A Green and Pleasant Land
For years, things in Emerald City were stable, dependable. Sure, times were tough when the lumber and paper industries took a hit, and again when fishing and farming suffered, but they got better when the tech boom arrived, and companies like MarsTech, USNet, and Brande Management brought new jobs and new opportunities.

Rapid development brought its own growing pains but, still, Emerald City didn’t have alien armadas filling the sky, or mad gods trying to turn it into a Hell on Earth.

Unlike Freedom City, Emerald has never had more than a few scattered costumed champions over the years, and none that stuck around long enough to make much of an impact.

To most local residents, it’s just one of those things – like how the city’s never been able to attract an NBA franchise.

When it comes to capes, however, the truth is far more sinister than David Stern considering Emerald “too small market.”

Emerald’s skies were free of flying figures, but also of aerial battles. There were a few costumed types now and again, but not so you would really notice. Things were stable … until the Silver Storm.

The "Silver Storm" explosion tears Emerald City’s facade of normalcy and unleashes a flood of dangerous super-criminals and monsters.

This one incident upsets the delicate balance and changes everything.

The heroes begin writing their own chapter in Emerald City history on an otherwise pleasant day.

There’s enough sunshine to make most anyone glad to be alive, and seemingly all of Emerald City has ventured outside to take advantage of it.

Every downtown street is lined with people out roller-blading, walking their dogs, people-watching at sidewalk cafes, or doing a little shopping.

Bargain-hunters are preeminently drawn to Yellow Brick Row, and most local merchants have sidewalk sales set up to greet them.

Food and beverage carts aren’t hard to find, and city newcomers are bound to notice the Row’s restauranteurs offer cuisine with an Asian flair.

There are plenty of burgers and fries to be had, but just as many good spots to grab some pad Thai, teriyaki, and other Eastern delicacies.

Before any of the characters can sit down and grab their chopsticks, however, the deafening sound of trouble interrupts their good times.

Time to go looking for a phone booth!

Recruitment Now Open Recruitment is now open for 5 – 8 Players, each creating a Power Level 10 Super Hero, utilizing 150 Power Points, from the Mutants & Masterminds Third Edition Heroes Handbook:

http://cs.selu.edu/~cpierson/Files/Mutants%20and%20masterminds%20Core%20Rules%203E.pdf

We will be using the Mutants & Masterminds fictitious setting of 'Emerald City', which is located in the Pacific Northwest.

Emerald City is a haven for Super Villains who have secreted themselves throughout the city. Over the years, a few ruthless or unscrupulous Super Villains, who went on public crime sprees, have been eliminated by other Super Villains, in an effort to make sure the presence of so many Super Villains remains under the radar from Law Enforcement, as well as from any Super Heroes who may be snooping around as Bounty Hunters.

On the East Coast near Atlantic City is Freedom City, probably the most heavily populated Super Hero area in America.

Therefore, many of the Super Villains have migrated northwest to Emerald City to lay low and enjoy the spoils of the ill-gotten gains they have acquired from other areas of the country.

'Emerald City: Silver Storm' is set in present day Emerald City, about 6 months prior to detailed descriptions of Emerald City that appear in the 'Players Guide to Emerald City' and the 'Emerald City Map' pdf (which I will Email to participating Players).

Regarding Level 10 Power Level Character Creation Power level is a value set by the Game Master for the series as a whole. It places certain limits on where and how players can spend power points when creating or improving their heroes. Power level imposes the following limits:

Skill Modifier: Your hero’s total modifier with any skill (ability rank + skill rank + advantage modifiers) cannot exceed the series power level +10. This includes untrained skill modifiers using only ability rank, and so sets an effective limit on all abilities associated with skills.

Attack & Effect: The total of your hero’s attack bonus and effect rank with that attack cannot exceed twice the series power level. If an effect allows a resistance check, but does not require an attack check, its effect rank cannot exceed the series power level.

Dodge & Toughness: The total of your hero’s Dodge and Toughness defenses cannot exceed twice the series power level.

Parry & Toughness: The total of your hero’s Parry and Toughness defenses cannot exceed twice the series power level.

Fortitude & Will: The total of your hero’s Fortitude and Will defenses cannot exceed twice the series power level.

Series Power Level is 10 which makes the +10 a limit of 20 (any combination) in the above areas.

