Hello, I am considering running a modern day action/intrigue/espionage game with a superpower flair to it. I am wondering how many people would be interested in something like that? Starting character level would be about 3-5, with charactets built initially as per the Spycraft 2.0 rules, and then augmenting them with a set number of power points per character level from which they can buy extra abilities/training/powers/etc...

The world would have become commonly aware of the existence of powered people about 20 years ago, with reports indicating their existence up to at least the second World War. No alien contact had ever been made (characters can not knowingly have any alien history or contact), nor will anybody be permitted conclusively proven 'magic' (if you as a powered person pretend to be a mage, be aware there would be ways to determine the source of your abilities).

Players would belong to one of several monitoring/policing/response units cobbled together by Interpol after the incident increases of powered individuals.

A variety of comics, tv show and books would unashamedly be my source materials, the two most prominent being the Marvels Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. show and Storm watch: Team Achilles comic from the Windstorm universe by Image comics.
This message was last updated by a moderator, as it was the wrong forum, at 13:22, Wed 28 Sept 2016.

I'm tentatively very interested :) The concept sounds fun, and those are my two favorite systems (although I prefer M&M 3E). But I'm not sure they'd be all that compatible, so I'd want to see how you handled that part in the game.

I'm interested too. I know little about spycraft but chatting with friends leads me to believe it's good. M&M3 is very good

I like the premise as well ass the systems

Sounds fun! I played in a similar game set in the 80's that ended far too soon.

Color me interested!

I'm a big fan of the Crafty line, but it's really hard to find players.

Sounds like you have four people at least. That's 'quorate' certainly enough to start a game

  Ok, well I understand concerns regarding compatibility between the systems but assure you that I've been working on this for a while, so I have tried to address most of those problems.

The idea is that it should feel a bit grittier than your typical MnM four-color superhero set, and I feel the Spycraft system does that very well. Truthfully, I hate most of the gameplay rules for MnM, but love their char-gen and versatile method of building power sets. Trying to take the best of both.

I've perused the Masterminds Manual for a variety of options in terms of joining the systems together, and most of them are fairly straightforward. Damage gets overhauled to fit with Spycraft (though I used my own table instead of the 1d6 damage/power level the Masterminds Manual suggested, which I feel is more accurate and scales up more appropriately). In most regards I am going with a slow progression rate for leveling up various powers (you want to move at the speed of sound? Not until at least rank 9 movement effect, and even then you need to perform a run action). Certain powers and

I admit some concepts will be harder to build than others, especially if they are very power intensive, doubly so if they want all the powers to be high-level. Superman and other paragon archetypes for example are a pain in the ass to build this way. The assumption with Superman is that essentially he's a level 18-20 character to justify all the PP he needs to pull off his various powers.

I've worked out a few example characters to try it out and most stuff would work though, even a power armor suit is doable. For that for example, get a Space Suit (or Riot Armor if your going more open-air exo-skeleton) with the Favored Gear feat, and then trick it out the Device power to get most of what you need.




Actually I may have half the group be exceptionally skilled un-powered people as well... they have same number of power points as powered characters to spend, only they have different spending outlines. PL for the purpose of this game would be 5 up until level 5, then goes up by 1 every level thereafter until level 10, and then by 1 per two level until level 20 (which caps at PL 15). Assuming of course we ever even get that far.

My thoughts for char-gen:

Level 1 - start with either 10 or 15 PP so as to build a core power-set.
+5 PP per level after that.

Super-Powered: May spend any and all PP on powers as per guidelines on purchasing powers. May enhance attributes above the human attribute cap of 24, allowing them to be truly superhuman. Super-powered characters may use their pp to purchase feats/skill points/weapon proficiency/skill focuses, up to a maximum of half their PL (rounded down) spent per category. These are all treated as normal. If the character wishes to purchase any more of any category they will be tagged with the Powered descriptor, meaning they must be vetoed by the GM, and will be negated if ones powers are lost for any reason. Characters can voluntarily tag certain feats/skills etc as tagged with the Powered descriptor if it fits their character concept.

Choose one Power Focus from the following:

- Striker/Blaster: Your Damage power effects may be purchased at +1 rank higher than PL. This bonus increases by +1 at levels 5, 10, 15 and 20.
- Speedster/Flier: Your Movement effects may be purchased at +1 rank higher than PL. This bonus increases by +1 at levels 5, 10, 15 and 20.
- Controller/Unquantifiable: Choose a power (GM's veto) with a non-direct combat use, and gain +1 to the PL limit you can purchase its ranks at. Gain +1 to this bonus at levels 5, 10, 15 and 20. Example Powers: Move Object/Telekinesis, Weather Control, Summon, Animal Control, Deflect,
- Exemplar: You may purchase a single Enhanced Attribute (chosen at char-gen) at +4 ranks higher than normal (normal cap is PL x2), this bonus increases by +2 at ranks 5, 10, 15 and 20.
- Defender/Brick: Your Protection/Force Field effects may be purchased at +1 rank higher than normal. This bonus increases by +1 at levels 5, 10, 15 and 20.




