- 1.0 Overview
- 2.0 Dice Pools and Rolling
- 2.1 Power List
- 3.0 Types of Boosts
- 3.1 Assets
- 3.2 Stunts
- 3.3 Resources
- 3.4 Support Actions
- 4.0 Stress
- 4.1 Complications
- 4.2 Healing
- 5.0 Plot Points
- 5.1 Doom Pool
- 5.2 Opportunities
- 6.0 NPCs
- 6.1 Scene Traits
- 6.2 Targeting Traits
- 7.0 Powers
- 7.1 SFX
- 7.2 Limits
- 7.3 Temporary Powers
- 7.4 Specialties
- 8.0 Experience
- 8.1 Unlockables
This MUX uses the Marvel Heroic Roleplaying Game for stats, combat, and to assist in judgement for combat and other encounters within this game.
It is NOT necessary to learn this system especially if you never intend to enter combat and stick strictly to a social environment.
We have created a rather inclusive series of tutorials for MHRPG and posted them permanently on bboard 5. Posts 1-4 are especially valuable as they explain the basics of datafiles. Much of that information is duplicated in our news files and on the wiki. Datafiles form the basis of your character here on Marvel Untold.
A good cheat sheet for players using this system can be found at:
http://nerdnyc.com/tmp/marvel/Hero-Cheat-Sheet.pdf
1.0 Overview
Every rolled action a player makes in the MHRPG is resolved by building and rolling a dice pool. A dice pool is a collection of dice gathered together. You roll them and keep two dice to represent your TOTAL (which determines if you succeed) and one die to represent your EFFECT (which determines the level of your success). After you have rolled, your opponent also assembles and rolls a dice pool. The results of both rolls are compared to determine success.
The roll of the person performing the action is known as the ACTION while the roll of that person's opponent is known as the REACTION.
A dice pool can have one die each from the following categories:
1. Affiliation
2. Distinction
3. Power Set #1
4. Power Set #2.
5. Specialties
6. Assets (if available)
7. Push/Stunts/Resources (if available)
8. Complications (if available)
9. Stress (if available)
NOTE: If something doesn't fit a situation, you can't add it to the die pool. If Hawkeye were punching Stilt-Man, he might be able to add his Enhanced Reflexes power but not his Weapon power. Likewise, if Hawkeye was trying to help Stilt-Man through marital problems, then none of his powers would be appropriate, nor would his various specialties. He'd be stuck rolling just his Affiliation and Distinction.
If action TOTAL => reaction TOTAL, the action succeeds.
If action TOTAL < reaction TOTAL, the action fails.
If action TOTAL => reaction TOTAL + 5, the action succeeds and the action EFFECT die is staged up +1.
If action EFFECT => reaction EFFECT, the action EFFECT die remains unchanged.
If action EFFECT < reaction EFFECT, the action EFFECT is staged down by -1.
2.0 Dice Pools and Rolling
Do Not Read
Marvel Untold uses the Marvel Heroic RPG as a base when it comes to writing up a character powers and abilities
The following are the standard powers used in the system. Almost all possible powers fit into one of these categories:
Attack: This is a broad category and includes all weapons, including claws as well as a wide range of blaster type powers. Storm's lighting bolt would be considered an Attack power trait, as would Wolverine's Claws, or Punisher's guns. This also covers weapons that cause Complications instead of Stress, such as bolos, netguns, and dart launchers.
d6: The equivalent of a handgun or knife.
d8: The equivalent of a rifle of sword.
d10: The equivalent of a machine gun or lightning.
d12: The equivalent of a heavy weapons strike.
Durability: The character is immune to certain levels of physical damage either caused by weapons, other powers or environmental factors. A certain amount of immunity from heat/cold and pain are also part of this power trait.
d8 (Enhanced): Resistant to blunt damage. Human maximum.
d10 (Superhuman): Roughly bulletproof.
d12 (Godlike): Highly resistant to all damage types.
Elemental Control: This is also a very broad category. It not only includes the classic; fire, air, water and earth, but also includes any material, energy and telekinesis. Elemental Control powers cannot directly damage another character but are, instead, used to create assets and complications. Control powers are often paired with attack powers (to do direct damage), movement powers, or defensive powers. Sorcery and Mind Control (and other psychic powers) are not included, except Telekinesis (which is), they are separate power traits. The controlled elements must be specified in the power trait.
d6 (Elemental Influence): Basic level of control. The ability to light small fires or shorting out an appliance.
d8 (Elemental Control): Significant control. Extinguishing a burning room. Shorting out a house's electrical grid.
d10 (Elemental Mastery): Amazing control. Affecting an entire power grid. Summoning a storm over a city.
d12 (Elemental Supremacy): Unbelievable control. Freezing over an entire Great Lake. Extinguishing a forest fire.
Intangibility: With this power trait the character is able to become less solid, either by dispersing their molecules, phasing or even becoming a liquid, particles, or another less dense material. It's often included with elemental control and stretching power traits.
d6: Turn into a swarm of particles.
d8: Turn into a liquid, gas, or plasma.
d10: Capable of going out of phase and walking through objects.
d12: Capable of removing one's self from reality.
Intellect: In the Marvel Universe, intelligence is often so incredible it is a power. We aren't talking 'I'm smart enough to skip a grade in school' here. We mean 'I'm so smart I can create technology that stands on par with those of advanced alien civilizations'. This covers intellect beyond that can be represented by simple Specialties.
d8: Enhanced Intellect. Two to three times average human intelligence.
d10: Superhuman Intellect. Literally one of the smartest people on the planet.
d12: Godlike Intellect. One of the most intelligent beings in the entire universe.
Invisibility: Through either powers or technology the character is able to render themselves unseen to the naked eye. This could be some kind of camouflage power or some kind of device that blends light around the character, etc.
d6: A limited form of camouflage that only works under specific circumstances.
d8: Blending into surroundings but not true invisibility.
d10: Completely invisible to standard visual means.
d12: Nearly impossible to detect via any visual sense or sensor.
Leech: Leech is the ability to remove another's ability to use their powers or specialties. Someone with the Leech power creates a Complication for the target. If the Complication die is higher than the power or Specialty die, the power/Specialty is canceled out until the complication is removed.
Mimic: This is the ability to copy other character's powers and use them as your own. Rogue is a perfect example of a character with the Mimic powerset. This doesn't change any physicality of your character unless that aspect is part of the power you are mimicking. To use this power, the character spends an action creating an Asset which represents the mimicked power. After that, the Asset may be used just as the original power would. A mimicked power Asset cannot be stronger than your character's Mimic power level. For example, if your character has Mimic d8, no Asset can be higher than d8 even if the character the power belonged to originally had it at a higher level.
Mob: The can represent the ability to create duplicates or create effigies to battle for you. Mob powers are represented by xdy, with the x noting the number of duplicates or effigies created. The power operates similarly to mob characters. When enough damage is done, the x in xdy goes down by one.
Movement: If you can run fast, fly, brachiate (swingline) or are able to get from point A to Point B in a way that most people can't, you may have a Movement ability. The method of movement can be power, technical or other. Quicksilver runs fast, Spider-Man does his web thing, Namor swims, Mirage flies a pegasus, etc. All these are different types of movement abilities. It
is assumed that if your character has a specific kind of movement, like subsonic flight or enhanced swimming, etc, the character also has the ability to survive in the environments where their movement is used. In other words, if you have the swim power, you probably can breathe underwater, too.
d6: Speed/Flight. Move as fast as an olympic runner or fly as fast as a bird of prey.
d8: Enhanced Speed/Subsonic Flight. Move as fast as a sprinting horse or fly as fast as a passenger airliner.
d10: Superhuman Speed/Sonic Flight. Move as fast as a bullet train or fly as fast as a jet fighter.
d12: Godlike Speed/Space Flight. Travel anywhere in the world in moments or fly at interstellar speeds.
Psychic Powers: Psychic abillities come in multiple flavors: Mind Control, Telepathy, Animal Control and Plant Control. Animal and Plant Control work much like Elemental Control powers.