Ability Ranks Cost 2 Power Points per Rank You choose your hero’s ability ranks by spending power points on them. Increasing an ability rank by 1 costs 2 power points, so putting two points into Strength, for example, raises it from 0 to 1. Remember a rank of 0 is average, 2 is a fair amount of talent or natural ability, 3 is exceptional, 4 extraordinary, and so forth. (See the Ability Benchmarks table for guidelines.) [page 55]

Abilities Strength (STR) Strength measures sheer muscle power and the ability to apply it. Your Strength rank applies to: Damage dealt by your unarmed and strength-based attacks.
How far you can jump (based on an Athletics skill check).
The amount of weight you can lift, carry, and throw.
Athletics skill checks.

Stamina (STA) Stamina is health, endurance, and overall physical resilience. Stamina is important because it affects a character’s ability to resist most forms of damage. Your Stamina modifier applies to:
Toughness defense, for resisting damage.
Fortitude defense, for resisting effects targeting your character’s health.
Stamina checks to resist or recover from things affecting your character’s health when a specific defense doesn’t apply.

Agility (AGL) Agility is balance, grace, speed, and overall physical coordination. Your Agility rank applies to:
Dodge defense, for avoiding ranged attacks and other hazards.
Initiative bonus, for acting first in combat.
Acrobatics and Stealth skill checks.
Agility checks for feats of coordination, gross movement, and quickness when a specific skill doesn’t apply.

Fighting (FGT) Fighting measures your character’s ability in close combat, from hitting a target to ducking and weaving around any counter-attacks. Your Fighting rank applies to:
Attack checks for close attacks.
Parry defense, for avoiding close attacks.

Intellect (INT) Intellect covers reasoning ability and learning. A character with a high Intellect rank tends to be knowledgeable and well-educated. Your Intellect modifier applies to:
Expertise, Investigation, Technology, and Treatment skill checks.
Intellect checks to solve problems using sheer brain-power when a specific skill doesn’t apply.

Awareness (AWE) While Intellect covers reasoning, Awareness describes common sense and intuition, what some might call “wisdom.” A character with a high Intellect and a low Awareness may be an “absent-minded professor” type, smart but not always aware of what’s going on. On the other hand, a not so bright (low Intellect) character may have a great deal of common sense (high Awareness). Your Awareness modifier applies to:
Will defense, for resisting attacks on your mind.
Insight and Perception skill checks.
Awareness checks to resolve matters of intuition when a specific skill doesn’t apply.

Presence (PRE) Presence is force of personality, persuasiveness, leadership ability and (to a lesser degree) attractiveness. Presence is useful for heroes who intend to be leaders as well as those who strike fear into the hearts of criminals with their presence. Your Presence modifier applies to:
Deception, Intimidation, and Persuasion skill checks.
Presence checks to influence others through force of personality when a specific skill doesn’t apply.

Heroes face many hazards in their line of work, from attacks by villainous foes to traps and fiendish mind control. A hero’s defenses are abilities used to avoid such things, determining the difficulty to affect a hero with an attack, or to make resistance checks against them. Each defense is based on a particular ability, modified by the hero’s advantages and powers. For more on defenses in general and how you use them, see Chapter 8.

Dodge Dodge defense is based on Agility rank. It includes reaction time, quickness, nimbleness, and overall coordination, used to avoid ranged attacks or other hazards where reflexes and speed are important.

Fortitude Fortitude defense is based on Stamina and measures health and resistance to threats like poison or disease. It incorporates constitution, ruggedness, metabolism, and immunity.

Parry Parry defense is based on Fighting. It is the ability to counter, duck, or otherwise evade a foe’s attempts to strike you in close combat through superior fighting ability.

Toughness Toughness defense is based on Stamina and is resistance to direct damage or harm, and overall durability.

Will Will defense is based on Awareness rank. It measures mental stability, level-headedness, determination, self-confidence, self-awareness, and willpower, used to resist mental or spiritual attacks.

Defense Rank Your base defense ranks are equal to your ranks in their associated abilities. You can increase your defenses above the values granted by your ability ranks by spending power points:
1 power point grants you an additional rank in a defense, up to the limits imposed by power level (see Power Level on page 24).
Defense Cost = 1 power point per +1 rank
With the Enhanced Trait effect (see the Powers chapter) you can also improve your defenses with powers at the same cost, 1 point per rank.

