Cost: 1 Point/Level
Type: Characteristic
Relevant Stat: None Power Modifier Values: None
Progression: Linear, starting at +10 Skill Points (Level 1) increasing to +100 Skill Points (Level 10)
Reduction: None
Restrictions: None
A character with this Attribute is more experienced or better trained than an ordinary person, and as a result has more Skill Points (see page 82) than an average adult. Extending this Attribute beyond Level 10 provides 10 additional Skill Points per Level (for example, Level 15 would provide a total of 150 Skill Points). Acquiring several Levels of the Highly Skilled Attribute is the ideal method for creating a versatile character who may lack superhuman Powers.
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CHAPTER2
H YPERFLIGHT
Cost: 2 Points/Level
Type: Power
Relevant Stat: Body Power Modifier Values: None
Progression: Fast Progression Chart, starting at 1x the speed of
light (Level 1) increasing to 1 billion times the speed of light (Level 10)
Reduction: Very specific utility Restrictions: Restricted area of flight;
character may suffer damage during flight; unpredictable relativistic time effects (GM’s control)
This Attribute is intended for use in star-spanning campaigns, involving travel between solar systems or galaxies. A character with Hyperflight can fly in the vacuum of space (not in an atmosphere) between planets, stars, asteroids, solar systems, and galaxies, at speeds equal to or exceeding the speed of light. The player can determine whether this Power represents warp technology, jump point formation, or the breaking of known physical laws. The Flight Attribute (page 44) is required to escape from the atmosphere and gravity of a planet similar to Earth. Without Flight, the character can only achieve Hyperflight speeds by taking off when already in space.
I LLUSION
Cost: 1-4 Points/Level
Type: Power
Relevant Stat: Mind
Power Modifier Values: Area, Duration, Range, Targets
Progression: Fast Progression Chart, starting at 10 cm radius area (Level 1) increasing to 100,000 km radius area (Level 10) Reduction: Illusion always the same Restrictions: Under certain conditions;
illusions are flawed in some way;
usage inflicts pain
The character can create mental Illusions that fool one or more senses. An Illusion appears to be real to the targeted observers but is not really there; it has no physical substance at all, and characters who are not the target of the Illusion are unaffected. Comic book characters that can create Illusions are often sorcerers, demons, or people with psionic abilities. See the
CHARACTER
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HISTORY OF
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VEHICLES
GAME
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SUPERHEROES
PLAYING
SUPERHEROES
CAMPAIGN
INTRODUCTION
WORLD
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GEOPOLITICAL
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Projection Attribute (page 63) for the ability to create real images that anyone can detect, rather than mental illusions that target specific people.
An Illusion may be of a particular object or entity, or of a complete scene (such as a furnished room or crowd). It may also be created over an existing person, scene, or object to make it appear different than it really is. An Illusion that is untended is normally static, either remaining in one place or (if created over something) moving as the underlying object or entity moves. To give an Illusion the semblance of independent activity (such as an illusionary person or crowd that moves and speaks) the character must actively concentrate on manipulating the Illusion, and perform no other actions. The maximum amount of time an Illusion will remain in existence is dictated by the Duration PMV.
For 1 Point/Level the character can create Illusions that deceive one sense, usually sight (sense must be determined during character creation). For 2 Points/Level the Illusions can deceive two senses, usually sight and hearing. For 3 Points/Level they can deceive three senses, usually sight, hearing, and smell. For 4 Points/Level they can deceive all senses. No matter how realistic the Illusions, however, they can never cause physical sensations intense enough to inflict damage. An illusionary fire may feel hot, and a character may believe that he or she is burning, but the fire cannot actually deliver damage. To create Illusions capable of injuring targets, the character should possess a Special Attacks Attribute (page 67) which is tied to the Illusion Attribute through the Dependent Defect (page 94).
A character can normally maintain only a single Illusion at a time. The ability to maintain multiple Illusions at once costs the character an extra 1 Point for every distinct Illusion the character can sustain simultaneously after the first. Thus, “Illusion Level 3 (sight only, four Illusions)” would cost six Points: three Points for Level 3 (one sense) and three more Points for being able to sustain four Illusions at a time. A group of objects or entities within the Area PMV, such as a furnished room, a swarm of insects, or a horde of charging warriors, counts as a single Illusion rather than several. If a character is already sustaining his or her maximum number of Illusions and wishes to create another one, an existing Illusion must first be dispelled.
An Illusion may have two types of areas: the Area PMV, and the area determined by the Attribute Level. The Area PMV reflects the maximum area in which the Illusion may be created, while the Level-related area dictates the actual size of the Illusionary image.
Thus, an Area PMV of Rank 6 (10 km) with Attribute Level 3 (10 metres) means that any image up to 10 metres in radius (such as a school bus) can be created, and moved around within a location that has a 10 km radius (such as a city’s downtown core).
