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Marvel Heroes RPG Rules.

Posted by The WatcherFor group 0
The Watcher
GM, 2 posts
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Tells Some
Tue 24 Jun 2014
at 14:13
  • msg #1

Marvel Heroes RPG Rules

Overview

This is a great place to start if you want to DL a source book or two: http://www.classicmarvelforeve...ame-and-modules.html

If you don't want to, don't worry. I will teach you how to play below.

The Universal Table

The Marvel Heroes RPG is an elegant system that uses d% for pretty much everything. No matter what you want to do, you'll roll a d% and compare your result to the Universal Table (http://www.classicmarvelforeve...universal-table.html).

The better your related skill, the more likely your d% is to give you a white, green, yellow, or red result. These indicate the degree to which you were able to do what you wanted to do.

quote:
White - failure
Green - basic success
Yellow - great success
Red - amazing success


Some abilities do extra damage or provide additional effects on a Yellow or Red result.

Attributes

All heroes have a FASERIP (pronounced "face rip"), which controls their basic stats:

quote:
Fighting - How good you are at punching, tripping, kicking, and thumping enemies in melee combat
Agility - How good you are at ranged combat and feats of dexterity
Strength - How much it hurts when you punch someone, and how much you can lift
Endurance - Physical toughness, hardiness, and stamina
Reason - Raw knowledge and the ability to figure out complex equipment
Intuition- Combination of wisdom, wits, common sense, and battle savvy
Psyche - Willpower, force of will, and how good are you at wielding and resisting psychic bullshittery


Power Levels

Everything in the game, from your Strength score to your Ice Beams (if applicable), is rated on a scale from Shift-0 to Beyond. That is, from 0 - Infinity. This scale only exists at those extremes to account for weird aliens and gods and such -- most humans have stats from 4-10, and most heroes have stats from 10-100.

We're talking superheroes, though, so we don't use numbers if we can help it in the narrative. The Universal Table (linked at the top of this article) lists out all the power levels you could encounter.

quote:
Shift-0: 0
Feeble: 2
Poor: 4
Typical: 6
Good: 10
Excellent: 20
Remarkable: 30
Incredible: 40
Amazing: 50
Monstrous: 75
Unearthly: 100
Shift-X: 150
Shift-Y: 300
Shift-Z: 500
Class 1000: 1000
Class 3000: 3000
Class 5000: 5000
Beyond: Infinity


Looks foreboding, right? Don't worry. You're very, very unlikely to stray from the Feeble (2) - Unearthy (100) range, so those are the only columns on the table you really need to care about. And all this stuff makes a ton of sense if you're looking at the table while you think about it. Which I recommend.

All you really need to take home from this is that, if your hero has a strength of 30, he has Remarkable strength, and will roll on the Remarkable column when making Strength checks.

Here's a really handy page that has comparisons about various power levels using real heroic examples: http://www.classicmarvelforeve...alternate-ranks.html
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:29, Sun 14 Feb 2016.
The Watcher
GM, 3 posts
Knows All, Sees All
Tells Some
Tue 24 Jun 2014
at 14:26
  • msg #2

Re: Marvel Heroes RPG Rules

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 1):

The Four Non-Core Stats

There are four other aspects to your character beyond your FASERIP and the power level of your special abilities, and these are: Health, Karma, Popularity, Resources.

quote:
Health is your FASE added together. When this hits zero, you stand an amazing chance of dying.

Karma is your RIP added together. You can spend karma to boost important rolls, ensuring success when it matters most. You gain more karma by acting like a hero should. This is also your experience point pool, so spend it wisely!

Popularity is how the public perceives you, and is not always tied to your actions -- because life isn't fair.

Resources is how much cash money you have to work with. Tony Stark has a lot of this. Peter Parker, not so much.


