House Rules (6th Edition)

The primary source for campaign rules is the Hero System Sixth Edition Revised produced by Hero Games. We recommend that you purchase a copy of the rulebook: playing on this MUSH without possessing a copy of the rulebook may be difficult (though it is possible).

Our House Rules are specific to this MUSH and override published game rules. Staff reserve the right to alter these rules as need be; this is most likely to be necessary in relation to rules new to the the Sixth Edition and therefore relatively untested. Any such changes (and hopefully not very many will be needed) will be announced.

Characters are to be built under the 6th Edition Hero System on 425 points (instead of the standard 400), counting 75 points of Matching Complications. A character may have as few as 50 points of Matching Complications (and so only 400 points to spend) but no fewer: an interesting and well-rounded character needs at least some complications.

Notes on converting 5th Edition characters to 6th Edition may be found here.

Balance
Player characters are built on a total of 425pts or less, assuming 75 points of Matching Complications. You may take as few as 50 points of Matching Complications, but each point less than 75 is also a point from your total points. Characters with fewer Complications would be too dull: just think how boring Superman would be without that susceptibility to Kryponite. You can take more Complications to round out your character, but get no more points for doing so.

When we review a character for approval we look for several things. First, the character must be legally built within the rules and house rules. Secondly, the character must be built within theme. With our intentionally loose theme this should not be difficult to achieve. Thirdly, we look for a unifying theme behind the powers and abilities, something to convince us that this character is an organic entity who can grow and develop in roleplay and not just a collection of random skills and powers.

We consider the character balance, both within the character between defense, attacks, movement, etc., and between the character and other characters that have been approved. To be approved the new character should be neither too weak to play a significant role with existing characters, nor so powerful that the new character will completely overshadow all existing characters.

The elements that staff will consider most in evaluating the balance of your character are the following: There are specific rules below explaining the allowable maxima for each of these.
 * DC - Maximum damage or other offensive effect.
 * CV - Average chance to hit and be hit in combat.
 * DEF - Calculated average effectiveness of defenses.
 * SPD - Your character's Speed characteristic.

Of course, any ability on your character sheet may affect balance, not just these. Some particularly potent combinations that may be disallowed are noted below.

Maximum Active Points
For offensive combat Powers the initial AP cap is 72 points, although generally your choice of Balance Ranks will limit them equally or more. For full details, see Balance: DC (Offensive Powers).

Note that some powers also have a minimum purchase Base Points requirement. See Minimum Costs.

With defensive Powers such as Resistant Protection and Damage Reduction, etc., a character's total defense is limited by the Balance Ranks chosen. See the Balance: DEF (Defensive Powers).

There is no specific AP cap on non-combat powers, but if the AP of a power is over 75pts the approval reviewers will check to see if the power risks unbalancing the game. This may result in an extended time to complete the approval process.

Movement Powers are capped at 60m of Combat Movement, however many Active Points that may be. There is no cap on Noncombat Movement.

Characteristics are capped by value, rather than Active Points, according to this table.

Balance Table
Although there are caps to ensure character balance, players may choose their own strengths and weaknesses: one PC might be faster, another stronger, another tougher. The following table shows the "rank" your character falls into in the categories of DC (raw power), CV (ability to hit and avoid being hit), DEF (defenses) and SPD (number of actions in a Turn). How these numbers are calculated is explained in the following sections.

[a] If DC is taken at Ultra level then neither SPD nor Applicable OCV (see below) can be at a level higher than Medium.

[b] If the Applicable OCV (see below) of an attack is Ultra or higher then the DC of that attack cannot be at a level higher than Medium. If the Applicable DCV (see below) of an attack is Ultra or higher then DEF when using that attack cannot be at a level higher than Medium. This is true even if CV as a whole is lower than Ultra.

[c] If SPD is taken at an Ultra level then DC cannot be at a level higher than Medium.

[d] The Mega and Extreme levels can only be taken in Powerups using Experience Points gained in play. Talk to Admin when your character has 50+ Experience Points.

An overall balance rating of one High and three Mediums or the equivalent is normally acceptable. To raise one category a level you must lower another category by a level to compensate. For example, to get High in two categories you must have at least one Low.

More generally: the sum of the numbers given in the "Rank" column for each of the four categories (DC, CV, DEF and SPD) should be +1 or less, for a legal starting character.

Note that balance is reckoned according to what powers you can use at the same time. If you have 10D6 Blast and 10D6 Damage Negation as fixed slots in the same 50-pt Multipower you can't use them at the same time, and you therefore have two different Balance ratings according to which slot is active.

The table shows the very top of each range. For instance, any CV rating above 7 and less than or equal to 9 is in the High category. There is no rounding: a CV of 9.5 is Ultra, not High. You should generally not, as a starting character, be at the very top of the range in all categories: this gives your character nowhere to grow till you've earned 50 XP. It might even cause staff to evaluate you as being effectively a rank higher.

You can bring up your overall Balance rating by bumping up one category by one rank for every 50 XP you've earned. However, it is advisable to do this with caution, especially if raising a category to Ultra or higher ranks: a character that is much more powerful than the other heroes can prove less interesting to play. Take such improvements slowly to make sure you don't ruin your own enjoyment.

Restrictions on Ultra and Higher Ranks
As indicated in the notes to the Balance Table, there are restrictions on taking Ultra or above on any category. Note that these are restrictions on starting characters only: once you reach 50 XP it possible to exceed them. However staff will scrutinize powerups beyond this restrictions for balance.

Applicable OCV means the highest OCV that the character could apply to the attack under consideration, including Levels, and Maneuver bonuses, etc., as described at Balance: CV.

Applicable DCV means the highest DCV that the character could apply to the attack under consideration, including Levels, and Maneuver bonuses, etc., as described at Balance: CV, with levels added to DCV instead OCV (except for levels that can never add to DCV).

Note that if you qualify for an Exemption in one of the categories (see DC Exemptions, CV Exemptions and DEF Exemptions, any extra provided by the Exemption does not trigger the restrictions associated with the Ultra rank. For instance, if you had an Concentrated Power which is stronger only when you are in space, such that you are limited to DC 11 (High) when not in space but DC 14 (Ultra) when in space, then you could still have a SPD or Applicable OCV higher than Medium.

However, no starting character may have Mega or Extreme rank in DC, even including Exemptions.

Balance Guide by Archetype
The following table shows a "typical distribution of balance ranks for various "classic" character archetypes; you may find it useful in planning your character. That said, you are of course not restricted to following these suggestions: any balance legal according to the above table is fine!

Balance: DC (Offensive Powers)
''In the following, EAP (Effective Active Points) means the higher of the Damage Classes times 5 or the Active Points. For instance, a 6D6 blast with a +1/2 Advantage counts as 45 EAP. 2 Martial Arts Added Damage Classes counts as 10 EAP (although actually they cost only 8 AP). Extra dice from combat maneuver are free, but are still reckoned as 5 EAP per D6.''

The Active Point cap for all offensive powers (including STR and Presence Attack) is initially determined by your DC Balance Rank (but see also Offensive Powers and Experience, below, for post-character-creation considerations). For instance, if you have chosen High then you can have up to 12 Damage Classes in offensive powers. The maximum allowed EAP is reckoned as (5 &times; DC) + 2 = 62 in this case.

You should include damage for Martial Arts maneuvers as if they were STR. So a maneuver that adds +2D6 normal Damage would add 10 EAP for these purposes, for instance.

Also include any Combat Skill Levels with are Usable Only For Damage.

You do not normally have to consider Haymaker, Move Through, Move By or Pushing, although if you're likely to do these a lot (for instance, many speedsters use Move Through or Move By as a common or principal attack) then they should be taken into account. Nor do you need to consider purely defensive maneuvers, such as Block and Dodge.

When a power's cost is added to by something else (as for instance, STR adds to HA and HKA) you must include the EAP of the added thing. So if you have a HKA 2D6 and STR 30, this is reckoned as 60 EAP.

However, if an attack involves two powers that apply separately against defenses, as with Linked or Combined attacks, a discount may apply. If all such joined attacks apply against Common or Very Common defenses, all but the largest Power count at only half value toward EAP. This may be the case too if one or more applies against Uncommon or Rare defenses; staff will scrutinize such cases. In no event will the diccount be given on an All or Nothing ("NND") Power.

Certain Advantages do not count toward EAP: Reduced Endurance and Charges are both excluded (although Continuing Charges are not excluded, since they effectively include the Constant and Uncontrolled Advantages). Difficult To Dispel is also excluded. Personal Immunity is excluded only if the Power it applies to affects only a single target. Indirect is included, but only at half value (rounding down) for this purpose.

The Adder for Mental Powers nammed Multiple Classes (6E1 152) also does not count again EAP, no matter how many times it is taken.

Levels and DC Balance
As an additional step, any Combat Skills Levels or 12-point Skill Levels that can be applied to damage should be added (each 2 skill levels counting as 5 EAP). Although the main check of levels is done when considering the CV aspect of balance (for which you apply levels to CV, not damage) it is important to check that when you do apply them to damage you don't exceed Ultra rank (i.e. 14 DC/72 EAP). If it breaks this limit, you might consider taking a limit on your levels that they can only be applied to CV, not damage; this is a -1/4 Limitation.

DC Exemptions
Two types of Exemptions, those for Concentrated Powers and Specialists, work the same way. If you are granted such an Exemption, you may build powers one DC Rank (that is, 10 EAPs) more powerful than your DC Rank only within your field of concentration or specialization. In compensation, outside that field your offensive powers are capped at 5 EAPs less than your DC Rank.

For instance, if you are Ranked High for DC (normally 12 DC/62 EAP) you may have attacks at 14DC/72 EAP within your Concentration/Specialization, but are limited to 11 DC/57 EAP for all other offensive powers.

Moreover, if your Concentrated Power or Specialization is thus in the Ultra Rank, it does not limit your SPD or Applicable OCV, as Ultra DC normally does (see Balance Table).

However, a starting character may not have offensive powers in the Mega or Extreme Ranks, even if they are Concentrated Powers or Specializations.

Concentrated Powers
A Concentrated Power is one that can is more powerful under certain unusual circumstances, which lie mostly outside the character's control.

Example: ''Aquabloke is especially strong when he is underwater. His normal STR is only 55; however he has also bought +15 STR, Only Underwater (-1 1/2) for an underwater STR of 70 - and this counts as only High for Balance purposes. In comparison, his landlubber ally, Superchap, whose DC balance is also high, has only STR 60 - but on land as well as water. Aquabloke can't buy any offensive power above 11 DC/57 EAP unless it works Only Underwater.''

This Exemption is only allowed when the situation is generally outside the character's control and likely to apply in a third or less of the scenes the character is involved in. For instance, Usable Only Against Targets Over Six Foot Tall is not only silly but wouldn't qualify, because it's likely in most battles some opponent will be tall enough, and the character could focus on him. On the other hand, whether an scene is set in or near a large body of water is essentially not in control of the character. Of course, Aquabloke can try to grab an opponent on land and force him into a lake - but sometimes the lake just won't be there.

Specialists
While a Concentrated Power is stronger under some circumstances than others, a Specialist generally cannot use a Power at all in certain cases or for particular uses.

A classic example is an empath, who might have Mind Control, Emotions Only (-1/2) and Telepathy, Emotions Only (-1/2), and perhaps even Mind Scan, limited to using those Power out of Line of Sight. Because this is a significant and pervasive limitation on what these Powers can usually do (you can know emotions but not the thoughts behind them; you can cause fear but not whether that fear causes flight or aggression), it is worth a Specialist Exemption. (This is a common trope in the comics: a telepath who is more limited but more powerful than comparable characters.)

Note that the particular Limitation on the Power need not be situational or as rare as for Concentrated Powers: an empath can use the Power against any target with the right Class of Mind, and in all situations. Indeed, in rare cases no Limitation might be needed at all, but just a very limited power set (a character who can make Images but had no attacks causing damage might be allowed a Specialist Exemption). Approval staff will decide what qualifies for the Exemption; it is advisable to state with a character application that you wish to be considered for Specialist status if it is the case.

Any offensive powers outside the specialisation are subject to an EAP cap 5 lower, as stated above, but in practice the restrictions are even more stringent. For instance, if an Empath with 12D6 emotional Mind Control also had a 9D6 Blast, staff would be right to deny the Exemption: that's hardly a specialist! In general, the less alternative you have to using the Specialist Power, the more likely the Exemption will be approved.

Growth and Shrinking
Growth and Shrinking both have their own exemptions due to the unusual nature of these Powers.

Offensive Powers and Experience
Offensive Powers have a basic Active Point cap of 72 AP, rising by 1 for each 10 total XP earned. They must, of course, also comply with Balance Rank requirements.

Balance: CV
Your character's CV rating is the average of their DCV and their OCV (for physical attacks)or OMCV (for mental attacks) as used with their most powerful attack(s). Round this average up, not down. Before this average is done, make sure the following modifiers are included:


 * Add relevant Combat Skill Levels (CSLs) and 12-point Skill Levels to your DCV and your OCV/OMCV. If a Level can be used for either DCV or OCV/OMCV add it to OCV/OMCV. But see CV Exemptions below.


 * You are allowed 4 Offensive Penalty Skills Levels (PSLs) for each of any given types without affecting your CV rating, but any above that counts against your CV at full value. For instance, if you had 6 Range PSLs and 4 Targeting PSLs you would add 2 (for the Range PSLs) to your OCV total. Defensive PSLs are not counted in balance.


 * Include the Martial Arts manoeuvre modifiers for your most powerful attack if your character employs Martial Arts, assuming martial arts are used (this should be the manoeuvre that determined your DC rating). You might have to do the balance calculation for more than one maneuver if there are several powerful ones.


 * Include DCV and OCV modifiers due to powers such as Growth and Shrinking, etc. (Consider how your character balances both with them on and off.)

If your character can attack while undetectable by normal sight using Darkness or Invisibility, etc., your character’s CV level may be assessed on a case-by-case basis by the reviewers. As a basic rule assume at least a +1 to your calculated CV figure. Note that this only applies if you can attack while using these Powers.

(The above is actually a simplification - characters should balance for all their attacks. It is possible that the most powerful attack is not the one that counts as highest for balance purposes, because a weaker attack is used with higher CV. Check all any attacks that could reasonably have the highest balance rating.)

DMCV is not generally taken into account for balance purposes, given the relative scarcity of mentalists.

Two more checks are necessary, as noted at Balance Table:
 * Applicable OCV means the highest OCV that the character could apply to the attack under consideration, including Levels, and Maneuver bonuses, etc. If this is in the Ultra range (11 or higher) then the DC rank of the associated attack cannot be more than Medium (see Balance Table).


 * Applicable DCV means the highest DCV that the character could apply to the attack under consideration, including Levels, and Maneuver bonuses, etc., with levels added to DCV instead OCV (except for levels that can never add to DCV). If this is in the Ultra range (11 or higher) then DEF rank while using the attack cannot be more than Medium (see Balance Table).

CV Exemptions
DCV, or CSLs that cannot be applied to OCV or damage, that apply only vs. certain types of attacks or in specific circumstances outside your control, count against the DCV part of your balance reckoning at a reduced level:


 * For a -1/2 or greater Limitation, only half the number of levels apply to balance.
 * For a -1 or greater Limitation, only one quarter the number of levels apply to balance.

Round any fractions by the normal rule.

Example: ''Lorelei has a DCV of 7 normally, but also +2 DCV Only vs Men (-1/2). This bonus DCV counts only half, so her DCV for balance purposes is 7 + (2/2) = 8. If she bought another level of DCV Only vs Men, her DCV would still be 8 - the (3/2) would round down.''

Example: ''The Wrangler is good at avoiding being Grabbed, but only when he is attempting Grabs himself. He buys this as a 5-pt CSL with Only With Grab (-1/2), Only for DCV (-1/2) and Only Vs Grabs (-1). This last Limitation (only) qualifies him for the exemption - he could have 1 to 2 such levels and they would count 0 toward his DCV balance, or 3 to 6 for only 1!''

No such exemptions apply to OCV or OMCV.

