mutants and masterminds comic conversions

[DMScott]

Writing up comic book characters has been a tricky issue for as long as superhero RPGs have been around. There are a few related problems: first, comic book writers change power levels as needed to tell a good story. Second, many heroes could reasonably have about three different writeups - one when they're in their own book, one when they're guest-starring in another book, and one when they're appearing as part of a team. This means that there are multiple "right" versions of any character, and that setting power levels to simulate the highest power level a hero has exhibited will not capture some of the hero's stories very well.

There's two approaches that I find work well for conversions: first approach is to pick a comic era that has the sort of feel you want in your game and ignore other interpretations of the characters. For example, if you're a big fan of Ultimate X-Men, convert those writeups, which are generally less powerful than the 30something team in the main continuity. Second approach would be to describe your world in M&M terms and make characters fit the system, since they don't have consistent power levels in the books anyway.

 

[Neo]

Writing up comic book characters has been a tricky issue for as long as superhero RPGs have been around. There are a few related problems: first, comic book writers change power levels as needed to tell a good story. Second, many heroes could reasonably have about three different writeups - one when they're in their own book, one when they're guest-starring in another book, and one when they're appearing as part of a team. This means that there are multiple "right" versions of any character, and that setting power levels to simulate the highest power level a hero has exhibited will not capture some of the hero's stories very well.

There's two approaches that I find work well for conversions: first approach is to pick a comic era that has the sort of feel you want in your game and ignore other interpretations of the characters. For example, if you're a big fan of Ultimate X-Men, convert those writeups, which are generally less powerful than the 30something team in the main continuity. Second approach would be to describe your world in M&M terms and make characters fit the system, since they don't have consistent power levels in the books anyway.

Well my conversions information come from a couple of official Marvel sources and also many years of personally reading about the characters. A lot of people believe that power levels vary from writer to writer and in truth they do a little, but for each character in the Marvel universe thier are certain character guidelines that have to be adhered to in order for each writer to ensure that they do not entirely change a character and to ensure that thier histories established over many years of comics are not re-written anew by every new writer who comes along. Powers however do change a little..or more precisely they mutate, get boosted, taken away, worn out... and so forth. For instance Marvel atm has a whole thing about Mutants developing secondary mutations, which for some mutants has given them new powers (Archangels blood having healing properties for example) or change existing ones (Emma Frost being able to turn her body into Diamond).

Ultimate X-Men are not conversion I've done, mainly because I do not read any of the Ultimate titles. I only convert those things I know about so thus far have stuck to mainstream Marvel, some Image/Top Cow characters and a few "named" DC characters (mostly JLA members).

 

[Valiantheart]

Valiantheart you say you understand my reasoning yet in the next breath say something which indicates you do not.

Magneto is PL35 because Magneto IS PL35 as an accurate conversion. In order to have magneto do all the things he can do and at the level he can do them that is what he came to.

An "accurate" conversion of a character no one will be able to play and that is useless in virtually all M&M games unless they are playing DBZ style.

I make accurate conversions, there can therefore be no error in thier PL, as they only cost what they can do makes them cost... it is a rather simple but flawless logic.

No the logic is completely flawed. You are making character conversions based on a rule system. A rules system which you break repeatedly. This rule system indicates that powers beyond 20th level represent "Truly Cosmic Levels of Power" page 21.

By the way PL 15 Magneto can move 819.2 tons with his magnetism or 3276 tons by using extra effort. He might not be able to levitate Asteroid M but he cant lift ships out of the water.

As for Conan PL40 well why would anyone make a PL40 Conan? firstly that implies from the start you want to make a high level version of someone, which I don't do.. i build the person as they are and they cost exactly how much what they are costs...pure and simple see. Conan having no powers, and just a good (but not super strength) you'be be lucky to get PL5 let alone 40

No this is your exact "flawless" logic. I just read a comic where Conan defeated an army of a ten thousand men bare handed, naked with one arm bound behind him. After that he went on to out wrestle Krom and sleep with 500 virgins. I didnt set out to make him PL 40 he just arrived that way. It was the only way I could possible design him where he could do everything he could in the comic.

M&M gives 20 levels of which all PC's start at 10th, but as Steve Kenson himself has said there is no reason why it cannot go beyond that, and I seem to recall there is even a character in one of the published books for M&M that is over Pl20 already.. which further blows that little theory out of the water my friend

Your argument is like saying well D&D has dragons and their stronger than level 20. That must mean I can do the same with my characters.

There is one published character beyond 20th level in all of the M&M products. Omega the ruler of the Terminus is PL24. Omega is supposed to represent a Darkseid/Thanos character of Cosmic Levels of power. He is a universe level threat and yet he still doesnt have any powers that exceed PL 20.

I never said characters couldnt go beyond 20th level, but only characters who are above and beyond normal boundries. These are beings with world shattering power. Not a guy in an Iron suit (PL 25?) or that can lift things made of metal.

Now I don't mean to sound patronising, but please read my explanation of what I do again, if you do so properly you will see as many do exactly why there can be no fault with the power levels of the conversions I made. If you make someone to represent them exactly as they are and that in game terms means their cost is say 300 points then that cannot possibly be in error because you have simply built what there is. If a villain or hero has a high PL then that is simply because that is what they are no more or less complicated than that.

There is no reason to be patronizing. I already understand your "theory" and I still stand by my statement that characters who ignore the rule set limitations upon which they are based to simulate some type of "real" power level are useless to anyone trying to learn to create characters for themselves.

 

[Ghostwind]

In deciding which conversion to use, it's best to decide what your players want. The games I have run, I use Neo's conversion because newcomers to the game hae more fun playing their favorite characters. It all boils down to style and what the players are comfortable with, not whose site is more 'offical' or 'realistic'.