, as listed below.

A power with multiple descriptors in the same grouping can have a Feature or a Quirk. The Feature means the power counts as whichever descriptor is most beneficial to the user, while the Quirk means it counts as whichever is most detrimental. The Feature should be applied again for each extra descriptor. For example, a power with the [Electricity] and [Sonic] descriptors that has the Feature would work on an Electricity or Sonic immune enemy (but not an enemy immune to both), while one with the Quirk would be ignored by a target with either immunity. If the power has neither Feature nor Quirk, treat its ranks as divided among the descriptors.

Broad: Broad descriptors are major classifications. All powers have at least one Broad Descriptor, defining the major "source" of the power, where it comes from. Many powers (especially offensive powers) have at least one other Broad Descriptor, defining the broad scope of its effect, what it manifests as. The following is a general list of Broad descriptors. A GM (and players) could develop other such descriptors as suits the game (or remove those that don't). It is generally a good idea to define the list of Broad descriptors prior to play and character creation.

Note that it's very possible to have a power that involves multiple Broad Descriptors even within source and effect distinctions. A power that creates a brilliant light that causes blindness, for example, is both Energy and Sensory. Likewise, a mutant who develops a telekinetic power might have powers that are both Evolved and Psychic.

Energy (Effect): A power with this descriptor works by manifesting some form of directed energy, such as heat, electricity, light, pure supernatural power, and so on. The lack of energy also counts, such as cold or darkness.

Evolved (Source): A power with this descriptor is a non-physical, super-human trait, but comes from unique genetics. The native powers of mutants, aliens, monsters, and fantastic creatures are generally Evolved. The line between Evolved and Natural can sometimes be blurry, but as a rule of thumb, if it's not something a human could do, and has nothing to do with the creature's physical shape, but still comes from the creature being what it is, it is Evolved.

Magic (Source): Magic powers come from, or from the manipulation of, external supernatural forces. Whether from a "weave" of magic, channeling magical energy or mana, divine gifts of gods, pacts with demons, primal control over the elements of the world, or even direct reality alteration - the point is, you can manipulate some external or unnatural force in some manner to generate effects.

Mental (Effect): A mental power affects the target's mind in some way. It influences its thoughts, emotions, memories, beliefs, desires, knowledge, and so on. Note that [Mental] is an effect descriptor which means it affects the mind, as distinct from Psychic, a source descriptor which means it is drawn from the user's mind (telekinesis, for example, could be Psychic, but isn't Mental).

Mystical (Source): Mystical powers come from a supernatural source of power, but unlike Magic, this source is inherent to the character, although not often something that everyone of its species can use. Note that an innate talent or capacity to manipulate external forces would still be Magic, not Mystical. Mystical powers tend to be drawn from things like Ki, spirit, aura, and even karma or luck. Metaphysical aspects of one's own nature, in other words.

Natural (Source): Natural powers are inherent to the character's physical form and physiology, but unlike evolved powers, aren't really superhuman. They're beholden to the laws of physics (or, well, at least inasmuch as anything is in a superhero setting). A bird's flight, for example, is Natural, because there are real physical laws that say, yes, a creature with that shape and mass and those wings can fly. A dragon's flight, on the other hand, would be Evolved, because while it may be "natural" for the dragon, the physics behind it don't work. Likewise, an ogre's Enhanced Strength might be considered Natural, because while it is far beyond that of a normal human, it all comes from actual size and muscle mass, whereas a Kryptonian's Enhanced Strength is Evolved, because there is no way a creature with that mass can output that much force.

Powers that come from simple physical tools are also generally considered Natural.

Physical (Effect): Physical powers involve direct physical impacts and forces; you take this much mass, in this shape, and move it at this speed to get this result. (Protip: "this result" usually translates to "some hopefully excessive amount of harm to whatever you were aiming at.")

Physiological (Effect): Physiological powers affect the target's health in some way, without direct physical impact. Poisons, diseases, medicines, fatigue, cellular deterioration, corrosion, and so on are all physiological effects.

Psychic (Source): Psychic powers are drawn from the user's mind and will. Through nothing more than focus, concentration, or sheer mental strength, they alter the world around them.

Sensory (Effect): Sensory powers affect the target's perceptions in some way. Removing them, imparing them, altering them, deceiving them, enhancing them, overloading them, and so on.