Toughness Rank The exception is Toughness, which can only be increased above your base Stamina rank using advantages and powers, not by direct spending of power points.
This reflects that greater-than-normal Toughness is virtually always some sort of special ability.
See the Advantages and Powers chapters for various options for improving Toughness, notably the Defensive Roll advantage and the Protection effect.

ACQUIRING SKILLS Give your hero skill ranks by spending power points: 2 skill ranks per power point.
Skill ranks do not all need to be assigned to the same skill. You can split them between different skills.
Characters can perform some tasks without any training, using only raw talent (as defined by their ability ranks), but skilled characters are better at such things.
Those with the right combinations of skills and advantages can even hold their own against super-powered opponents.
Skill Cost = 1 power point per 2 skill ranks.

Training vs Talent In game terms there’s no difference between a character who has ranks in a skill because of extensive training and another whose skill ranks represent a natural talent or aptitude for the skill.
Both are considered “trained” in the skill in game terms.
For example, one character might have a high Persuasion skill based on the character’s extensive training in negotiation, debate, and management.
Another character’s Persuasion skill may stem more from personal attractiveness or a knack for getting others to cooperate, while a third character may have a combination of the two.
Feel free to decide for yourself what mix of training and talent your character’s skill ranks represent.

Life Skills When allocating skill ranks for your character consider not just the character’s role as a hero but also the various other skills the character may have picked up in day-to-day life.
For example, most adults have some sort of Expertise skill as their occupation with at least 3 to 5 ranks (more if they’re especially good at their job).
Some people pick up ranks in Perception, although most get by using the skill untrained.
Characters working with technology may have the Technology skill even if it doesn’t apply to their powers.
A particularly well-educated person may have various Expertise skills for jobs they don’t even hold.
These additional skills help round out a character and provide some background color and—who knows?—they may turn out to be useful in an adventure at some point!

Adventuring Skills Also give some thought to the skills your character needs to be effective in game play. Some are obvious, especially if they’re part of your character concept.
A scientist is likely to have ranks in Technology.
A pilot should have Vehicles, while a doctor should have Treatment in addition to Expertise: Physician.
Beyond the obvious and life skills of your character consider “utility skills” like Insight, Perception, and Stealth, which many characters find useful.
A few ranks in such skills may be a smart investment.

Heroes are more than just skilled, they often have amazing advantages, beyond the abilities of ordinary people. In Mutants & Masterminds, advantages often allow heroes to “break the rules,” gaining access to and doing things most people cannot, or simply doing them better.

Acquiring Advantages Advantages are rated in ranks and bought with power points, just like abilities and skills. Advantages cost 1 power point per rank.
Some advantages have no ranks and are acquired only once, effectively at rank 1.
Advantage Cost = 1 power point per advantage rank

Advantage Descriptions Each advantage’s description explains the benefit it provides. It also says if the advantage can be acquired in ranks and the effects of doing so.
Such advantages are listed as “Ranked” alongside the advantage name.
Ranks in an advantage are noted with a number after the advantage’s name, such as “Defensive Roll 2” (for a character who has taken two ranks in the Defensive Roll advantage), just like skill and power ranks.
If there is a maximum number of ranks a character can take, it’s listed in parentheses after the word “Ranked” in the advantage’s heading.

TYPES OF ADVANTAGES Advantages are categorized as one of four types:
Combat Advantages are useful in combat and often modify how various combat maneuvers are performed.
Fortune Advantages require and enhance the use of hero points.
General Advantages provide special abilities or bonuses not covered by the other categories.
Skill Advantages offer bonuses or modifications to skill use.

ADVANTAGE DESCRIPTIONS Each advantage is listed by name, type, and if the advantage is available in multiple ranks, followed by a description of the advantage’s benefits.
The effects of additional ranks of the advantage (if any) are noted in the text of each advantage.
In some cases an advantage’s description mentions the normal conditions for characters who do not have the advantage for comparison.

Although some heroes and villains rely solely on their skills and advantages, most are set apart by their superhuman powers. Mutants & Masterminds characters can lift tanks, fly through the air, throw lightning from their hands, shoot lasers from their eyes, or any number of other amazing things.

