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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Judging
Page 5
Chapter 2: Campaigns
Page 57
Chapter 3: Characters and Supporting Cast
Page 75
Index:

Page

Chapter 1: Judging
Definition: What is a Judge?
Any role-playing game, adventure, store bought module or
accessory is only as good as the Judge who uses it. The Judge is
the key to the entire operation; without him (or her), the best
RPG in the world becomes no more than interesting reading.
So, what is a Judge? A Judge is the stage-setter, the taleteller, the mediator and the narrator. The Judge fills in the
background, describes what the player characters see and operates
the non-player characters, ranging from threats to the universe,
to small-time crooks, to innocent bystanders, to other heroes and
forces of the law. The Judge decides if a characters action is
successful or if a villain escapes. The Judge provides the
challenges for the heroes and the information that lets them
triumph.
To say that the Judge works against the players, since he runs
the bad guys, is at best misleading and at worst, flat wrong.
Rather the Judge works with the players to the enjoyment of
everyone. Judges who act only in an adversarial manner toward
players will soon find themselves with no players.
The specific roles of the Judge are:
Role play the various non-player characters (NPCs) the
player characters encounter.
Answer the players questions and clarify statements.
Describe the situation to players, from the player
characters viewpoint.
Handle game mechanics.
Make rulings when called upon in game situations.

Describe situations: The Judge is the eyes, ears and other senses
of the players. The Judge tell the players what they see from
the viewpoint of the characters. If a hero walks by a bank in
the middle of a hold-up the Judge might say, You see a brown
sedan in front of the Last National Bank, its engine running.
Looking through the plate glass window into the bank, you see a
pair of men in stocking masks with handguns making an illegal
withdrawal. The bank patrons are lying on the floor. From the
players viewpoint, a third robber just inside the door is not
visible, so the Judge makes no mention of him until the player
character is in a position to sense him (or the third robber
makes himself known by attacking the hero).
Answer questions and clarify statements: In any described
situation, there will always be questions. Its the nature of
the game for the characters to try to gather as much information
as possible because it a) gives them the best chance to
understand the situation and react accordingly, and b) it eats up
time until they or their comrades can come up with an idea to
handle the situation. With both of these practices in mind, the
best type of answers to give are clear and brief, again, based
upon what the characters in the game can see. In the above
example, the player may ask: Do I see any other robbers in the
bank? The Judge should respond: None that you can see. Such
answers have the dual purpose of creating the illusion of reality
(the players are not omniscient) and driving the players crazy
(the players are not omniscient). As a rule of thumb, if a
player looks for exact details, changes position to gather more
information or asks more than three general questions, the Judge
can rule that the character is observing for that round and go to
the next round.
Role Play the NPCs: A non-Player Character is any character not
controlled by the players. This includes all the bad guys, as
well as innocent bystanders, the forces of the law, animals and
other heroes as well. In role playing the NPCs, the Judge gets a
chance to do a little play acting, so have fun. Use different
voices and accents, trying to sound like the character you are
portraying. Voice can transmit clues as well as anything else.

Often the decisions of the NPCs are determined by die rolls,

particularly in the case of Popularity FEATs. Work these results
into your portrayals. If an NPC has been Friendly to the players
throughout the adventure, and suddenly gets a bad die roll, that
NPC does not suddenly become Hostile (in most circumstances).
The NPC would like to help, but does not know the information,
cannot give it out, is uninterested, has a pressing engagement or
simply changes the subject.
When role playing NPCs, use the same approach for what they know
as for what the players know. Their information is limited as
well. A low level flunky will probably not know what a master
villain is plotting. No matter what prodding the players bring
to bear, if he doesnt know, he cant tell the players.
(Although feel free to make stuff up, misinformation can be fun.)
One option the Judge has for running NPCs is to use another
player who is not running a character in the adventure to handle
some of the NPC interactions. The Judge tells the player what
information the character knows that the heroes are likely to be
looking for. He then allows everyone to role play the encounter.
This is especially useful when you need to run two NPCs
simultaneously, or if you want to make sure you dont leak
certain information to the heroes.
NPC Design: Non-Players Characters who do not have any Powers of
their own break down into three basic categories: Competent,
Normal and Incompetent. Competent NPCs are built with about 150
Hero Points for their Abilities, Talents, Contacts and Resources.
They make valuable Contacts for the heroes and tend to be at the
top of their chosen professions. Thus the leader of a band of
thugs will most likely be a Competent NPC. Most people who work
for the Avengers are considered competent NPCs as well. Normal
NPCs are average people and can be constructed with about 100
Hero Points. Normal thugs, henchmen, police officers, punks,
etc., all fall into this category. Love interests for the player
characters most often fall into this category too. Incompetent
NPCs are usually dependent on others in some way. They are made
with about 80 Hero Points or less. Children, the Elderly, and
the physically disabled fit into this category which is typified
by Spidermans Aunt May. There is usually a profound emotional
7

attachment between a Hero and any Incompetent NPCs they are

associated with. Unfortunately, this type of NPC is often
subject to threats made by villains to goad the heroes into
action.
Handle Mechanics: The Judge runs the combats, determines what
everyone is doing in a single round and handles the attacks for
the NPCs. The Judge also determines what FEAT rolls need to made
at which time. The standard mechanics that are the Judges
province are handled in the next section.
Make Rulings: This is the hardest of the Judges jobs, since
there will always be decisions where the Judge must make a
Judgment call, where the rules could permit either of two
results. Whether actions are possible, whether a character can
perform a Power Stunt, what type of result is required, whether a
character can add a Power, Talent, or Contact, are all judgment
calls the Judge must make in ordinary play. The thing about such
calls is that what you allow and do not allow is up to you. You
can have a wide open campaign with every character performing
all manner of Power Stunts or a hard gritty game where
character interaction is supreme and characters do not try to use
their Powers in new and unusual ways.
The other thing about making such ruling is that the Judge should
be fairly conversant in the rules. The Judge does not have to be
an absolute expert in all manner of Powers, but should be
knowledgeable about what they do (especially the Powers the
players are using). Being able to find the rule you are looking
for in the books is more important than remembering the rule
verbatim. The players will quickly become experts on the
characters Powers, and in the case of those running characters
from the Marvel Universe, will acquire examples of their
characters pulling off some incredible Power Stunt or another.
While there will be self-appointed experts on all manner of
Powers, there will also be those playing in the game who have
just read just enough to know what is going on, and enjoy playing
the game. This is the other reason the Judge should be aware of
his rule set - not every player will inform the Judge of what he
or she can or cannot do, until after the fact. Being aware of
8

your players potential and how it affects your campaign is

critically important.

Judging Situations
Judging and Character Generation:
The first hurdle for a Judge is when the players begin to
design their own characters. For first time Judges it is
recommended that pre-generated characters be used. After a few
gaming sessions, when everyone has a good grasp of the game
mechanics, give your players the option of creating their own
heroes.
Creating characters is fairly straight forward. The Judge is
called into the process when dealing with limitations.
Limitations are a method of controlling a strong Power or Ability
in the characters hands. Pre-generated characters already have
their limitations stated in their character descriptions.
Suggested limitations, and the maximum rank to which a Power
should be raised by these limitations, are detailed on pages 2425 of the Players Handbook.
In general, when assigning limitations, the Judge should think of
them as annoying or difficult, not impossible. Wall Crawling
that only works in deep space is nearly useless to the player
with that Power, in particular if the player is creating a
character for use in an urban style campaign. Use the
limitations to form the tenor of your own campaign, and to
prevent Powers that are too strong from upsetting campaign
balance.
If a player is raising a Power by accepting limitations, the
player may reject the Judges limitation and choose to have his
Power at the original un-enhanced level (no second chances). A
player may not reject a limitation when a limitation is called
for by the Power. Powers that require limitations are generally
more powerful than most. The Judge should set the limitation
according to the initial Power Rank of the limitation requiring
Power. (This is a case where taking a Power at a relatively low
rank - with a minor limitation - and increasing it later through
Advancement is in the players best interest.)

10

If using one limitation to raise multiple Powers, take the

highest maximum rank and raise it by +5 for each additional Power
being raised to determine a suitable limitation. If a character
had three Powers with a maximum rank of 25, and wishes to use one
limitation to raise all three powers, look for a limitation of 40
or better for a suitable limit.
Alter Egos: If most or all of a characters super human Powers
are combined under a single limitation, the Judge may assign the
character an Alter Ego. An Alter Ego will usually have abilities
similar to a High Tech character. (All but one physical or two
mental abilities in the Normal range.) Talents and Contacts can
be assigned to either identity or both. Health and Karma are
kept track of separately for each identity, and are not shared.
Advancement is handled separately for each identity. There will
be some sort of method that allows the character to transform
between states. There may also be methods to force or prohibit
such transformations.
Character Modeling: Modeled characters are probably the most
difficult to create because they are a joint project between the
Player and the Judge. Either the player has some favorite hero
who does not have pre-generated stats, or has created a character
from scratch.
Keeping in mind the various classes, decide what rank numbers
best describe each of the characters abilities. Strength is
probably the easiest to determine, and comparisons with pregenerated characters will enable you to determine the other
abilities.
Impaired
Normal
Enhanced
Superhuman A
Superhuman B
Metahuman A
Metahuman B
Cosmic

Below Normal Human Ability

Normal Human Ability
Above Normal Human Ability
Definite Superhuman Ability
Superior Superhuman Ability
Limit of Human Comprehension
Limit of Human Measurement
Beyond Human Measurement

A normal, reasonably healthy, human being has a rank number of 10

in each ability.
11

Ranges:

Fighting

Impaired
Normal
Enhanced
Superhuman A
Superhuman B
Metahuman A
Metahuman B
Cosmic

<= 0
<= 5
<= 5
1 - 5
1 - 20
6 - 25
6 - 20
6 - 25
21 - 40
26 - 40
21 - 35
26 - 45
41 - 60
41 - 60
36 - 50
46 - 60
61 - 80
61 - 75
51 - 75
61 - 75
81 - 100 76 - 100 76 - 100 76 - 100
101 - 125 101 - 125 101 - 125 101 - 125
126+
126+
126+
126+

Ranges:
Impaired
Normal
Enhanced
Superhuman A
Superhuman B
Metahuman A
Metahuman B
Cosmic

Reason

Agility

Intuition

Strength

Psyche

Endurance

Spirit

GENERAL

<= 5
<= 5
<= 5
<= 5
NA
- 25
6 - 20
6 - 25
6 - 25
<= 25
- 40
21 - 40
26 - 40
26 - 40
26 - 40
- 60
41 - 60
41 - 60
41 - 60
41 - 60
- 75
61 - 75
61 - 75
61 - 75
61 - 75
- 100 76 - 100 76 - 100 76 - 100 76 - 100
- 125 101 - 125 101 - 125 101 - 125 101 - 125
126+
126+
126+
126+
126+

6
26
41
61
76
101

Just about everyone in the Marvel Universe has fought everyone

else in the Marvel Universe, so a good idea of comparative
strengths and weaknesses has already been established. For
modeled characters, no such history of their actions exist. The
players knowledge of what he wants his character to do can be of
great help in deciding what ranks to assign to the characters
abilities and Powers.
Please remember that Earth based characters should not get out of
the Superhuman A range. While characters more powerful than this
may be fun to design, they tend to disrupt game balance. It is
also very difficult to design opponents for such characters.
Villains with Abilities and Powers higher than Superhuman A could
probably destroy or enslave entire planets if the heroes fail to
stop them.
Notes on character design: Although every character is unique,
many characters break down into the following types:
The Athlete is restricted to Normal values for Strength and
Endurance, and tends to rely more his Talents than his Powers.
12

Powers that such characters have are usually not offensive in

nature and run toward enhancements of normal abilities. Most
athletes have one or two pieces of equipment as their trademarks.
Captain America, Daredevil, Deadpool, Hawkeye and Wolverine are
examples of this type as are most Hi-Tech villains who do not
wear ability enhancing battlesuits.
The Enhanced Athlete is similar to the Athlete, but relies more
on his abilities and Powers than his Talents. Most of their
physical abilities will be in the Enhanced class or better.
Powers can be of any type. Equipment may or may not be used by
the hero. Spiderman is the best example of this type of
character, but Beast, Tigra, and Moonstone fit this profile too.
Most moderately powered battle armors fit into this category.
The Powered Character will have physical abilities similar or
inferior to the Athlete, and rely heavily on their Powers in
combat. These Powers are often in the Superhuman range and
normally have offensive and defensive uses. If such characters
lose their Powers, they might become easy targets as they are not
used to handling problems without the use of their Powers. Most
of the Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the
Human Torch) fall into this category. In fact, many members of
various Super Hero teams fall into this category. (The Scarlet
Witch, Pulsar, Shadowcat and Storm are all valid examples.)
The Power-House has Superhuman Strength and Endurance and has
Body Armor in the Enhanced Class or better. Powers of these
characters are usually directly attributable to their physical
forms. Almost every super team has some sort of Power-House who
acts as the backbone of the team. Atlas, Colossus, The Hulk, and
the Thing are prime examples of this character type. Iron Man is
a High-Tech version of a Powerhouse.
Not all characters will fit into these types, but when designing
opponents, knowledge of them will help the Judge balance a
scenario.
Miscellaneous and Unique Weapons, Equipment and Powers: Many
characters carry small bits of equipment beyond those listed or
13

normally available. Some players will design unique weapons,

equipment and Powers for their characters. The cost in Hero
Points for these items must be determined by the Judge. If the
functions of the device duplicate a Power, use the Power to
determine the cost in Hero Points. If you as the Judge are still
stumped, here are some guidelines.
Miscellaneous Tools: These
function. They should not
communication device, tool
line or similar device. A
Points.

are simple devices with one

be usable as weapons. This
kit, first aid kit, camera,
Miscellaneous Tool Costs 10

primary
could be a
grappling
Hero

Miscellaneous Multi-Tool: This could be considered a utility

belt. It contains multiple types of simple tools and devices.
The items in a Multi-Tool should not be designed as weapons, but
some items (vial of acid, mini laser torch, freon tabs) can be
pressed into service as one shot weapons of 25 Intensity or less.
A Multi-Tool Costs 20 Hero Points, plus 5 Hero Points for every
tool that can be used as a weapon.
Most Miscellaneous Weapons have some sort of translation to one
of the Distance Attack Powers, so figure the cost for those
normally.
A Multi-Weapon is one the can inflict several different forms of
damage or has other special uses. Figure the cost in Hero Points
as for the weapons most frequent function and add 5 Hero Points
for each different type of ammunition available, or 10 Hero
Points if no special ammunition is required. (Hawkeyes arrows
are a good example of the first type, but a zap gun than can
shoot heat rays, sonic blasts and stun beams all with the same
power pack is definitely of the second type.) The minimum cost
for a Multi- Weapon is 100 Hero Points, 150 if the weapon does
not require special ammunition.
Unique Weapons: A truly unique weapon is one the player
characters can not recreate without outside assistance. Captain
Americas shield falls into this category, as does Thors hammer
Mjolnir. Spidermans web-shooters, while unique in the fact that
no one else uses them, are not treated as a unique weapon as
14

Spiderman has rebuilt them a number of times without assistance.

The Base Cost for such a weapon is its Material Strength. Added
to this are the half the cost of any Powers, Talents or abilities
the Weapon may possess. Caps shield costs 375 Hero Points,
Thors hammer Mjolnir costs approximately 755 Hero Points based
on current guesses about its capabilities.
Unique Powers: If a player character comes up with a truly
unique power, especially one with multiple effects, use the chart
below as a rough guide. For example, I once created a character
whom I called FreeFall. His unique Power involved Inertial
Damping. He was very difficult to Slam, could fall almost any
distance without injury, and could ignore a physical attack of up
to 58 Intensity twice per day with a Psyche FEAT as well as a few
other special Abilities. As a default, I figured 200 Hero Points
as the cost for his Power.
Maximum
Effect
25
26-40
41-60
61-75
76-100
101-125
126+

Power
Cost
100
150
200
350
750
1250
1250 + 50/point above 125

Creative Rulebreaking: Some say rules are meant to be broken.

They are. Sometimes a player will want their characters to be
able to do things that don't exactly match the rules. For
example, someone who Evades with their Agility instead of their
Fighting.
It's not that unreasonable a request and granting it probably
won't unbalance the campaign. So what to do? Some Judges will
say, "No, it doesn't work that way." A better Judge might say,
"Fine, we can treat that as a talent" and charge him 10 Hero
Points for it.
Any similar bending of the rules that you, as Judge, see fit to
allow should probably have a similar price tag. A more
significant bending of the rules should have a commensurately
bigger price tag.
15

A possible example is with Power Stunts. I don't see a reason

why a character can't start with an extra power stunt or two if
they're willing to pay the price in hero points. I figure
something in the range of 15 Hero Points (Multiplied by the
Power's Cost Multiplier if that is greater than 1) to start with
a developed Power Stunt isn't too unreasonable if I feel the
Power Stunt makes sense for the character in the first place.
Of course, if something affects the original power, all the
developed Power Stunts it has are also affected. Buying the
actual Powers instead might... be useful. (Linked Powers can
have this problem if the Judge is feeling particularly vicious.)
All that said, if what the player wants doesn't make sense to you
as Judge, don't allow it.

