Raven’s FAQ

What is an Offensive Shift and when should I use one?

• An Offensive Shift is when an Attack Check and Effect Rank on an Attacking Power Effect capped against each other are set to values other than your current Power Level. For example, a Power Level 10 character with Close Damage 10, Close Combat: (Power) +10 is “unshifted”, whereas a Power Level 10 character with Close Damage 8, Close Combat: (Power) +12 is “Accuracy-Shifted”, and Close Damage 12, Close Combat: (Power) +8 is “Attack-Shifted”. Typically, “unshifted” Attacking Power Effects are recommended, due to the versatility of Maneuvers and the nature of how Resistance Checks are resolved in Mutants & Masterminds. There are, however, definite uses for Attack Shifted and Accuracy Shifted Powers.

• Attacking Power Effects that don’t require an Attack Check to apply their effect against a target cannot be shifted, and instead cap at Power Level. This includes, but is not limited to, Perception-Ranged Powers and Area Powers.

• Attacking Power Effects that are Attack-Shifted or Accuracy-Shifted by only one or two Ranks are typically non-volatile, and are good for promoting flavor. More extreme shifts (3+ Ranks) typically mean a character, or at least that specific Attacking Power Effect, has a specific role to serve in the party. Understanding the value of that role is the difference between finding a specific Power frustrating or invaluable.

• Accuracy-Shifted Powers are typically underrated, due to the fact they struggle against high-Power Level BBEGs. Their value, however, is in their teamwork potential - especially when combined with the Teamwork and Improved Team Attack Advantages. Their value with the Aide Action and Team Attack Action is great for allowing an ally with less-accurate attacks to stack their big hits against foes, or stack the Effect Rank of a successful hit even higher! The MultiAttack Extra also combines well with Accuracy-Shifted Powers, allowing users to stack-up Effect Rank using their higher Attack Check, or do wide-sweeps that can quickly clear-out Minions or take pot-shots and multiple non-Minion enemies at once with consistent accuracy. A well-to-do Accuracy-Shifted build is all about bringing consistency and teamwork to the table, quickly handling small threats while giving the big guns the extra push they need to push the BBEG into the dirt! Characters who can make the best use of Accuracy-Shifted Powers are those that excel in helping their teammates in other ways, such as with Skill Checks and low-cost Utility Powers.

• Attack-Shifted Powers are, by contrast, boss-killers. They struggle with consistency, but when they land, they hurt! They’re at their best when a friend is using an Aide Action to let them combine their Attack-Shift with the Power Attack Maneuver to strike through decisive damage to even the strongest enemies! They’re also a powerful follow-up to things like the Feint Action or Afflictions which apply the Vulnerable or Defenseless Conditions. When combined with the All-out Attack Maneuver, they’re also great for a character that wants to put on a reckless frontline assault, or lead a battle-ending Team Attack. While these Powers may sound amazing on paper (especially compared to Accuracy-Shifted Powers, above), they falter without the help of allies to bring them to bear consistently on your foes. Consider: Superman (Attack-Shift) only gets so far without Batman (Accuracy-Shift) when fighting the most dangerous of foes, such as Darkseid.

• Unshifted Powers, due to the existence of the Power Attack, Accurate Attack, and All-out Attack Maneuvers, though, cover a surprising myriad of situations. The range that even the simplest Attacking Power Effect provides a player in Mutants & Masterminds is deceptively large. For most characters, simple, Unshifted Powers are more than enough to cover any situation, so weigh the value of any Accuracy-Shift or Attack-Shift for your character before committing to one.

• As a final note, some Attacking Power Effects work better with specific Offensive Shifts than others. For example, Damage, due to its higher base DC, can work well as an Accuracy-Shifted Power. Afflictions, in contrast, tend to operate better as Unshifted or Attack-Shifted Powers. Some Powers - like the Weaken Power - run the gamut, due to specifics of how their effects resolve. Consider how an Attacking Power Effect’s DC and Attack Check interact with its resolution mechanics before committing to an option, if you’re looking to get the most bang for your buck from your Attacking Power Effects!

What is a Defensive Shift and when should I use one?