ACQUIRING POWERS Players spend power points on various powers for their heroes, like acquiring skills or other traits.
A power is made up of one or more effects, possibly with different modifiers, which increase or decrease the cost of the effects.
Effects can be used to create any number of different powers.
A hero with the Concealment effect (see page 101) could use it to create a power called Blending, Blur, Cloak, Invisibility, Shadowmeld, or anything else appropriate to the character you wish to play.
It’s all a matter of how powerful the effect is and what modifiers have been placed on it to increase or decrease its performance.
Another way to think of it is that this book is filled with effects, but your character sheet is filled with powers.

POWER COSTS Power effects are acquired in ranks, like ranks for other traits. The more ranks an effect has, the greater its effect. Each effect of a power has a standard cost per rank.

MODIFIERS Modifiers change how an effect works, making it more effective (an extra) or less effective (a flaw).
Modifiers have ranks, just like other traits. Extras increase a power’s cost while flaws decrease it.
Some modifiers increase an effect’s cost per rank, others apply an unchanging cost to the power’s total; these are called flat modifiers.
For more information see Modifiers, on page 135.
The final cost of a power is determined by base effect costs, modified by extras and flaws, multiplied by the power’s rank, with flat modifiers applied to the total cost.
Power Cost = ((base effect costs + extras - flaws) x rank) + flat modifiers

POWER DESCRIPTORS The rules in this chapter explain what the various powers do, that is, what their game effects are, but it is left up to the player and Game Master to apply descriptors to define exactly what a power is and what it looks (and sounds, and feels) like to observers beyond just a collection of game effects.

A power’s descriptors are primarily for color. It’s more interesting and clear to say a hero has a “Flame Blast” or “Lightning Bolt” power than a generic “Damage effect.”

“Flame” and “lightning” are descriptors for the Damage effect. Descriptors do have some impact on the game since some effects work only on or with effects of a particular descriptor.

A hero may be immune to fire and heat, for example, so any effect with the “fire” or “heat” descriptor doesn’t affect that character. The different sense types (see page 124) are descriptors pertaining to sensory effects.

Generally speaking, a descriptor is part of what a power is called beyond its game system name. For example, a weather-controlling heroine has the following effects: Damage, Concealment, and Environment. Her Damage effect is the power to throw lightning bolts, so it has the descriptor “lightning.”

If a villain can absorb electricity, then his power works against the heroine’s Damage (since lightning is electrical in nature).

Concealment creates thick banks of fog, giving it the “fog” or “mist” descriptor. So if an opponent transforms into mist, with the ability to regenerate in clouds or fog, he can regenerate inside the heroine’s Concealment area.

Her Environment is the power to control the weather, giving it the descriptor “weather.”

If the heroine’s power comes as a gift from the gods, it may also have the descriptor “divine” or “magical.” On the other hand, if it comes from her mutant genetic structure, then it has the descriptor “mutant.”

A villain able to nullify mutant powers could potentially nullify all of the heroine’s powers!

The number of power descriptors is virtually limitless. The players and Game Master should cooperate to apply the appropriate descriptors to characters’ powers and use common sense when dealing with how the different descriptors interact.

Just because one hero throws “lightning” and an opponent can absorb “electricity” doesn’t mean the villain’s absorption doesn’t work because it’s not the exact same descriptor.

Lightning is a form of electricity. A certain amount of flexibility is built into descriptors, allowing them to cover the full range of possible powers.

As in all things, the GM is the final arbitrator and should be consistent when ruling on whether or not a particular descriptor is appropriate and how all effects and descriptors interact in the series.

My Goal is to have the longest running Super Hero Adventure here at our beloved Inn.

Looking for 5 – 8 Players interested in role playing a Super Hero in Emerald City, usually on a weekly basis!

I do understand that Real Life and Family takes priority over Gaming, but the common courtesy of communication between Players and Game Master, when possible, should be the rule of thumb here!

If necessary, for a short period of time, I will NPC your Super Hero to help the Super Hero Team deal with the 'Bad Guys' in any given scenario, over the course of this adventure.

However, if a Player suddenly disappears from the Inn, without any plausible explanation for failure to communicate regarding his or her absence, then I will reserve the right as the GM to introduce a Character that I have named the 'Time Twister', to make an unexpected appearance at any point in the ongoing adventure: for the sole purpose of having a personal encounter with the Super Hero belonging to the 'Absent Player', resulting in him or her disappearing into a 'Time Vortex' and vanishing from the current storyline!

