
Urthona (used without permission)
Urthona (used without permission)
Hi all,
In my Marvel: The Verge campaign, I came across the following problem…
One character had taken emotional stress from fighting another character (they had actually spent 1PP to change the stress to emotional, instead of taking physical stress). During the next adventure, they had not entirely rid themselves of the stress but when it came time to use that stress in against them, I could not remember the circumstances by which they had accumulated the stress. All they had written down was “Emotional d8.”
Now, we could have just came up with something entirely different, but I felt that if we had made note of the circumstances, we could tie the narrative together, from an earlier fight to a later conflict.
So, I’ve begun to ask my players to make a short descriptive note to accompany any stress they receive. For example, “Burned by Hellfire d10.” Now, when that physical stress is rolled against them, I can invoke the specific cause as I narrate, or they narrate. Or, “Father Issues d12” will allow me to allude to their self doubt about living up to their sire’s expectations.
If the stress is stepped up, add in another description for the new level, keeping the old description too. As the stress is healed later on, the description will remain until that level of stress is recovered.
Of course, we have already been doing this for our complications, resources and assets, but it seemed natural for stress to follow the same suit, and I couldn’t find reference for this in the OpManual.
What do you think?
Agatha Harkness (used without permission)
Affiliations:
Distinctions: Restless Soul, Capable Witch/Nanny
RITUAL MAGIC
Sorcery ![]() |
Magical Awareness ![]() |
Resistance to Psychic Powers ![]() |
Resistance to Magic ![]() |
Telepathy ![]() |
Mind Control ![]() |
Superhuman Durability ![]() |
Teleport ![]() |
SFX: Versatile. Split SORCERY into 2d8 or 3d6.
SFX: Multipower. Use two or more RITUAL MAGIC powers in a single dice pool at -1 step for each additional power.
Limit: Restricted Movement/Speech. If unable to speak and gesture, shutdown RITUAL MAGIC. Recover RITUAL MAGIC when complication is removed, or via opportunity.
Affiliations:
Distinctions: Savage Temper, Gentile Veneer, Traveled the Timestream
CROMAGNON
Enhanced Strength Enhanced Stamina
Enhanced Senses
SFX: Claws. Add a d6 to your dice pool for an attack action and step back highest die in pool by –1. Step up physical stress inflicted by +1.
Limit: Inferiority Complex. Add d6 to doom when you step up stress or complications caused by emotional manipulation.
THE TIME GEM
The Time Gem (used without permission)
Time Supremacy Time Travel
Godlike Speed
SFX: Time Freeze. Add a d6 and step up your effect die by +1 when inflicting Frozen in Time! complication on a target.
SFX: Age/Youth. Add a d6 and step up your effect die by +1 when inflicting Old Age! or Infant! complication on a target.
SFX: Immune to Aging. Spend d6 to ignore stress, trauma, or complications from aging effects.
SFX: Precognition/Postcognition. Spend d6 to borrow the highest die in the doom pool as an asset for your next action, then step back and return the doom die.
SFX: Rapid Healing. Spend d6 to recover your own Physical Stress or step back your own Physical Trauma by –1.
SFX: Area Attack. Add a d6 and keep an additional effect die for each additional target.
SFX: Versatile. Split TIME SUPREMACY into 2d10 or 3d8.
SFX: Replay. Spend d6 to reroll when using any TIME GEM power.
SFX: Multipower. Use two or more TIME GEM powers in a single dice pool at -1 step for each additional power.
Limit: It Takes Willpower! Change any TIME GEM power into a complication for 1PP, which can be rolled in opposition to you anytime you use that power trait. This complication can be targeted and removed by spending doom pool dice. If the doom die is less than the complication, it is stepped back. If it equals or is greater, remove the complication. (This represents the fact that only individuals of high mental capabilities can wield the time gem properly).
Affiliations:
Kang (used without permission)
Distinctions: Ruthless Conqueror, Shrewd Tactician, Thrill-Seeker
EVOLVED PHYSIOLOGY
Enhanced Reflexes Enhanced Stamina
Psychic Resistance
SFX: Second Wind. Before you make an action including an EVOLVED PHYSIOLOGY power, you may remove your physical stress die (or greater) from the doom pool and step up the EVOLVED PHYSIOLOGY power by +1 for this action.
SFX: Careful Planner. Spend d6 to borrow the highest die in the doom pool as an asset for your next action, then step back and return the doom die.
Limit: Prideful. Add d6 to doom when you step up stress or complications caused by emotional manipulation.
Limit: Exhausted. Shutdown any EVOLVED PHYSIOLOGY power to add d6 to doom pool or step up lowest. Recover power by activating a player’s opportunity or spending a d6 from the doom pool.
ADVANCED TECH
Superhuman Durability Gadgets
Blasters
Melee Weapons
Hover Pad
Time Ship
SFX: Area Attack. Add a d6 and keep an additional effect die for each additional target.
SFX: Boost. Shutdown your highest rated ADVANCED TECH power to step up another ADVANCED TECH power by +1. Recover power by activating a player’s opportunity, or by spending d6 from the doom pool.
SFX: Burst. Step up or double an ADVANCED TECH die against a single target. Remove the highest rolling die and add 3 dice for your total.
SFX: Summon Minion from Timestream. Add a d6 and step up your effect die by +1 when using ADVANCED TECH to create minion assets.
SFX: Dangerous. Add a d6 to your dice pool for an attack action and step back highest die in pool by –1. Step up Physical Stress inflicted by +1.
Limit: Gear. Shutdown an ADVANCED TECH trait and add a d6 or step up lowest in doom pool. Spend d6 from the doom pool to recover.