FEATs and Intensities

The success of character actions are based on FEAT rolls. A
player may be trying for a Green, Yellow, or Red result on a
particular FEAT to determine success. What color is needed is
determined by the Intensity of the FEAT. So who determines the
Intensity? The Judge does.
Standard FEAT intensities and the abilities to which they apply
are listed on Pages 25-26. An Intensity is set as a rank number.
Using the chart on the next page, compare the requisite ability
against the Intensity to determine the color of the FEAT required
for success.
Intensity - Ability Rank Number
-|- - - - - - - - - -|- - - - |+ + + + +|+
1|1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0|0 0 0 0 0|0 0 0 0 0|0
5|4 3 2 1 0 9 8 7 6 5|4 3 2 1 0|1 2 3 4 5|6
Automatic|
Green
| Yellow |
Red
|Impossible

Determining Automatic and Impossible FEATs

The chart above shows than a FEAT can be considered Automatic if
the Intensity is 15 or more points lower than ability being
16

checked and Impossible if the Intensity is 6 or more points

higher than the abilities being checked. This is a general rule
which the Judge can bend at his discretion. For an Automatic
FEAT, the Judge might require a FEAT roll if time is of vital
importance to the action being attempted. Some cases (like
Poisons) always require FEATs regardless of the Intensity. At
the Judges option, an Automatic FEAT can be rolled with a
bonus of 1 point for each point below the ability. A 10
Intensity FEAT vs. 30 Ability can be attempted on the 50 column.
A Green result is required for success.
For an Impossible FEAT, you can bend this rule if failure to
perform the Impossible action would result in the certain death
of the character. An Impossible FEAT can be rolled with a
penalty of 1 point for each point above the ability. A 25
Intensity FEAT vs. 18 Ability can be attempted on the 11 column.
A Red result is required for success. If this Penalty shifts the
column to 3 or less, a natural 00 is required for success.
This brings up one of the basic guidelines of Judges: Give the
characters an even break. This is not to say the Judge should
give them what they want on a silver platter - they should have
to work (and spend Karma) for it, only that situations exist
where the Judge may have to bend the rules a little. What
happens when in a situation which is unprepared or uncalled for,
such as Spiderman Wall-Crawling on a rain lashed steel surface, 2
or an invisible character being pursued by heat tracking devices?
At this point the Judge has to wing it.
As Judge, first determine in your mind what that FEAT Intensity
should be, without regard to the abilities of the character
making the FEAT. A rain-lashed steel surface would be a bit
slicker than normal, but not as slick as an oil covered surface.
(There is a slickness chart on page 272 of the Players
Handbook.) At a guess, the Intensity would be around the 15 to
20 range, depending on how hard it is raining or if the steel is
polished smooth. In the second case, unless the character has a
Power Stunt that allows him invisibility to infrared sources,
hes probably toast.
2

Not much, Spidermans Wall-Crawling rank is high enough to allow him to

ignore it.

17

In cases where there is too much information missing, go to a

default condition. If the Intensity is unknown and likely
unknowable, require a Yellow FEAT roll for success. Since most
important Intensities are usually determined in advance by the
Judge or the adventure itself, this default condition helps to
speed play. Of course, there is no rule saying you have to tell
the players you are using a default condition - this is merely a
shortcut you can use.

Judging Combat
The greatest amount of judging involves conflict, in particular
with the player characters on one side and the Judge controlled
non-player characters on the other. The basic format for
battling in laid out in Chapter 2 of the Players Handbook, but a
quick summary appears below.
1) The Judge determines actions.
2) The Players determine actions.
3) Roll Initiative.
4) Pre-Action rolls are made.
4a) Timed events take place.
5) The actions of the side that won Initiative take place if
those actions are still possible.
6) The actions of the side that lost Initiative take place if
those actions are still possible.
When the Judge determines the actions of the characters he
controls, he is effectively role-playing those characters. As
such, the Judges actions are limited to what those characters
may know or see. The Judge may know that Spiderman is hanging
directly above the head crook in the shadows of the warehouse,
but since the head crook does not know this, said crook could not
act on this knowledge until the player running Spiderman does
something to draw attention to himself.
The Judge notes what actions his characters are going to preform
before asking the players what their characters are doing. He
may write these down if he wishes. Writing things down takes
time, but helps keep track of things in long multi-character
battles. The Judge should not change his mind after committing,
18

even if the Players pull some trick that destroys the villains
plans. The Judge has a large supply of bad guys, challenges and
troubles with which to besiege the heroes, so a little honesty
wont hurt.
There will be situations where the players may grab Initiative
and negate the bad guys actions. In this case the Judge may
change actions in the Pre-Action section of the turn. This is
described on page 33 of the Players Handbook and works the same
way. A Yellow Agility FEAT is required to change an action and a
-5 penalty applies to any FEATs after the attempt to change
actions.
The Pre-Action part of the turn is when certain actions occur
that are not controlled by Initiative. These include timed
devices, such as explosions, trap doors opening and bank vaults
unlocking. These actions can occur here because they may catch
the villains and heroes alike off guard, negating their actions
for the round.
Column Shifts in combat: The tables presented on pages 26-27 of
this book detail shifts to the FEAT roll made for various
conditions the heroes may encounter. Column shifts may be
applied to hits, to damage or to all FEATs.
A bonus shifts the rank number to the right on the Universal
Table. This makes the attempted action easier. A penalty moves
the rank number to the left. (Possibly going below 0.) Shifts
are primarily involved in specific situations. (Trying to lift
an object on a slippery incline may result in a -5 or -10 shift.)
Shifting of ranks may make certain FEATs Automatic or Impossible.
There is no limit to the amount of penalties that can apply to a
FEAT. However no amount of bonuses may increase a FEAT by more
than one class above its initial ability. Make sure all column
shifts are made before rolling the dice.
Column shifts that affect damage are adjusted by the amount shown
on the Modifiers to Damage chart on page 27.

19

Column shifts that affect all FEAT rolls affect all FEATs in the
noted round. Damage is not a FEAT roll, so it is not affected,
3
but most combat FEATs, defensive FEATs and Power Stunts are.

Most Endurance FEATs are not affected.

to poison just because it is dark out.

20

One does not become less resistant

Special Situations in Combat:

The tables also list certain situations where external factors
may affect the combat situation.
Dancing in the Dark: There are two types of darkness - Night and
Dark. A Night situation is a reduction of available light,
though light sources exist (city lights, the moon, stars), while
a Dark situation involves the elimination or total reduction of
light (in a cavern, a windowless building with the lights out, an
overcast night in the country). Night is considered 10 Intensity
for FEAT rolls. Maximum sight range is 200 Meters, so weapons
and Powers may not be fired beyond that range. Firing in
darkness is done with a -5 Penalty, though normal melee combat
can take place.
Dark conditions are considered 20 Intensity darkness unless
stated otherwise (by Darkforce Powers, for example). Normal
sight is limited to the immediate area of the character (about
half a meter). All FEAT rolls have a -10 Penalty when in Dark
Conditions, including combat and the use of Powers.
Combat and Weather: Atmospheric conditions may also affect
fighting, as noted below. For Intensities, see the Intensity
Table on page 26.
Fog: Fog reduces normal sight to 40 Meters. Those firing
weapons, using distance Powers, or throwing objects receive a -5
Penalty for fighting in fog.
Rain: When it is raining, characters firing objects, using
distance Powers, or throwing objects receive a -5 Penalty. A
heavy rain extends this Penalty to all FEATs. Rain slickens
normal surfaces, so FEATs involving climbing or wall-crawling
have a -5 Penalty. Control FEATs for vehicles also have a -5
Penalty.

21

Heat: High temperatures reduce the fighting effectiveness of

those involved. A temperature above 35 C (95 F) or 15
Intensity, results in a -5 Penalty for all FEATs. Characters may
resist heat for as many turns as their Endurance rank number.
Past that point, make an Endurance FEAT every ten minutes against
the Intensity of the heat. Failing this FEAT requires the
character to rest for 10 rounds or some how cool off. Repeated
(3 or more) failures of this FEAT may result in Heat Stroke
(Judges call). Heat Stroke victims must make an Endurance FEAT
each round or begin to lose Endurance.
Cold: Similarly, cold temperatures affect Fighting Ability.
temperatures below 0 C, all FEATs and damage suffer a -5
penalty.

For

Material strengths are also reduced by 5 points (except for ice,

of course.) Characters may resist cold for as many turns as
their Endurance rank number. Past that point, make an Endurance
FEAT every ten minutes against the Intensity of the cold.
Failing this FEAT may result in frostbite (Judges call). After
repeated (3 or more) failures of this FEAT, the victim begins to
freeze to death and must make an Endurance FEAT each round or
begin to lose Endurance.
Underwater Combat: Battling underwater reduces the range for
Thrown objects by 5 points. Missile weapons are useless unless
specifically designed to operate underwater. Powers have their
ranges reduced by 5 points as well. Melee combat occurs as for
flying characters (see Players Handbook), with all limitations,
and a -5 Penalty to hit as well. Characters with Water Breathing
or Swimming Powers are not limited in fighting underwater, and
may act normally.
Combat in space and zero gravity: Zero gravity situations place
their own restrictions on combat. All missile attacks and thrown
objects have line of sight range. Any character may be stunned
or slammed in zero gee. (In this case, stunning may refer to how
long it takes a character to reorient themselves after an
attack.) Certain characters can survive in deep space for
extended periods of time, not requiring food or air. Others must
deal with 55 Intensity Cold and the total lack of air. Those not
22

used to zero gravity suffer a -10 Penalty to melee combat FEATs

as the laws of action and reaction get a major workout. Those
throwing objects or using projectile weapons suffer a -5 Penalty
to hit, but range is pretty much line of sight as stated earlier.
Characters who are used to zero gravity do not suffer these
penalties.
Impact Resistance versus Penetration Resistance. (Optional Rule)
Body armor works by reducing the amount of damage taken by the
wearer. This is Impact Resistance. However, most real world
body armors provides little impact resistance, they provide
penetration resistance instead. If someone wearing a bulletproof vest is shot, the bullet still does damage to the target,
but the damage is Force Damage instead of Shooting Damage. Thus,
the wearer is protected from Kill results which is the whole
point of wearing armor.
The Judge can deal with this issues in three ways. The first is
to ignore it (thats why this is an optional rule), the second
involves granting armor an additional ability called Penetration
Resistance, while the third does this while weakening the impact
resistance of conventional armors.
With the second method, any Body Armor that has a Material
Strength higher than its Power Rank gains Penetration Resistance
equal to its Material Strength. EA and Shooting Damage (but not
other forms of attack) of an Intensity less than
(Continued on page 28)

23

Intensity Table

Teleportation

Fighting FEATs
Attack 2x per round
Attack 3x per round

Intuition FEATs
Obvious Items
5 Intensity
Details
20 Intensity
Hidden doors
20 Intensity
Secret passages
20 Intensity
Sense wrongness about person or
object
40 Intensity
Sense invisible
55 Intensity
Sense astral form
55 Intensity

25 Intensity
50 Intensity

Agility FEATs
Catch Falling object 0 Intensity
Balance Beam
15 Intensity
Dodge Single Bullet
20 Intensity
Catch Thrown Objects
25 Intensity
Shoot 2x per round 25 Intensity
Walk Tight Rope
25 Intensity
Dodge Multiple Bullets
40 Intensity
Catch Arrow in Flight
50 Intensity
Shoot 3x per round
50 Intensity
Dodge Laser or Energy Weapons
55 Intensity
Catch Bullet
60 Intensity
Strength FEATs
Mass equals Intensity
Endurance FEATs
Air Pollution Alert
Police Tear Gas
Typical Snake Venom
Typical Spider Venom
Exposure to Vacuum
Reason FEATs
Simple Machines
Complex Machines
Charades
Appliances
Basic Electronics
Common Vehicles
Computer Programming
Ability Modifying Devices
Star Drive
Time Travel

0 Intensity
10 Intensity
15 Intensity
20 Intensity
55 Intensity

0 Intensity
5 Intensity
10 Intensity
10 Intensity
15 Intensity
20 Intensity
25 Intensity
40 Intensity
50 Intensity
50 Intensity

Psyche FEATs
Typical Hypnosis
Typical Mind Control

55 Intensity

15 Intensity
25 Intensity

Spirit FEATs
Typical Mesmerism
15 Intensity
Typical Earth Magic
35 Intensity
Typical Asgardian Magic
55 Intensity
Other Intensities:
Fire
Single Match
0 Intensity
Campfire
10 Intensity
Burning room
15 Intensity
Burning house
20 Intensity
Burning warehouse
25 Intensity
Burning non-explosive chemicals
40 Intensity
Blast furnace
50 Intensity
Burning explosive chemicals
55 Intensity
Interior of a volcano
60 Intensity
Surface of a star
125 Intensity
Interior of a star
250+ Intensity
Common Cold
Common Flu
Engineered Virus
24

10 Intensity
15 Intensity
25+ Intensity

Radiation,
Ancient A-bomb Blast
Recent A-Bomb Blast
Vial of Plutonium
Interior of Nuclear Plant

1 Intensity
20 Intensity
40 Intensity
50 Intensity

Slickness,
Ordinary Concrete
0 Intensity
Water Covered Surface 15 Intensity
Ordinary Brickwork 0 Intensity
Soap Covered Surface
20 Intensity
Ordinary Woodwork
5 Intensity
Oil Covered Surface
25 Intensity
Glass and Steel
10 Intensity
Non-Stick Surfaces 40 Intensity
Smooth Steel Alloys
15 Intensity
Frictionless Surfaces 125 Intensity
Darkness
Night
Dark
Typical Darkforce

10 Intensity
20 Intensity
30 Intensity

Corrosive,
Mild Acid
15 Intensity
Standard Acid
20 Intensity
Concentrated Acid
40+ Intensity
Antimony pentafluoride in solution with
Hydrofluoric Acid
55+ Intensity
Stunning,
House current
20 Intensity
Typical protection devices
25 Intensity
Factory current
30 Intensity
Lightning bolt
40 Intensity
High Tension wires
50 Intensity
Stasis Ray
55 Intensity
Modifiers to Hit
Successful Combat Dodge
-30, -20, -10 Penalty
Failed Combat Dodge
+10 Bonus
Multiple attacks on one roll

Vision through fog

Weather
Normal rain shower
Normal thundershower
Normal thunderstorm
High winds
Normal tornado
Normal hurricane

10 Intensity

15 Intensity
25 Intensity
40 Intensity
25+ Intensity
50 Intensity
60 Intensity

-20 Penalty
Target moving,
Speed 30+
Speed 26 - 30
Speed 21 - 25

-20 Penalty
-10 Penalty
-5 Penalty

Agility attacks in Hand-to-Hand Combat

-15 Penalty

Temperature
Heat, 35 C / 95 F 15 Intensity
Heat, 50 C / 122 F
20 Intensity
Heat, 65 C / 149 F
25 Intensity
Cold, 0 C / 32 F
15 Intensity
Cold, -20 C / -4 F
20 Intensity
Cold, -40 C / -40 F
25 Intensity
Cold, Interplanetary Space
55 Intensity
25

Target (Partially) Held

+5 Bonus
Ambush
+5 Bonus
Talents
+5 Bonus/level
Blindsiding
+10 Bonus
Luring
+10 Bonus

Modifiers to Hit (Continued)

Target size,
< 10 millimeters
10-40 millimeters
40-160 millimeters
2.5-5 meters
5-7.5 meters
> 7.5 meters

-15 Penalty
-10 Penalty
-5 Penalty
+5 Bonus
+10 Bonus
+15 Bonus

Grappling with Wrestling Talent

+10 Bonus, 1st Level,
+5 Bonus, 2nd+ Levels

Attacker size vs. normal target

40-160 millimeters
+5 Bonus
10-40 millimeters
+10 Bonus
< 10 millimeters
+15 Bonus

Modifiers to Damage
Block
Str. -25, -15, -5 or +5 Damage
Cold conditions
-5 Damage
Attack Vulnerability
+5 Damage

Unintended Target in Ranged Attack

-10 Penalty
Range, see main text
Point Blank Range

Modifiers to FEAT rolls

Multiple combat actions attempt
Unsuccessful
-15 Penalty
Successful
-5 Penalty
Character at less then full
Endurance
-10 Penalty
Dark Conditions
-10 Penalty
While Dodging
-10 Penalty
In Partial Hold
-10 Penalty
Changed Action
-5 Penalty
Cold (0 C) weather
-5 Penalty
Hot (35 C) weather
-5 Penalty
Aided by character of similar powers
+5 Bonus

+15 Bonus

Ranged Attacks
in Light Rain
at Night
in Fog

-5 Penalty
-5 Penalty
-5 Penalty

All Attacks
Underwater
in Darkness
in Heavy Rain

-5 Penalty
-10 Penalty
-5 Penalty

Use Bow without Bow Skill -5 Penalty

Charging +1/5 meters
Diving +1/5 meters

Max +15 Bonus

Max +20 Bonus

Successful Evasion 0, +5, +10 Bonus

26

or equal to the Penetration Resistance is treated as Force

Damage. The actual Body Armor Rank still applies to any damage
caused.
Finally, with the third method, conventional forms of body
4
armor have their Impact Resistance reduced by 5 points, but
have their Penetration Resistance figured normally.
In either of these cases, armor piercing weapons reduce the
targets Impact and Penetration Resistance by the appropriate
amount. Also, attacks designed to shred armor are directed
against the Material Strength of the Armor, not the Power Rank.
Judging Combat Results - Staggers, Slams, and Grand Slams:
Several results on the Battle Effects Table refer to Staggering
or Slamming an opponent. In these cases, if damage was
inflicted, the attacker gets to choose the direction of stagger,
slam or grand slam. Naturally the Judge may wish to not slam the
player characters into walls every time they get into combat, so
the Judge can use the table below to determine direction for such
attacks.
Roll 1d10
1-2
3-4
5-6
7
8
9
0

Direction
Straight Back
Back and Left
Back and Right
Straight Left
Straight Right
Straight Up
Straight Down

Bullet proof vests, flak suits, bomb disposal gear, S.H.I.E.L.D issue body
armor and similar items are all considered conventional forms of Body Armor.