• A Defensive Shift is when two of your Defenses that are capped against each other are set to values other than your character’s current Power Level. For example, a Power Level 10 character with 10 in Toughness, Dodge, Parry, Will, and Fortitude is “unshifted”, whereas a Power Level 10 character with 8 in Toughness, 12 in Dodge and Parry, 14 in Will, and 6 in Fortitude is “shifted”, favoring their Active Defenses (Dodge and Parry) and Will. For new players “unshifted” characters are recommended, because they’re resilient to the kinds of mistakes a new player might make, as well as having no risk of a poor matchup to a GM wanting to utilize a specialized villain.

• Defensive Shifts can add a lot of color to your character. They build in strengths and weaknesses while keeping your character’s overall Defenses at the expected effectiveness for its Power Level. However, Defensive Shifts can also be volatile, and a player inexperienced with how to put their Defensive Shift to the best use can quickly find themselves Staggered, Incapacitated, or worse!

• As a Rule of Thumb, a Defensive Shift of only 1 or 2 Ranks won’t cause any significant issues. This simply skews your odds for certain things 5% to 10% in one direction or another. Knowing how to get the most out of your Defensive Shifts is still useful, but you won’t find yourself crippled due to suboptimal play.

• Defensive Shifts of 3-5 are better-left to when you’re more experienced. In Mutants & Masterminds, a difference of 5 Ranks is an entire Degree of Success, meaning characters with this kind of a Defensive Shift can be quite volatile. For example, a character with 5 Toughness, 15 Dodge and Parry that resists a Damage 10 Power (DC25) rolling a 4 on their d20 will be immediately Bruised and Incapacitated (essentially knocked out in a single hit). One with 6-10 Toughness will only be Staggered, while one with 11-15 will only be Bruised and Dazed. Characters with a Defensive Shift larger than 5 Ranks become incredibly volatile, as this math should demonstrate clearly. This is why, in the FreedomVerse, Defensive Shifts are restricted to being no more than half a character’s Power Level.

• A Toughness-Shift (Toughness above Power Level, Dodge and Parry below Power Level) is a useful Defensive Shift for characters who want to specialize in resisting direct Damage Powers. It also costs less Power Points than other options, leaving room to help buy-up synergistic Powers, Extras, and Advantages. Ways to optimize value from Toughness-Shifts include the Impervious Extra on Toughness, the Evasion Advantage, the Interpose Advantage, and Immunities that prevent Conditions. Toughness-Shifted characters are strong against Perception-Ranged and Area Powers, but are unfavorable vs. MultiAttack Powers, and are weak against Powers whose Resistance Checks don’t target the Toughness Defense and require an Attack Check, such as a single-target Affliction Power or Weaken Power. Effects like Ultimate Effort: Toughness are also common, and these characters are often effective at handling Minions and intercepting attacks meant for Active-Shifted allies. Playing these characters often requires putting oneself on the frontline, and denying enemies the option to use Powers that would be unfavorable to their allies.

• An Active-Shift (Dodge and Parry above Power Level, Toughness below Power Level) is a useful Defensive Shift for characters that want to specialize in resisting Conditions. It costs more Power Points than other options, but when it’s able to leverage its advantages it can prove decisive in battle. Ways to optimize value from Active-Shifts include the Deflect Power, the Evasion Advantage, the Uncanny Dodge Advantage, and Immunity to Critical Hits. Actives-Shifted characters are strong against effects requiring Attack Checks, especially Powers whose Resistance Checks don’t target Toughness, including Grab Actions. They fare favorably against MultiAttack Powers, but are weak to Perception-Ranged Powers and Area Powers. Powers with multiple Ranks of Improved Critical are also liable to, if they get lucky, quickly topple these kinds of characters. When they are afflicted with Conditions, Vulnerable and Defenseless can quickly spell doom for Active-Shifted characters. Playing these characters requires positioning to avoid being trapped in Area Powers unnecessarily, or getting surrounded by large volumes of minions that can force Incapcitated via attrition.

• Will-Shifts (Will above Power Level, Fortitude below Power Level) and Fortitude-Shifts (the opposite) tend to have roughly the same value, and are more about specializing your character to fight specific kinds of opponents. For example, a character with a Will-Shift might find themselves with an advantage fighting against a spellcaster, while a Fortitude-Shift might fare better against a mad-scientist with biological weapons. While there are no hard-and-fast rules here, Resistance Checks vs. Fortitude tend to be Attack Checks or Area Powers, while Resistance Checks vs. Will tend to be Area Powers or Perception-Ranged Powers. Overall, Fortitude-Shifts and Will-Shifts are roughly equal, so their importance is more about the kind of hero or villain your character is, the kinds of enemies they expect to face, and - for mechanical consideration - keeping in-mind how your Will-Shift or Fortitude-Shift interacts with your chose Toughness-Shift, Actives-Shift, or lack thereof.