Examples

For perspective, let's show off the stats for a few well-known characters.

quote:
Thor
F: Unearthly (100)
A: Incredible (40)
S: Unearthly (100)
E: Unearthly (100)
R: Typical (6)
I: Excellent (20)
P: Amazing (50)

HP: Shift-Y (340)
Karma: Monstrous (76)
Popularity: Monstrous (75)
Resources: Excellent (20)


quote:
Wolverine
F: Incredible (40)
A: Remarkable (30)
S: Excellent (20)
E: Remarkable (30)
R: Typical (6)
I: Monstrous (75)
P: Incredible (40)

HP: Unearthly (120)
Karma: Unearthly (121)
Popularity: Shift-0 (0)
Resources: Tyical (6)


quote:
Deadpool
F: Incredible (40)
A: Incredible (40)
S: Excellent (20)
E: Remarkable (30)
R: Good (10)
I: Excellent (20)
P: Excellent (20)

HP: Unearthly (130)
Karma: Amazing (50)
Popularity: Shift-0 (0)
Resources: Remarkable (30)


Note that HP and Karma don't always match the whole numbers associated with our columns. That's ok. You always use the column closest to your number, rounding down.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:57, Wed 10 Feb 2016.
The Watcher
GM, 4 posts
Knows All, Sees All
Tells Some
Tue 24 Jun 2014
at 14:36
  • msg #3

Re: Marvel Heroes RPG Rules

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 2):

Powers and Talents

All heroes have a handful of powers and a wider selection of talents that help augment their heroic potential. Powers are things like a healing factor, heat beams, or the ability to fly. Talents are more mundane, like being a biologist or a detective or knowing how to box.

Feats

Most heroes only have a couple actual powers and only rarely develop more. Instead, they develop more things they can do with their existing powers. If you can turn invisible, perhaps you can learn how to use that power to create a shield around yourself, or around others, for example. These are different feats that use the same base power, and must be developed separately.

There are some examples of feats in the description for each power, but for the most part you are encouraged to work with the DM to create your own personalized experience.

For example, Cyclops has only a single power:

quote:
• Optic Blasts: Monstrous (75) Force damage at range of 3. Can reach targets further away, but decrease damage by 1 rank for each additional space traveled.


Cyclops has developed a TON of feats related to this power, however. Take a look:

quote:
-Break Fall: Short controlled bursts to slow the fall with only Typical (6) damage on target.

-Attack multiple targets on a successful Agility roll. Up to 8 targets if sufficient reflectors are available. Damage is decreased to Amazing (50).

-Wide Angle Beam for Incredible (40) damage to any 2 squares.

-Transform energy into optic blasts. Cyclops must make a Red Psyche FEAT to do so or he takes normal damage.


Notes: FEAT means "roll on the column" and an "area" is one space on a combat grid. All values (Amazing, Incredible, etc.) can be abbreviated to just two letters (Am, In, etc.)

Cyclops also has the following Talents:

quote:
Leadership: Scott is a natural leader and any group that elects him leader gets +50 karma points to their collective karma pool.

Pilot: Scott is a long-time pilot and has Remarkable agility behind the controls of a plane or helicopter. He has Excellent Reason to do repairs on the same.

Spatial Geometry: Scott has Amazing Reason when attempting to figure out the sidelines, make trick shots, and run the tables.

Martial Arts A, C and D: Scott is trained in the martial arts, he can stun and slam foes regardless of their strength and endurance, he has Remarkable fighting for evading, Remarkable agility for dodging, Excellent strength to escape grappling rolls. Scott can stun and slam foes through body armor after watching for 2 rounds.

Resist Domination: Scott was trained by Professor X to resist mental attacks, dominations, and probes at Remarkable ability.

Bi-Lingual: Scott has been taught Japanese and Russian psychically by Professor X and reads/writes and speaks them as fluently as he does English.

This message was last edited by the GM at 14:38, Tue 24 June 2014.
The Watcher
GM, 5 posts
Knows All, Sees All
Tells Some
Tue 24 Jun 2014
at 14:48
  • msg #4

Re: Marvel Heroes RPG Rules

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 3):

Cost Chart: http://www.classicmarvelforeve...resource-points.html


Skill Checks

This is my favorite part about this system. Anything you want to do has the same answer: roll a D% and check out the Universal Table to see if you got a white, green, yellow, or red result. Usually, white means "fail" and anything else means "success," unless you're trying to do something batshit crazy or vastly beyond your capabilities (or both).

A good rule of thumb is Olympic-level ability is somewhere between Good and Excellent, and anything more than that require superhuman powers, magic, a suit of armor, etc. Keep that in mind when comparing your scores to what you want to do.

Let's say you wanted to pick up a pickup truck, a feat of strength that's well beyond a typical man's ability. Typical (6) Strength can bench 200 pounds, and Good (10) Strength can bench 400 pounds. You'd need a Red FEAT to even nudge the thing.

