Icons RPG Great Power
Icons RPG Great Power
Icons RPG Great Power
Kenson • Houser
Credits
Writing and Design: Steve Kenson
Editing: Chris Heard
Proofing: Glenn Hall, Jadasc, Ptyx
Art: Dan Houser
Layout and Production: Daniel Solis
Power Icons: Sourced or adapted from LORC/Game-Icons.net (CC-BY 3.0)
Playtesters: Joe Bardales, Jason Childs, David Farcus, Chris Heard, Greg
Kerner, Jon Leitheusser, Cameron Mount, John Post, David Rego, Stephen
Rubio, Chris Tavares
Project Backers
Thanks to everyone who backed Great Power on Kickstarter and helped
to make the book a reality. You’re—literally—all heroes in my book!
Spider-Man,
Amazing Fantasy #15
IN T R O D U C T I O N
In many ways, comic book superheroes are all about power—with “powers
and abilities far beyond mortal men” making them capable of amazing feats.
However, as the famous Spider-Man quote shows, in other ways superheroes
are all about what you choose to do with power: do you have an obligation
to use your amazing abilities for the benefit of all, or do you choose to use
them selfishly? That is often the sole dividing line between heroes and villains:
not the powers, but how they are used.
Great Power looks at powers in Icons Superpowered Roleplaying in
greater depth. While more is not always better, Great Power tries to expand,
refine, and organize the game’s treatment of powers, giving Icons players
and Game Masters additional tools in creating and playing their characters
and adventures. It offers more options, more examples, and more ideas.
Superhero roleplaying games, perhaps more than most, are “high-trust”
environments, where agreement between the players and the Game Master
as to exactly what is possible in the context of the game is important to
a fun and successful experience. As with all RPGs, the real “power” in the
game lies in your hands, and with your group of friends. Take the tools and
options in this book for what they are and apply them to your game as you
see fit, following the superhero maxim that great power is best used for the
benefit of all. Have fun!
B O
A ERS U T
P OW
This chapter looks at powers in Icons in general: what they are, and how
they are acquired, organized, modified, and used. It expands the hero creation
material from the Icons Superpowered Roleplaying rulebook with additional
power selections and options, including Extras and Limits.
About Powers 11
Artificial Power Source
POWER GROUPS
Some powers are actually groups of powers with similar effects. You don’t
have the “Alternate Form” or “Element Control” power, for example; you
choose one of the powers from within that power group, such as Energy
Form, Gaseous Form, Fire Control, or Magnetic Control. Even “Energy Form”
is a group-within-a-group, with the actual powers being things like Fire Form
or Light Form.
Each power within a group is considered separate and distinct, although
some effects include all powers in a group for ease of reference.
For especially powerful villains and Game Master characters, the GM may
find it simpler to assign the character a level in an entire power group. For
example, an energy-controlling character with vast influence over the entire
energy spectrum might simply have an overall level in “Energy Control”
rather than listing all the separate control powers. This is useful shorthand
for Game Master characters and generally unsuitable for player-run heroes.
POWER SOURCES
A character’s powers can come from a diverse range of sources. In the
comics, demon sorcerers rub shoulders with futuristic cyborgs, alien scientists,
martial arts masters, and psychic mutants, to name a few. Power source is
often tied to a character’s origin.
12 GREAT POWER
biological Power Source
The following are some of the most common power sources; feel free to
come up with your own that suit your particular concept of the character’s
powers. You are also by no means limited to one power source; a character
may have several, such as a mutant trained in esoteric martial arts, or an
alien shape-shifter who is a disciple of magic, for example.
Artificial: The character’s powers were designed, typical for heroes and
villains who are artificial life-forms or constructs like robots or androids, or
magical creations of alchemy or conjuring.
Biological: The character’s powers come from biology, either the unusual
biology of a non-human species (from aliens to godlike beings from other
dimensions) to the genetic quirks of mutations, which can take place any
time from conception to later exposure to mutagens like radiation.
Device: Many characters gain some or all of their powers from various
devices. See the Devices section for details and additional ideas. Devices
can have different power sources themselves, from technology to magic or
cosmic energy.
Magic: Heroes and villains may be imbued with powers from a magical
source (an ancient sorcerer, spell, or artifact) or a magical creature, or may
simply have the power to wield magic themselves.
Mental: The character’s powers are fueled by mental or psionic energies,
the unleashed potential of the mind.
About Powers 13
Device Power Source
Skill: Some gain their powers not by accident, but through hard work and
practice. This can include the knowledge and skill to create different devices,
mastery of arcane secrets like magic or various psychic powers, or exotic
martial arts disciplines controlling one’s own chi or life-force, to name a few.
Note that the skill power source is related to the training origin, but is not
the same thing: a character might gain mental or magical powers through
training, for example.
Transfer: Some are born to power, others have it thrust upon them; many
beings and devices can imbue people with powers. Of course, sometimes
those same beings can also take away the powers they’ve granted, and such
power often comes with a price attached.
USING POWERS
Using some powers requires an action, and possibly a test of some sort,
detailed in the power’s description. This is usually the case for powers that
affect others, such as offensive and control powers. Other powers require
only a reaction, or no action at all.
14 GREAT POWER
Magic Power Source
PREPARATION
Some powers require preparation, meaning one or more panels where
you do nothing except focus on activating the power. This is typically just
one panel, allowing you to use the power in your next panel on the following
page. You can usually move and react while preparing a power. Extras and
limits may adjust a power’s preparation time.
CONCENTRATION
Some powers require concentration to use or maintain. To concentrate,
you must be able to take action: not stunned, unconscious, or maintaining
an exclusive power (following). Concentration is not an action, however, and
you can do other things while maintaining it.
If your concentration is disrupted, you can make a Willpower test to keep
a power going so long as you’re still conscious: your effort on the test is
About Powers 15
MENTAL Power Source
the power level you can maintain. So, for example, if you have Force Field 7
and are stunned (disrupting your concentration), you roll a Willpower test,
generating an effort of 5. This allows you maintain Force Field 5 while you
recover from the stun.
EXCLUSIVE
Some powers are defined as exclusive, meaning you cannot use other
powers while using or maintaining the exclusive power, including preparing
or concentrating on other powers. Extras or limits may modify a power’s
exclusivity.
RANGE
Powers in Icons work at one of five ranges: personal, close, extended,
visual, or beyond. Personal range powers only affect the user. Close range
16 GREAT POWER
SKILL Power Source
powers generally require the user to touch the target of the power, making
a successful Prowess vs. Coordination or Prowess test to touch an unwilling
target. Extended range powers require a Coordination vs. Coordination test
to affect an unwilling target.
DURATION
Powers last for one of five durations: instant, concentration, level,
continuous, or permanent.
Instant powers have their effect immediately and, while the results of the
power (like Stamina loss) may linger, the power’s effect is over in an instant.
Concentration powers last as long as the user concentrates to maintain
them (see Concentration, previously).
Level duration powers last for one page per level the power has, without
any effort from the power user, then expire.
Continuous powers last until the power user chooses to turn them off.
Permanent powers are “always on,” requiring no maintenance or attention
from the user and cannot be turned off, although they might still be negated
or worked around in other ways.
About Powers 17
TRANSFER Power Source
TEST
Many powers require a test to use. Some require more than one, such as
an ability test to target the power and another test for its effect. Many powers
also offer a test to avoid or resist their effects. Tests in this book are written
in the usual Icons format of either “a difficulty N test of (ability)” where N is
the difficulty number and (ability) the ability level used, or (acting ability)
vs. (opposing ability) in the case of an opposed test, such as “power level
vs. Willpower”.
See Tests in The Basics chapter of Icons for details on making tests.
RETRIES
Unless the description specifies otherwise, you can retry a failed test
with a power so long as you are still capable of using it. For example, if you
miss with an offensive power like Blast, you can try again on your next panel,
making a new attack.
Some powers require determined effort in order to try again after a failed
attempt. This is specified in the power’s description. This means you must
spend a Determination Point to retry a use of the power within the same
chapter. See Trying Again in The Basics chapter of Icons for details.
18 GREAT POWER
Players Make All Rolls
The standard die rolling approach in Icons has the player roll one die and
the GM roll another, effectively creating a curve of probabilities between
the two results. Optionally, if you prefer, you can have the players make
both rolls, rolling an “effort” die and a “difficulty” die, then subtracting
the diffiulty from the effort to get a result from –5 to +5, which is then
applied to the character’s appropriate ability level to get the outcome.
This is mathematically the same, but allows the players to make all of
the rolls during play, leaving the Game Master free to concentrate on
other aspects of running the game.
EXTRAS
In addition to base powers, you can have one or more extras for a power.
These are extra things you can do with that power, from extending the base
effect to entirely new effects. Each power is listed with the main extras
associated with it. You can also create your own with the Game Master’s
permission.
Some extras allow you to duplicate the effects of other powers, such as
a hero using Fire Control to gain Flight by projecting a stream of fire like a
rocket. You use the extra as if you had the power at the same level as the
power it’s based on unless the extra’s description says otherwise. Thus, you
would gain the Flight extra at the same level as your Fire Control. The extra
normally only duplicates the base power, not any of its other extras. If it does,
or can do so, it will also be listed in the description.
Other extras improve the existing effects of your power: greater range, more
targets affected, and so forth. These are specified in the extra description.
SUBSTITUTING EXTRAS
During hero creation, the player has the option of substituting extras for
rolled powers on a one-for-one basis: one extra takes the place of one rolled
power of the player’s choice.
Example: A player has rolled the following powers: Aquatic, Fire Control,
Precognition, and Duplication—an odd mix, to be sure. Looking things
over, the player decides to replace Aquatic and Precognition with two
Fire Control extras—Force Field and Flight. The player could also replace
Duplication with a power extra as well, but decides a duplicating fire-
controller has some interesting potential and leaves that power as rolled.
About Powers 19
STANDARD EXTRAS
Standard extras and their effects are listed here. These apply to a broad
range of powers. Powers also have unique extras, listed with the power’s
description.
Affects Others: You can affect other people with the power, not just yourself.
Affects X: Your power works on a type of target normally immune to
it, such as a Blast which Affects Insubstantial targets normally Immune to
Physical Damage or Mind Control that Affects Undead, which are often
mindless, and so forth.
Broadcast: Your power can affect anyone who sees or hears you (in
person or on a television or radio broadcast), giving you a much wider range.
Burst: Your power can affect everyone within close distance simultaneously.
Roll one test for the power; the different opposing abilities of the targets
provide different difficulties (and outcomes).
Contagious: The effect of your power is “contagious” and may affect
someone else who comes into contact with a target while the power is still
in effect. Examples include “contagious” Afflictions, “sticky” Bindings, or
“spreading” acid or fire Blasts. The new victim resists the power’s effect
normally and also becomes contagious while affected.
Defensive: You can use your power to defend against attacks as a reaction,
rolling the power’s level to set the difficulty of the attack.
Effect: Your power can duplicate the effect of another power at its level.
This extra is normally listed as the name of a duplicated power, such as
“Flight” or “Blast.” If it can also duplicate extras of that power, they can be
listed along with it. Each requires another extra; essentially, extras of the
duplicated power become potential extras of the base power.
Homing: A ranged power requiring a test to hit the target gets two additional
attempts to hit if it initially misses, like a homing missile. Each attempt occurs
at the start of your panel. If they both fail, then there is no effect.
Level Duration: The effects of your power last for a level duration (see
Duration).
Passengers: Your movement power can carry a number of people along
with you equal to its level.
20 GREAT POWER
Ranged: You can use a normally close range power out to extended range.
Rangeless: You can use your power out to any distance, provided you
know the location of the target.
Reversible: You can reverse the effects of your power, ending them at
will, at the same range for using it.
Secondary Effect: Your power has an additional effect when used,
equivalent to that of another power. For example, your Strike power might
also be a “carrier” for a secondary Affliction effect, representing a toxin
delivered by the Strike. You can only use the Secondary Effect in conjunction
with the first power. A Secondary Effect of the same power adds +1 to the
higher power level, like a combined effect (see Combined Effect in The
Basics chapter of Icons).
Slow Recovery: Targets of your power take ten times longer to recover.
About Powers 21
Binding Stunt
burst Stunt
STUNTS
A stunt allow heroes to temporarily use extras they do not normally possess,
such as a Fire Control hero performing a stunt to temporarily gain the Flight
extra—very useful if the hero is suddenly thrown out of a high building or
aircraft!
To perform a stunt, specify an extra or describe what you want the stunt to
accomplish, with the GM deciding whether or not it suits your hero’s quality
and traits, and what extra would best serve. Activate one of your hero’s
qualities related to what you want to accomplish. This is usually something
like a catchphrase or epithet, although other qualities (particularly motivation)
can serve in some instances. You can then use the advantage provided by
the activation to perform your stunt. It lasts for the duration of the conflict
or chapter (whichever comes first).
A player can use a minor achievement to master a stunt, reducing the
hero’s Determination level by 1 and adding the stunt as a regular extra of
the associated power.
For additional details on stunts, see The Basics and Powers chapters of
Icons Superpowered Roleplaying.
22 GREAT POWER
Movement Stunt
RANGELESS STUNT
Example: Volcano’s player wants to use his heat Aura for a stunt to Dazzle
Count Malocchio and his Evil Eye, but Volcano is out of DP. So his player
offers to make a maneuver test: Volcano concentrates and the player
rolls an Aura test against a chosen stunt level of 6. He succeeds, so on
his next page, Volcano can use the Dazzle power. If the test failed, the
GM might have let Volcano use the power anyway, but added the trouble
that the sudden flare of heat set the Count’s chateau ablaze, endangering
his other prisoners!
About Powers 23
ANIMAL ONLY LIMIT
Burnout Limit
Alternately, rather than allowing all heroes to perform stunt tests,
the GM may make the ability to do so a standard extra, applicable to
any appropriate power, giving that power additional flexibility in terms
of performing stunts.
Attribute Stunts
Keep in mind that characters can also perform stunts with their
superhuman (level 7+) attributes and Master level specialties in addition
to their powers! Among other things, this means players can spend DP
or use maneuvers to duplicate powers using just their heroes’ attributes
and specialties! In particular, this is how some “non-powered” heroes do
many power-related things over the course of an adventure.
LIMITS
Limits provide a means of narrowing the base effect of a power in exchange
for greater level, more Determination, or more extras. When you apply a limit
to a power, you gain one of the following:
• Subtract one from the power’s value for reducing Determination
level. This can reduce the power’s Determination “cost” to 0 (but
not less than 0).
• Add an extra to the power without increasing its starting
Determination cost.
• Increase the power’s level by 2, to a maximum of 10.
24 GREAT POWER
Constant Limit
Unstable Limit
Multiple limits may have multiple benefits, including the same benefit
applied more than once. Limits generally halve the circumstances in which
the power can be used, or halve its effectiveness. New limits should be at
least as restrictive as the ones described here and in the power descriptions.
The Game Master has final say on whether or not a limit is acceptable.
About Powers 25
STANDARD LIMITS
The major limits are listed here. Powers also may have unique limits, which
are listed with the power’s description.
Animals Only: Your power only affects animals.
Blocked by X: Your power does not affect some common type of object
or substance, such as wood, aluminum, or things colored blue, for example.
Burnout: After you use your power, roll a die: on a roll of 1 or 2, the power
stops working for the rest of the chapter.
Close Range: Your power only works at close range, requiring you to
touch the target.
Concentration: You must concentrate to maintain the power. This limit
applies only to permanent, continuous, or level-duration powers that do not
already require concentration.
Constant: The power is always active. For damaging powers, this means
you may damage people and things around you. Other powers may make
you appear freakish or just make life difficult for you.
Degrades: Your power loses one level every page of use. It recovers its
lost levels in between chapters.
Exclusive: You cannot use or maintain other powers while using the
exclusive power.
Extra Only: You can only perform one extra of the power and not the base
effect. You cannot gain any of the power’s other extras or use them as stunts.
Line of Sight: You must be able to see the targets of your power (or they
must be able to see you).
Max Only: You must use your power at full effect and cannot vary its level
or exert any fine control.
No Stunts: You cannot perform stunts with the power. You can only ever
use its base effect.
Only X: Your power works only in a given situation or against a particular
subject, such as only at night, or only when you’re angry, only against men
(or women) and so forth.
Others Only: The power only affects others; you cannot use it on yourself.
This cancels out the cost of the Affects Others extra, if the power only affects
others.
Performance: You need to perform in some fashion to use the power, from
a little song and dance to mystic gestures and reciting arcane incantations.
26 GREAT POWER
If you cannot perform, you cannot use the power. The performance occurs
as part of the action of using the power unless it also requires Preparation
(following).
Preparation: You have to prepare—taking no other actions—for at least
one page to activate the power.
Source: You cannot generate the energy or material for your power, but
must rely on an outside source. The GM may limit your power level to the
effective level of the available source.
Temporary: Your power’s effects only last for pages equal to its level.
Tiring: Using the power causes you to lose 2 Stamina.
Uncontrolled: Your power activates sometimes whether you want it to
or not, under the control of the GM.
Unpredictable: When you try using your power, roll a die: on a 1 or 2, the
power doesn’t work.
Unstable: If you use your power in a fight or other tense situation, roll a
die: on a 1 or 2, your power goes off at random.
About Powers 27
ADDING
& MODIFYING POWERS
The following chapter provides details on acquiring powers during the
hero creation process, and applying extras and limits to those powers. Once
heroes have entered play, the Game Master may want to allow some “fluidity”
to the players’ hero creation decisions (much like the Qualities-on-the-Fly
option from the Hero Creation chapter of Icons), should initial game-play
reveal some better choices. Ultimately, after a few game sessions, the heroes’
powers and abilities should be fairly fixed.
At that point, players add powers, or modify their heroes’ existing powers,
using the guidelines for Changes outlined in the Gamemastering chapter
of Icons:
Minor changes include adding a new extra to a power (reducing
Determination level by 1 or adding a new limit to the power to compensate),
removing a limit of a power (reducing Determination level by 1), mastering
a stunt (reducing Determination level by 1), or swapping an existing extra
for a new extra, or an existing limit for a new limit. At the GM’s option, it can
also include adding a new limit to a power, with the usual choice of benefits.
Moderate changes include raising one power level by 1, or swapping the
levels of any two powers.
Major changes include gaining an all-new power, its level rolled on the Level
Determination table, and completely re-rolling all of the hero’s powers from
scratch. Major changes also include raising the hero’s Determination level by
1, which can compensate for Determination “spending” for lesser changes.
ON-THE-FLY MODIFICATIONS
In addition to permanent changes, players can modify their heroes’ powers
during play using advantage. Stunts allow players to temporarily swap a new
power effect for an existing effect (using a Force Field for Flight, for example),
to grant a power an extra it doesn’t normally have (such as “spreading” a
Blast to become a Burst), or overcoming one of the power’s limits, such as
using a Preparation power immediately without any preparation or ensuring
an Unpredictable power works when it really has to.
The general rule of thumb concerning power modifications is: if the player
is willing to use advantage to do it, it should be possible as a stunt.
28 GREAT POWER
U I
ACQWERSR I N G
PO
Assigning powers to characters is covered in the Hero Creation chapter of
Icons Superpowered Roleplaying. This chapter supplements those rules to
account for the additional powers and options found in Great Power.
