Can we have a 4e variant of M&M or something like it?

[Storminator]

I like 4e. I love M&M. But they're two great tastes that taste great... apart.

I agree with this completely. I don't ever want to play 3e again, but I play M&M all the time. I think 4e is too stiff to do what I want from a superheros game. The A#1 thing M&M has going for it is the Hero Point+Alternate Power combo, which doesn't map into 4e's defined power structure.

That said, more power to ya! If you can make it work for you, do it.

PS

 

[pawsplay]

I think "stuff you don't do more than once an adventure" is supposed to be covered in M&M using the Power Stunt rules. If you want to encourage this over having the power inherently reduce the pp at character creation and hand out more Hero Points per adventure.

I don't think M&M at default is intended for realistic tactical use of character abilities.

By default, M&M is not doctrinal about what kinds of things are allowed.

 

[tyrlaan]

Power Source: Mutant, Alien, Martial, Arcane, Divine, Primal, Psionic, ect
Role: artillery, brute, controller, lurker, skirmisher, and soldier
Theme: Radation, spider, paragon, detective, legend, mystic, ect

and these each give class features and skills, along with what special powers each unlocks...but for the most part powers are one big group of picks...

Next is the powers have min levels, but like psion augments they can get better.... but maybe you have X power points per encounter and can only spend them on at will and encounter powers...

maybe if we just go with the NADS we can even forgo AC as a defence...

I'd actually take Theme and roll it up into power source. But otherwise, I think that's definitely the foundation for a 4e supers ruleset.

For powers, I think you'd really need to put in the elbow grease and flesh out how to build powers from rules nuggets. Want a power that does XdY to one target at range 10 and pushes them STAT squares? Okay that's 2 points for die type Y + 3 pts for X dice + 1 pt for range 10 + 2 pts for the push. 8pt power. Encounter is -1 pt, daily is -2pts then just assign it to a level based on total cost.

Okay, I just threw some very random numbers out there, but I think this kind of work would be needed to meet the needs of the typical expectations for a supers game. The alternative is something far more restrictive than I think folks are used to for a supers game.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

So how often would Spider-Man be able to lift several tons?

That would depend on your definition of "several tons."

According to Marvel Universe, the current incarnation of Spidey can "optimally lift 10 tons," and we've seen him toss motorcycles around- as in catch/throw them like balls or weapons- in previous decades.

And that's without any of the special storylines in which his strength gets boosted.

 

[DEFCON 1]

4E can easily be turned into a superhero game... and it's not even something you need to do a major overhaul to. It's all a matter of just re-fluffing everything. Select a race, select a class, select the powers, skills and feats that are most aligned to abilities your hero would have, and then just change any names or keywords you need to to make it fit your theme.

After all... when stripped away of all fluff, 4E is basically just rolling an attack against a defense, and/or moving yourself or allies around the battlefield, and slowing, immobilizing, and stunning them until they are knocked out.

Pretty much any superhero archetype can be created just by selecting the race and class that give you the most abilities that fall into your archetype. Human Torch? He's a ranged blaster. Choose tiefling to get the basic fire resistance like the Torch should have... then start selecting sorcerer powers that cause single target and group damage, and give all of them the 'fire' keyword. Simple.

For Iron Man you'd want a high-AC defender who can attack both in melee and range... so use the paladin and select the right ranged powers to represent his repulsor blasts in various configurations, use plate mail and shield to represent his high AC, so on and so forth.

Wolverine would be a brutal scoundral rogue, Hulk would be barbarian with a low-prof / high-crit weapon (probably great or execution axe) to represent the less controlled, but extremely high damage of his fist attacks.

The biggest thing is just making sure that whatever the players select for abilities, they can be rationalized into the theme of the hero they have chosen. So for instance a power that can pull or push your enemies might work for those heroes that can hit really hard and cause knockback, or someone like Spider-Man who can hit them with his webbing and yank them towards him... but not necessarily chosen by someone like Nightcrawler, whose offensive attacks are really usually just his rapier. It's a fine line, but one that can probably work if the players really want to try to play the tactical battlemat combat of 4E, but placed into a different genre and setting.

 

[Scribble]

A freind of mine from back east was running a 4e based super heroes game. Supposedly it was doing pretty well.

 

[Barastrondo]

So how often would Spider-Man be able to lift several tons?

I admit I don't read it these days, but back when I was a kid the answer seemed to be "once every several issues," optimally with some complicated thought balloons on how difficult it was and how he was pushing himself to the very limit.

Probably depends on the writer, though. Some writers approach things like that with the feeling of "if he did it once, he should be able to do it pretty much whenever he wants," and that suits some gaming styles better.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I admit I don't read it these days, but back when I was a kid the answer seemed to be "once every several issues," optimally with some complicated thought balloons on how difficult it was and how he was pushing himself to the very limit.

Probably depends on the writer, though. Some writers approach things like that with the feeling of "if he did it once, he should be able to do it pretty much whenever he wants," and that suits some gaming styles better.

I would probly say the 'throw a bike/small car' is a daily power for mr parker... wall climbing an at will utilitie, and web attack an at will attack...

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I would probly say the 'throw a bike/small car' is a daily power for mr parker... wall climbing an at will utilitie, and web attack an at will attack...

(emphasis mine)
I can't agree with the bolded part- he does it too often for it to be a daily.

By that I mean, using his strength so overtly is not part of his usual attack/defense pattern, but when he does it, he does it A LOT.

 

[Scribble]

(emphasis mine)
I can't agree with the bolded part- he does it too often for it to be a daily.

By that I mean, using his strength so overtly is not part of his usual attack/defense pattern, but when he does it, he does it A LOT.

Utility power?