In order for the character to create a convincing Illusion of something complex, the GM may require a Mind Stat check. The GM can add modifiers depending on how familiar or unfamiliar the character is with the scene that is being simulated. The GM may also give the character a +1 bonus for every Level he or she has in excess of the minimum Level needed to create an Illusion. For example, if a character with Illusion Level 5 decides to create an image with an area radius of one metre (a Level 2 effect), a +3 Check Value bonus
applies (Level 5 - Level 2 = +3). If the check fails, the character’s Illusion has some subtle flaw in it; the character creating it may not be aware of this until someone else points it out, however.
Whether or not an observer recognizes an Illusion for what it actually is depends on the circumstances and should be adjudicated by the GM. For example, if a character creates a visual-only Illusion of a tiger, it may easily fool everyone if it is a few hundred metres away, but if it comes close to the characters, the fact that it is not making any sounds will be obvious. Its lack of a tiger’s scent will probably only be a clue to someone who deliberately attempts to detect an odour, or who has Heightened Senses (Smell). The audio-only Illusion of a tiger roaring from behind a closed door, however, should fool just about anyone ... at least until they open the door and see that there is nothing actually there. If appropriate, the GM can require Body or Mind checks to “see through” an Illusion; if successful, the Illusion disappears.
I MMOVABLE
Cost: 1 Point/Level
Type: Power
Relevant Stat: Body Power Modifier Values: None
Progression: Linear, starting at 20 metre Knockback reduction (Level 1) increasing to 200 metre Knockback reduction (Level 10)
Reduction: None
Restrictions: Under certain conditions; against specific opponents; against one type of attack Characters with this Attribute absorb physical impacts better than the average person, reducing the distance by which they are knocked back from impact attacks and forceful blows. If a Special Attack’s or melee attack’s Knockback distance is reduced to zero or below, the target has successfully absorbed the impact of the entire attack (but the attack still inflicts damage). For more information on Knockback, see page 128 (or page 71 for the Special Attack Knockback Ability).
CHARA CTER CREA TION
Mother Raven has Illusion at Level 4 (4 Points/Level), with Area 5, Duration 4, and Targets 4. She is therefore able to create an illusion that fools all of a target’s senses within the minds of up to 50 people. The illusion can encompass a maximum area of 100 metres radius (dictated by the Level of the Power) and the targets must all be within 1 km of each other (dictate by the Power’s Area PMV). Each illusion created can last for up to 10 minutes before it fades from the targets’ minds.
EXAMPLE
Sentinel possesses the Immovable Attribute at Level 3. This means that his Knockback distance is reduced by 60 metres. If Iron Duke landed a crushing blow, inflicting 100 points of damage (and thus 100 metres of knockback) Sentinel would only be knocked back 40 metres (less his Body Stat).
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CHAPTER2
I NVISIBILITY
Cost: 2 or 3 Points/Level
Type: Power
Relevant Stat: Body Power Modifier Values: Area, Targets
Progression: Linear, starting at invisibility to 1 sense or technique (Level 1) increasing to invisibility to 10 senses or techniques (Level 10)
Reduction: Partial effectivenss
Restrictions: Time limit; invisible to certain types of characters; naked form only
This Attribute, at 3 Points/Level, will completely hide the character from one or more senses or detection methods. The character may possess a supernatural concealment ability or a technological cloaking device, or have a psychic or magical talent that causes observers to overlook him or her. Alternatively, Invisibility costs 2 Points/Level for a character who is only partially obscured. Opponents attempting to pinpoint/identify a partially invisible character suffer a -4 detection Check Value penalty, which is cumulative with modifiers for Heightened Awareness (page 48) and Heightened Senses (page 49).
For each Invisibility Level, the player selects one sense or technique to which the character is “invisible.” Senses include the human range for sight, hearing, taste, touch, or smell. Detection techniques include: astral;
ethereal; infrared; mental; radar; radiation;
sonar; spiritual; ultraviolet; vibration.
While the character may not be detected using specific methods, indirect evidence can still reveal the character’s presence. For example, a character who is invisible to sight will still leave footprints in muddy ground.
Similarly, a vase that is knocked from a table by a character who is invisible to sound will still make noise as it smashes on the floor.
In normal combat situations involving human or nearly human opponents, a character who is invisible to sight has a great advantage. Once the invisible character gives away his or her general position (for example, by firing a gun, attacking with a sword, or shouting) he or she can be attacked, but there is a -4 penalty for anyone within melee range and -8 for anyone at a greater distance. Heightened Awareness and Heightened Senses can reduce this p e n a l t y, a s c a n C o m b a t Technique (Blind Fighting) (page 34). This penalty is halved if using an Area or Spreading attack on the invisible character.