Spiritual (Effect): Spiritual powers are to Mystical powers as Mental powers are to Psychic powers. They affect the target in a metaphysical way. Necromantic magic that harms the soul, a pressure-point touch that blocks the flow of chi, or a generic curse that doesn't alter your mind or body but nonetheless leaves you weaker in some way you can't quite define, are all spiritual effects.

Talent (Source): Talent powers are similar to Natural powers in that they aren't generally superhuman and generally adhere at least roughly to the laws of physics. But while Natural powers are due to the character's physical form or physiology, Talent powers are the result of knowledge, training, natural aptitude, and so on. They are things that anyone could theoretically do, but that not everyone is able to pull off in practice.

Technology (Source): Technology powers come from devices. More precisely, a Technological power generally comes entirely from the device. A sword, for example, is Natural rather than Technology, because it's just the physical shape of the sword that's making it have any greater effect than a punch. Even a bow is operating more under the user's strength than anything. A gun or even a crossbow, on the other hand, is relying primarily on the mechanical forces designed into the object to function, and thus rate as Technology.

Narrow: Narrow descriptors are the average descriptors that really define a power. For each Broad descriptor a power has, it should also have at least one Narrow descriptor to distinguish the specifics of the power. Narrow descriptors cover a lot of possibilities, and there isn't any sort of default list like for Broad descriptors, but some examples for each Broad descriptor are below:

Energy: Narrow energy descriptors are generally the exact type of energy - Heat, Cold, Electricity, Light, Darkness, Force, and so on.

Evolved: Narrow evolved descriptors are generally the specific form of evolution that led to the powers - Mutant, Alien, God-Blooded, Monster, Outsider, etc.

Magic: Narrow magic descriptors are generally the type or classification of magic being used - Arcane, Divine, Elemental, Primal, Evocation, Necromancy, Divination, etc.

Mental: Narrow mental descriptors are generally the area of the mind being affected - Thoughts, Emotions, Perceptions, Beliefs, Memories, Skills, etc.

Mystical: Narrow mystical descriptors are generally a more specific description of the power source - Ki, Spirit, Aura, Luck, Karma, etc.

Natural: Natural is a fairly broad descriptor in scope, but doesn't really have much separating those powers that fall into it. It generally doesn't require Narrow descriptors.

Physical: Narrow physical descriptors are the type of force being exerted - Slashing, Piercing, Bludgeoning, Chopping, Crushing, Ballistic, etc.

Physiological: Narrow physiological descriptors generally refer to the substance or effect causing the changes - Poison, Disease, Acid, Rot, Corruption, Rust, etc.

Psychic: Narrow psychic descriptors are generally a single classification of psychic power - Telekinesis, Telepathy, Clairvoyance, Hypercognition, Empathy, etc.

Sensory: Narrow sensory descriptors are generally the sense type affected - Visual, Auditory, Olfactory, Tactile, etc.

Spiritual: Narrow spiritual descriptors are generally the specific metaphysical trait affected - Ki, Spirit, Aura, Luck, Karma, etc.

Talent: Talent is a fairly broad descriptor in scope, but doesn't really have much separating those powers that fall into it. It generally doesn't require Narrow descriptors.

Technology: Narrow Technology descriptors refer to the type of technology - Mechanical, Chemical, Electronic, Digital, Cybernetic, etc.

Specific: Specific descriptors aren't always needed, and generally don't have to be spelled out explicitly - they're too narrow to really be worth specifying officially, because chances are a given power can fit various Specific descriptors and trying to match them is too much of a guessing game (and in some cases, a power might have different Specific descriptors depending on how it is used - Variable Descriptor should only be used for Narrow and Broad descriptors). But for purposes of powers that rely on them, Specific descriptors are a specific form of the relevant Narrow descriptor. For example, Fire, Lava, Napalm, and Convection could all be Specific Energy->Heat descriptors. A Mental->Emotional power might induce Rage, Hope, Love, Calm, or various other Specific emotions. And so on. Note, however, that just because you don't generally officially list your Specific descriptors doesn't mean they don't exist - and even if you do write them, it doesn't mean you've gotten them all. Even if you don't list your Natural, Physical->Slashing sword as having the Blade descriptor, it's obviously a Blade and doesn't work when you try to use it against someone who took a Specific Immunity to Blades. And even if you do list it as a Blade, that doesn't mean it will then work against the person who decided to take a Specific Immunity to Swords.