Mind Control allows the influencing of behavior - getting people to do what you want. This could be through direct control, illusion, or subtle suggestion.
d6: Push the target to do things they would already do. Intensify sensations.
d8: Remove inhibitions and provoke strange behavior. Make target experience things that aren't there.
d10: Take full control of a target's full movements. Create vivid and believable illusions.
d12: Completely possess a target or seemingly rewrite reality for the target.
Telepathy allows for communication between minds. This can be discussion or deep probing. If the target isn't willing, the telepath must first overwhelm the mind before you can draw out information.
d6: Link with another mind with effort.
d8: Read surface thoughts or share basic senses.
d10: Probe minds for memories, create persistent mental links.
d12: Constant communication with multiple people over vast distances.
Reflexes: With this power your character can react quicker and move faster than the average person. This ability usually part of a Movement power, but doesn't necessarily have to be. This ability can be as tech or a power.
d8: Enhanced Reflexes. Two to three times normal human response time and hand-eye coordination.
d10: Superhuman Reflexes. Ten times normal human response time and hand-eye coordination.
d12: Godlike Reflexes. Lightning fast response time and hand-eye coordination.
Resistance: Your character is resistant or immune to certain types of harm or attack. Usually it is either a Mystic or Psychic Resistance. This covers resistance or immunity to attacks that are not covered by Durability
d6: Slight resistance.
d8: Immune to basic attacks of this type.
d10: Serious defense against all attacks of this type.
d12: Near immunity to attacks of this type.
Senses: Vision, Smell, Taste, Touch, Hearing, one or perhaps all of these are more acute for your character. Likewise your character could have some type of other enhanced sense: Danger Sense, Radar Sense, the ability to sense magic, or communicate with computers. Precognitive and Clairavoyance are also part of this powerset.
d6: Senses. A basic level of an unusual sense such as Mystic Sense or Cybernetic Sense.
d8: Enhanced Senses. Heightened levels of senses, similar to those of animals.
d10: Superhuman Senses. Incredible levels of awareness, beyond those found in nature.
d12: Godlike Senses. Truly cosmic level of sense.
Shapeshifting: Your character can change his facial features, or maybe even their entire body to look like someone or something else. This can be another person, an animal, or an inanimate object. To use shapeshifting to acquire powers the character normally doesn't have access to (such as flight via wings or weapons via claws0, the character can either spend a plot point for a stunt or create an Asset.
d6: Minor changes to appearance such as hair color.
d8: Take on someone else's form or the form of an animal or other living being.
d10: Fully shift form down to the cellular level, though non-organic shapes will still register as alive.
d12: You essentially become the object or being you are shapeshifting into.
Size Changing: One moment your character is a perfectly normal person, they next they are either really big or really small. When you change size other things about you might change as well, density or durability, etc, or you may gain other abilities. You may even have the ability to effect other people or objects with your power.
d6: Not so much size changing as flexing, contortion, and puffing up.
d8: Double in size or shrink to the size of a small animal.
d10: Grow to the size of a building or shrink to the size of an insect.
d12: Grow to the size of a planet or shrink so small you become microscopic.
Sorcery: With this ability a character can feel and manipulate mystical forces, from this dimension or another to make changes in their environment, be they subtle or drastic, and are usually used to create complications or assets during a scene or they can also be used to create stunts similar to other powers.
d6: Sorcery Novice. Parlor tricks and cantrips.
d8: Sorcery Adept. Trained and capable of invoking true changes to the laws of physics.
d10: Sorcery Mastery. Great magical power that comes from a lifetime of study.
d12: Sorcery Supremecy. World shattering magical powers.
Stamina: Your character can do exert themselves for longer periods without getting winded or showing signs of fatigue. Stamina also represents the ability to heal faster than a normal human.
d8: Enhanced Stamina. Maximum human stamina and healing ability.
d10: Superhuman Stamina. Rapid recovery from injury. The ability to operate at peak effort for hours.
d12: Godlike Stamina. Extremely rapid recovery even from near-fatal injuries and ability to work without exhaustion for near infinite time.
Strength: This is pretty self-explanatory, your character is strong and can use it to perform various stunts, depending on how strong they are.
d8: Enhanced Strength. Turn over cars. With effort, bend iron bars.
d10: Superhuman Strength. Lift vehicles. Smash through stone and metal.
d12: Godlike Strength. Hurl objects into orbit. Push over buildings.
Stretching: Your character can make parts of his body longer, either through a power or a type of tech.
d6: Double your reach.
d8: Stretch a city block.
d10: Stretch several city blocks and clear buildings.
d12: Stretch across oceans or even into orbit.
Teleport: Being able to travel instantaneously from point A to point B, without worrying about all that tedious stuff in between. Teleportation can be achieved by a mutant/altered power, high tech device or magic spell.
d6: Teleport across a room, usually requires line of sight.
d8: Teleport several miles.
d10: Teleport anywhere on the planet.
d12: Teleport anywhere in the universe.
Transmutation: Turning lead into gold? A pipe dream for ancient alchemists but quite possible for some with the ability a transmutation. You are able to change one substance into another. This can represent changing an object's properties, changing matter into energy or vice versa. Transmutation creates assets or complications or, occasionally stress, but the effect is not
complete unless the target is fully stressed out or the complication is staged past a certain threshold.
d6: Change the integrity of cohesion of a target. Soften, harden, or degrade but not transform.
d8: Fully change the properties of a non-organic target. Change it from solid to liquid or gas or from one form of solid, liquid, or gas into another.
d10: Operate on an atomic level and change one substance, organic or inorganic, into another.
d12: Change any object into another. Basically a form of reality control.
2.1 Power List
There are four ways to boost your self, and they are as follows:
- Pushes: Spend 1 PP and add a D6 to your next roll. If activating an Opportunity, the Push adds a D8 instead of a D6.
- Assets: Take an action to roll against the Doom Pool. If you succeed you create an Asset equal to the EFFECT die. The Asset lasts as long as makes sense thematically or until the end of the scene, whatever comes first.
- Stunt: Spend 1 PP and get an immediate, one time D8 boost to a power or Specialty roll. If activating an Opportunity, the Stunt adds a D10 instead of a D8 to the next roll or action.
- Resource: Spend 1 PP and create a Resource depending on the Specialty it is based on. D6 for Expert (D8) Specialties and D8 for Master (D10) Specialties. Resources last until the next research/transition scene for the Event.
An Asset is basically the flip-side of a Complication. A Complication is a disadvantage you create for a foe. An Asset is an advantage you create for yourself and/or your allies. An Asset can represent something physical such as a weapon you pick up or it can represent something more immaterial, such as taking a moment to meditate and focus your mind. Assets can also represent
giving help to an ally as a support action.
To create an Asset, you assemble a dice pool and then roll as normal against the Doom Pool (more on the Doom Pool in another post). If you succeed, your EFFECT die becomes the die rating of the Asset. The minimum die rating of an Asset is D6. If your EFFECT die is a D4 it becomes automatically staged up to a D6.
It takes an action (one turn) to create an Asset. Assets, like Complications, last for as long as is logical. It might only last a single action, such as in the case of a 'Throwing Logan at the Enemy' Asset or it might last an entire scene, such as in the case of a 'Better Web Fluid Formula' Asset.
Here are some example Assets:
- Colossus decides to throw Wolverine at a Sentinel. This is the classic Fastball Special and creates the 'Fastball Special' Asset, giving Wolverine a D10 Asset to add to his roll to slash up the Sentinel.
- At the beginning of a fight, Iron Fist does not attack first. Instead, he pauses to focus his chi and creates a D8 'Focused Chi' Asset to use during the battle.
- Black Widow is under attack by HYDRA agents. She dives behind a broken wall to create a 'Behind Cover' Asset that will help her when she's making reaction rolls.
- Everyone knows Punisher is crazy. So, he spends a round describing to a mob punk exactly what's gonna happen once Punisher catches him. Punisher rolls the dice and creates a D10 'Crazy Reputation' Asset for himself.
