MM 3 Powers

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These entries range from simple clarifications and additions to total revamps. Unless stated otherwise, assume the former.

Affliction

New modifiers:

• Always Lethal: Only available for certain Afflictions (see MM3 Lethal Damage Rules). Your Affliction always uses lethal force. +0 points.
• Can Be Lethal: Only available for certain Afflictions (see MM3 Lethal Damage Rules). Your Affliction can switch between standard and lethal force. Flat +1 point.
• Natural Fatigue: Only available on an Affliction with Cumulative that inflicts Fatigued / Exhausted / Incapacitated. Instead of granting a normal save every turn, the effects are as for normal fatigue; i.e., they last for an hour per level unless something can restore it faster. +1 cost per rank.

Concealment

Concealment Attacks are weird and warty. Use the Obscure power (from Power Profiles: Sensory Powers) instead.

Damage

New modifiers:

• Causes Knockback: Your attack can trade Damage for Knockback. See MM3 Knockdown and Knockback for full rules. This extra is unnecessary if the attack is Strength-based. It is not compatible with Quirk (Must Be Lethal), below. Flat +1 point.
• Quirk: In a campaign that uses MM3 Lethal Damage Rules, either "Can't Be Lethal" or "Must Be Lethal" is a valid Quirk. Flat -1 point.

Feature

• Altered Mass: Normal humans start at Size -2 and Mass 2. Every ±1 Size (generally via Growth or Shrinking) automatically gives ±3 Mass. Raising Mass without changing Size is a leveled Feature where +1 Feature rank = +1 Mass. In general, Mass shouldn't be reduced without lowering size or using Insubstantiality, but it sometimes makes sense as a Reduced Trait, in which case it's benchmarked at -1 point per -3 ranks of Mass (to a minimum of Mass -5).
• Increased Size: This is generally only available as part of Growth, but is benchmarked at 3 Feature ranks per rank of Size increase. Your Reach is equal to your Size, and Size also has an effect on your ability to be seen and to intimidate (see MM3 Skills).
• Reduced Size: This is generally only available as part of Shrinking, but is benchmarked at 1 Feature rank per rank of Size reduction. This is because, compared to getting bigger, the inherent benefits of smaller size (the Perception penalty) are reduced and outweighed by the inherent drawbacks (worse knockback, shorter Reach, etc.).

Growth

(These changes avoid throwing off PL-balanced numbers. Growth is intentionally more incremental than Shrinking.)

Cost: 1 point per rank

Each rank of Growth gives you:

• +1 Mass (ordinary humans start at Mass 2)
• +1 Strength
• +1 to any Close or Ranged physical Damage that is not already Strength-based (GM's call)
• +1 Toughness
• -1 to Dodge and Parry, as you become a bigger target
• -1 to Close and Ranged attacks, as your foes become smaller from your perspective

And every three full ranks gives you:

• +1 Size, which also affects your Reach (ordinary humans start at Size/Reach -2)
• +1 Speed (ordinary humans start at Speed 0)

Your maximum rank of Growth is whatever it would take to drop your Dodge or Parry (when grown) to a 0.

When converting existing characters, multiply their Growth rank by 3/4 and round up.

For extra detail, you can easily calculate "fractional Size." One level of "leftover" Growth multiplies the Size value by 1.25. Two levels multiply it by 1.6. Round to a convenient value. For example, a human with Growth 11 is Size 1 (60') with two levels left over (x1.6), making him 1.6 x 60' = 96' (still Size 1). See the chart at the bottom of this page for worked examples.

New modifiers:

• Herculean: Your muscles grow and shift as needed, subconsciously, acting as a force multiplier to your brawn. Double the per-rank bonus to Strength and Damage. Be careful not to exceed your PL limits! +3 cost per rank.
• Impervious: This extra may be added to the Toughness gained. See MM3 Modifiers for costs and details.
• Increased Density: You become denser (and a bit slower) instead of larger. Your Size never changes and your Speed actually drops by one rank per three levels. On the bright side, your added Toughness is automatically Impervious (to the usual maximum of half your total Toughness). All other rules remain the same; you're still easier to hit because you're slower. +0 points.
• Quirk: "Maximum Size Only" is a common quirk. Flat -1 point.