If you've got Unearthly (100) strength, however, you can bench 1,000 pounds and might be able to move that hunk of metal after all. A green check alone will suffice, and if you aren't in a hurry, you can "take green" to succeed automatically.

Combat

If I want to punch you, I roll Fighting. On green or better, I hit you and deal my Strength in damage, mitigated by any armor you might be wearing. It's as simple as that.

If I want to shoot you, I roll Agility. On green or better, I hit you and deal the weapon's damage code (or the Power Level of the ability I used, if I shot a laser from my eyes or something) to you. This, too, would be mitigated by any armor you might be wearing. Done and done.

Let's pretend you want to shoot me and I want to dodge. That's easy, too: I roll d% on my agility and consult the Universal Table. If I get a good enough result, I force you to roll a few columns to the left of where you'd normally roll, increasing your odds of a white result. No sloppy numerical math, just an easy visual column shift. Fun!

There are, of course, a jillion different powers, talents, and other basic fighting tactics you can use to make it more interesting, but in a basic slugfest that's all you have to do.

More combat rules and such here, though I haven't vetted it fully yet: http://www.angelfire.com/rpg2/xmanalb/MRPG.html
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:04, Wed 25 June 2014.
The Watcher
GM, 7 posts
Knows All, Sees All
Tells Some
Tue 24 Jun 2014
at 20:13
  • msg #5

Re: Marvel Heroes RPG Rules

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 4):

List of Powers & Talents

Here's a list with a TON of available powers on it: http://www.classicmarvelforeve...ate-powers-list.html

Here's an equally exhaustive list of talents: http://www.classicmarvelforeve...te-talents-list.html

If there's something you want that you can't find, that's ok -- we can build something customized to your situation.

Leveling Up

You spend your Karma to level up. Advancement rules here: http://www.classicmarvelforeve...cms/advancement.html

Essentially, here are the "level up" rules:

quote:
Primary Stat Boost: 1,000 Karma for 5 points (or next rank, if it's within 5 points)

Power Stat Boost: 2,000 Karma for 5 points (or next rank, if it's within 5 points)

Resource Boost: 500 Karma for 5 points (or next rank, if it's within 5 points)

Popularity Boost: 0 Karma. You can't buy popularity, you have to earn it through deeds

Gain a New Talent: 1,000 Karma if learned from an NPC expert. 2,000 Karma if learned from a fellow PC.

Gain a New Power: 4,000 Karma + 1,000 for every 5 points of power rank desired

Gain a New Power FEAT: TBD. Usually between 1,000 and 4,000, depending on the complexity of the FEAT you're trying to develop.

Note: It is possible to use an unlearned FEAT by spending 100 karma per attempt. If you roll Red, you can buy it on the spot at 50% off.

This discount only applies if you didn't spend karma to modify the roll.

This message was last edited by the GM at 05:52, Thu 15 Dec 2016.
The Watcher
GM, 8 posts
Knows All, Sees All
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Tue 24 Jun 2014
at 20:43
  • msg #6

Re: Marvel Heroes RPG Rules

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 5):

Character Generation

Details to come, but not all heroes are created equal. Your origin/source of powers will play a large role in your starting powers and the points available to you. Note that everyone will be balanced, but there aren't any "classes" -- more on this later.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:27, Wed 25 June 2014.
The Watcher
GM, 9 posts
Knows All, Sees All
Tells Some
Wed 25 Jun 2014
at 14:27
  • msg #7

Re: Marvel Heroes RPG Rules

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 6):


Step 1 - Origin

Your origin is sort of like your "race" in other games. You can roll it randomly, or select whatever you like best. This site has all the legal origins and their various benefits, but the layout isn't great: http://www.angelfire.com/rpg2/...acter_Generator.html

Step 2 - Stats

You'll use Karma once the game gets going, but starting out you'll use special Generation Points. Each player will start with 300 of these points. If you have any leftover, I'll convert them to Karma for you afterward.

These points can be spent on a point-for-point basis on your character, but remember you'll have to use them for everything: attributes, powers, talents, etc.

quote:
Generation Rules

- You get 300 Generation Points

- Ranks cost GP = to their number (Example: Good (10) costs 10 points. Good (9) costs 9 points, but such min-maxing has other costs)

- Every power you unlock costs 10 * X to unlock, where X = how many powers you already have. Once unlocked, you can allocate GP just like you did above.