27

Directions are taken from the attackers point of view. Targets

may take additional damage for being knocked into walls and other
obstructions at high velocity, but do not take additional damage
for being knocked through the floor with a Straight Down result.
If the force of the blow is insufficient to knock a character
through the floor, treat a Straight Down result as a Stagger.
Ranged Weapons - Unintended Targets: A missile weapon that
misses its intended target does not generally evaporate, but
continues on to the limits of its range. Similarly, if a hero or
villain fires into a melee, missing one target does not guarantee
missing other targets. For this reason, the Judge may use the
Unintended Target rule.
When firing into a melee (group of characters fighting, grappling
or in close contact with one another), if a ranged attack misses
the original target, the Judge should check other adjacent
targets for a hit. The check may be made in any order available
for adjacent targets, but any potential target among those
Friendly to the firer should come first. These rolls are made
with a -10 Penalty to hit (as the firer was not actually aiming
at them).
Example: Spiderman and Daredevil are in close combat with a group
of 3 goons. A fourth goon fires at Spiderman and misses. Checks
should be made with a -10 Penalty for the 3 goons to see if the
shot hits one of them. The checks can be made in any order the
Judge chooses. If all three goons are missed, then check to see
if the shot hits Daredevil.
Similarly, if a missile weapon misses its target, it will
continue out the limits of its range, or until it hits something.
Weapons and Powers that are line of sight in Range diminish in
potency as they travel further, so that if such a missile leaves
the area of play without hitting anything, consider the missile
to have caused no additional damage. Please note this is quite
different than deliberately making an attack at a target beyond a
weapons effective range, which suffers a -5 Penalty to hit and
damage for each point beyond the effective range.
Targets in the line of fire of missile attacks are attacked if
the original target is missed with a -10 Penalty to hit. Use
28

common sense here. If the Human Torch lobs a fireball at a

Dreadnought standing in front of the broad side of a barn, a shot
that misses the Dreadnought will likely hit the barn. No roll is
needed in this case. The -10 Penalty is used only for small or
movable targets that could possibly be missed by the blast.
In cases where stray shots hit windows, buildings or fire
hydrants, use a common sense FEAT roll to determine if damage was
inflicted. In general, if the damage rank of the attack is
greater than the Material Strength of the target, assume some
damage was done. If the damage is within 4 points of the
Material Strength, roll a Yellow FEAT to see if damage is done.
If damage is more than 5 points below the Material Strength,
assume no damage is done.
The previous paragraph notes some damage. How much is some?
If the situation is critical (the stray shot ruptures a
pressurized tank full of volatile chemicals), figure damage
normally. If the situation is non-critical, assume the material
is sufficiently damaged to count against the character as Bad
Karma for destroying property.
Area attack weapons (grenades, webbing, explosives) affect all
targets in the area of the attack, friend or foe.

29

Balancing Combat Scenarios:

One of the most important factors in running combat is balancing
the combat scenario. Heroes should have no problem wiping the
floor with a bunch of thugs, even if out numbered by several to
one. Conversely, it is unfair to force heroes to fight opponents
whom they cannot even damage under normal circumstances.
Use the number of Hero Points spent to create the Heroes as the
base value to use for their opponents. Thus a group built with
2500 Hero Points should have foes totaling close to the same to
fight against. Both sides should have at least one character
capable of doing damage to a given character on the opposing
side. If a group of thugs are fighting a group of armored
heroes, the thugs should have sufficient equipment to allow their
side to damage each of the heroes present. Similarly, a bunch of
Athlete types should not be expected to engage an equal number of
Sentinels, as they probably will not have sufficient Power to
damage a Sentinel, let alone defeat a group of them. Finally,
certain Powers have high price tags, but little combat value.
The Judge should take this into account when balancing scenarios.

Judging and Healing

Ten turns after taking damage, the damaged individual regains his
Endurance Rank number. One hour after taking damage, the
individual regains his Endurance Rank number as Healing. If the
character has lost Endurance, use his current value for Endurance
to determine how much Health he regains. Under normal
circumstances, Recovery and Healing can take place only one per
day. If the injured character is under medical supervision or
taking complete bed rest for an entire day, the character heals
at twice the standard rate.
The Judge may handle recovery of Health by Healing in two
fashions. The easy way is to wait one hour and return the
injured character his Endurance rank number in Health. If
injured during this hour, he has to wait another hour before he
can Heal. With the second method, the character heals gradually
over time. Merely figure the portion of the hour the hero has
spent resting and multiply that by his Endurance Rank Number.
30

Thus a hero with an Endurance of 20 would heal 10 points in half

an hour or 1 point every three minutes. This method requires
accurate time keeping, but sometimes that extra point of Health
can be critical.
Note: Recovery can normally occur for a single character once per
day, regardless of the number of times that character is attacked
and wounded. The character may still Heal normally, but a
character may only Recover from injuries once in a single 24 hour
period, unless they have the Recovery Power.
The Recovery Power may not heal more damage than the character
has lost. Example: A character with 100 Health, 30 Endurance and
the Recovery Power takes 90 points of damage in combat. He
recovers 30 points of Health 10 rounds after the combat ends and
heals 30 more an hour after that. This returns his Health to 70.
Later that same day, he takes 20 points of damage in an
automobile accident, lowering his Health to 50. His Recovery
Power FEAT is successful, so he may use Recovery again. Since he
only lost 20 Health in the accident, he may only regain enough
Health to put his total back to 70. This means he cant have
someone hit him every 10 minutes until he returns to full Health.

31

Judging Power Stunts

Players are by and large as deviously creative and cunning a
group of people as can be found, and the group that you as the
Judge encounter will likely be better than most. As such
creative and cunning souls, they will come up with as may ways to
use their abilities as possible. Power Stunts open a door to a
wide variety of abilities and duplication of other Powers without
having (or paying for) those Powers. As Judge, you monitor that
door, and the types of Stunts you permit in your campaign will in
part set the tone of your campaign. The kind of campaign you
assemble depends completely on your nature and that of your
players.
Power Stunts should not be forced on the players by the Judge;
rather they should be generated by the players coming up with
unique answers to dangerous situations, or experimenting with
their Powers on their own.
The player comes up with a Power Stunt, OKs it with the Judge,
spends the Karma and tries the stunt. The question this is, how
do you as the Judge determine if a Power Stunt is possible?
A number of listed Powers have possible Power Stunts listed as
potential abilities using that Power. These are only possible
Stunts using these Powers, and are not automatic Power Stunts
for anyone who gains these Powers, nor should they be considered
exhaustive lists of possible Power Stunts. The listed Power
Stunts are options available to characters with those Powers.
Players running pre-generated characters with a history in the
Marvel Universe can find a listing of their most common Power
Stunts under those Powers. They are not limited to those stunts
alone, and often in their appearances in the Marvel Universe
exhibit other Stunts that they may perform. As a general
guideline, if a pre-generated hero has performed a Power Stunt at
least twice in his own book, it indicates a true manifestation of
that Power Stunt (as opposed to once due to special circumstances
or outside influence) and may be attempted by the player
character. The type of FEAT needed is determined as shown on
page 45 of the Players Handbook.
32

But what about situations outside those suggested for a given

Power or as detailed in a characters Power listing? At this
point, the Judge earns his keep and his name: he makes a judgment
on whether the FEAT is possible.
This decision should be based upon the situation and what the
player is trying to have his hero do. As a general rule, the
effects of a Power Stunt should never be of greater effect than
the Power it is derived from and will usually be 5 to 15 points
lower. The Judge must ask the question, is what the player
asking reasonable?
Example: Several heroes with superior speed, like Quicksilver or
Northstar, can run in a circle very quickly and generate a
whirlwind as a Power Stunt. The Beast also has a speed Power
that he uses to sprint short distances. The two Powers are both
Speed related, but the Beasts is at a much more limited rank.
For him to try the create a whirlwind Power Stunt would make
little sense, and the Judge should reject it on that count - it
is inconsistent with way the character operates. A character who
is faster might try it, but generate a less powerful column of
air and as such be less successful than the two speedsters.
The above example was an easy call, attempting a Power Stunt
that most characters familiar with the Beast would not try.
There will be situations where it is purely a judgment call on
your part. If you dont wish to spend a lot of times weighing
the pro and cons (and delaying the game) to decide if a certain
Power Stunt is possible, use this method to determine its
possibility.
Take the Power rank number of the ability being used for
the Power Stunt.

Make a FEAT roll for that stunt, privately.

If the result is Black, Gray or White, inform the player

that the hero may not try the stunt. It will not work. The
100 Karma point price tag is refunded to the player.

33

 If the result is Green, inform the player that the hero

may try the stunt, but it will not work and the Judge knows
it. The Power Stunt will not work.

If the result is Yellow, inform the player that the hero

may try the stunt. Conditions exist that make the stunt
possible in this specific instance, but these conditions may
not exist the next time he tries the stunt. (Consider this
a Freak Occurrence.)

If the result is Red, inform the player that the hero may
try the stunt. Determine the result needed as noted in
Power FEATs in the Players Handbook.
Use the above method only when you, the Judge, are stumped or are
willing to give a random chance for the attempted Stunt
happening. If you rely on random die rolls for every possible
Stunt, you will end up with a random number of Power Stunts
working. In general, use commons sense to determine if a Power
Stunt is possible (or even needed), and rely on the random method
as a last resort.

Fire and Ice

The following sections deal with particular attack forms and
endangering situations, and how the Judge should handle them.
Fire: As with most other generally harmful things, fire has
different Intensities according to the size and the combustible
materials present (see Intensity Table under Other
Intensities). This is the damage inflicted to those in the
fire. Force Fields, Body Armor and other Powers can help a
character resist the heat, although the heat may make the owner
of the protection uncomfortable.
Being farther away lessens the amount of heat the characters have
to deal with. If a fire is of X Intensity and R radius, it will
radiate X-5 heat in a Radius of 2R, X-15 heat in a radius of 3R,
X-30 heat in a Radius of 4R, etc.
_____
/
|

\
Fire

This is another example of triangular

progression. Heat reduction = 5 times
(R-1). For large, low intensity fires,
34

|
X
|
If R (in Range Points) > X then replace
|Intensity|
R with X for areas outside the flames.
\ _____ /
For small, high Intensity fires, set R
|----|
to whatever value seems appropriate.
Radius R
| X |
|X-15|
|X-50|
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
and so on...
|
| X-5|
|X-30|
|X-75|
Fire Spreads up to one meter per round if there is sufficient
combustible material. A fire will increase in Intensity one
point per round with a successful Intensity FEAT, also provided
there is sufficient combustible material. Sufficient heat can
cause some materials to spontaneously combust as well. A fire
set in a protective hearth without nearby papers to ignite is not
going anywhere, while a spark hitting a pool of gasoline has
explosive results. Let common sense be your guide when it comes
to determining the spread of fires and their Intensity.

35

A fires Intensity can be reduced by depriving it of air, cooling

its heat, or depriving it of fuel. Normal Fire Extinguishers are
of 15 Intensity against fires adjacent to the user. (This means
they reduce the Intensity of a Fire by 15 points on whatever they
are used on.) Normal Fire Hoses have a 25 Intensity against fire
and a range of 40 meters (Range 10). Other amounts of water have
effects according to the amount of water used. (Thor summons a
55 Intensity storm to douse a fire. It will reduce the Intensity
of the Fire by 55 points. This will probably douse the fire, but
would leave Thor with a 55 Intensity storm on his hands.)
A fire deprived of fuel loses one point of its Intensity each
round, but a fire deprived of air will stop burning immediately.
It will still retain its heat and can reignite as soon as some
oxygen, (or fluorine, or chlorine) hits it. Stopping fires by
removing all the oxygen in the vicinity was a frequently seen use
of the Scarlet Witchs Hex Power.
Effects of fire on a material vary according to the Material in
question. If the flames are of lower Intensity than the Material
Strength, the fire will not damage the material, though it will
conduct the heat through its substance. (An iron bar with one
end in a fire can severely burn someone grabbing the other end.)
If the flames are of a higher Intensity than the Material
Strength, then make a FEAT roll to see if the material is
broken (in this case, burned through or melted). This is just
a guideline, as some materials (ceramics and Tungsten) resist
heat much better than their Material Strengths would indicate.
The Material Strength of a burning item is reduced by 5 points
for FEATs against it.

36

Ice: The effects of extreme cold on Combat are discussed in the

Judging Combat section earlier. This section deals with the
properties of frozen water itself.
Ice less than 4 centimeters thick has a 5 Material Strength. Ice
between 4 and 32 centimeters thick has a 10 Material Strength.
Ice between 32 and 64 centimeters thick has a 15 Material
Strength. Ice more than 64 centimeters thick has a 20 Material
Strength. Certain Powers, such as Ice and Cold Generation may
produce stronger types of ice. This Material Strength is only
effective against physical attacks. Against Heat and Fire
Attacks, Ice suffers a -10 Penalty to its Material Strength.
Example: Ice of 25 Material Strength is attacked by brute force
of 25 Strength. The attacker must make a Yellow Strength FEAT to
break the ice. If the Attacker had Power Rank 25 Fire
Generation, a Green Power FEAT would be needed as the Material
Strength against fire is only 15.
Poisons and Toxins: The Intensity tables list a few noted or
common toxins, but the heroes may occasionally encounter other
poisons when dealing with the forces of evil. Poisons have an
Intensity and those subjected to toxins must make an Endurance
FEAT against that Intensity. Failure indicates immediate
unconsciousness for 1-10 rounds and loss of 5 Endurance points.
At the end of those 1-10 rounds, the hero makes a second
Endurance FEAT at his lowered rank, with the effects halting if
the hero makes the FEAT. If the heros Endurance drops below 0
as a result of exposure to poison, the character dies. (This is
different from other forms of Endurance loss.) Losses of
Endurance from poison override other Endurance losses (from
losing all Health or Kill results) and a character may only lose
5 Endurance points per round, maximum, regardless of cause.
Poison damage cannot be negated by outside help unless that help
has either the First Aid or Medicine talents and may require
appropriate anti-toxins. If treatment is available, loss of
Endurance can be stopped with a Green Endurance FEAT (at the
current level). Not all poisons are immediately lethal, some
work slower, and others may just induce sleep or illness. The
lethal nature of Poisons means that Judges should use them
sparingly, if at all. Use of Poisons by heroes should result in
37

large Karma losses, (and Popularity losses as well, if the public

discovers a hero using poisons).
Radioactivity: Many attack forms are radiation based, such as
some of the energy attacks of Photon and those of Radioactive
Man. This has short-term effects and inflicts its damage in one
shot. Long term radiation deals with the after-effects of atomic
weapons, conditions found around radioactive materials and that
of nuclear reactors. Long term radiation is a slow acting toxin
and its effects are as noted for toxins and poisons above. A
check should be made once per hour after initial exposure.
Chemical tags treated to detect radioactivity (radiation badges)
normally detect that of 10 Intensity of higher. Geiger counters
are much more sensitive, capable of detecting even trace amounts
of radioactivity.
Diseases: Diseases fall into two general categories: minor
diseases and major (debilitating) diseases. Minor diseases are
those that have a short term, and with rest and normal healing,
allow complete recovery. These include colds, flus, and most
non-fatal illnesses. If a hero is, in the Judges opinion,
susceptible to a minor disease, have that hero make an Endurance
FEAT against the Intensity of the disease (most minor diseases
have an Intensity of 10 to 15, for variety use 5 + 2d10 as the
Intensity for this years version of Swine Flu). Failure
indicates the hero has a minor disease. A minor disease lasts
1-10 days, the hero feels rotten and all FEATs suffer a -5
Penalty. A full day of bed rest knocks two days off the duration
of a minor disease.
Example: Spiderman spends an afternoon chasing Doctor Octopus
through the sewers of New York in February. In the Judges
opinion, this is a good time to check for a minor disease.
Spidey fails an Endurance FEAT. He has got the flu for (roll
randomly) eight days. If he stays in bed, hell be back on his
5
During this time all FEAT rolls suffer a -5
feet in four days.
Penalty. Major diseases, on the other hand, are rarer, usually
long term, and often fatal. A major disease may be the result of
some radical event that happened to the character, such as:
5

Cmon, you would have to physically restrain Spiderman to keep him in bed
for four days. The man just does not know how to relax.

38

 Long-term exposure to radiation.