• All this in-mind, characters with No-Shift are fine, too! Having an even-match against the field can be a perfect recipe for a pinch-hitter that dips into a mix of Advantages, Powers, etc. from each spectrum, meant to fill holes in party composition or serve as secondary attackers or defenders. Additionally, No-Shift characters are a great choice for new players, as (again) they tend to prove resilient to poor play choices and a GM utilizing specialized enemies.

How do Strength Arrays work?

• A Strength Array (also known as a Strength Effect in HeroLab and some other places) is an Array based on a character’s Strength (STR) Damage. It works like a normal Array, with a few sanity caveats.

• The base Power of a Strength Array is a character’s flat STR Damage, which is a Damage Power whose Ranks are equal to that character’s STR Ranks. So, if a character has STR 10, the base Power of a Strength Array is Close Damage 10, valued at 10 PP. Among other things, this “root” Damage Power is that character’s Unarmed Damage Power, and uses that character’s Close Combat: Unarmed Skill for determining its Attack Check.

• The base Close Damage Power of a Strength Array can be given Extras, like any normal Power. These Extras affect the character’s attempts to use their STR Damage at baseline (Unarmed) and cannot be turned on or off. Unlike a normal root Power of an Array, this Power can’t be given Flaws, as it represents the character’s ability to use their Unarmed Damage in their natural state. Extras applied to the base Close Damage Power of a Strength Array increase the PP available to that Power’s Alternate Effects, as they would on any other Power in any other Array.

• The base Close Damage Power of a Strength Array can be given Alternate Effects, like any normal Power. These Alternate Effects behave normally, and can be given Extras and Flaws as normal. These Alternate Effects are also treated as Unarmed Attacks for the purposes of the Close Combat Skill and any other effect that cares about such considerations. Like any Alternate Effect, they come at the expense of the main Power - in this case, the Close Damage Power serving as the character’s Unarmed Damage. So, if the new Power also requires a Damage component, remember to buy it normally! (And remember to NOT apply the Strength-Based modifier to it!)

• Use of a Strength Array does NOT affect aspects of STR other than the Close Damage Power component. This means a character maintains their Athletics score and Lifting Power no matter what Strength Array option is currently active.

• NOTE: HeroLab’s option for using Strength Arrays - called Strength Effects - has several bugs. For example, it won’t always factor in the STR gained from Growth Powers. While it’s mostly fine, be sure to double-check your Powers appropriately to be sure everything adds up the way it should when using HeroLab to make Strength Arrays. There are work-arounds for scenarios where HeroLab won’t handle things properly, but they can be a chore.

How does the Grab Action work?

• A Grab Action is a special Action you can perform using a number of effects. Examples include a character’s basic Unarmed Damage (their Strength, or STR), a character’s Move Object Rank, and a Damage Power with the Grabbing (Fast Grab) property. (Note: This last option is usually reserved for equipment such as a whip, or Damage Powers representing something like a tentacle or tail strike.) Other Powers that are capable of being used to perform a Grab Action are up to the GM’s discretion. If a character successfully lands a Grab Action, they are Vulnerable, and cannot use Powers that require the use of one of their hands, unless they have the Improved Grab Advantage.

• Using a Grab Action is a Standard Action. When you choose to use it, you choose which viable Power Effect at your disposal you wish to Grab with. Typically, this is your Unarmed Damage, but as above, other options apply. You then, unless the Power is a Perception-Ranged Power or Area Power, make an Attack Check against the target. Note, if you perform a Grab Action with your Unarmed, Grab Actions are governed by Close Combat: Grabs, and not Close Combat: Unarmed.

• If you’re instead attempting to Grab with an effect using the Fast Grab / Grabbing property, you instead make an Attack Check with the associated Power Effect, typically Damage. You then resolve the Resistance Check of that Power first. Once you’ve learned the result of that Resistance Check, you then choose to (as an immediate Free Action) attempt to Grab the target, without the need for a second Attack Check.