- Teenage Janet van Dyne wants to win the prom queen crown! To help her, she spends all night baking brownies to give to all her classmates. By doing so, she creates a D6 'Yummy Brownies' Asset for the vote roll.
And now, an example of how to create an Asset:
Ben Grimm, the ever loving, blue eyed Thing, is fighting a monster that secretes acid from its pores. He decides this is best done at a distance, so he grabs a telephone pole and snaps it from the ground to wield as a weapon. The Thing's player assembles a dice pool: Solo (D6), the Wotta Revoltin' Development Distinction (D8), Godlike Strength (D12), and Combat Expert (D8).
He rolls D6: 5, D8: 3, D12: 2, D8: 7. He keeps the D8: 7 and D6: 5 for his TOTAL (12) and the D12 as his EFFECT. The GM rolls the Doom Pool in opposition and the Thing wins. He's created a D12 Asset called 'Telephone Pole'. Next round, when Thing attacks the monster, he'll add that Asset die to his dice pool.
3.1 Assets
Stunts are nifty expansions of your character's existing power traits or Specialties. At first glance, they may seem similar to Assets but there's one key difference. You spend a turn creating an Asset by taking an action. Stunts, on the other hand, are created by spending a plot point (more on those later) and are immediate. Stunts require no roll and automatically give you a
one time, D8 Stunt bonus to your roll.
EXAMPLE: Daredevil needs information from Hammerhead and he needs it fast or his best friend is going to die! So, he spends a plot point and creates a 'I Can Smell Your Fear' Stunt. His dice pool for this roll will be: Solo (D10), Protector of Hell's Kitchen (D8), Superhuman Senses power trait (D10), Menace Expert Specialty (D8), I CAN SMELL YOUR FEAR Stunt (D8).
Remember. The upside to Stunts is they represent an immediate, extra boost to your action in the form of a D8. The downside to Stunts is they cost a power point and they only last for a single roll.
Other example Stunts:
- Emma Frost wants to use her diamond body to catch and reflect light in order to blind Avalanche. So, she spends a plot point and creates a 'Glistening Diamond' stunt.
- Cyclops is a great pilot but he knows the X-Men's jet, the Blackbird, best of all. Right now, he has to fly the Blackbird through the narrow glass and steel canyons of New York City's skyscrapers. Deciding he needs a little extra oomph, he spends a plot point and creates a 'Blackbird Expert' Stunt.
- Spider-Woman is trying to talk a man off a ledge. Fortunately, her pheromones can give her a boost. She spends a plot point to create a 'Attractive Pheromone' Stunt.
- Punisher knows Venom is vulnerable to sonics. Luckily, he stole some tech from AIM the last time he hit them. He spends a plot point to activate a 'Sonic Screamer' Stunt.
- Tigra needs to scale a fifty foot wall. She has claws! So, she spends a plot point to create a 'Cats can Climb!' Stunt.
Resources are beneficial contacts, useful gadgets, or helpful assets that you can call on for help during research and non-combat scenes. To create a Resource, you spend a plot point (again, more on plot points later). The Resource is based on your Specialties. You don't use a Tech Specialty to create a ready-made 'shelter in the woods' Resource and you probably wouldn't
use an Arts and Crafts Specialty to create a 'Tae Kwan Do Master' Resource.
The Resources rating depends on what the rating of your Specialty is. D10 Specialties create d8 Resources. D8 Specialties create d6 Resources. D6 Specialties cannot create Resources.
Examples!
- Beast is trying to analyze a strange virus left behind by an alien visitor. He spends a plot point and uses his Science Specialty to create a 'Biology Lab' Resource.
- Tony Stark has decided that he's going to take Hammer out the old fashioned way. He's going to buy him out. To help, he spends a plot point and creates a 'Billionare Playboy' Resource.
- Misty Knight needs help identifying an electronic device left behind at the scene of a crime. She spends a plot point to create the 'One of Stark's Lab Boys Owes Me' Resource.
- Iron Fist runs into a martial arts style he has never faced before and loses. Seeking to win the rematch, he spends a plot point to create a 'Montage Training Scene with Martial Arts Masters I know' Resource.
- Skids needs to find out as much as she can about the mysterious MISTER X! So, she spends a plot point and creates a 'SHIELD Database' Resource for herself.
You might be asking 'Doesn't Tony always have access to his money? Wouldn't Beast always be able to go down to the biology lab in the mansion? The answer is, of course! However, you only get the extra die to your roll if you spend the plot point to turn these resources (little 'r') into Resources (big 'R').
3.3 Resources
To support an ally, you use your action to create an Asset following the normal Asset creation rules. The Asset created is generally good for a single roll but, occasionally, might be useful for multiple rolls.
EXAMPLE: Julie and Alex Power are fighting a Doombot! They come up with a plan. Julie will fly Alex at high speed towards the Doombot and then release. At the last moment, Alex will amp up his personal gravity field and become a living battering ram, enhanced by the velocity he gained from Julie flying him, to knock the Doombot down. In other words, Julie is using a support
action to give Alex a 'Tossed by Julie' Asset. When Alex rolls to hit and damage the Doombot, he'll add the die from his 'Tossed by Julie' Asset to his dice pool.
3.4 Support Actions
Stress is the equivalent of damage in other games. There are three types of Stress:
- Physical Stress: This can represent injury, illness, radiation exposure, weariness, and so forth.
- Emotional Stress: This can represent uncontrollable anger, depression, even overwhelming bliss.
- Mental Stress: This can represent psychic attack, mental exhaustion, or psychological effects.
Stress is measured in die types. D4 -> D6 -> D8 -> D10 -> D12. D4 represents a low amount of Stress. D8 represents a moderate amount of stress. D12 represents an extreme amount of Stress.
The Effect die represents how much Stress your target takes. For example, if Spider-Man punches Green Goblin and his final Effect die is D10, he inflicts D10 Physical Stress to Green Goblin.
Further attacks can increase the amount of Stress an enemy suffers from. If the EFFECT die is greater than the target's current Stress level, replace the target's old Stress with the new EFFECT die. For example, Wolverine claws Sabretooth with a D6 EFFECT, he inflicts D6 Stress. Next round, he claws Sabretooth again with a D10 EFFECT. Sabretooth's D6 Stress is replaced with
D10 Stress.
If the EFFECT die is equal to or less than the target's current Stress level, step the target's Stress up a single die. For example, Daredevil punches Bullseye with a D8 EFFECT, inflicting D8 Physical Stress. Next round, he roundhouse kicks Bullseye with a D6 EFFECT. Since D6 is less than D8, Bullseye's Physical Stress stages up by 1 to D10.
When Stress is staged past D12, the character takes Trauma and is incapable of action. Physical Trauma might represents being unconscious, Emotional Trauma might represents a psychotic break, and Mental Stress might represent a coma. Like Stress, Trauma is rated in dice. D6 to D12 and is staged up in the same way. If Trauma is staged past D12 the character dies.
An opponent's Stress die can be added to your action or reaction roll when appropriate. Note, a character may suffer from more than one type of Stress. Only the highest die is added to opposing rolls.
Example: Daredevil is suffering D4 Mental Stress, D10 Physical Stress, and D8 Emotional Stress. When Bullseye attempts to hit him with a throwing star, Bullseye adds only the D10 from the Physical Stress to his action roll.
4.0 Stress
Sometimes, a character doesn't want to inflict Stress on an opponent. For example, they may want to immobilize an enemy and not beat him up. Telepaths or mystics may want to put someone to sleep. A superspy may want to seduce an enemy operative. In those cases, the EFFECT die isn't used to create Stress. Instead, you use it to create a Complication.
A Complication is a non-Stress disadvantage inflicted upon a target. Complications work much like Stress: They are measured in dice (D4, D6, D8, D10, D12) and when it makes sense, you add an opponent's Complication die to your own rolls against her. Complications can also be staged up, just like stress. If a Complication is staged up past D12, the target is incapacitated in some way.
