Which d20 Superhero System?

[d4]

my vote goes to Mutants & Masterminds as well.

I'm looking for a system diverse enough to allow me to create nearly any superhero archetype

check.

create heroes with a wide range of powers

yep.

I would like a system that can handle both the traditional four-colored ethos

no problem.

as well as the "darker" tone found in many recent comics

can do.

I want a system that emulates the traditional comic book feel where heroes can take on scores of lesser thugs with little problem

M&M's got that in spades. i've seen a single PL10 starting-level hero wipe out a group of 20 or so mooks in about five rounds.

with M&M's streamlined combat system (no AoO's, no hit points, damage save mechanic, etc.) i find that combats run a lot more like comic book fights than with more traditional d20-based systems.

 

[jaerdaph]

Mutants and Masterminds looks great, and everthing I've ever heard about it sounds good. Trouble is, I'm not heavily into "supers" and don't have people interested enough to play regularly to justify the expenditure.

Thank goodness for the great PDF products for supers that are out there. The price is certainly right if a supers game is something you're only going to play occasionally or as a one-shot (my situation). I've had Four Color to Fantasy for awhile now and it really is good. I also recently picked up Blood and Vigilance from RPGObjects (it works with d20 Modern), and I love it! Then again I love everything for d20 Modern that RPGObjects has done to date - definitely one of the best new (to me) companies I've come across this year!

So my recommendation for anyone in a similar situation as myself would be Blood and Vigilance.

 

[Agamon]

Hate to make this thread sound like a broken record, but M&M is a great Supers game, d20 or not. I like it better than Marvel Universe, Hero, DC Universe, DC Heroes, Marvel Saga, Silver Age Sentinals and marginally better, but more comtemporary than, Marvel Super-Heroes.

In fact, the two PbP's I play are M&M games.

 

[Von Ether]

I ... sorta ... echo the thought for MnM.

The beauty of MnM is that you can make some pretty decent character rather quickly. The game works of certain structures that are easy to pick up and memorize.

So if you have a group that's in synch with each other, MnM is like a godsend and is fantastic. The game even has rules on how to make it more traditional d20 or even more radical.

That being said, someone who actualy digs into the rules and devotes some time to them can create a critter that blows the "causal" PC creation right out of the water. While this is true of most games, it really shows in MnM. And another feature of the game is that it plays very much like comic book physics, which if the players don't match with roleplaying in the same vein (insisting on trying to kill every villian they meet or slowly diffusing their heroic theme as they pile on the "kewl" powers), things can get ugly quick.

If you have players who aren't in synch or just don't get 4-color style, you have a lot more work as a GM to ride herd on your players to create and maintain the game.

There are a few trick of the trade though. If you still hunger for "class balance" compared to point balance, the game has 12 super hero templates with the powers costed out for player use. If you simply say that it cost double points to buy things that aren't listed on the template, you pretty much have a "class."

 

[garyh]

I'm a huge fan of Mutants & Masterminds. The system is super-flexible, and can run any sort of supers campaing, and even be used pretty easily for other types of games.

If you're looking for something that integrates easily with other systems, like D&D or D20 Modern, Four Color to Fantasy is a great option. It's built just for that, and does a great job of it.

 

[SmokestackJones]

Hey there,

(Clears throat)

(Pitch pipe) MemememememememeMEEEE...

M&M's the best in this joint
Falalalala-lalalala!
One die system and no hit points
Falalalala-lalalala!
OGL and fast play combat
Falala-lalala-la-la-la!
Point-buy PC's that's where it's at
Falalalala-lalalala!

-SJ