• Once a Grab Action has successfully landed its Attack Check, either by itself or via Fast Grab, your target then makes a Resistance Check to resist the Grab. This Resistance Check is a DC of 10, plus the Rank of the Power attempting to Grab the target. Other modifiers, such as MultiAttack, Power Attack, and so on apply here. This is often shorthanded as “The Routine Check of your Strength or Grabbing Effect”. Your target rolls their choice of their STR or Dodge Defense, and if your target fails this Resistance Check by one Degree, they are Immobilized and Vulnerable. If your target fails the Resistance Check by two Degrees or more, they are instead Immobilized, Impaired, and Defenseless.

• A grabbed target does not get an Overcome Check to break free of the Grab at the end of each of their turns. Instead, they must attempt to do so actively, using a Move Action or Standard Action to perform an Escape Check. The Resistance Check for this uses the same DC that grabbed them initially. The Grabbed target rolls their choice of Athletics or Acrobatics against the Grab’s DC. If the grabbing character has Improved Hold, this roll is performed at a -5 Circumstance Penalty. If the target succeeds their Escape Check, they may move up to half of a Movement Speed available to them away from the grabbing character.

• A character holding a target must make an opposed check of the target’s STR vs. the Grabbing Effect in order to move. If the check fails, the grabbing character cannot move.

• A character holding a target may choose to Improve the Grab, as a Standard Action. The grabbed target again performs a Resistance Check against the DC of the Grabbing Effect. If the target fails, the Grab is improved by one Degree. As Grab Actions only have two Degrees, failing this check essentially always leaves the target Immobilized, Impaired, and Defenseless, unless an outside factor prevents one or more of these conditions from applying.

• A character holding a target may choose to automatically force their grabbed target to make a Resistance Check vs. the base Damage of their Grabbing Effect, using a Standard Action, if their Grabbing Effect has such a component. (For example, STR, or Damaging Move Object.)

• Bonuses to “Grab Checks” from the Elongation Power and the Extra Limbs Power apply ONLY to the Attack Check for a Grab to hit their target. (Note: HeroLabs incorrectly applies the bonus to both the Attack Check and Effect Rank/DC for ranks of Elongation). Bonuses from Elongation are capped by Power Level, while bonuses from Extra Limbs are treated as Circumstance Bonuses and capped at +5 to the Attack Check.

• Grabs are, in terms of how they interact with other mechanics, best considered Sustained Duration Afflictions with the Instant Recovery Flaw, as well as a Custom Flaw that allows Escape Checks to be made as Move Actions. If something happens that would make the character performing the Grab unable to maintain its Sustained Duration, the Grab ends immediately. This includes becoming Stunned, Paralyzed, Incapacitated, etc., changing the Array Setting of a Grabbing Effect to a different Power (causing the Grab, like any Sustained Effect, to immediately end), and so on.

How does the Grab-Based Flaw work?

• The Grab-Based Flaw is a commonly misunderstood Flaw. Its name implies one method of working, its immediate rules-text implies a second, and its example and finalizing text implies a third.

• A Power with the Grab-Based Flaw essentially gains the Resistible Flaw, except that instead of a typical Resistance Check, it uses the Grab Resistance Check and otherwise counts as a Grab, for purposes of Immunity and Attack Check, in addition to other Immunities that may apply to the Power.

• An Improve Your Grab Check uses a Grab Resistance Check, and thus can be used to trigger a Grab-Based Power. The target overcoming that Improve Your Grab Check has its usual effects.

• Escape Checks are not Grab Resistance Checks, so failed Escape Checks do not trigger Grab-Based Powers.

• Simply touching or grabbing a target in a way that does not prompt a Grab Resistance Check does not trigger your Grab-Based Power. Your Grab-Based Power only triggers after a target fails a Grab Resistance Check.

• Do NOT put a Power with the Grab-Based Flaw in the same Array as the Power the character uses to perform the Grab meant to trigger the Grab-Based Power. For example, if using a STR-based Grappler build that Grabs with their Unarmed Damage, do NOT put the Grab-Based Power in that character’s Strength Array. If the Grab-Based Power is Arrayed directly against the Power meant to provide its Grab Resistance Check DC, then the Grab Resistance Check DC would become DC10 as the Effect Rank of the actual Grab becomes zero. Additionally, trying to change Array Entry to the Grab-Based Power to use it as an Improve Your Grab Action would fail, as changing the Array Setting away from the Grabbing Effect would cause the Grab to immediately end. (See: How does the Grab Action work?)

How does the Deflect Power work?