Example: Amora the Enchantress seeks to get a politican on her side. He assembles her dice pool and gets a D12 EFFECT. The Senator's roll isn't nearly so good. Amora's player decides to create a Complication: 'Seduced by the Enchantress' D12. The Senator's swayed by her ample charms. Next round, Amora presses the seduction, adding the 'Seduced by the Enchantress' Complication die (D12) to her roll. She succeeds again and stages the Complication above a D12. The Senator is now putty in her hands and incapable of acting against her.
The major difference between a Complication and Stress is how it is removed. Stress cannot be removed except through recovery. If you don't have some sort of healing factor (or a comrade doesn't have a healing power) chances are, you'll keep the Stress through the whole of a scene. On the other hand, a Complication is removed as soon as it is dealt with. If Spider-Man creates a D10 'Webbed Up' Complication for Doctor Octopus it hinders Doc Ock right up until the Rhino takes an action and rips the webbing off of Doctor Octopus.
Complications are often easier to inflict on a target than Stress. A lot of characters have powers that allow them to resist damage. However, Complication are often easier to get get rid of, too. Please note, you can add both an opponent's Stress die and Complication die to your roll.
Here are some example complications to further clarify how they work:
- Captain Britain wants to detain some bank robbers for the police, so he uses his Strength power trait to wrap a lamp post around them. They now have a 'Wrapped up in a Lamp Post' complication.
- Black Panther is fighting an evil Iceman clone inside the Wakandan embassy. He takes a moment to turn up the embassy's heating system to full blast, creating a 'Is it Hot in Here?' Complication for the Iceman clone.
- An anti-mutant bigot is making a big speech to a crowd, trying to encourage them to riot. Magik, who is watching from the shadows, casts a spell on the bigot so that the threads of his clothes disintegrate. Now he has to make his speech with a 'The Emperor has no Clothes' Complication.
- Storm is very hurt and hiding from the Brotherhood of Evil. She knows if they find her, her chances of outfighting the whole group is slim. She also knows help is on the way so she just needs to delay the Brotherhood. She summons a fog bank, creating a 'Thick as Pea Soup' Complication for her enemies.
- Deadpool is fighting the evil, bespectacled crime boss, Mr. Peepers! Thinking fast, Deadpool licks two fingers and then presses those spit-slicked fingers hard against Mr. Peepers' giant, nuclear powered glasses! Mr. Peepers now has a 'I Can't See!' Complication!
This news files will describe recovery and healing from the taking of stress and trauma.
NATURAL HEALING:
Your stress steps back one die per day that passes. In other words, let's say today you take d8 Physical Stress, d10 Mental Stress, and d4 Emotional Stress. Tomorrow, you will have d6 Physical Stress, d8 Mental Stress, and no Emotional Stress.
Your trauma steps back one die per week that passes. In other words, if you have d8 Physical Trauma, d10 Mental Trauma, and d4 Emotional Trauma today, one week from today you will have d6 Physical Trauma, d8 Mental Trauma, and no Emotional Trauma.
ASSISTED HEALING:
You may attempt to heal yourself through appropriate action (first aid, meditation, self-help books, medication…) and others (such as medical professionals) may attempt to assist you. If someone is assisting you, first they roll to create a support Asset following the normal Asset rules. Next, you roll vs the doom pool plus your stress/trauma die. Your dice pool for the roll will be an Affiliation, Distinction, appropriate power (most often Stamina) if applicable, appropriate specialty if applicable, and an Asset, if
given to you.
If your TOTAL > the Doom Pool's TOTAL, you succeed. If you succeed, compare your EFFECT die to the Doom Pool's EFFECT. If your's is smaller, step back your stress by one die. If your's is equal to or higher, the stress is gone.
Trauma works differently. If you are trying to heal Trauma using this method, if the Doom Pool's TOTAL is higher than your TOTAL, the attempt was botched and your Trauma steps up by one. If your TOTAL is higher than the Doom Pool's but your EFFECT is smaller, there is no change. If your TOTAL is higher and your EFFECT is higher, the Trauma is stepped back by one.
POWERED HEALING:
Certain powers allow you to heal using SFX, even during the middle of an Action scene. With the Healing Factor SFX, for example, you spend a plot point and, if your Stamina die is higher than your physical stress die, your stress is gone. If it is lower, the physical stress is stepped back by one. Likewise, some characters have a healing SFX that allows them to spend plot points in
order to heal others in a similar manner. Please be aware, SFX like these are the only way to heal damage during an action scene.
4.2 Healing
Plot Points are the currency of the MHRPG system. Plot points allow you, the player, to change the rules, increase your chance of success, and make things more interesting.
Before a roll, you may spend a plot point to do the following:
- Push (add) an extra d6 to the roll.
- Add in an extra trait from a trait group (add in an extra power trait froma Power Set, add a second Distinction, add another Specialty die).
- Create a power or Specialty Stunt.
- Activate certain SFXs from a Power Set.
After a roll, you may spend a plot point to do the following:
- Add an extra die from the roll to your TOTAL.
- Keep an extra EFFECT die. This allows you to affect multiple opponents (one effect die per opponent) or affect a single opponent twice (to cause both physical stress and a complication, for instance).
- Activate an opportunity rolled by the GM.
- Activate certain SFXs from a Power Set.
- Change Stress you've taken from one type to another (from Physical Stress to Mental Stress, for example).
You may also spend a plot point to create a Resource during non-action scenes.
There are three ways to earn plot points during a scene.
- Use a Distinction at D4. Distinctions are normally used to put a D8 into your dice pool. However, if you believe a Distinction will have a negativeeffect on your roll, you may roll a D4 instead of a D8. If you choose the negative path, you get a plot point to represent the diminished die (and the increased chance of rolling an Opportunity!).
- Activate a Limit on your Power Set. Power Sets all have Limits attached to them. These are conditions in which the powers can be shut down or become a liability. Some Limits give you a plot point when activated. If a Limit is activated, and if the Limit says activation gives a plot point, you can either choose to get a plot point or remove a die from the doom pool (more on the
doom pool later).
- When you roll a 1, that's an Opportunity. If the GM chooses to activate this Opportunity, you get a plot point.
The Doom Pool is the flip side of Plot Points. Players have plot points. The GM has the Doom Pool. The Doom Pool isn't a set of points, however. Instead, the Doom Pool is a group of dice the GM uses to enhance the actions and reactions of NPCs. The Doom Pool also represents the general difficulty level of a scenario and is used to oppose player actions that are not made against a
specific character.
EXAMPLE: The Doom Pool currently stands at 2d8,3d10. Black Widow is trying to pick the lock on a door. She assembles her dice pool - Solo (D10), Russian Superspy Distinction (D8), Enhanced Reflexes power (D8), Covert Master (D10). She rolls d10: 5, d8: 7, d8: 3, d10: 8. She uses d10: 8 and d8: 7 for her TOTAL (15) and the other d10 as her EFFECT. Meanwhile the GM rolls the Doom Pool (2d8,3d10) and gets d8: 4, d8: 2, d10: 5, d10: 9, d10: 7. The GM uses the d10: 9 and d10: 7 for a TOTAL (16) and the remaining d10 as the EFFECT. 16 is higher than 15 and Black Widow fails to pick the lock.
The Doom Pool starts at 2d6 for low level Events, 2d8 for moderate Events, and 2d10 for serious Events. The Doom Pool grows as players roll 1s and the GM activates them as Opportunities. When an Opportunity is activated, the GM can either add a new d6 to the Doom Pool or step up an existing die. Some SFX can also increase the Doom Pool.
The Doom Pool can be used in the following ways.
Before a roll:
- A die from the Doom Pool can be moved from the Doom Pool directly into an NPCs dice pool to provide extra dice for a roll.
- A Doom Pool die can be used to activate certain NPC SFX.
After a roll:
- An extra die from an NPC's roll can be added to the NPC's TOTAL. The die added has to be equal to or smaller than the Doom Pool die being spent.
