M&M Revised (v1.5) System Resource Document

Welcome to M&M Revised (v1.5)
This wiki is a System Reference Document project that attempts to update Green Ronin's Mutants & Masterminds superhero role-playing Game. The M&M 1.5 System Reference Document is a comprehensive toolbox consisting of rules, feats, skills, powers, various systems, devices, equipment, heroes, villains, and monsters compatible with the d20 System version of Mutants & Masterminds and various other roleplaying games from Green Ronin Publishing. You may consider this material Open Game Content under the Open Game License, and may use modify, and distribute it.
Based off of the D&D SRD 3.5.

MOST RECENT UPDATE LOG - May 13, 2006

• Posted a Table of Contents, using M&M2e as the base which we can edit with M&M1e updates.
• If you see any missing links, typos, or mistakes of any type, please help make this a better SRD by making the correction.
• Once the M&M1e test is posted in it's chapters we can begin updating.
• Post your notes for UPDATES in the discussion thread (also above) so we can discuss it before making a permanent change.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Foreword
• Introduction

What is Mutants & Masterminds 1.5?

• The Basics
• Game Play
• Important Terms

CHAPTER 1: HERO CREATION

• Hero Creation Summary

Hero Archetypes

• Why Archetypes?
  • The Battlesuit
  • Costumed Adventurer
  • Energy Controller
  • Gadgeteer
  • Martial Artist
  • Mimic
  • Mystic
  • Paragon
  • Powerhouse
  • Psionic
  • Shapeshifter
  • Speedster
  • Weapon-Master

Power Points

• Starting Power Points
• Spending Power Points

Power Level

• Hero Creation Examples
  • The Costumed Adventurer
  • The Energy Controller

CHAPTER 2: ABILITIES

Generating Ability Scores

• Buying Ability Scores
• Ability Modifiers
• The Abilities
• Altering Ability Scores
• Debilitated Ability Scores
• Nonexistent Ability Scores

Defense Bonus

• Dodge Bonus

Saving Throws

• Capabilities
• Movement
• Size
• Carrying Capacity

CHAPTER 3: SKILLS

Skill Basics

Skills are learned abilities acquired through a combination of training (the skill) and natural talent (an ability score). Each skill has a rank, used as a bonus to the die roll when using the skill. To use a skill roll: d20 + skill rank + ability modifier + miscellaneous modifiers The higher the roll, the better the result. You’re usually looking for a total that equals or exceeds a particular Difficulty Class (DC) or another character’s check total. • Skill Rank: Your rank in a skill is based on the number of points you have invested in skills. If you have ranks in a skill you’re considered trained in that skill. You can use some skills even if you don’t have any ranks in them, known as using a skill untrained. • Ability Modifier: Each skill has a key ability, the ability modifier applied to the skill’s checks. Each skill’s key ability is noted in its description and on the Skills table (see page 41). • Miscellaneous Modifiers: Miscellaneous modifiers to skill checks include situational modifiers for favorable or unfavorable conditions, bonuses from feats or powers, or penalties for not having proper tools, among others. ACQUIRING SKILLS Characters gain skill ranks by spending power points: 4 skill ranks per power point. Skill ranks do not all need to be assigned to the same skill. Characters can perform some tasks without any training, using only raw talent (as defined by their ability scores), but skilled characters are better at such things. Characters with the right skills and feats (see Chapter 4) can even hold their own against super-powered opponents. Skill Cost = 1 power point per 4 skill ranks.

HOW SKILLS WORK

When you use a skill, make a skill check to see how you do. Based on the circumstances, your result must match or beat a particular number to use the skill successfully. The harder the task, the higher the number you need to roll. (See Checks, page 9, for more information.) UNTRAINED SKILL CHECKS Generally, if you attempt a task requiring a skill you don’t have, you make a skill check as normal. Your skill modifier doesn’t have a skill rank added in because you don’t have any ranks in the skill. You do get other modifiers, though, such as the ability modifier for the skill’s key ability. Many skills can only be used if you are trained in the skill. Skills that cannot be used untrained are marked with a “No” in the “Untrained” column on the Skills table and listed as “Trained Only” in their descriptions. Attempts to use these skills untrained automatically fail. INTERACTION SKILLS Certain skills, called interaction skills, are aimed at dealing with others through social interaction. Interaction skills allow you to influence the attitudes of others and get them to cooperate with you in one way or another. Since interaction skills are intended for dealing with others socially, they have certain requirements. First, you must be able to interact with the subjects of the skill. The subjects must be aware of you and able to understand you. If you don’t speak the same language, or they can’t hear you for some reason, that’s the same as working without the proper tools, a –4 on your skill check. Interaction skills work best on intelligent subjects, ones with an Int score of 3 or better. You can use them on creatures with Int 1-2, but with a –8 penalty; they’re just too dumb to get the subtleties of your point. You can’t use interaction skills at all on subjects lacking one or more mental ability scores. (Try convincing a rock to be your friend—or to be afraid of you—sometime.) The Immunity power (see page 89) can also render some characters immune to interaction skills. You can use interaction skills on groups of subjects at once, but only to achieve the same result for all. So you can attempt to use Bluff or Diplomacy to convince a group of something, or Intimidate to cow a crowd, for example, but you can’t try to convince some individuals of one thing and the rest of another, or to intimidate some people and not others. The GM decides if a particular use of an interaction skill is effective against a group, and may apply modifiers depending on the situation. The general rules for interaction still apply: everyone in the group must be able to hear and understand you, for example, or you suffer a –4 on your skill check against them. Mindless subjects are unaffected.