• Your Deflect Rank is capped against your Toughness, in the same as Dodge and Parry. This is because your Deflect Rank can be used to cast Deflect on yourself, and this cap is required to ensure your character doesn’t break Power Level Limits.

• Your Deflect Power cannot accept Extras or Flaws that modify the required Action to use. This includes but is not necessarily limited to Increased Action, Decreased Action, Increased Duration, Reaction, and Grab-Based. Your Deflect Power must always be a Standard Action with an Instant Duration. This is because it derives its effect from your character’s Defend Action, which cannot be influenced by any of the aforementioned Extras or Flaws.

• You cast Deflect using a Standard Action. It’s an Instant Power Effect, which affects one target in range of your choosing. Whenever that target is attacked by a Power requiring an Attack Check, instead of comparing that Attack Check to 10+Dodge or 10+Parry, that target instead rolls d20, adds 10 to any roll below 11, then adds your Deflect Rank to the result. If the Attack Check being rolled against does not meet or resist this value, the Attack Check fails. Effects which do not require Attack Checks, such as Perception-Ranged Powers and Area Powers, ignore Deflect entirely. To affect multiple targets in one turn with your Deflect Power, either use Extra Effort to cast it multiple times, with each use affecting a different target, or purchase the Area Extra. Keep in mind that Deflect with the Area Extra has the potential for abuse.

• Your Deflect Power is not an Active Defense. It does not benefit from Improved Defense, Defensive Attack, etc., nor does it suffer penalties from All-out Attack, Vulnerable, Defenseless, etc., either from yourself or from the targeted character. If your character is Impaired or Disabled, is at Medium Range or Long Range, or has some other sort of Circumstance Penalty or Uncategorized Penalty on the use of their Deflect Power, that penalty is applied to the Deflect Power’s Rank when it attempts to defend an ally from Attack Checks.

• When your Deflect Power successfully blocks an Attack Check and has either the Reflect or Redirect Extras, the reflected Power is treated as if cast by the Deflecting character. A new Attack Check is made, the stats of which are derived from the stats of the character attempting to Reflect or Redirect the Power. (This is also true of these Extras when used alongside Immunity.)

How do I find the cost of an Immunity?

• When you invest Power Points in Ranks of the Immunity Power, you choose Immunities of your choice that total the amount of Immunity Ranks invested. You do not get all Immunities of a given price at once.

• Sub-divisions of an Immunity usually cost half the Ranks of the main Immunity, similar to if that Immunity were Limited. For example, being Immune to the Cold Descriptor is 10 Power Points, while being Immune to Damage from the Cold Descriptor is 5 Power Points. Immunity to the Bludgeoning Descriptor is 20 Power Points, while Immunity to Damage from the Bludgeoning Descriptor is 10 Power Points.

• For a 10-Rank Immunity (Example, Radiation), an environmental effect of that Descriptor (Radioactive Environment) is 1-Rank, a subset of that Descriptor (Radiation -> Gamma Rays) is 2-Ranks, and a specific Power using that Descriptor (Radiation Afflictions) is 5-Ranks. For a 20-Rank Immunity, rule-of-thumb is to double the values of these subset-Immunities to 2-Ranks, 5-Ranks, and 10-Ranks, respectively. Continue onward for other Immunities with a base Rank cost higher than 20, following the same pattern.

Immunity Table:

• 1 Rank: Aging, Disease, Poison, One Environmental Condition, One Type of Suffocation, Starvation and Thirst, the Need to Sleep, Your Own Powers, A Sibling’s/Close Friend’s Powers, One Emotional Effect, Parasitic Infections, Impact Damage, Gases

• 2 Ranks: Critical Hits, Slam Recoil, All Suffocation Effects, Plant Powers, Dream Powers, Time Powers, Chemical Effects, Gravity Effects, Necromantic Effects, Ongoing Biological Effects, One Type of Sensory Affliction, Teleport Effects, Pain Effects, Nausea Effects, Vibration Effects, Airborne Gases and Toxins

• 5 Ranks: Alteration Effects, Sensory Afflictions, All Sense-Dependent Effects of One Sense, Emotion Effects, Entrapment, Fatigue Effects, Interaction Skills, Slam Damage, Bullets, Thrown Weapons, Darkness, Death, Dimensional, Explosions, Magnetism, Temporal, Telekinetic, Immune-System Effects.