- An extra EFFECT die can be added from the NPC's roll. The EFFECT die has to be equal to or smaller than the Doom Pool die being spent.
- A Doom Pool die can be used to activate certain NPC SFX.
- If the NPCs reaction TOTAL is higher than the an attacker's action TOTAL, the GM may spend a D6 or larger from the Doom Pool in order to use the NPC's reaction EFFECT die to inflict Stress or a Complication on the attacker.
At any point during a scene:
- Spend a D8, D10, or D12 from the Doom Pool to create a Scene Distinction. For example, 'Burning Hallway' or 'Panicked Crowd' or 'Gas Leak'.
- Interupt initiative.
- Split up the Heroes. If the GM forces an action which splits up the heroes (such as collapsing a floor or sliding down a barrier or teleporting someone out of the scene) a Doom Pool die must be spent. The die must be equal to or greater than the highest Affiliation die currently being used by the heroes.
- Activate a Scene/Event Effect. Certain scenes or events may have preplanned effects that require a Doom Pool die to activate. For example, the GM may spend a Doom Pool die to bring in additional enemies. Or the GM may need certain circumstances in the Doom Pool to activate a time bomb (the bomb goesoff if the Doom Pool grows to include 3d10 for example).
- Turn a Scene Distinction into a Scene Complication. The GM can spend a d10or d12 to turn a Scene Distinction into a Scene Complication that works against multiple characters in the room.
- End the Scene. If the Doom Pool grows large enough to include 2d12, the GMhas the option of ending the scene immediately and narrating the details of what happens.
When you roll a '1' on a die, the '1' can't be counted towards either your TOTAL or your EFFECT. 1s are called Opportunities. When a player rolls a 1 the GM has the option of "activating the Opportunity". When the GM rolls a 1 the player has the same option.
When a player activates an Opportunity, she must spend a plot point. She then gains a benefit from the following list:
- Give yourself an extra D8 for your next roll.
- Give yourself a D10 Stunt to use on your next reaction or action roll.
- Step up the die of an already existing Asset.
- Create a Resource. This is the only way to create a Resource in an action scene.
- Activate certain SFX or Limits.
When a GM activates an Opportunity, the player who generated the Opportunity is given a plot point. The GM then either adds a D6 to the Doom Pool or steps up a die already in the Doom Pool.
5.2 Opportunities
In Marvel Heroic there are five types of (statted) NPCs: Major characters, minor characters, specialists, mobs, and large-scale threats.
Major Characters are essentially full characters built in a similar manner to player characters. They tend to be antagonists.
Minor characters are secondary characters in a plotline and are similar to major characters except for their Affiliations. Instead of a d6, d8, and d10 Affiliation, minor characters have a d4, d6, and d8 Affiliation.
Specialty characters (or specialists) represent mooks, minions, cops, agents, and the other very minor or nameless characters that populate a potential Event. Like minor characters, they have Affiliations of d4, d6, and d8. They usually have a single Specialty at d6, d8, or d10 and, here is the important part, instead of them going inert when taking d12+ from stress or a
complication, specialists are removed from active play when the stress/complication is staged beyond their primary Specialty rating. A specialty character's Specialty is often unique, reflecting a professional skill set.
EXAMPLE: Taskmaster has been cornered by a police officer. The cop is a specialist with d4 Solo, Serve and Protect Distinction, d6 pistol, and a d8 Cop Specialty. Taskmaster hits the cop and does d10 Physical Stress. That's more than the officer's d8 Cop Specialty, so he goes down to slumber land.
A Mob is built just like any other character (usually a specialist) but with one key difference: Mobs have multiple team dice. For example, the above mentioned mob of terra-cotta robot warriors might have an Affiliation of Team 6d8. In this case, each d8 represents two robot warriors but in other situations, each die might represent one individual or even a dozen individuals, depending on the scene.
Mobs attack as a single unit. The GM does not roll for each unit of the mob but, instead, rolls once. Some mobs have the Area Effect SFX. This allows the GM to make a single roll with the mob to target every enemy in the room.
Mobs take damage in a unique way, based on their Team Affiliation dice. When you scale stress/complications up past the mob character's team die level, you remove a single die from the Team Affiliation. This represents dropping the individuals that die represents out of combat. Once the die is removed, the mob's stress is reset to 0.
EXAMPLE: Cannonball is fighting a mob of mutant hating Friends of Humanity, a 6d6 mob. He blasts into the mob and inflicts d8 Physical Stress. A single d6 is removed and the mob becomes a 5d6 mob instead of a 6d6 mob.
Mobs can be targeted by an area attack SFX or multiple effects (by spending plot dice). In that case, the GM keeps track of stress/complications done to each die separately.
EXAMPLE: Reed Richards limb whips at a mob of moloids (3d8). He spends two plot points to keep a second effect die and ends up with a d10 and 2d6 for his EFFECT dice. The first EFFECT die reduces the mob's Team Affiliation to 2d8. The second and third EFFECT dice are recorded. Each of the remaining d8s in the mob have d6 Physical Stress.
Large-Scale threats work exactly like mobs. Except, instead of representing multiple characters using multiple dice, Large-Scale Threats represent a single character using multiple dice. A Large-Scale threat has more than one die in the Solo Affiliation. For example, a giant robot might have a 3d8 Solo Affiliation.
Large-Scale Threats might be a giant monster (Godzilla), an intensely powerful cosmic entity (Galactus), a big old vehicle (the Helicarrier), or the like. Like mobs, Large-Scale threats must have all their appropriate Affiliation dice must be removed in order to be eliminated from play.
6.0 NPCs
Just like characters have Distinctions, locations do as well. For example, a house on the hill might have a 'Haunted' Distinction or a 'Creepy Vibe' Distinction. The long corridor ahead might have a 'Narrow' Distinction. Times Square might have a 'Crowded with People' Distinction. You get the idea.
Now, here's the important part. When you assemble a dice pool, you need to include, at the least, an Affiliation and a Distinction. However, you don't need to use your OWN distinctions. If you feel your own Distinctions don't fit the action you're taking or aren't as good as what's on the location, you arefree to substitute a scene Distinction for one of your own.
EXAMPLE: Luke Cage is fighting Mr. Hyde in the middle of a subway station packed with people and he's running low on plot points. The GM rules the station has the 'Packed with People' Distinction and Luke decides that will hinder him. He chooses to use the 'Packed with People' Distinction instead of one of his own Distinctions at d4 in order to generate a plot point for himself.
EXAMPLE: Meanwhile, Iron Fist is fighting ninjas in the Rand Corporate Headquarters. It has the Distinction 'Owned by Danny Rand'. Deciding he knows the place inside and out, Danny spends a plot point so he can use both his personal, 'Living Weapon of K'un-Lun' Distinction AND the building's 'Owned by Danny Rand' Distinction.
If the GM chooses to, a die may be spent out of the Doom Pool to turn a Scene Distinction into a Scene Complication. This happens when the GM feels the potential problem the Distinction represents is truly heinous and detrimental to those in the scene/location. The die the GM uses to transform a Scene Distinction into a Scene Complication must always be either a d10 or a d12. While Scene Distinctions are optional, Scene Complications must be added to the dice pool of anyone for whom that Complication makes sense. Unless they already have a more pressing Complication (a person with a 'Webbed to the
Goal' Complication doesn't need to worry about slippery ice).
EXAMPLE: The GM decides that none of the characters in the ice hockey rink scene are particularly adept at navigating the slippery floor. So, the GM spends a d10 and changes the Scene Distinction 'Covered in Ice' to the Scene Complication 'Slipper as Hell'. Now, whenever a PC or NPC tries to perform anaction, they add a d10 Complication to their dice pool.
6.1 Scene Traits
There will be times when a character will want to target a specific Asset, Complication, power trait, or item for destruction.