Balance: DEF (Defensive Powers)
You may not have all three of Mental Defense, Power Defense and Flash Defense: at least one must be lacking, to ensure your character has a weak spot. When calculating Balance DEF a quarter of your highest special defense, Mental, Flash, or Power, adds to the calculation. If you have a second special defense it does not add to the calculation. In the case of Flash defense, use the highest value of Flash defense, not the total amount of Flash defense. So if you have 12pts of Sight Flash Defense, 8pts of Hearing Flash Defense, and 8pts of Radio Flash Defense, you only count the 12pts of Sight Flash Defense.

Advantages and Limitations, or whether the defenses are Resistant, are irrelevant to the following calculation, unless a Limitation qualifies for a DEF Exemption (see below) in which case the power in question is omitted from the calculation.

Only include defenses from Barrier in the calculation if you can attack through your own Barrier. If this is the case, Barrier's full values must be included when calculating the Balance DEF for those attacks.

If you don't have any Damage Reduction or Damage Negation, it's simple to calculate your character's DEF: If you have those more unusual defenses, use this step-by-step breakdown:
 * 1) Average your total PD and total ED, rounding as normal.
 * 2) Add to this a quarter of your highest of Mental Defense, Flash Defense or Power Defense, rounding again.


 * 1) For normal defenses (PD and PD)
 * 2) * Total the amount of defense provided by your PD and ED characteristics
 * 3) * Add any PD and ED Resistant Protection and any Defensive Absorption.
 * 4) * Add 3.5 for every -1 DC of any PD or ED Damage Negation.
 * 5) * Add 5 for 25% PD or ED Damage Reduction, 10 for 50% or 20 for 75%.
 * 6) * Divide the total obtained by two, rounding off.
 * 7) For special defenses (Mental, Flash, and Power)
 * 8) * Add your base Mental Defense and any Mental Defense derived from Resistant Defense
 * 9) ** Add 3.5 to the above total for every -1 DC of any Mental Damage Negation.
 * 10) ** Add 5 for 25% Mental Damage Reduction, 10 for 50% or 20 for 75%.
 * 11) * For each sense group add base Flash Defense with any derived from Resistant Defense
 * 12) * Add your base Power Defense and any Power Defense derived from Resistant Defense
 * 13) * Take the highest of these totals and divide by 4, rounding off
 * 14) Add the final values from step 1 and step 2. This is your balance value for DEF

Example: ''Iron Boy has 8PD/6ED in Characteristics, 5PD/5ED Resistant Protection, a further 10PD Resistant Protection that costs END (a force field), 25% Normal PD Damage Reduction, -5 DC Energy Damage Negation, a Mental Defense of 5, Hearing Flash Defense of 5 and Resistant Sight Flash Defense of 10. Presumably his player wants to make things difficult for the staff. He'd have liked to have had Power Defense as well, but that wouldn't have been allowed.''


 * 1) Normal Defenses
 * 2) * Physical total is 8 (PD) + 5 + 10 (Resistant Protection twice) + 5 (Damage Reduction) = 28.
 * 3) * Energy total is 6 (ED) + 5 (Resistant Protection) + 17.5 (Damage Negation) = 28.5.
 * 4) * The average for Physical and Energy is (28 + 28.5)/2 = 28.25, which rounds to 28.
 * 5) Special Defenses
 * 6) * Mental total is 5 (from Mental Defense).
 * 7) * Hearing Flash total is 5 (from Flash Defense)
 * 8) * Sight Flash total is 10 (from Flash Defense)
 * 9) * Power total is 0
 * 10) * The highest of these is Sight Flash at 10
 * 11) * Dividing 10 by 4 gives 2.5, which rounds to 2.
 * 12) Adding the results from steps 1 and 2 gives 28 + 2 = 30.

So Iron Boy has an 'High' rank DEF of 30.

DEF Exemptions
You may buy up your defences as high as you like, without regard to DEF limits, within a sufficiently limited range of effects. For instance you could buy invulnerability (as far as your points will take you) to Fire/Heat/Cold, as might be appropriate to a fire-based character. This example is the broadest Exemption (in terms of how common the attacks are) that will be permitted; staff will rule if a proposed Exemption is too wide.

Any such Exemptions should make sense in terms of the SFX of the character. In consequence, more than one unrelated Exemption will almost never be permitted, since that would require an extremely unusual character concept. Multiple Exemptions will be carefully scrutinized; in any case they must, taken together, be less common in application than a Fire/Heat/Cold Exemption.

DEF and Characteristics
Approval reviewers may also take into account unusually high values of STUN, CON, REC and perhaps BODY Characteristics when considering your character’s DEF rating calculation. What is viewed as unusual depends on the character concept. A Brick character with 60+ STUN isn’t unusual. A Martial Artist character with 60+ STUN is. When this is done it will be on a case-by-case basis.

Balance: SPD
Your SPD rating is simply your character's SPD.

When one or two characters have SPDs significantly higher than the other characters in a scene, it is especially important that they be able to respond quickly when their action phase rolls around: otherwise everyone is sitting around waiting for those characters to act and combat scenes become exceptionally frustrating for other players. Before creating a high SPD character please give some thought to how you are going to handle this situation courteously.

Balance: Characteristics
The caps for Characteristics are to be found here.

If you buy lots of STUN, BODY, REC and/or CON staff might evaluate you as being effectively one DEF rank higher.

STR, of course, counts as an offensive Power for balance purposes. PRE attacks, too, must fall with DC allowances.

Balance: Skills
There are no caps on Skill rolls: you can buy a skill at 20- or whatever you wish. However any skill bought up three or more levels above your base Characteristic roll ought to be explained in your character’s background. The skill benchmarks at 6E1 56 apply - note 14- is already a "master".

A roll of 18 will always fail no matter what your skill level. However, a skill level of 20- lets you succeed on roll of 17 even at with a -3 penalty.

Combat Skill Levels are included in the calculation of DC or CV for your character’s balance requirements. That is, you must be legally balanced whether you are apply levels for damage or for CV. If this proves a problem, you may want to take a Limitation on your levels to reflect that they can apply only to one or the other.

You must spend 15pts or more on non-combat Skills. These can include useful adventuring Skills such as Stealth or Security Systems; however, a minimum of 5pts must be spent on Background Skills. Perhaps you can take a Professional Skill (PS) in an occupational skill and also a KS in some kind of hobby skill?

Balance: Powers
The following are balance considerations that apply with particular Powers:

Approval reviewers have been instructed to reject any characters who have the following combinations of powers:
 * Invisibility with higher than Medium Damage.
 * Invisibility with Mental Attacks.
 * Desolidification with Affects Real World attacks.
 * All of Mental Defense, Power Defense and Flash Defense (any two is ok).

If your character has Invisibility and High damage but cannot be invisible and attack at the same time that should be fine. The same holds for Invisibility and Mental attacks. Having Desolidification and any Affects Real World effect will not be allowed (except possibly for very inoffensive uses, such as Images, Only To Create Light).

In general, power combinations that allow you to attack with impunity are out. For example, Targeting senses that work through walls coupled with Indirect attacks, or Invisibility coupled with ranged Invisible Power Effects attacks, and many others. Transdimensional attacks are right out! (Though if you really need to do this you could open a Gate to the other dimension and fire through - because that way they can fire back!)

The reason for this rule is that these power combinations can lead to imbalance in the game. So please consider these things before applying.

Here are some other unbalancing things that will be carefully reviewed and probably rejected. If you must include them in your character concept for some reason, take care to limit their unbalancing effect somehow, and expect your application to be delayed while we talk about whether to make an exception in your case.
 * Adjustment Powers that can potentially increase your DC, CV, DEF or SPD, or those of your allies, above their initial ratings.
 * More than one AVAD attack with different defenses (not counting making the defenses more common).

Introduction
(6E1 5)

Character Points & Rounding
(6E1 12)

Only round down if a fraction is exactly half or less. 6.500001, for instance, rounds up to 7.

Characteristics
(6E1 39)

Characteristic Benchmarks
The table below is intended to give you a sense of how good Characteristics (and also movement abilities and the Striking Appearance Talent) are, so you know how much is appropriate to take for your character.

The categories are to be understood as follows:

Weak means a level typical of a baby.

Challenged levels are usually associated with small children, the elderly, or people with disabilities (physical or mental). It's well worth noting that there may be people with an ED of 1 and a BODY of 3 walking about when you're throwing your energy blasts about - not all innocent bystanders are in good health!

Average is just that - the level of the majority of the population.

Skilled represent a level noticeably better than average. Many people will be in this range for their best Characteristic, and some people won't even have one this high!

Excellent (the rulebook uses the term "Competent", but that's misleading) is really quite good indeed - it's quite possible to live your life in the real world never meeting anyone with a Characteristic better than Excellent. At the higher end of this range people will be described as "among the best in the world".

Legendary is the absolute limit of what a normal human can do. In the real world, almost no one is ever on this level - and perhaps no one has ever lived who had two Characteristics this high. In the game world it's not quite so rare - there seems to be quite a number of mad geniuses coming up with crazy inventions, for example - but anyone if this level is 'maybe the best in the world' (metas excluded, of course). Player characters can have abilities of this level without describing them in their backgrounds, but often such abilities are directly related to their powers and should be mentioned.

Superhuman abilities definitely mark someone as a "meta" - anyone displaying an ability of this level will be considered metahuman. Any such Characteristics should be explained in your background: these levels are generally unachievable without some sort of "Origin" (you don't have to be "superhuman" by special effect - you could be trained in a hidden monastery or simply be born an with unheard-of levels of genius, for instance, though you're basically a normal human - but there will be a story there, even if just one of a very unusual childhood).

Of course, just because you're superhuman doesn't mean most or even any of your characteristics should be on that level! Many heroes have at least some Characteristics at Average level.

a Although one might imagine most people have little chance to use OMCV, it reaches these levels by normal mental development. You can only take an OMCV under 3 of your DMCV is at least as low.

b The Legendary category of these characteristics reaches even to what's good for a superhero, because such levels are achievable by much training and experience. But note that the average superhero (e.g. an energy projector) usually has a value around 7 for these, and bricks still lower; the upper Legendary range is more the province of martial artists and others dependent on their reflexes for defence.

c These ranges should be taken with a large grain of salt, since velocity depends on SPD as well as the movement Powers themselves.

Characteristic Caps
The following table shows the maximum allowable in each Characteristic for a starting character. This limit is raised according to the total XP a character has earned; the rate of increase is shown in the third column. In all cases, characters must also adhere to all other balance rules.

a This is the cap for PRE itself. Characters may have abilities that add to PRE rolls/attacks, such as Positive Reputation and Striking Appearance, but the total is limited by the DC balance category.

b The average of the two must not exceed 11 (increasing at 1 per 25 XP).

c The average of the two must not exceed 11 (increasing at 1 per 25 XP).

d The total of the two must not exceed 70 (increasing at 1 per 5 XP).

Characteristic Sweet Spots
The first six Characteristics (STR to PRE) have "sweet spots" at numbers ending in 3 or 8, because of the way Characteristic rolls are calculated. STR, PRE and occasionally EGO also have secondary sweet spots at numbers end in 0 or 5. In the interests of diversity and accurate representation of character we ask you to consider using values between the sweet spots, at least for one or two Characteristics, but this is not a requirement.

Such "extra" points are not insignificant: not only do they come into effect when Adjustment Powers are applied, but will be used as tiebreakers in contests as appropriate.

Example: ''John (STR 18) and Mary (STR 14) are engaged in a contest of strength. The GM asks the players to roll their STR damage and count BODY to resolve this. John rolls 3½D6 (for STR 18) and Mary rolls 2½D6 (for STR 13 - the last 1 point is "wasted"). Both players happen to roll 3 BODY. But because Mary has an "extra" point of STR she didn't apply, she wins the contest - barely - despite having the lower absolute STR. If John had had STR 19, it would have been a true tie.''

Skills
(6E1 53)

Familiarity and Proficiency
(6E1 56)

One may buy Proficiency for a Skill.

Complementary Skills
(6E1 57)

If more than one Complementary Skill applies, apply only the roll that provides the best bonus at full value. Any other successful Complementary Skill rolls add a flat +1. What skills apply and how many people can usefully assist is a matter of GM discretion.

Everyman skills
(6E1 60)

These are skills that all characters receive at zero cost:
 * 0 Language: [Your Choice of any one] (EM, Native) Idiomatic
 * 0 Transport Familiarity: [Your choice of any one] (EM)
 * 0 Professional Skill: [Your Choice of any one] (EM) 11-
 * 0 Knowledge Skill: [Your Choice of any one] (EM) 8-
 * 0 Area Knowledge (or City Knowledge): [Your Choice of any one] (EM) 8-
 * 0 Acting (EM) 8-
 * 0 PS: Computer Use (EM) 8-
 * 0 Conversation (EM) 8-
 * 0 Climbing (EM) 8-
 * 0 Paramedics (EM) 8-
 * 0 Stealth (EM) 8-

Everyman Skills are at 8- (except for a Professional Skill which is at 11-) and cannot be improved by Skill Levels. If you wish to have these Skills they must be listed on your sheet. The 'free' point for an Everyman Skill does not reduce the cost if you buy the Skill at a higher level (except in the case of buying Imitate Dialects for your native language - this costs just 1 point).

If your character has a background that precludes a particular Skill you may be allowed to find a suitable replacement for that Skill. E.g. a wheelchair-bound hacker can't climb but can repair her equipment; thus she could have Electronics at 8- as a replacement Everyman Skill. In particular, it may be appropriate to substitute a Science Skill (SS) For the Professional Skill and/or Knowledge Skill.

There can be other skills at zero cost (cf. What Not To Spend Points On, 6E1 31). Any skills that are so unusual that they are unlikely to ever be used in roleplay can qualify: an alien language when your character is the only person on Earth who knows it and no contact exists between the alien culture and Earth is one example. Don't clutter up your sheet with many such skills.
 * 0 Language: Kirilian (BG, Native) Idiomatic
 * 0 Combat Pilot: Only Kirilian Death Gliders (BG, DEX) 13-

Untrained Skills
(6E1 60)

The Untrained Skills option is in use unless the GM rules otherwise.

Extraordinary Skills
(6E1 60)

This rule may be applied at GM discretion, although generally such incredible feats are achieved with Powers.

Analyze
(6E1 64)

The expanded form of Analyze, which functions as a superior Complementary Skill in its field, may be bought. Remember to specify to what your Analyze applies.

Autofire Skills
(6E1 65)

Accurate Sprayfire and Rapid Autofire may not be bought.

Combat Skill Levels
(6E1 69)

Using Combat Skill Levels
(6E1 69)

CSLs used for defense apply to both HTH combat and Ranged Combat, but of course in order to apply them to defense the character must be engaged in an attack or maneuver to which CSLs pertain. 8- and 10-pts CSLs and 12-pt SLs may be applied to DCV even when one is making a mental attack.

CSLs may be used to increase damage, as described at 6E1 70. Usable Only For OCV/DCV and Usable Only For Damage are possible Limitations, each worth -1/4, but see Combat Skill Levels with Limitations.

Types of Combat Skill Levels
(6E1 70)

One may buy an OCV-only CSL in Strike (HTH) or Strike (Ranged).

Combat Skill Levels with Limitations
(6E1 71)

Only 5-pt or more expensive Combat Skill Levels may have Limitations. (However, you may take on the 5-pt level a -1/2 Limitation to simulate a 3-pt CSL or a -1 Limitation to simulate a 2-pt level ("Only "; the latter should also take Only For OCV, which is worth -1/2).

Combat Skill Levels for Mental Powers
(6E1 71)

6-pt MCSLs (and 12-pt CSLs) can be applied to MDCV even when one is engaged in a physical attack or maneuver.

Only 3-pt or more expensive MCSLs may have Limitations. (However, you may take on the 3-pt level "Only " (-1) and Only For OMCV (-1/2) to simulate a 1-pt level.

Computer Programming
(6E1 71)

See Professional Skill: Computer Use.

Cryptography
(6E1 74)

Cryptography cannot be used to represent knowledge of or ability to decipher dead languages; for that use the new skill Decipherment.

