Roll 1d20 + Rank/Modifiers vs. Difficulty Class

Equal or exceed the DC = success. Every trait — ability, skill, power, defense — has a rank, from −5 to 20+, which is also the modifier added to its checks.

Critical Success: a natural 20 scores a critical success — figure the degree of success normally, then bump it up one more degree.

Routine Check: outside pressure, just use a flat result of 10 instead of rolling.

55% Rule: a +0 modifier succeeds at DC 10 about 55% of the time. Bonus needed for 55% at any DC = DC − 10.

Every full 5 points over or under the DC adds a degree (fractions ignored); no upper limit, though 2+ degrees of failure rarely matters further.

Opposed: higher result wins; tie → higher bonus wins; still tied → d20 coin-flip (1–10 / 11–20).

Routine opposition: DC = passive side’s modifier + 10 — this is exactly how attacks work (DC = 10 + defense).

Comparison: no luck involved (e.g. arm wrestling) — higher rank just wins; ties are a coin-flip.

Team Check: a leader rolls; each helper rolls the same check vs. DC 10. 1 total degree of success = leader +2; 3+ = +5. 2+ degrees of failure among helpers = leader −2.

Circumstance Modifiers: minor ±2, major ±5.

2 points per rank, −5 to 20.

Strength

Damage, lifting/throwing, Athletics

Stamina

Toughness, Fortitude, health recovery

Agility

Dodge, Initiative, Acrobatics, Stealth

Dexterity

Ranged attacks, Sleight of Hand, Vehicles

Fighting

Close attacks, Parry

Intellect

Expertise, Investigation, Technology, Treatment

Awareness

Will, Insight, Perception

Presence

Deception, Intimidation, Persuasion

0 = average adult. 8–10 = low/moderate superhuman. 20 = cosmic. Below 0 refunds 2 PP per rank down to −5.

Defense Class = Defense + 10

Dodge (Agility)

Ranged attacks and hazards; active

Parry (Fighting)

Close attacks; active

Toughness (Stamina)

Direct damage/harm; cannot be bought above Stamina without an effect or advantage

Fortitude (Stamina)

Poison, disease, health threats

Will (Awareness)

Mental and spiritual attacks

1 PP per rank to buy above the base ability. Vulnerable: active defenses halved (round up). Defenseless: active defenses = 0.

Attack bonus can never more than double; effect rank can’t drop below 0.

Round = 6 seconds.

Standard

Attack, use a power/skill/advantage — one per turn

Move

Move your speed, draw/stow an item, stand up — may trade your Standard for a 2nd Move

Free

Talk, drop an item, drop prone, stop sustaining a power

Reaction

Reflexive response, even off your own turn; doesn’t use your action allotment

No Action

Resistance checks and the like — not an action at all

Actions can’t normally be split (move→attack→move); a DC 15 free Athletics check adds +1 Speed rank for the round.

Initiative = 1d20 + Agility (+ modifiers)

Ties: highest Dodge, then Agility, then Awareness, then a die roll.

Surprise round: everyone rolls initiative; surprised characters take no action and are stunned & vulnerable until the next round. Non-surprised characters get only a standard action (or move) plus free actions.

Attack Check = 1d20 + attack bonus vs. Defense Class

Close attacks target Parry; ranged target Dodge. Natural 20 always hits (threat); natural 1 always misses — regardless of totals.

Critical hit (nat. 20 that also meets/beats DC): pick one — Increased Effect (+5 to the resistance DC), Added Effect (second effect at rank 0), or Alternate Effect (free power stunt, no fatigue).

Toughness vs. (Damage rank + 15)

Penalties are cumulative. Failing again while Incapacitated = Dying; failing again = Dead.

Ranged bands: short = rank×25ft (no penalty), medium = rank×50ft (−2), long = rank×100ft (−5); beyond long = out of range.

Cover/Concealment: partial −2, total −5 (total cover blocks a direct attack outright); cover gives the same bonus to Dodge vs. area effects.