Precise: Precise descriptors are even more narrow than Specific descriptors, but generally follow the same rules. Plenty of descriptors just aren't fine-grained enough to even go down to this level, but if, say, Hope is a Specific descriptor, then it follows that specific expressions of Hope like Optimism, Confidence, and Trust could be Precise. Likewise, if Blade or Sword are Specific, then specific types of blades would be considered Precise. But again, just because we're being precise doesn't mean we're being exclusive; a longsword has the Longsword descriptor, but also could be said to have, say, the One Handed Blade or European Sword descriptors.

Common: Divorced from scope entirely, a descriptor is considered Common if it is significantly more likely to be encountered than other descriptors of similar scope. For example, in most games, Physical and Natural descriptors are more common than most other Broad descriptors - just about anyone can hit you with their fists. Within Physical, a modern game might considered Bludgeoning and Ballistic as Common, since they cover two very common attack modes in the modern day - guns and martial arts (as well as the age-old hit-with-a-stick). In a medieval game, though, Bludgeoning might lose Common status because even though everyone still has fists, other Physical descriptors are just as common for actual fighting and most people would fall back to a sturdy dagger before their fists as well. In a game where there's only one real power source (for example, everyone's a mutant), then naturally the relevant Broad and Narrow descriptors (Evolved and Mutant, in this example) would be Common.

Uncommon: Any descriptors that aren't Common are Uncommon. Easy as that.

[manwithaplan]

Wow, this is pretty cool. Are you planning on running a test game with this system? I'd be interested in that. One problem, though...


Eidetic Memory: Lets you use half your highest Expertise rank for any form of Knowledge-based Expertise check, in addition to normal effects.

...

Jack of All Trades: Lets you use half your highest Expertise rank for any non-Knowledge check, in addition to normal effects.

These seem really powerful. Couldn't a skillmonkey type buy 20 ranks in Expertise: Current Events or Thievery or whatever, take these two advantages, and for 12 power points have a +10 or higher bonus in every Expertise/Skill? That's a lot of versatility for the cost.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Wow, this is pretty cool. Are you planning on running a test game with this system? I'd be interested in that. One problem, though...

Sheesh I dunno. It's a lot of rules for a prospective group to wade through. If more people express interest along that line I'd certainly be open to considering it, though.


These seem really powerful. Couldn't a skillmonkey type buy 20 ranks in Expertise: Current Events or Thievery or whatever, take these two advantages, and for 12 power points have a +10 or higher bonus in every Expertise/Skill? That's a lot of versatility for the cost.

That's actually a nerf from the default rules. Intellect normally applies to all Expertise skills, so you can take, say, Intellect 20, Reduced Technology, Treatment, and Investigation 20 (unless you want those skills of course), and just plain Jack of All Trades, and have a +20 bonus in every (Int-based) Expertise for 11 PP.

EDIT: ...Wait. Now that I look at it, the way I have it written does kinda suggest that JoAT applies to more than just Expertise doesn't it. Writing error on my part; will edit that.

EDIT 2: Actually, both of them were pretty shoddily written :smallredface:. Updated to clarify that they apply to untrained Expertise skills only.

[manwithaplan]

EDIT: ...Wait. Now that I look at it, the way I have it written does kinda suggest that JoAT applies to more than just Expertise doesn't it. Writing error on my part; will edit that.

Yeah, that's what I meant, it seemed to imply it offered every single skill, not just INT-related ones, which confused me.

Moving on, I just noticed that Agility claims to boost Acrobatics, even though Acrobatics doesn't exist here. I'm guessing that should say +1 Mobility instead.
Also, I feel this is a stupid question, does taking Immunity for a Tier 2 or higher condition also provide immunity to lower conditions on that track, such as Immunity to Staggered also giving Immunity to Dazed?

[Quellian-dyrae]

Moving on, I just noticed that Agility claims to boost Acrobatics, even though Acrobatics doesn't exist here. I'm guessing that should say +1 Mobility instead.

Yep, thanks. Fixed.


Also, I feel this is a stupid question, does taking Immunity for a Tier 2 or higher condition also provide immunity to lower conditions on that track, such as Immunity to Staggered also giving Immunity to Dazed?

That's actually a very good question, and something I hadn't considered. Yeah, it probably should. Added that in, and also a little bit for conditions that aren't part of trees (immunity to those also ignores lesser conditions included with them as part of a complex condition). Also added Tier 0 conditions to the 2-point immunity, with a note that you can't become immune to Stacking conditions (Bruised, Hindered, Weakened, etc).