Elite Human: Human attributes are capped at 24, which can only be circumvented by becoming super-powered, using gear or cybernetic enhancements. Elite Human characters can spend pp up to their full PL on feats/skill points/weapon proficiency/skill focuses (cap applies to each category, so 20 pp if all are maxed out). They can buy Enhanced Attributes with the 'Training' source descriptor, but must pay for the Innate power feat to represent its mundane origin. Enhanced Attributes still cannot push over attribute cap of 24.

Choose one Elite Focus from the following:

- Incredibly Talented/Trained: Can purchase 2 feats more than the normal PL limit. This bonus increases by +1 at levels 5, 10, 15 and 20.
- Jack-of-All-Trades: Can purchase 8 skill points (costing 2pp) higher than the usual PL limit. This bonus increases by +1pp (4 skill points) at levels 5, 10, 15 and 20.
- Actioneer: At the cost of 1pp, gain +1 base starting action dice.
- Combat Expert: The PL limit to purchasing attack or defense bonuses (see below) is +1 higher than normal (choose one only at char-gen, either attack or defense). Gain +1 bonus that can be applied to either PL Limit at levels 5, 10, 15 and 20. Example: Character A chooses +1 to attack bonus PL limit, and again to attack at level 5, allowing him then to buy up his Base Attack Bonus to +4 higher than normal as a result of spending pp, while his Defense PL limit remains capped at +2 if he chooses to increase it as well. Had he chosen to increase his defense limit at level 5, both would be capped at +3 should he max them out.
- Gadgeteer: The PL feat cap does not apply to feats from the Gear category.





Some MnM2E feats will be available with PP, with my veto in effect. Don't expect combat feats to get approved, Spycraft system covers enough of that already.. You can buy +1 Base Attack Bonus at a cost of 2pp, and +1 defense at 2pp. Additionally, +1 Ranged Attack bonus and +1 Melee Attack bonus can be purchased separately at 1pp each as normal, and finally Attack Focus (also 1pp cost for a +2 bonus instead of +1) is now applied to a specific Spycraft weapon proficiency rather than a specific weapon. Dodge focus costs 1pp as well, gaining +1 dodge bonus to defense (rather than unnamed class bonus which still applies in surprise scenarios). NO MATTER WHAT none of these pp bonuses to both of attack or defense, through whatever combination, can be higher than half the games PL, rounded down. This means level 5 characters can only buy up an additional +2 each of both attack and defense from pp.

Also some 1pp powers are purchasable as feats (listed in Masterminds Manual). These are available at char-gen only.


Power points can also be spent on Devices as usual, with the additional detail of needing to acquire the basic item the device consists of. Whether its a powered suit of armor, or a belt that causes you to phase incorporeal... the armor or belt would need to be acquired either as a personal Possession (as per Spycraft rules), a Common Item (the belt for example), or the Favored Gear feat (the powered armor for example). Other PP can then be spent on the Device power as per normal. Also see the Spycraft Gadget section for other stuff you can acquire, and feel free to ask if you can mix/match stuff together from those rule-sets.





Guh... ok, enough of a rules-set vomit for now, though I will admit to having a lot of notes piled up already for char-gen and game-rules. Some of it was new even as of this post though (the Powered Focus and Elite Focus categories for example).

As always, clear character concepts always help a super-power/hero build of any kind.
This message was last edited by the user at 17:25, Thu 29 Sept 2016.

Sounds like you put a lot of thought into this! I'm definitely up for giving it a shot.

So, are we building Spycraft characters and then spending M&M points to buy the super powers? Is that right?

Surely, you wouldn't want us to upgrade the crap out of the regular stats, skills, and feats of Spycraft?

In reply to MikeS (msg # 9):


Yup, that's the idea. I am toying with the idea a of using some of the campaign qualities that slow down character progression, like slower normal feats/skills or something, but I may just leave it as is. Just be aware threats will be scaled to be challenges.

Also, my notes on this game do include a number of restricted/banned powers, unless you can convince me you have a functional version of them that would not break the game.

And yes, I think I am going to try and run this... I'll put up a link when I am ready