Decipherment
Decipherment is a standard Intellect Skill (i.e. it's based on INT and has a 3/2 cost). It is used to decipher and translate dead or obscure languages, as described under Cryptography (6E1 74, Cryptography, last paragraph). It can similarly be used to translate less obscure languages with a grammar and dictionary, though it's usually in such cases easier to find someone who knows the language well.

Fast Draw
(6E1 76)

In a Held Action situation where one person has Fast Draw and the other doesn't, the person with Fast Draw goes first if he makes his Fast Draw roll. If he misses it, and only if he misses it, his opponent can then make a DEX roll, and the order of actions is settled by the opposing rolls. Ties are settled by "extra" points of DEX (see the rules at Characteristic Sweet Spots).

Remember to specify the weapon/attack that Fast Draw applies to.

Interrogation
(6E1 78)

See Questioning.

Language
(6E1 80)

The Language Familiarity chart (6E1 81) is in use. The option that languages with 0 points of similarity cost an extra point is not in use.

When you purchase a Language skill, you automatically get Literacy with it. If you want your character not to be literate in English you can take a Complication to reflect that. While there are voice-activated systems in this future world, they are uncommon and regarded as an annoyance with respect to noise pollution. Illiteracy in other languages is not a Disadvantage in the MUSH setting.

Martial Arts
(6E1 82)

The following Martial Arts Maneuvers are in use:

Penalty Skill Levels
(6E1 84)

Only 3-pt OPSLs may have Limitations; however they have take a -1/2 Limitation to indicate they are as restricted as a 2-pt OPSL or a -1 Limitation to indicate they are as restricted as a 1-pt OPSL.

Targeting PSLs may be used to hit not only vulnerable parts of targets (e.g. Foci) but also small targets (e.g. characters with Shrinking); that is, they offset penalties for hitting any small target.

DPSLs (Defensive Penalty Skill Levels, 6E1 85) counteract Damage Class penalties as well as DCV modifiers.

Professional Skill: Computer Use
(cf. Professional Skill, 6E1 86, and Computer Programming, 6E1 71)

This Background Skill (which may optionally be INT-based) allows a character to use commercially available computers, operating systems, and software such as word processors, spreadsheets, databases, etc. It is considered a subset of Computer Programming (which can also be used to create or amend computer programs or to hack into computer systems, etc.): that is, if you have Computer Programming you don't need this skill. PS: Computer Use is an Everyman skill at 8-.

Professional Skill: Use Weapons
See Weapon Familiarity.

Questioning
(cf. Interrogation, 6E1 78)

Interrogation now has a companion skill named Questioning. The game effects are identical, but Questioning does not have the same implicit association of torture and coercion as the Interrogation skill does. Thus Questioning is the skill to purchase if your character's method of extracting information is by incisive and probing questions rather than by fists and rubber truncheons.

Rapid Attack
(6E1 87)

This Skill is not in use.

Skill Levels
(6E1 88)

+1 with all non-combat skills costs 8 points, not 10.

Skill Levels (but not CSLs or PSLs) of any cost may have Limitations.

See also Movement Skill Levels.

Transport Familiarity
(6E1 92)

All the Transport Familiarity categories may be purchased as groups; each group costs 2 points.

Surface vehicles familiarities are considered to include both their "hover" and "conventional" variants.

Two-Wheeled Motorized Ground Vehicles is renamed Motorbikes and is in the Common Motorized Ground Vehicles category, not the Uncommon one.

Two-Weapon Fighting
(6E1 92)

This Skill is not in use.

Weapon Familiarity
(6E1 94)

Weapon Familiarity is not in use, since players pay points for all their offensive powers.

However, characters may occasionally use weapons found, taken from opponents, etc. To represent that the character is familiar with weapons, their use, how to strip, maintain, unjam them etc., you may buy the PS: Use Weapons skill (or some more limited variant of it; like PS: Use Zu Energy Weapons). This can eliminate penalties for unfamiliarity with weapons.

Perks
(6E1 98)

Perks will be scrutinized for game balance: they generally allow a character indirect access to abilities that would cost a lot more if bought directly, and sometimes direct purchase is more appropriate. As a rule, characters should be able to face challenges with their own Skill and Powers; Perks should add flavour but not overshadow the things the player characters do directly.

Contact and Favor
(6E1 99 and 102)

These Perks are restricted in our game. Characters should solve the problems they face with their own Skills and Abilities, not depend on others to do so. Rather than set hard and fast rules on what Contacts and Favors are allowed, approval reviewers will examine each on a case-by-case basis. The general rule of thumb is that they may provide helpful support and resources, but must not "tread on the toes" of any PC. The game is about players, not NPCs.

Follower
(6E1 102)

Characters should be capable of solving the problems they face with their own skills and abilities, not depend on Followers to do so.

Followers (including Automata, Automata-cum-Computers and Computers, AI or not) cannot be built on more than 325 points, with the last 50 requiring Matching Complications (this limit is raised by 1 point for every 4 XP the player character earns, to a maximum of 50 points - that is, no matter how experienced you are you can't have a Follower built on more than 375 points). Followers are created according the the usual rules. Detailed sheets for each Follower will be required. We restrict the number of Followers to two or less because handling any more than that number is difficult and slows play down for everyone.

Rather than set hard and fast rules on what Followers are allowed, approval reviewers will examine each on a case-by-case basis. The general rule of thumb is that Followers may provide helpful support and resources and some assistance in combat, but must not "tread on the toes" of any PC. The game is about players, not NPCs - this is the reason, too, that Followers are capped below the level of beginning player characters.

Fringe Benefit
(6E1 103)

Fringe Benefit can be used to represent many other special rights and privileges than appear in the table; consult staff for help in determining a cost. In general, the benefits in the "universal" and "modern-day" sections apply, but note the following:
 * License to Kill is not allowed.
 * You can, if you really want, be king of Lesser Molvaria or some such, but being Head of State of a major country is right out!
 * International Driver's License and Passport are free to everyone - though you need to pay to have visas to travel to closed states like North Korea and Kroskev.

Money
(6E1 104)

The Optional Money System (6E1 105) in in use. Player Characters are normally limited to 10 points of Wealth at most, but staff will consider a Filthy Rich character if appropriate to the conception (note, however, that such a character will likely have to spend further points to represent aspects of being so rich that affect gameplay).

The Poverty Complication is a category of Complication of its own.

Positive Reputation
(6E1 106)

As a rule of thumb, Positive Reputations should exceed +3/+3D6 only very rarely - consider that the level of a darling of the media.

Vehicles and Bases
(6E1 107)

Bases
Characters who purchase this Perk have a Base. Bases should supplement a character at most, and must not be a substitute for him. Bases providing living accommodation, including Life Support, communication facilities, and enough armor to remain relatively intact when bad guys call around are fine. Bases can house computers and have laboratories (giving bonuses to knowledge/science/etc. skills). Bases can have defensive weaponry. Because a Base is immobile there is more leeway in Base design than Vehicle design.

Several characters can band together to buy a Base. If they do the points put into the Base are permanently committed. If one or more players later leaves the team that has the Base he will not gain the points back.

Bases will need a sheet created for them. Speak to staff first. There is a degree of time and effort required to create a base sheet and it's best to get outline approval in advance before spending that time and effort.

You don't have to buy this Perk to have an ordinary place of residence or work. See also Equipment.

Vehicles
Characters who purchase this Perk have a vehicle with some special capabilities. Vehicles should supplement a character at most, and must not be a substitute for him. Vehicles providing movement ability with enough armor to remain in one piece are fine. If the vehicle has any weapons or can provide or increase Skills the approval reviewers will be looking carefully at it, and will reject any Vehicles that provide Skills and/or Powers that should come from a character. A vehicle which is regularly used in combat (as opposed, say, to just in a rare chase scene) should generally be built as a Focus instead.

Vehicles will need a sheet created for them. Speak to staff first.

There is a degree of time and effort required to create a vehicle sheet and it's best to get outline approval in advance before spending time and effort.

You don’t have to buy this Perk to have a standard commercially available vehicle for a character assuming sufficient in-game wealth. A car, hoverbike, yacht, executive private jet, etc., can be assumed. See also Equipment.

Talents
(6E1 108)

Talents may at staff discretion be bought as Powers (e.g. Bump of Direction in a Focus might represent a compass). They are considered Special Powers for this purpose.

Learning Talents
(6E1 109)

Though Talents are typically harder to learn than Skills - or even, realistically, impossible in some cases - there are no specific restrictions placed on learning them beyond the usual consideration that any powerup must be justified. There is no need to spend a point for a latent Talent (though it might be a good idea to mention it's latent in your background to help justify buying it later).

Combat Luck
(6E1 110)

Combat Luck may be bought with no strict upper limit; however, normal defensive balance rules apply.

Deadly Blow
(6E1 113)

This Talent may not be bought.

Lightning Reflexes
(6E1 114)

High levels of this will be scrutinized both for balance and for justification in character concept. As a rule of thumb, only a truly exceptional character concept will justify more than +10 DEX of Lightning Reflexes.

A variant, Lightning Mind, may be bought to add to EGO instead for the purposes of going first only with mental abilities. You can get +2 EGO to go first with all Mental Attacks for 1 pt, and the more limited forms may be bought too. This is subject to the same scrutiny as normal Lightning Reflexes.

Off-Hand Defense
(6E1 114)

This Talent may not be bought.

Resistance
(6E1 114)

The "Other 'Resistances'" from the sidebar may be bought.

Striking Appearance
(6E1 115)

A non-meta can have at most three levels of Striking Appearance. Applied to beauty, level 1 is particularly good looking, level 2 is already at model/movie star level and level 3 is into the legendary - one of the most beautiful people in the world (metas excepted). Applied to ugliness, level 1 is ugly, level 2 is hideous and level 3 is monstrous (typically involving severe disfiguration).

A Striking Appearance higher than 3 is a superpower and should be explained in one's background.

Weaponmaster
(6E1 116)

This Talent may not be bought.

Powers
(6E1 117)

Minimum Costs
(6E1 119)

Some powers have minimum allowed costs in addition to possible Active Point restrictions. For these powers there is a minimum number of Base Points. In other words the points of the base effect before any Adders or Advantages are included must be equal to or greater than the point totals shown below (sometimes this is expressed in the amount of effect rather than the points paid).
 * Special Defenses (Flash Defense, Mental Defense, Power Defense): 5 pts.
 * Resistant Protection for Special Defenses: 5 pts of effect (8 base points).
 * Teleport: 10 pts. (10m of Teleport)
 * Any Movement Power with Megascale: 10m of base movement (however many points that costs).

Powers do not shut off if Drained below the minimum; they decrease exactly as if there were no minimum cost.

Sensing Powers and Special Effects
(6E1 124)

Constant Powers are by default perceivable throughout, so one can't take the Perceivable Limitation for this (cf. 6E1 125).

Area-Affecting Constant Powers
(6E1 127)

A no-range area-affecting Constant Power may move with the character that creates it, or it may be fixed in place, but the decision must be made at character creation and applied consistently.

The Alterable Size Adder will be scrutinized carefully for balance: it could negate the balancing factor of area-affecting powers, namely the risk of hitting unintended targets.

Persistent Powers
(6E1 128)

Taking Requires A Roll on a Persistent Power does not make it automatically Constant (thus, for instance, defenses providing partial cover continue to function even when one is unconscious).

However, if any startup Limitations (e.g. Requires A Roll, Gesture, Incantations) are taken on a Persistent Power it must be the case that the Power is turned off with reasonably frequency or under certain reasonably common circumstances, or the Limitations are not worth anything.

Endurance and Compound Powers
(6E1 130)

The option that a compound power costs only 1 END if the total Active Points would cost only 1 END is not in use.

The Standard Effect Rule
(6E1 133)

The Standard Effect Rule may be used; whether the Power uses it must be established at character creation and applied consistently.

The Absolute Effect Rule
(6E1 133)

The Absolute Effect Rule is not in use.

Adjustment Powers
(6E1 135) Adjustment Powers affect Defense Powers and all Characteristics (not just defensive ones) at half rate; the sole exception is END, which they affect at one-fifth rate (that is, each point rolled on an Adjustment Power makes a difference of 1 END). The REC and END of Endurance Reserve are affected at the same rates as normal REC and END.

Adjustment Powers that increase Characteristic or Powers beyond their original level (Aid and Absorption) will be scrutinized for their effect on balance (not only of the character who has them but of characters they might be used on as well). Those that raise CV or defences may be especially unbalancing. They may also not have Delayed Return Rate higher than 5/5 minutes without special staff permission; Delayed Return Rate in combination with placing them in a Power Framework also calls for careful scrutiny.

Expanded Effect (+4) (6E1 142) allows the character to affect all game elements of the defined special effect at once.

Automaton Powers
(6E1 145)

Automaton Powers cannot be bought except for Automata.

Defense Powers
(6E1 146)

You get two levels of Hardened for each +1/4 of Advantage - i.e. enough to counteract two levels (+1/2) of Armor Piercing.

Mental Powers
(6E1 148)

Area of Effect Selective does not allow the command or effect to differ between the victims (cf. Area of Effect, 6E1 152). However, if you buy a second Area of Effect Selective of the same size you may then apply a different effect to each target.

Constant (cf. Constant, 6E1 153) allows changing the level of effect without another attack roll or prevents deterioration of the Power. The type of Constant must be specified when the Power is bought (the first is just called "Constant", the second "Constant: No Deterioration").

Uncontrolled does prevent deterioration for as long as the END lasts, nor does the power shut off when the END runs out: rather the victim must make Breakout rolls as normal (cf. Uncontrolled, 6E1 153).

When a Mental Power has been maintained without deterioration, either through Uncontrolled, or simply by paying END, the Breakout Rolls "reset" when END is no longer available (that is, there is a -0 roll next Phase, a -1 roll after a Turn, and so on).

If a Mental Power is bought with Normal Range (-1/4) it is subject to Range Modifier. Alternatively it may be bought with Limited Normal Range (-1/4), in which case the range must be much less (no more than 32m except with special staff permission) but does not suffer from Range Modifier. (Cf. Normal Range, 6E1 154.)

A Variable Power Pool does not allow affecting of any class of mind automatically; classes affected must be specified in the VPP writeup (this is a consequence of how VPPs work by the house rules; cf. Variable Power Pool, 6E1 154).

Movement Powers
(6E1 155)

No Gravity Penalty (6E1 158) can only be applied to Leaping, since otherwise gravity penalty isn't used.

No Turn Mode (6E1 158) is not in use because Turn Modes aren't in use.

Sense-Affecting Powers
(6E1 159)

Only the Sight Sense Group is considered Targeting, for the purpose of Sense-Affecting Powers.

Absorption
(6E1 165)

Defensive Absorption (cf Absorption as a Defense, 6E1 166) may be bought, but note that it counts against your defensive balance, even though it can fail when your Absorption is overloaded (the tradeoff is that it is cheaper that buying the defenses normally). Defensive Absorption may not be combined with Varying Effect (6E1 167). See also Adjustment Powers.

Aid
(6E1 167)

This Power is can be particularly unbalancing and will be carefully monitored.

See also Adjustment Powers.

Barrier
(6E1 169)

If an Barrier or Force Wall (or indeed a normal wall) blocks damage from an attack, the damage that gets through is reduced by 3 STUN for each BODY blocked.

The total PD, ED and BODY of a Barrier may not exceed 24; nor can any of these individually exceed 12.

Barrier is considered an offensive power if it can be used to englobe someone. In this case, it must be within you DC balance limits; for these purposes multiply the APs in Barrier by 1.5 to determine its effective Active Points.

Moreover, a Barrier in which you can englobe yourself and still act offensively, such as a mentalist with a transparent to sight Barrier, is considered for defensive balance.

When multiple Barriers englobe the same target, or otherwise Barriers are placed to support one another, each additional Barrier adds only 1 to the BODY (i.e. they behave similarly to Entangles).

You may take a -1 Limitation on Flash Defense, Mental Defense or Power Defense that protects only the Barrier or Force Wall itself (6E1 170, first paragraph).