Real Name: Roderick Kingsley
Hobgoblin (used without permission)
Affiliations:
Distinctions: Unscrupulous, Eye for Detail, Fashion Designer
GOBLIN FORMULA
Enhanced Reflexes Enhanced Strength
SFX: Boost. Shutdown your highest rated GOBLIN FORMULA power to step up another GOBLIN FORMULA power by +1. Recover power by activating a player opportunity or during a Transition Scene.
Limit: Another Dose. Shutdown any GOBLIN FORMULA power and add d6 to the doom pool, or step up lowest. Recover power during a Transition Scene.
GOBLIN TECH
Enhanced Durability Pumpkin Bomb
Goblin Grenades
Glove Blasters
Razor Bats
Glider
SFX: Area Attack. Add a d6 and keep an additional effect die for each additional target.
SFX: Knock-Out Grenade. Add a d6 and step up your effect die by +1 when inflicting GASSED! complication on a target.
SFX: Spider-Sense Clouding Grenade. Add a d6 and step up your effect die by +1 when inflicting DULLED SPIDER-SENSE! complication on a target.
SFX: Dangerous. Add a d6 to your dice pool for an attack action and step back highest die in pool by –1. Step up Physical Stress inflicted by +1.
Limit: Gear. Shutdown a GOBLIN TECH trait and add a d6 or step up lowest in doom pool. Spend d6 from the doom pool to recover.
With the AVENGERS being released this Friday…
Living Lightning (used without permission)
Affiliations:
Distinctions:
College Student, Newbie, Former Reluctant Villain
PLASMA FORM
Intangibility Blast
Flight
Space Flight
SFX: Area Blast. Add a d6 and keep an additional effect die for each additional target.
SFX: Invulnerable to Physical Attacks. Spend 1 PP to ignore physical stress or trauma unless caused by energy attacks.
SFX: Shocking, Grasped. On a reaction against a physical attack action, inflict physical stress with your effect die at no PP cost or spend a PP to step it up by +1.
Limit: Stasis Suit (Gear). Miguel has a specialized stasis suit that allows him to return to human form. If he cannot access his human form, gain 1 PP. Spend 1 PP to recover, or during a transition scene.
Limit: Grounded. Gain 1 PP and shutdown PLASMA FORM vs. grounding or electricity-dampening attacks. Spend 1 PP to recover the Power Set, or during a transition scene.
Specialties: Combat Rookie Tech Rookie
TEAM PLAYER
1 XP — when you give support to another hero.
3 XP — when you’re given an official place on a team.
10 XP — when you either sacrifice something you hold dear for the benefit of your team or walk away from your team to avoid that sacrifice.
BEING HUMAN…
1 XP — when your STASIS SUIT limit is activated.
3 XP — when you help a hero or bystander without using the PLASMA FORM power set.
10 XP — when you defeat a villain without using your PLASMA FORM power set.
Hi all,
During games, heroes and villains can create assets, complications and resources that allow them to add dice to their action/reaction rolls.
While working on my Verge campaign, I began to think about how I would handle my group’s reputation. Their team is a band of intergalactic specialists-for-hire. They’re not quite heroes, but not quite villains, and they certainly do their job for the money.
In the FATE system, campaigns can have Aspects that the players can invoke at any time, as long as the theme of their actions match that of the Campaign Aspect. So, I thought, why can’t I use this idea?
For example, I decided to give my player’s group a persistent Reputation Asset die that they can roll in their dice pool, if their team’s reputation is at stake. This Reputation die can be rolled in addition to another asset (like Scene Distinctions can also be rolled with Personal Distinction, as suggested as another House Rule).
The die will step up or step down depending on their actions during the adventure. Did they complete their mission? Did they cause too much collateral damage? Did the exceed their mandate? If they consistently foul up, then the die moves from being an asset to a complication (and is thus rolled against them whenever their reputation is involved).
The progression would be d12 Asset -> d10 Asset -> d8 Asset -> d6 Asset -> d0 Neither -> d6 Complication -> d8 Complication -> d10 Complication -> d12 Complication.
Individual or group wealth can also be handled in this manner, when making Resource rolls involving purchases, for example.
Or perhaps you just want to keep track of the campaign’s progress, depending on the actions of the heroes. Suppose the campaign revolves around a theme of war and peace.
(used without permission)
What do you think?
With a preponderance of minor villains flooding the MHR web community, I submit my favorite one…
The Porcupine (used without permission)
Affiliations:
Distinctions: Greedy, Paranoid, Proud of his Technological Achievements
PORCUPINE ARMOR
Boot-Jets Darkvision
Enhanced Durability
Sharp Spines
SFX: Spray of Spines. Add a d6 and keep an additional effect die for each additional target.
SFX: Sealed Mask. Spend 1 PP to ignore stress, trauma, or complications from vacuum or gas attacks.
SFX: Knock-Out Gas. Add a d6 and step up your effect die by +1 when inflicting Gassed! complication on a target.
Limit: Gear. Shutdown PORCUPINE ARMOR and gain 1 PP. Spend a d6 from the doom pool to recover, or during a transition scene.
Hi all,
The Watcher (used without permission)
As I’ve been Watching my campaign for the new Marvel Heroic Roleplaying Game, I’ve noticed how Action Scenes and Transition scenes seem natural ways to break-up the flow of the Event, as designed by the good people at Margaret Weis Productions.
However, as an ongoing campaign, I’m not sure this is the best structure to hold the game to. My sessions tend to be much more organic, some heroes switching between battles and roleplaying scenes while another subgroup doing the reverse, instead of having the whole group move between them as the Event demands.
As a consequence is that I usually ditch the Scene-Act-Event sequence for Scene-Issue-Arc-Campaign:
Given that XP is designed to be given out and cashed in during self-contained Events, I have modified them slightly, to produce a slower payoff:
What do you think?