M&M Question on Armor

[Bayushi Seikuro]

I just started getting into M&M -- seems an awesome, flexible system.

Given that I'm most familiar with Marvel, I'm wondering how to build armored superheroes/villains.

I've read the rules over and over, but my brain kind of boggles.

It says basically you buy Armor, at 1 point/rank, since it's Protection with the Flaw: Device. I also remember it saying you buy other powers/superfeats as if they were extras.

Now, as extras, do they just cost the one additional point? For example: Armor and Flight would be two points/rank? Armor as the base (1) and flight as the one-point Extra?

Like I said, it's new to me, and it seems like a system I can make work since I currently have only one player.

And every Marvel game needs chumps like Ironman I figure it might also help with construct rules like the Sentinels etc

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mazlo]

I'm no expert at M&M but I'd buy your flying armor as the Device [Hard to Lose] power, which IIRC (at work, no book) grants 5 pp per rank.

So you might do something like:

Device [Hard to Lose] - Rank 4 (16 pp)
- Protection 10 (10 pp)
- Flight 5 (10 pp)


If you're looking to build Ironman, check out the Roll Call forum at the atomic think tank (www.atomicthinktank.com) once they are back up. Lots of folks have already built most of the better known (and lesser known) Marvel / DC heroes and villains.

--Mazlo

Edit: This assume you're using 2nd Edition M&M. (I think Device as a flaw was a 1st edition convention.)

 

[Bayushi Seikuro]

I plan on going to Atomic once it's back up.

I'm self-teaching myself the system, and Armor specifically seems to be where my math is crudding out on me.

Do you build it according to the Device formula in the device section? Or cobble it together under the Powers?

If it helps, right now, I'm learning on the 1e rules. And since my gaming group has mostly shrunk down to one other person, superheroes seemed to be good for small groups too.

 

[Corsair]

Step 1: Don't learn the 1e rules.

Step 2: Get a copy of the 2e rules.


This alone will save you many headaches.

 

[Corsair]

Actually while I'm here, I might as well answer the more general question:


Devices in 2e are not flaws, but instead listed as a separate power. They cost either 3 points or 4 points per rank, depending on whether the item is easy to lose (such as a carried weapon would could be disarmed) or hard to lose (such as a battlesuit, but one that you could still be caught without occasionally). Something which cannot be removed (such as a cybernetic implant) would not be considered a device.

Each rank of device gives you 5 PP which you can then spend on the powers the device contains.

Example:

Ghetto Battlesuit ( Device 4 [4 pp / rank, hard to lose] 16pp ): Protection 8 (Impervious 8), Flight 2

Basically you end up paying 16 pp to get 20 pp worth of actual powers. The cost savings is because occasionally there will be times when you might be caught without your suit.

 

[Donovan Morningfire]

Step 1: Don't learn the 1e rules.

Step 2: Get a copy of the 2e rules.

This alone will save you many headaches.

QFT

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

Step 1: Don't learn the 1e rules.

Step 2: Get a copy of the 2e rules.


This alone will save you many headaches.

Now if only I could go back and unlearn all those 1e rules...

 

[hobgoblin]

meh, without the 1ed rules we would not have all those funny "trickle down" debates

and its kinda strange that bayushi got the 1ed rules as i would expect them to be very much out of print by now. but maybe its a case of getting them used from some friend or similar...

 

[Bayushi Seikuro]

Well, you have to understand in Knoxville there's this awesome store, McKays. McKay's is all used books, dvds, cds, movies, video games. It's the media equivalent of a place for poor college kids to go give blood for money; hell, I took a lot of gaming stuff I wasn't using over and got about 200+ dollars for it cash; I could have gotten about $350 in trade credit.

It's a good place for picking up systems you might want to try out. Found a 1e book cheap, figured if I liked it, I'd get the newer stuff.

EDIT: Oh, as far as being out of print, I'm sure they're not making em any more, but they still are selling em. I think I saw em on GR's Lucky 7 sale for 7 bucks.

 

[Victim]

In 1e, you'd build a set of Power Armor basically like this:

Protection (2/rank) + Super Strength (+3/rank, power as an extra) + Blast (+1/rank) + Flight (+1/rank) Flaw: Device (-1/rank) for 6 points per rank. At PL 10, you'd spend 60 to get Blast 10, Super Strength 10, Flight 10, and Protection 10 all with the Device flaw.

Armor is just Protection with the Device Flaw built. Powers as extras means that they cost 1 more point PER RANK.

Naturally, you could pick different powers, take some things as partial extras, apply the Device Flaw to some other things to make them part of the armor, etc. Feats with the Device Flaw are only going to cost you 1 point a piece, so buying Power, All out, and Accurate Attack feats as part of your targeting system saves you quite a bit - feats are basically 1/2 cost, while the discount on other powers is less.