Movement

Time Travel: Player-controlled Time Travel is not available. If you want the equivalent of a plot device that will let you travel through time, you may simply note on your sheet that you have a (completely unreliable) innate power or time machine; this costs no PP. The GM will decide when this come into play and how well it works; if used as a Complication, you will receive a Hero Point as usual.

Wall-Crawling: This ability lets you cling to a surface, resisting attempts to "unstick" you. Wall-Crawling 1 reduces the Knockback you take by -2 ranks and imposes a -2 penalty on attempts to move you against your will. Wall-Crawling 2 increases those penalties to -5.

Regeneration

To avoid hurting the GM's brain, Regeneration can only be taken at one of the levels below; it provides the listed (simplified) recovery rate. If your Regeneration is boosted or weakened to a level not on the table, the GM will "round it down" to one of the listed levels.

Constructs, vehicles, etc. with Regeneration 1 get its full benefit, since there's no clearly defined way for inanimate objects to "rest."

New modifiers:

• Hardcore: You regenerate from lethal damage at the same rate as from standard damage. This only applies in a game using MM3 Lethal Damage Rules. +1 cost per rank.

Quickness

Quickness is limited to PL. For example, in a PL10 game, you cannot have more than Quickness 10. (You may use Extra Effort, etc., to raise this temporarily, of course.)

Quickness does not stack with other methods of reducing time. Also, it may be used only for actions that would be routine before factoring in Skill Mastery! In particular, it cannot reduce any action in combat.

Quickness cannot be combined with Artificer, Inventor, or Ritualist, because that combination has been proven to be broken. See MM3 Crafting Rules for other ways to speed those up.

Shrinking

(These changes avoid throwing off PL-balanced numbers. Shrinking intentionally comes in larger "Size chunks" than Growth.)

Cost: 1 point per rank

Each rank of Shrinking gives you:

• -3 Mass* (ordinary humans start at Mass 2)
• -1 Size*, which also affects your Reach (ordinary humans start at Size/Reach -2)
• -1 Strength (you are not disabled if this drops below -5)
• -1 to any Close or Ranged physical Damage that is not already Strength-based (GM's call)
• -1 Toughness
• +1 to Dodge and Parry, as you become a smaller target
• +1 to Close and Ranged attacks, as your foes become larger from your perspective

And every two ranks of Shrinking give you:

• -1 Speed (ordinary humans start at Speed 0), to a minimum of Speed -5

Your maximum rank of Shrinking is whatever it would take to drop your Toughness (when shrunk) to a 0.

When converting existing characters, divide their Shrinking rank by 4 and round up.

New modifiers:

• Atomic: See p. 128. You need Shrinking 5+ to take this.
• Normal Carry: A weaker version of Normal Strength, your carrying capacity (only) is unchanged. +1 cost per rank.
• Normal Strength: You have full Speed, full Strength, and inflict full physical Damage when shrunk. Be careful not to exceed your PL limits! +3 cost per rank.
• Quirk: "Minimum Size Only" is a common quirk. Flat -1 point.

Summon

If the cost of Summon is 2 points per rank or greater, characters can buy fractional ranks, at 1 point each. Each fraction adds 15/(cost per rank) points to the power of the agent(s) summoned, rounded down. This adds complexity, but makes it possible to fine-tune the effect, particularly for duplicators. See Duplication in MM3 Power Builds for more details and an example.

The Multiple Minions extra can also be bought fractionally. For +1 cost per rank, multiply the number of minions you summon by 1.5 (round down).

Teleport

An Extended teleportation treats your power as eight ranks higher or twice normal, whichever is better.

Variable

General flaws applied to Variable affect the entire pool. For example, if you take Unreliable, you have to roll when configuring your pool and then also roll when using any of the abilities bought with the pool. If you want a flaw that only applies when you are configuring the pool, take that as a Quirk.

Variable cannot be an Alternate Effect, nor can it be used to buy an Alternate Effect. Variable is an alternative to an array, so it cannot interact with one.

Variable can raise your abilities but cannot be used to acquire skill ranks. This has simply proven too abusive. To represent someone great at everything, buy up your abilities and take the Jack-of-All-Trades advantage.

Human Benchmarks for Growth/Shrinking

"Perceived" is the modifier for others using Perception to locate you. "Intimidate" is your skill modifier when you are trying to use Intimidation on a Size -2 (human-sized) subject.

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