SKILL BENCHMARKS

As a general guideline, 1-4 ranks in a skill is a basic level of training, familiarity with the basics of the skill. A character with 5-8 ranks has a professional level of training, sufficient for someone using the skill in their primary profession. Someone with 9-12 ranks is an expert; the character is recognized and likely known as an expert in the skill, while 13-15 ranks represent virtual mastery of the skill. More than 15 ranks is such an amazing level of skill that the character is recognized as being among the best-trained people in the world! These guidelines apply to attack and defense bonus as well if you substitute skill level for “combat skill level.” So a hero with attack +7 has a “professional” level of training, while someone with a +15 bonus is a true master of combat skills.

UNDER THE HOOD: CHOOSING SKILLS There are a number of factors to consider when choosing skills for your character. TRAINING VS. TALENT In game terms there’s no difference between a character who has ranks in a skill because of extensive training and another whose skill ranks represent a natural “knack” or aptitude for the skill. Both are considered “trained” in the skill. For example, one character might have a high Diplomacy skill based on the character’s extensive training in negotiation, debate, and management. Another character’s Diplomacy skill may stem more from personal attractiveness or a talent for getting others to cooperate, while a third character may have a combination of the two. Feel free to decide for yourself what mix of training and talent your character’s skill ranks represent. LIFE SKILLS When allocating skill ranks for your character consider not just the character’s role as a hero but also the various other skills the character may have picked up in day-to-day life. For example, most adults have some sort of Craft or Profession skill as their occupation with at least 3 to 5 ranks (more if they’re especially good at their job). Some people pick up ranks in Notice, although most get by using the skill untrained. Characters working with technology may have the Computers or Craft skills even if they don’t apply to their powers. A particularly well-educated person may have various Knowledge skills. These additional skills help round out a character and provide some background color and—who knows?—they may turn out to be useful in an adventure at some point. ADVENTURING SKILLS Also give some thought to the skills your character needs to be effective in game play. Some are obvious, especially if they’re part of your character concept. A scientist is going to have Knowledge skills, and possibly Computers or Craft. A pilot should have Pilot, while a doctor should have Medicine and Profession (physician). Beyond the obvious and background skills of your character consider “utility skills” like Concentration, Notice, Search, Sense Motive, and Stealth, which many characters find useful. A few ranks in such skills may be a smart investment.

MANIPULATION SKILLS Some skills, called manipulation skills, require a degree of fine physical manipulation. You need prehensile limbs and a Strength score or some suitable substitute (such as Precise Telekinesis) to use manipulation skills effectively. Characters lacking the ability to use manipulation skills can still have ranks in them and use them to oversee the work of others (granting an aid bonus, for example, see Aid, page 154). SPECIALTY SKILLS Some skills cover a wide range of knowledge or techniques. These skills are actually groups of similar skills, called specialty skills. When putting ranks into one of these skills, you must choose a specialty, a particular aspect of the skill your character knows. For example, you might choose the physical sciences specialty of Knowledge or the mechanical specialty of Craft. Skill ranks in one specialty of a skill do not imply training in the skill’s other specialties.

Skill Descriptions

Heroes can sneak into the well-guarded lairs of criminal masterminds, infiltrate alien computer systems, and create devices beyond the understanding of modern science. They can piece together clues to a villain’s latest plot, run along tightropes, and pilot vehicles through obstacle courses. They do so through the use of various skills, described in this chapter.