As in the Icons rules, roll to determine the base number of powers the
hero has (adjusted for origin) and then roll on the following tables for each
power to determine the specific power. Roll on the Level Determination table
to set the power’s level. The following guidelines apply while determining
a hero’s powers:
• If you roll more than one power of the same type you can choose to
re-roll the second power until you get a different type.
• If you roll the same power more than once (getting the offensive
power Blast twice, for example), you may either select to increase
the first instance’s rolled level by 2 (to a maximum of 10) or roll again
until you get a different power.
• You may choose to discard a rolled power and replace it with an
extra for one of the hero’s other powers. So, for example, if you have
rolled Air Control 6, Swimming 5, and Telepathy 5, you could choose
to discard Swimming or Telepathy, replacing either power with one
of the extras listed for Air Control in that power’s description at Air
Control’s level of 6.
• You may choose to limit a power, applying one or more of the limits
listed in its description. See Limits in the previous chapter for details.
POWER TYPE TABLE
2d6 Roll Power Type Next Step
2–3 Mental Roll on the Mental Powers table
4–5 Control Roll on the Control Powers table
6 Defensive Roll on the Defensive Powers table
7 Offensive Roll on the Offensive Powers table
8 Movement Roll on the Movement Powers table
9–10 Alteration Roll on the Alteration Powers table
11–12 Sensory Roll on the Sensory Powers table
30 GREAT POWER
CONTROL POWERS TABLE
First d6 Second d6 Power
1–2 1–2 Alteration Ray (group)
3–4 Continuum Control (group)
5–6 Element Control (group)
3–4 1–2 Energy Control (group)
3 Healing
4 Machine Control
5–6 Matter Control (group)
4–6 1–2 Power Control (group)
3 Servant
4 Spirit Control
5-6 Wizardry (group)
DEFENSIVE POWERS
First d6 Second d6 Power
1–2 1–2 Absorption
3 Adaptation
4–6 Force Field
3–4 1 Immortality
2–4 Life Support
5–6 Reflection
5–6 1–2 Regeneration
3-6 Resistance (group)
MENTAL POWERS
First d6 Second d6 Power
1–3 1 Astral Projection
2 Dream Control
3–4 Emotion Control
5–6 Illusion or Images
4–6 1–2 Mental Blast
3 Mind Control
4 Mind Shield
5-6 Telepathy
Acquiring Powers 31
MOVEMENT POWERS
First d6 Second d6 Power
1–3 1 Burrowing
2 Dimensional Travel
3–4 Flight
5–6 Leaping
4–6 1 Spinning
2–3 Super-Speed
4 Swinging
5 Teleportation
6 Wall-Crawling
OFFENSIVE POWERS
First d6 Second d6 Offensive Power
1–3 1 Affliction
2 Aura
3 Binding
4–5 Blast
6 Corrosion
4–6 1 Dazzle
2 Energy Drain
3 Fast Attack
4–5 Strike
6 Stunning
SENSORY POWERS
First d6 Second d6 Sensory Power
1–3 1–2 Danger Sense
3–4 Detection (group)
5 Environmental Awareness
6 ESP
4–6 1 Interface
2 Postcognition
3 Precognition
4-6 Super-Senses (group)
32 GREAT POWER
Creating Your Own Power Tables
The power acquisition tables in this chapter provide a fair distribution
of powers, given the die rolls and probabilities involved, weighted slightly
towards some of the more commonly-found powers in the superhero
comics (for example, there’s a better chance for a hero to get Damage
Resistance than Immortality, or Blast rather than Energy Drain).
If you want to retain the creative kickstarter of randomly rolled powers,
but better suited to a particular type or style of Icons game, feel free to
modify the tables found here (and elsewhere in this book) to suit your
intentions. The simplest modification is to restrict certain powers, telling
players who get that result to roll again until they get an available power.
You can even ban certain power types, such as no Alteration powers,
or only Mental and Sensory powers, for example. You can also come
up with completely new tables that redistribute the powers as you like.
Redesigning the power assignment tables is left as an exercise for
the Game Master who wishes to do so. Weight the available options
according to how you want them to come up in your game, assigning
appropriate die roll ranges to them.
Acquiring Powers 33
DETERMINATION
Once you have generated your hero’s powers (and modified the rolled
powers as desired) you can figure the hero’s Determination level, as described
in Icons: subtract the hero’s total number of powers from 6. The result is the
hero’s starting Determination level, with a minimum of 1. Each ability above
level 6 also counts as a power, as does each extra of a power, not specifically
balanced by the addition of a limit. Some power limits may reduce a power’s
starting Determination “cost” but cannot reduced it below 0.
Examples: The Mighty Saguaro has three powers: Aura, Leaping, and Life
Support. He also has Strength 9, but all his other abilities are level 6 or
less. That gives him a total of four powers, which his player subtracts from
a starting value of 6 to give Saguaro a starting Determination value of 2.
Hangman has only one power (his Binding Device, the Noose of
Judgment) and no abilities above 6. (Although he has plenty of specialties,
they don’t count.) However, his Device does have one extra: it also gives
him the Swinging power. That’s a total of two, subtracted from 6 for
starting Determination 4.
Miss Tikal has Magic and Willpower 7 but her Magic power has three
extras: Mastery of Blast, Force Field, and Teleportation. That makes for a
total of five, subtracted from 6 for starting Determination 1. If this really
concerned Miss Tikal’s player, she could potentially add a limit or two to
her Magic in order to counterbalance the effect of those extras, but she
decides Miss Tikal will use her Determination wisely and come up with
ways to earn more during play. Note that the inherent Performance and
Preparation requirements of Magic don’t count as regular limits; they’re
just a part of the power, and removing them requires the addition of extras.
34 GREAT POWER
DETERMINATION BY POWER LEVEL
Alternately, rather than calculating Determination level by number of
powers and extras, you can use the following formula to take overall power
level into account: add up the levels of all of the hero’s powers, plus the
level of each ability above 6. Each extra on a power adds that power’s level
again. Divide the total by 6 and round to the nearest whole number, using the
result as the amount you subtract from the base value of 6 to figure starting
Determination level, again with a minimum value of 1.
To use the prior examples, Saguaro’s powers and Strength sum to 20, which
is 3.33, rounded down to 3, for 3 starting Determination. Hangman doubles
the level of his Device (since it has one extra) for a sum of 14, which is 2.33,
rounded down to 2, for 4 starting Determination. Miss Tikal has a significant
sum on 7 (her Willpower) + 21 (her Magic 7 with three extras) or 28, which
is 4.66, rounded up to 5. Saguaro gets a slight bump due to some of his low
power levels, while the other heroes remain the same. This approach generally
benefits heroes with a larger number of low-level powers.
SPENDING DETERMINATION
At the Game Master’s option, a player can choose to “spend” some
starting Determination (permanently reducing its level) in order to add
extras to a hero’s existing powers, essentially “pre-buying” one or more
changes. For example, if Hangman (as a Trained hero) only rolled one power
(the Binding Device) but his player wanted to spend a level of Hangman’s
starting Determination, the GM might allow him to add the Swinging extra
to the Device during hero creation, rather than waiting to add it as a change
with achievements earned during play.
Acquiring Powers 35
W E
PO PTIONSR
DES C R I
This chapter contains descriptions of various powers, listed in alphabetical
order by power name.
Each description starts with the power’s name, type, and whether it is a
power group. The main text discusses what the power does in game terms,
and any additional choices or die rolls made for the power during selection.
The description concludes with extras and limits associated with the power,
including standard extras, the ability to duplicate the effects of other powers,
standard limits, and unique extras or limits of the power.
Note that the listing of standard extras and limits does not necessarily
exclude others from the About Powers chapter, just that those not listed
are either uncommon or not applicable, and may require some special
consideration from the Game Master.
In addition to all the powers listed on the Acquiring Powers tables, this
chapter contains separate listings for common power names and where that
type of power effect may be found for players and Game Masters flipping
through the listings looking for a specific power effect. For example, while
there is no specific “Animal Control” power, there is an Animal Control listing
with a reference to the Animal Control limit of the Mind Control power, which
has the same effect. This increases the number of available power concepts
without needlessly repeating their descriptions or game mechanics.
With powers and abilities far
beyond those of mortal men!
The Adventures
of Superman
Introduction
SPECIAL EFFECTS
Speaking of power names, while the powers in this book have specific
names, players and Game Masters are free to call their characters’ powers
whatever they like, so long as everyone understands what they mean in game
terms. If it’s more fun and atmospheric to call your hero’s Close Range Mind
Blast a “Psi-Blade,” by all means, do so!
Likewise, players are free to come up with whatever “special effects” they
want for their powers: whether their Blast is a particular color, for example,
or a smooth beam or jagged bolt, whether it emits from the hero’s hands,
eyes, or forehead, what their Force Field looks like, or the sound associated
with their Teleportation, to name a few. These added details can add a lot of
flavor to heroes without any additional mechanical “overhead.”
Power Descriptions 37
ABILITY BOOST
Alteration. Ability Boost temporarily increases
one ability, chosen when the power is acquired,
making it a power group of six powers, one for
each ability: Prowess Boost, Coordination Boost,
Strength Boost, and so forth. Choose an ability
or roll on the following table.
d6 Roll Ability
1 Prowess
2 Coordination
3 Strength
4 Intellect
5 Awareness
6 Willpower
You can boost the chosen ability’s level up to the power level for a level
duration. Then the ability’s level is reduced to one lower than its normal level
for the same duration while it “recovers.”
Example: Strength Boost 8 raises your Strength level to 8 for 8 pages,
then your Strength drops to 1 less than its normal level for 8 pages while
you recover.
If you boost a level 0 ability, such as a power you don’t normally have, then
it drops back to level 0 while it recovers, making it unusable during that time.
When you determine the level for this power, any rolled result equal to or
less than your existing ability level should be re-rolled until you get a higher
level. Level 10 abilities cannot be boosted; choose or roll a different ability.
Ability Boost only counts as a power for figuring Determination if its level
is 7 or greater.
EXTRAS
Standard: Affects Others, Ranged
Boost Two: You can boost two abilities at once, using the same guidelines
for boosting one. For each additional extra, you can boost an additional ability.
Extended: Your boost lasts for as long as you concentrate but, as soon
38 GREAT POWER
as your concentration lapses, the boost ends and you cannot use it again
for a level duration.
Power Boost: You can boost powers of a particular type or source, such
as mutant or magical powers, rather than abilities. This works the same way
as boosting abilities.
LIMITS
Standard: Degrades, Exclusive, Extra Only, Others Only, Preparation,
Situational, Source, Tiring
Situational (Emotion-Linked): You have to feel a particular emotion
(love, hate, fear, etc.), often connected to one of your qualities, to use your
Ability Boost.
ABILITY
INCREASE
Alteration. This power permanently increases one
of the character’s abilities (an attribute or power)
to the rolled level or by +2 (to a maximum of 10),
whichever is greater. It does not count towards
Determination, but an increased attribute may do
so, if it is 7 or greater. Select an ability or roll on
the following table:
d6 Roll Ability
1 Prowess
2 Coordination
3 Strength
4 Intellect
5 Awareness
6 Willpower
LIMITS
Specialty Increase: Your power only increases a specialty of the ability
rather than the entire ability.
Power Descriptions 39
ABSORPTION
Defensive. You can absorb a particular type of
attack, such as kinetic impact or a type of energy
(see Energy Control for examples). So you might
have Impact Absorption (blunt damage), Fire
Absorption, Radiation Absorption, and so forth.
Subtract your Absorption power level from the
attack’s level. If this reduces the attack’s level to 0 or less, it has no effect
on you. Any remaining levels of the attack affect you normally; apply any
Resistance to the remaining level (see Resistance, p. 106).
Choose one of Ability Boost, Blast, or Healing you can power with your
absorbed energy. You can acquire the others as regular extras.
EXTRAS
Ability Boost: On your next panel after absorbing damage, you can use
the absorbed energy as an Ability Boost reaction with a level equal to the
level absorbed. The affected ability is chosen when you take this option, and
each other ability counts as a separate extra.
Blast: On your next panel after absorbing damage, you can unleash the
absorbed energy as a Blast with a level equal to the level absorbed.
Broad: Your Absorption protects against all physical or all energy damage,
rather than a specific type.
Healing: As a reaction you recover Stamina equal to the level absorbed,
up to your maximum Stamina level. For an additional extra, you can gain
Stamina over your normal maximum, up twice your normal maximum Stamina.
ACID
You can exude or project a corrosive substance
that inflicts damage. See the Corrosion power (p.
56). The acid might exude from your hands or you
could have acidic spit. If you exude acid from your
pores (or entire body), affecting anything touching
you, see the Aura power (p. 52).
40 GREAT POWER
ADAPTATION
Defensive. Adaptation allows you to transform to
adapt to hostile environments. After a page of
preparation, physical aspects such as appearance,
skin, lung capacity, and resistance to natural
damage sources change. You can adapt higher
Strength to handle an alien planet’s gravity or Life
Support to breathe methane, for example. The power adapts to conditions,
not threats; you can’t grow wings if you’re pushed off a cliff, but you can
grow gills and become Aquatic when plunged into water. Similarly, you gain
no resistance to attacks, but can gain Heat Resistance in the domain of the
Lava Men. Maximum benefits are at your Adaptation power level and last as
long as you are exposed to the condition.
The Game Master may rule on exactly what powers your adapt to overcome
a condition, and what conditions or threats are affected by your power.
EXTRAS
Powers: Danger Sense, Regeneration, Resistance
Standard: Affects Others
Defensive: An Adaptation test against a threat’s level allows you to adapt
to a threat (such as an attack), rather than just a condition. It still takes a full
page to adapt (unless you also have the Instant extra). Such willed adaptations
last for the chapter, until you adapt to a different danger, or until you are
unable to concentrate on them.
Instant: Your body adapts as a reaction, without any preparation, meaning
you can even adapt to multiple successive conditions in a single page.
LIMITS
Standard: Exclusive, Temporary
Only X Environments: Your Adaptation only works in certain particular
hostile environments, rather than all of them. Examples include, Aquatic,
Extraterrestrial (other planets), Outer Space, Subterranean (underground), and
Terrestrial (environments found on the surface of the Earth), to name a few.
Power Descriptions 41
AFFLICTION
Offensive. You cause a fast-acting affliction—like
a disease or toxin—by touching a target. Make a
Prowess test to touch your target, then an Affliction
test against the higher of the target’s Strength or
Regeneration level: Massive or major failure means
no effect and ends any ongoing Affliction effect.
Moderate failure means no effect on this page, but the Affliction continues
and another test is required on the following page, at the start of your panel.
Marginal success inflicts half the Affliction’s level as Stamina damage, ignoring
Damage Resistance, and the Affliction continues, as above. Moderate success
or better inflicts the Affliction’s level as Stamina damage, ignoring Damage
Resistance, and the Affliction, continues, as above.
Choose whether your Affliction causes a target reduced to 0 Stamina to
remain unconscious (like a major stunning outcome) or begin losing Strength
levels (like a major killing outcome).
EXTRAS
Powers: Energy Drain
Standard: Burst, Contagious, Ranged, Reversible, Slow Recovery
Aging: You accelerate or reverse the aging process. This adds or subtracts
a number of years from the victim’s age equal to the power’s level per degree
of success. With two extras, you can both accelerate and reverse aging.
Aura: You can afflict anyone who touches you as a reaction in addition
to afflicting those you touch.
Influence: Rather than inflicting Stamina damage, your Affliction can exert
Mind Control over the target at its level.
Transformation: Upon reducing a target to 0 Stamina, your Affliction
affects them like the Transformation power.
LIMITS
Standard: Constant, Degrades
Slow Effect: Your Affliction does not take effect immediately. Instead it
affects the target later in the same chapter and then once each following
chapter rather than each page, making it more like a slow poison or natural
disease.
42 GREAT POWER
AIR CONTROL
Control. You manipulate air and wind, creating
winds of power level Strength for purposes of
moving objects (see the Benchmark Table for
guidelines of how much weight you can move).
EXTRAS
Standard: Burst
Powers: Blast (air, Burst), Flight (Passengers), Force Field, Resistance
(Cold, Gases, Pressure, Suffocation), Super-Senses (Spatial Sense, air currents),
Servant (air elemental), Weather Control
Air Bubble: As a reaction, you can create and maintain a sphere of
breathable air that keeps out water, gases, and similar effects with a level
less than your power. The sphere fits a number of people equal to your level.
Suffocation: You can prevent air from reaching the lungs of a target
of your choice within extended range with a successful Coordination vs.
Coordination test. If the test succeeds, make a test of your Air Control vs. the
target’s Strength and treat the result as an Affliction attack: success results
in power level Stamina damage, ignoring Damage Resistance, and the target
must make an additional test at the start of each of your panels, so long as
you concentrate to maintain the effect.
Vacuum: You can remove the air in a close range area within extended
range, creating a vacuum. The surrounding air normally rushes in like a
thunderclap. Make an Air Control test against the Strength of each character
in the area; success causes them to lose one panel of action and deafens
them for pages equal to your power level. If you choose not to allow the air
to fill the vacuum (keeping it out as an exclusive action) those in the area
also suffer the effects of suffocation (previously).
Power Descriptions 43
ALTERATION RAY
Control. This power group is made up of Alteration
Powers you can use on others at extended range
rather than on yourself. Choose one of the options
from the following list or roll 1d6:
EXTRAS
Offensive: Your Alteration Ray has an effect that is more detrimental
than beneficial. For Density Ray and Growth Ray, the target does not gain
Strength, but still loses Coordination. For Shrinking Ray, the target loses
Strength, rather than retaining normal Strength. For a Transforming Ray, the
target may lose mental abilities, or only turn into a detrimental form.
LIMITS
Standard: Close Range
Offensive Only: Your Alteration Ray is only a detrimental effect (previously)
and cannot provide a beneficial one. You must have the Offensive extra, but
this limit can cancel out its cost.
44 GREAT POWER
ALTER EGO
Alteration. You can transform into an entirely
different alternate character! Create a second
character as your Alter Ego. The new character
automatically has one fewer power to account
for this one. The GM may require certain traits,
notably origin and mental abilities, to remain
consistent between the two characters, but this does not have to be the
case. Transforming between your Alter Egos takes a page of perparation,
during which you can do nothing else.
NORMAL IDENTITY
If your hero simply has an “ordinary” human identity with no powers,
that is an example of disability trouble rather than an instance of this power:
occasionally you have to deal with being in a form that doesn’t have access
to your usual powers. Alter Egos have powers of their own.
EXTRAS
• Instant: It does not take a page of preparation to assume your Alter
Ego, you can do so instantly during your panel.
• No Interval: You do not have to revert to your normal form for any time
between assuming different serial Alter Egos.
Power Descriptions 45
ALTERNATE FORM
Alteration. You can transform into a form other
than flesh and blood. Choose from the following
list or roll:
d6 Roll Alternate Form
1 Energy Form
2 Explosive Form
3 Fluid Form
4 Gaseous Form
5 Shadow Form
6 Solid Form
It takes a page of preparation for you to change into your Alternate Form,
but you can change back to normal instantly. Depending on the form and Game
Master approval, you can use the level of this power to determine damage
when attacking in close combat (punching with fists of steel, igniting things
while made of fire, suffocating with gas or water, burning with acid, etc.).
Each kind of Alternate Form is itself a power group, so you have Electrical
Form, Fire Form, Gaseous Form, Metal Form, Water Form, and so forth, as
the individual powers.