Exposure to carcinogenic substances.
Exposure to diseases to which the individual was
previously unexposed.
Exposure to alien environments.
In any case, major disease rolls should be rare and limited to
only the most extreme conditions for player characters. Walking
through an alien ship might not merit such a check. Fighting in
a burning asbestos factory might.
A major disease has a cycle of 1-10 months, during which the
character must make weekly Endurance FEATs. Failing any FEAT
results in the loss of 5 Endurance points. If Endurance drops
below 0, the character must be placed on life support to survive.
If Endurance drops below -25, the character dies. All FEATs
suffer a penalty equal to the amount of Endurance the character
has lost. If a character has lost 15 Endurance to a disease, all
FEATs suffer a -15 Penalty. If the character is still alive at
the end of 1-10 months, he or she will make a full recovery in 110 weeks. Use the Intensity of the disease against the
characters Endurance to see if they catch it.
Some diseases can be spread by casual contact, others are
communicable via various methods and some diseases are not
communicable at all. Finally, not all diseases are curable. Not
even in the comics. Judges should not inflict incurable diseases
on player characters without the players consent. Nobody likes
a Judge who arbitrarily goes around killing people with no way
out.
Holding Your Breath: Although this is covered in the Players
Handbook on page 54, it is important enough to be repeated here.
Holding your breath is an Endurance FEAT versus an Intensity of
the number of rounds you have held your breath so far.
Up to the character's Endurance - 15 rounds are Automatic
FEATs
Between Endurance - 14 and Endurance - 5 rounds are Green
FEATs
Between Endurance - 4 and Endurance rounds are Yellow
FEATs
39

 Between Endurance + 1 and Endurance + 5 rounds are Red

FEATs
Anything beyond that is an Impossible FEAT.
One or two rounds of hyperventilation before holding your breath
can increase your Endurance 5 or 10 points respectively for
purposes of these FEATs.
A character who fails a FEAT roll must start breathing again the
next round or pass out for 1-10 rounds. (During which normal
breathing will take place if possible.)
If normal breathing is impossible, the character starts to drown
(or suffocate). Drowning involves unconsciousness and the loss
of 5 Endurance points per round until the character dies.
Characters rescued from drowning will recover upon making a
successful Endurance FEAT (at the reduced level). Otherwise a
character with the First Aid or Medicine Talents may revive the
character.
Please note that sudden exposure to vacuum or submergence allows
the hero to hold his breath, but being blindsided by a gas attack
does not until the hero has resisted the effect of the gas for
one round.
Vacuum: Exposure to vacuum uses many of the same rules as
drowning, save that normal functions resume once characters are
brought into a viable atmosphere. In addition, airless space
acts as 55 Intensity Cold, though any type of Force Field negates
that effect on those within.

Contacts and Resources

The type of aid a Contact can provides depends entirely on the
situation, the Contact, and the kind of aid requested. The types
of aid are:
Services: Services include things like a pilot flying a character
somewhere, a doctor providing emergency surgery at the drop of a
forceps, or a newsman showing up to cover a super-market opening.
Services in the line of the NPCs profession are usually in the
40

targets best interest, and as such gain a +10 Bonus for response
from Contacts.
Information: One of the invaluable sources of data for the
heroes is their Contacts, whether they are in the papers, the
halls of government, or the street. Information allows the
heroes to pick up clues and understand what is going on behind
the scenes while they were out chasing bad guys.
Gathering information from Contacts is modified by shifts as for
any other Popularity FEAT. In addition, when dealing with a
Contact, the type of information gained depends on the result of
the FEAT Roll.
Black Result - No information available
Gray Result - 1-10 hours, False or No information available
White Result - 1-10 hours, No information available
Green Result - 1-10 hours, No or Partial information available
Yellow Result - 1-10 hours to find desired information
Red Result - Information desired at hand
The table above may be used for gathering information from
individuals other than Contacts, by shifting the result down one
color for Neutral NPCs and down two colors for Unfriendly NPCs.
This means the Unfriendly NPCs will at best lose your request and
misfile your information, but that is how a bureaucracy works.
Use common sense with this table. Common or well-known 6 info is
available with no need to check (you dont have to roll to check
time and temperature) within 1-10 rounds. Similarly, a Contact
will only know about things in his field of expertise. Calling
up a Contact at the Daily Bugle about an invasion from the Dark
Dimension may be met with disbelief (if not howls of laughter).
Equipment/Resources: This is the good stuff. Borrowing a 747 on
the strength of your slightly-expired Avengers ID card. Dropping
in on Nick Fury (if he is alive this week) and seeing if he has a
lunar lander he can spare. Checking out the Wasps wardrobe

Well-known is a relative, not an absolute term. The top speeds for various
aircraft may be well-known to a fighter pilot Contact, but not to a reference
librarian Contact. However, both may eventually come up with the same data.

41

closet for costume ideas. Getting hold of things your money

cant buy and you dont have time to build.
The amount and type of equipment will vary from Contact to
Contact and depend on what the player character is after and who
his Contact is in an organization. Organizations are generally
able to lend out materials that cost less than their own Resource
Rank. Organizations will have equipment of higher Resource
ranks, but this is the result of long hours and years of work.
Further any such item that exceeds the Resource Rank of the
Contact is considered a Unique item for the purpose of column
shifts. Within these limits, the heroes may try to get as much
as they can out the organizations.
Judging Floating Contacts: During the Character Design process,
the Player has the option of buying floating Contacts of up to
30 Rank. This allows the hero to have a fortuitous Contact
appear just when the hero needs one. This could be a long-lost
uncle in the Military, or a friend from high school who now works
for the Daily Bugle.
Developing Contacts as the game progresses adds more dimension to
the characters than if the Contacts were thrust, fully formed,
onto them at the start. It helps the Judge transmit information
and gives the player characters some roots in the reality of the
campaign. Also the player characters will not have that many
floating Contacts, so any one that is tied down is one less that
will suddenly pop up at a later date.
Such instant Contacts should generally be at a medium level.
Putting an old friend in Doc Ocks mob is dangerous to both the
Contact and the Hero who must go in and rescue the Contact when
Doc Ock finds out. Also, any Criminal Contacts may cross up the
player characters whenever the Judge feels like it, leading them
into a trap in order to clear the Contacts own neck.
If it is necessary to provide the abilities and statistics of a
Contact, use the abilities under the Supporting Cast section as a
guide, or, if you have the time, create a character using a total
of (50 + 5d10 + the Contacts Rank) Hero Points for his
Abilities, Talents and Resources. The Contact must have the
42

Talent that the player character picked him for in the first
place.
Contacts and Judging: It appears that a character can get by
with a little help from his friends, and in general, Contacts
should be able to help the player characters. The reverse should
also be true, and it is through Contacts that Judges can draw
heroes into adventures. Whenever a hero successfully calls on a
Contact for information, aid, services or equipment, the Judge
should make a second Popularity FEAT, in secret, unmodified by
Karma. If the result is a color, note the Contact on a piece of
scratch paper for later use. Do this for all Contacts used as
play proceeds, noting if the heroes call on a particular Contact
more than once.
Example: Captain America (Popularity 100) needs a skymobile to
get across town quickly, and borrows one from his friend and
Contact, Nick Fury (who is alive this week). After coughing one
up, the Judge makes a second Popularity FEAT to see if the head
of S.H.I.E.L.D. will want something in return. A green result
comes up, and the Judge notes it to the side as a possible start
for a future adventure.
When creating his own adventures, the Judge can go this Contact
list for ideas and suggestions. Make a FEAT roll on the 85-86
column of the Universal Chart for each Contact noted. If the
Contact has only been called one once, a Red FEAT is needed to
activate the Contact. If the Contact is tapped twice, a Yellow
FEAT will serve, and if the Contact has been used three or more
times, a Green FEAT will do it.
An activated Contact reverses the situation on the players in
the next gaming session or next adventure: that Contact will
approach the heroes with a problem, idea or emergency. Examples
include:
A Journalist calls in a hot breaking story to the hero HQ,
asking for help.
A Doctor Contact is reported missing from his home.
A military experiment goes awry.
43

Guess who gets the call?

 S.H.I.E.L.D. calls up the heros secret ID, saying there

is a problem that only the hero can solve, and sends him on
a mission.
Kingpin sends the hero information on a Maggia smuggling
operation that is cutting into his profits.
It should be clear that the more powerful a Contact, the more
trouble that Contact can get the hero in. The Contact that
approaches the hero will be expecting aid, and if the hero does
not help, that Contact may be lost (the character will become
Neutral the next time the player character needs help, and will
pointedly remind him that the hero was not willing to help when
Puffin, his poodle, was kidnapped by dog-barbers).
Conversely, doing a favors for others is a way for a hero to gain
Contacts without having to purchase them through Advancement.
Take into account the type of favor performed, the amount of
effort the hero had to make, and whether the hero received any
sort of payment when granting additional Contacts by this method.

44

Judges Note: Vehicles

The Players Handbook notes that some larger vehicles have
compartments. Most large ships, submarines and space vessels
have multiple compartments. Thus, a single hole will not sink a
battleship or wreck a spaceship. Before such a vessel can be
considered completely destroyed, each of the vehicles
compartments must be ruptured. These ruptures do not have to all
be from the exterior of the vehicle. Ruptures from a damaged
compartment to an undamaged compartment still count. The
affected compartment will fill with water or be exposed to
vacuum, but that area can be closed off with little harm to the
rest of the ship. However, this does not mean that destroying a
critical component of a vessel cannot result in the destruction
of the ship. (For example, if a starships main engine blows, it
may very well take the rest of the ship with it.) Repairs to a
large vehicle must be made to each compartment separately.

Judging and Building Things

Chapter 8 of the Players Handbook details the cost of research
and development for the various and nefarious inventions the
heroes and villains create. An invention may need a certain
item, substance, or ability to power it. The more powerful the
device, the more likely it will need such an item. These items
are called Special Requirements.
A Special Requirement is both a safety valve to keep high-tech
wonders from inventing everything under the sun and a way of
providing a basis for adventuring in much the same way as
Contacts. The Fantastic Four entered the Negative Zone in order
to get Annihilus Cosmic Control Rod to help Sue Richards with
the birth of Franklin. Various organizations have tried to mine
Vibranium from the Savage Land for use in powerful weapons.

45

Special Requirements
The table below will show you how many special requirements a
device will require. Check once for any number of applicable
ranks that are 40 or less. Check once for each applicable rank
from 41 to 80, but not more than twice for any given device.
Finally, check once for each applicable rank of 81 or more.
Applicable Rank
Result:
40
41-80
81+
Green or less: No SpecialNo SpecialOne Special
Yellow:
No SpecialOne Special
Two Specials
Red:
One Special
Two Specials
Three Specials
Please note that a device with a lot of powerful abilities can
wind up with a lot of Special Requirements. The big bruiser
robot on page 220-221 of the Players Handbook requires at least
2 Special Requirements and could possibly have as many as 10!
The Judge may always overrule the die rolls in cases where the
result contradicts common sense. The Judge may also reduce or
eliminate Special Requirements in cases where speed is of the
essence (as in kit bashing).
When a Special Requirement is called for, the Judge should make
up something that ties into the device. Options include:
A special material or alloy - for example, a sonic device
may require Wakandan Vibranium, or a device with a Material
Strength of 60 may need secondary Adamantium.
A specific component - for electronic devices, a certain
tailored piece of circuitry may have to be developed as a
separate invention with a Cost of the applicable rank -5, or
acquired some other way. (Villains get what they want the
old fashioned way - they steal it.)
A consultant who is knowledgeable in the field - in
dealing with size control, Henry Pym may be called on, while
in matters of radiation, Michael Morbius, Bruce Banner and
Doctor Octopus are the field experts. (Reed Richards once
consulted with Doc Ock on a problem with radiation.)
Getting these experts to consult is the players problem.
46

 A unique process to fire the reaction - zero gravity,

solar flares, exposure to cosmic radiation, even magic might
be a requirement. Tell the players what is required and let
them figure out how do deal with it. (Gee guys, to finish
the seals in the spacecraft you need a heat source of at
least 60 Intensity.)
A device to use as a model - this is particularly useful
when trying to duplicate another invention, or a heros
Powers. The instruments needed to analyze this model may be
rather expensive as well.
One of the reasons for Special Requirements is to put the
inventor in adventure situations, as well as to justify the
actions of the villains who commit major crimes in order to
finish their doomsday devices. Use the requirements as
springboards for further adventures. Example: The heroes need
extreme cold to test a device, so they set out for Antarctica.
(Id just go get a tanker truck of liquid nitrogen, but then Im
lazy.) There they find an alien space ship, still operational...
and still inhabited...
Armor Add-Ons: As noted in the Players Handbook, Battlesuits
can have special attachments added to them to provide additional
abilities in certain situations. (For someone who is fighting
Venom, it might be useful to have a powerful air horn
attachment.) There are two options: First, the character may
use the building and modification rules to add a device to his
armor and pay for those items normally. However if the item is
damaged, it must be repaired using the repair rules for equipment
purchased with Resources and not the repair rules for equipment
purchased with Hero Points. Using the second method, the
character pays 50 Karma Points plus one Karma point for every
Hero Point the device is worth and then the Judge makes a secret
Reason FEAT. If the FEAT succeeds, the Hero may use the special
item in one combat, not to exceed a total of 10 uses. If the
FEAT fails, the device fails when the hero first tries to use it
in combat. As with any invention FEAT, the character may spend
Karma on the Reason FEAT, but must determine how many Karma
points he is spending in advance and does not receive a refund of
unused Karma. The Judge keeps the result of the FEAT roll secret
until the device is used in combat. (At the Judges option, Karma
47

spent in this manner can be applied to the cost of Power Addition

for adding the device to the battlesuit permanently.)

Judging and Other Dimensions

The Astral Dimensions are dimensions make of quasi-material
ectoplasm as opposed to physical matter, and as such are
difficult for physical beings to enter. These may be penetrated
by individuals in astral form, either by mental power (as with
Professor X) or mystical ability (as with Doctor Strange).
Individuals in astral form may enter an astral dimension by
making a Power FEAT. Powerful mentalists and magicians choose to
duel in the Astral Plane when possible, as effects of the Astral
Plane do not reach into other planes, and so allow them use of
large amounts of Power without inflicting collateral damage.
Magic operates in the Astral Dimensions as in the normal world,
but with a -5 Penalty to effects (Range and Intensity). Magical
items on the body of an individual that enters the Astral
Dimension have astral analogs, and may be used as well. Mental
Powers are unaffected, but other super human Powers may not be
used. Any form of energy or matter control or telekinetic Powers
may be used to manipulate the ectoplasm into useful shapes (as a
Power Stunt).
Damage on the Astral Plane is reflected in reductions of the
individuals Health. As Health is reduced, the body the
character has left behind may perish, as may also happen if he
leaves the body unguarded too long. Should the body perish, the
astral form must make a Spirit FEAT against 55 Intensity or
dissipate. 7
Dissipation takes a number of rounds equal to the
characters Spirit. If a suitable body is found to inhabit
during this time, the character may survive. Walter Langowski
once had his astral form rescued, but lost his physical body.
However, he was able to place his astral form in the Box armor
for a time.

Characters with Psyche in the Superhuman Range or better may attempt a Red
Psyche FEAT to maintain the integrity of their Astral Forms. This is
considered living through sheer force of will.

48

Mystic Dimensions operate by natural laws that make the dimension

amenable to magical effects and mystic operations. Asgard,
Olympus and the Dark Dimension are all mystic dimensions.
Mystic dimensions are accessed primarily through magical or
mystical travel, though natural or mutated dimensional Powers may
also provide access. Access to any particular mystic plane is a
Power Stunt, and reaching a different mystic dimension is a
separate Power Stunt. Just because a hero can reach Asgard does
not indicate he can reach the Dark Dimension as easily. An
astral form may reach another dimension, but remains astral
(though it may be visible in the mystic plane).
Mystic Dimensions are more amenable to magic use, but mages from
other planes must adapt their own magics to the natural laws of
the place. Hence a mage in a non-native place suffers a -5
Penalty to all FEATs and effects.
Because dimensional travel allows the physical body to pass into
another plane, all abilities and Powers should pass into that
plane as well. The natural laws of a plane may affect Powers,
increasing or reducing them in specific cases. For example, the
solar energy in Asgard is intense enough to greatly augment
Sunspots Strength whenever he travels there. Since most
teleportation Powers involve dimensional travel of some sort,
they tend to be subject to the greatest changes during
dimensional travel. Nightcrawler once had his Teleportation
power converted to a form of Summoning during an extradimensional adventure.
Microverses: Microverses are dimensions reached by reduction in
size to an atomic or sub-atomic level. Once a certain point of
reduction has been reached (called the Pym Barrier, in game terms
this is Shrinking-Atomic Reduction with a rank of 101 or higher),
the Shrinking individual is cast into another universe where the
reduction immediately stops.
Microverses differ from the normal universe in that different
physical laws are in operation. Though the planets of these
micro-worlds may be Earthlike in nature, their arrangement is not
necessarily in the form of planets orbiting a sun, but may appear
49

as flat landscapes or twisted belts of planetoids resembling DNA

molecules.
Individuals can escape a microverse by rapid expansion of the
same degree that originally reduced them. Several nexus points
have been discovered to various microverses, and certain
individuals have access to technology that allows then to travel
between our continuum and theirs (such as Henry Pym and the
Fantastic Four).

50

Macroverses: These are similar to Microverses, but are reached

by Growth instead of Shrinking.
Negative Zone: The Negative Zone is an anti-matter universe that
was originally discovered and accessed on Earth by Reed Richards
of the Fantastic Four. Anti-matter and matter explode when they
collide, so there is a distortion area between the Zone itself
and our universe. This distortion area converts matter that
enters to anti-matter and vice versa so that living beings may
travel between the two universes. A Force Field will negate this
distortion, but will then leave you with the problem of what to
do with all that anti-matter.
The Negative Zone is the home of a number of races. Unlike our
space, the space of the Negative Zone supports life and various
mutated monsters make their lairs in rocky areas of the Zone.
The Negative Zone is the home of Annihilus, who lives to destroy
our universe by linking it with his own.
Alternate Earths: There exist a wide variety of alternate and
parallel Earths to that of the mainstream Marvel Earth.
Several heroes have come into contact with the alternate
universes through visits, or by contact with emissaries (and
sometimes attackers) from these planes. Travel between alternate
Earths can be done by Dimensional Travel, each alternate Earth
being a separate Power Stunt.
In running a Marvel Super Heroes campaign, the players and Judge
are creating their own Alternate Marvel Earths where the
adventures of their characters take place.