• This section describes the skills available to Mutants & Masterminds characters,

including their common uses and modifiers. Characters may be able to use skills for tasks other than those given here. The GM sets the DC and decides the results in those cases. The format for skill descriptions is given here. Items that do not apply are omitted from the skill’s description. NAME KEY ABILITY, INTERACTION, MANIPULATION, SPECIALTY, TRAINED ONLY, REQUIRES TOOLS The skill name line contains the following information: • Skill Name: What the skill is called. GMs may feel free to change the names of some skills to better suit the style of their game. • Key Ability: The ability modifier applied to the skill check. • Interaction: If “Interaction” is included next to the skill’s name, it is an interaction skill. • Manipulation: If “Manipulation” is included next to the skill’s name, it is a manipulation skill. • Specialty: If “Specialty” is included next to the skill’s name, you must choose a specialty for the skill. • Trained Only: If “Trained Only” is next to the skill’s name, you must have at least 1 rank in the skill in order to use it. If “Trained Only” is absent, untrained characters (those with 0 ranks in the skill) may use it. • Requires Tools: If “Requires Tools” is included next to the skill’s name, you need to have the proper tools to use the skill. Not having the proper tools results in a –4 penalty to the skill check. See Chapter 7 for more details on tools. The skill name line is followed by a brief description of the skill and four other categories: • Check: How to make a check for the skill, what the results are, and the basic Difficulty Class. • Try Again: Conditions on retrying a check with the skill. If this section is omitted, the skill can be retried an unlimited number of times. • Action: The type of action required to use the skill, how long it takes. As a general rule, if a skill takes a minute or longer to use, you can halve the time required by taking a –5 penalty on the check. • Special: Any extra information about the skill or its use.

CHAPTER 4: FEATS

• Acquiring Feats

Feat Descriptions

• Fighting Styles

CHAPTER 5: POWERS

Acquiring Powers

• Power Costs
• Power Descriptors
• Power Effect Types
• Alteration
• Attack
• Defense
• General
• Mental
• Movement
• Sensory
• Trait

How Powers Work

• Power Checks
• Action
• Range
• Duration
• Progression
• Saving Throw
• Countering Powers
• Power Descriptions
• Power Feats
• Power Modifiers
• Applying Modifiers
• Extras
• Flaws

CHAPTER 6: CHARACTERISTICS

• Details
• Name
• Age
• Appearance
• Alternate Identity
• Origin
• Personality
• Allegiance

Extra Effort

• Using Extra Effort
• Fatigue from Extra Effort

Hero Points

• Using Hero Points
• Earning Hero Points

Drawbacks

• Drawback Value
• Drawback Descriptions

CHAPTER 7: DEVICES & EQUIPMENT

Devices

• Battlesuits
• Costumes
• Enhanced Equipment
• Weapons
• Other Devices
• Plot Devices
• Inventing
• Magical Rituals

Equipment

• Equipment Cost
• Wealth (Optional)
• General Equipment
• Tools
• Utility Belt

Weapons

• Melee Weapons
• Ranged Weapons

Armor

• Archaic Armor
• Modern Armor
• Shields

CHAPTER 8: COMBAT

• Combat Sequence
• Combat Statistics
• Attack
• Defense
• Damage
• Saving Throws
• Initiative
• Initiative Checks
• Surprise
• Actions
• The Combat Round
• Action Types
• Action Descriptions
• Miscellaneous Actions
• Combat Modifiers
• Aggressive Stance
• Area Attack
• Autofire Attack
• Conditions
• Cover
• Concealment
• Defensive Stance
• Ganging Up
• Helpless Defenders
• Improvised Weapons
• Minions
• Surprise Attacks
• Damage
• Toughness Saving Throws
• Tracking Damage
• Damage Conditions
• Knockback
• Ability Damage
• Damaging Objects
• Fatigue
• The Environment
• Light and Darkness
• Heat and Cold
• Starvation and Thirst
• Suffocation
• Falling
• Poison
• Disease
• Radiation
• Gravity
• Atmospheric Conditions
• Condition Summary

CHAPTER 9: GAMEMASTERING

• Running the Game
• Creating Adventures

CHAPTER 10: WORLD-BUILDING

• Setting
• Style
• Genre
• Origins
• Cosmology
• History
• Society
• Organizations

CHAPTER 11: FRIENDS & FOES

Villains

• Why Archetypes?
  • The Armored Meglomanic
  • The Brain in a Jar
  • Corrupt Sorcerer
  • Evil Robot
  • Hulking Brute
  • Kung Fu Killer
  • Mad Scientist
  • Master of Disguise
  • Master of Energy
  • Puppeteer
  • Savage Man-Beast
  • Sinister Simian
  • Ultimate Mimic
  • Vampire Lord
• Supporting Characters
  • Creatures
  • Monsters

INTRODUCTORY ADVENTURES

• Adventure One: The Heist
• Adventure Two: A League of Your Own

Legal Disclaimer

This SRD site is non-commercial and we don't make any money from putting it together. It is in no way approved by, sponsored by, or affiliated with Green Ronin Publishing.
This SRD site Requires the use of the Mutants & Masterminds, published by Green Ronin Publishing.

Resources

• visit Green Ronin's home page: Green Ronin Publishing
• visit Mutants and Masterminds' home page: M&M "Headquarters"
• visit the M&M Forums: M&M Forum - "the Atomic Think Tank"
• What is M&M? M&M Wiki
• What is a RPG? RPG Wiki
• What is a GM? Game Master
• What else can I Wiki? Wikipedia

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