6th Edition House Rules Draft

' THESE ARE NOT THE CURRENT MUSH RULES. For those, see House Rules.'

'This is a draft document. I highlight certain points for particular discussion in bold italics. It's ok to leave comments on this page - it's just a draft - but please set them off from the main text and sign them, so they're easy to identify and remove in preparing the final draft. Comments may also be place on the Discussion page.'

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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.

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).

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). Any Resistant Protection counts toward these limits.

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)

Section temporarily moved to 6th Edition House Rules Draft: Powers.

Power Advantages
(6E1 311)

Section temporarily moved to 6th Edition House Rules Draft: Power Modifiers.

Power Limitations
(6E1 363)

Section temporarily moved to 6th Edition House Rules Draft: Power Modifiers.

Power Frameworks
(6E1 397)

Section temporarily moved to 6th Edition House Rules Draft: Power Modifiers.

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.

6E2
These sections have been moved temporarily to 6th Edition House Rules Draft: 6E2.