• 10 Ranks: Acid, Being Moved, Life Support, Collisions, Mental Effects, Cold, Earth, Electricity, Fire/Heat, Light, Projectiles, Psionic, Psychic, Radiation, Sensory Effects, Sonic, Water, Weather.

• 20 Ranks: Ballistic, Bludgeoning, Piercing/Slashing, Energy, Magic.

• 30 Ranks: Fortitude Resistance Checks, Will Resistance Checks.

• 40 Ranks: Attack Checks targeting Parry, Attack Checks targeting Dodge, Kinetic Attacks, Weapon Attacks.

• 80 Ranks: Toughness Resistance Checks, Physical Attacks.

How does a Linked Power work?

• Linked Powers are special Powers made by combining two or more simple Powers together into a complex or compound Power via the Linked Extra. In Mutants & Masterminds, using Linked Powers is how one would create a Power that can both inflict damage to a target (the Damage Power) and apply a status condition (the Affliction Power) at the same time.

• Linked Powers must follow certain rules to be legal. All component pieces of a Linked Power must require the same Action to cast, must operate at the same Range (Close, Ranged, Perception-Ranged), and they share the same Attack Check. If the two Linked Powers are Attacking Effects of different Ranks, the Attack Check is capped against the higher Ranking component effect.

• Linked Powers cannot be made from two Powers that are Alternate Effects of each other, as this would violate the mutually exclusive nature of Alternate Effects.

• Two Powers of the same type cannot be Linked. For example, the Damage Power cannot be Linked to another Damage Power.

• Once two Powers are Linked, they can no longer be cast separately. Linking two Powers together makes them become a single Power, and as such they can only be used as one Power from that point onward.

• If two Linked Powers call for the same Resistance Check (for example, Damage vs. Will Defense and Affliction vs. Will Defense), only one Will Defense is rolled, and the result is compared to each DC individually. If the two Linked Powers call for different Resistance Checks, roll them separately. In either case, fully determine the results of each aspect of the Linked Power individually, then apply them all simultaneously when resolving the effect.

• When purchasing a Linked Power’s Attack Check, or purchasing Flat Extras / Flat Flaws to augment a Linked Power, etc., they are only purchased once, and apply to the entire Power. For example, with Damage and Affliction Linked, the Power’s Attack Check, as well as Flat Extras like Precise or Affects Insubstantial are only paid for once, not bought for each aspect of the Power separately. This is because Linking the Powers together makes them become a single Power, and not two individual Powers.

• When purchasing Ranked Extras or Ranked Flaws for a Linked Power, they are purchased for the full Ranks of both component effects. For example, applying Ranged to Damage 10 Affliction 10 Linked requires a total of 20 Ranks of Ranged, increasing the cost from 20 PP to 40 PP. If that Power is then also Distracting, that Flaw is also applied to both halves of the Linked Power, reducing the Power’s cost by 1 PP/Rank, back down to 20 PP. This, again, goes back to the fact these two Powers are now combined into a single Power, for all games-purposes.

What are good Custom Feature guidelines?

• Making a Custom Advantage of Custom Feature (shortened to just Feature from now on) is an important aspect of creating a unique Mutants & Masterminds character! On average, a custom Feature is an effect worth one Power Point of value. This is either because it provides a minor benefit not easily replicated by other Powers, or is a simpler way of presenting a complexly-made Power whose end-cost is one Power Point. Note, however, that not all Features are required to be specifically one Power Point of value. There are a number presented in RAW (Quick-Change 2, Evasion 2, etc.) that either provide additional benefits for investing multiple Ranks, or cost multiple Ranks to purchase. Doing this is entirely fine, as long as the basic guidelines for creating a balanced custom Feature are followed! If you want a more powerful Feature, don’t be afraid to make it cost more Power Points to compensate. The important part is that the Feature’s Power Point cost is roughly equal to its mechanical value.

• One use of a custom Feature is allowing a character to negate a specific Circumstance Penalty. This is commonly shorthanded as a “Skill Knack” due to the language used in Power Profiles, in the Talents Powers section. Examples of this in RAW are the Improvised Tools and Animal Empathy Advantages. Examples of this in Power Profiles include removing the -5 Circumstance Penalty for using a specific Interaction Action as a Move Action. Other examples include things like removing the Circumstance Penalty for Medium/Long Ranges, Circumstance Penalties on a specific Climbing or Swimming Action, etc. In this case, the Circumstance Penalty being ignored by this Feature should always be defined narrowly, with each Circumstance Penalty being ignored being its own Feature.