51

Time Travel: The precise workings of time travel in the Marvel

8
Universe have not been fully explained and there are several
theories currently under consideration. It does appear possible
to travel into your own past, future, or into a past or future of
a similar Earth like dimension.
A character operating in the past cannot change his own past,
which continues to exist as it had before. Any actions they
character takes to modify the past instead cause a divergent
timeline to exist, parallel to the characters original
timeline. A future cannot be negated by moving into the past,
and upon return to his own time, the character will find the
world unchanged.
Similarly there are many alternate futures that a character may
reach from the present time, such as the realities of Phoenix II
(Rachel Summers) and the original Deathlok. The main time line
of the Marvel Universe can take any number of alternate future
paths, and the fate of those who live in it has yet to be
revealed.
The Judge should feel free to ignore any of the above information
regarding time-travel that he wishes. The exact nature of time
travel has not yet been revealed, and some time travel stories in
the Marvel Universe have violated the known laws. So the Judge
should use his discretion if he decides to run an adventure
involving Time Travel.
The Nexus of All Realities: Located in a swamp near Citrusville,
Florida is Earths Nexus of All Realities. Most dimensional
travelers will pass through here at some point in their careers.
The place seems to be a magnet for extra-dimensional forces and
beings. Close to the main nexus, there are portals that lead to
various places on Earth and specific other dimensions. The Nexus
itself is normally invisible to human sight, but can be seen as a
column of light using mystical vision or if there has been an
upheaval in inter-dimensional forces. The Nexus leads to an area
called the Interzone which appears as two parallel planes of
holes that lead to other dimensions, or to distant points in the
8

What explanations that have been given have frequently been determined later
to be false or misleading. If not both.

52

same dimension. Most of these dimensional nexi have guardians of

fairly potent abilities.

53

[This page intentionally left blank.]

54

Chapter 2: Campaigns
At this point, you should have all the component pieces of the
game - characters, combat, and the Judging ability to know how to
play. Now comes putting all the pieces together into a full
Campaign. In particular, a campaign based in or near the Marvel
Universe.

The Marvel Universe - An Overview

What makes the Marvel Universe, and the Earth of the Marvel
Universe, so special?
First, there was a visit in mankinds dim past by a powerful
space-god race known as the Celestials. The Celestials took
primitive man and created two related races, Eternals and
Deviants. The Celestials also put a half-twist in one of the
genes of Marvel Universe humanity as well, giving mankind the
potential to mutate in a positive manner under increased ambient
radioactivity. The slight rise in background radioactivity since
World War II accounted for the majority of mutants that popped up
in the Marvel Universe, as well as the genetic potential that
converted Bruce Banner into the Hulk and created the Fantastic
Four. It has been speculated that the Celestials are unique to
Marvel Earths dimension, and similar dimensions, such as that of
the Squadron Supreme, evolved a far fewer number of heroes as a
result.
Second, Marvel Earth is the home of more than the human race.
addition to Eternals and Deviants, there are the Kree-spawned
Inhumans and the aquatic people of Atlantis and Lemuria.

In

Third, Marvel Earth is aligned with the Cosmic Axis, a great

wheel of inter-dimensional power that makes Earth critical to
other dimensional places, including Asgard, Olympus, Limbo,
Mephistos Realm, and the Dark Dimension.
Lastly, Marvel Earth is located near a prominent natural warp
nexus-point, a gap into hyperspace that makes it easy to travel
between the stars. This warp nexus-point, also called a Stargate
is used by various alien races for both local and intergalactic
55

stellar travel and as such leads to many alien races interacting

with Earth beings. The nexus-point has been placed off limits
by the Shiar, but that doesnt stop everyone.
For these reasons, Marvel Earth is the place to be for a heroic
campaign. It has a rich background and the potential for a great
number of super-powered heroes and foes.

Running a Marvel Universe Campaign

The Marvel Universe is a rich tapestry with a history that
encompasses over 70 years and hundreds of comic titles. Starting
with Marvel Comics #1 from 1939 which introduced the Sub-Mariner
and the original Human Torch and going on to the latest titles on
the rack at your local comic book store, The Marvel Universe is a
continually growing entity, filled with new ideas and adventures
as the heroes develop and grow.

A Marvel Universe of Your Very Own

The comic What If? played with the concept of possible variant
universes where the Avengers never assembled, Spiderman joined
the Fantastic Four early in his career, the Secret Wars never
ended, and various other occurrences with changed outcomes.
Similarly, when you being a Marvel Universe campaign, you are
creating your own What If? line. Your player characters are
free from what happens in the mainline Marvel Universe after
the campaign has started, and in addition, you can add your own
embellishments. In your Universe, Doctor Doom may reform and
become a good guy, or the Red Skull might have stayed dead. Just
because some great misfortune occurs to a character in a comic
book, that same misfortune does not have to occur to the
characters in your Universe. Your universe can reflect actions
in the Marvel Universe and benefit from its history and heritage,
but is not tied down to it.
Now with a whole Universe to lay with, where do you start? It
highly recommended you start with the Heroes main stomping
ground, wherever that may be.
56

Most heroes are grouped in and around New York City, with a few
heroes on the West Coast and in Canada. You do not have to run a
New York style campaign unless you want to. In fact, you can
base your heroes in your home town.
The Marvel Universe Earth is, except for the existence of super
powered heroes and villains, very similar to our own Earth.
There is a New York City in both Earths of similar appearance and
construction. There are also Chicagos, Pittsburghs, Birminghams,
and San Fransiscos in both Earths. If you want to run a campaign
in a familiar area, use the neighborhood you know. The first
Marvel Super Hero Game this designer played in was based in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
If you are inclined in that direction, create a Marvel Universe
version of your home town. Any maps you have of the area can be
used to show locations of your heroes in battle. There will be
differences of course, since the Marvel city is not the real
world. The Heros secret base under the Main Library is in
reality just a storage area, and the Masters of Evil tore up the
Marvel Earth version of Riverside Park, not the real one.
Using New York City as opposed to your hometown has its
advantages and disadvantages. In your home city, you can use a
well known location that all players are familiar with as a
backdrop for a crime, and tie in small crimes that occur about
the city with the campaign. Using New York City (unless you live
in NYC) is advantageous in that it is far away, the battles are
(for the most part) imaginary, plus the fact that New York is
crawling with super-powered foes and felons. Either option works
just as well.

Running Adventures
Once you have the world and the players, you need a script for
them to follow: an adventure. An adventure is a set of
preplanned encounters that make up an evenings (or several
evenings) play for the Marvel Super Heroes game system. As
Judge you can set up you own adventures, use ones that have been
published by TSR as adventures, or use a published adventure as
the basis for your own design.
57

When creating your own adventures, keep in mind that an adventure

is basically a sting of encounters organized around a common
theme. An adventure should have the potential for resolution in
the space of a few gaming session, with a definite resolution.
An Encounter is make up of three parts: a Problem, a Conflict and
a Resolution.
The problem is the hook that brings the players into the
Encounter, and likely carries the adventure to the next encounter
as well. A problem can be made known to the hero through a
number of means. Heroes can be in the area of disturbance,
either in their secret IDs or in costume and be expected to do
something about the situation. The problem can be an unexplained
mystery that the hero happens upon. The problem can be purely
hero oriented, such as an old foe coming back to get vengeance or
a new one seeking to prove he is the top gun by bouncing a big
name hero off an office building. Finally, the problem can be
created by an invention (see Special Requirements) or by a
Contact with a problem (which may be another mystery).
The conflict is the meat of an Encounter, where the heroes act
and react. Conflict is the action phase of the Encounter, but is
not necessarily a fight scene (though it often is). Conflict may
involve talking to NPCs, gathering information, performing
research on clues, or seeking help. It also involves fighting
back against the villains that may have jumped you, walking into
traps, and avoiding the effects of deathtraps.
The resolution is the part of the Encounter that ties up the
encounter, the aftermath of the battle or discovery of the
mystery. At the close of a session of conflict and action, Karma
is awarded, wounds are healed, the status of Contacts, Popularity
and Resources may be affected. The players should have a feeling
at the end of an Encounter that they have accomplished something.
(Even if that something is to decimate most of the East Side in
a mistaken battle.)
Heroes are often first assembled by a common threat they all
respond to, such as the Avengers were by a reported sighting of
58

the Hulk. If pulling disparate heroes together for the first

time, this type of introduction is recommended.

59

Running the Bad Guys

As Judge, you are responsible for running all the non-player
characters in the campaign, all the individuals not directly
controlled by the players. Of these individuals, the most
interesting (and certainly the most deadly) are the villains.
The villains of the Marvel Universe are among the most nefarious
and intriguing of those found anywhere. They span from the
mischievous (Batroc), to the sinister (Kingpin), to those who
would remake the world in their image (Doctor Doom, Red Skull,
Apocalypse). Each of these villains has his own way of
perpetrating his crimes and getting what he wants out of life.
The point is, the Marvel Super Villains are as unique and
individualistic as Marvel Super Heroes. Only the most simple of
robots uses nothing but brute force to reach their ends. Doctor
Dooms way of handling a problem is not Doctor Octopuss which is
not Baron Mordos. When running a villain, try to capture the
flavor of that villain. Kingpin makes sure he is not the one
caught red-handed and acts through his agents. Doctor Octopus is
driven by manic rages and his history with Spiderman. When
running a villain, role play that villain, just as you expect the
Players to role play their heroes. Doom may not take a certain
action because he is Doom. For example, he once spared the lives
of the Fantastic Four because a battle might damage his priceless
art collection. Doom may be a world dominating menace, but he
has class. Play him that way.
Villains also plot. It is the villains plots that make up the
mysteries the heroes must solve. What is Doctor Doom up to? Why
are electrical supplies disappearing without a trace? A good way
of planning an adventure is to figure out a villains plot.
Villains plots have a number of options, including:
Testing a heros abilities in case he wants to use the
hero for some purpose, or if he expects the hero to fight
him.
Acquiring Resources for further criminal activities.
Taking over the world (always a favorite).
60

 Defeating a hero that has defeated him before.

Acquiring some special requirement for a particular
invention, usually an invention that involves taking over
the world or defeating the heroes or increasing the
villains own Powers to the point where he can rule the
world.
Here are a few villain conventions:
The Catspaw: The villain has someone else perform his dirty work
for him. This works best for planners with a large organization
like Kingpin, but other villains use catspaws as well. Doctor
Doom has created or modified a number of villains to test and
defeat the Fantastic Four. Often a catspaw is unaware of who is
using who, and this provides a level of mystery as well.
The Proclamation: Villains are aware of their negative reps as
the heroes are of their positive ones, and many will go to great
lengths to maintain their negative Popularity. The Titanium Man
broadcasting a challenge to Iron Man from Rockefeller Center is
such a proclamation.
The Deathtrap: Long time readers are well aware that, once the
villain defeats the hero, the villain does not just rub the hero
out, even (or especially) if the hero is a long time foe. The
villain places the hero in a Deathtrap situation. A Deathtrap is
any situation that places the heros life in danger. The villain
gains Karma for putting the hero in a deathtrap, whether the hero
escapes or not.
Deathtrap design: Deathtraps are situations where the Judge can
threaten the hero and force loss of Karma and Health, but should
not be air-tight killers. There should always be a way out of a
deathtrap (and given the ingenuity of the players, there usually
is a way the Judge did not consider). A deathtrap that works too
well kills the player characters, which is not very entertaining.
An ideal deathtrap should foil the players obvious forte and for
the player to think (and likely spend Karma) in order to escape
(or survive long enough to be rescued).

61

The Judge may create his own bad guys to deal with the
specialized heroes in his campaign. Villains are generated in
the same fashion as heroes and may be pre-generated or modeled.
Villains abilities, Powers and Talents are generated as for
heroes, though the Judge may deliberately select particular
abilities to fit his own situation or the opponents the villain
will meet. (For example, make sure an opponent of Photon has
Darkforce or Energy Manipulation Powers, or the guy fighting the
Sub-Mariner in the North Atlantic can breath water, or does not
need to breath at all.)
The Judge selects the Contacts for villains. If a villain has
criminal Contacts, the Judge may provide him with 1-10 henchman
(see Thugs for stats) to serve as the villains goons and hired
help (read: cannon fodder).
New villains start with 0 Popularity, though may quickly drive it
into the negative. Those with a secret identity may retain
normal relations and Contacts through that identity, though the
Contacts of the secret ID may be severed if the villains true
identity is revealed.
Finally, as for generated heroes, fill in the blanks for your bad
guy. Who is this guy anyway? Why does he want to take over the
world/beat up the good guys/make himself rich? Does he have any
pet peeves or phobias? Would he emulate anyone in particular in
his criminal style? How would the hero first encounter him? In
answering these questions, the Judge should be able to make a
villain that the heroes will not soon forget.
Examples of villain types:
the Conqueror.

The Normal Villain, the Plotter, and

The Normal Villain is usually motivated by money or hatred. The

hatred can be of a particular hero, an organization, or a former
employer. All the Powers the villain possess will have the same
basis, either technological, or physical, and seldom will one
villain incorporate both power sources.
For technologically based Powers, the villain may have had a hand
in the design of his equipment, but probably did not build all of
it himself. Normal villains will frequently work for Plotters or
62

Conquerors in exchange for equipment upgrades. (Justin Hammer

was notorious for doing this for his underlings.)
Physical Powers are usually based on mutations, whether inborn or
artificially induced. Induced mutations may have been caused by
the villain himself, or by an outside source. In either case,
the ability, or lack thereof, to reverse the mutation may provide
a large part of the villains motivation.

63

Ability suggestions:
Villain - Normal
F
A
S
E
R
I
P
S

15-30
Talents: All but one are Combat related
15-40
15 or 25+
Powers:
15-25 OR STR -51 Defensive Power or Body Armor
10-20
1 Ranged Attack
5-25
10-25
1 Special attack that either is of 50
5-20
Intensity or is rolled on the 50 Column
to hit

Plotters usually arent seeking to take over the world, just a

small part of it. They are obsessed with intricate plans, and
proving that they are more clever than the heroes who oppose them
could ever hope to be. They prefer not to physically confront
the heroes, leaving that to their hirelings and/or tools. They
are skilled at organization, always keep an escape route open,
and never miss an opportunity to place a defeated hero in a
deathtrap. They study the heroes, looking for weaknesses and
exploitable situations.
A plotters Powers can come from any source, but tend not to be
offensively oriented. (Which is one of the reasons they let
others do all their fighting.)
Villain - Plotter
F
A
S
E
R
I
P
S

5-15
10-15
5-15
10-20
15-20
15-20
10-20
10-20

Talents: At least 3, but no more than 1 of them

will be combat related.
Powers: No more than 2 powers, and the Powers
will not be offensively oriented.
Equipment: Plotters tend to be gadget freaks and
will carry as many weapons and tools as possible.

64

Conquerors are those who wish to take over the world (or other
worlds) by any means available. They may truly believe that only
their leadership can save the planet from some horrible fate.
Occasionally, they may even be right. A Conquerors Power will
tend to be technological in nature, but they will use any source
of Power they can find, of whatever nature, to reach their goals.
Conquerors tend to have large organizations that work for them
and sufficient Resources that they only will steal Unique items
or Special Requirements. On the other hand, they will kidnap
someone who has information or skills they want at the drop of a
hat. Conquerors will always have the Leadership Talent and often
have one or more super powered henchmen. Frequently, these
henchmen were created by the Conqueror personally. Conquerors
are not afraid of physical combat with worthy opponents and are
experts at arranging mysterious deaths for themselves when
their grandiose schemes fail.
Villain - Conqueror
F
A
S
E
R
I
P
S

20-45
20-40
20-30
25-50
20-50
15-40
20-55
20-50

Talents:

At least 3 + Leadership

Powers:
1 Ranged Attack
1 Attack with Damage of 25 to 55
Body Armor and/or Force Field
At least 1 other Power
Resources: 61 or higher.

Other: An organization which works for the villain, possibly

without the organization being aware of it. This organization is
used to gather information and obtain Resources and Equipment for
the villain.

65

Villains and Karma

The Judge should not have to keep track of Karma for every NPC in
his campaign, only for the major bad guys, as they are the ones
who spend it most often. Ordinary criminals will possess the
Karma listed in the stats, as will super-powered villains the
first time they appear (or their actions and plots occur, for
those using catspaws).
Villains receive Karma as follows:
Karma for committing crime equal to the heros total for
preventing that crime. Mass counts of robbery, assault or
murder count as one total for Karma
Defeating Heroes as for heroes defeating the villain
Placing heroes in Deathtrap situations. The villain does
not receive Karma for killing heroes (surprise), but gets an
amount equal to that for defeating heroes if they are placed
in a Deathtrap situation. The villain loses nothing if the
hero escapes or is rescued from a Deathtrap.
Bragging: Villains are by and large an insecure lot, and
feel they must share the vital points of their recent
decision to take over the world with listeners of worthy
caliber (usually heroes in Deathtrap situations.) Give the
villain 20 Karma points for doing so. However, the Judge is
obligated to pass on useful information to the Players in
this fashion - such as where to find the villains when they
have escaped the deathtrap.
Villains lose Karma by:
Being defeated, as for the Heroes. In addition, being
defeated reduces the villains Popularity by 30 points,
regardless of whether is was a public or private defeat.
This reduction is always toward 0. (A villain with a
Popularity of -40 is defeated, his Popularity drops to -10.)

