M&M: More questions

[Andrew D. Gable]

Well, we're starting up our campaign of this, so I wanna make sure I'm clear on certain things and how they work. So here's my assumptions, tell me if they're right or wrong.

1) The damage (not damage bonus, correct?) from an energy blast can be the hero's rank in that power - or less. Frex, one of the characters has maxed-out Energy Blast +10. So he can do 1-10 damage with a blast, if I figure right.

2) Something I'm very unclear on is the damage rules. So most all sources of damage (excepting the Energy Blast) do a flat 1 damage? A switchblade does as much damage as a katana, does as much as a punch from the Hulk, does as much as getting stepped on by Galactus? By what I understand, that's correct, but it just doesn't sit right by me. Or is the damage bonus also the damage inflicted?

That's all the questions I can think at the moment, I'll get back to y'all.

 

[Insight]

Well, we're starting up our campaign of this, so I wanna make sure I'm clear on certain things and how they work. So here's my assumptions, tell me if they're right or wrong.

1) The damage (not damage bonus, correct?) from an energy blast can be the hero's rank in that power - or less. Frex, one of the characters has maxed-out Energy Blast +10. So he can do 1-10 damage with a blast, if I figure right.

Unless he has the Flaw, "Full Power Only", the character can apply from 1 to 10 ranks' of damage bonus to the Energy Blast. This is switchable at will. The damage bonus is equivalent to ranks in the case of a ranged attack unless the character takes the "Mighty" Extra.

2) Something I'm very unclear on is the damage rules. So most all sources of damage (excepting the Energy Blast) do a flat 1 damage? A switchblade does as much damage as a katana, does as much as a punch from the Hulk, does as much as getting stepped on by Galactus? By what I understand, that's correct, but it just doesn't sit right by me. Or is the damage bonus also the damage inflicted?

I'm not sure where you picked up this information, and it's totally wrong. Let's see if I can set it straight for you.

For a melee weapon, add the character's Strength bonus to the base damage bonus to get the total Damage Bonus for the attack. This differs slightly for a weapon for which the character has paid points versus an item he or she just picks up during an encounter.

For example, a Longsword does +4L damage. This means that a wielder with STR 15 (bonus of +2) gets a total Damage Bonus of +6 when wielding this weapon. If the same character picks up a Dagger that does base +2L damage, they now have a total Damage Bonus of +4 with that weapon. I hope this makes sense.

If the character has not paid points for the weapon in question, he or she cannot apply more STR bonus to the damage than the base bonus of the weapon in question, and the weapon is likely to break if it hits someone who can fully resist the attack. I'm not going to go into details about those rules, but suffice it to say that a character cannot more than double the base damage of an 'acquired' weapon.

I hope this helps. Post any more questions if you want.

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

Re: Re: M&M: More questions

I'm not sure where you picked up this information, and it's totally wrong.

I'm not surprised by that - I'm notoriously thick-headed when it comes to rules. 'Till I get a hang of how to use them. I think I may be beginning to see. Here's an example, let's see if I'm doing it right. This is how I would imagine combat is. Let's take the errata'd Hyena, with a melee bonus of +12 and a damage bonus of +11L.

First, I'd roll 1d20+melee (12), and attempt to conquer the enemy's Defense. Assuming he does so, I'd roll 1d20+damage (11), the result of that setting the DC of the opponent's Damage Save. Also assuming he connects fully (no special effects like knockout), 11 or 12 damage blocks would be X'd off? This is where I run into problems. Or using your examples, that character just inflicts 6 points of damage with the longsword?

Like I said, I'm thick-headed with these things. I guess I'm spoiled by how things run in DnD.

 

[Wolfx]

First, I'd roll 1d20+melee (12), and attempt to conquer the enemy's Defense. Assuming he does so, I'd roll 1d20+damage (11), the result of that setting the DC of the opponent's Damage Save. Also assuming he connects fully (no special effects like knockout), 11 or 12 damage blocks would be X'd off? This is where I run into problems. Or using your examples, that character just inflicts 6 points of damage with the longsword?

You have the to hit part spot on. The damage bonus is added to a base 15 not rolled (unless you use the optional rules). The defending character then rolls his Damage Save as a d20+damage save modifier. He tries to equal or beat your total damage modifier (in the example above it would be 26). If the roll fails you check it against the damage chart to determine how badly it was missed. The amount of damage a character takes is usually only one HIT with the possibility of being stunned or other effects that reduce the characters Damage save modifier on subsequent attacks.

Hope this clears things up a bit.

 

[Insight]

Yeah, there's no rolling for damage in the standard rules. If you hit, the opponent makes a Damage save (we're assuming a standard melee attack here - there are other situations that call for Fort, Reflex, or Will saves too).

If the opponent fails the Damage save, he or she takes 1 Stun or Lethal Hit. They cannot take more than 1 Hit, but they can be Stunned, Unconscious, or Disabled with a bad roll and/or a much better Damage Bonus than their defenses and protections.

If I were you, I'd re-read the entire combat section again. It sounds like maybe you haven't read it much. This stuff is covered in the first 3 or 4 pages. Ignore all of the optional rules until you've got the basics covered.

 

[Insight]

If you take a gander at my United Heroes Story Hour (see my sig for the link), there are tons of examples of the MnM mechanics. Not to shamelessly plug my Story Hour, but you might benefit from reading through a few combats. Everything you're asking about (and more!) is covered there.

 

[Ranger REG]

Remember, any Hits he accumulated is applied to the defender's DC. Or better yet, treat the accumulated Hits as a penalty to his Damage saving throw (roll). That's the only thing you keep track of; that and condition.