Any Barrier or Force Wall may be defined as attached or detachable or unattached. If it's attached it may not be broken free (this is typically the case with Force Walls). If it's unattached it may be moved by shoving it about with STR (like globes in the standard rules). If it's detachable it is initially attached but may be made unattached by breaking it free with STR (the default behaviour of Barriers in the standard rules). See Anchoring the Barrier, 6E1 170.

Allocatable (6E1 172) is not allowed.

One-Way Transparent (6E1 173) will be heavily scrutinized and very seldom allowed: most uses break the balance guideline that attacks with impunity should not be allowed.

Another form of the Transparent Advantage is either Physical or Energy transparency. In these cases the Barrier is transparent to the range of specified attacks in both directions. The Barrier can be transparent to a limited range of attacks versus PD or versus ED for +1/4. Transparent To All Physical or All Energy Attacks is a +1/2 Advantage.

The final type of Transparent Advantage for Barriers is Transparent to All Except a specified range of attacks or special effects. The cost of this advantage will usually be between +1/4 to +1/2 as determined by the approval reviewers. If such a Barrier can be used as a Detect by blocking certain things from passing through, the Detect should be bought, but takes a -1 Limitation. (It is not necessary to buy Range for this Detect, but the Detect only functions on things attempting to pass through the Barrier.)

Examples of Transparent to All Except Barriers:
 * The force shield across the open doors of a space station docking bay holding in a breathable atmosphere: Barrier Transparent To All Except Gases.
 * Barrier Transparent to All Except Undead: this requires a Detect Undead to be bought for the Barrier, since it could be used to weed vampires and zombies out of a queue of people.
 * A spirit ward for a medicine lodge: Barrier Transparent To All Except Spirits And Ghosts. This requires the Barrier to have the Affects Desolid Advantage and also Detect Spirits - unless the spirits are imperceptible so there's no way to tell whether or not the Barrier stopped them.

Change Environment
(6E1 174)

This is subject to "DC" balance limits like an offensive power unless it is strictly noncombat in its applicability.

It is always possible to reverse the effects of a Change Environment with another appropriate Change Environment, even if this would apparently violate the rule against positive effects (cf. Positive Effects; Negating Other Effects, 6E1 177).

Long-Lasting (6E1 177) is not in use. If you want Change Environment to last, buy it 0 END (or Costs END Only To Activate) and apply Time Limit (6E1 346) or Uncontrolled (+1/2) and Persistent (+1/4) for an effect lingering more than 5 minutes (if allowed by staff; higher levels of Time Limit may be required instead). Purely cosmetic effects without game effect (e.g. flowers blooming) may persist as long as makes sense for the SFX at no cost; a GM may also rule that other effects endure in appropriate circumstances (e.g. ice in below-freezing conditions).

Clairsentience
(6E1 179)

Clairsentience in any form, and especially Precognition and Retrocognition, may destroy a gamemaster's plot. Thus it will be scrutinized carefully for game balance and roleplaying implications. Limitations such as Vague and Unclear, which make Clairsentience less reliable, will make approval more likely. Clairsentience may be bought with Targeting so it may be used set a safe teleport destination, though it may not be used to target attacks.

Clinging
(6E1 182)

Clinging should be bought no higher than 10 points more than your highest allowed STR by the balance rules.

Damage Negation
(6E1 183)

This affects defensive balance according to a special rule.

Damage Negation is a new Power this edition, and so staff are not entirely sure of its balance implications. You may buy it, but be warned that you may be required to reduce it even after your character has been approved, if it's proving unbalancing.

Damage Reduction
(6E1 184)

This affects defensive balance according to a special rule.

Desolidification
(6E1 190)

Affects Physical World (6E1 192) will almost never be allowed, since it allows attacks with impunity; an exception would be if the Desolidification Doesn't Protect Against Damage (6E1 192).

Even if the Desolidification is Only To Protect Against [Limited Type Of Attack] (6E1 193) one may not have Affects Physical World powers, with or without paying for it. Instead, buy a lot of standard defenses to protect against the limited type of attack (one may get an exemption from defensive balance limit for this).

Drain
(6E1 195)

The old "Transfer" Power may be built with a Linked Aid as should in the sidebar at 6E1 197; the Aid should also take a further -1/2 Limitation that the amount Aided is not to exceed the amount Drained after defenses apply (the value of this may differ if the amounts Drained and Aided are not identical) - and note that things cannot be Drained below 0 for these purposes!

See also #Adjustment Powers

Drain BODY may not have NND or AVAD applied to it to make the defense rarer than Power Defense is.

Duplication
(6E1 198)

A character may purchase a maximum of two duplicates with this Power, thus having a total of 3 forms, the original form and two duplicates. Detailed sheets for each duplicate will be required so the amount of work involved in character creation is significant. We restrict the number of duplicates to two or less because handling any more than that number in a MUSH environment is difficult and slows play down for everyone.

For +1/4 Advantage any duplicate can create the other duplicates - however with a maximum of 3 duplicates this is seldom useful.

Endurance Reserve
(6E1 205)

Charges may not be taken on Endurance Reserve in the way described at 6E1 206. It could conceivably be used to model an END Reserve which can only be drawn on a fixed number of Phases a day - that is, the END would be shared by all the charges, rather than that much END per charge being available.

Restricted Use (6E1 206) may not be taken.

Enhanced Senses
(6E1 207)

As Special Powers, Enhanced Senses cannot be put in a Framework. Note, however, that Special Powers, including Senses, can take the Unified Power limitation. All such cases, of course, will be scrutinized for balance.

Enhanced Senses purchased with Targeting will be scrutinized carefully for game balance. Combinations of Penetrative Targeting Senses and attacks with the Indirect Advantage, etc., will be scrutinized very carefully for game balance and will probably not be allowed.

Characters can purchase a Detect Mind Enhanced Sense but cannot use it to target an opponent out of line of sight with Mental Powers even if they buy Targeting. There is already a power for doing that, which is Mind Scan.

8- Detects for a 3-pt Detect Category ("Detect Familiarity") may be bought for 1 point (6E1 210).

Rapid (6E1 214) gives +5 per level (not +3), only to negate time penalties.

Note that surveying the world for someone will take a lot of Rapid as well as Telescopic for one's senses: Telescopic alone won't serve as an instant find-all.

A Sense bought in a Focus has the full PER Roll of the user, unless defined otherwise at character creation (cf. Focus, 6E1 215).

Normal Touch is considered A Targeting Sense, though of course unranged.

Mystic Awareness costs 5 points; it allows the detection of active (but not passive) mystical effects, though it can't determine their nature without Discriminatory. It includes the "Sense" Sense Modifier, and is in the Mystic Sense Group, which provides it with Range.

The default crude version of Discriminatory that comes with some of the Sense Groups does NOT count toward the requirement necessary for Analyze. If you wish to upgrade to Analyze, you must also pay for the full version of Discriminatory. This only applies to Sense Groups which include the lesser version of Discriminatory.

Entangle
(6E1 215)

If an Entangle blocks damage from an attack to an entangled character the damage that gets through is reduced by 3 STUN for each BODY blocked.

The Mental Paralysis version of Entangle (6E1 217) is allowed, but with a Mental Defense no higher than 2. The BODY rolled of such an Entangle is reduced by 1 for every 5 points of Mental Defense the target has. Buying Mental Defense separately for Mental Paralysis cost 5 pts per point.

Extra-Dimensional Movement
(6E1 220)

This is allowed but discouraged. It will be scrutinized very carefully for game balance; in particular it shouldn't generally be usable in combat situations, but rather as a means of moving from one scene to another.

The Time Travel (6E1 221) version of this Power is allowed, but again should generally be used as a means of access to a different scene. Any combat uses of of time travel should be bought as separate powers (e.g coming back from the future to fight alongside yourself is Duplication, or shouting at yourself from the future to duck could be bought as a DCV bonus or Danger Sense). Note that alterations (or at least significant ones) to the past generally result in a branching time stream rather than changing the original, if successful at all; changes to the the campaign time stream are in the province of plot device and GM (or staff) discretion. (Note that this cuts both ways: a GM could, for plot reasons, allow you to change the past, but could also have your past actions have unintended side effects!) You may use time travel with greater freedom in a character background.

Extra Limbs
(6E1 224)

The cost of Extra Limbs is 4 points for 1 limb, with twice the limbs for every +1 additional point (so 2 limbs for 5 points, 4 for 6 points, and so forth). What matters for the cost is the number of limbs for the purpose of Grabs; it the actual number is different it should also be noted. For instance an elastic character might have only the normal number of limbs but be able to loop them to be able to hold people as if they were more, or someone with prehensile hair might have 10,000+ "limbs" but they'll function as fewer for Grabbing purposes - unless the hair is very strong!

Variable Special Effects (+1/4) allows a variable number of limbs.

Only With Extra Limbs is seldom worth more than -0 as a Limitation, since under most circumstances people use their most effective limbs.

Flight
(6E1 227)

Turn Modes are not in use, and the gravity rules are not applied to Flight (although the special Gliding one is in use).

Turning off Flight will result in a fall from the height the character was at when Flight was turned off. Breakfall can be used to avoid taking damage and having to spend a Half Move standing up.

Landing from Flight is a Half Move action, though this may be combined with an actual Half Move. However, someone who is flying only just above the ground and has Position Shift on their Flight may land as a 0-Phase Action.

Flying characters who take Knockback must make a Breakfall roll or lose a Half Action to re-orient themselves.

Flight may be defined as Atmospheric at character creation. If it is Atmospheric, then (as described at 6E1 228) is may be used for Gliding at half its usual combat movement rate. If it is not Atmospheric, then there is no free Gliding, but it may be used in the absence of an atmosphere (e.g. in space). If you want to be able to do both, buy your Flight Usable As Gliding (+1/4); it then function either as non-Atmospheric Flight or as Gliding at the full Combat distance (not half). Lastly, you can buy Flight with the Gliding (-1) Limitation, in which case is functions only as Gliding, with the full Combat distance.

Growth
(6E1 229)

If you buy Growth to the third level (Huge) or build a character who is normally on that scale, his or her STR is Area of Effect (1m Radius) (see Area of Effect). However, this Advantage does not count toward the EAP limit, making characters of this size viable.

Hand-To-Hand Attack
(6E1 231)

For HAs with Advantages see Adding Damage to HKA and Advantaged HA.

Healing
(6E1 232)

The Re-Use Duration of Healing is 1 Phase, not 1 Day: that is, unless you take a Limitation to the contrary, you may reuse your Healing on the same target every Phase.

The Tracking Injuries rule (6E1 233) is not in use.

The Healing and Being Stunned rule (6E1 233) is in use.

Healing may optionally be bought as Simplified Healing (6E1 234).

Healing Inanimate Beings And Nonliving Objects (6E1 234): normal healing will affect people animals. Healing may instead be defined as affecting (a) plants and other non-animal living things, (b) machines, or (c) simple inanimate objects - other similarly broad categories will be considered. Categories this broad do no merit a Limitation, though narrower one do. (This is similar to classes of minds for mental powers.)

Flash Healing and Transform Healing (6E1 235) may be bought.

Resurrection Healing (6E1 235) is allowed (although only usually of significance when applied to NPCs, since PCs never die without player consent). However, use of this power is not necessarily to be recommended: quite apart from the likelihood of acquiring hordes of cult followers and people begging for their loved ones back, there are traditionally problems with upsetting the balance of nature and/or angering death deities. ^Talk to staff before applying for such a character, if you really want one.

Decreased Re-use Duration is not in use. You may buy a Limitation, Increased Re-use Duration. at -1/4 per each level down the Time Chart from 1 Phase you must wait between applications of Healing.

Doesn't Work On [Defined Type Of Damage] (6E1 236): note that the text of 6E1 has the values backwards. Not working on a Very Common form of attack should be -1 and not working on a Rare attack should be -1/4.

Instant Change
(6E1 307 sidebar)

Instant Change may be bought as described at 6E1 307, but if you use the standard build don't bother to write out how the Power is built in full: simply show one of these:


 * (3 pts) Instant Change (two sets of clothing) <5 AP>
 * (4 pts) Instant Change (any set of clothing) <6 AP>

Use of either version of this Power costs 1 END.

Alternatively, you could build your own version, but then you'd have to show the details of how you build it from Transform.

This power should not be put in a Framework (although technically it's a Standard Power it won't work right in a Framework).

With Instant Change you may change IDs in a Zero Phase Action without risk of revealing your identity to onlookers; without it it takes one Phase to change IDs safely. (Invisible Power Effects or such are not necessary to get this effect; it's considered part of the genre.)

The 3-pt version may be used to change between two identities safely in this fashion, even if the difference between the identities is not one of clothes.

Killing Attack
(6E1 241)

Remember that heroes on Champions MUSH do not kill; Killing Attacks being used on characters you are not sure can take it is frowned on, to say the least. Characters incapable of nonlethal combat will not be approved.

Increased STUN Multiplier (6E1 242) may be bought no more than twice on a Power.

Luck
(6E1 246)

Instead of the usual effects, Luck provides additional Heroic Action Points (HAPs) for the player to spend (though they can, of course, be spent on standard Luck effects). However, Luck may still favorably affect the character in minor ways, quite independently of HAPs rolled.

Mind Control
(6E1 253)

A victim may not be ordered to "Die" (cf. EGO +30, 6E1 254) - or at least it has no effect - that would be a Mental Blast, Does BODY (and probably not allowed to a player character anyway).

Mind Scan
(6E1 261)

Mind Scan will be scrutinized both for making it too easy to find people and for allowing the character with Mind Scan to attack with impunity.

The Advantage One-Way Link (6E1 265) is not allowed.

Multiform
(6E1 266)

Characters purchasing Multiform are limited to a maximum point total of (points character is built on - Multiform cost) in their alternative forms. Characters can buy a maximum of two alternative forms during initial character creation. This gives a total of three forms, the base form and two alternatives. Each form requires a detailed character sheet, so the amount of work involved in character creation is significant. We restrict the number of alternative forms to avoid slowing down the character approval process for both the character with Multiform and other characters also waiting in the queue. The character can buy additional alternative forms during powerups with Experience Points gained in play.

Multiform is not allowed in Power Frameworks (it is considered a Special Power on Champions MUSH).

Regeneration
(6E1 274)

The cost per 1 BODY of Regeneration is half what is shown on the Regeneration Table (e.g. 1 BODY per Turn costs 8 points).

Can Heal Limbs may be bought, although PCs don't often suffer such damage (though a GM could always rule it, or a Transform could heal as a broken limb). This costs 5 pts, as per 6E1.

The Resurrection Adder as listed isn't in use; this is because PC death only occurs on Champions MUSH with player consent. However, if a character comes back from "death" they usually have to spend some time at GM discretion, perhaps as much as a month, recuperating. A character can instead buy a lower recuperation time: for half the cost of 1 BODY Regeneration as shown on the Regeneration Table, a character may "Resurrect" in the time shown. However, the character must also have enough Regeneration to regenerate 2x their BODY score in that time. So if you have a BODY of 10 and want to be able to come back to life in 6 hours, you must (a) spend 3 points for a 6-hour Resurrect and (b) have enough Regeneration to regenerate 20 BODY in 6 hours - 1 per 5 Minutes is the required level (6 points). You may take Resurrection Only (-2) on the Regeneration part but not on the Resurrection part.

Resistant Protection
(6E1 275)

If this is Impermeable (6E1 276) it should be noted on your character sheet.

Allocatable (6E1 276) is not allowed.

Running
(6E1 277)

Running takes an obligatory -1/2 Limitation ("Running").

Consequently, if you sell back your base 12m of Running, you recover only 2 points for each 3m sold back.

Shapeshift
(6E1 277)

Shapeshift normally allows one level of Striking Appearance (6E1 279), whether of beauty or ugliness. Makeover (6E1 280) raises this to three levels, which covers the full range of non-meta appearance. Imitation (6E1 279) allows for two more levels (i.e. cumulative with Makeover levels, if any), but of course only if the imitated target has such an appearance.

Shrinking
(6E1 281)

The dice can reduce the Knockback resulting from the Knockback Modifier: the "raw" Knockback provided by the dice-rolling commands is used as a base. For example: Microman has +6" of KB from Shrinking. If the damage dice roll gives a raw Knockback of -2" the distance Microman is knocked back is 4" (6" - 2").