ENERGY FORM
You become a coherent field of energy (see Energy Control for some
possibilities). You gain Flight at your power level and Immunity to Physical
Attacks but you have no Strength and automatically fail Strength tests to
touch or affect physical objects. Attacks affecting your type of energy still
affect you. You can acquire Energy Control of the same type as your form
as an extra.
EXPLOSIVE FORM
You can make your body explode! Make a power level test against the
Coordination of everyone within close distance, reading the results as a
46 GREAT POWER
blasting or shooting test (choose one when you take this power). You then
reform at the start of the next page. Until then you are Immune to Damage
but unable to affect the physical world. You can delay reforming for up to
your power level in pages and reform anywhere within extended range of
where you exploded. As an extra, you can teleport after exploding, reforming
some distance further away (see Teleportation, p. 120).
FLUID FORM
You transform into a fluid form, able to flow like water through cracks and
other small spaces. You might be a liquid like water or a mass of fine particles
like dust or sand, or tiny insects or robots. You gain Damage Resistance and
Stretching equal to your power level.
GASEOUS FORM
You transform into a cloud of gas or fine airborne particles, possibly even
a swarm of flying insects or nanites. You gain Flight 1 and can flow through
any opening that’s not airtight. You gain Immunity to Physical Attacks except
for those that would disrupt or affect a cloud.
SHADOW FORM
You transform into a flat black silhouette of your normal appearance. You
have no Strength and automatically fail Strength tests to touch or affect
physical objects. You gain Immunity to Physical Attacks, except for light-
based attacks, which have a Stunning effect on you in addition to their normal
effect. You have Wall-Crawling, the 2D capability of Dimension Control and
the Invisibility power, limited to while you are surrounded by shadows or dim
lighting, all at your Shadow Form level (see the individual power descriptions).
SOLID FORM
You transform into a dense solid material like metal or stone. You gain
Strength equal to the greater of your power level or your normal Strength +1
while in solid form along with Damage Resistance equal to your power level.
EXTRAS
Broad: You can transform into any form within your Alternate Form group,
rather than a specific form—any Energy Form or Gaseous Form rather than
just one, for example.
Instant: You can assume your alternate form without any preparation.
Power Descriptions 47
ANATOMIC SEPARATION
You can split off parts of your body harmlessly and control them while
separated. See the Anatomic Separation limit of the Duplication power (p. 63).
ANDROID BODY
The Artificial origin means you are a construct rather than regular living
being. You can discard a rolled power and replace it with Life Support (p. 86).
ANIMAL
COMPANION
See the Servant power (p. 107). An animal
companion may also be handled as a quality:
tagged to provide the character with bonuses
under the right circumstances, compelled when
the companion is threatened or otherwise causes
problems for the character, but having no other
game traits of its own.
ANIMAL
CONTROL
See the Animal Control limit of the Mind Control
power (p. 92). Animal controllers often have the
Burst or Mindlink extras to compensate for the
Animal Control limit, or also have the One Type
limit in addition, limiting them to a specific type
of animal.
ANIMAL FORM
See Animals under the Transformation power (p.
123). Were-creatures typically have the One Type
limit as well, transforming into a single animal-
human hybrid form.
48 GREAT POWER
ANIMAL MIMICRY
Alteration. You can mimic the traits of animals,
gaining the Strength of an elephant, the Super-
Speed of a cheetah, the Coordination of a monkey,
or the Extended Vision and Flight of an eagle, to
name a few.
Each page, you can choose an animal to mimic,
gaining its trait levels up to a maximum of your Animal Mimicry power level.
An animal must be within visual range in order for you to mimic it. The Game
Master determines what animals are nearby (possibly modified by Retconning).
You can only mimic one animal at a time and lose any other animal abilities
when you switch from one animal to another. You either retain your normal
appearance or gain some of the physical appearance of the animal you mimic
(your choice when you acquire this power).
EXTRAS
Extra Animal: You can mimic two animals at once, mixing and matching
their traits, and duplicating the best of each. If you take this extra more than
once, you can mimic an extra animal for each one.
Rangeless: You can mimic any animal you can think of rather than just
those nearby.
LIMITS
Standard: Close Range, Exclusive, Preparation
One Type: You can only mimic one type of animals, such as jungle creatures,
avians, sea creatures, or insects, for example.
ANIMATION
You can bring non-living objects or images to
life. See the Servant power description (p. 107),
possibly with the Source limit, if you are limited to
animating the objects that are available around you.
Power Descriptions 49
AQUATIC
Alteration. You are equally suited to functioning
underwater and on land. You can breathe water and
your Coordination and Awareness while submerged
equal the higher of their normal levels +1 or this
power’s level, whichever is greater. You can swim
at a speed based on your half your power level
(rounded up). See the Benchmarks Table to get an idea of your speed: 3 is
a swift swimmer like a dolphin, 5 is as fast as a submersible, 7 like a torpedo,
while higher levels are faster than any known sea creature or vessel.
EXTRAS
Powers: Leaping (only out of water), Resistance (Gases, Pressure, Water),
Servant (Limited to Aquatic Creatures)
Enhanced: Your Aquatic power also enhances your Prowess and Strength
while you are submerged, raising them to the higher of their normal levels
+1 or your Aquatic power level, whichever is greater.
LIMITS
One Type: You either have aquatic adaptation (the ability to breathe
underwater and use your Aquatic level in place of Coordination and Awareness
while submerged) or swimming speed, but not both.
Water-bound: You cannot breathe air, and experience exhaustion when
you are out of water (see Exhaustion in the Taking Action chapter of Icons).
ARMOR
See the Resistance power, specifically Damage
Resistance (p. 106). For worn armor, including
battlesuits, see Defensive Devices in the Devices
chapter. Your armor can look like whatever you
want, from a rocky, leathery, or scaly hide or a suit
of medieval or high-tech armor or what looks like
ordinary skin or clothing.
50 GREAT POWER
ARTIFICIAL BODY
The Artificial origin means you are a construct
rather than regular living being. You have Life
Support in addition to your other powers, and
can discard a rolled power to increase your Life
Support level to 10.
ASTRAL
PROJECTION
Mental. You can project your astral form (the
vessel of the mind and spirit) out from your
physical body, allowing it to travel elsewhere. Your
body remains in a coma-like state, although you
are aware of any harm befalling it. Should your
body perish while your astral form is away, you
remain trapped in astral form. You are not, however, automatically aware if
someone or something moves your physical body while your astral form is
away, which may force you to search for it.
Your astral form has Flight and Phasing at your power level. It can observe,
but not affect, the physical world and cannot be detected by physical means,
although Astral Detection and Telepathy reveal it. You can use mental powers
against non-astral beings, but with a +2 difficulty modifier. Your powers work
normally against other astral beings.
EXTRAS
Powers: Astral Detection, Dimensional Travel (while in astral form), Dream
Control
Mental Mastery: You can use mental powers on non-astral beings while
in your astral form without a difficulty modifier.
Power Descriptions 51
AURA
Offensive. You can surround yourself with a
damaging effect like fire, raw energy, sharp spines,
or acid, chosen when you gain this power. Anything
touching you suffers damage equal to your power
level; this includes anyone attacking you unarmed
(or their weapon if they attack with one). If you
deliberately touch an opponent (including grabbing them), they suffer your
Aura’s damage. If you strike an opponent, they suffer your aura’s damage
as a Secondary Effect of your Strength damage.
EXTRAS
Powers: Blast, Energy Control (of the Aura’s type), Life Support, Resistance
(to Aura’s effect)
Standard: Contagious
Partial: You can control which parts of your body your Aura covers,
allowing you to, for example, uncover your hands to handle objects safely
while keeping your Aura active.
Variable: Your Aura can shift between different forms of energy. See the
Energy Control power for examples.
LIMITS
Standard: Constant
BINDING
Offensive. You can project an attack out to extended
range that binds or traps the target with glue,
ice, mud, webbing, or the like, with Material equal
to your power level. Make a Coordination vs.
Coordination test to hit: A failure has no effect.
A marginal success is like a moderate success
(following) but the binding’s Material level is halved. A moderate success
applies a –2 penalty to the target’s actions and sticks them to the spot, while
a major or better success renders the target incapable of physical action
until they escape.
EXTRAS
Standard: Burst, Contagious, Secondary Effect
52 GREAT POWER
BLAST
Offensive. You can project a damaging blast at
extended range. Choose the effect of your Blast—
from pure force to an element or energy—and
whether it is a blasting or shooting attack when
you get this power. Your Blast inflicts damage
equal to its level.
EXTRAS
Standard: Affects X, Burst, Contagious, Secondary Effect
Disintegration: If your Blast destroys a target, it is completely vaporized
(transformed into energy, etc.), leaving no trace behind.
Extra Type: Your Blast can be either a blasting or shooting attack, chosen
when you make the attack.
LIMITS
Standard: Blocked
BODY OF...
For powers where you turn into another material
or energy, see the Alternate Form power (p. 46).
For some characters, an alternate body type is a
permanent condition, applying the Constant limit
to the power, or a suitable quality that causes
trouble related to their unusual body type.
BOUNCING
You can ricochet off the ground or other surfaces. See the Bouncing extra
of the Stretching power (p. 114), possibly with the Inflating limit, if you are only
capable of bouncing. Some characters have bouncing as an extra on a kinetic
Force Field (p. 76): their field protects them from damage by redirecting the
impact, causing them to bounce or ricochet away from it.
Power Descriptions 53
BURROWING
Movement. You have the ability to tunnel beneath
the ground at your normal speed, moving through
any Material equal to or less than your Burrowing
level. Tougher Materials roughly halve your speed
per level of difference: halved for one level, one-
quarter for two levels, and so forth. You can leave
a tunnel behind you as you burrow, allowing others to follow, or to have it fill
in behind you, preventing others from following, as you choose.
LIMITS
One Type: You can only burrow through a particular type of material,
like sand or ice.
CHI POWER
You can focus your chi or life force (also known
as ki or prana) to improve one or more of your
abilities. See the Ability Boost power (p. 38),
possibly with the Preparation and Tiring limits. Chi
power may also include extras like Blast, Healing,
Resistance, and Strike.
CLAWS
See the Extra Body Parts power (p. 72) and the
Strike power (p. 115). Claws typically inflict slashing
damage and include things like sharp teeth, talons,
fangs, spines, bone spurs, and so forth. For sharp
natural weapons that can inflict damage on anyone
attacking you, see the Aura power (p. 52).
54 GREAT POWER
COLD CONTROL
Control. You can reduce temperatures to create
cold. Choose one of the following extras you can
perform, adding others as regular extras.
Powers: Absorption (cold, heat), Affliction
(freezing), Aura (cold), Binding (ice), Blast (ice),
Damage Resistance (ice armor), Fire Control (“cold
fire”), Resistance (Cold, Heat)
Ice Constructs: You can create columns, walls, and other large geometric
constructs of ice with power level Material.
Ice Patch: You create slick patches of ice. Moving across the ice requires
a Coordination vs. Cold Control test to avoid falling and losing an action.
Ice Ramps: You can skate on ramps of ice that give you Flight 1 while
within extended range of the ground.
Ice Shield: You can create a shield or barrier with Material equal to your
power level and use it to block attacks.
LIMITS
Standard: Source
COMPUTER
CONTROL
For the ability to control computers and machines,
see the Interface power (p. 84) and the Machine
Control power (p. 88).
CONSTRUCTS
You can form solid objects—constructs—out of
a type of energy (or matter). See the Force
Constructs extra of Force Control (p. 75), along
with similar Energy Control and Element Control
extras (with “Construct” in the name), depending
on the type of energy or matter used.
Power Descriptions 55
CONTINUUM
CONTROL
Control. You control one of the fundamental
forces of reality. See the descriptions of the Friction
Control, Gravity Control, Probability Control,
Spatial Control, and Time Control powers. Choose
one or roll on the following table:
d6 Roll Power
1 Friction Control
2 Gravity Control
3 Probability Control
4 Spatial Control
5 Time Control
6 Choose or re-roll, ignoring this result
CORROSION
Offensive. You have a corrosive, acidic, burning,
or rotting attack that causes damage equal to your
power level by touch with a successful attack. The
target takes half your Corrosion level in damage
on each of the following two pages at the start of
your panel unless some action is taken to neutralize
the attack’s effects.
Corrosion damages objects by eating away at their Material. Subtract the
power’s level from the object’s Material. Objects reduced to Material 0 are
destroyed. So if level 7 acid strikes steel (Material 8), it reduces the steel’s
Material to 1 (about that of paper) and a second such attack will destroy the
metal completely.
EXTRAS
Standard: Burst, Contagious, Ranged
Powers: Resistance (Corrosion)
Consumption: Your Corrosion resides in your mouth and digestive tract,
allowing you to consume virtually anything, limited only by the size of your
mouth. So you can use Corrosion to bite off the ends of guns, chew through
56 GREAT POWER
rope or cable, and so forth. As a side benefit, you’re Immune to anything you
swallow—mainly toxins, but also things like grenades!
Extended: Your half Corrosion damage lasts for an additional two pages,
unless neutralized.
LIMITS
Blocked (Material-Sensitive): Damage is delivered only to a particular
type of material, such as wood or flesh.
Situational (Emotion-Sensitive): Damage is delivered only to creatures
harboring a particular emotion, such as fear or greed.
COSMIC AWARENESS
See Cosmic Detection under the Detection power (p. 60).
COSMIC POWER
Control. You wield a cosmic or primal power,
tapping into the fundamental fabric of the universe
itself.
Choose one power effect you can duplicate.
Additional powers are available as extras. Essentially,
virtually any power is a potential Cosmic Power
stunt, with the Game Master’s permission. At its most basic, Cosmic Power
is often like an Energy Control power; see the various Energy Control power
descriptions for examples.
EXTRAS
Powers: Any
LIMITS
Standard: Blocked, Exclusive, Preparation
Ability-Linked: Your Cosmic Power level is linked to one of your ability
levels and cannot exceed that level. Reduce any rolled level for the power
to your ability level. Level modifications due to limits (including this one)
cannot raise the power above the linked ability level.
CYBERKINESIS
See the Interface power (p. 84) and the Machine Control power (p. 88).
Power Descriptions 57
DAMAGE RESISTANCE
For this and other types of Resistance, see the Resistance power (p. 106).
DANGER SENSE
Sensory. You have a special sense for danger,
moments before it strikes. You can use your Danger
Sense level as the ability for reactions to defend
against attacks or other sudden dangers and for
Awareness tests to notice those dangers. If your
Danger Sense level is lower than the associated
ability, level, you get a +1 bonus to tests using the ability instead.
DARKNESS
CONTROL
Control. You can generate darkness, blacking
out the area within extended range. The effects
last with concentration, with lighting returning to
normal the page after your concentration lapses.
The affected area has a “Dark” quality you can
activate for free to impose a Disbility on those in it,
rendering them unable to see, and Increased Difficulty for sight-based actions.
EXTRAS
Powers: Absorption (Light), Blast, Dazzle, Emotion Control (Fear Only),
Energy Drain (Life Drain), Flight, Force Field, Resistance (Darkness, Light),
Servant (animated shadows), Super-Senses (Infravision), Teleportation
(Transmit, darkness and shadows)
Shadow Constructs: You can project a black force, essentially “solid
darkness,” forming different constructs with Material equal to your power level.
Shadow Shaping: You can change the shape and size of shadows and
generate three-dimensional objects and creatures. These shadow images
are immaterial (0 Strength and Immune to all forms of attack except Light
Control and other light-generating effects).
58 GREAT POWER
DAZZLE
Offensive. You can project a attack that temporarily
overwhelms one of the target’s senses; it could be
dazzling light, a deafening sound, a chemical spray,
a gob of mud, or anything similar. Chooses a sense
your Dazzle affects when you acquire this power.
In addition to the normal senses, you could dazzle
a sensory power like Danger Sense or Detection.
Make a Coordination vs. Coordination test to hit. With a moderate success,
you affect the target for one page, with a major success, the target is affected
for one page per Dazzle level, and with a massive success, the target is
dazzled for the entire chapter. Dazzled characters suffer a +2 difficulty on
tests relying on the dazzled sense and automatically fail Awareness checks
using it. Using an advantage to Recover ends the Dazzle immediately.
EXTRAS
Standard: Burst, Contagious
Powers: Resistance (Dazzling)
Extra Sense: Your power affects two senses at once rather than one,
simultaneously blinding and deafening, for example.
DEATH TOUCH
See the Energy Drain power—specifically the Life Drain extra (p. 70).
DENSITY
Alteration. You can increase your density, becoming
heavier, stronger, and tougher, but also slower.
When your power is active, your Strength
equals your Density level or your normal Strength
+1, whichever is greater, and you gain Damage
Resistance equal to your Density level.
EXTRAS
Phasing: You can also lower your density, giving you Phasing at your
Density power level.
Power Descriptions 59
LIMITS
Slow: Your mass while dense slows you down. Your Coordination equals
the lower of your normal level or 10 minus your Density level and, at Density
10, you are unable to move at all without making a difficulty 10 Willpower
test, which allows you to move a few steps.
DETECTION
Sensory. You have the ability to detect a specific
form of energy, power, or presence with Awareness
equal to your Detection level. Select one type of
Detection from the following list or roll 2d6:
8–9 Power You can detect the use of certain powers – when
a power is used or someone possesses a power,
such as mutant or mental powers.
10–11 Radiation You can detect radioactive energy and sources of
radiation, including uses of Radiation Control.
60 GREAT POWER
Players wanting a form of detection not listed here are encouraged to discuss
the idea with their Game Masters.
In some cases, the GM may use an opposing ability, like Coordination or
Willpower, as the difficulty for a power test to detect a subject deliberately
hiding from you.
DIMENSION
CONTROL
Alteration. You can change the number of physical
dimensions your body occupies, altering your
abilities accordingly. You can shift from 3D to
two other dimensional states and back. Shifting
to other dimensions is an extra for each two
additional dimensions. Your abilities are based
on the number of dimensions you occupy:
0D: You exist as nothing more than a mathematical point in space. You
can’t move or take any actions, but the good news is you’re Invisible and
Immune to everything except powers that act directly on your mind or spirit.
1D: You’re a nearly invisible line (Invisibility equal to your level). You have
no Strength, but you can fit through any opening, no matter how small.
2D: You’re a flat image of yourself. You can slip through any crack or
opening that accommodates your width, and you have Invisibility when
viewed from the side. As an extra you can develop a slashing Strike equal to
your level, letting you slice through things.
3D: You have your normal physical abilities.
4D: Your Strength increases to your power level and you can “sidestep”
physical objects as if you had Phasing. You gain the Super-Sense of Penetration
Vision by being able to see “around” physical barriers (viewing them from
higher dimensional space).
5D: You gain Time Control at your power level.
6D: You gain Dimensional Travel at your power level by “rotating” into
different dimensions.
LIMITS
One Direction: You can only add or subtract dimensions, not both.
Power Descriptions 61
DIMENSIONAL
TRAVEL
Movement. You can move at will between dimensions.
You may freely travel to any dimension you have
previously visited but visiting a new dimension
requires a difficulty 3 Dimensional Travel test. A
failure means you don’t go anywhere, and trying to
reach that dimension requires determined effort,
or you have some trouble reaching the destination
dimension (usually losing one page of action upon arrival, but the GM gets to
choose). A success means you reach the dimension with no trouble. Dimension
Travel 8 or greater does not require a test (you automatically succeed). You
generally return to a dimension at the place where you left it, unless you
have the Teleportation extra or the GM says otherwise as a story element.