Step one? Use common sense. First, ask if the object or condition CAN be targeted by the attack in question. A Sentinel's blaster hand can be targeted by just about anyone. A specific memory can be targeted for erasing by a telepath but not a guy with a gun. A computer program to be deleted can be targeted by a hacker but not by a shlub without a computer. Cap's shield can't
be destroyed (usually) but it can be targeted with a Complication to shut it down. The Human Torch's flames can be dowsed by an opposing power or attack.
Step two? Use more common sense. Don't ask for a roll if it isn't needed. Pretty much anyone can smash a plate glass window. Anyone with superhuman strength can pull a lamppost out of the ground. At the same time, some things just can't be broken. Spidey's strong but he can pound on a titanium door all day and he won't break it. Iron Man's not going to be able to extinguish the sun with his armor. No matter how hard he tries, Cyclops just isn't going to be able to get a drunk Hercules sober. That sort of thing.
Alright. That out of the way, targeting a specific Asset, Complication, power trait, or item for destruction is pretty easy. If the condition or object in question is attached to a character, it is an opposed check versus the character. If your EFFECT die is equal to or higher than the object/condition? The object/condition is invalidated. If your EFFECT die is lower than the
object/condition, the object/condition's trait die is stepped back by one. When an object/condition has multiple traits representing it, pick the highest trait as the one to beat.
EXAMPLE: Spider-Man and Captain America are sparring. Spidey decides that Cap's shield needs to be taken out of the equation. He attempts to web the shield to the wall. Making his roll he gets TOTAL: 15 and EFFECT: d8. Cap's opposing roll is TOTAL: 12 and EFFECT: d12. Spidey succeeds but his EFFECT (stepped back to a d6) doesn't beat the shield's highest trait (Godlike
Durability D12). The GM rules that the shield isn't webbed to the wall BUT all that webbing on the shield does render it unwieldy, sticky, and off balance. Thus, for the time being, all the shield's traits are stepped down by 1.
If the object/condition being targeted isn't directly connected to a character, then the GM rolls the Doom Pool in opposition. The GM may add a die to represent the strength of the object/condition.
EXAMPLE: Dazzler is trying to produce enough light to overcome the unnatural darkness of Dracula's castle. She rolls to create the light and is opposed by the Doom Pool. The GM decides to add a d8 to the dice pool to represent the supernatural condition of the darkness. Note, that d8 is not added to the Doom Pool permanent-like. Just for this roll.
6.2 Targeting Traits
Marvel Untold uses the Marvel Heroic RPG as a base when it comes to writing up a character powers and abilities
The following are the standard powers used in the system. Almost all possible powers fit into one of these categories:
Attack: This is a broad category and includes all weapons, including claws as well as a wide range of blaster type powers. Storm's lighting bolt would be considered an Attack power trait, as would Wolverine's Claws, or Punisher's guns. This also covers weapons that cause Complications instead of Stress, such as bolos, netguns, and dart launchers.
d6: The equivalent of a handgun or knife.
d8: The equivalent of a rifle of sword.
d10: The equivalent of a machine gun or lightning.
d12: The equivalent of a heavy weapons strike.
Durability: The character is immune to certain levels of physical damage either caused by weapons, other powers or environmental factors. A certain amount of immunity from heat/cold and pain are also part of this power trait.
d8 (Enhanced): Resistant to blunt damage. Human maximum.
d10 (Superhuman): Roughly bulletproof.
d12 (Godlike): Highly resistant to all damage types.
Elemental Control: This is also a very broad category. It not only includes the classic; fire, air, water and earth, but also includes any material, energy and telekinesis. Elemental Control powers cannot directly damage another character but are, instead, used to create assets and complications. Control powers are often paired with attack powers (to do direct damage), movement powers, or defensive powers. Sorcery and Mind Control (and other psychic powers) are not included, except Telekinesis (which is), they are separate power traits. The controlled elements must be specified in the power trait.
d6 (Elemental Influence): Basic level of control. The ability to light small fires or shorting out an appliance.
d8 (Elemental Control): Significant control. Extinguishing a burning room. Shorting out a house's electrical grid.
d10 (Elemental Mastery): Amazing control. Affecting an entire power grid. Summoning a storm over a city.
d12 (Elemental Supremacy): Unbelievable control. Freezing over an entire Great Lake. Extinguishing a forest fire.
Intangibility: With this power trait the character is able to become less solid, either by dispersing their molecules, phasing or even becoming a liquid, particles, or another less dense material. It's often included with elemental control and stretching power traits.
d6: Turn into a swarm of particles.
d8: Turn into a liquid, gas, or plasma.
d10: Capable of going out of phase and walking through objects.
d12: Capable of removing one's self from reality.
Intellect: In the Marvel Universe, intelligence is often so incredible it is a power. We aren't talking 'I'm smart enough to skip a grade in school' here. We mean 'I'm so smart I can create technology that stands on par with those of advanced alien civilizations'. This covers intellect beyond that can be represented by simple Specialties.
d8: Enhanced Intellect. Two to three times average human intelligence.
d10: Superhuman Intellect. Literally one of the smartest people on the planet.
d12: Godlike Intellect. One of the most intelligent beings in the entire universe.
Invisibility: Through either powers or technology the character is able to render themselves unseen to the naked eye. This could be some kind of camouflage power or some kind of device that blends light around the character, etc.
d6: A limited form of camouflage that only works under specific circumstances.
d8: Blending into surroundings but not true invisibility.
d10: Completely invisible to standard visual means.
d12: Nearly impossible to detect via any visual sense or sensor.
Leech: Leech is the ability to remove another's ability to use their powers or specialties. Someone with the Leech power creates a Complication for the target. If the Complication die is higher than the power or Specialty die, the power/Specialty is canceled out until the complication is removed.
Mimic: This is the ability to copy other character's powers and use them as your own. Rogue is a perfect example of a character with the Mimic powerset. This doesn't change any physicality of your character unless that aspect is part of the power you are mimicking. To use this power, the character spends an action creating an Asset which represents the mimicked power. After that, the Asset may be used just as the original power would. A mimicked power Asset cannot be stronger than your character's Mimic power level. For example, if your character has Mimic d8, no Asset can be higher than d8 even if the character the power belonged to originally had it at a higher level.
Mob: The can represent the ability to create duplicates or create effigies to battle for you. Mob powers are represented by xdy, with the x noting the number of duplicates or effigies created. The power operates similarly to mob characters. When enough damage is done, the x in xdy goes down by one.
Movement: If you can run fast, fly, brachiate (swingline) or are able to get from point A to Point B in a way that most people can't, you may have a Movement ability. The method of movement can be power, technical or other. Quicksilver runs fast, Spider-Man does his web thing, Namor swims, Mirage flies a pegasus, etc. All these are different types of movement abilities. It
is assumed that if your character has a specific kind of movement, like subsonic flight or enhanced swimming, etc, the character also has the ability to survive in the environments where their movement is used. In other words, if you have the swim power, you probably can breathe underwater, too.
d6: Speed/Flight. Move as fast as an olympic runner or fly as fast as a bird of prey.
d8: Enhanced Speed/Subsonic Flight. Move as fast as a sprinting horse or fly as fast as a passenger airliner.
d10: Superhuman Speed/Sonic Flight. Move as fast as a bullet train or fly as fast as a jet fighter.
d12: Godlike Speed/Space Flight. Travel anywhere in the world in moments or fly at interstellar speeds.
Psychic Powers: Psychic abillities come in multiple flavors: Mind Control, Telepathy, Animal Control and Plant Control. Animal and Plant Control work much like Elemental Control powers.
Mind Control allows the influencing of behavior - getting people to do what you want. This could be through direct control, illusion, or subtle suggestion.
d6: Push the target to do things they would already do. Intensify sensations.
d8: Remove inhibitions and provoke strange behavior. Make target experience things that aren't there.
d10: Take full control of a target's full movements. Create vivid and believable illusions.
d12: Completely possess a target or seemingly rewrite reality for the target.
Telepathy allows for communication between minds. This can be discussion or deep probing. If the target isn't willing, the telepath must first overwhelm the mind before you can draw out information.
d6: Link with another mind with effort.
d8: Read surface thoughts or share basic senses.
d10: Probe minds for memories, create persistent mental links.
d12: Constant communication with multiple people over vast distances.
