[M&M3e] Character Help

[LordOfCain]

I've just been invited to a M&M 3e game, which I haven't really looked at before. I cobbled this basic character together from the d20HeroSRD so some feedback would be helpful. Power level is 10.

"I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth."
Str: -2
Sta: -3
Agi: 0
Fgt: 25
Int: 10
Awa: 0
Pre: -5
Skills:
**** Technology: 20 ranks
**** Investigation: 30 ranks
**** Close Combat (Unarmed): 20 ranks
**** Athletics: 10 ranks
Advantages:
**** Eidetic Memory
**** Equipment (4 ranks/20 points)
Complications:
**** Motivation (Justice)
**** Obsession
Powers:
**** Speed of the Striking Cobra (Super-Speed 10; Chi-powered)
**** Five Fingers of Death (Damage 10; Multiattack; Chi-powered)
Equipment:
Full Plate
**** Chainsaw
Light Pistol
Gas Mask
Brass Knuckles

[Grod_The_Giant]

So, uh, first off, I suggest borrowing a copy of the book from someone, because the SRD is not well laid out for learning the system. Case in point, I think you might have missed this (http://www.d20herosrd.com/character-creation/#POWER_LEVEL_14_8211_WORLD-PROTECTORS) vital section on trade-offs? You should also look at the Alternate Effect (http://www.d20herosrd.com/6-powers/modifiers) modifier, which is crucial to having flexible characters.

Leaving power level limits aside for a minute... the thematics look like they're kind of all over the place, and you're going to die. Your Parry may be ~15 points above what would be expected (and 2 points above what's legal), but your Dodge appears to be zero and your Toughness appears to be -3. The first time someone shoots at you, launches an AoE, or-- god forbid-- an auto-hitting Perception attack, you're going to roll d20-3 against DC ~25, and you're going to splattered.

You need to have your five defenses in order-- each should be fairly close to your power level, and all should be at their maximum when trade-offs are taken into account. At PL 10, I wouldn't recommend dropping anything combat-critical (defenses, attack bonuses, effect rank of offensive powers) lower than a 7.

[LordOfCain]

Thanks for the help, I totally missed that section. Other people in my group have the book but I don't, but luckily we aren't starting this game for a couple weeks, so I'll be able to fix the rules problems

[jdizzlean]

I play 2nd edition, not sure of the differences between that and 3rd. we just started a PL10 game at 150pp. In 2nd, at PL10, you can't have more then 15 ranks in any skill, so having 20 and 30 ranks at creation seems outlandish.

I would parrot the saves commentary from above. I wouldn't use the SRD for M&M, its not particularly relevant. If you plan on playing this system for awhile, I'd advise buying Hero Lab, which will help you in character creation as well.

also, w/ -3 STR, how do you propose to ever move in full plate, let alone hold onto or even use that chainsaw?

You really have to think about how all your stuff works together in M&M, you can't just cherry pick a few things and hope it'll work. Here's my PL10 character from the game we just started as an example of all the crap you have to have to fit a theme. If you don't want/have decent saves or attacks, you should have a reason for it, and you should roleplay that reason.

https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1387732

[JustIgnoreMe]

I wrote a reply, but the internet ate it.

Grod is right (Grod is always right, it seems, when it comes to M&M 3e).

Apart from the weaknesses of the build, you're also wasting points. A Fighting score of 25 is 5 higher than you can get any real use out of in a PL 10 game. When you add a further +20 Close Combat (unarmed), that's even more wasteful.

Likewise your Technology and Investigation skills. Wasted points. If Stat plus Skill is over PLx2, it's pretty much a waste.

M&M 3e is a system where you could make an utterly broken character at PL 10 that can destroy characters 5 or more PLs higher, but that would ruin the game for everyone and be no fun. So players simply don't. Instead they build what they think will be fun.

A single point, properly spent, can get you a whole new superpower. You have plenty. That means you can afford to spend a few points on background abilities you never really use. Like perfect vocal mimicry, a maxed-out Profession: Actor skill, immense wealth you never use for anything, and super-model good looks even though you wear a full face-covering mask at all times (I have done all of these. On the same character).

Have a look at the Atomic Think Tank forums, see how other people generate characters, then try again. You can't really go wrong with Skill 10 and Effect 10.

-edit to add- Seconding Hero Lab. Download the free trial and play around with that. You can't save characters with the trial version but you can experiment with builds and it will tell you when you try to break the rules.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Grod is right (Grod is always right, it seems, when it comes to M&M 3e).
:smallredface: JustIgnoreMe's advice is pretty good too.