If a character takes a Side Effect on Shrinking that each level of Shrinking loses them 5 STR, 5 PRE (for offensive purposes only) and 5AP from all their attack powers, then the character may take as much Shrinking as they like. (Alternatively, all those things could take the Reduced by Shrinking (-1/4) Limitation, but this is appropriate only if Shrinking is the character's only major power; if he or she has other tricks the Side Effect approach is preferable.)

The purpose of this rule is to allow for "Noncombat Shrinking" - without it Shrinking would be capped when you reach the maximum DCV allowed by house rules. If this rule is abused (say, by frequently turning very small when fighting normal level characters, so they can't hit you while you still have enough STR to hurt them) then the GM has every right to rule that the normal's shoe is big enough to count as an Area of Effect attack against you!

Skills
(6E1 283)

Skills may be purchased as powers, with staff permission.

However, they may not be placed inside a Power Framework.

Just a reminder: If bought with a Focus limitation, the base CHA is treated as 0. (Meaning a 9- roll) (This isn't a house rule, just a reminder of an obscure rule)

Stretching
(6E1 284)

Stretching Dimensions (6E1 284): this is allowed but costly! If you want more than a small amount, you may be better off achieving the effect with Shapeshift.

You may (contrary to 6E1 286, 2nd paragraph) pull yourself toward an object you have grabbed with Stretching, but are at half DCV if you do so. (The Power to do this without penalty is Swinging.)

Reach
(6E1 284)

Reach costs a flat 1 pt (Active and Real) per metre of reach, and does not take Limitations; it is a Power unto itself, distinct from Stretching. It works as having extended reach naturally would, not as built from Stretching in the text.

Summon
(6E1 287)

The Summon power is discouraged and will be scrutinized carefully for game balance. Characters should be capable of dealing with challenges using their own Skills and Powers. Fully detailed sheets will be required for summoned creatures. All Summoned creatures must be approved by staff before use. This Power will normally only be used as a plot device.

If you attempt to Summon more beings than you are entitled to (see Number of Summoned Beings, 6E1 289), you automatically lose control of the excess. The Amicable Advantage (6E1 290) does not guarantee they will be friendly in such a circumstance!

Telepathy
(6E1 297)

Altering dreams significantly requires Mental Illusions, although a telepath may speak in a dream with Telepathy (cf. Unconscious and Sleeping Minds, 6E1 298).

Teleportation
(6E1 300)

A modified DEX roll may be used, as described (Velocity and Facing, 6E1 301), to avoid taking damage when entering a moving vehicle, etc, if the motion is not a surprise.

Transform
(6E1 303)

A Spirit Transform Works Against PRE, Not BODY, which is a -1/4 Limitation (see Transforming the Spirit, 6E1 306).

Inflicting a Complication on a victim does not require rolling additional BODY, unlike adding an ability (cf. Transform and Complications, 6E1 307).

See also Instant Change.

Power Advantages
(6E1 311)

Naked Power Advantages
(6E1 314)

Group Naked Advantages (6E1 314) are not allowed.

Single-Power Naked Advantages (6E1 315) will be scrutinized for balance.

For the purpose of balance categories, the APs of the Naked Advantage are added to the APs of the Power to which it applies.

Affect Desolidified
(6E1 318)

The +1/2 version of this Advantage requires a good justification in terms of SFX: Desolidification can cover a wide range of SFX and affecting all of them rarely makes sense.

Area of Effect
(6E1 319)

The mimimum cost of an Area of Effect Power which does not have the Selective or Nonselective modifiers is +1/2: this is because of the value of targeting an area instead of normal DCV. Exceptions are Explosions (which have their own rules below) and AoE Surface (which requires a normal attack roll to hit the target).

If someone is declared as trying to stay very close to someone else, it is impossible to use an Area of Effect attack on the the first person without a good chance of affecting the second person: by definition, an Area of Effect attack may not be that accurate in its placement. Of course, the second person may choose to move away from the first person!

Contrary to "No Range Areas of Effect" (6E1 320), an unranged Area of Effect attack cannot miss.

Accurate
(6E1 320)

The Accurate modifier is not allowed.

Explosion
(6E1 323)

Buy explosions based on maximum radius and the Explosion modifier. This area is divided into 4 zones for damage purposes, with the inner zone taking full damage, the next zone 3/4 damage, the next 1/2 and the outer zone 1/4. The arithmetic will be handled by the dice-rolling code.

Any explosion with a Radius less than 8m (or 16m for a Cone or 32m for a Thin Cone or Line) must also be Nonselective or Selective.

Mobile
(6E1 324)

This modifier with be very carefully scrutinized.

Armor Piercing
(6E1 325)

This should only be taken when the SFX strongly support it (e.g. a laser or armor-piercing bullet). Rare exceptions might be allowed (for instance, to build an effective Damage Shield with Normal Damage).

Attack Versus Alternate Defence
(6E1 325)

Normally one may only have one type of AVAD in which the alternate defense is rarer than the ordinary defense (there can be multiple AVADs using that same defense however. Exceptions may be allowed in a few cases, typically for realism (e.g. a martial artist might have both a nerve strike and choke hold).

Autofire
(6E1 327)

Autofire against Uncommon or Rare defenses not only require +1 additional Advantage but will be scrutinized for balance; staff may disallow such powers or merely increase the surcharge.

Area of Effect Autofire is discouraged. If you do buy it (and it is allowed), be warned that missed shots will go somewhere, and typically somewhere you don't want. It is also subject to the surcharge.

Charges (Advantage)
(6E1 327)

See Charges.

Contagious
See Sticky.

Cumulative
(6E1 328)

This Advantage will be carefully scrutinized for balance.

Damage Over Time
(6E1 328)

This Advantage will be carefully scrutinized for balance.

Delayed Effect
(6E1 332)

Characters may only prepare one version of a Power that is set using this Advantage (if you have 10 Powers all on Delayed Effect, then each could be stored once, for a total of 10 stored Powers). This can be doubled as usual for each +1/4 additional Advantage (individually for each Power).

This Advantage will be carefully scrutinized for balance.

See also Trigger.

Does BODY
(6E1 333)

This Advantage is discouraged and will be scrutinized closely for game balance. This Advantage will mostly be limited to scary villains.

It will not be allowed with NND or AVAD if it is applied to a rarer defense than the original.

Double Knockback
(6E1 334)

Triple Knockback (+1) may instead be taken, but not higher multiples.

Duration Advantages
(6E1 334)

Inherent
Inherent Powers may not be Drained, Dispelled, etc. but may be removed by Transform. This is a good rule of thumb for judging whether your Power should or should not have this Advantage.

Hardened
(6E1 147)

See Defense Powers.

Indirect
(6E1 335)

This can be unbalancing in combination with certain Powers, such as Barrier or Penetrative senses, by allowing attacks with impunity. It will be scrutinized accordingly.

Invisible Power Effects
(6E1 338)

Offensive Powers should not be so invisible as to permit a "perfect crime"; there should always be some way to detect the Power as it is being used or (but not necessarily and) to detect the Power has been used after the event and perhaps trace it back to the user. However such detection need not be easy; it might for instance involve opposed skills rolls (for instance again Perception at the time or Forensic Medicine Criminology after the fact).

Standards are higher in the case of potentially lethal attacks; the victim of such an attack should always have a chance of noticing he's under attack (if not his attacker), and so of saving his life.

Megascale
(6E1 340)

This advantage will be scrutinized carefully for game balance.

Personal Immunity
(6E1 343)

In any cases of people being immune to related Powers, etc., the immunity should be mutual. One-sided immunities must be paid for.

Range Advantages
(6E1 344)

Increased Maximum Range: this is allowed. However, a proper sniper weapon is probably better built with Megarange (i.e. Megascale taken for range).

Ranged
(6E1 344)

Limited Range
Typically the maximum possible range of a Limited Range power is 32m. Exceptions may rarely be granted if it seems appropriate.

Reduced Endurance
(6E1 345)

Costs Endurance Only To Activate
This Advantage will usually be restricted to Body-Affecting Powers such as Growth, Density Increase, Desolidification, Shapeshift and Shrinking; more rarely it may be in combination with Uncontrolled to produce effects that require no further character involvement and are not under the character's control after being initiated. Powers bought with this Advantage cannot have the Increased Endurance or Costs Endurance Limitations on the full value of the Power; you may, however, take these Limitations on the Advantage Costs Endurance Only To Activate alone (if you do this it is still the END cost of the entire power which is increased).

It is no longer true that a Power has to cost no END to be Persistent (6E1 334), therefore you can buy a Power with this Advantage as Persistent, despite what is says at 6E1 345.

A Power with this Advantage may not be Pushed.

Sticky
(6E1 345)

Note that Sticky is no longer infinitely contagious, and so now is of no use for modelling contagious diseases, fires, etc. The only practical way to do that is to buy a large Area of Effect (possibly MegaArea) and take a Limitation to the effect that the Power starts in only part of that area and spreads.

For double the normal cost of the Advantage (+1 or +1/2 if freeing one victim frees all) one may buy the variant Contagious. This means that the effects spread not only to those who touch the first victim but those who touch anyone who is affected by the Power!

Time Limit
(6E1 346)

This can provide (among other things) an alternative way of building Powers that might be disallowed as 0 END Uncontrolled Constant Powers. Of course, such powers will still have to be examined carefully for balance.

Transdimensional
(6E1 348)

This will be scrutinized very carefully for game balance. It certainly will not be allowed for attacks - it would allow attacks with impunity even more than attacking while Desolidified would.

If you really need to be able to attack someone in another dimension, open a Gate to that dimension and attack through the Gate - this allows for counterattacks through the Gate. Nothing less will be considered.

Trigger
(6E1 351)

Powers with Trigger will be scrutinized for balance, especially if the Trigger can be reset quickly or automatically.

There is no minimum cost requirement for a Trigger than automatically resets, other than the normal +1/4 (cf. Reset Conditions, 6E1 351).

Setting multiple Triggers at once requires both that the Power be bought with Charges (or is otherwise limited to a specific number of uses) and that it is bought through a Focus (or something similar) so that someone else can (with an appropriate skill) defuse or subvert the Power. For instance, if you can set multiple bombs, then an opponent must be able to disable them and/or use them for his own purposes, if he has the skills. (You can avoid this restriction by buying the Power separately more than once - you then have one untamperable-with use for each purchase.)

Uncontrolled
(6E1 352)

Attack powers cannot have both the Uncontrolled and 0 Endurance or Costs Endurance Only To Activate advantage. Combinations of Uncontrolled and Reduced or Zero Endurance Advantages will be scrutinized very carefully. Time Limit might provide an alternative.

Usable On Others
(6E1 353)

The Usable On Others Advantage and its variant will be scrutinized carefully for game balance. UAA on Movement Powers cannot be combined with Megascale movement. An attacker must make a OCV against DCV attack roll on each action Phase to maintain a UAA Movement Power on an opponent.

The Recipient of a UOO Power does not have to pay the END for the UOO, just the rest of the Power (cf. 6E1 354).

For +1, a Power can affect the Grantor and all willing Recipients within 4m (Usable By Nearby, 6E1 358; cf. The UOO Target, 6E1 355). This radius may be doubled for each +1/4. Show this as UBN <#>m Radius on your character sheet.

Switching to another slot in a Framework does shut off a UOO Power (cf. Power Frameworks, 6E1 357).

Differing Modifiers
(6E1 359)

Any UOO Power using this rule will be especially scrutinized.

To build a UOO Power for which the granting Power has different Advantages and Limitation, first work out the Power granted. The END cost to use the granted Power is based on this.

Then work out the Advantages and Limitation for granting the Power, and apply them, and those of the granted Power, together to the base of the power - do not to this in two stages as per 6E1. This is how the granting power is built. Be sure to note, however, which of the Modifiers apply to the granted power and which to the granting power. (For clarity, show the granted Power (at 0 point cost) under the granting Power on your character sheet.)

Variable Advantage
(6E1 361)

You must declare what Advantage this Advantage can be set to when buying the Power, even if the group is wide enough not to count as a limited group.

Power Limitations
(6E1 363)

Limitations make a Power cheaper because the Power is less useful than normal. If a Limitation cuts the Power's cost in half, we would expect the Power to be half as effective as a normal Power. The Approval Reviewers will examine your character's Limitations carefully. Limitations that are perceived as being thinly veiled excuses to decrease the cost of a Power while not decreasing its commensurate effectiveness will not be allowed. You have been warned.

Always On
(6E1 367)

There can be no way to shut off a normal Always On Power, short of someone Draining it, etc. If the character has another way of turning off the Power temporarily, take Always On Controllable (-1/4) instead. Approval staff may rule this is only worth -0 if it is not much of an effort to control the Power.

If you want a Power to be Always On but there is no negative consequence you may take the Limitation at -0.

Charges
(6E1 367)

Charges inside a Multipower get 1 step less of a Limitation (or 1 step more of an Advantage) than normal (where a step is a row on the Charges Table, 6E1 368). Thus, instead of 8 charges being worth a +1/2 Limitation, when placed in a slot inside a Multipower, 8 Charges would be worth a +1/4 Limitation.

Charges may normally not be used inside a Variable Power Pool. If you want to take Charges as a Limitation, you must place the entire pool on Charges. Alternatively, if you do have a Power in a VPP on Charges and use a single charge of that Power, then the point allocated to that Power are locked in until all charges are recovered (that is, they cannot be allocated to anything else).

Boostable Charges (6E1 368) can be bought, but cannot be used to exceed the offensive (DC) balance limits.

Fuel Charges (6E1 370) may be used for Constant, non-attack Powers, unless approval staff rule otherwise, but may not otherwise be taken. They use a second's worth of fuel per Segment or second (not per Phase as stated in 6E1).

Concentration
(6E1 372)

Instant Powers with long Extra Time do not get double the Limitation value (cf. 6E1 373).

Endurance Limitations
(6E1 374)

Costs Endurance
Costs Half Endurance (-1/4) can be taken, if costing full Endurance would be -1/2.

The last paragraph of this section erroneously reflects earlier editions; the Power need be perceivable by only two Sense Groups.

Increased Endurance Cost
For taking this on a Power with the Advantage Cost Endurance Only To Activate, see that section. It may be taken on a Power with a Limitation Cost Endurance Only To Activate (-1/4), but only at half value.

The rules for Increased Endurance Cost in limited circumstances as written are not in use. This will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, since the factors involved are complex (for instance, it is easier to avoid the Limitation if one has an alternative Power to use). Under no circumstances can the Limitation be greater than the Limitation one would receive for the Power not working at all under those circumstances.

Extra Time
(6E1 374)

Extra Time may represent an "onset time" for a Power (6E1 374), but if it is a power that requires an Attack Roll using it locks one out from performing other attacks until the power has its effect. You may take Extra Time at half value to represent an onset time without that restriction, if and only if there is a reasonably common way that the power can be stopped (e.g. sucking the poison from a wound); otherwise the Limitation is worth only 1/4 the listed value (the damage is certain; the only downside is that your enemy can act against you in the meantime). (Note that you round to the nearest 1/4, in your favour if halfway.)

Gestures, Incantations and Concentration are not increased in value by Extra Time (cf. 6E1 375).

The "Other Forms Of Extra Time" options (6E1 375 sidebar) may be taken.

Focus
(6E1 376)

Apparent Foci that seldom get lost or damaged are better represented with the Only In Alternate Identity or Restrainable Limitations or, in extreme cases, no Limitation at all.

To qualify as a Focus at all, there must be some circumstances under which the character will not have access to the Powers provided by the object, apart from its being taken away or broken in combat. This circumstance may be when the character is taken captive or otherwise undergoes a security search: for instance, a glowing stone in your pocket would be Inobvious since it's not normally visible, but it's odd enough it would almost certainly be taken from you in a search, so it would qualify for Focus. However, the circumstance could be otherwise: a pair of battered old running shoes, for instance, could be an acceptable Focus because, although they might not be taken from you in a search, they could not really be worn to a formal occasion, so there are times when the character will be without them. (But note by defining the Focus thus you are saying that retrieving them is not just a matter of taking the usual one Phase to change costume!) Staff have the final decision on what counts as a Focus.