EXTRAS
Powers: Teleportation
Dimensional Pocket: You can access a “pocket” dimension where you
can stash items and retrieve them later. You can store a total mass in your
Dimensional Pocket based your power level on the Weight column of the
Benchmark Table.
Reliable: You never have to make Dimension Travel tests to reach new
dimensions.
LIMITS:
One Dimension: You can only travel between your home dimension and
one other, chosen when you acquire the power.
DISEASE
For the power to inflict illnesses—or various disease-like effects—on targets,
see the Affliction power (p. 42).
DISINTEGRATION
For powers that disintegrate or destroy matter, see the Disintegration extra
of the Blast power (p. 53) as well as the Corrosion power (p. 56).
62 GREAT POWER
DREAM CONTROL
Mental. You have the ability to manipulate dreams. You can control your
own dreams, choosing what you dream. More importantly, you can implant
images into the mind of a sleeping individual, similar to using the Illusion
power (p. 82).
EXTRAS
Powers: Astral Projection, Illusion, Telepathy
Dream Travel: You can enter the short-lived pocket dimension created
by a person’s dreams or nightmares. These dream-worlds are outside the
boundaries of normal reality and exist solely as a reflection of the dreamer’s
imagination. You can interact with things in it much as you would in the real
world. Use Willpower in place of Strength when operating in the dream world.
Sleep: You can put someone into a deep sleep with a successful Dream
Control vs. Willpower test.
LIMITS
Sleeping: You can only use this power when you are asleep. If you are
awakened, your dream body returns to your physical body immediately.
DUPLICATION
Alteration. You can produce duplicates of yourself,
up to your power level in number, so one duplicate
with Duplication 1, two with Duplication 2, and
so forth. (The power to create virtually unlimited
duplicates is off the scale and best reserved for
villains and Game Master characters.) It takes a
page of preparation to create a duplicate.
Duplicates have the same abilities as you, except they lack this power
(duplicates cannot themselves create duplicates). Duplicates performing the
same action together use the rules for combined effort. Duplicates do not
have Determination Points, but you can share yours with your duplicates.
A dead or unconscious duplicate disappears. If you are knocked out or
killed, all your duplicates disappear.
Power Descriptions 63
EXTRAS
Instant: Your Duplication does not require preparation; you can do it
instantly, although you still do so on your panel and can still only create one
duplicate per page unless you have the Multiple extra as well.
Mental Link: You and your duplicates share a mental link, allowing you to
communicate silently and instantly with each other.
Multiple: You can produce your maximum number of duplicates all at
once, rather than one at a time.
Reabsorption Healing: When you merge with a duplicate, you gain the
benefit of Healing equal to half the duplicate’s current Stamina (round down).
Reaction: You can duplicate in response to a circumstance, such as being
struck or exposed to a loud noise. This happens instantly as a reaction.
Real Duplicates: All of your duplicates are the “real” you: dead or unconscious
duplicates still disappear, but there is no “weak link” that causes them all to
vanish. As long as one duplicate survives, you survive.
LIMITS
Anatomic Separation: Rather than duplicating, you harmlessly split
your body into smaller segments, detaching a hand or a limb, for example.
Separated body parts act independently. You can produce a number of splits
equal to your power level.
Feedback: You suffer the same stun results (but not other effects) as
your duplicates.
Future Duplicates: All your duplicates are the “real” you from different
points in your future. This means if any duplicate is killed, you will also die
sometime soon!
Illusory Duplicates: Your duplicates aren’t real, just intangible illusions.
They’re good for distraction and appearance, but nothing else. On the upside,
you have the benefits of the Instant and Multiple extras along with this limit
at no cost.
Living Duplicates: Your killed duplicates never reappear. When a duplicate
is lost, reduce your power level by 1 permanently.
64 GREAT POWER
EARTH CONTROL
Control. You can manipulate earth and rock. This
ability is limited to naturally-occurring materials
like stone and dirt, and consistent semi-natural
material such as asphalt and glass. Things like
refined metals, artificially constructed mechanisms
(including computers, guns, and vehicles), and
living or once-living things (such as rubber, wood, and flesh) are beyond
the scope of this power.
EXTRAS
Powers: Binding, Burrowing, Force Field (earth and rock armor), Gravity
Control, Resistance (Earth, Earthquakes), Servant (earth elemental)
Earthwave: You gain Flight 1 by raising pillars or waves of earth with power
level Material under your feet and riding them.
Earthquake: Every individual and major structure touching the ground
within extended range suffers damage equal to your power level.
Lava Control: You can turn any stone within extended range to molten
rock. The lava cools in one page, unless you concentrate on keeping it molten.
You can shoot Blasts of lava that do damage equal to your power level. If
you attack a sentient stone creature with this power, treat it as a ranged
Affliction (p. 42).
Metal Control: You can exert control over refined metals as well as natural
earth.
Tremors: You can send tremors through the ground for an Earth Control
vs. Coordination or Strength test to slam targets.
LIMITS
Grounded: Your Earth Control level is halved if you aren’t touching the
ground. If you’re further than extended range from the ground, your level
is reduced to 0.
ELASTICITY
You have a stretchy, elastic form. See the Stretching power (p. 114).
Power Descriptions 65
ELECTRICAL
CONTROL
Control. You can generate and control electricity,
shooting bolts of lighting out to extended range
for damage equal to your power level.
You can also recharge electrical devices and
conduct voltage through water and metals like
copper, iron, and steel. While you touch a conductive
surface, everyone else touching it is vulnerable to the attack.
EXTRAS
Powers: Ability Boost (Strength only), Absorption (Electricity), Aura
(Electricity), Flight, Machine Control, Resistance (Electricity), Super-Speed,
Teleportation (Transmit, power lines)
Brownout: You can shut down all electricity in extended range for a level
duration. This stops robots, powered armor, and computers from functioning
unless they have backup power.
LIMITS
Standard: Close Range, No Stunts, Source
Non-Conductive: You cannot act as a conductor for electricity from a
power source. You can only generate power internally.
ELEMENT CONTROL
Control. You control one of the essential elements of the natural world.
See the descriptions of the Air Control, Earth Control, Fire Control, Plant
Control, Water Control, and Weather Control powers. Choose one or roll
on the following table:
d6 Roll Power
1 Air Control
2 Earth Control
3 Fire Control
4 Plant Control
5 Water Control
6 Weather Control
66 GREAT POWER
EMOTION CONTROL
Mental. You can exert control over how a target feels, placing a temporary
emotional quality of your choice on the target, such as “Terrified” or “Enamoured,”
that you may activate for free so long as it lasts. Choose a target in visual
range and make an Emotion Control vs. Awareness test. Failure means no
effect, and you must make a determined effort to attempt to control the same
target again in that chapter. Marginal success has no effect, but you can try
again without determined effort. Moderate success places the emotional
quality on the target. Concentrate and make a new test at the start of each
of your pages to maintain it. Major success requires a new test after a level
duration. Massive success can be maintained for the entire chapter.
You can instill a single emotional quality in the target at a time. One of
the target’s other qualities may be activated to recover, at which point you
must roll a new test to maintain the effect.
Power Descriptions 67
EXTRAS
Powers: Ability Boost (Affects Others)
LIMITS
One Emotion: You can only instill one emotion, chosen when you acquire
this power. Pick one or roll on the table.
Pheromones: Your power works through scents secreted by your body.
Anything that blocks scent (like an environment suit or filter mask) prevents
the power from working.
Random: You don’t control the emotions you inflict; roll randomly on the
emotion table when you use your power to learn what emotion you impose.
EMPATHY
See the Emotion Detection power under Detection (p. 60).
EMPOWERMENT
Control. You can give other people powers by touching them and taking
your action to empower them. You can grant any powers with total levels
less than your Empowerment level. The granted powers last as long as you
concentrate, and for pages equal to your Empowerment level afterward. You
can revoke the granted powers at any time during your panel.
Some Game Master characters have Empowerment that is off the scale,
capable of granting various powers with virtually unlimited levels for as long
as they wish.
EXTRAS
Standard: Burst, Ranged
Extended: The empowerment lasts for as long as you wish, or until you
revoke it.
LIMITS
One Type: You can only grant one type of powers, like only Energy Control
powers or only Mental Powers.
Transferral: The only powers you can grant are other powers you have,
and you lose levels equal to the amount you grant someone else.
Unstable: Any powers you grant automatically have the Unstable limit
and may go out of control (see Limits, p. 24).
68 GREAT POWER
ENERGY CONTROL
Control. You exert control over one of the spectrum of energies and forces
(or the lack thereof): Cold Control, Darkness Control, Electrical Control,
Force Control, Light Control, Magnetic Control, Radiation Control, Sonic
Control, and Vibration Control. See the individual power descriptions for
details. Choose one or roll on the following table:
ENERGY CONVERSION
You transform one type of energy into another. This is a type of Energy
Control with the Source limit for working with ambient energy, such as
Light Control (Source, sound) for converting available sound into light; your
Energy Control power level is limited by the level of available Source energy.
If you are also resistant to the type of energy you convert or generate, take
(Energy Type) Resistance or Energy Absorption as an extra of your Energy
Control power.
Power Descriptions 69
ENERGY DRAIN
Offensive. You can sap a target’s vital energy by touch. Make a Prowess test
to touch the target. If successful, test Energy Drain vs. Strength or Willpower
(choose one when you acquire this power). The target loses Stamina equal
to the outcome, while you gain Stamina equal to the outcome (if you have
lost any) with a maximum outcome equal to your power level.
EXTRAS
Standard: Contagious, Ranged, Slow Recovery
Ability Drain: Your power drains an ability instead of Stamina. After a level
duration, the drained ability regains 1 point per page until fully recovered.
Each ability is a separate extra. If you can drain an ability and Stamina at the
same time, that is an additional extra.
Infection: A victim drained to death via Life Drain (following) comes
back from the dead as a energy drainer like you, under your mental control.
Influence: Until your victims fully recover, you can speak telepathically to
them and attempt to control them with Mind Control at your Energy Drain level.
Life Drain: Targets drained to 0 Stamina must make a Strength test
against your power level, with failure meaning they begin losing Strength
levels and dying.
Storage: You can gain Stamina from Energy Drain over your usual maximum
Stamina equal to your Energy Drain level. This extra Stamina fades at a rate
of 1 point per minute.
ENVIRONMENTAL
AWARENESS
Sensory. You are “in tune” with the environment, allowing you to sense
things like weather, movement, the presence (or absence) of life, chemical
contamination, and so forth, out to visual range. With a successful difficulty
5 Environmental Awareness test you can ask the Game Master a single yes-
or-no question about the environment each game session, in addition to
using advantage for insight into the environment.
EXTRAS
Powers: Mind Control (Animal Control only), Plant Control, Postcognition
(environment only), Precognition (environment only), Weather Control
70 GREAT POWER
LIMITS
Location Specific: Your environmental awareness only works in a particular
place or kind of terrain (a particular nation, only forests, only cities, etc.).
Symbiosis: Your health and well-being are linked to the environment
around you. Damage to the environment causes you pain, as if you were
subjected to a stun result of equal level.
EVOLUTION
Alteration. You have the ability to shift along the
envolutionary scale “backwards” or “forwards” at
will, transforming yourself into either a primitive
caveman or a scrawny humanoid with an enlarged
head. (Yes, this is comic-book “evolution,” not hard
science.) The exact appearance of both evolutionary
selves is left up to the player and the Game Master.
PRIMITIVE
If you shift “backwards,” you become a primitive hominid or ape-man with
Intellect 1 and Strength equal to your Evolution level (or normal Strength +1).
In addition, the primitive gains one of the following features: two appropriate
specialties such as Athletics, Martial Arts (brawling), Mental Resistance,
Stealth, or Wrestling; a Strike attack at a bonus equal to the Evolution level;
or Prehensile Feet, usable as hands, like the Extra Arms power (see Extra
Body Parts, p. 72). You can choose additional features as extras.
FUTURISTIC
If you shift “forwards,” you become a futuristic being with an enlarged head,
Strength 1, and Intellect equal to your Evolution level (or your normal Intellect
+1). In addition, the future-being gains either two appropriate specialties
based around advanced knowledge or one Mental or Sensory Power equal
to the Evolution level (chosen when the Evolution power is taken). You can
gain additional Mental or Sensory powers as extras.
EXTRAS
Standard: Affects Others
Evolutionary Modification: You can transform into different evolutionary
forms, varying the abilities of each. You can select the optional abilities of
the form each time you transform.
Power Descriptions 71
Evolutionary Summoning: Instead of transforming into an evolutionary
form, you summon some or all of them to your side as separate beings as if
you had Duplication at your power level.
Primordial: You gain a third evolutionary form: a primordial protoplasmic
blob like a human-sized amoeba. This protoplasmic form has Intellect and
Willpower 1 but Corrosion, Damage Resistance, and Stretching equal to your
Evolution level.
LIMITS
One Direction: You can evolve backward or forward, but not both.
EXTRA
BODY PARTS
Alteration. You have additional body parts, either
a completely new part (such as a tail) or more of
an existing part (like four arms instead of two).
Choose one of the following options or roll 2d6:
EXTRAS
Detachable: Your extra limbs can detach and function at extended range
under your control.
72 GREAT POWER
Elongation: Your extra limbs (and only those limbs) have Stretching at
your power level.
EXTRASENSORY PERCEPTION
Sensory. You have Extrasensory Perception (ESP) allowing you to perceive
things in distant locations as if you were actually present. See the Benchmarks
Table for an idea of the distance you can perceive. Use the lower of your
power level or Awareness for tests to notice and search for things while using
ESP. If a location is shielded against your ESP, make a power test against the
level of the shielding. The GM may also require ESP tests for areas completely
unknown to you, determining what you sense based on the result.
EXTRAS
Dimensional: You can extend your ESP into other dimensions, like a use
of the Dimension Travel power (p. 62).
LIMITS
One Sense: Your ESP is limited to only seeing or only hearing (clairvoyance
or clairaudience).
Proxy: You can only perceive through the senses of other people (or
animals).
FAST ATTACK
Offensive. You can attack more than once per
panel, dividing your Fast Attack level into additional
attack tests, up to your normal level with that
attack. If you use your extra attacks against the
same opponent on the same page, treat them as
a combined effort.
Example: A hero has Prowess 4 and Fast Attack 8, so he can make three
level 4 attacks: one with normal Prowess and two more with Fast Attack,
dividing level 8 into two level 4 attacks (at the hero’s normal Prowess).
If the hero had Fast Attack 6, he would make two extra attacks: one at
level 4 and one at level 2. With Fast Attack 10, he could make three extra
attacks: two at level 4 and one at level 2.
Power Descriptions 73
FASTER-THAN-LIGHT (FTL) TRAVEL
See the Space Flight extra of the Flight power,
(p. 75). The Game Master may determine interstellar
travel times based on Flight level, depending on
the setting and the story.
FIRE CONTROL
Control. You can manipulate fire sources, raising
them to your power’s level or subtracting your
level from them (down to level 0, which puts them
out). You can control a fire by concentrating, but
once your concentration lapses, the fire rages
on its own.
EXTRAS
Powers: Absorption (fire), Affliction (heat, Burst), Aura (fire), Blast (fire,
Burst), Dazzle (Burst, Ranged), Flight, Servant (fire elemental), Strike (flame
weapons)
Fire Shapes: You can shape fire into objects, from skywriting to flaming
cages, domes, spheres, and so forth, which last as long as you concentrate.
The objects aren’t solid, but they inflict damage equal to your power level
on anything touching them. Entrapping a target inside a fire shape (like a
cage) is a Fire Control vs. Coordination test.
Hellfire: You control a mystical “hellfire” rather than normal flames. Your
fire can “burn” a target’s spirit, inflicting damage like the Mental Blast power
(p. 91) and you may be able to develop other mystical extras, like hellfire
weapons or summoning demons with the Servant power, for example.
Loyal Fire: You have Resistance 10 to any fire under your control, but
not other flames.
Smokescreen: You can blanket an area with smoke. Visibility is reduced
to close distance, with a +2 difficulty for sight-based actions beyond that.
Anyone in the smoke cloud is subject to exhaustion (see Exhaustion in the
Taking Action chapter of Icons).
LIMITS
Standard: Max Only, No Stunts, Source
74 GREAT POWER
FLIGHT
Movement. You can fly through the air, possibly
at great speeds. See the Benchmarks Table for
speeds at different levels. Flight 5 is the speed of
a fast helicopter. Flight 7 is roughly the speed of
sound. Flight 10 is sufficient to go anywhere in
the world in a single panel.
EXTRAS
Space Flight: In space, you can fly faster than the speed of light to cross
the distances between planets and stars.
FORCE CONTROL
Control. You can generate and control a force that provides Damage
Resistance equal to its power level as long as your concentrate.
EXTRAS
Powers: Affliction (suffocation, Ranged), Blast (force), Strike (force)
Energy Containment: If you successfully defend against an energy attack,
you can capture and hold the energy in a force bubble and release it on the
next page (or later, if you continue concentrating) in the direction it was
going before.
Expanded Field: You can project your force field out to extended range.
Anyone within the field gains the benefit of its protection, but neither you
nor those protected can dodge attacks from outside of it.
Extended Field: You can project your force field out around anyone or
anything within extended range, like an Expanded Field, even if you aren’t
inside the field.
Filter: You can “tune” your force field to allow certain things to pass
through it while stopping others.
Force Bubble: With a page of preparation, you can create a bubble of
force inside a small opening and expand it to inflict damage equal to your
power level that ignores armor.
Force Constructs: You can create constructs of force: geometric shapes
(spheres, cubes, etc.), hammers, hands, spiked balls, and so forth. Objects have
a Material level (and other abilities, where appropriate) equal to your level.
Power Descriptions 75
Force Cushion: You can form force cushions resilient enough to absorb
damage equal to your power level from a fall or crash for all involved.
Force Flight: You gain Flight 1 by forming a bridge or column of force.
Unseen: The force you control is invisible, although the effects of its use
can be seen.
FORCE FIELD
Defensive. You have the ability to generate a
personal energy barrier, providing you Damage
Resistance equal to its power level as long as you
concentrate.
Additionally, whenever an attacker must touch
you for a power to take effect, you can resist the
effect with your Force Field level, if it is higher than the normal opposing
ability for the effect. So, for example, a hero with Strength 3 and Force Field
6 resists a touch range Affliction at level 6 (the Force Field) rather than level
3 (Strength).
FRICTION CONTROL
Control. You can control the friction between objects, making them sticky
or slippery with relation to each other. You can change the friction of any area
within extended range, increasing or decreasing the difficulty of climbing by
the power level. You can also create a slippery area that forces everyone in
it to make a Coordination vs. Friction Control test to avoid falling down like
a moderate slam outcome.
EXTRAS
Powers: Binding (only to stick people to surfaces), Dazzle (Ranged, by
sticking a person’s eyelids together), Fire Control (Heat Control only, by
controlling friction heat), Resistance (Binding, Friction), Wall-Crawling
Seizing: You can disable any machine with moving parts within extended
range with a Friction Control test, seizing up its moving parts. The difficulty
is 3 or higher, chosen by the GM based on visualizing the interior of the
machine. This works like a Ranged Affliction against intelligent machines.
76 GREAT POWER
GADGETS
Control. You can produce a wide range of devices, giving you various
powers at your Gadgets level.