66

 Being convicted for a crime they committed, equal to the

amount for successfully carrying out that crime.
A villain loses 10 Karma points for every month in prison,
other incarceration or restraint (in other words, forcibly
out of action). A villain cannot earn additional Karma when
so incarcerated
A villain loses 30 Karma points for killing, including
slaying lackeys, henchmen, and other underlings that have
displeased them. (This flagrant spending of Karma is the
hallmark of short tempered villains such as Doctor Doom and
the Red Skull.)
The Judge may also allow a villain to earn Karma in some of the
same ways that a hero does. By making and keeping commitments,
especially if the villain has a secret ID, a villain earns Karma
in the same amount as a Hero. A villain rescuing someone he
cares about (a Contact, or relative) earns 20 Karma points, same
as a hero.
A villain may form a special type of Karma Pool with his henchmen
and catspaws that are working for him. In this Karma pool, all
villainous Karma earned by the gang is kept, but only the leader
of the gang (the head villain or mastermind of the operation) may
spend it. Any member may leave the pool, taking his share of
Karma with him, though if the villain immediately disposes of the
traitor, that Karma is retained in the pool. (The villain also
does not lose the 30 Karma he would normally lose for killing
someone.)
Villains spend Karma in four specific situations:
To build things. Hi-tech villains will channel their
Karma in to the rapid completion of their latest worldthreatening device, and in addition, spend Karma to make
sure it works properly. Villains therefore steal both to
acquire special requirements for inventions and to enhance
their own Karma to make them work.
To reduce damage. A villain may spend 40 points of Karma
to reduce the effects of an attack by one color rank. This
spending must occur before the attack is made, though the
players do not have to be informed of this expenditure. If
such spending is done, a Red result is lowered to a Yellow,
67

a Yellow is lowered to a Green, a Green is lowered to a

White, but a White, Gray or Black result is unchanged. This
prevents the heroes from destroying the villains in one
Karma laden shot, forcing them to reduce the villains Karma
total in battle.
Judges Prerogative. This is a dangerous area, so treat
it with care. The Judge may have villains spend Karma when
it is absolutely essential for the villains to perform
particular actions successfully. Such actions may not be
made against the player characters directly, though they may
endanger the hero. Thus, spending Karma for a Kill? result
is out, but spending Karma for a Bullseye result needed for
hitting the button that activates a trap is fine. Judges
should use this option with extreme care.
To arrange an Escape or Mysterious Death. Good villains
are hard to come by, and if one is forced into a fullfledged retreat by the heroes, the Judge should try to keep
the villain among the living. The Judge may spend all the
villains remaining Karma (no less than 100 points) to
effect an Escape or Mysterious Death.
The villain can escape by dropping through the floor by a
previously unrevealed trap door, being teleported away by a third
party, or through a twist of fate (a collapsing wall) separating
him from the heroes long enough to make good an escape. A
mysterious death will vary according to the villain in question.
Some will find themselves caught in their own inescapable traps,
others will be crushed by falling debris or caught in an
explosion with no remains found, or, in the case of Ultron,
almost totally destroyed to be recreated later. Doctor Doom is a
master of the mysterious death, but has done it so often that no
one will believe it when (and if) he actually dies. All super
powered villains will seek to maintain a 100 Karma point buffer
to make this form of escape.

Villain's Popularity and Resources

As noted previously, villains prefer the fear that a large
negative Popularity provides and as such will try to maintain
that rep. Villains changes in Popularity are summarized below.
(Please note, that increases and decreases are relative to a

68

Popularity of 0. A plus result makes the villain more feared,

while a minus indicates damage to a villains reputation.)
Defeated by hero
-30 Popularity
Defeating hero
+10 Popularity
Defeating other villain
+5 Popularity
Imprisoned
-5 Popularity
Making Proclamation
or Challenge
+5 Popularity
These numbers are larger than those for heroes, because villains
get less play in general than player characters. Oddly enough,
the mutant penalty applies to villains as well as heroes. Mutant
villains gain or lose one less point of Popularity than listed
above.
Villains acquire Resources to make purchases and fund inventions.
Thefts of cash and cash equivalents are added to the villains
Savings Account. When valuables (artwork, jewelry, collectibles,
proprietary data) are stolen, they must be fenced by the villain.
To find an appropriate fence takes a Popularity FEAT (Green if
the character has appropriate Contacts, Yellow if he does not)
and one weeks time. Once a fence is found, the villain makes a
Popularity FEAT. Use the table below to determine how much the
villain is offered for his efforts. A villain may refuse an
offer, but it takes another week to attempt to find another
fence.
Result:
Black
Gray
White
Green
Yellow
Red

Offer Value:
No offer
No offer
Rank -20
Rank -15
Rank -10
Rank -5

For unique objects dart, the villain is

more likely to get something close to the
items worth from a collector. Increase
the result by 1d10 points, but to no more
than its value. Other unique objects
suffer a 1d10 point Penalty as buyers are
scarce for weird technological gear.

Villains who are commissioned to steal particular items have

their fees determined in advance. Remember, villains also steal
special requirements for their inventions, as this provides
Resources, Karma and the requirement in one fell swoop.

69

Villains with organizations gain income from those organizations.

Base income is 20 for a group of 10 workers, increase this by 5
points each time that number doubles to a maximum of 100. (At
this point, the villain effectively controls a small country.)
Also, dont forget that villains who maintain secret identities
can earn Resources in the normal manner.

70

Final Summary for Judges

In summary, there are no fool-proof rules for judging the Marvel
Super Heroes game, or any other role playing game. The best that
can be done is to provide examples, instances and guidance in how
to run combat, special situations, and the campaign in general.
Here are a few guideposts to help you run your campaign.
Give the Players an Even Break: This has been said before and
bears repeating. The Judge has all the cards and most of the
information. He knows where the hidden traps are and how badly
wounded both heroes and villains are. Wiping out heroes
wholesale is a problem, in particular in a Universe with many
powerful villains wandering around. Give the players a way out
of that infallible Deathtrap (Marvel Super Villains are not
infallible, though Judges usually are). Send in the cavalry if
the heroes are being too badly chewed up (but reduce their Karma
if they need Thor dropping by to handle minor problems for them).
Remember that the campaign is only as good as the Judge and
players.
No Buffaloes: Those familiar with the original books know this
one. Just as you should not ride roughshod over the players, do
not let them ride roughshod over you. Your rulings are just that
- rulings. Decisions that you have made under the circumstances
of the game. Right or (perhaps proved later) wrong, they are the
way the game is played in your campaign. You control the amount
of information in the campaign, and can restrict it as necessary
for your adventures.
Be Prepared: Players are a sneaky bunch and will always surprise
you with some course of action they believe you havent thought
of (hence the Karma award when you are caught flat-footed). In
such cases, be sensible, be reasonable, and be prepared. If a
villain is going up against an energy manipulator, a Darkforce
based villain or weapon may be called for. If you expect a WallCrawler, shouldnt the walls and ceilings have detection devices
as well as the floors? Prepare your adventures so you have a
good idea what should come next, no matter what the heroes do.

71

Patience is a Virtue: Let the players come to their own

decisions, correct or not. With many players, there will always
be interplay between the player characters, as to who will lead,
which way to go, or who to attack with what.
This is part of the game and there is no need to rush the players
into your latest deathtrap - they will come along eventually of
their own volition. A Judge who provides the information and
sits back waiting for player response is as effective (if not
more so) as one who rushes the players into one slugfest after
another.

72

Chapter 3:

Supporting Cast

Supporting Cast:
This section details a large, but not exhaustive, list of other
individuals that may be found in the Marvel Universe, including
wildlife, alien life, low life, and everyday life.
Animals: This section details a selection of various animals
found in nature and in zoos. Some villains use the more
dangerous ones as traps in their lairs. Animals with N/a for
Strength do not inflict enough damage to do more than annoy a
human sized target. However groups of animals with N/a for
Strength can inflict significant damage from multiple hits.
Animals with N/a for Reason may have intelligence, but it is of a
type not understood by humanity at large. Animals with N/a for
Intuition always lose initiative and act last in the round. If
an animal is listed as inflicting EA damage without a listed
amount, the damage is equal to their Strength. Some animals have
Land and Water speeds listed. Those that do not use their
Endurance (and number of legs) to figure movement speed normally.
Alligator
FIG
AGI
5
15

STR
25

END
20

REA
N/a

INT
N/a

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
65

Karma
N/a

Powers + Abilities: Bite does EA damage, Swimming Speed 15.

Notes: These large, lethal lizards are normally peaceable, but
have been known to attack if their territory is threatened, they
sense a meal, or are commanded by a more powerful being with the
Animal Control Power, such as the Lizard. These stats also apply
to the crocodile or other cold-blooded lizards. Alligators are
found in tropical rivers and in the sewers of New York City.
Ape
FIG
10

AGI
10

STR
15

END
20

REA
4

INT
10

PSY
5

Powers + Abilities: Brachiation Talent

73

SPI
5

Health
55

Karma
24

Notes: Apes describe mans close cousins: the chimp, the

orangutan and gorilla. Gorillas have a Strength of 20 and a
Health of 60. These creatures have human-like hands, and can
manipulate tools.
Armadillo
FIG
AGI
2
2

STR
1

END
2

REA
N/a

INT
N/a

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
7

Karma
N/a

Powers + Abilities: Body Armor 2

Notes: Armadillos are natives of Texas and other south-western
states. They are slow, but their protective shell counts as weak
body armor. Non-threatening as individuals, in huge herds they
are even less so. Armadillos attack on the Blunt column, but
cannot score Slam or Stun results against human-sized targets.
By removing the Body Armor, Armadillo stats can apply to most
other forms of small, inoffensive life.
Bat, Individual
FIG
AGI
STR
0
5
N/a

END
1

REA
N/a

INT
4

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
6

Karma
4

Bat, Flock of 10
FIG
AGI
STR
15
5
2

END
15

REA
N/a

INT
4

PSY
2

SPI
2

Health
37

Karma
8

Powers + Abilities:

Sonar 25, Flight 17, EA Damage.

Notes: Bats are winged mammals that use Sonar to navigate at

night (thus Dodge and Evade with 25 ability). They are normally
harmless unless surprised or controlled by an external force. A
single bat cannot inflict Kill results, but a flock of bats may
do so. This reflects the large number of possible bites per
round. Bats are found throughout the United States.
Bear
FIG
15

AGI
10

STR
25

END
25

REA
1

INT
5

74

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
75

Karma
6

Powers + Abilities: Wrestling Talent, Bear Hug +5 Damage, EA

Damage with Bite and Claw, Land Speed 15.
Notes: Bears include the grizzly, brown bear, black bear and
polar bear. These large carnivores have been known to attack
unwary tourists. The big brown bear of Alaska is the largest
species of bear and has a +5 on all physical abilities and damage
(Health 100). Bears not from North America tend to be smaller
and suffer a -5 penalty to Strength and Endurance (Health 65)
Behemoth
FIG
AGI
55
10

STR
60

END
60

REA
5

INT
5

PSY
5

SPI
5

Health
265

Karma
20

Powers + Abilities: Body Armor 50 (Energy Uprated), Size +15 to

be hit, Land Speed 10, Swimming Speed 17.
Notes: Behemoth is a name for a large variety of sea monsters
capable of walking on land and include the whale-like Giganto
used by the Sub-Mariner in his initial invasion of the surface
world. They can be controlled by certain devices available to
Atlantean technology.
Bird, Individual
FIG
AGI
STR
0
5
N/a

END
2

REA
N/a

INT
N/a

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
7

Karma
N/a

Bird, Flock of 10
FIG
AGI
STR
END
15
10
2
10

REA
N/a

INT
5

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
37

Karma
5

Powers + Abilities: Flight Speed 20

Notes: This description applies to all non-hunting birds,
ranging from sparrows to ducks to geese. Individual Birds cannot
score Kill or Stun results against human-sized targets, but
flocks can. Birds are inoffensive against humans unless
controlled by outside
forces.
Cat
75

FIG
2

AGI
15

STR
0

END
15

REA
2

INT
10

PSY
N/a

SPI
5

Health
32

Karma
17

Powers + Abilities: Claws 2 EA, Night Vision 20, Land Speed 15

Notes: Cats include most ordinary house cats and small wild
cats. They inflict 2 EA damage with their claws, but cannot
score Kill results against human-sized targets.
Cattle (Herd Animals)
FIG
AGI
STR
END
5
10
15
20

REA
N/a

INT
N/a

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
50

Karma
N/a

Powers + Abilities: Stampede charge inflicts 30 damage/round and

is +15 to hit.
Notes: Stats for cattle apply to all manner of similar herd
animals, including bison, zebras, gnu, and yaks. Cattle are by
and large inoffensive, but if spooked (by gunshot, for example)
can stampede.
Dinosaur, Giant Plant Eating
FIG
AGI
STR
END
REA
15
5
55
60
N/a

INT
N/a

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
215

Karma
N/a

Powers and Abilities: Size +15 to be hit, Stampede charge

inflicts 70 damage/round and is +10 to hit, Land Speed 10
Dinosaur, Giant Flesh Eating
FIG
AGI
STR
END
REA
25
15
43
60
N/a

INT
N/a

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
223

Karma
N/a

Powers and Abilities: Size +15 to be hit, Bite 43 EA, Claws 26

EA, Land Speed 15
Dinosaur, Giant Armored
FIG
AGI
STR
END
REA
40
10
55
58
N/a

INT
N/a

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
235

Karma
N/a

Powers and Abilities: Size +10 to be hit, Body Armor 20, Horns 55
EA, Combat Tail 60 EA, Land Speed 10
76

Dinosaur, Velociraptor
FIG
AGI
STR
END
40
20
25
40

REA
N/a

INT
5

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
140

Karma
5

Powers and Abilities: Bite 25 EA, Arm Claws 20 EA, Foot Claws 35
EA, Land Speed 17

77

Notes: These four dinosaurs are the flashiest of the large

lizards that once dominated the Earth. They exist in the Savage
Land and some are rumored to exist in remote regions of Africa.
Giant Plant-Eaters are represented by the brontosaurus and travel
in herds like cattle. (They stampede like cattle as well, but do
a LOT more damage.) Giant Flesh Eaters include the allosaurus
and the tyrannosaurus rex. Giant Armored Dinosaurs include the
stegosaurus and triceratops. Ankylosaurs do BA damage with their
club-like tails. Velociraptors are smaller dinosaurs, but no
less dangerous if they attack with their powerful foot claws. (5 to Hit, unless the target is Held or Partially Held.)
Dinosaur, Huge Radioactive
FIG
AGI
STR
END
REA
26
26
60
60
5

INT
5

PSY
5

SPI
5

Health
252

Karma
20

Powers + Abilities: Body Armor 50, EA damage, Breath Weapon 60

Intensity Energy Attack, Range 25 (320 Meters), Size +15 to be
hit
Dinosaur, Giant Radioactive
FIG
AGI
STR
END
REA
40
30
70
80
10

INT
21

PSY
10

SPI
40

Health
460

Karma
81

Powers + Abilities: Body Armor 55, EA damage, Breath Weapon 65

Intensity Energy Attack, Range 28 (500 Meters), Size +15 to be
hit
Notes: The Huge Radioactive Dinosaur is a mutant of unknown
origin that survives today in various inaccessible reaches. The
stats listed are for a moderate example of the species. The
Giant Radioactive Dinosaur is a larger version that has been
known to attack Japan and the West Coast.

78

Dog
FIG
15

AGI
10

STR
10

END
15

REA
2

INT
10

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
50

Karma
12

Powers + Abilities: Tracking 26, Land Speed 15, Extended

Frequency Hearing 10.
Notes: These stats are for the larger breeds of dogs, smaller
dogs will have lesser physical stats.
Dolphin
FIG
AGI
10
20

STR
10

END
10

REA
10

INT
15

PSY
10

SPI
15

Health
50

Karma
50

Powers + Abilities: Swim Speed 17

Notes: Dolphins are highly intelligent aquatic mammals that have
a language of their own. Undersea races use the dolphin in much
the same ways as humans use dogs or horses: for transport,
protection and companionship. Dolphins hate sharks and attack
them with great ferocity (+5 to hit).
Eagle
FIG
AGI
15
15

STR
3

END
20

REA
N/a

INT
10

PSY
N/a

SPI
5

Health
53

Karma
15

Powers + Abilities: Flight Speed 20, EA damage

Notes: Eagles include all large predatory birds, including
vultures, hawks, owls, and condors. They are not dangerous
unless threatened or under the control of another.
Elephant
FIG
AGI
15
15

STR
43

END
55

REA
2

INT
5

79

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
178

Karma
7

Powers + Abilities: Trunk 26 Grappling and Grabbing, Size +5 to

be hit.
Notes: Elephants include the Indian and African varieties, as
well as their prehistoric cousins, the mastodon and mammoth.
They can inflict Blunt or Edged damage, whichever they choose.
Fish
FIG
N/a

AGI
3

STR
N/a

END
1

REA
N/a

INT
N/a

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
4

Karma
N/a

Powers + Abilities: Swim Speed 10, No attacks

Note: This is a catch all for all small sea life not covered
elsewhere. These creatures will rather flee than fight.
Horse
FIG
AGI
10
15

STR
26

END
26

REA
3

INT
10

PSY
5

SPI
5

Health
78

Karma
23

Powers + Abilities: Land Speed, Quarter-horse 18 for 3 rounds,

Thoroughbreds 16, Standardbreds 15.
Note: Horses run from Shetland ponies to beer wagon pulling
Clydesdales. Horses normally seek to flee threatening situations
(such as fires and battles). Horses may be trained to withstand
such challenges. Certain individuals horses (usually those
associated with heroes) may have superior Abilities compared to
their brethren.
Insect, Swarm
FIG
AGI
STR
20
0
0

END
20

REA
N/a

INT
N/a

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
40

Karma
N/a

Note: Insects are listed as a swarm of about 100 creatures

minimum. Any insect attack against unprotected flesh (including
those that get underneath artificial Body Armor) forces the
target to make an Endurance FEAT during the Pre-Action phase of
the next round or be unable to perform any actions or
concentrate. The Intensity is 10 for most insects, but for
particularly bothersome insects (such as red ants, mosquitoes or
80

bees), the Intensity can be 15, 20 or even higher. Some, but not
all, Insect Swarms fly at speed 10. Warning: Some characters
have allergic reactions to insect bites and stings. These
characters must make an Yellow Endurance FEAT each round they are
attacked by an insect swarm or suffer an allergic reaction. This
reaction can be mild to severe, with extreme cases resulting in
the loss of Endurance and death.
Lions
FIG
AGI
20
15

STR
15

END
20

REA
3

INT
11

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
70

Karma
14

Powers and Abilities: Move Speed 17 (Cheetahs 21), EA damage,

Enhanced Smell 20.
Notes: Lions include all the big cats - tigers, pumas and
leopards. They are, in their natural state, predators that avoid
man, though there are man-killer versions of each (+5 to
physical abilities, Health 90). The big cats may be trained to
hunt, attack and protect by someone with appropriate skills, such
as Kraven the Hunter.
Monkeys
FIG
AGI
15
10

STR
5

END
15

REA
3

INT
10

PSY
5

SPI
5

Health
45

Karma
23

Powers and Abilities: Prehensile Tail.

