[GR] Mutants & Masterminds Upcoming Releases

[coyote6]

What I'd like in a hypothetical powers bookwould be, basically "More!". More core powers. More stunts. More feats. More in-depth systems for power costing. (Inlcuding cheaper or more expensive feats).

You know, I'm not sure I want any of that. The "more powers, stunts, & feats" sounds good -- but then I wonder about power & point inflation. To borrow an example from GURPS, a genetically engineered warrior built with just GURPS Basic has a relatively trim list of abilities he'd need to fulfill the character idea; add in Compendium I, Bio-Tech, etc., and the number of abilities that fit the concept expand, and so does the point budget needed to get them (not even all, but just a satisfactory subset). I'd hate to have Protonik or (more to the point) PCs look gimpy 'cause they don't have the New Kewl Powers, and won't be able to afford them for quite a while.

And that last item -- variable cost feats -- is something I suspect I don't want to see for M&M at all. It seems like it would be more Fiddly Bits, which would make the game more complicated, and I suspect that's not a good thing for it. For GURPS Supers 3e, yeah, maybe; but I don't want M&M to be GURPS Supers 3e.

That said, I have my own ideas for things to complicate M&M more. I've been considering, for example, letting excess flaws reduce the final cost of a power by 1 pt per flaw.

So, for example, if you have an eight shot blaster, you'd have Weapon +7 with on Flaw; normally, that Flaw would have no effect on the cost of 7 pp. My idea would be that the excess flaw would knock one point off the cost, reducing it to 6.

But I'm not sure I like my own idea, since I think it could be abused quite readily. As a house rule, I don't mind, 'cause I'll just hit somebody with a Hero 4e rulebook for trying it. But I doubt GR would publish that as advice . . .

Special effect variations granting small bonuses or penalties, so that someone whose armor is defined as 'crystal shell' differs from someone whose armor is defined as 'genetically engineered rhino hide'.

Do you have any ideas on specific examples of what you want? Seems like you could cost 'em as feats or power stunts, if they are minor enough (and, given the broadness of M&M's game system, I can't see where they'd have much mechanical difference).

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I'm looking forward to Crooks & Freedom City; I think seeing how the game's designers build powers & archetypes will be very helpful. I may or may not adapt the characters to my uses, or find them inspiring -- I suspect I will -- but even if I don't, they should be good idea mines.

OTOH, yikes! The sticker shock! Those comic book artists don't come cheap, do they?

 

[Nikchick]

Nicole, your post mentions a releasedate for Freedom City(March), but nothing for Crooks.

Any idea when that will be hitting the shelves (and shortly thereafeter; my shelf)?

Oops! Crooks is a May release.

Sorry about that.

Nicole

 

[Teflon Billy]

...Crooks is a May release.

Nice! My birthday is the end of May. Hopefully one of my friends will think of this.

 

[Pramas]

Nice! My birthday is the end of May. Hopefully one of my friends will think of this.

If you write "Crooks!" on your forehead, maybe they'll get the hint.

 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

It'd be nice to see some extra rules for power origins, such as alians, and robots. As well as more powers/feats/extras/flaws. I don't recall seeing any info on adjustments for such characters, and it seems like there should be some automatic benefits and drawbacks to such characters.

 

[coyote6]

I like the liver disease's idea -- something like, "these are the traits you should take to represent the traits common to robots; you may want to add these others to represent various attributes."

Might work well as part of a bestiary (which would have a lot of, "this is one way to do a dragon/ape/etc. in M&M" anyways).

Oh, also, something Champions/Hero & D&D 3e both have that is handy -- a list of common environmental hazards, and what their game effects are. Sort of like the weapons chart in the Devices chapter, but for other things -- how much damage from a typical housefire, how much a blowtorch does, cyanide's effects, how much damage a vat or pit of molten metal/lava/acid inflicts, how much damage from a typical power outlet/power line/etc. I don't think the M&M book has one (or does it? Maybe I've gone braindead), and it would be handy.

One of the PCs in my group has Electricity Control, with the Absorbtion extra; I anticipate that he'll be grabbing livewires to get a boost sooner or later. It would also be nice to know exactly what he can drain using that power stunt. Playing it by ear is fine, but I'd be happier with something to compare to.

 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Oh, also, something Champions/Hero & D&D 3e both have that is handy -- a list of common environmental hazards, and what their game effects are. Sort of like the weapons chart in the Devices chapter, but for other things -- how much damage from a typical housefire, how much a blowtorch does, cyanide's effects, how much damage a vat or pit of molten metal/lava/acid inflicts, how much damage from a typical power outlet/power line/etc. I don't think the M&M book has one (or does it? Maybe I've gone braindead), and it would be handy.

Good idea. That would be nice. You never know when a building gonna fall on someone, or they're going to get hit with a powerline. A system for handling enviormental hazards would be very usefull.

Another example of a "racial template" would be atlantians. Most comic universes seem to include some under sea race or another

 

[GiantInThePlayground]

I would like to see a book on outer space—comic book style outer space, of course. The basic rules have little beyond the ability to fly and survive in a vacuum, they don't deal with different planets, stars, etc. Plus all the cool alien types you could have. Freedom City needs a whole galaxy to go with it, after all!