Take a page or preparation and choose a power
effect you wish to duplicate. Make an Intellect
test—including any appropriate specialty—against
the desired power level as the difficulty. Success
gives you a gadget able to duplicate that power
for the chapter. Failure means you must make a
determined effort to try again. You can also spend
a point of Determination to produce a gadget
automatically, rather tham making a test. See the Devices chapter for some
gadget ideas.
You rely on various equipment—technological or otherwise—to provide
your Gadgets’ powers. If you are deprived of all your equipment, your ability
to use your Gadgets may be limited or removed altogether until you regain
access to it.
EXTRAS
Arsenal: You have a particular gadget that is always available and does
not require a test to configure. Each time you apply this extra, add a new
permanent device to your arsenal.
Instant: You can configure gadgets instantly without a page of preparation.
LIMITS
Ability-Linked: Your Gadgets level is linked to your Intellect level, perhaps
modified by an appropriate specialty, and cannot exceed that level. Reduce
any rolled level for the power to your Intellect or specialty level. Level
modifications due to limits (including this one) cannot raise the power above
the linked ability level.
One Type: You can only create one type of gadget, such as only weapons
or only ninja-related items, for example.
Power Descriptions 77
GATEWAY
You can open a gate or portal through space. See the Portal extra of the
Teleportation power (p. 121).
GESTALT
Alteration. A gestalt is the merging of two or
more beings to form another being. The component
beings generally have different personalities and
traits and combine to make a greater whole. The
powers of the united form may be derived from
the separate bodies, or manifest only in the united
form. All the components must come together to generate the united form,
be in close range, and take a page of preparation to make the change.
Statistics should be created for the individuals (a number up to the power’s
level) and the united form. It is up to the player and Game Master to decide
whether the united form has one persona or many, and whether the united
personality derives from the individuals or not. Generally, each ability and
power is at the highest of any of the individual components or the Gestalt
level, to a maximum of 10.
Example: The five members of the Hand of the Dragon Queen can combine
to form the dreaded Fivefold Dragon: a five-headed monster with each
of their individual Energy Control powers as a breath weapon (one for
each of its five heads) and Strength and Damage Resistance equal to
their Gestalt level of 8.
Damage to the separate forms doesn’t transfer into the united form, but
damage from the united form does transfer to the individuals, divided equally
among them when they separate.
EXTRAS
Disguised Gestalt: You can change your appearance to that of any one
of the individuals that make up your form while maintaining the traits of
your united form.
Instant: The components of the gestalt can combine instantly without
78 GREAT POWER
taking a page of preparation to do so.
Mental Resistance: Due to the multiple minds, your united form gains
Mental Resistance equal to your Gestalt power level (see Resistance, p. 106).
Mind Link: The separate component minds of the gestalt can communicate
telepathically regardless of distance. If your united form has an independent
mind, its components can communicate with it while in gestalt form as well.
Mind Shift: Control of the united form can shift from one individual’s mind
to another. If the controlling mind doesn’t want to relinquish control, another
can try to take over with an opposed Willpower test.
Rangeless: The components of the gestalt can unite regardless of the
distance between them.
GHOST FORM
You are incorporeal, like a ghost. See the Phasing power (p. 95). Undead
ghosts typically have the Floating and Life Support extras of Phasing as well.
GRAVITY
CONTROL
Control. You control the force of gravity within
extended range, increasing or decreasing it by your
power level. Normal Earth gravity (1G) is level 0.
If you reduce the gravity level to –5, all affected
individuals gain Leaping 1. If you reduce it below
–5, everyone in extended range gains Flight 1.
If you increase the force of gravity, either one person or all within
extended range must add the gravity level to the difficulty of any Strength or
Coordination tests; powers that depend on gravity suffer the same increase.
EXTRAS
Powers: Blast, Flight, Force Field, Super-Senses (Spatial Sense, gravimetrics),
Telekinesis
Strength Boost: You can effectively boost your Strength to your Gravity
Control level or Strength +1 (whichever is greater) for purposes of lifting
and throwing things.
Power Descriptions 79
GROWTH
Alteration. You can grow larger at will, increasing
your strength and toughness, but also becoming
easier to notice and hit.
While enlarged, you acquire the “Large” quality,
which can be activated normally for advantage or
trouble. Your Strength becomes the greater of your
Growth level or your normal Strength +1 and you gain Damage Resistance
equal to your current Growth level.
Your height is based on your Growth level, as shown on the table, and
you have a penalty to defense and tests to hide based on your increased
size, since it’s easier for opponents to see and hit you.
80 GREAT POWER
HEALING
Control. You can restore lost Stamina and Strength to others. Touch your
subject and take an action to restore your power level in Stamina. Healing
cannot increase a subject’s Stamina over its normal level. You can restore up
to twice your power level in Stamina to any given subject in an issue. More
than this in the same issue requires determined effort for each additional
power level in Stamina you heal for that subject.
Healing can also restore lost Strength. Make a difficulty 2 Healing test to
restore a lost Strength level. If the test fails, you restore the Strength, but
lose a level of Strength yourself! You must recover this normally through rest.
If your Healing level is 7 or greater, you automatically succeed at this test.
EXTRAS
Powers: Adaptation (Affects Others), Affliction, Energy Drain, Power
Nullification (biological powers), Resistance (Biological Attacks), Transforming
Ray
Cure: Your Healing can eliminate the effects of diseases and toxins. This
requires a power test, with the difficulty based on the level of the disease
or toxin, and at least a moderate success, although major success may be
required in some cases, with moderate success holding the malady at bay
temporarily, rather than curing it. You can substitute your Healing level for
tests against appropriate Afflictions.
Grafting: You can graft new biological parts onto subjects, from replacing
a lost or damaged organ to adding entirely new ones (see Extra Body Parts,
p. 72).
Restorative: You do not need to make a Healing test to avoid Strength
loss when using Healing, regardless of power level.
Resurrection: You can restore life to the dead! Make a Healing test with
a difficulty equal to the number of minutes the subject has been dead. If the
test fails, you cannot restore the subject. If it succeeds, the subject returns
to life with 1 Strength level and must recover normally. Either way, make a
difficulty 2 Healing test to avoid losing a Strength level yourself.
Self: You can use Healing on yourself as well as on others, although you
must be conscious and able to act in order to do so.
LIMITS
Empathic: You take on any damage you heal. You can use Self-Healing
or Regeneration to recover from it.
Power Descriptions 81
HYPERSPACE TRAVEL
See the Space Flight extra of the Flight power (p. 75).
ILLUSION
Mental. You can project false sensory impressions
into other minds, creating very realistic hallucinations.
Your power has no effect on non-intelligent machines
like cameras, microphones, or other sensors.
Targets treat illusions as real unless they have
some reason to disbelieve them, in which case roll
an Awareness vs. Illusion test. If the target wins, they overcome the illusion
and know it to be false. Otherwise, they react normally to the illusion, even
suffering imaginary “damage” from illusory attacks, although “death” only
results in unconsciousness (like a failed test to avoid being stunned).
Although illusions can fool others, they still have no effect on the physical
world. An illusory wall might block people who think it’s real, but an illusory
floor won’t support any weight and things fall right through it, illusory fire
doesn’t actually burn things, and so forth.
EXTRAS
Powers: Dazzle, Duplication (Illusory Duplicates only), Invisibility, Mental
Blast, Mind Control (Hypnosis)
Programmed: You can create an illusion that operates on pre-programmed
parameters without input or effort on your part, such as an illusory wall or
a “message” that plays back when someone enters a locale.
IMAGES
Sensory. Images are like illusions, but sensory projections rather than mental
hallucinations. They affect machines like cameras and ignore mental resistance,
but lack the ability to choose who perceives your illusions, as they don’t exist
solely in the subject’s mind. Otherwise, this power works just like Illusion,
and you can acquire the Illusion power as an extra. You can also acquire any
of the Illusion extras for Images, except Mental Blast.
82 GREAT POWER
IMMORTALITY
Defensive. You do not age and cannot die. You
still suffer damage, even to the point of death, but
can recover from death. Subtract your power level
from 10 for the number of hours it takes for you
to return to life. At Immortality 10, you recover
on the next page! Your body slowly regenerates
lost parts as well so, short of atomizing you or exposing you to a constant
source of damage (in a volcano or the heart of a star, for example), you’ll
always come back eventually. Any time you are reduced to Strength 0 and
“die,” your Determination Points go to 0 (although you can accumulate and
renew your DP normally).
EXTRAS
Powers: Regeneration, Resistance
Suspension: You can go into a state of suspended animation at will, with
your body functions slowed to a virtual stop so you appear dead and are
unaffected by biological concerns while you remain suspended, although
you continue to recover normally.
LIMITS
Blocked: Define an effect or attack that can kill you permanently.
IMMUNITY
A level 10 Resistance is essentially immunity to
that effect, always reducing it to 0, unless the
Game Master chooses to apply an effect that’s
off the scale (higher than level 10) as trouble for
that character. See the Resistance power (p. 106).
INCORPOREAL
For the ability to assume an incorporeal or intangible form, see the Phasing
power (p. 95).
Power Descriptions 83
INTERFACE
Sensory. You can access information from and
interface with computers at visual range. Use
the higher of your Interface or Intellect levels
(including appropriate specialties) when operating
computers. Against intelligent computer systems,
including self-aware robots, this power works like
Telepathy (p. 119).
EXTRAS
Powers: Machine Control
Standard: Broadcast
Cyberspace: You can project your mind into a virtual reality “inside” a
computer or network. In cyberspace you interact with computer programs as
if they were physical beings and objects and can use your Interface power to
influence computers normally, potentially substituting Interface or Intellect
level for other abilities, at the GM’s discretion.
Download: You can leave your body and “possess” a machine, animating
and controlling it. Your body remains unconscious. If something happens to
it, you remain trapped in the machine.
Haywire: You can make large numbers of electronic objects within extended
range do crazy things for pages equal to your level, but can’t control the
objects’ actions when doing so.
Multiple Machines: You can extend this power to a number of machines
equal to your power level at the same time.
LIMITS
Standard: Close Range, Exclusive
One Type: You can only interface with one type of computer or machine,
possibly a type with a specific purpose, such as only military computers.
84 GREAT POWER
INVISIBILITY
Alteration. You can become invisible, along with anything you are wearing
or carrying. Sound, scent, heavy rain, and similar phenomena can still give
away your presence and location. When something might detect you, use
your Invisibility level for the test to avoid notice.
As long as your location remains unknown, opponents cannot target you
with direct attacks (since they do not know where to aim). Indirect attacks
like Bursts affect you normally. Even if your location is given away, attacks
against you have +2 difficulty.
EXTRAS
Invisibility Ray: You can make others invisible as well, like the Invisibility
Ray version of the Alteration Ray power.
LIMITS
Chameleon: Rather than becoming truly invisible, you blend into your
background, becoming difficult but not impossible to see. A successful visual
Awareness test against your Invisibility level reveals your location.
Displacement: Rather than becoming completely invisible, you appear to
be elsewhere, displacing your image up to extended range.
Machines Only: You become invisible only to machines, including cameras
and similar sensors, but creatures can still see you.
Minds Only: You become invisible by “clouding” the minds of others,
but are still visible to machines. It’s up to the GM whether or not intelligent
machines can see you, depending on how your power works.
INVULNERABILITY
See the Resistance power, specifically Damage Resistance (p. 106). Level
10 Damage Resistance is essentially invulnerability to any damage, unless
the GM chooses to apply a damage effect that’s off the scale as trouble.
Power Descriptions 85
LEAPING
Movement. You can jump across great distances
from about a city block at Leaping 1 to miles at
Leaping 10! Leaping 1–2 covers distance level 3 on
the Benchmarks Table and every two additional
Leaping levels increases the distance by one level.
For example, Leaping 5 lets you cover about ten
city blocks (or a tall building) in a single bound!
You suffer no falling damage from a deliberate leap, but are affected
normally by other falls. At the GM’s discretion, a successful Strength
(Athletics) test against the falling distance allows you to avoid damage up
to your Leaping level.
LIFE SUPPORT
Defensive. You can ignore certain physical needs like breathing, eating, or
sleeping. For each level of Life Support, choose one of the following needs
to ignore. At Life Support 10, you have Total Life Support and ignore them all:
86 GREAT POWER
LIGHT CONTROL
Control. You can generate and control light. This
power allows you to illuminate an extended range
area and project a dazzling ray of light out to
extended range (see Dazzle, p. 59).
EXTRAS
Standard: Burst
Powers: Absorption (light), Alternate Form (Energy Form), Blast (laser
or photon beam), Darkness Control, Flight, Force Field, Healing (Cure only),
Illusion (Images, visual only), Invisibility, Resistance (Dazzling, Darkness,
Light), Strike (light weapons)
Light Constructs: You can form constructs of “hard light” with Material
level equal to your power level.
LIMITS
Standard: No Stunts, Source
Color Control: You can only control the color of light, including the
apparent color (and transparency) of objects. This is not quite as useless
an ability as it may seem, since you can still use your power for Dazzling,
and extras like Illusion, Invisibility, Mind Control (Hypnosis) and Resistance
(Light) by altering colors.
LUCK CONTROL
For the power to influence luck, either your own or someone else’s, see
the Probability Control power (p. 103).
Power Descriptions 87
MACHINE CONTROL
Control. You can mentally animate and control machines and mechanical
devices out to extended range. Machines move and act as you command,
with Strength equal to their Material (or functional Strength for machines
like robots and battlesuits) and Coordination equal to your power level or
the machine’s normal Coordination (if it has one). Your power provides any
necessary energy or fuel for the machine to function as it normally does, even
if it lacks a regular source of power, such as not being plugged-in or having
any fuel. Sentient machines can resist your control with Willpower, as can
machines cybernetically linked to a sentient operator (like many battlesuits).
Treat this power like Mind Control in these instances.
EXTRAS
Standard: Broadcast, Prolonged
Powers: Gadgets, Interface
Machine Assembly: You can assemble working machines out of scrap and
spare parts within extended range with a difficulty 3 Machine Control test.
Machine Shaping: You can transform one type of machine into another
with a difficulty 3 Machine Control test, like turning a car into a humanoid
robot. The machine retains its Material level, but you can change its other
abilities as you like, so long as no ability is greater than your level.
LIMITS
Standard: Close Range
Feedback: Your mental link with machines you control is so strong that
you suffer any stun results they do, as if subjected to the stun result yourself.
One Type: You can only control one type of machine, like cars or household
appliances.
Self-Powered: Machines you control have to have their own power
source(s) in order to function. You can’t animate a non-functioning machine.
88 GREAT POWER
MAGIC
Control. You can cast spells, duplicating the
effects of other powers. Magic has the Performance
Limit (see Limits): if you are held, gagged, or
otherwise unable to gesture or speak to perform
magic, you cannot cast spells.
It takes a page of preparation to cast a spell:
choose the power effect you wish to duplicate and make a test with a difficulty
equal to the desired level, up to your Magic power level. Choose the ability
you use to make spellcasting tests when you acquire this power: either
your Magic power level or a specialty (most often Occult). Success on the
spellcasting test grants you the power at that level; failure mean you must
make a determined effort to try again. You can also cast a spell automatically
by spending a Determination Point (no test required).
EXTRAS
Instant: It does not take you a page of preparation to cast spells; you can
do so and use the power the spell grants in the same action.
Mastery: You have mastered a particular spell: choose a power you can
duplicate using Magic without any preparation or test required. You duplicate
the power at your Magic power level.
Psychic: You have mastered the psychic aspects of magic. You may
duplicate Mental and Sensory Powers without the Performance limit. They
still require preparation unless you have the Instant extra, and a spellcasting
test unless you have Mastery of that particular power.
LIMITS
Standard: Blocked, Source
Ability-Linked: Your Magic is linked to a mental ability (Intellect, Awareness,
or Willpower) and its level cannot exceed the ability’s level, modified by
any applicable specialty. Reduce a rolled level higher than the ability to the
ability’s level. Level modifications due to limits (including this one) cannot
raise the power above the linked ability level.
Ritualistic: Your Magic requires lengthy rituals and preparation. It takes
a minimum of a minute per power level to cast a spell, possibly longer. You
cannot have the Instant extra.
Power Descriptions 89
MAGNETIC CONTROL
Control. You can generate and control magnetic fields. You can move and
control ferrous metal objects as if using the Telekinesis power at your power
level (see Telekinesis, p. 119).
EXTRAS
Powers: Binding, Blast (magnetic force) Energy Detection, Flight, Force
Field, Machine Control (Machine Assembly), Power Nullification (electronics
only), Super-Senses (Direction Sense), Telekinesis
MATERIAL MIMICRY
Alteration. By touching a non-living substance or energy you can take on
its properties, as the Alternate Form power (p. 46), with your form determined
by the material or energy you’re touching. It takes a page of preparation to
assume a new form.
If you choose to do nothing in your panel except mimic the properties
of an incoming attack, you become immune to that attack and take on its
form. So, for example, if you choose to mimic and are hit by a blast from a
flamethrower, you assume fire form and the flamethrower attack has no effect.
If you’re hit with multiple attacks in a page, you choose which (if any) you
mimic. Attacks with no material or energy qualities—such as Energy Drain
or Mental Blast—are impossible to mimic.
EXTRAS
Powers: Adaptation, Growth, Power Mimicry, Shrinking, Transformation
(Objects)
Instant: It doesn’t take you a page of preparation to change form; it
happens instantly upon touching a new material. You can still only mimic a
single incoming attack per page, however.
Unlimited: You can mimic an unlimited number of attacks per page,
remaining in the form of the last attack you mimicked until you use your
power again.
LIMITS
One Type: You can only take on the characteristics of material substances
or energy, not both.
90 GREAT POWER
MATTER
CONTROL
Control. You exert control over matter. See the
descriptions of the Telekinesis and Transmutation
powers. Choose one or roll d6:
d6 Roll Power
1–4 Telekinesis
5–6 Transmutation
MENTAL BLAST
Mental. You can strike other minds with blasts of mental “force.” Make a
Willpower vs. Willpower test for the attack and use your power level for the
damage, ignoring Damage Resistance, but not Mental Resistance, When
you acquire this power, choose if your Mental Blast is a blasting or shooting
attack; if it is blasting, it can achieve no more than a moderate success on a
slam (knocking the target down).
EXTRAS
Standard: Broadcast, Burst
Both Types: You can use your Mental Blast as either a blasting or shooting
attack; you choose when you use it.
Sedation: You can use your power to keep unconscious characters from
waking up: When the subject would normally regain consciousness, roll a
test of Willpower vs. your Mental Blast level. If it succeeds, the target regains
consciousness normally but, if it fails, the target remains unconscious for
another 2d6 pages, with a mimimum of a level duration. On a major failure
or more, the subject remains unconscious for the rest of the chapter.
Vertigo: Your mental blast causes no damage but instead inflicts a combined
slam and stun effect: a moderate success leaves the target prone, a major
success stuns the target for one page, and a massive success reduces the
target to 0 Stamina and unconsciousness. If you can only cause this effect,
apply the Extra Only limit as well.