Notes: Monkeys, for game purposes, include all small primates not
covered under the Ape category. Monkeys are not as strong as
apes and cannot make Slam results against human sized targets.
Monkeys can manipulate objects and be trained in relatively
complex tasks.
Octopus or Squid, Large
FIG
AGI
STR
END
REA
20
26
10
26
N/a

INT
N/a

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
83

Karma
N/a

Powers and Abilities: Multiple Attacks 50, Ink 20 Intensity

Darkness, Blending 10, Size +10 to be hit.

81

Octopus or Squid, Giant Economy Size

FIG
AGI
STR
END
REA
INT
PSY
40
40
30
50
3
11
5

SPI
5

Health
200

Karma
24

Powers and Abilities: Multiple Attacks 55, Ink is 25 Intensity

Darkness and 20 Intensity Poison, Blending 15, Size +15 to be
hit.
Notes: These creatures are the standard defense that evil
underwater geniuses leave around to threaten the heroes and their
allies. The high Fighting and Agility abilities reflect the
large number of arms that may be brought to bear. Ink clouds are
usually used only to cover the creatures escape if they are
injured. There are unconfirmed rumors of even larger mollusks in
the ocean. (Useless fact: Octopi have a distinct aversion to
copper sulfate. [CuSO4])
Rat, Individual
FIG
AGI
STR
2
2
0

END
2

REA
N/a

INT
N/a

82

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
6

Karma
N/a

Rat, Pack of 10
FIG
AGI
STR
20
10
2

END
20

REA
N/a

INT
N/a

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
52

Karma
N/a

Powers + Abilities: EA damage, Land Speed 10.

Notes: Rats and other rodents and vermin are found in sewers
beneath every major city. An individual rat cannot score Kill or
Stun results, but packs of rats can score Kill and Stun results
from multiple attacks. Rats are not normally bold, but will
attack when externally controlled.
Shark, Generic Killer
FIG
AGI
STR
END
15
15
26
43

REA
N/a

INT
1

PSY
5

SPI
N/a

Health
117

Karma
6

Shark, Great White Movie

FIG
AGI
STR
END
REA
20
20
30
50
N/a

INT
11

PSY
10

SPI
5

Health
160

Karma
26

Powers + Abilities: EA damage, Swim Speed 17, Detect Blood in the

Water 55, Range 37.
Notes: The other traditional threat protecting underwater lairs
and sunken treasure are sharks. Sharks often travel in packs,
making them even more dangerous.
Snake, Constrictor
FIG
AGI
STR
END
10
10
20
20

REA
N/a

INT
N/a

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
60

Karma
N/a

Snake, Poisonous
FIG
AGI
STR
END
REA
INT
PSY
SPI
Health
Karma
15
5
0
5
N/a
N/a
N/a
N/a
25
N/a
Powers + Abilities: Poison, Intensity 5 to 25 depending on
species.
Notes: Constrictor snakes grapple their victims and then crush
them to death. Poisonous snakes are smaller, but their poison
makes them dangerous in a different way. Both varieties will
attack if threatened or if controlled by an outside force.
83

Wolves
FIG
AGI
20
15

STR
15

END
15

Powers + Abilities:

REA
2

INT
10

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
65

Karma
12

EA damage, Tracking 20, Move Speed 15

Notes: Wolves are relatives of dogs and usually attack in packs

to bring down their prey.
Whale, Great
FIG
AGI
STR
15
5
60

END
60

Powers + Abilities:

REA
10

INT
15

PSY
10

SPI
10

Health
220

Karma
45

Swim Speed 15, Size +15 to be hit

Notes: Great whales include the Blue Whale, Sperm Whale and other
whales in excess of 18 meters long. They are powerful, but
usually not very hostile. Whales have been hunted nearly to
extinction.
Whale, Killer
FIG
AGI
STR
26
10
43

END
58

Powers + Abilities:
damage.

REA
5

INT
15

PSY
10

SPI
5

Health
209

Karma
35

Swim Speed 17, Size +10 to be hit, EA or BA

Notes: Also known as Orcas, Killer Whales are efficient

predators of the deep.
Aliens and Non-Human Races: The following listings apply to
typical members of various alien, extra-dimensional and variant
human races that have appeared in the Marvel Universe. These are
typical values only, and there are superior examples of these
various races in existence, much the same as there are a wide
variety of humans.
Asgardians
FIG
AGI
25
15

STR
51

END
45

REA
15

INT
15
84

PSY
20

SPI
20

Health
156

Karma
70

Known Powers: Body Armor 10 (Energy Uprated), Long Life 50

Asgardians are the most human-looking and powerful of the
intelligent races of Asgard, a mystical dimension connected to
Earth by Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge.
Asgard is a warrior society and has come under assault by its
enemies many times in recent history. Asgardians who take any
Weapon Talents must take Blunt Weapons or Sharp Weapons first.
Materials from Asgard are approximately 3 times as dense as
similar materials from Earth, which partially explains their
strength.
Atlanteans
FIG
AGI
15
10

STR
31

Known Powers:
Cold 20

END
26

REA
10

INT
10

PSY
10

SPI
10

Health
83

Karma
40

Water Breathing, Swimming 30 (Speed 15), Resist

The origins of homo mermanus are unknown, though their own

legends claim that the Olympian God Poseidon modified them to
their present form. In any event, the largest group of this race
has settled the ancient ruins of Atlantis on the Atlantic seabed,
though there are small settlements throughout the ocean.
The nation of Atlantis maintains an observers post at the
United Nations Conference Building. This is one step below a
consulate, and the Atlanteans posted there have no diplomatic
immunity, cannot grant visas (not that they use them), grant
asylum, or do anything official.
Atlanteans are water-breathers and suffocate out of water much
the same way human drown when submersed. Atlantean technology
has produced water tanks that operate as scuba gear in reverse,
allowing Atlanteans to survive out of water for up to 4 hours
before more water is needed. Atlanteans also have a substance
called Air Serum that allows normal breathing in air for 8 hours
per dose, while turning the skin of an Atlantean from its normal
blue to that of a Caucasian. An Atlantean hero (or any
85

underwater dweller) with the Water Breathing Power can breath air
normally.
Atlanteans scavenge lost technology and magic from the sea floor
and as such have access to lost treasures from Atlantis and
Deviant technology, but most are not inventors in their own
right.
Any Atlantean hero must take Edged Weapons or Blunt Weapons as
his first Talent.
Denizen of the Dark Dimension
FIG
AGI
STR
END
REA
INT
10
15
10
10
10
15

PSY
15

SPI
15

Health
45

Karma
55

Known Talents: Mystic Origin

The Dark Dimension is a series of pocket dimensions that have
been linked together by magical means. Originally connected and
conquered by the Dread Dormammu, the realm was later ruled by
Umar the Unspeakable. The ruler of the Dark Dimension is
recognized by the flames of regency about his or her head.
A collection of pocket dimensions with various populations,
natural laws and sizes, the Dark Dimension appears as a
collections of large, floating islands, each with its own
localized gravity, all connected by a variety of mystic bridges
and passages. One section of the Dimension is walled off by a
mystical force field - the domain of the Mindless Ones, a nonsentient destructive race.
Mindless Ones
FIG
AGI
STR
26
5
15
Known Powers:
Environmental
Mindless Ones
defeated, they
begin fighting

END
20

REA
N/a

INT
N/a

PSY
N/a

SPI
N/a

Health
66

Karma
N/a

Body Armor 20, Eyebeam 20 Force, Range 10,

Independence, Immortality
do not need to eat, sleep or breathe. If
will lie still for 3 rounds, then rise up and
again.

86

The Dark Dimension is inherently magical in nature, such that

magical Powers receive a +5 Bonus to effects when operating
within it. Dimensional apertures may be opened from the Dark
Dimension to any other known dimension. The normal citizens of
the dimension have no inherent magical ability, but may be easily
trained, as magic is as an available force to them as technology
is to modern day Earth.

87

Deviants
FIG
AGI
15
10

STR
10

END
15

REA
10

INT
5

PSY
5

SPI
5

Health
50

Karma
25

Known Powers: 2 Randomly rolled Powers of 5d10 Rank, or Strength

10 + 4d10.
When the Celestials first landed on Earth, they modified human
genes to produce two distinct races, the Deviants and the
Eternals. The Deviants were created with a genetically unstable
gene structure, so that each generation will be radically
different from previous generations. Any Deviant character has
the choice between Enhanced Strength or two randomly rolled
Powers of 5d10 Intensity.
Deviants have a warped sense of beauty, regarding hideousness as
attractive and vice versa. Corruption is valued. Deviants
judged unacceptable were reportedly slain by their society, 9 so
those with exceptional appearance or Powers may be renegades at
best. They rule large areas of underground caverns, with their
main base being the Lemurian City of Toads.
Deviant technology is highly advanced, but the race has yet to
understand how to correct its genetic curse.

Actually, the unfit were placed in suspended animation and kept for
nefarious purposes.

88

Eternals
FIG
AGI
15
20

STR
46

END
55

REA
20

INT
26

PSY
26

SPI
20

Health
196

Karma
92

Known Powers: Flight 36+, Immortality, Invulnerability (see

below), Cosmic Energy Manipulation 26+,
The Celestials other experiment on early humanity were the
highly advanced and superhumanly powerful Eternals, a long-lived,
clearly human-looking race that wields great Powers of Cosmic
Energy Manipulation.
All Eternals fly by means of an advanced form of Levitation,
mentally projecting themselves through the air. They may carry
others along with them. A Flight Power Rank of 36 is considered
average. Many (if not all) Eternals can Teleport as well
(Teleportation Class II, Rank 5), although they prefer not to as
they find it physically unpleasant.
All Eternals are invulnerable to Heat, Cold, Energy, Electricity,
Radiation, Toxins and Disease. They do not age. They can still
be affected by Slam, Stun and Kill Results, but only by
scattering their ashes over a wide area of space can they be
permanently slain. They are still vulnerable to mental and
magical attacks.
Eternals can manipulate Cosmic Energy in a number of discrete
fashions. Eternals can perform Power Stunts with their cosmic
energy abilities to mimic many other Super Powers, though most
work within self-imposed limits, working to increase their Powers
in discrete personalized areas.
Most Eternals can project Energy or Force Bolts equal to their
Cosmic Energy Manipulation Power rank with a Range of 12 (56
meters). Most Eternals also have Matter Manipulation Powers
capable of transforming matter from one form to another. The
Eternal Sersi is more adept at this than any other, her Power
Rank is 60 with a Range of 13 (64 meters). Other Eternals have
Power Ranks from 26 to 55 with a Range of 12 or less (56 meters).

89

More than 100 Eternals can form the Uni-Mind, an energy creation
that resembles a huge brain with FASERIPS abilities of 125 each
and all standard Eternal Powers (except Teleportation) at a 125
Power Rank. This creation is used as a parliamentary device to
gather a consensus for Eternal affairs. The Uni-Mind also has
offensive Powers, but when it challenged the Celestials, it was
destroyed and the controlling force, Zuras, was slain. Less than
100 Eternals can create a Uni-Mind (the minimum required seems to
be 12), but this Uni-Mind will be of considerably less Power.
Number of
Eternals
12-25
26-50
51-99

Abilities and
Power Ranks
60
75
100

Most Eternals have left Earth in

order to explore the Universe as
the Uni-Mind, leaving a handful of
adventurers and renegades behind.

An Eternal outpost on Saturns moon Titan is ruled by Mentor,

father of Starfox and Thanos. Titanian Eternals (except for
Thanos) tend to be less powerful than their Earth brethren.
Inhumans
FIG
AGI
15
20

STR
20

END
26

REA
15

INT
15

PSY
15

SPI
10

Health
82

Karma
55

Known Limitations: Against pollutants and diseases of the immune

system, Inhuman Endurance is considered to be 30% of the listed
value, although Reed Richards has developed a formula that can
offset this weakness.

90

Inhumans are a divergent human race created by the Kree on the

model of the Eternals. While generally superior to mainstream
humanity, the discovery of Terrigen mist and exposure of the
Inhuman populace to that chemical accounts for their widespread
differences in abilities.
All Inhumans are considered as Altered Humans when it comes to
character creation. Inhumans may inherit their traits from their
parents or gain them from exposure to the mist. Exposure is at
the wish of the parents when the child is less than 6 Terran
years old, or upon reaching the age of consent (31 Terran Years).
Inhuman technology is highly advanced, particularly in the area
of genetics. The Inhuman city of Attilan (population 1,320) has
been moved twice, once to the Himalayas and the second time to
the Blue Area of the Moon.
Kree
FIG
15

AGI
10

STR
20

END
20

REA
15

INT
15

PSY
10

SPI
10

Health
65

Karma
50

The Kree are a race of aliens that originated in the Lesser

Magellenic Cloud on the planet Hala. The Kree are naturally
blue-skinned, though a pink skinned mutation has flourished to
the point where the blue skinned Kree are a powerful minority.
Kree possess extremely powerful technology including interstellar drives and genetic manipulation devices, but not time
travel. They were responsible for creating the Inhuman race and
the Blue Area of the Moon. They had created powerful robotic
Sentries that act as recorders and protectors of their
installations.
The Supreme Intelligence, a group organism/computer made from the
minds of past rulers, frequently rules the Kree Empire and is as
hard to keep dead as Doctor Doom or the Red Skull.
Lemurians
FIG
AGI
15
10

STR
20

END
26

REA
10

INT
10

91

PSY
15

SPI
15

Health
72

Karma
50

Known Powers:
Cold 20
Known Talents:

Water Breathing, Swimming 30 (Speed 15), Resist

Mystic Origin

The Lemurians are a branch of homo mermanus that migrated to the

Pacific Ocean and settled in the ruins of ancient Lemuria. They
are similar to their Atlantic cousins in their air breathing
limitations.
Lemurians are set apart from their Atlantic relations by the
discovery or development of the Serpent Crown, and artifact of
ancient power that places the user in mystic contact with Set, a
snake-like elder demon. Veneration of this crown and its use in
rulership have made the Lemurians skin green and scaly. It has
also given them a greater potential to wield magic. They can
perform magic of a dimensional type by invoking Set.
New Men
FIG
AGI
*
*

STR
*

END
*

REA
15

INT
15

PSY
15

SPI
5

Health
Varies

Karma
50

The New Men are an artificial race of mutagenically altered,

human sized animals, given human equivalent minds and
consciousness. Their initial physical stats are those of their
original animal stock (with a minimum of 5), but the New Men will
have at minimum the listed mental abilities, plus any special
traits they possessed before.
The New Men were first created on Wundagore Mountain, in Transia,
and trained by the High Evolutionary in knightly arts and virtues
to combat the demon Chthon. The High Evolutionary has built
atomic steeds as mounts for these knights. (Speed 38, Control
20, Body 20, Protection 0.)
Olympians
FIG
AGI
15
20

STR
51

Known Powers:

END
55

REA
10

INT
10

PSY
26

Body Armor 10, Immortality

92

SPI
26

Health
201

Karma
72

The Olympians are the superhuman residents of the pocket

dimension of Olympia. Like the Asgardians, who were also
worshipped as deities by early civilizations, their blood and
bone is about three times as dense as that of a human. Unlike
Asgardians, the Olympians are true immortals and as such are very
difficult to slay.
The pocket dimension of Olympus has its earthly terminus in
Greece and it was here and throughout the Mediterranean that
these beings were venerated. They used the Eternals of Olympia
as their representatives among men, which resulted in confusion
between the Eternals and the Olympian pantheon. The Olympian
pantheon is no longer worshipped save for Neptune/Poseidon, who
is venerated by the Atlanteans.
The Olympians are ruled by Zeus, the mythological head of the
pantheon. Olympians such as Hercules, Dionysus and Venus still
walk among humans.