Accessible (6E1 377) by default means that the Powers in the Focus can be taken away fairly easily even in the middle of a fight; by default this is done by such maneuvers as Disarm and Takeaway. However a Power may instead be defined as being open to other means of removal of comparable chance to occur; this should be specified at character creation and will be scrutinized by staff. Note that this means you can build a vulnerable power within an otherwise practically invulnerable Focus. Examples might include
 * a Power in an Inobvious Focus that breaks when directly attacked even at low power.
 * a Power in an Obvious Focus that breaks when 10 BODY is done in one attack to the Focus (no PD or ED applying).
 * a Power in a battlesuit that has a 14- of failing any time an attack of 10 or more BODY strikes the battlesuit's wearer.
 * a Power in a battlesuit that fails if any BODY penetrates the battlesuit's defenses (but note that if the battlesuit has high defenses and Impenetrable this may not qualify for Accessible).

A Breakable (6E1 378) Focus has a PD, ED and BODY equal to the Active Points in the Focus divided by 5, with a minimum of 3 each, unless defined to have less. It may use the PD or ED of any defense it provides instead of this base PD or ED; they do not stack. The Focus does not lose powers from taking BODY until all BODY is taken; then all Powers provided by the Focus cease to work. A Fragile Focus is considered to have 2 PD, ED and BODY (or less if so defined).

Objects of Opportunity
(Inaccessible Foci, 6E1 377)

These are (if Obvious) considered to be OIF in terms of value (but should be denoted on a character sheet as OOIF). They act like an OAF for game mechanics; however, since there are many objects of opportunity available, the cost is the same as OIF. Objects of Opportunity can also be Inobvious. These are considered as IIF (denoted on the character sheet as OIIF). The GM determines if there are Objects of Opportunity available if the character loses his initial object.

Example: ''Armstrong can use large poles as a weapon. They are treated like an OAF game-wise because the weapon can be removed from him; however it is also an Object of Opportunity because trees, lampposts, etc., can simulate that type of weapon and are found all over the city. So on his sheet, Armstrong has that Focused Power listed as OOIF.''

Gestures and Incantations
(6E1 381)

These may be taken, but note they are rarer in a superhero setting than a fantasy one: even if magician gestures and incants to cast spells in terms of SFX, it typically doesn't allow the spell to be interrupted as readily as in other settings. Note that these are typically incompatible with Restrainable, since they overlap in effect.

You can't take the extra Limitation for two-handed Gestures: having both hands occupied is not as restrictive for superheroes as it is for most fantasy characters. An exception might be made if it can be shown it would be seriously restrictive for some reason.

Extra Time does not allow these Limitation to be taken at the "throughout" values.

Linked
(6E1 383)

To Link a larger Power to a smaller one, note the Linked on the larger Power as a -0 Limitation, and take the Limitation Backlinked To  (-1/2) on the smaller Power. A two-way Link is a -3/4 Limitation on the lesser Power only.

You may Link an Area Of Effect Power and one with one targeted normally; however in this case the a normal attack roll must be made against the target's DCV, and the Area of Effect Power will be based on the target's location (cf. 6E1 384).

Only In Alternate Identity
(6E1 386)

Remember to specify which ID the Power is usable in. To be with the Limitation, there must be some problem with changing to the form with this Power (typically extra time or other requirements requited to change, but there are other possibilities; for instance, if the Power is only available in an otherwise significantly weaker ID, then there may be some risk involved in adopting that ID).

If combined with Instant Change, that power effectively negates the limiting factors of OIAID, and therefore makes it a -0.

Perceivable
(6E1 387)

For a -0 Limitation, a Power may be made perceivable to a different sense than usual, on condition that it would cost the same amount to buy Invisible Power Effects to hide the effect. For instance, Mental Powers are usually perceivable only by Mental Awareness (and can be made "Fully Invisible) for +1/4); a Mental Power could therefore be made "Obvious to Normal Hearing Instead of to Mental Awareness (-0)", since being Obvious to Normal Hearing would also cost +1/4 to buy off.

Range Limitations
(6E1 388)

Only one of these Limitations may be taken on a Power.

Limited Range
The maximum range allowable for Limited Range is 32m. Exceptions may rarely be granted if it seems appropriate. For special rules concerning Mental Powers, see Mental Powers.

Requires A Roll
(6E1 389)

Remember that if you take the Requires A Skill Roll form of this, the Power becomes a sort of super-skill, which comes with various restrictions, not the least of which is that it can only be used for things in the general field of that Skill (see Other Rules, 6E1 391, second paragraph). Of course, if the rolled Skill is one specially designed for the power rather than a normal one (i.e. some form of Power Skill) then this restriction is less, because you can define the Skill to suit the Power, but still, there must be some restrictions on the Power, or the Limitation is worth no points - or at least no more than it would be for the equivalent Activation Roll.

Restrainable
(6E1 393)

All Offensive Powers are projected from a certain point on the body and so are normally Restrainable, unless they have the Alterable Origin Point Adder. Therefore, this Limitation can only be bought if the Power is particular restrainable in some exception way (which should seldom, if ever, be worth more than -1/4).

For a Movement Power to receive a -1/2 Restrainable Limitation, it should be restrainable even as a side effect of a Grab. For instance, winged Flight might be restrained by Grabbing the arms (thus incidentally pinning the wings). If the wings have to be targeted particularly by the Grab, it's only worth a -1/4 Limitation. (Running and Leaping aren't even allowed to take this -1/4 Limitation; it is assumed pinning the legs blocks them as part of the definition of the Powers.)

Side Effects
(6E1 393)

The option of Side Effects that occur when the Power is turned off may be taken, at 1/4 less Limitation.

The guidelines in 6E1 for determining the severity of Side Effects are often over-harsh and are not in strict use; staff will rule whether each Side Effect counts as Extreme, Major, Minor or worth no Limitation. As a rule of thumb, an Extreme Side Effect has a good chance of taking someone out of a fight, a Major Side Effect is comparable to a solid blow that has a chance of Constunning someone, and a Minor side effect is non-trivial but less severe than that.

Unified Power
(6E1 395)

Powers united by Unified Power must be linked by Special Effect; it should not be used simply to save points.

It is possible to have more than one set of Unified Powers, linked by different sets of Special Effects; staff will, however, scrutinize this carefully.

As stated in 6E1, Unified Power may be taken on Power Frameworks and on Characteristics. The latter should, however, be approached with caution: Drains of Characteristics are common, and losing several at once might be dangerous.

Variable Limitations
(6E1 396)

Powers with Variable Limitations will be very heavily scrutinized for balance. A list of the Limitations which can be applied for this Limitation must specified on the character sheet. Note that if there is much choice then this Limitation isn't usually very limiting, and so may not be worth any points.

Power Frameworks
(6E1 397)

Special Powers may be allowed in a Power Framework subject to a good Special Effect. However they certainly would not be allowed if putting them in the Framework doesn't significantly restrict them. This exception is granted on a case-by-case basis. (Senses are explicitly not allowed in Power Frameworks, however. The same is true for the power 'Skills')

You may take a Limitation on a Framework if every slot in the Framework has that Limitation, even if the forms are not exactly the same, but you can claim only for the intersection of the Limitation. For instance, if one slot has Requres A Roll 11- and another Requires A Roll 8-, you can claim for Requires A Roll 11- on the Multipower Reserve (or VPP Control). If one slot has and Obvious Accessible Focus (-1/2) and another has an Inobvious Accessbile Focus (-1/2) you can claim only for Inobvious Inaccessible Focus (-1/4) - that is the intersection, although neither Power actually has it. (Cf. 6E1 406 and 410.)

Multipower
(6E1 402)

Multipower Reserves have no Active Point cap, although any applicable caps apply to Powers within them. This allows a character to have a Multipower with more than one Power active.

You may only by an Advantage for a Multipower Reserve but not on its slots if the Advantage provides less of an Advantage this way than it would if each slot had it. In practice, this probably only applies to Charges: taken on the Reserve, it represents how many times the entire Reserve may be used. (Cf. Advantages for Multipower Reserves, 6E1 405.)

A Limitation on the Multipower Reserve representing restrictions on changing slots (a) is taken on the Reserve only and (b) is generally worth less than the standard value of the Limitation - this will have to be determined on a case-by-case basis. (Cf. Power Limitation on Multipowers, 6E1 405.)

Charges inside a Multipower (that is, on a slot) get 1 step less of a Limitation (or 1 step more of an Advantage) than normal (where a step is a row on the Charges Table, 6E1 368). Thus, instead of 8 charges being worth a +1/2 Limitation, when placed in a slot inside a Multipower, 8 Charges would be worth a +1/4 Limitation. (Cf. Charges, 6E1 407.)

Variable Power Pool
(6E1 409)

Characters with Variable Power Pools must create a list of the Powers they wish to use within the VPP (that is, VPPs function rather like large Multipowers on Champions MUSH). GMs may allow characters to create new Powers within the VPP during a scene but this is entirely at the GM's discretion. If you wish to do this, be sure to sound the GM out first and to write up the Power clearly for the GM so he can judge it. You must be careful not to slow down a scene with such proposals; ideally you should be ready with an alternative course of action in case your proposal is rejected, and if not the GM may rule that you miss your Phase attempting something which didn't work. Note that after character generation each additional Power in the VPP counts as part of a Powerup. Having a Power allowed by a GM in a scene does not constitute a Powerup Approval.

You do not have to use VPP slots at full power: they are like Variable slots in Multipower. If all slots must be taken at full point value that is a -1/4 limitation on the Control Cost.

Any approved Power in your VPP may also be used (if it makes sense with the SFX) without any Advantages it has (though not with any more dice, etc, than was approved). Any approved Power is also considered to have Variable Special Effects within the scope of the VPP. Thus, if you have a cold-and-ice-only VPP you could make your Blast freezing air or an ice projectile, but not a lightning bolt.

You may not take Advantages on Control Cost to have them apply to all Power in a VPP (Advantages for Variable Power Pools, 6E1 409).

Charges applied to the Control Cost represent the number of times the VPP as a whole may be used. Charges may normally not be used inside a Variable Power Pool. Alternatively, if you do have a Power in a VPP on Charges and use a single charge of that Power, then the point allocated to that Power are locked in until all charges are recovered (that is, they cannot be allocated to anything else). (Cf. Limitations for VPP Slots, 6E1 410.)

Character Complications
(6E1 413)

You don't have the option of whether your character is going to play out his Complications; he *must*, or else that Complication is not worth any points. If you fail to play out a Complication, you will be required to delete the Complication from your character sheet immediately, and the points you received from the Complication will be lost, permanently, from your sheet.

But then, you shouldn't want not to play your Complications: the point of them is to make sure your character is involved in the sort of interesting situations you want to play! Choose them carefully: they should give GMs an idea of what you want to happen to your character

You can have no more than 40 points in any one Complications category. Thus, if your two 20 point Psychological Complications, you can't get points for any more Psychological Complications: all other Complication points must come from elsewhere. You may have more Psychological Complications though, if you want to play them - you just don't get any points for them.

You must take at least 50 pts of Complications for your character. We enforce this rule because characters without any Complications can be boring to play, and roleplay with, and because Complications are such a wonderful hook for GMs to get your character involved.

Dependent Non-Player Character
(6E1 420)

A dependent non-player character must be a single specific individual or a group or organization. The DNPC cannot be a "flavor of the month" type ("floating"). A stable static group of individuals is ok.

Distinctive Features
(6E1 421)

The home city of the MUSH, Colonial Bay, has a large population of metahumans and aliens. It takes something truly distinctive to stand out in such circumstances. Costumes do not count as Distinctive Features, nor do accents. If a character has a Distinctive Feature at the Major Effort or Not Concealable level the character may not have a Secret Identity. Multiple distinctive features within the same Sense Group yield only one Complication.

Enraged/Berserk
(6E1 422)

Consider carefully before you take this Complication: not only is it not very heroic (especially in its Berserk form) but killer "heroes" are not tolerated on the MUSH. Don't build a hero who will be forced into villain (and therefore NPC) status.

That said, this Complication, even as Berserk, may be purchased.

Hunted
(6E1 423)

We strongly recommend that Hunters should be groups or organizations, or some sort of "floating" Hunter (cf. Floating Complications, 6E1 417). Having a solitary Hunter leads to potential complications. Either the Hunter must escape every time when captured or you'll be faced with buying the Disadvantage off at some point. It is hard to explain away individuals to escaping from jail once a week in order to hunt you.

Poverty
(6E1 105)

Poverty (which may be taken as "Destitute" for 10 points or "Poor" for 5) is its own category of Complication; it therefore doesn't count against the limit of 40 in any other category.

Psychological Complication: Code Versus Killing
(cf. Psychological Complication, 6E1 425)

At the Moderate level this is an Everyman Complication. Everyone in his or her right mind is reluctant to kill. Only murderers, stone cold psychopaths or weirdos don't mind killing other sentient beings. This is, again, an Everyman Disadvantage. Thus, you get 0 points for it.

If you want to get points for a CvK (the standard abbreviation) it must be at the Strong or Total level (it is reckoned Common, so these are worth 15 and 20 point respectively). Furthermore, the standard to which heroes are held to is higher than that for normal people such as police officers, etc. The general assumption is that with great power comes a responsibility to employ it in a non-lethal that may be impossible for someone without heroic abilities. Take them in alive!

(All that said: it would be ridiculous for every character to have exactly the same opinion as to what counts as a sentient being, etc. - and some heroes even oppose killing things most people don't see as sentient! A certain leeway is allowed in the characters' attitudes. But player characters must not kill anything "standardly" recognized as sentient, whatever their in-character attitudes, on pain of becoming villains and NPCs. Talk to your GM and head the problem off before it's too late if this is in danger of happening!)

Rivalry
(6E1 426)

This Complication is a rivalry you have with a specific individual. If your character feels rivalry towards a group it's more of a Psychological Complication and should be written as such. You must specify the individual. You must also get permission from the PC's player if you have a Rivalry with a PC. Rivalry is a two way street; it is worth fewer points if the other person does not know of the Rivalry.

Social Complication
(6E1 428)

Two common Social Complications, Public ID and Secret ID, are often built in a standard way; if you use these standard versions you can just list them on the sheet and claim your points without showing the build, as a sort of shorthand. It important to note that, even if you do this, they still count as a sort of sort of Social Complication and so count toward the maximum of 40 pts of Social Complications.

You may also build Secret IDs worth other than 15 points and Public IDs worth other than 10 points, if that's appropriate to your character, but then you should show how they are built.

The standard forms are described below.

Public ID
A character with a Public Identity is a famous public figure and will be known and recognized almost everywhere he goes. Such a person has no possible underground or secret identity and authorities, the press, and his enemies can usually find him. Other people will also know more about him, and can often take advantage of known Complications (DNPC for example) more easily.

Public Identity is worth 10 pts as a Complication (it is considered "Frequently, Minor").

Secret ID
A character with a Secret Identity has a private persona that is completely divorced and separate from his public hero persona. He leads the life of a normal person, with a job, friends, house, kids, etc., some of the time, but at other times (during a crisis, etc.), he leads the life of a superhero.

Characters can reveal their "secret" identity to a few team mates and other heroes without endangering the Complication.

Secret Identity is worth 15pts as a Complication (it is considered "Frequently, Major").

Note: Secret Identity isn't about keeping everyone from knowing your true identity. In fact most of the super heroes with secret identities in comics have at least a handful of people who know who's behind the mask. Secret Identity is chiefly about keeping one's true identity secret from villains and the general public.

As for the question of discovering the Secret Identities of other players through the use of senses and other IC information, the discovery is best worked out between the players involved. If a player does not wish his or her character’s Secret Identity to be discovered and they do nothing overtly to reveal it then it will remain a secret. Secret Identities can be lost though an action by the owning player but not from the use of a special sense, such as discriminatory scent, etc., without the player's permission.

Susceptibility
(6E1 429)

Options from Dependence may (at staff discretion) be used in Susceptibilities (cf. 6E1 430).