Should the Absent Player find his or her way back to the Inn, there is no guarantee that his or her Super Hero will be able to find a way back to Emerald City: Because Such a Scenario will Depend Upon both Time and Communication!

I read through the linked material. never played mutants and masterminds before, but it sounds cool. Working on some sort of teleporter build atm, if you'll have me for the game.

*evaporates*

Hey Chessicfayth, you along with Salvator Navaar are working on character concepts.

You have plenty of time to develop your Character Creations, because I am not rushing anybody during this preliminary creation process!

Will need between 5 - 8 Players total to get the adventure rolling and actually anyone interested in playing is welcome to develop a character and have one ready to join in at any time along the way!

It will take me a few days to provide a Sample of a Character here, but here is a basic character sheet (obviously Players will not have to fill in everything on the sheet)

Hero aka Code Name:

Player:

Identity [Secret or Public]:

Gender:

Age:

Date of Birth:

Height:

Weight:

Eyes:

Hair:

Group Affiliation:

Base of Operation:

Power Level:

Power Point Totals: ( )
Abilities ( )
Powers ( )
Advantages ( )
Skills ( )
Defenses ( )

Abilities
Strength (STR) Rank:
Stamina (STA) Rank:
Agility (AGL) Rank:
Dexterity (DEX) Rank:
Fighting (FGT) Rank:
Intellect (INT) Rank:
Awareness (AWE) Rank:
Presence (PRE) Rank:

Defense
Dodge (AGL):
Parry (FGT):
Fortitude (STA):
Toughness (STA):
Will (AWE):

Initiative [Base Initiative Bonus is equal to Agility Rank]:

Offense
( )
( )
( )

Hero Points:

Power Points Earned:

Power Points Spent:

Advantages


Skills
Acrobatics Rank: ( )
Athletics Rank: ( )
Close Combat
Rank: ( )
Rank: ( )
Rank: ( )
Deception Rank: ( )
Expertise
Rank: ( )
Rank: ( )
Rank: ( )
Rank: ( )
Insight Rank: ( )
Intimidation Rank: ( )
Investigation Rank: ( )
Perception Rank: ( )
Persuasion Rank ( )
Ranged Combat
Rank: ( )
Rank: ( )
Rank: ( )
Sleight of Hand Rank: ( )
Stealth Rank: ( )
Technology Rank: ( )
Treatment Rank: ( )
Vehicles Rank: ( )

Powers & Devices
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9.



Complications
1.

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Equipment, Vehicles & Headquarters




Notes & Conditions



Short Synopsis of Back Story

Can I get some sort of base line for a power 10 character? Because I have no idea how to work my ideas without knowing where on the scale they land. Even base stats. I know that the guy should be able to do, but don't know how to numerically express it. The book is a bit vague about that....

*evaporates*

Toughness for your character is determined mainly by your Stamina Power Level.

So if you want to at least have a Rank 10 Toughness (Fortitude also) then you will have to spend 20 Power Points on Stamina. [2 power points per Rank]

Dodge and Toughness cannot exceed twice the Power Level of the game [10 x 2 = 20] so with a Rank 10 Stamina you can also have a Rank 10 in Agility which determines Dodge.

Or you could have a 12 Stamina and 8 Agility = 20.

Parry & Toughness cannot exceed 20, so either a 10 Stamina and 10 Fighting (which determines Parry) or if you have a 12 Stamina it would be an 8 Fighting maximum.

Fortitude & Will cannot exceed 20, so if 10 Stamina you can have a 10 Awareness (determines Will) or if you went with 12 Stamina you could only have a maximum of 8 Awareness.

Choice of Advantages and Skills also factor in, so if you get a basic concept of what you want your character to be able to do, then we can work from there.

Deciding on a Stamina Rank for both Toughness & Fortitude is a good place to start with placing power points.

I will update the Nightengale character that I originally had in the Zurga Patriots QnA (at Level 3) and will post her here in 2 or 3 days.

Hope this helps for now ?????

It clarifies things a bit more. Will give the sheet another try. Hopefully I shouldn't need to bother you again.

I learned dnd inside an hour. I'm frustrated with myself that I'm confused.

*evaporates*

Have pm'd what I have so far, to make sure there aren't any glaringly obvious issues.

I'm serious. I can't tell if I made an obvious rookie mistake or not.

*evaporates*