LIMITS
Standard: Extra Only
Power Descriptions 91
MIMICRY
Alteration. You can copy or imitate some of the
traits of other characters, creatures, or objects. See
the Animal Mimicry, Material Mimicry, Nemesis,
Plant Mimicry, or Power Mimicry powers. Choose
one or roll on the following table:
d6 Roll Power
1 Animal Mimicry
2 Material Mimicry
3 Nemesis
4 Plant Mimicry
5–6 Power Mimicry
MIND CONTROL
Mental. You can take over the mind of a target
in visual range, placing a temporary “Controlled”
quality on the target that you can activate for
free, so long as it lasts, primarily for compels. Roll
a Mind Control vs. Willpower test: Failure means
no effect, and you must make a determined effort
to try again in that chapter. Marginal Success has no effect, but you can try
again without determined effort. Moderate Success places the Controlled
quality on the target. Concentrate and make a new Mind Control vs. Willpower
test at the start of each of your panels to maintain it. Major success places
the Controlled quality and requires a new test after a level duration. Massive
success requires only concentration to maintain for the entire chapter.
One of the target’s qualities can be activated to recover, at which point
you must roll a new Mind Control test to maintain the effect.
EXTRAS
Standard: Broadcast, Burst
Powers: Ability Boost (yourself or your targets), Invisibility (Minds Only)
Addiction: If you use Mind Control on a target each day for a week, make
a Mind Control vs. Willpower test to give the target the quality “Addicted
92 GREAT POWER
to Mind Control.”
Merge: Your own body disappears while controlling a target, merging with
theirs. You reappear within close range of the target when the control ends.
Mindlink: You gain Telepathy, but only with your target. You can communicate
orders telepathically and perceive using your target’s senses.
Mindwipe: You can alter the target’s memory. This requires a page of
preparation, followed by a Mind Control vs. Willpower test. With a major or
better success, the subject’s memory is altered; this doesn’t change abilities,
specialties, or powers, but may change or limit access to some of the target’s
qualities or knowledge of abilities.
Possession: Your mind is “inside” the target’s body, controlling it from
within. You can spend your own Determination Points on the target’s actions
and you are aware of everything from the target’s point of view.
LIMITS
Standard: Blocked, Close Range, Concentration, Extra Only, Situational,
Trance
Animal Control: You can only control the minds of animals.
Eye Contact: You must look into the eyes of your target, limiting your
range to extended at most, and possibly requiring a Coordination test in
addition to your Mind Control test.
Hypnosis: You can issue one command or implant a single suggestion,
but cannot continually control a target.
Marked Thralls: Your targets suffer some form of appearance change,
such as glowing eyes or strangely-colored skin.
Mind Switch: You “switch minds” with a target, putting your mind into
their body and theirs into yours. You each retain your own mental abilities,
specialties, and powers and gain the other’s physical abilities, specialties,
and powers. Otherwise, this works like the Possession extra (which you must
have to take this limit).
One Type: You can only control one type of target, such as only men (or
women), only mutants, and so forth.
Pheromones: Your power works through scents secreted by your body.
Anything that blocks scent (like an environment suit or filter mask) prevents
the power from working.
Undead Control: You can only control undead creatures. On the upside,
your power affects even undead normally immune to mental powers (like
mindless zombies).
Power Descriptions 93
MIND SHIELD
Mental. Mind Shield is a version of Mental Resistance as a mental power.
See the Resistance power (p. 106) for details.
EXTRAS
Standard: Affects Others, Burst
Mind Trap: Anyone “touching” your mind with a mental power is attacked
by a Mental Blast equal to your Mind Shield level.
MIND SWITCH
You can swap minds with a target. See the Mind Switch limit and Possession
extra of the Mind Control power (p. 93).
NEMESIS
Alteration. You have the power to analyze any single opponent’s traits and
generate a power or powers (and appropriate extras) that can counter or
overcome that opponent.
Choose an opponent in visual range and take a page of preparation. At
the start of your next page, you gain the power or powers (as determined
by the Game Master) best able to defeat that opponent. No power gained
in this fashion can exceed the Nemesis power’s level, though it may be of a
lesser level.
Changing opponents takes a new page of preparation, during which time
you cannot use other powers, as your power adapts to your new opponent.
In addition, powers gained via Nemesis fade immediately following combat
or the removal of the threat, at the determination of the GM.
EXTRAS
Powers: Danger Sense, Detection (Power Detection)
Instant: Your Nemesis power adapts instantly to a new opponent as a
reaction. It does not take any preparation to use or change opponents.
LIMITS
Standard: Blocked, Close Range
Overload: If you fight more than one opponent concurrently, your Nemesis
power overloads and doesn’t work against any of them until you face only
one foe.
94 GREAT POWER
PARALYSIS
For the ability to render targets unable to move, see the Stunning power
(p. 115).
PETRIFICATION
For the power to turn targets into stone (or similar non-living materials),
see the Transforming Ray version of the Alteration Ray power (p. 44).
PHASING
Alteration. You can become less substantial,
transforming into ectoplasm, altering your density
or atomic valence, or perhaps phasing out of the
physical world ltogether. While phasing, you are
immune to physical attacks and can pass harmlessly
through solid objects. Make a power test to pass
through energy fields (like a force field) with a Difficulty equal to the field’s
level. You’re also unable to physically affect the world while phasing, although
you can still use—and be affected by—mental powers. Your mental power
use is limited by your Phasing power level: use the lower of the two levels.
EXTRAS
Standard: Affects Others
Affects Physical: Apply this extra to another power or to your Strength,
allowing you to use it to affect the physical world while phased. That power
or ability is limited by your Phasing level.
Floating: While phased, you have Flight 1 and can move freely in any
direction, unaffected by gravity.
Life Support: You have the benefits of Total Life Support while phased.
Partial Phasing: You can solidify part of your body while the rest of you
remains phased.
Phase Disruption: By reaching into a target and partially solidifying, you
can inflict a Stunning effect at your power level (see p. 115).
Phase Inversion: You can phase entire sections of matter so other things
pass through. You can affect only nonliving matter, and only what you are
touching. For example, you could phase out some of the floor, allowing an
opponent to fall through it.
Power Descriptions 95
Phase Shift: You can phase in, strike, and shift out of phase all in one panel.
This allows you to use the higher of your Phasing level or your Coordination
when dodging attacks.
Scrambling: Your phasing can disrupt electrical impulses. Phasing through
electronic devices causes them to malfunction with a difficulty 3 Phasing
test. Shielded electronics may have a higher difficulty. Sentient machines
suffer a Stunning effect like the Phase Disruption extra.
PLANT CONTROL
Control. You control plants, granting them
animation and rudimentary awareness for as long
as you concentrate. You cannot control plants
with a higher Material level than your power’s
level. Make a Plant Control vs. Willpower test to
control a sentient plant, like a use of the Mind
Control power.
EXTRAS
Powers: Affliction (allergens or control over internal flora), Binding, Life
Support (ignore sleeping, or eating through photosynthesis), Servant (plant
elemental or animated plant), Plant Mimicry, Teleportation (Transmit, plant life)
Fungus Control: You can command the actions of molds and fungi as
well as green plants.
Plant Growth: You can accelerate the growth of plants, creating giant
specimens. If you have even a seed, a full-grown plant can spring to life in
one page.
Plant Recall: A controlled plant can relate information to you about
anything that has touched or come close to it, like the Postcognition power.
LIMITS
Feedback: Your mental link with plants you control is so strong that you
suffer any stun effects they do, resisting with the higher of your Strength
or Willpower.
One Type: You can affect only one plant type, like trees or flowers.
96 GREAT POWER
PLANT MIMICRY
Alteration. You can mimic the abilities of any plant with a page of preparation.
Your body does not significantly change, although you may (at the Game
Master’s discretion) acquire plant-like qualities, like green skin, leaves in place
of hair, or a bark-like covering. Potential powers include Affliction (poisons
and pollens), Life Support (via photosynthesis), and Mind Control (limited
to insects, via various pollens). You either retain your normal appearance or
gain some of the physical appearance of the plants you mimic (your choice
when you acquire this power).
EXTRAS
Powers: Plant Control (all extras)
POISON
See the Affliction power (p. 42) for effects suitable to various kinds of
poisons or venoms a character may be able to inflict upon a target. Other
specialized toxins may have different power effects including (but not limited
to) Illusion (hallucinations), Mind Control, or Stunning. See Alteration Devices
and the Chemical Weapons section of Offensive Devices in the Devices
chapter for additional ideas.
POSSESSION
Your mind can possess a target’s body, controlling their actions from within.
See the Possession extra of the Mind Control power (p. 93), possibly with the
addition of the Merge extra, allowing your body to merge into the target’s
while you are in possession. This power works in conjunction with Phasing
(for possession by incorporeal ghosts, spirits, and demons, for example)
but note that the Mind Control effect is limited to the rank of the Phasing
power in that case.
Power Descriptions 97
POSTCOGNITION
Sensory. You can perceive things that happened in the past. You must touch
a place or object and make a power test, with the difficulty based on how
long ago you want to perceive:
Difficulty Time
1 A day
2 A few days
3 A week
4 A few weeks
5 A month
6 A few months
7 A season (four months)
8 Half a year
9 A year
10 More than a year
Major failure or worse may give you false or misleading information, at the
GM’s discretion. Failure gets you no information, and you need determined
effort to try again with the same subject. Marginal success gets you no
information, but you can try again freely. Moderate success gets you some
cryptic clues and visions open to interpretation. Major success gets you
clearer information, perhaps a name or face. Massive success gets you very
clear information, although not necessarily all the information about events.
You can also use Postcognition for maneuvers to learn and create qualities
and gain advantage from what you perceive.
POWER BOOST
Control. You can raise the level of others’ powers by touch. The subject
gains a number of levels to one power, and you lose that same number of
Power Boost levels. When you stop concentrating, the boosted level shifts back.
Powers cannot be raised above level 10, and you cannot reduce your
Power Boost below level 0. If the levels transferred exceed the subject’s
Willpower, have the subject make a Willpower test against the transferred
level. On a failure, the affected power suffers a limit chosen by the Game
Master. Unstable is a common one.
98 GREAT POWER
EXTRAS
Standard: Burst, Ranged
Powers: Empowerment
Extended: Your boost lasts for as long as you wish. The transferred levels
don’t return to normal until you will it, or the time allotted for the boost ends.
LIMITS
One Type: You can boost only one type of power, like mutant or mental
powers.
Unstable: Powers you boost always acquire the Unstable limit as long as
they are increased, regardless of the subject’s Willpower.
POWER CONTROL
Control. You can control an aspect of others’ powers. See the descriptions
of the Empowerment, Power Boost, and Power Nullification powers. Choose
one or roll on the following table:
d6 Roll Power
1–2 Empowerment
3–4 Power Boost
5–6 Power Nullification
POWER MIMICRY
Alteration. By touching another character and taking a panel of preparation,
you can mimic their powers and use them yourself.
You gain all the target’s powers at their existing level or your Power
Mimicry level, whichever is less. So if you have Power Mimicry 4, any powers
you mimic are limited to a level no greater than 4.
You retain any mimicked powers until you choose to mimic another set
or you are rendered unconscious, in which case you lose any previously
mimicked powers.
EXTRAS
Powers: Detection (Power Detection), Nemesis, Transformation (limited
to the form of whomever you mimic)
Power Descriptions 99
Mechanical Duplication: You can gain artificial traits in addition to innate
ones. This can mimic the powers of devices, robots, computers, and powered
armor, among other items.
Mental Duplication: You acquire the target’s memories and knowledge,
allowing you to easily impersonate them.
Power Theft: You don’t mimic powers, you steal them! Subtract your
power level from all the target’s power levels. You gain the powers at that
level (the lesser of your level and the target’s original level). The target
retains any remaining power level. So if you have Power Theft 4 and touch
a target with Fire Control 7, you gain Fire Control 4 and your target retains
Fire Control 3. If your power level exceeds the subject’s power, you gain it
at the target’s level and the target loses it entirely. Multiple touches have a
cumulative effect, until all of the target’s power levels are gone (at which
point there is no more left for you to steal). You retain the stolen powers for
ten times your Power Theft level in pages. Then you lose 1 level from each
stolen power per page, and your target regains 1 level per page, until the
stolen powers are completely gone.
Rangeless: You can mimic anyone you know of, whether they are in your
presence or not. You must have the Visual extra (following) to take this one.
Residual Absorption: You don’t have to touch a target to mimic their
powers, you can simply be somewhere they have used their powers recently,
touching something belonging to them, or something similar.
Specialty Duplication: You mimic a target’s specialties as well as powers,
gaining them at the level of the target’s ability, modified by specialty, or your
power level, whichever is less. So if you have Power Mimicry 6, you can mimic
specialties up to an effective total level of 6.
Visual: You can mimic any target you can see (at visual range) rather
than having to touch them.
LIMITS
Standard: Blocked
Attributes Only: You can mimic only attributes, not specialties or powers.
This limit may be further limited by reducing it to one attribute, such as
Strength Duplication or Intellect Duplication.
One Target: You can only mimic the abilities of one target at a time.
One Type: You can only mimic the powers of a certain type of target, like
aliens, mutants, and so forth.
POWER NULLIFICATION
Control. You have the power to nullify (completely negate) the powers of
another within extended range. Roll a Coordination vs. Coordination test to
hit the target. If successful, subtract your Power Nullification level from the
target’s power levels. A power reduced to 0 or less remains negated for level
duration. Otherwise, powers recover 1 level per page until back to normal.
EXTRAS
Standard: Burst, Slow Recovery
Disruption: Rather than nullifying a power, you can cause it to go out of
control, as if it had the Unstable limit (see Limits, p. 24).
Suppression: Power levels you have nullified do not recover, so long as
you concentrate.
LIMITS
Standard: Close Range
Feedback: If you do not completely nullify a target’s power, you must
resist a Stunning effect equal to the original power level using Willpower.
For example, if you pit your Power Nullification 5 against a target’s level 8
power, you must resist a Stunning 8 effect.
One Type: You can only nullify powers from a particular source or type,
such as mental powers, mutations, or magic. See Power Sources (p. 12) for
some ideas.
PRECOGNITION
Sensory. You receive visions of what may happen in the future. A deliberate
attempt at Precognition requires a power test, rolled secretly by the GM
against a difficulty based on how obscure or distant the future events are
you are trying to see (see Postcognition, p. 98). Major failure or worse may
give you false or misleading information, at the GM’s discretion. Failure
gets you no information, and you need determined effort to try again with
the same subject. Marginal success gets you no information, but you can
try again freely. Moderate success gets you some cryptic clues and visions
open to interpretation. Major success gets you clearer information, perhaps
a name or face. Massive success gets you very clear information, although
not necessarily all the information about events.
The GM can also choose to give you a precognitive vision at any time,
having you pick up on particularly strong premonitions as a plot hook to
further the story.
You can use Precognition for maneuvers to learn and create qualities and
gain advantage. You can also avoid certain hazards: with a major or better
success on a Precognition test and a use of advantage, you can retcon an
event that just happened so it wasn’t real at all, but a precognitive warning!
Example: Prometheus (”foresight”) has Precognition 7. He and his
teammates are dealing with a stolen nuclear weapon that’s counting down
to detonation. Prometheus’ teammate clips the wrong wire and the bomb
goes off! Prometheus’ player declares an immediate use of Precognition, a
determined effort to get a major success. He gets it, spends Determination
Point, and retcons the scene that just happened as a visionary warning.
To the other characters, Prometheus comes out of a fugue just as his
teammate is about to cut the wire. “Don’t!” he warns. “You’ll set it off!”
Disaster is averted, for the moment.
You can do this a maximum number of times per issue equal to your
Precognition level.
LIMITS
One Type: The power works only for one type of event (natural disasters,
imminent death, etc.).
Only Objects: The power works only on objects. You must touch the
object to read its future.
Only People: The power works only for divining the futures of other
people. You must touch the subject to read their future.
Sleeping: Your precognitive visions only manifest in dreams while you
are sleeping.
Uncontrolled: The GM chooses when you receive precognitive visions.
They are not under your control.
PREHENSILE HAIR
You have long hair you can animate and control. See the Extra Body Parts
power (p. 72), specifically Tentacles.
PROBABILITY CONTROL
Control. You can exert influence over random chance. This power gives
you extra Determination Points equal to its level, which renew the same as
your regular DP, but are usable only for activating the “Luck” quality of your
power.
When you acquire this power, choose whether your Probability Control
is good or bad luck (or roll: 1–3 = good luck, 4–6 = bad luck).
Good Luck: Your Probability Control is good for improved effort and
retcons explainable as “lucky breaks” that benefit you.
Bad Luck: Your Probability Control works in reverse, causing increased
difficulty and challenges for others.
Unlike normal uses of Determination Points, the points from your Probability
Control do not require activating a quality to use them. In effect, your power
itself is the associated “quality” for the points: you’re “activating” your “good
EXTRAS
Both Types: You can use your Probability Control for both good and
bad luck.
LIMITS
Jinx: A randomly chosen ally within extended range has trouble for that
page whenever you use Probability Control (and does not earn Determination
for it, if the ally is another player’s hero).
Probability Control
& Game Master Characters
Since Game Master characters do not have or use Determination Points,
treat uses of Probability Control by them as trouble for the heroes, much
like any other “bad luck” the GM chooses to impose on the heroes by
way of the story. This makes Probability Control more of a player-focused
power, since GM characters can effectively cause unlimited trouble (so
long as the GM awards the players Determination).
If you wish, this power can give a GM character “free” trouble equal to
the power level, instances where trouble caused by Probability Control
does not award the players any DP, but this is not recommended, since
it interferes with the intended free flow of Determination in game play.
Game Masters may want to limit any “free” uses to retcons, allowing
probability controlling GM characters more freedom to control the
environment without directly affecting the heroes.
EXTRAS
Standard: Burst
Powers: Absorption (radiation), Affliction (radiation sickness), Aura, Dazzle,
Flight, Fire Control (Heat Control only), Force Field, Power Nullification
(mutagenic or radiation powers)
Radiowave Control: You can control radio waves, increasing or decreasing
their strength by your power level, altering their frequency and direction, and
jamming transmissions. You can also transmit like a living radio.
LIMITS
Standard: Constant, No Stunts, Unstable
REFLECTION
Defensive. You can reflect the effects of an attack back at the attacker. You
test your Reflection power as a reaction, with the attacking effect’s level as the
difficulty. On a failure the reflection fails and you suffer the normal effects of
the attack. With a marginal or moderate success, you are unaffected by the
attack, but neither is the attacker. On a major success or better, the attack
is reflected back and the attacker suffers its effect.
EXTRAS
Mental Reflection: You can reflect mental as well as physical attacks.
LIMITS
Standard: Extra Only
Deflection Only: A major success with your power is equivalent to a
moderate success; you can deflect attacks, but not reflect them back at the
attacker.
One Type: You can only reflect a particular type of attack, such as kinetic
impacts or electromagnetic energy.
EXTRAS
Regrowth: You can regrow lost body parts (or reattach them, if they’re
still available).
RESISTANCE
Defensive. You can resist a particular type of effect. Choose one of the
following: Ability (Affliction, Energy Drain, and related effects), Alteration,
Binding, Damage, Detection, Mental, Sensory, or develop your own resistance
with the Game Master’s permission. Subtract your Resistance level from the
level of any such effect used on you. If the effect’s level is reduced to 0 or
less, it doesn’t work on you. If you have level 10 Resistance, you are essentially
immune to that effect, although level 10 attacks can still potentially achieve
slam, stun, or kill outcomes against you. You can ignore even those at this
level by spending a Determination Point.
LIMITS
One Type: Your Resistance only covers a particular type of effect, such as
Bashing, Cold, Corrosive, Electricity, Heat, Radiation, or Slashing, for example.