Unluck
(6E1 430)

Instead of the usual effects, Unluck provides Heroic Action Points (HAPs) to be used by the GM against the character. However, Unluck may still adversely affect the character in minor ways, quite independently of HAPs rolled, as described in the standard rules.

Entering Combat
(6E2 5)

Senses
(6E2 7)

Mystic Sense Group
(cf. Sense Groups, 6E2 8)

There is a Mystic Sense Group, very similar to the Mental Sense Group, to which senses of the Unusual and Mental Sense Groups may be assigned (typically with the addition of the word "Mystic" or a change of "Mental" to "Mystic", as in "Mystic Awareness". The only Sense Modifier the group provides is Range.

Clairsentience and Targeting
(6E2 10)

Clairsentience will not generally be allowed with Targeting, since it can allow attacks with impunity, especially in combination with Indirect. Exceptions may be granted if restricted to noncombat uses (e.g. to establish a teleportation lock).

Aid and Healing versus Flash
(6E2 13)

These are allowed as described.

Drain and Suppress vs Senses
(6E2 13)

Partial Drain/Suppress of Senses is not in use.

Holding an Action
(6E2 20)

Characters cannot take more than one Action in a Segment. However if a character has a Held Action and keeps it Held until the character's next Phase, the character can use the Held Action at any time in the Segment before the character's Dexterity. This will count as the character's Action for his current Phase as well as using up the Held Action. (Cf. The "Null Zone", 6E2 20.)

Aborting an Action
(6E2 21)

One may Abort and Action to defend someone else (although of course one can't move beyond taking a step or two to perform such an action, a Dive for Cover excepted).

One may not usually Abort to perform one of the GM's permission actions (6E2 21) - that is, not only do they require GM permission, but such permission should only be given in unusual circumstances. However, Aborting to create a defensive Barrier is allowed, unless the GM rules otherwise.

Movement
(6E2 24)

Velocity-Based DCV
(6E2 24)

One's DCV is the higher of one's normal DCV or one's velocity-based DCV, unless the GM rules otherwise. Note, however, that this depends on the angle as well as the speed of the movement - for instance, two characters running straight for each other will gain no benefit from velocity - so GM discretion is needed.

Gravity
(6E2 25)

Except for Leaping (which is halved for a vertical leap) and Gliding (which has its own special rules) the gravity rules are not in effect: upward movement is no slower and downwards movement gains you no extra movement.

Movement and Strength
(6E2 25)

Characters may use Movement as Strength as appropriate to stop moving objects and in similar situations (which should generally be broadly speaking defensive).

Turn Mode
(Flight, 6E2 28)

The Turn Mode rules are not in use on this MUSH. There is therefore no reason to buy No Turn Mode (+1/4).

Movement Skill Levels
(6E2 32)

Movement Skill Levels may be used as described, including increased acceleration or deceleration, but not including adding to DCV under any circumstances.

Fighting
(6E2 33)

Optional Range Modifiers
(6E2 38)

The optional less granular range modifiers may be used at GM's option.

Area Effecting Autofire Attacks
(6E2 43)

If staff have been generous and/or foolish enough to allow you an Area of Effect Autofire power, you can expect any misses to cause collateral damage and/or hit you, even if this stretches the rules about how much an attack can miss by. Collateral damage is after all the balancing factor of Area of Effect attack, and Aufofire is not usually subtle either.

Firing into Melee
(6E2 43)

See Missed and Random Shots.

Bouncing An Attack
(6E2 44)

Cannot Be Bounced is a -0 Limitation.

Coordinated Attacks
(6E2 45)

People who train together regularly may Coordinate attacks on an 6- roll, even if lacking the Teamwork skill. People who have not so trained together normally cannot; however, a special training session for a particular mission against a single for will allow participants to Coordinate their attacks against that foe on a 6- roll.

Encumbrance
(6E2 45)

The encumbrance rules are not in use, except for reducing movement rates when carrying loads (a quarter of a character's lifting ability or more). Even so, the GM may waive them in the interest of simplicity.

Environmental Conditions: Water
(6E2 47)

TF: SCUBA does not negate underwater penalties. Buy the appropriate Environmental Movement.

Multiple Attackers
(6E2 49)

The Multiple Attackers penalty on a victim's DCV is limited to a maximum of -2 DCV: superhero characters should be able to handle large numbers of henchmen and thugs. Use of the Multiple Attackers penalty in a scene is optional; the GM may ignore the penalty if desired.

Spreading an Attack
(6E2 49)

Spreading an Attack (6E2 49), only for use against multiple targets (that is, not to increase OCV against a single target), is expanded as follows.

You can substitute -2 OCV for -1 DC to fill a 1m radius area.

Spreading may be used with HTH attacks. You still have to pay for "empty areas" between two targets. Although it notionally works by 1m areas, in HTH you don't hit everyone in the target area; targets are individual. (Ranged attacks could also be defined as working this way if it makes sense with the SFX.)

It is possible to used different Combat Maneuvers on each target while spreading. In this case your DCV is the worst of all Maneuvers, while the OCV is reckoned normally for each attack.

Spreading is usable with Stretching and Reach, though of course you have to pay for each 1m area between targets as usual.

You may not buy Combat Skill Levels, Only For Spreading. Any dice in a Power bought with "Only For Spreading" will count toward DC for balance purposes, as normal.

Unfamiliar Weapon
(6E2 51)

Since Weapon Familiarities aren't in use, penalties to use weapons are at GM discretion, generally based on the character's knowledge of similar weapons and/or game/scenario balance. That said, -3 should generally be the maximum penalty for anything designed as a weapon.

Combat & Martial Maneuvers
(6E2 53)

Applicability of Maneuver Modifiers
(cf. 6E2 54)

The modifiers from Maneuvers apply to Ranged Combat as well as to HTH.

END cost of Maneuvers
(cf. 6E2 54 and 131)

Using a maneuver costs the END of the STR (or Power) it's used with; if there is no such STR or Power (e.g. as with Block or Dodge) it costs 1 END.

Maneuvers Involving Movement
When a character makes an attack with a movement component (including Move By, Move Through, certain Martial Arts Maneuvers and attacks with Movement Powers on Triggers which allow movement after an attack), anyone with a Held Action or anyone who goes later in the same Segment is allowed an attack on him, even if he finished his movement out of Line of Sight.

Unless the attacking person taking such "opportunity fire" had a Held Action and won the DEX rolloff, this attack must be made at the last point of the move when the moving character is in Line of Sight, with an attack that can reach him at that point.

Example: ''The speedster Turbocharge attempts a Multiple Move By in which he attacks Spirit, runs out of the room (and out of sight of Spirit) and attacks Sable, and then runs across that room and out of sight of both of them! Neither Spirit nor Sable has a held action, but both go later in the same Segment. Spirit gets a chance to attack Turbocharge as he leaves the room despite the fact that he hasn't finished his maneuver by attacking Sable yet! Sable could attack Turbocharge as he leaves the second room, but doesn't have a ranged attack to do so with.''

If Sable had had a Held Action and had won the DEX rolloff, she could of course have attacked him when he was in hand-to-hand range, before or after he made his attack on her.

Standard Combat Maneuvers
(6E2 57; table 6E2 56)

All Standard Combat Maneuvers except Multiple Attack are in use; see subsections for particular notes.

Block
(6E2 57)

Although Target Size is treated as an OCV modifier for the attacker, it is not counted when determining the OCV one has to "hit" to Block (which would mean small people could Block almost anything and large people almost nothing).

One may Block attacks against other people, according to the rules at 6E2 58.

One may Block armed and ranged attacks unarmed, just like unarmed HTH attacks - however one's pose should be sensible (that is, you must provide plausible SFX). Unless you're really tough or reflective, just blocking a laser beam with your hands makes no sense.

Multiple Blocks
(6E2 58)

If one Blocks one component of a Multiple Move By, the attacker should still roll to see if the attack would have hit; if not, the Move By ends there, just as it would if the attack hadn't been Blocked.

One may mix Blocking HTH and Ranged attacks in the same Phase, without penalty.

Disarm
(6E2 60)

There is no penalty for unarmed Disarms.

Holding a Focus in two hands generally gives a +5 STR bonus for purposes of holding on.

In the event of a tie on the attackers and defenders dice, the Characteristic-based tiebreak rule applies. If still tied, attacker wins.

STR bonuses to Disarming from Martial Maneuvers also apply to resisting Disarming.

Remember that the defender rolls full STR unless Surprised, when Casual STR is used.

Ranged Disarm
(6E2 61)

The penalty to hit any Accessible Focus with a ranged attack is -4 (unless the player whose character bought the focus defines it as less); if the penalty is any greater the Focus isn't considered Accessible. For objects not defined in game terms, GMs may use -4 or vary the penalties by the guidelines on 6E2 61. Of this penalty to hit, -2 is considered part of the maneuver; the rest is a penalty for the size of the focus, as so may be reduced by Targeting Penalty Skill Levels.

The alternative ranged Disarm (shooting hands) is not in use.

Grab
(6E2 62)

In the event of a tie on the attackers and defenders dice, the Characteristic-based tiebreak rule applies. If still tied, attacker wins.

The rule that if the Grabber's STR exceeds the Grabbed's STR by 20 or more points then the Grabber suffers only reduced penalties (6E2 66) is in use. These reduced penalties are also used when a Grabbed character is not resisting.

Remember that one cannot attack using a Grabbed character as a weapon in the same Phase he was originally Grabbed; one can however throw him in an untargeted manner for damage.

Grab By
(6E2 67)

Teleport Grab Bys are not allowed; if you want to get this effect, however, you could build a Teleport with a Trigger to teleport away after the Grab.

Haymaker
(6E2 68)

One may not Haymaker a Presence Attack.

Haymakers may not be used to escape Grabs or Entangle, unless the GM considers it appropriate given the SFX.

Offensive Haymaker (6E2 69) is not in use.

Move By
(6E2 70)

As stated at 6E2 71, STR Advantages that affect damage don't apply to Move By (because they don't apply to the additional dice for velocity). However, one could buy a Naked Advantage on dice from velocity as if they were STR.

Move Bys at Noncombat Movement do damage based on the full velocity; be warned such damage can easily be lethal.

Hand-to-Hand Attacks (HAs), like STR add only half their dice to a Move By.

Multiple Move By
A character may, as a Full Phase action, perform multiple Move Bys in a Phase. All attacks are at the same OCV penalty, which is -2 times the number of attacks attempted (replacing the usual Move By OCV penalty). DCV remains at -2. If any attack misses, all subsequent attacks also miss (see Block for the interaction on this and Block). More than one of these attacks may be against the same target, but a mimimum of 12m distance must be traversed between the attacks. END is paid for both the STR and the movement, but only once for all the attacks.

Move Through
(6E2 70)

As stated at 6E2 71, STR Advantages that affect damage don't apply to Move Through (because they don't apply to the additional dice for velocity). However, one could buy a Naked Advantage on dice from velocity as if they were STR.

Move Throughs at Noncombat Movement do damage based on the full velocity; be warned such damage can easily be lethal. Don't even attempt Megascale Move Throughs unless you're thinking of a new career as a pancake.

You can Grab a character and (in a subsequent Phase) perform a Move-Through on him, as described at 6E2 72.

Multiple Attack
(6E2 73)

Multiple Attack is not in use, but see the expanded rules on Spreading an Attack and Multiple Move By.

Combined Attacks
(6E2 74)

When you submit your character, list all combinations of Powers, if any, that can be used as Combined Attacks (which is rather like a Linked attack, except that each power may also be used independently). Each Combined Attack will be scrutinized for balance and conception and must be approved to be used. Combined Attacks have the same restrictions as Linked attacks in combination with Power Frameworks.

Combinations may be shown on the character sheet with the Powers themselves, as a footnote to the Powers section of the character sheet, or in the character +notes, according to how many there are.

Shove
(6E2 79)

When a character with Clinging is shoved, the Clinging might come into play in several ways: it might already be on, or the character might Abort to turn on Clinging, or the character might manage to activate Clinging by making a DEX roll at -1 per 10 STR of Shoving. In any of these cases, roll 1D6 for each 5 pts of Clinging STR and reduce the distance shoved by 1m for each BODY rolled; the character is unbudged if this reduces it to 0m.

There is not an additional -1D6 to the Shove because of the Knockback Table's "Target is using Clinging".

Throw
(6E2 80)

A Running Throw requires that one move 6m, no matter what one's Half Move is.

Note that one has to be able to pick up any missiles with one's Casual STR if one wants to throw them in the same Phase. Otherwise it's one Phase to Grab and another to Throw.

Refer to the Clinging rules (6E1 182) for resisting Throw with Clinging.

Trip
(6E2 83)

Refer to the Clinging rules (6E1 182) for resisting Trip with Clinging.

If the target of the Trip has Knockback Resistance (as such or through Growth or Density Increase) and is stationary he resists Tripping by the same rule, counting each 2m Knockback Resistance as 5 Clinging STR. Knockback Resistance doesn't stop one from being tripped while moving, however: there is already momentum for the attacker to work with.

Optional Combat Maneuvers
(6E2 84; table 6E2 56)

Of the Optional Combat Maneuvers, only Choke, Cover, Dive For Cover, Pulling A Punch, Rolling With A Punch and Strafe are in use; see subsections for particular notes.

Choke
(6E2 84)

This can also represent grabbing a target with one's hand over his mouth to stop him shouting a warning, which seems a bit less unheroic.

Dive For Cover
(6E2 85)

Multiple Dive For Cover is allowed (like multiple Blocks are, on the same Aborted Action), as stated at 6E2 86, though given one starts prone the options are limited by the situation (and so the GM may apply penalties as appropriate).

One may Dive For Cover for up to half your Noncombat (but not Megascale) distance, as stated at 6E2 86, despite the fact that this incurs no extra penalty (still half DCV) - though of course one is less likely to make the required roll successfully, and acceleration rules apply (so unless one is already moving or has improved acceleration of some variety this is of little use).

Pulling A Punch
(6E2 87)

Pulling A Punch is allowed, even with Ranged attacks.

The variant allowing one to do no Knockback by taking -2 to OCV (6E2 88) may also be used.

Roll With A Punch
(62E 88)

One may Roll With A Punch against attacks beyond the first one, as with Block, taking a cumulative -2 to each attempt, until one is missed.

Martial Maneuvers
(6E2 90)

We use the same set of Martial Maneuvers we used for 5th Edition, which is a superset of the Martial Maneuvers in the 6th Edition rulebooks. For a full list of maneuvers available, look in the appropriate character generation room. We may expand (possibly even alter, though this seems unlikely) this selection when full martial arts rules for 6th Edition are published.

Martial Block
(6E2 91)

Bonuses from Martial Block (or other Martial Maneuvers that block) apply to Deflection (6E1 187) but not Reflection.

Martial Disarm
(6E2 92)

If you have this maneuver you may also use the STR bonus to resist disarms; the same is true of any other Martial Maneuvers that give a bonus to disarming.

Damage and its Effects
(6E2 95)

Determining Damage
(6E2 96)

How Many Dice Do I Roll?
(6E2 96)

Fractions of Dice
You may buy fractions of dice in your Powers. For Killing Attacks, the Base Cost is 15 for 1D6, but you

can get 1/2 D6 for only 10 points and +1 (that is, one pip) for 5 points. So for 35 points, for instance,

you can have a 2D6+1 Killing Attack.

For other Powers, only half dice are in use (there is no way to buy nd6+1 in these Powers). The amount a each D6 of a Power costs is listed in 6E1. For half that amount, rounding up, your can have and extra 1/2 D6. So a D6 of Blast costs 5, and 1/2 D6 of Blast costs 3; a D6 of Severe Transform costs 15, and 1/2 D6 costs 8.

Advantages that Directly Affect Damage
(6E2 98)

Area Of Effect, Armor Piercing, AVAD, Autofire, Boostable Charges, Constant, Continuous Charges, Cumulative, Damage Over Time, Does BODY, Does Knockback, Double Knockback, Increased STUN Multiplier, MegaScale, Penetrating, Sticky, Time Limit, Transdimensional, Trigger, Uncontrolled, Usable As Attack and Variable Advantage (but only at the rate of the Advantages it provides, not at the full cost of Variable Advantage) are all considered Advantages that directly affect damage. So are all the Advantages specifically for Adjustment Powers listed in 6E1 141-3.