93

Shiar
FIG
AGI
15
15

STR
26

END
15

REA
15

INT
15

PSY
15

SPI
10

Health
71

Karma
55

The Shiar are an expansionist alien race whose empire is still

developing. The Shiar count a number of alien races in their
empire, with varying degrees of freedom depending on their
loyalty to the throne. The Shiar themselves are descended from
avian ancestors, and though mammalian in appearance, retain some
avian vestiges.
The Shiar are highly advanced, with warp drive ships and
Stargates that allow them instant transport between galaxies.
Their interest in Earth is primarily based on its location near
natural Stargate and hyperspatial nexus points. In the past,
they have cared as much for Earths inhabitants as humans care
about apes gathered near a jungle railway station.
The ruler of the empire, whoever that person may be, commands the
Imperial Guard, an group of super powered aliens (Shiar and
others) who keep the peace in the empire.
Skrull
FIG
AGI
15
10

STR
10

END
10

REA
15

INT
10

PSY
10

SPI
10

Health
45

Karma
45

Known Powers: Shape Shifting/Imitation 20

The Skrulls are an ancient race with an ancient empire. They
were not warlike originally, but the long wars with the Kree, who
stole their technology, have made them militaristic and cruel,
bending their technology to weapons of war.
Celestials experimented on early Skrulls much the same was as
early humans. However in this case, the Skrull Deviants become
the dominant species. A few years ago, the Skrull Throne World
was destroyed by Galactus, plunging the empire into chaos. The
empire has since re-stabilized.
There are Skrulls, known as Warskrulls, with advanced genetic
potential who are capable of not only imitating the forms of
94

others, but many of the Powers those forms possess. The reformed
Skrull Empire is just now discovering how useful mutant Skrulls
can be.
Supporting Cast: The following list is of supporting players for
your campaign: common criminals, goons that are used by major
villains, as well as the forces of conventional law and order and
normal folks. This handy reference deals with common types,
talents and equipment. For variety, you can add 0-5 points
(1/2d10, round down) to various abilities to create individuals
as opposed to always using generic people.
Thug
FIG
15

AGI
10

STR
10

END
10

REA
5

INT
5

PSY
5

SPI
5

Health
45

Karma
20

Health
50

Karma
28

Talents: None.
Equipment: May carry Guns or Knives.
Notes: Run of the mill criminal rank and file.
Henchman
FIG
AGI
15
10

STR
10

END
15

REA
6

INT
10

PSY
6

SPI
6

Talents: One level of a Fighting or Weapon Skill.

Equipment: Varies with the Resources of their employers.

95

Notes: These are the product of the training academy of

Taskmaster, a villain who specializes in training the henchmen
that other villains use in their gangs. This training includes
some sort of weapon or combat skill, and familiarity with the
high-tech equipment (blasters, lasers, exoskeletons) used by
these villains.
Young Tough
FIG
AGI
STR
10
15
10

END
10

REA
5

INT
5

PSY
5

SPI
5

Health
45

Karma
20

Talents: None.
Equipment: Knives, Blunt Weapons, occasionally Guns.
areas uses motorcycles.
Notes: A Younger version of the standard thug.
to make up for low Fighting ability.
Enforcers
FIG
AGI
15
10

STR
15

END
10

REA
10

INT
10

PSY
10

SPI
10

In rural

Travels in packs

Health
50

Karma
40

Talents: Intimidation.
Equipment: Brass Knuckles, Knives, Guns and other conventional
weapons.
Notes: Large, tough goons used by criminal organizations as
soldiers in their battles against each other and as threats in
shaking down merchants.
Hit Men
FIG
AGI
10
15

STR
10

END
15

REA
10

INT
11

96

PSY
10

SPI
10

Health
50

Karma
41

Talents: Marksmanship, Guns, possibly others depending on modus

operandi.
Equipment: Sniper Rifle. Assault Rifle with sniper sights. Hand
Gun, with sight. Hit Men who have a particular modus operandi
might carry specialized gear.
Notes: These are specialists, contracted assassins who are used
when the need arises, usually against non super human targets.
Policeman
FIG
15

AGI
15

STR
10

END
15

REA
10

INT
10

PSY
10

SPI
10

Health
55

Karma
40

Talents: Law-Enforcement
Equipment: Handgun, Handcuffs, Billy Club
Notes: Standard agent of law enforcement. Walks a beat or
patrols in a squad car. May make arrests.
SWAT Operative
FIG
20

AGI
15

STR
15

END
10

REA
10

INT
11

PSY
15

SPI
10

Health
60

Karma
46

Talents: Law-Enforcement, Marksmanship

Equipment: Flak Jacket, Sniper Rifle, Gas Grenades
Notes: Special Weapons and Tactics teams are attached to most
modern police forces to handle volatile situations. In dealing
with super powered opponents, some SWAT teams are equipped with
mechanical exoskeletons and nullifying restraints.

97

Soldier
FIG
AGI
20
15

STR
10

END
15

REA
10

INT
10

PSY
5

SPI
10

Health
60

Karma
35

Talents: Military skill and Contacts

Equipment: Gun (side arm), Rifle or SMG (Long Arm), Fragmentation
Grenades, other equipment depends on specialization.
Notes: Soldiers include elements of the US Army, Navy, and
National Guard. They are trained to fight en masse. They have
access to higher destruction technologies (bombs, tanks,
mortars).
Mercenary
FIG
AGI
20
15

STR
15

END
15

REA
10

INT
11

PSY
10

SPI
10

Health
55

Karma
41

Talents: Military, Guns, one or more Combat or Weapon Talents.

Equipment: As Soldiers.
Notes: Mercenaries are trained specialists who fight for a living
(unlike soldiers, who fight for their countries). Mercenaries
sell their services to the highest bidders, and drift from war to
war in search of employment.
Fire-Fighter
FIG
AGI
STR
10
10
15

END
20

REA
10

INT
15

PSY
10

SPI
15

Health
55

Karma
50

Talents: First Aid

Equipment: Fire proof clothing, fire hoses, hand axes, gas masks.
Notes: Fire fighters arrive on the scene of a fire with fire
trucks and other equipment.
Paramedic
FIG
AGI
5
10

STR
10

END
15

REA
15

INT
10
98

PSY
10

SPI
10

Health
40

Karma
45

Talents: 2 levels of First Aid

Equipment: Oxygen canisters, power saw, hydraulic jack winch
(jaws of life).
Notes: Paramedics operate out of ambulances equipped with
medication and other life support equipment. Their job is to get
the sick and the injured to the hospital in stable (or better)
condition.
Doctor
FIG
AGI
5
15

STR
10

END
15

REA
15

INT
15

PSY
15

SPI
15

Health
45

Karma
60

Talents: Medicine
Equipment: Black bag (Advanced First Aid kit, weighs 15 Kg and
contains more stuff than you would believe.)
Notes: Doctors are the conventional method of stopping the loss
of Endurance for critically wounded characters, as well as taking
care of diseases and illnesses. There are diseases that are
beyond present technology to cure, and the special problems of
super powered individuals may require specialized treatments.
Scientist
FIG
AGI
5
10

STR
5

END
10

REA
20

INT
15

99

PSY
10

SPI
10

Health
30

Karma
55

Talents: Any one scientific Talent, possibly with Specialization

in a specific sub-field.
Equipment: Varies
Notes: The above stats are for the typical scientist to be found
in a research institution or on a college campus. Specialists
tend to be loners, usually because their theories are so far
beyond the scientific mainstream. These loners may have rejected
the scientific establishment because their pet theories have been
ridiculed. (Many villains get their start in this fashion.)
Lawyer
FIG
AGI
5
10

STR
10

END
10

REA
12

INT
15

PSY
10

SPI
10

Health
35

Karma
47

Talents: Law.
Notes: Most hero groups (and a whole bunch of villains) have a
lawyer on retainer: that is, they pay the man to be around when
they need representation in court. Hiring a lawyer is a 30+
Resource FEAT, though there are avenues available to those who
cannot afford this.
Businessman
FIG
AGI
STR
5
10
10

END
10

REA
10

INT
10

PSY
10

SPI
10

Health
35

Karma
40

Talents: None.
Notes: Your typical New Yorker. Standard human stats. Good for
crowds or endangered passers-by. Includes politicians,
secretaries, ice-cream vendors and the entire spectrum of normal
everyday people.

100

Federal Agents
FIG
AGI
STR
15
20
15

END
15

REA
15

INT
15

PSY
15

SPI
15

Health
65

Karma
60

Talents: Law-Enforcement, Marksmanship, at least one other

Talent.
Equipment: Gun, surveillance gear.
Notes: Federal Agents include investigative agents of the FBI,
CIA, NSA, OSS, KGB, NRO, MI6 and other alphabetized agencies.
They gather information and execute directives in the field.

Random Characters
One of the largest changes in these rules was to get rid of what
I considered unnecessary randomness in character creation. I
feel characters are better when designed, instead of being
created by random dice rolls. On the off chance that whoever
reads this does not agree, here are rules for determining random
characters.
The Player's Handbook contains tables for random Origins (page
13), Powers (Pages 20-24) and Talents (Pages 26-27). So that
leaves initial ability ranks, the number of Powers, Talents and
Contacts and Power Ranks as open questions.
Each origin uses one of the columns on the Random Ranks Table on
the next page. Roll for each of the eight primary abilities.
After rolling, add 1/2(1d10) Rounded Down to each ability, but
remember the following limitations...
Strength for any 'normal' person is capped at 20
Endurance for any 'normal' person is capped at 25
Endurance must be at least 1
High Tech Characters and Mages 10 may only have 1 physical or 2
mental abilities start in the Enhanced class, all other abilities
must be Normal or Impaired.
Altered Humans add 5 points to the primary ability of their
choice.
Mutants add 5 points to their Endurance
High Tech Characters add 10 points to their Reason
10

Yes, I know.

'Mage' is not a randomly rolled origin.

101

Mages add a total of 10 points to their Psyche and Spirit,

divided however they choose.
Random Ranks Table
Initial Rank
Number
0

Altered Humans
Mutants

Normal Folk

High Technology
Mages

Robots

Aliens

01-05

01-05

01-05

01-05

01-10

06-10

06-25

06-10

06-10

11-20

11-20

26-75

11-40

11-15

21-30

13

21-40

76-95

41-80

16-40

31-40

18

41-60

96-00

81-95

41-50

41-60

23

61-70

96-00

51-60

61-65

28

71-80

61-70

66-70

33

81-88

71-80

71-75

38

89-96

81-90

76-80

43

97-00

91-98

81-95

99-00

96-00

53

102

Ability Modifier Table

Roll
01-15
16-50
51-70
71-85
86-90
91-95
90-00

Modification
Reduce by 5 points
No change
Increase by 5 points
Increase by 10 points
Increase by 15 points
Increase by 20 points
Increase by 25 points

No ability can be reduced below 0 or above 60.

Starting Resources.
Aliens start with 10 Resources and do not roll for them.
High Tech Characters and Mages may start with 20 Resources or
take their chances as described below.
Otherwise, characters start with 15 Resources and then make a
roll on the ability modifier table. Mutants then subtract 10
from their Resource Rank.
Characters may sacrifice 8 points from their starting Resource
Rank to gain an extra Power. Characters may sacrifice 2 points
from their starting Resource Rank to gain an extra talent or
contact. 11
These sacrifices cannot result in a character having more than 5
Powers, 8 Talents or 5 Contacts. Nor can they cause a characters
initial Resource Rank to drop below 0.

11

This is because Powers are normally a lot more useful than Talents or
Contacts.

103

Random Number of Powers, Talents and Contacts Table

Dice Roll

Powers

Talents

Contacts

01-20

21-60

61-90

91-00

Roll separately for each category.

Mutants get one extra power (up to a maximum of 5) and the
majority of their powers must be inborn as opposed to equipment
based.
Hi-Tech characters must have at least one Contact, and they must
declare what that Contact is before starting play. This Contact
represents the organization the character works for (or owns).
At least one of their Talents must be Scientific or Professional
in nature.
If a High Tech Character obtains Body Armor as a power, he may
choose to place all his powers into a battlesuit. (Further
details on the next page.)
Mages may always select their mentor as a Contact if they so
choose.
At least on their Talents must be Professional or Mystical in
nature.
Aliens may start with no more than one Contact. This is usually
the alien's home race, dimension, or people. Those characters
who do not choose their race as one of their Contacts are
considered outcasts of their race.

104

Any Power with a base cost of 50 or more Hero Points or a cost

multiplier of 2.0 or higher counts as two powers. (These powers
tend not to be randomly rollable, but a randomly generated
character does not have to have everything rolled randomly.)
A Power's Initial Rank is rolled on the "Robot" column of the
Random Ranks Table with 1/2(1d10) Rounded Down added. However, a
Power must have a rank of at least 1.
A Power's Range may determined one of two ways. It
on the "High Technology" column of the Random Ranks
2d10 added or you may use the Power's Rank and roll
Ability Modifier table with a -10 Penalty. (If you
random about which method to use, flip a coin.)

may be rolled
Table with
on the
wish to be

If a character rolls the same talent more than once, they have
multiple levels in that talent, if the talent's description
allows.
Any Talent with a Cost of 20 or more Hero Points counts as two
talents. As with Powers, such Talents tend not to be randomly
rollable.
Contacts are never randomly rolled. However, they can have Rank
numbers. This will either indicate the quality of information
and services the contact can provide or the level of Resources
the character can access through that Contact.
In the first case, roll on the "High Technology" column of the
Random Ranks Table and add 2d10 with a minimum of 15 and a
maximum of 40. This represents the Contacts maximum skill level
(with any applicable Talent bonuses) in whatever area of
expertise they being used for.
Resource based Contacts use the "Robot" column of the Random
Ranks Table, double the result and add 1d10, with a minimum of
20. (The maximum of 116 may sound nice, but the more you ask
from a Contact, the more the Contact will eventually ask from
you.

105

Not all Contacts have or need Rank Numbers. Judges should use
their judgment (surprise, surprise) in determining when to use a
Contact's Rank.
Random Equipment Table
Roll
01-25
26-55
56-57
81-00

Bonus Equipment
None
10 Hero Points
20 Hero Points
50 Hero Points

Random Equipment:
Many, but not all characters, carry small pieces of gear that are
useful, but that shouldn't really count as Powers. This includes
standard basic weapons like a knife, quarterstaff, gun or even a
bow. (But not the special arrows that Hawkeye carries.) It
could also be things like first aid kits, flashlights,
communication links, homing devices, lock picks, smoke bombs and
other tools of the trade. Basically, things you can buy, instead
of things you must invent.
The above table gives a randomly generated character a budget for
such gear. Most non-combat gear is worth 10 Hero Points, with
weapons being purchased using the rules from Chapter 8 of the
Player's Handbook.
A character doesn't have to use their entire allowance, but if
they go over, the excess is considered as equipment purchased
with Resources, with the replacement costs of such.

106

Battlesuits for randomly generated characters.

A battlesuit not only provides Body Armor, it modifies the
wearer's physical abilities. Roll on the Ability Modifier Table
to determine what adjustment the armor provides to the
character's Fighting, Agility, Strength and Endurance rank
numbers.
Alternate method for randomized alien characters.
The aliens listed on pages 87-97 of this book list stats for
average members of various alien species. If the player wants
his character to be a member of one of these species, use the
base stats listed for the species, then add a total of 6d10, 1
die at a time, to their primary abilities, with a limit of 60 for
any one ability.
The character rolls normally for their number of Powers and
Talents, but any Powers noted in the species' listing must be
taken first. The Power Rank may be rolled normally, or be the
rank listed in the description.
Eternals and Olympians are not recommended for use as Player
Characters.

107

[This page intentionally left blank.]

108

H
Healing, 31, 32
Holding Breath, 41, 42

Index:
A
Ability Modifier Table, 105
Adventures, 60-61
Alter Egos, 11

I
Ice, 38
Intensity examples, 25, 26

B
Battlesuits, 109
Body Armor
Add Ons, 49, 50
Optional rules 24, 28
Building Things, 47-50

J
Judge's Role, 5-9
Judge's Summary, 73
L
Limitations, 10, 11

C
Campaigns, 57-60
The Marvel Universe, 57, 58
Character
Modeling, 11-13
Types, 13, 14
Combat
Balancing Scenarios, 31
Judging 19-24, 28-30
Contacts
Activated, 45, 46
Floating, 44, 45
Information from, 42, 43
Resources from, 43, 44
Services from, 42
Creative Rulebreaking, 16, 17

M
Marvel Universe, 57
Miscellaneous/Unique
Weapons, 15, 16
Equipment 14, 15
Powers, 16
Modifiers
To Damage, 27
To Feat Rolls, 27
To Hit, 26, 27
N
Nexus of All Realities, 54, 55
NPC Design, 7, 8
O
Other Dimensions, 50-55
Alternate Earths, 53
Astral, 50, 51
Macroverses, 53
Microverses, 52
Mystic, 51, 52
Negative Zone, 53

D
Deathtraps, 63, 64
Diseases, 39-41
F
FEATs 17-19
Automatic, 18
Impossible, 18
Intensities, 25
Fire, 36,37

109

P
Poisons, 38,39
Power Stunts, 33-35
R
Random Characters, 103-109
Alternate Random Aliens, 109
Random Equipment Table, 108
Random Number of Powers,
Talents and Contacts Table,
106
Random Contact Rank Numbers,
107-108
Random Rank Number Table, 104
Random Resources, 105
Radioactivity, 39
S
Special Requirements, 47-49
Supporting Cast 75-103
Aliens, 97-97
Animals, 75-87
Supporting Players, 97-103
T
Time Travel, 54
V
Vacuum 42
Vehicle Compartments, 47
Villains
And Karma, 68-71
Escape 70
Mysterious Death, 70, 71
Popularity, 71
Resources, 71, 72
Types, 65-67
Conqueror, 67
Normal, 65, 66
Plotter, 66

110