- Resources are gained on a point-for-point basis, then modified based on origin

- Talents and Feats cost 10 GP each (subject to GM approval. Some feats might cost more, some less).

- All of these rules can be modified by your origin. Ask me if you have questions!


Example:

Sir Bob Fistpunch
F: Ex (20)
A: Gd (10)
S: Am (50)
E: Gd (10)
R: Ty (6)
I: Ty (6)
P: Ty (6)

HP: 90
Karma: 18

He's spent 108 of his 300, which gives him plenty leftover for his resources and powers. Note that your HP + Karma = Spent GP. Now, let's finish him up:

Resources: Ex (20) = 20 GP
Powers:
- Rm (30) Body Armor = 30 GP (first power = 10*0, so free to unlock)
- In (40) Super Speed = 50 GP (second power = 10*1, so 10 to unlock)

I've now spent 90 points on powers, for a total of 198 spent in generation so far. I want to add some feats and talents, so I'll stop there and more on.

Feats:
- I want to use my super speed to create a tornado by running in a circle really fast. That's gonna be 10 points to unlock, and then the game master ruled that I have to empower the tornado if I expect it to do any damage. I'll spend 40 more points to make it deal In damage, and 10 more if I want to be able to nudge it along a specific trajectory, for a total of 60 points.

- I want to use my super speed to run vertically up walls. 10 points.

- I want to use my super speed to physically ignite flammable surfaces that I run over. 10 points. I want to put more points into this to improve the intensity of the flames, but the game master rules that the flames' heat will depend upon the material that's been ignited. Fair enough.

That's 80 points of feats, leaving me with 22 for my talents.

Talents:
- Martial Arts A (10 points)
- Martial Arts B (10 points)

I have 2 points leftover, which I choose to bank into Karma.

Final version:

quote:
Sir Bob Fistpunch
F: Ex (20)
A: Gd (10)
S: Am (50)
E: Gd (10)
R: Ty (6)
I: Ty (6)
P: Ty (6)

HP: 90
Karma: 20
Resources: Ex (20)
Popularity: - (origin-dependent)

Powers:
• Body Armor: Rm (30)
• Super Speed: In (40)
-- Tornado Sprint: In (40) damage from buffeting winds, which travel along a set path
-- Defying Gravity: Can run up vertical surfaces
-- Burn Rubber: Can ignite flammable surfaces through friction

Talents:
Martial Arts A, B


I'll double check my math later, but I'm pretty sure this character is done and done -- everything but the origin (which might given or take powers/stats/etc.)

If you want more points, you'll need to take on limitations. These can be large (I'm allergic to chocolate and will die if I even look at it), small (I'm allergic to chocolate and eating it drops my Strength to Fe (2)), or power-specific (my ice blasts don't work when it's hotter than 90 degrees outside) or whatever makes sense. The points you get depends on how much of a hardship the limitation is.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:29, Wed 25 June 2014.
The Watcher
GM, 10 posts
Knows All, Sees All
Tells Some
Wed 25 Jun 2014
at 16:06
  • msg #8

Re: Marvel Heroes RPG Rules

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 7):

This is another excellent resource: mshgamer.com
The Watcher
GM, 14 posts
Knows, Sees, & Tells All
Above: 2 Truths, 1 Lie
Wed 25 Jun 2014
at 21:55
  • msg #9

Re: Marvel Heroes RPG Rules

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 8):

If you have any questions or concerns for your generation, please let me know!
Observer 3
player, 1 post
Thu 26 Jun 2014
at 02:35
  • msg #10

Re: Marvel Heroes RPG Rules

I is 'Intuition', not 'Intellect,' correct?
The Watcher
GM, 15 posts
Knows, Sees, & Tells All
Above: 2 Truths, 1 Lie
Thu 26 Jun 2014
at 12:34
  • msg #11

Re: Marvel Heroes RPG Rules

In reply to Observer 3 (msg # 10):

Yeah that seems to be the case
The Watcher
GM, 20 posts
Knows, Sees, & Tells All
Above: 2 Truths, 1 Lie
Fri 27 Jun 2014
at 13:40
  • msg #12

Re: Marvel Heroes RPG Rules

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 11):

It's worth mentioning here that you can't Column Shift past Shift Z, no matter how many bonuses you stack. Nobody can roll on the Class 1,000/3,000/5,000 without actually having something at that rank.
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