• Another use of a custom Feature is allowing a character to perform a special action they normally don’t have access to. Examples of this include the Quick-Change Feature (Hero’s Handbook) and the Summon Item Feature (Power Profiles, Teleport Powers), which allow a character to quickly change between outfits or to will a specific item to them across distances. If the effect mainly provides flavor - such as Quick-Change’s ability to allow a character to quickly enter or exit their costume or other outfits - then the Action required to use the Feature should be a Free Action. If the Feature provides a mechanically substantive effect - like the Summon Item Feature - then the Action required to use the Feature should be a Standard Action. Increasing the cost of the Feature, in the former case, might allow the effect to instead be used as a Reaction, or increase the utility of the Feature in some way. (For example, Quick-Change 2 in the Hero’s Handbook allows changing in or out of any outfit, rather than to or from one specific outfit.) In the latter case, increasing the cost of the Feature might allow the Action required to use the Feature to be decreased.

• A third use of a Custom Feature is allowing a character a Circumstance Bonus in specific situations. Examples of this include the Attractive and Evasion, and Features like Vocal Mimicry, all from the Hero’s Handbook. Further examples of these exist all over Power Profiles, among other locations - allowing for minor cosmetic effects that may sometimes offer a Circumstance Bonus to one or more Interaction skills, as merely one example. While exceptions apply, these Feature should follow some specific rules:
• As Circumstance Bonuses, they should only be usable in, well, specific circumstances. As a rule of thumb, if your character is getting it more than ~25-33% of the time, your criteria is probably too broad.
• Circumstance Bonuses that affect only a single Skill in a specific situation should offer a +5 Circumstance Bonus for 1 Power Point. Circumstance Modifiers that affect two or more Skills should offer a +2 Circumstance Bonus for one Rank, and a +5 Circumstance Bonus for two Ranks. (See: Eidetic Memory vs. Attractive.) If the Circumstance Modifier affects Resistance Checks vs. Powers (See: Evasion), then it should offer a +2 Circumstance Bonus for one Rank, and a +5 Circumstance Bonus for two Ranks, unless the Feature is especially narrow in its definition.
• Features that offer Circumstance Bonuses should not offer more than a +5 Circumstance Bonus, regardless of invested Power Points or what they affect. If a Feature is extremely narrow in its value (such as Vocal Mimicry) this can sometimes be fudged to allow for a +10 Circumstance Bonus, but this is very rare and is the exception, not the rule.
• Features that specifically offer a Circumstance Bonus to a character’s Effect Ranks, Active Defenses, and/or Attack Checks should never exceed +2, with rare exceptions. Allowing Features that offer a +5 to these values can become game-warping and create what often becomes both unbalanced and uninteresting play centered on trying to exploit those bonuses at every opportunity.

• Features can also be good for creating variations on existing Advantages. One example of these might be a Feature called “Gun Mastery”, based on the Advantage “Throwing Mastery”, using the text: “Gain +1 to Effect Rank of mundane guns per Rank of this Feature.” As long as you closely follow the Advantage, Feature, or Benefit you’re basing the effect on, these are simple variations that often come out about as fair as their originals, and can be great sources of new flavor!

• Sometimes, rarely, a Feature can be used to replicate otherwise costly or difficult to create effects in Mutants & Masterminds. In this case, the effect should cost a Hero Point each time it’s used. For example, Feature 1 (“Spend 1 Hero Point as a Reaction when a character leaves or crosses within 5 ft. of you to immediately attack them with a Close Power.”) would be the correct way to homebrew a Feature that emulates Opportunity Attacks from Dungeons & Dragons.

• Finally, Features are NOT an excuse to bypass other Flaws on your character. Flaws only provide their point-refund if they cause actual drawbacks to your character. Buying a Flaw - for example, creating a Removable Device - then buying Features that bypass all the drawbacks of a Removable Device is NOT a valid use of Features. Do NOT do this.

How does the Indirect Extra work?

• The Indirect Extra is a complex Extra, meant to simulate effects that originate from points other than the caster. The way it’s presented in the Hero’s Handbook is complicated, but can be understood if broken down piece-by-piece. Indirect comes in four tiers, which are as follows:

• Indirect 1: “The effect originates from a fixed point away from you.” This means that the effect originates at a fixed distance away, relative to the caster. This distance is determined when purchasing the Extra. This can be thought of as something like the ability of a martial artist to hit the third brick in a stack while “skipping” the first two. Essentially, the attack originates at a point that would be along its normal trajectory, rather than from the caster.