Stamina Only: Your Damage Resistance only protects against Stamina
damage from attacks. Attacks ignore your Resistance when determining
whether they can slam or stun you.
ROBOT BODY
The Artificial origin means you are a construct rather than regular living
being. You can discard a rolled power and replace it with Total Life Support.
Example: Tesla has her “teslabots” she can summon through a dimensional
wormhole. Her Summon level of 6 gives her 24 points to divide, so a
teslabot has Prowess 3, Strength 6, Coordination 3, and Damage Resistance
3, Flight 4, and Stunning 5.
MULTIPLE SERVANTS
You can spend a point from your Servant pool to add an additional servant
with the same traits as the first (reducing the number of points you have
to spend on traits). You can still only summon one servant per page unless
you have the Multiple extra. Multiple servants performing the same action
together use the rules for combined efforts.
LIMITS
Standard: Exclusive, Performance, Source
Feedback: You suffer the same stun results (but not other effects) as
your servants.
SHADOW FORM
You can turn into a living shadow. See Shadow Form under the Alternate
Form power (p. 46).
SHAPESHIFT
You can transform into different shapes or forms. See the Transformation
power (p. 123). Full shapeshifting is Transformation with Extra Type twice,
to encompass all three types of forms (Animals, Humanoids, and Objects).
SHIELD
A shield is a defensive device for the Damage Resistance power; see the
Defensive Devices section of the Devices chapter for details.
You gain the “small” quality, which can be activated normally for advantage
or trouble. You also gain the modifier listed on the table as a bonus to attack
and defense tests against normal-sized opponents. When using Shrinking
your ability levels (including Strength) are unaffected.
At Shrinking 9+ you can reduce down to the microscopic or even atomic
levels. You are “off the scale” and no longer interact directly with the larger
world and are limited to interacting with things at the same scale. On the
other hand, at microscopic and smaller sizes you can do things like slip
through tiny openings or even the space between molecules!
EXTRAS
Powers: Teleportation (Transmit via phone lines)
Growth Momentum: You enlarge rapidly under a target, using the
momentum of your growth to enhance an attack; add the modifier for your
Shrinking level table as a bonus to your unarmed damage.
Micro-World: You can reduce “below” the atomic to enter a “micro-world”
or similar alternate reality. In that world you may (at the GM’s option) have
Growth at a power level equal to your Shrinking in the normal-sized world.
LIMITS
Strength Reduction: The more you shrink, the weaker you become;
subtract your Shrinking level from your Strength until it reaches 0, dropping
off the scale.
EXTRAS
Standard: Burst
Powers: Absorption (sound), Alternate Form (Energy Form), Blast (sound),
Corrosion (Ranged, crystalline objects only, sonic vibrations), Flight, Force
Field (Force Constructs), Illusion (sound only), Mind Control (Hypnosis only),
Resistance (Sonic), Spatial Sense (sonar)
Echo: You can duplicate any sound, allowing you to mimic voices or
other noises.
Ventriloquism: You can “throw” your voice up to visual range, making it
seem to originate from elsewhere.
LIMITS
Standard: Max Only, Extra Only, No Stunts, Source
SPATIAL CONTROL
Control. Spatial Control allows you to twist the dimensions of space within
extended range. You can lengthen or compress distances, and warp topography.
Effects last as long as you concentrate. Choose one of the following effects;
you can acquire the others as extras:
Compress Distances: You and others move through the area as if you had
Super-Speed equal to your Spatial Control level.
Stretch Distances: You reduce speed of movement through the area by
your power level.
Twist Space: You distort space; anyone within the area must make a
Coordination vs. Spatial Control test to avoid losing an action while they get
their bearings. You can cause anyone moving through the affected area to
fall (or otherwise collide with a surface while moving) with an action and a
Spatial Control vs. Coordination test.
EXTRAS
Standard: Defensive
Powers: Blast (spatial shock, Burst), Duplication, Stretching (changing
spatial topography), Teleportation (Passengers, Portal)
Shaping: You can alter the topography of objects or even people, stretching
SPINNING
Movement. You can spin at superhuman speed along your axis, and still
speak, hear, and see normally while doing so. This power provides three
benefits. First, your rapid spinning gives you Binding Resistance (including
Wrestling attacks). Second, the spinning generates a wind screen of the
power’s level that substitutes for your Coordination to defend against physical
and air-based attacks. Third, you can use your power’s level instead of your
Strength for damage and grabbing in close combat.
EXTRAS
Powers: Air Control, Fast Attack, Flight, Super-Senses (Circular Vision),
Super-Speed
Air Ram: You can generate a focused blast of air capable of knocking
people over. Make a Spinning vs. Strength test and read the result like a
possible slam.
Blade Storm: Flinging a number of small blades, shuriken, spikes, or debris
you can do damage equal to the power’s level to all targets in close range.
Blade Whirl: Wielding a small edged weapon, such as a dagger or sword
of some type, you can use the power’s level to attack and do the power’s level
or weapon’s level (whichever is greater) in damage against a single target.
Spinning Drill: You can drill into surfaces of Material up to your level, as
if using the Burrowing power.
Tornado: You can generate a tornado that inflicts damage equal to your
power level on anyone within extended range. However, you must roll a
Spinning test against your own power level to control the tornado each page;
if you fail, the tornado goes out of control before dissipating in 1d6 pages.
LIMITS
Standard: Temporary
EXTRAS
Powers: Astral Projection, Energy Drain, Power Nullification (Mind Control
and Spirit Control only), Servant (reanimating dead bodies), Super-Senses
(Spirit Detection)
Deny Death: You can trap a spirit within a fatally damaged body until
there is time to heal the body enough to contain the spirit again on its own.
You can keep the spirit trapped only as long as you concentrate.
Forced Possession: You can place disembodied spirits into new bodies.
Roll a Spirit Control vs. Willpower test. If the test fails, the spirit suffers
damage equal to the power level. If it succeeds, the spirit takes control of
the body, dominating any other consciousness within the body. The spirit
retains its own mental abilities and powers and gains the physical abilities
and powers of the host body.
Incarnation Awareness: You can remember the events of your past lives.
Moreover, you can send messages to your prior incarnations when they were
actually living and receive them from future incarnations (though not vice
versa). These are excellent opportunities for focused effort, retcons, and
stunts (substituting Spirit Control level for another trait).
Spirit Affliction: With a representative link to a target (such as a lock of
hair or the classic “voodoo doll”) you can inflict a Rangeless Affliction at
your Spirit Control level on a target, who gains a +2 bonus to resist the effect
unless they are within extended range of you.
LIMITS
Standard: Extra Only, Performance
Exorcism: Your control only extends to compelling
spirits to depart bodies they have possessed and
to banishing them from the physical plane.
One Type: Your Spirit Control only affects
a particular type of spirits like ghosts, faeries,
or nature spirits.
Ritualistic: Your Spirit Control requires lengthy
rituals and preparation. It takes a minimum of a
minute per power level to use, possibly longer.
Sleeping: You can use this power only while
asleep. If you are awakened, any use of Spirit
Control ends immediately.
EXTRAS
Powers: Alternate Form (Fluid Form only), Dimension Control (2D only),
Flight (Gliding only), Resistance (Binding, Damage), Transformation (any
form, Disguise, Tell)
Bouncing: Your elastic form gives you Leaping at your power level by
“bouncing” along; this also gives you Falling Damage Resistance at your
power level.
Hardening: You can enlarge and harden your fists to give you a bashing
Strike attack equal to your Stretching level.
Net: You can substitute your Stretching level for Coordination for catching
falling items or people. You suffer no damage from falling objects that your
Strength can lift.
LIMIT
Elongation: You can elongate only your limbs, extending your reach and
ability to strike at a distance, and to step over barriers, but you cannot gain
any of the extras associated with the power (the same as the No Extras limit).
Inflating: You can only inflate your body like a beach ball. You get the
Damage Resistance and Bouncing extras included in this limit, but not the
base Stretching ability or access to any other extras.
Slow Retraction: It takes you a page of preparation to return any stretched
out or modified body parts to their normal shape.
EXTRAS
Standard: Affects X, Contagious, Secondary Attack
Both Types: You can use your Strike as either a bashing or slashing attack.
You decide which when you make the attack.
STUNNING
Offensive. You can render an opponent unable to act. Roll a Coordination
vs. Coordination test against a target in extended range. If the attack
succeeds, roll a power level test against your target’s Strength or Willpower
(choose which ability resists your Stunning when you take the power). With
a moderate success, the target can take no actions for one page. A major
success stuns the target for a level duration, while a massive success leaves
the target stunned for the duration of the chapter (or until you release them).
One of the target’s qualities may be activated to recover, ending the
effect. You choose the details of how your Stunning power works: it may
leave targets dazed or unconscious, confused, paralyzed, or incapacitated
by pain, pleasure, fear, or other sensations.
EXTRAS
Standard: Burst, Contagious, Rangeless
Both Types: You can target your Stunning attack at either Strength or
Willpower, chosen when you make the attack.
SUMMONING
For summoning other creatures or characters to serve you, see the Servant
power (p. 107). If you can summon objects or creatures from elsewhere into
your presence, see the Summoning extra of the Teleportation power (p. 121).
ADDITIONAL SENSES
For each level you have in Additional Senses, choose one of the following
options or create your own additional sensory ability with the Game Master’s
permission. An Awareness test may be required for some uses of Additional
Senses at the GM’s discretion.
Circular Vision: You can see in a 360-degree radius around you, making
it difficult to sneak up on or surprise you.
Communication: You can communicate via some medium other than just
speaking, like radio waves, “super-ventriloquism,” or telepathic transmission.
Comprehend Languages: You can understand and communicate in any
language. The GM may require an Intellect test to comprehend especially
obscure or alien languages.
Dimensional Sense: You can detect the energy or vibrational signature
of each dimension, and know when you are on an unfamiliar plane.
Direction Sense: You never get lost and can find your way back to
anywhere you’ve been.
LIMITS
Reduced Sense: In compensation for greater awareness in one sense,
another is reduced dramatically. Tests involving the reduced sense are
increased in difficulty by 2.
SUPER-SKILL
You have considerable innate ability with a particular specialty, without
the usual training or experience. See the Specialty Increase limit of the
Ability Increase power (p. 39).
EXTRAS
Powers: Air Control, Fast Attack, Phasing (by vibrating your molecules),
Regeneration, Spinning, Vibration Control
Standard: Affects Others
Defending: You can substitute your Super-Speed level for your Coordination
and Prowess to avoid attacks.
Surface Speed: You can use your extreme speed to do things like run up
walls (momentum defying gravity) or across the surface of liquids (moving
fast enough not to break the surface tension).
SUPER-STRENGTH
Superhuman strength in Icons is simply a Strength level greater than 6,
which is the level of the strongest weight-lifters and athletes. See Ability
Boost and Ability Increase for powers which can raise rolled Strength level.
SUSPENDED ANIMATION
See the Suspension extra of Time Control (p. 122), possibly limited to Self
Only and Extra Only.
SWIMMING
See the Aquatic power (p. 50), possibly with the One Type limit. See the
Swimming section of Taking Action in Icons for details on the effects of
swimming, partiularly for characters who cannot breathe underwater.
TELEKINESIS
Control. You have the ability to move objects in visual range without
touching them. The power’s level is treated as its Strength for lifting and
moving things (see the Benchmarks Table for an idea of how much weight
you can move). Use your Willpower as your telekinetic “Coordination.”
EXTRAS
Powers: Blast, Flight, Force Control, Force Field
TELEPATHY
Mental. You can read minds and transmit your thoughts to them. Roll a
Telepathy vs. Willpower test to read a subject’s thoughts. Willing subjects
do not require a test; you succeed automatically. A failed test means you
cannot read that subject’s mind without determined effort for the chapter.
Reading particularly deep, forgotten, or long-ago memories might require
higher degrees of success, at the GM’s option. You can link up to a number of
minds equal to your power level in a mental “switchboard” to communicate.
Make an Awareness or Telepathy test against an intruder’s Telepathy level
to sense when someone else attempts to read your mind. Use the higher of
your Telepathy or Willpower levels when determining the difficulty to read
your mind.
LIMITS
Animals Only: You can only use Telepathy on animals, not people.
Empathy: You can only sense and affect a target’s emotions, not thoughts.
TELEPORTATION
Movement. You can disappear from one spot and reappear in another some
distance away without crossing the space in between. See the Benchmarks
Table for an idea of the distance you can travel: Teleportation 5 is sufficient
to go anywhere in visual range, while higher levels have ranges measured
in tens, hundred, and thousands of miles. Teleportation 10 is enough to go
virtually anywhere. You must be able to either see your destination or clearly
visualize it (such as being familiar with it).
Make a difficulty 2 Teleportation test. Failure means you arrive at the
destination stunned and spend the next panel recovering (taking no actions
that page). Teleportation 7 or greater does not require a test (you automatically
succeed).
If you accidentally teleport into a solid object—which can include the
ground—you are automatically bounced back to your starting point. Roll
a Teleportation test against a Stunning level equal to the object’s Material
(see Stunning, p. 115).
LIMITS
Location-Specific: You can only teleport to specific locations, decided
with the Game Master.
Transmit: You teleport via a specific medium such as electrical wiring,
communications networks, root systems, shadows, or waterways. You must
enter and exit through your medium.
Troubleseeker: You subconsciously sense dangerous situations and
automatically teleport to them, whether you want to or not. You usually have
one page of warning as your power begins to activate. You don’t necessarily
know what the problem is at your destination until it shows itself.
EXTRAS
Powers: Duplication, Fast Attack, Precognition, Postcognition, Stunning
(Burst), Super-Speed (all extras, Affects Others)
Suspension: Place someone (including yourself) in a state of suspended
animation, with time slowed to a virtual stop to suspend the effects of aging
or an ongoing condition like an Affliction or the loss of Strength levels while
dying. Suspended characters effectively have Total Life Support while their
bodily functions are suspended.
Time Travel: Travel in time, going into the past or future or alternate
timelines. It’s up to the GM whether or not you can actually change history
by traveling into the past; by default, assume you create a divergent or
parallel universe if you “change history.” Likewise, any future you visit is only
a “possible future,” and not necessarily set in stone.
LIMITS
Extra Only: You’re limited to a single Time Control effect and cannot
acquire the others as extras or stunts.
TIME TRAVEL
You can travel through time. See the Time Travel extra of the Time Control
power (previously), possibly with the Extra Only limit.
As specified under Time Control, the mechanics and rules of time travel
in an Icons game are left largely up to the Game Master, who may decide
to make this an “off the scale” ability available only to certain Game Master
characters, either villains or allies of the heroes, to keep the players from
jaunting back-and-forth through time, madly changing history.
As a general rule of thumb, any use of time travel or a similar ability that
impacts the present can be considered a retcon (see Advantage in The Basics
chapter of Icons) and requires a similar use of advantage to bring into play,
perhaps using the time travel power or ability level as a maneuver.
ANIMALS
You can transform into any normal animal, or an human-animal hybrid. You
retain your normal mental abilities in animal form as well as your ability to
speak, unless specific limits or challenges prevent you. Your physical abilities
in animal form are equal to your power level or the animal’s normal abilities,
whichever is lower. See Creatures in the Game Mastering chapter of Icons.
In human-animal hybrid form either your Strength, Coordination, or both
may be raised to your Transformation level, as appropriate for the animal
type. Hybrid forms are humanoid in all but cosmetic features (fur, snout, tail,
and so forth), though you gain the animal’s physical attacks, senses, and
movement capabilities as well.
HUMANOIDS
You can transform into convincing copies of other humanoids, including
copying their voice and whatever clothing they are wearing. Your imitation
is exact enough to fool tests like fingerprinting, retinal scans, or even DNA
tests. You do not gain your subject’s traits other than appearance (for that
see Power Mimicry).
EXTRAS
Powers: Alternate Form, Growth, Power Mimicry, Shrinking, Stretching
Extra Type: You can assume an additional category of forms. If you have
this extra twice, you can assume all three types of forms (Animals, Humanoids,
and Objects).
Instant: It does not require any preparation for you to transform; you do
so instantly.
LIMITS
Disguise: You do not gain the physical properties of the forms you assume,
just their appearance; you can look like a brick wall, but you’re not as strong
or tough as one. When applied to Humanoid Transformation, you lose the
“exact” capability, gaining only your subject’s appearance.
Mute: You cannot speak in non-humanoid forms and can only make sounds
normally associated with that form.
One Type: You can only assume one type of form from your category,
such as only canines or avians (animal), or only men (people). Even more
narrow limits may count as two limits, if the GM approves. You cannot have
the Extra Type extra.
Tell: You have a “tell” that’s always apparent, such as an inability to change
your color or texture, or having a version of your normal face always visible,
making your power less useful for disguising yourself without using other
measures, such as make-up, to cover up your tell.
TRANSMIT
You teleport via a specific medium such as electrical wiring, communications
networks, root systems, or waterways. See the Teleportation limit Transmit
(p. 121) for details.
EXTRAS
Standard: Ranged, Visual
Powers: Servant, Transforming Ray
Catalytic Control: You can speed up, slow down, or stop chemical reactions.
You can do things like make metal stop dissolving in acid, cause ferrous
metal to rapidly oxidize (rust), nullify bio-chemical powers and compounds,
and so forth.
Choking: You can blanket an area with choking gas, affecting targets like
the Suffocation extra of Air Control (a ranged Affliction).
Explosion: By creating explosive elements, you can create a Blast that
does damage equal to your power level to everyone within close distance.
LIMITS
Standard: Concentration, Performance, Temporary, Tiring
Limited Mass: You affect a very limited mass, less than the amount for
level 1 Strength, as little as a few pounds at a time.
One State: You can only affect a particular state of matter (solid, liquid,
or gas) and can’t transmute other matter. (Transmutation normally affects
all states of matter.)
VEHICLE
You have a specialized vehicle of some sort. See Movement Devices in the
Devices chapter.
EXTRAS
Standard: Burst
Powers: Absorption (vibrations), Burrowing, Corrosion (Ranged, crystalline
objects only), Dimensional Travel (vibratory dimensions), Earth Control
(Earthquake only), Flight, Force Field, Phasing, Power Nullification (Sonic
and Vibration Control only), Resistance (Binding, Pressure), Sonic Control,
Super-Senses (Spatial Sense)
Safecracking: You can open mechanical locks and safes by causing the
sensitive mechanisms inside to vibrate by making a Vibration Control test
against the difficulty of the lock.
Scrambling: You can throw machinery out of kilter by vibrating delicate
components. Against animate machines, this works like an Affliction attack.
Tremors: You can send tremors through the air or ground. These don’t
cause quakes, but require everyone within extended range to make a
Coordination vs. Vibration Control test to avoid falling prone and losing an
action. Unsecured objects can fall and break.
Vertigo: By upsetting the target’s inner ear, you can perform the Vertigo
extra of Mental Blast (see p. 91).
Vibro-Blade: You can cause blades of various sorts to vibrate at high
speeds, increasing the blade’s damage to your power level or its normal
damage +1, whichever is greater.
Vibro-Strike: By generating high level vibrations around your hands, you
can strike with a slashing attack that does damage equal to your level or
your Strength level +1, whichever is greater.
LIMITS
Standard: Extra Only, Max Only, No Stunts, Source
WATER-BREATHING
See the Aquatic power (p. 50), possibly including the One Type limit.
WATER CONTROL
Control. Water Control allows you to create and control water. You can
move a mass of water based on your power level on the Weight column of
the Benchmark Table.