Reflexes: With this power your character can react quicker and move faster than the average person. This ability usually part of a Movement power, but doesn't necessarily have to be. This ability can be as tech or a power.
d8: Enhanced Reflexes. Two to three times normal human response time and hand-eye coordination.
d10: Superhuman Reflexes. Ten times normal human response time and hand-eye coordination.
d12: Godlike Reflexes. Lightning fast response time and hand-eye coordination.
Resistance: Your character is resistant or immune to certain types of harm or attack. Usually it is either a Mystic or Psychic Resistance. This covers resistance or immunity to attacks that are not covered by Durability
d6: Slight resistance.
d8: Immune to basic attacks of this type.
d10: Serious defense against all attacks of this type.
d12: Near immunity to attacks of this type.
Senses: Vision, Smell, Taste, Touch, Hearing, one or perhaps all of these are more acute for your character. Likewise your character could have some type of other enhanced sense: Danger Sense, Radar Sense, the ability to sense magic, or communicate with computers. Precognitive and Clairavoyance are also part of this powerset.
d6: Senses. A basic level of an unusual sense such as Mystic Sense or Cybernetic Sense.
d8: Enhanced Senses. Heightened levels of senses, similar to those of animals.
d10: Superhuman Senses. Incredible levels of awareness, beyond those found in nature.
d12: Godlike Senses. Truly cosmic level of sense.
Shapeshifting: Your character can change his facial features, or maybe even their entire body to look like someone or something else. This can be another person, an animal, or an inanimate object. To use shapeshifting to acquire powers the character normally doesn't have access to (such as flight via wings or weapons via claws0, the character can either spend a plot point for a stunt or create an Asset.
d6: Minor changes to appearance such as hair color.
d8: Take on someone else's form or the form of an animal or other living being.
d10: Fully shift form down to the cellular level, though non-organic shapes will still register as alive.
d12: You essentially become the object or being you are shapeshifting into.
Size Changing: One moment your character is a perfectly normal person, they next they are either really big or really small. When you change size other things about you might change as well, density or durability, etc, or you may gain other abilities. You may even have the ability to effect other people or objects with your power.
d6: Not so much size changing as flexing, contortion, and puffing up.
d8: Double in size or shrink to the size of a small animal.
d10: Grow to the size of a building or shrink to the size of an insect.
d12: Grow to the size of a planet or shrink so small you become microscopic.
Sorcery: With this ability a character can feel and manipulate mystical forces, from this dimension or another to make changes in their environment, be they subtle or drastic, and are usually used to create complications or assets during a scene or they can also be used to create stunts similar to other powers.
d6: Sorcery Novice. Parlor tricks and cantrips.
d8: Sorcery Adept. Trained and capable of invoking true changes to the laws of physics.
d10: Sorcery Mastery. Great magical power that comes from a lifetime of study.
d12: Sorcery Supremecy. World shattering magical powers.
Stamina: Your character can do exert themselves for longer periods without getting winded or showing signs of fatigue. Stamina also represents the ability to heal faster than a normal human.
d8: Enhanced Stamina. Maximum human stamina and healing ability.
d10: Superhuman Stamina. Rapid recovery from injury. The ability to operate at peak effort for hours.
d12: Godlike Stamina. Extremely rapid recovery even from near-fatal injuries and ability to work without exhaustion for near infinite time.
Strength: This is pretty self-explanatory, your character is strong and can use it to perform various stunts, depending on how strong they are.
d8: Enhanced Strength. Turn over cars. With effort, bend iron bars.
d10: Superhuman Strength. Lift vehicles. Smash through stone and metal.
d12: Godlike Strength. Hurl objects into orbit. Push over buildings.
Stretching: Your character can make parts of his body longer, either through a power or a type of tech.
d6: Double your reach.
d8: Stretch a city block.
d10: Stretch several city blocks and clear buildings.
d12: Stretch across oceans or even into orbit.
Teleport: Being able to travel instantaneously from point A to point B, without worrying about all that tedious stuff in between. Teleportation can be achieved by a mutant/altered power, high tech device or magic spell.
d6: Teleport across a room, usually requires line of sight.
d8: Teleport several miles.
d10: Teleport anywhere on the planet.
d12: Teleport anywhere in the universe.
Transmutation: Turning lead into gold? A pipe dream for ancient alchemists but quite possible for some with the ability a transmutation. You are able to change one substance into another. This can represent changing an object's properties, changing matter into energy or vice versa. Transmutation creates assets or complications or, occasionally stress, but the effect is not
complete unless the target is fully stressed out or the complication is staged past a certain threshold.
d6: Change the integrity of cohesion of a target. Soften, harden, or degrade but not transform.
d8: Fully change the properties of a non-organic target. Change it from solid to liquid or gas or from one form of solid, liquid, or gas into another.
d10: Operate on an atomic level and change one substance, organic or inorganic, into another.
d12: Change any object into another. Basically a form of reality control.
7.0 Powers
Power Sets consist of three parts: power traits, SFX, and Limits. SFX are personalized tricks that help explain how a power operates differently for you than it does for another person with the same power. Most SFX are presented in a 'Do A to get B' format. In other words, most SFX have a trigger (something that has to happen to activate the SFX) and an effect. Many SFX have a cost of some sort as the trigger.
Unless written specifically otherwise, SFX are connected to the Power Set and not any specific power trait. Occasionally, SFX can be used independently of power rolls.
Possible triggers for SFX might include: Spending a plot point; Shutting down a power trait; Adding a die to the Doom Pool; Stepping back a die; Taking a specific action.
Possible benefits from SFX might include: Stepping up a die; Doubling a die (adding another die of the same type); Adding a die; Keeping an extra effect die; Recovering Stress; Rerolling the dice.
7.1 SFX
In addition to power traits and SFX, every Power Set has at least one limit. Limits are exactly what they sound like. They are flaws. They are weaknesses. They are conditions under which you or your powers either do not work or work less effectively. And can be a good thing. Why?
Ignoring the fact that weaknesses define us just as much as strengths do, Limits can have a positive, game mechanic effect. Certain Limits, when activated, give you a plot point.
EXAMPLE: Captain America's low on plot points and he wants to grab one for an upcoming action. So, Cap throws his shield and announces that he isn't able to catch it on the bounce back. This activates the limit on his Vibranium-Allow Shield Power Set called Gear. Cap loses the ability to use that Power Set for the time being and gains a plot point in the process.
Not every Limit gives you a plot point when activated. For example, Elixir has a Limit that simply defines that his powers only work on organics.
When a Limit comes up for activation, the player always has first option to activate it. However, if the player chooses not to activate the Limit, then the GM may. If the GM activates a limit, he or she must spend a die from the Doom Pool to do so. This shrinks the Doom Pool.
7.2 Limits
Temporary powers are just what the name implies, from something gained temporarily in a plot, to a boost or temporary item gained during a scene. This can come in the form of equipment, vehicles, mystic enhancements, and the like. The rules here are
pretty simple and consistant with those governing power sets in general. When assembling a dice pool, you may include one die from each power set. This includes the temporary power set and, as always, only include the die if it makes sense. If you are trying to thread the needle by piloting a space ship out of the closing maw of a giant space slug, then your Flight power probably
won't be much help. The ship's Flight power, on the other hand, makes perfect sense. Likewise, if you're spending this round punching the guy in the co-pilot's seat instead of flying the spaceship? Nothing from the ship's power set helps you there and you shouldn't include any dice from it.
Please note, temporary power sets are supposed to be a) temporary and b) situational. If we notice that you are checking out a jetpack from the X-Men arsenal for every scene? We will require you to spend XP to get that jetpack as a permanent power set - which could mean replacing one of your own power sets if you have two already. This rule is for enhancing RP and not to be
abused.