• Indirect 2: “The effect can come from any point away from you or a fixed point in a fixed direction.” This Extra comes in one of two variants, chosen when the Extra is purchased:
  • The effect can originate from any point along its attack trajectory. This position doesn’t need to be chosen in advance, and the user can change the exact location the attack originates from each time they cast their Power.
  • The effect originates from a fixed distance and a fixed angle away from the caster. This can mean something like a lightning bolt that always originates from 500 ft. above a character’s head, aiming downward, or an orb that always appears 10 ft. from the caster then flies back towards them.

• Indirect 3: “The effect can come from any point in a fixed direction, or a fixed point in any direction.” This Extra also comes in one of two variants, chosen when the Extra is purchased:
  • The effect can originate from any point, but must travel in a fixed direction. Using the lighting bolt example, this means the lightning bolt can now originate from any point within range of the effect, and travel straight down.
  • The effect originates from a specific location from the user, but can travel in any direction. The orb from the previous example can instead appear 10 ft. from the user’s hand, then travel in any direction, or a thundercloud can form a mile in the sky and throw lightning in any direction away from itself.

• Indirect 4: “The effect can originate from any point and aim in any direction, including towards you.” This pretty much does what it says. The thundercloud from the above example can be formed anywhere in range, then shoot lightning bolts from itself in any direction, within the effect’s usual maximum range, etc.

• CREDIT: The information in this section of the guide is sourced from this reddit post by BrokenGlassFactory, rephrased, rather than something I wrote myself. Credit where it’s due, as it’s the post that I use to keep Indirect straight for myself! All I’ve done is simplify a few things and reformat the post slightly to fit in with the format of my guide.

How do MultiAttack, Critical Hits, Power Attack, and Team Attack interact with various game mechanics, such as Impervious and Half-Immunity?

• MultiAttack, Critical Hits, Power Attack, and Team Attack are all ways to make your attacks that much more effective! However, the minutiae of how they work and interact with other mechanics isn’t clearly explained - except for one caveat under MultiAttack, that specifies it cannot bypass Impervious. So, how do they work?

• MultiAttack and Critical Hit both describe their bonuses as a Circumstance Bonus to the Resistance Check of a Power. Meanwhile, Power Attack raises the Effect Rank of a Power directly, and Team Attacks describe themselves as a Circumstance Bonus to the Effect Rank. While this sounds pedantic, this is the information that allows us to adjudicate how they work clearly and in-line with the rules!

• MultiAttack (as stated) and Critical Hits do not overcome an Impervious Resistance. Power Attack and Team Attacks do, provided the new number can overcome the Impervious Defense. This is because Power Attack and Team Attack improve the Power’s Effect Rank, while MultiAttack and Critical Hits do not. Powers with Penetrating that don’t normally overcome the Impervious Defense do still add the MultiAttack and Critical Hit bonuses to the Resistance Check - the base Resistance Check is just determined by Penetrating Rank rather than Effect Rank. If a Power is Power Attacked or Team Attacked and still cannot beat an Impervious Defense, but the Power has Penetrating on it, only the Penetrating Rank is applied for the Resistance Check.

• When interacting with a Half-Immunity, Power Attack and Team Attack are added to the Power’s Effect Rank, then halved, rounding down, in accordance with Half-Immunity. MultiAttack and Critical Hit are added after the final Resistance Check DC is calculated, and thus ignore Half-Immunity, as Half-Immunity expressly halves the Effect Rank before the Resistance Check is calculated, and does nothing afterward.

• When calculating the maximum Power Points drained by a Weaken Power, add in the bonus from Power Attack and Team Attack, for the same reasons as above, and do not add in MultiAttack and Critical Hit, for the same reasons as above. So, a Weaken Toughness 10 Power with a Critical Hit that is failed by a difference of 15 would only drain 10 Toughness, whereas a Weaken Toughness 10 Power that has had a Power Attack maneuver applied to it to increase its Effect Rank by 5 failed by the same amount would drain 15 Toughness instead. This is because Power Points drained by a Weaken Power are capped at the Effect Rank of the Weaken Power.