Adding Damage
(6E2 99)

Methods of Adding Damage
(6E 99)

Appropriate Combat Skill Levels (and 12-pt Skill Levels) may be used to add damage, as well as Combat Maneuvers and STR; Pushing has a similar efffect but isn't strictly "adding damage" in the usual sense.

In most cases, there is no limit to the amount of damage that can be added by these means (unless the GM rules otherwise - it might not be appropriate to allow a 2-year-old +4 DC for a Haymaker for instance - but a major character should generally be allowed to Haymaker even with moderate STR). However, in the case of HA with Advantages that directly affect damage, or of HKA even without such Advantages, damage cannot be raised to more than double base damage bought. (HA without such advantages simply adds its damage to STR without such a cap, following the usual rule.)

Pushing and HAPs and Adding Damage
Extra damage from Pushing or from spending HAPs applies after the damage caps for HKA or Advantaged HA have been applied. It therefore does not increase the Base Damage of the attack, but nor is it limited by the damage cap.

Adding Damage to Attacks with Advantages
(6E 100)

To determine the number of dice to roll when adding damage, first add up all the allowable Active Points in the attack.

Separately add up all the Advantages that directly affect damage and add 1 to the total. This is known as the Damage Divisor or DD; if you have a complicated Power for which it's hard to work out it is advisable to show your DD on your character sheet.

Then


 * Dice to Roll = (Total Active Points) / ((Base Power cost per D6) × (1 + Advantages that Directly Affect Damage))

or more written briefly


 * Dice to Roll = (Total APs) / ((Cost per D6) × DD)

Half-dice (most attacks) and half-dice and dice+1 (Killing attacks) are allowed, as usual.

Important: round down.

Adding Damage to HKA and Advantaged HA
(cf. Advantages for STR, 6E2 102)

This is a special case, because the damage is not just being added but converted - e.g. if you add to your HKA with your STR, the damage is being converted from Normal to Killing; if you add to your HA, Armor Piercing (+1/4) your STR is being made Armor Piercing. For this reason the damage is capped at twice the base paid for (as specified above).

Note that if you have an Advantage on your STR matching an Advantage on your HKA or HA, you don't take it into account in calculating the Damage Divisor (DD) for any added APs derived from the STR (though you would still have to include it in the DD for APs from another source - in this very uncommon occurrence you would have to calculate the dice rolled in two parts). That is, Armor Piercing STR applies to Armour Piercing HA as if the HA had no Advantage, because it has already been paid for (indeed, it wouldn't even suffer the from being capped).

Taking Damage
(6E2 103)

Stunning
(6E2 104) Stunning is generally known as Constunning on Champions MUSH, to avoid confusion with STUN.

Recovering from Being Stunned
(6E2 105)

You cannot stop someone from recovering from being Stunned (a.k.a. Constunned) by striking them before their DEX in the Segment that they would otherwise recover and doing a mere 1 STUN or BODY, although you may do so by doing the same and doing enough STUN to Stun them again under the same circumstances.

Stunning and Movement
(6E2 106)

When you're Stunned (Constunned) or Knocked out so that your movement power shuts off when moving, you decelerate (out of control) at your normal rate (which is in most cases is 5m of movement per 1m travelled).

Breaking Limbs
(6E2 107)

The Breaking Limbs rule is not in effect as written. However, the GM may rule that a character taking half his or her BODY or more from a single attack suffers from an additional penalty (a temporary Physical Complication, for instance) and that such a wound requires the Can Heal Limbs Adder for purposes of Healing and Regeneration. This is especially appropriate for NPCs.

Paramedics Rolls to Stabilize
(cf. Death, 6E2 107)

There is no penalty for the amount of BODY taken when making a Paramedics roll to stop someone "bleeding to death".

Optional Effects of Damage
(6E2 108)

The rules for Wounding, Hit Location, Placed Shots, Impairing, Disabling, Knockdown and Bleeding are not generally in use, although at GM discretion it may be appropriate to use some of them for special cases (e.g. Placed Shots against a monster with a weak point). Knockdown may be in use if someone has a Power that does Knockdown instead of Knockback as a Limitation.

Knockback is in use.

Knockback
(6E2 114)

Aerial and Upward Knockback
(6E2 116)

Upward Knockback distance is halved by gravity.

Knockback and Mass
(6E2 117)

Knockback Resistance from any source reduces Knockback both for distance and damage. The extra Knockback from Shrinking only affects distance.

When a Shrunk character is struck, the extra distance is added to be raw Knockback determined by the MUSH dice to determine final Knockback; if the result is less than 0m there is no Knockback.

Other Damage Effects
(6E2 118)

The Mystery Damage and STUN Damage in Heroic Campaign options are not in use (except perhaps exceptionally at GM discretion). The critical hits and healing rules are used in modified form.

Critical Hits
(6E2 118)

Critical hits as described at 6E2 118 (on a half-roll) aren't in effect; however usual GM practice is to award a critical effect of some sort on a 3 and a fumble effect on an 18.

Healing and Recovering Damage
(6E2 121)

Though these rules aren't generally in effect, a Paramedics roll might, at GM discretion, restore 1 BODY or perform similar minor healing. Generally, however, Healing should be bought for any such effects.

Other Combat Rules & Effects
(6E2 123)

Other Combat Effects
(6E2 124)

Breaking out of Entangles and Grabs
(6E2 124)

Characters may, at GM discretion, attempt to free one limb at +5 STR, as per the optional rule.

Inability to Sense an Opponent
(6E2 125)

A character may only use a Nontargeting Sense to reduce the CV penalties for not being able to perceive someone if that person can be perceived by one of he character's Nontargeting Senses.

However, it is often possible, depending on the surrounding environment, to get the same reduction by indirect means: someone may be Invisible to sight and sound, and yet their location could still be betrayed by objects disturbed by their passing, for instance. In this case, make a Sense roll at -2, opposed by the unperceived character's Stealth, to get the usual "Nontargeting Sense" reductions.

In cases of no sensory data at all about the target character at all (e.g. she is amidst Darkness against all senses) it might still be possible to deduce the location of the unperceived target based, for instance, from the angle of a Blast fired from the Darkness. This requires an INT roll with penalties as determined by the GM.

Large Targets
(6E2 126)

Being large per se gives you no extra protection; you must pay for it if you want such an effect.

Missed and Random Shots
(6E2 127)

If the GM rules that a missed shot might strike someone else, roll the attack on the unintended target at OCV 3 or the attackers OCV, whichever is less (instead of at the attacker's base OCV).

If the situation arises because of "firing into melee" (6E2 43), roll the attack on the unintended target at OCV 6 or the attackers OCV, whichever is less - of course, only if the margin on the miss was enough for such a roll to be made, according to the normal firing into melee rules.

Note that if one is firing into a very crowded area there are many possible targets for a stray shot to hit, making it almost certain someone will be hit.

Optional Combat Rules
(6E2 127)

The Groundfighting and Sucker Attack rules are appropriate. Guarding Areas and Ignoring Opponents generally isn't in use, though a GM might use it in special circumstances. Interposing is not in use.

Sucker Attack
(6E2 128)

The character tricked into attacking the wrong target makes the attack roll at full OCV (including Levels, maneuver bonuses, etc.) -2.

Recovery
(6E2 129)

BODY recovers at REC points of BODY per month, or twice that rate in hospital. This recovery is spread evenly over the month (which is to say, if your REC is 15, you recover 1 BODY every other day, or every day in hospital). In practice, one can often find another hero with a healing power to speed things along.

Endurance
(6E2 131)

Standard Superheroic Endurance rules are in use.

Usually one need not keep track of END outside combat; everyone begins a fight at full END unless the GM rules otherwise, despite any recent END use. The exception is for sustained heavy use: if you are calculating, for instance, your sustainable Flight speed, limit yourself to spending your REC in END every turn.

Optional Long Term Endurance Loss
(6E2 132)

The LTE rules are not in use; under normal circumstances characters are assumed to be able to spend their REC in END indefinitely. If there is a matter of a contest of endurance to settle, the GM may resolve it with a CON roll contest.

Pushing
(6E2 133)

When Pushing, one does not get the Advantages on Pushed Powers for free: calculate this as for Adding Damage as normal.

Pushing is limited to 5 points if one fails an EGO roll, or to 10 points plus the amount the EGO roll was made by if one makes it. The GM may modify the EGO roll according to the desperation of the situation.

One should only Push for crucial, heroic or life-saving actions, or when one is desperate (typically when one's unPushed powers can't affect one's opponent). The GM may deny the use of Pushing.

0-END Powers may not be pushed.

Presence Attacks
(6E2 135)

All Presence Attacks should be RPed; it's not just a roll with an attempt to get an effect. GMs may rule a Presence Attack inadequate, and of course may assign bonuses or penalties based on its quality.

Note that a Presence Attack is used on a single primary target; anyone else the Presence Attack is "intended for" are affected at one level lower, and other people are simply unaffected. If the Presence Attack is used against a group but with no primary target, treat the entire group as secondary targets.

EGO rolls may be used to avoid the long-term effects of Presence Attacks, as detailed at 6E2 137.

Presence Attack Modifiers Table: Negative Reputation
(6E2 136)

The Negative Reputation Modifiers (6E2 136) don't make much sense against a single target or group for whom it's known whether or not they have heard the reputation. Instead, apply -2D6 for a normal Negative Reputation or -4D6 for an Extreme one, only if they have heard the reputation. Use the modifiers as in the table, however, for a group some of whom have heard the reputation and some of whom have not, to reflect an average impression.

PRE +40
(6E2 137)

The PRE +40 level of the Presence Attack Effects table is not in general use (it's more suited to the horror genre); however effects of this magnitude may be achieved if the target has a Psychological Complication or the like supporting the Presence Attack. (There may be certain creatures out there in the Infiniverse - elder gods or the like - who can achieve such levels of effect, even against heroes, but this is very rare, and would take an Advantage on their PRE.)

Extending the Duration
(6E2 137)

This rule is in effect. If target level is not declared, then the duration is extended as if the level were PRE +30 (or PRE +40, if that level is possible).

The Environment
(6E2 139)

Falling
(6E2 140)

One may apply appropriate CSLs when one attempts to catch hold of things to break one's fall (cf. Reducing Velocity, 6E2 141).

Environmental Effects
(6E2 142)

Establish the Temperature Level
(6E 145)

The description of the range of a temperature level in Celsius is incorrect: it should be about 5.5 to 11 degrees Celsius (10-20 degrees Fahrenheit).

Living in a Dangerous World
(6E2 147)

Electricity
(6E2 148)

The Optional Electricity Table (6E2 149) is not in use.

Real Electricity (6E2 150) is not in use.

Fire
(6E2 150)

Note that the changes to Sticky (6E1 345) mean it's no longer very good for modelling fire; use Contagious instead (see Sticky).

Requires Oxygen (6E2 152) may be taken at -1/4 - but note this means that drenching in heavy rain or a building's sprinkler system will stop Powers working. If it's not so easily blocked it's only worth -0.

Underwater Adventuring
(6E2 158)

Life Support: High Pressure protects one to any depth (cf. 6E2 158).

TF: SCUBA does not allow one to ignore the penalties for being underwater (cf. 6E2 168); buy the appropriate Environmental Movement.

Breaking Things
(6E2 170)

Objects as Weapons
(6E2 173)

GMs should note the improvised weaponry rules at 6E2 173-4, in particular that the "free" Area of Effect attacks from wielding large objects may be Dodged (though they target DCV 3 as usual), and the OCV penalties associated with improvised weapons.

Of course, all this property belongs to someone too, who might not be happy having it smashed in a fight!

Equipment
(6E2 179)

Characters are entitled to have possessions appropriate to their standard of living (as represented by their Wealth) without paying any points for them: this includes clothing, a vehicle, a place to live, etc. They can be reasonably equipped too: for instance your house can have a security system - so long as it's not too special and affordable on your income. The condition is that this must be essentially non-adventuring equipment: if your house has useful laboratories or is heavily fortified and used as a stronghold, for instance, you should be paying for it as a Base. It's reasonable to pose reaching the site of an adventure in your car, but if you use it within adventure scenes, at least with any frequency, you should buy it as a Vehicle.

That is, in general, all "adventuring equipment" should be paid for. There are a couple of notable exceptions: firstly, everyone is assumed (unless the player decides otherwise) to have a PDA - these are ubiquitous, and no points are needed for them. Secondly, at staff discretion, characters who are members of teams may have access to team equipment - most commonly a team communication system, but sometimes also a base or other equipment. This depends on the team in question. You are also generally assumed to be carrying the basic portable tools for your skills: if you have Lockpicking, for instance, you can have lockpicks good enough to receive neither a bonus nor a penalty to your roll.

The 5-point doubling rule (6E2 181) is in effect, though it will be watched for abuse. There is no problem using it for backup equipment or geographically fixed equipment: it is then rare for all the duplicates to be useful simultaneously. Obviously some simultaneous use is acceptable though (if you have two cars it's fair to lend one to a friend, for instance). Multiple weapons so bought may not be used in the same attack (except as SFX): in particular, the component of a Linked or Combined attack must be paid for in full.

Automatons
(6E2 182)

"Automaton" is a misnomer; an automaton is literally something that has a mind of its own (and so the phrase "mindless automaton" in an oxymoron - and shows how much standards of artificial intelligence have shifted in the last couple of centuries or so!). In the Hero System, however, pure Automata are considered not to have minds, and so they cannot be affected by mental attacks.

Accordingly, Automata than don't have Computer minds as well should be exceedingly rare: this is a world in which there are cyberpaths who can affect computers, so anything electronically controlled should not be a simple Automaton. Possible Automata might be clockwork robots or magically animated but unintelligent skeletons, but for most robot-like things buy Computer as well.

Computers
(6E2 183)

Computers may only run at once a number of Programs equal to their INT/5 (cf. 6E2 184). INT for Computers may be bought with the Limitation Only To Run More Programs (-1/2).

Weapons and Armor
(6E2 198)

Weapons must be paid for in Character Points. However, one may use improvised weapons (see rules at 6E2 173-4) or weapons found in the scene (for instance, taken from an enemy). The GM should decide the OCV penalty for found weapons based on the character's abilities, scene balance, etc (but in general it should not exceed -3 for a non-improvised weapon). Of course, if you want to keep any such weapons you'll have to pay XP.

The Limitations introduced in this chapter for building weapons and armor are in general not in use. However, Real Weapon (6E2 200) and Real Armor (6E2 210) might be appropriate if they are genuinely limiting (for instance, if your HKA is useless at breaking though walls).

Note that Limitation values on the Armor Coverage Table (6E2 212) are incorrect (they reflect previous editions).

Weapon Length
(6E2 201)

Normally weapon length matters solely for purposes of reach, and not for OCV or initiative, though a GM could apply the rules at 6E2 202 in special cases (a duel, for instance).

Firearms Malfunctions Table
(6E2 207)

This is not generally in use, though it could be used for suggestions for an "18" result when firearms are used.

The Hero System Genre by Genre
(6E2 213)

The subgenre or flavour of Champions MUSH can be described as on the border of Silver Age and Bronze Age (cf. 6E2 218). Things aren't entirely black and white and more mature themes enter into things on occasion, but nor are things typically dark or "gritty".

Note that the statement that Only In Alternate Identity is -1/2 (6E2 214) is in error; it is -1/4.

Gamemastering
(6E2 265)

Heroic Action Points
(6E2 287)

We are using the Heroic Action Point (HAP) system. Please note that this is a new feature of the game, and staff reserve the right to change the details, or even to remove the system entirely, should it prove not to be working out.

Current rules for HAPS can be found here: Heroic Action Points.

Experience Points
(6E2 292)

Experience points are partly awarded by GMs for run scenes; however, many also come from players +voting for each other. Don't forget to +vote for your fellow players: you may do so for as many player characters as you wish to, once per day.

GM-awarded XP are therefore typically fewer than the recommendation at 6E2 292 - don't think this reflects negatively on your RPing!