EXAMPLE: Typeface is being sent into battle against a horde of flying monkeys. To help him, he is being given an Initiative-Issue Intervention Kit. It provides him with the following power set:
Power Set: Initiative-Issue Intervetion Kit
Pulse Rifle d8
Subsonic Flight d8
SFX: Burst. Against a single target, step up or double a Pulse Rifle die. Remove the highest rolling die and use three dice in your total.
Limit: Gear. Shutdown an Initiative-Issue Intervention Kit power to gain 1 PP. Take an action vs the doom pool to recover that power.
EXAMPLE: American Dream is on her Stark designed battle capable motorcycle. She gains the following power set:
Power Set: Nice Bike!
Enhanced Durability d8
Enhanced Reflexes d8
Superhuman Speed d10
SFX: To the Limit. Step up or double a Nice Bike! power for one action or spend 1 PP to do both. If the action fails, shutdown the Nice Bike! power. Recover the power by activating an opportunity or during a transition scene.
Vehicles, specifically, may also have their own Distinctions that can be used in place of a character or scene's distinctions. For example, American Dream's motorcycle might have the 'Stark Built' Distinction.
7.3 Temporary Powers
Specialities represent skills, resources, and contacts and can be used to create Resources or Stunts. They are rated at d6 (novice), d8 (expert), and d10 (master). You actually have some versatility there. If you are concerned that you don't have enough dice in your pool, you may substitute 2d6 for a d8 skill or 2d8 for a d10 skill.
EXAMPLE: Tigra is trying to track a suspect through a nightclub. She decides the club's Packed with People Distinction is working against her by hiding the scent and wants to increase her odds of getting a high TOTAL, so makes the call to roll her Crime Specialty at 2d6 instead of 1d8. Two dice, she reasons, give a better chance at a decent number than one, in this situation.
Here's a list of Specialties along with a brief description of each.
- Acrobatics: Dancings, gymnastics, vaulting, flipping, and contortion.
- Arts and Crafts: Everything from drawing to sculpting, cooking to basket- weaving.
- Athletics: Throwing, hitting a ball, skateboarding, climbing, and other such feats.
- Business: Running a company or working in one.
- Combat: Kung fu (and other type of) fighting.
- Cosmic: Knowledge of aliens and the universe at large.
- Covert: Spy stuff. Some overlap with crime.
- Crime: Criminal stuff. Some overlap with covert.
- Media: Journalism, performing, editorializing, writing.
- Medical: Making people better. Or giving informed opinions on the body.
- Menace: What Wolverine does best. No, not pissing people off. Scaring them.
- Mystic: Knowledge of the occult, the demonic, and the strange.
- Nature: Survival, gardening, tree identification, animal handling, and the like.
- Politics: How to get elected, campaign, and work the system.
- Psych: Dealing with people. From manipulation to leadership to actual psychology.
- Science: Physics, chemistry, and that sort of thing.
- Tech: Engineering, computers, electronics, mechanics.
- Vehicles: Driving and flying and boating, oh my!
Experience on Marvel Untold is gained through two methods: Milestones and log posting.
Milestones represent a set of goals the character has to achieve in order to gain XP. Every character chooses two Milestones. These may be specific to the character, picked from the general list on our wiki, or related to an ongoing plotline. GMs will be encouraged to create and post one or two Milestones for their plotline at the beginning, for players to pick from.
Each Milestone has three "triggers": 1 XP, 3 XP, and 10 XP. To earn the XP, one fufills (or "hits") the conditions of the trigger. For example, Wolverine might have the following Milestone:
… And What I Do Isn't Very Nice
- 1 XP when you first choose to inflict physical stress in a scene.
- 3 XP when another hero rebukes you for your violence or you threaten another hero with violence.
- 10 XP when you kill someone in front of innocents or recover from your beserker rage in front of innocents without having inflicted trauma on anyone.
Wolverine is up against Sabretooth in the middle of a mall. He decides Sabretooth has to go down. He attacks, claws out, and hits the first trigger, earning 1 XP. Storm, who is there, reminds Wolverine that there are civilians present and they should try to resolve this peacefully to prevent collatoral damage. That hits the second trigger, earning Wolverine 3 XP. The fight continues and Wolverine decides to stand down and let Sabretooth escape rather than risk seeing some nearby chldren hurt. That hits the third trigger and Wolverine earns 10 XP.
We've established some house rules in order to make XP and growth reasonable here on Marvel Untold.
- A character may hit a 1 XP trigger once per week.
- A character may hit a 3 XP trigger once per month.
- A character may hit a 10 XP trigger once per quarter (three months).
- 1 XP triggers are reset on Mondays. 3 XP triggers are reset on the 1st day of the month. 10 XP triggers are reset on the 1st of January, April, July, and October.
- Even though a character has two Milestones, only ONE of each trigger can be hit during a time period. For example, if a character hits the 3 XP trigger from Milestone 1, they cannot hit the 3 XP trigger from Milestone 2 until the next month. Having two Milestones increases the chances of hitting a trigger.
Players may replace a Milestone at any time. In other words, if a Milestone isn't working out for you, feel free to contact a staff member or put in a +request and we'll work out a new Milestone. We can create a Milestone specific to your character or you may pick from a list of pre-existing Milestones that will be posted on our wiki or you may pick a plot specific Milestone developed by the plot's GM. If you hit a 10 XP trigger in a Milestone you MUST replace the Milestone. You can choose to replace it with
the same Milestone if it still applies.
Replacing a Milestone does NOT reset the triggers you have hit. If you have hit the 3 XP trigger of Milestone A but replace Milestone A with Milestone B before the end of the month, you cannot hit the 3 XP trigger of Milestone B until the new month begins.
In addition to earning XP through Milestones, you can also earn XP through logs.
- For each social log posted in which your character participates, you earn .1 XP.
- For each plot-related log posted in which your character participates, you earn .2 XP.
- For each plot-related log you, as a player, run, your character earns .3 XP.
Here is a list of what you can spend XP on:
- 1 XP = 1 plot point.
- 5 XP = Replace an old Distinction with a new one. Add or replace a Limit in a Power Set. Switch two Affiliation traits. Unlock a 5XP Event resource. Create a third alt (this cost may be split up between your two existing alts).
- 10 XP = Add a new SFX to a Power Set. Add a d6 Specialty. Step up a power trait from a d6 to a d8. Add a d6 power trait to a Power Set. Step up a d6 Specialty to a d8. Remove a Limit from a Power Set (so long as at least one Limit remains). Unlock a 10 XP Event resource. Create a fourth alt (this cost may be split up between your three existing alts).
- 15 XP = Step up a d8 power trait to a d10. Replace an existing Power Set with a new one. Step up a d8 Specialty to a d10. Unlock a 15 XP Event resource.
- 20 XP = Step up a d10 power trait to a d12.
- 25 XP = Add a new power set with 1 d6 power, 1 SFX, and 1 Limit. Step up a d10 Specialty to a d12.
If you feel your character has hit a Milestone trigger, send in a +request explaining which trigger you hit, how you hit it, and give us a link to the log where it happens.
If you want to put in an XP spend request, send in a +request with what you want, justification for the spend, and the amount you are spending.
8.0 Experience
One of the things you can spend XP on in the Marvel Heroic system is Unlockables. Unlockables are bonuses outside of the normal XP system. These bonuses might be temporary or permanent depending on the unlockable. There will be a list of general unlockables available on the wiki. GMs are also allowed to create one or two unlockables for any plot they run. Here are a few
unlockable examples:
ALIEN TECH
You've come across something strange and kept it for yourself.
- 5 XP: You may use your piece of alien technology to create an immediately usable d10 asset. The asset lasts until the end of the scene.
- 10 XP: The asset created with the technology steps up to a d12.
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SHUTDOWN CODES
Somehow, you've managed to acquire remote shutdown codes for a piece of enemy technology.
- 5 XP: Once during the Act you can declare the a villain with a technology- based Power Set is using tech you have a shutdown code for. Your code shuts down the villain's power set and either adds a d6 to the Doom Pool or steps up the lowest die in the Doom Pool. This limit only lasts for the scene.