Minions: non-minions hit them with routine checks (guaranteed if attack bonus ≥ 0); minions can’t crit non-minions; a minion failing a resistance check takes the worst result automatically.

The basic building blocks.

Compelled

Only free actions + 1 GM-chosen standard per turn

Controlled

No free will; another character dictates every action

Dazed

Only free actions + 1 standard (may move) per turn

Debilitated

An ability lowered below −5 — severe per-ability effect

Defenseless

Active defenses = 0; attacks against you are routine or auto-crit

Disabled

−5 circumstance penalty on that trait

Fatigued

Hindered; recovers after 1 hour’s rest

Hindered

Half speed (−1 speed rank)

Immobile

No movement speed at all

Impaired

−2 circumstance penalty on that trait

Stunned

No actions at all, not even free ones

Transformed

Traits altered by an outside agency

Unaware

Can’t perceive or act on surroundings at all

Vulnerable

Active defenses halved (round up)

Weakened

Temporary power-point loss in a trait

Bundles of the basic conditions.

Asleep

Defenseless, stunned, unaware

Blind

Hindered, visually unaware, vulnerable

Bound

Defenseless, immobile, impaired

Deaf

Total auditory concealment, sign/lip-read only

Dying

Incapacitated + Fortitude DC 15 each round or die

Entranced

Stunned, attending the effect; a threat breaks it

Exhausted

Impaired and hindered

Incapacitated

Defenseless, stunned, unaware, usually prone

Paralyzed

Defenseless, immobile, stunned, but aware

Prone

−5 close attack taken / +5 given, −5 vs. ranged given

Restrained

Hindered and vulnerable (or immobile if anchored)

Staggered

Dazed and hindered

Surprised

Stunned and vulnerable

Free action, once per turn.

Cost: Fatigued after use; using it again while Fatigued → Exhausted; again → Incapacitated. A Hero Point spent next turn removes the Fatigue entirely.

1 to start each session.

Spending is normally a reaction (no time cost). Earned via Complications, heroics, and roleplaying; unspent points don’t carry over between adventures.

Living targets remove one damage condition per minute of rest, working back from their worst condition (Incapacitated → Staggered → Dazed), then shed accumulated −1 penalties one at a time per minute.

Objects don’t recover naturally — they must be repaired (Technology). Lasting injury is typically handled as a GM-imposed Complication (which grants a Hero Point).

Starting PP = Power Level × 15 (PL 10 default «Super Heroes» = 150 PP)

Each cap is a pair — lean toward one side of the pair as long as the sum stays within it. PL is set by the GM for the whole series.

Attack

Offensive, needs an attack check, usually Instant, always resisted

Control

Influence over something; Standard to start, often Sustained

Defense

Protective; typically Personal & Permanent

Movement

Getting around; Free to activate, still needs a Move to move

Sensory

Alters or enhances senses; Free or Permanent

General

Doesn’t fit elsewhere — governed by its own write-up

Range: Close

Touch; unarmed attack vs. Parry if unwilling

Range: Ranged

Attack vs. Dodge (see the range bands)

Range: Perception

No attack check, just needs to be perceived

Duration: Instant

Occurs and ends the same turn

Duration: Sustained

Free action each round to maintain

Duration: Continuous

Stays on until deactivated (free action)

Duration: Permanent

Always on; can’t deactivate or extra-effort boost

Resistance DC = Effect Rank + 10

An Extra adds to an effect’s per-rank cost (usually +1); a Flaw subtracts from it (usually −1). Some modifiers are flat instead — applied once to the final total, after rank multiplication, not per rank.

If flaws drop the per-rank cost below 1 PP, express it as ranks-per-point (e.g. 1 PP per 3 ranks); the GM sets a floor (suggested default: 1 PP per 5 ranks). A flat flaw can never reduce a power below 1 PP total.

Type / range / duration / resistance / cost