EXTRAS
Powers: Aquatic (Passengers), Cold Control (ice only), Servant (water
elemental), Weather Control
Dehydration: You can destroy water. You can lower water or use this
extra as an Affliction attack against humans and other creatures composed
mainly of water.
Drowning: You can suffocate a victim with water with a Water Control
vs. Strength attack, like a ranged Affliction attack (p. 42).
Melting: You can turn ice into water, up to the usual mass you can affect
per page.
Propulsion: You can use water to speed water vehicles as if they had an
Aquatic level equal to your Water Control level.
Tsunami: With a page of preparation, you can form a giant wave from a
body of water and bring it crashing down on all within extended range of
shore, doing damage equal to your power level.
Water Walking: You can cross the surface of water as if it were solid ground.
LIMITS
Standard: Source (you need a source of water, as you can’t create it)
Submerged: You must be at least half submerged in water to use this power.
WEATHER CONTROL
Control. You can manipulate the weather, including winds, temperature,
precipitation. With a page of preparation, you can create any weather
condition in a visual area around you, although using the weather as a direct
attack requires an appropriate extra or stunt. You can predict the weather
with a Weather Control test against a difficulty equal to the number of days.
EXTRAS
Powers: Affliction (cold or heat), Air Control, Blast (hail, Burst), Cold
Control, Fire Control (Heat Control only), Flight (Passengers), Life Support
(Cold and Heat only), Resistance (Weather)
Fog: You can summon up a thick fog bank, reducing line of sight to close
range within a visual range area.
Instant: You can change the weather instantly, without a page of preparation.
Lightning: You can fire Blasts of lightning from your hands or draw them
down from the sky, inflicting power level shooting damage out to extended
range.
LIMITS
Standard: Unstable
WINGS
You have a functional set of wings, allowing you to fly. See the Extra Body
Parts power (p. 72) and the Flight power (p. 75) for details.
d6 Roll Power
1–2 Cosmic Power
3–4 Gadgets
5–6 Magic
Heroes with the Trained and Gimmick origins can only have powers from
devices. Other characters may choose whether or not a power comes from a
device when the power is acquired. If you want to determine this randomly,
roll 2d6: on a 4 or less, the power comes from a device, otherwise it is innate.
ALTERATION DEVICES
Alteration devices can take many different forms, including but not limited
to pills and other “wonder drugs”; belts, suits, or harnesses; magical talismans;
and gloves or gauntlets. Examples include:
CYBERNETICS
Cybernetics or bionics involve the addition of artificial parts to the body,
such as bionic legs, a computer implant, or even a magical prosthesis, like
an enchanted replacement arm made of animated metal.
Cybernetics create different trouble from other devices; they cannot be
easily taken away (although some—like artificial limbs—can be detached),
but may suffer technical problems or breakdowns, especially if damaged.
Cybernetics are also potentially vulnerable to powers like Machine Control
(p. 88).
Cybernetic powers include (but are not limited to): Ability Boost, Ability
Increase, Extra Body Parts, Fast Attack, Gadgets, Interface, Life Support,
Machine Control, Resistance, Super-Senses, and various Offensive Powers
as built-in weapons.
Example: Psi-Borg, the Hunter From the Future, has a cybernetic arm
(Strength Increase, Limited to One Arm), a cybernetic eye (Super-Senses
for Infravision and Enhanced Vision), a cybernetic ear (Super-Senses
for Enhanced Hearing and Ultrasonic Hearing), and a brain implant for
Interface and Telepathy.
CONTROL DEVICES
Control Devices often take the form of directed items: guns, wands, and
other sorts of things you can point at a target. They can also be items of
clothing or jewelry such as crowns, circlets, helms, rings, amulets, or gloves.
Devices 131
Examples include:
• The Cosmic Crown is an ancient artifact of unknown origin, granting
the wearer Cosmic Power equal to his or her Willpower level.
• Healing Rays can instantly heal most injuries, like a use of the Healing
power.
• Mystic Tomes sometimes grant access to the Magic power for those
able to read spells from their pages, often with the Ritualistic limit.
• Power Nullifiers are built into manacles, collars, and headbands as
well as ray or field projectors, used by police and prison authorities
to restrain super-powered criminals and by villains to do the same to
heroic prisoners using Power Nullification (p. 101).
• Shrink Rays impose the Shrinking power on their targets, commonly
used by villains to “cut their foes down to size.”
• Weather Wands grant their wielder the Weather Control power, often
including the Lightning extra. Mystic wands may do the same for the
Magic power.
ROBOTS
Robots are a type of Servant device, unliving automatons programmed
to carry out their controller’s wishes. Robots typically have physical abilities
(Prowess, Coordination, and Strength) but no mental abilities unless they are
artificially intelligent, in which case you can treat them more as characters with
the Artificial origin than devices. Magical versions of robots include golems,
animated statues or suits of armor, and similar animated—but lifeless—objects.
Robots typically have Damage Resistance based on their construction
and Total Life Support, ignoring the various needs of living creatures.
UTILITY BELTS
A common Gadgets device is the utility belt (which may also take the
form of a bag, bandolier, or other container): a collection of useful gadgets
for every occasion. The Intellect test to produce a particular gadget may be
considered a test of whether or not the character came prepared for the
occasion, rather than actually reconfiguring available parts and equipment;
if the test fails, the character simply does not have that gadget on hand in
the utility belt. As usual, spending a Determination Point ensures success in
coming up with a particular gadget.
Under fairly routine circumstances, the GM may waive the Intellect test to
produce a gadget, just assuming the character has whatever is appropriate
on hand.
ARMOR
Armor is a Damage Resistance device, ranging from level 1 for heavy leathers
to 4 for most metallic or modern ballistic armor. Game Masters looking for
added realism may allow shooting attacks to ignore non-ballistic armor and
for slashing attacks to ignore (or halve) modern ballistic armor, but the game
generalizes armor’s Damage Resistance for simplicity. Higher level armor is
often made of alien or super-science materials or is magical in nature.
SHIELDS
Shields are Damage Resistance devices as well, except using a shield
requires a reaction. A character armed with a shield can also block with it
(see Blocking in the Taking Action chapter of Icons) or wield it as a bashing
weapon—although not both on the same page. A shield typically provides
Damage Resistance 3 or 4, although magical or super-science shields may
offer greater levels of Resistance. You can apply the Ranged extra to use a
shield as a throwing weapon as well as in close combat. The GM may wish to
permit Shields as a specialty under the Weapon group, usable as a bonus to
Prowess and Coordination for attacking and blocking with a shield.
BATTLESUITS
Why have a tank or a fighter jet when you can wear one? Comic book
heroes and villains often have battlesuits—also known as power armor or
power suits—devices granting their wearer a range of powers.
A battlesuit-wearer has a Gimmick origin, with all powers coming from
the device. A player who rolls the Gimmick origin may choose for the hero’s
gimmick to be a battlesuit. The hero automatically gains either Damage
Resistance or Force Field (choose one or roll a die for it: 1–4 = Resistance,
5–6 = Force Field) and may choose to apply the Gimmick’s usual +2 mental
ability bonus to that power’s level instead.
All of the hero’s other powers are incorporated into the armor. If a generated
power does not work as an armor system, the player may choose a movement,
offensive, or sensory power to replace it with the GM’s permission.
Battlesuits tend to provide powers in five main areas: Protection, Mobility,
Strength, Weapons, and Sensors.
Devices 133
Protection: A battlesuit’s first and often main function is to protect the
wearer from harm with various defensive powers. Most are Damage Resistance
devices, although some battlesuits rely on Force Field instead.
Some battlesuits provide other Resistances. A suit designed for fighting
fires, for example, might offer Fire Resistance whereas a suit for arctic
exploration might provide Cold Resistance.
Lastly, a battlesuit may offer its wearer Life Support. A space-capable
suit, for example, has at least Life Support 4 to deal with the vacuum, cold,
radiation, and airlessness of space.
Mobility: A battlesuit often provides its wearer some means of getting
around using movement powers. In some cases, it is as simple as enhanced
Strength, allowing the wearer to jump further and climb more easily. More
often, the suit has some sort of mobility system.
Like heroic movement powers, the most common is Flight, using rockets,
anti-gravity, glider wings, or some other means of propulsion. An underwater
suit provides the Aquatic power, while one designed for underground
exploration might have Burrowing. More exotic battlesuits can have other
movement powers, like a “stealth suit” with Swinging and Wall-Crawling, or
a “boom suit” with Teleportation.
Strength: A battlesuit often enhances its wearer’s Strength, using motors
or force fields that mimic and magnify the wearer’s movements. This is simply
a device for a hero’s superhuman Strength level, typically 7 or higher, but it
could apply to a lower level of Strength; the battlesuit magnifies it, just not
as much. So, for example, a hero might have Strength 6 while wearing the
suit, but only Strength 3 (or even less!) out of it. Some characters even have
Strength-related challenges or disabilities without their armor.
Weapons: Weapon systems put the “battle” into the “suit” with different
offensive powers. By far the most common is Blast, ranging from bashing
force beams to shooting lasers or machine guns. Explosive Blasts for missiles
or energy bombs are not unusual.
Binding weapons may shoot steams of fast-hardening glue or resin,
or masses of sticky fibers. Dazzle weapons might be strobes, flash bombs,
sonic “screamers” or similar devices. An Aura may electrify or super-heat the
surface of the suit, damaging anyone touching it, or represent a suit covered
in spikes or sharp edges. Stunning can be a taser-like weapon, while Strike
might be gauntlets with spikes (slashing) or kinetic strikers (bashing).
MENTAL DEVICES
Mental power devices are often worn on the head, in the form of helmets,
headbands, skullcaps, hats, and so forth, although they can also be amulets,
necklaces, or rings. Mental devices are often magical, but may be technological,
particularly for Telepathy or controlling powers.
MIND CONTROLLERS
Villains often use small devices (collars, headbands, or implants) capable
of exerting Mind Control over their subjects. Placing the device requires a
successful close attack and neutralizing the mind control often involves
removing or disabling the device. Similar devices are “brain taps” providing
artificial Telepathy (particularly the Mind Probe extra).
MIND SHIELDS
A common type of mental device is an artificial mind shield, granting the
user Mental Resistance. Depending on how common mental powers are in the
setting, these devices may be standard-issue for high-ranking government
officials, judges, and corporate executives, not to mention powerful crime
lords and their immediate underlings. The presence of a mind shield device
can be considered trouble for mental power users, since they often exist for
the convenience of the plot. A similar device is a mental dampening field, a
Mental Power Nullifier.
Devices 135
MOVEMENT DEVICES
A movement device may be a special vehicle of some sort, from a souped-
up car to a plane or dimension-travel capsule. Movement devices also include
personal items from jet-packs to anti-gravity harnesses, wall-walking boots
and gloves, and teleport belts.
VEHICLES
Vehicles are special movement devices, having abilities of their own:
Handling: How responsive the vehicle is to its driver or pilot. Tests for
maneuvering the vehicle use the lesser of its Handling or the character’s
appropriate ability (usually Coordination). Then apply any specialty modifier.
Speed: How fast the vehicle travels. Some vehicles have different speed
levels for different environments, but must have at least one: ground, water,
air, or space.
Structure: The vehicle’s Material in terms of damage. It takes into account
that vehicles are complex machines with vulnerable moving parts rather
than just solid blocks of material. Some vehicles also have armor (Damage
Resistance) protecting the vehicle, its passengers, or both.
Handling Tests: When making a difficult or risky maneuver with the vehicle,
its pilot must make a test of the lesser of its Handling or the character’s
appropriate ability (usually Coordination), modified by any specialty. Especially
difficult maneuvers may require a major or better success. Failure on the
handling test means the pilot loses control of the vehicle.
Devices 137
SAMPLE VEHICLES
Vehicle Handling Speed Structure Armor Notes
+1 Handling for
Car 3 3 4 —
sports models
Bus 2 3 4 1
+1 Handling for
Motorcycle 3 4 3 —
sports models
Bulldozer 3 2 5 — Strength 6 plow
Train 1 4 4 1
Airliner 4 6 4 —
Private Plane 3 5 4 —
Blast 5 guns,
Fighter Jet 5 7 4 2
missiles 7
WWII plane 4 4 3 1 Blast 5 guns
Flying car 4 5 3 —
Speedboat 4 4 3 —
Yacht 3 4 3 —
BASHING WEAPONS
Bashing weapons are blunt, hand-held devices like clubs, hammers, and
makeshift weapons like baseball bats. The typical bashing weapon does up
to Strength level + 1 damage, with a maximum of its Material level; if used
to inflict more damage than its Material level, or if it hits Resistance greater
than its Material, the weapon breaks. Most bashing weapons are Material 4
(primarily wood) or 5 (primarily metal).
SLASHING WEAPONS
Slashing weapons are edged or pointed (or both) like knives, swords,
spears, and so forth. A hand-held slashing weapon typically does damage
level 4 and has the same Material limitations as a bashing weapon.
BLASTING WEAPONS
Blasting weapons shoot force beams or similar impact attacks. They tend
to be high-tech devices available only to government agents, multinational
corporations, or criminal syndicates. They range in level from 4 for pistol-
sized blasters to 6 for heavy blaster rifles.
SHOOTING WEAPONS
Most shooting weapons are guns, ranging from damage 3–4 handguns to
damage 4–5 rifles. Fully automatic weapons (machine guns) have the Burst
extra, allowing them to spray enough fire to affect multiple targets in a close
area. Bows and crossbows fire damage 4 arrows or bolts, and are often used
for various trick arrows with other effects. Rubber bullets, “stun” arrows, or
other “mercy” ammo can allow shooting weapons to do blasting damage
instead, reducing the chance of lethal damage.
HEAVY WEAPONS
Military-grade, and often vehicle-mounted, weapons range from damage
5–6 heavy machine guns to damage 7 bazookas and anti-tank rockets.
Devices 139
CHEMICAL WEAPONS
These weapons are various gases and compounds:
The delivery system for a chemical weapon determines its level (how
much of the chemical can be delivered to the target).
• Pellets are the smallest delivery system, about the size of marbles, easily
carried and concealed: Level 4 or less, although a handful of pellets can
equal the effect of a grenade.
• Grenades are fist-sized, usually with a simple pin or trigger to activate:
Level 4–6.
• Bombs range in size from a thick paperback book to a large briefcase
or more: Level 6 or higher.
• Sprays focus a chemical attack into a directed stream, usable against a
single target at close range: Level 5 or less, single target.
GRENADES
Grenades are compact single-use weapons thrown by hand or shot from
a launcher and able to deliver a variety of area effects on target.
SENSORY DEVICES
Sensory devices are typically scanners or sense enhancers like helmets
with heads-up displays, amulets, goggles, or the like. They might also be
magic items that grant various sensory powers. Examples include:
• Crystal Balls are magical devices with ESP, often with the Dimensional
extra.
• Night Vision Goggles grant the Super-Senses Additional Sense of
being able to see in the dark, ignoring penalties for limited visibility.
• Power Scanners are small hand-held devices with a level of Power
Detection (p. 60), allowing them to pick up on the use (and users)
of certain powers nearby.
• Universal Translators are compact computers with linguistic software
that grants the benefits of the Comprehend Languages of Super-
Senses (p. 116).
Devices 141
APPENDIX:
USING GREAT POWER
WITH FATE CORE
Icons drew a lot of mechanical inspiration from the Fudge RPG by Stefan
O’Sullivan and its descendant, Fate, by Evil Hat Games. After the initial
publication of Icons, the Fate system appeared in its own core rulebook.
This essay looks at the idea of using the material in Great Power as a super-
powers supplement for Fate, as presented in the Fate Core book from Evil
Hat Productions.
KEY DIFFERENCES
There are some key differences between Icons and Fate to be aware of
for purposes of using Great Power in conjunction with Fate Core:
Stamina vs. Stress: Icons uses Stamina to measure damage taken in
conflicts while Fate uses stress (similar to the accumulating outcomes of a
Pyramid Test). Generally, rather than having a power effect inflict Stamina
damage, you’ll want to compare the power effect (a total of the power’s
level and the effect of the test to use the power) against a target’s resistance
ability (typically the Physique or Willpower skills) to determine the stress
the power causes.
Example: You hurl a Blast at your opponent, getting an outcome of 2
on the attack test (meaning your effort exceeds the difficulty by 2). You
have a level 6 Blast and your opponent has Strength 5, giving you a base
outcome of 1 on the damage, plus the outcome of 2 from your attack,
for a total of 3 stress. Your opponent can either mark off stress or take
consequences to reduce it.
Note this approach is slightly different from Fate Core in that it adds a
step involving the effect level versus the acting level of ability (core Fate
uses just one ability to determine the outcome of an attack, such as Shooting
vs. Athletics). It allows the Icons approach of powers having their own levels
to integrate better. See “N” is for “Narrative Damage” in the Icons A to Z
sourcebook for additional notes on using a stress system in Icons.
The physical and mental stress tracks used in Fate are based off Strength
and Willpower in Icons, the analogs of Physique and Will from Fate.
Abilities vs. Skills: Icons uses a combination of abilities and specialties to
measure characters’ capabilities. Fate uses skills, which are like a summation
of abilities and specialties, arranged in a pyramid from the character’s highest
level skill to lowest level skills. Generally, when it refers to an Icons ability or
specialty, use the closest equivalent Fate skill, as follows:
Strength Physique
Prowess Fighting
Coordination Athletics
Intellect Lore
Awareness Notice
Willpower Will
Coordination may also translate into other Fate skills like Burglary, Drive,
Shooting, or Stealth, depending on usage. Likewise, Awareness might translate
into Empathy or Investigation, depending on the situation. Use your best
judgment.
Determination Points vs. Fate Points: Both Icons and Fate use systems
of points players can spend to influence the game in different ways. For the
most part, Determination Points in Icons can be considered the equivalent
of Fate Points in Fate. Use the Fate Point guidelines in any cases of conflict.
Determination level in Icons is similar to refresh rate in Fate, and the
reduction in Determination level for powers is also much like reduction
in refresh for having additional stunts. Use the Great Power approach for
figuring starting Determination and use that value for refresh rate in Fate.
If a hero’s starting Determination is above 3, consider giving that character
some Fate stunts, as appropriate.
LICENSE
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15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
Fudge System Reference Document Copyright 2005, Grey Ghost Press, Inc.; Authors Stef-
fan O’Sullivan and Ann Dupuis, with additional material by Peter Bonney, Deird’Re Brooks,
Reimer Behrends, Shawn Garbett, Steven Hammond, Ed Heil, Bernard Hsiung, Sedge Lewis,
Gordon McCormick, Kent Matthewson, Peter Mikelsons, Anthony Roberson, Andy Skinner,
Stephan Szabo, John Ughrin, Dmitri Zagidulin
FATE (Fantastic Adventures in Tabletop Entertainment), Copyright 2003 by Evil Hat Pro-
ductions LLC; Authors Robert Donoghue and Fred Hicks.
Spirit of the Century, Copyright 2006, Evil Hat Productions LLC. Authors Robert Donoghue,
Fred Hicks, and Leonard Balsera.
Icons, Copyright 2010, Steve Kenson, Author Steve Kenson.
The Villainomicon, Copyright 2010, Adamant Entertainment, Authors Steve Kenson, G.M.
Skarka, Walt Ciechanowski, Morgan Davie, and Theron Bretz.
Great Power, Copyright 2013, Ad Infinitum Adventures, Author: Steve Kenson.