Rule Book

This website provides the Open Game Content portions of the 3rd Edition of the **Mutants and Masterminds** Superhero Roleplaying Game by Green Ronin Publishing. That means this site includes everything but the two phrases “Hero Points” and “Power Points.”Those phrases (and the associated mechanics) are replaced on this site by the phrases “Victory Points” and “Character Points.”This site contains all the information you need to play the game. This page starts you off with a quick overview of how the game works and then jumps right into the details. After you read it, click through to the rest of the site to see the options for creating heroes and villains.

## GET STARTED

This site provides a framework for your imagination. It has rules to help
determine what happens in your stories and to resolve conflicts between
characters and the challenges they face. With it, you can experience
adventure as a hero fighting against the forces of evil! Any adventure
you can imagine is possible.

Like all games, this one too has
rules. This page looks at the basic rules of the game and how they work,
 giving you the foundation upon which the rest of the game is built.

In
 this game, you take on the role of a costumed superhero safeguarding
the world from threats ranging from scheming super-criminals to alien
invasions, hulking monsters, natural disasters, and would-be conquerors.

### USING THIS SITE

The best way to use this site depends on whether you plan to be a player or Gamemaster in your game. The Gamemaster
 creates the world in which the heroes live and controls all non-player
characters (NPCs) such as thugs, cops, and supervillains, as well as the
 supporting cast. Each player controls a superhero he or she has
created, interacting with other player characters as well as with the
world and stories created by the Gamemaster.

### WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY

Here’s what you need to start playing this game:

* This website, which contains all of the rules necessary to create a hero and play the game.
* A character sheet (available on the Resources page or via www.mutantsandmasterminds.com.)
* A pencil and some paper.
* At least one twenty-sided die.
* Optionally, you may wish to have printed copies of the many **Mutants & Masterminds** books available from Green Ronin Publishing (but they are not required in order to play or run a game.)

### THE DIE

This game uses a twenty-sided die to resolve actions during the game. References to “a die” or “the die” refer to a twenty-sided die unless stated otherwise. The die is often abbreviated “d20” (for twenty-sided die) or “1d20” (for one twenty-sided die). So a rule asking you to “roll d20” means, “roll a twenty-sided die.” Many times on this site we use
the graphic of the red-colored d20 (as shown above) for simplicity and
quick recognition.

### MODIFIERS

Sometimes
 modifiers to the die roll are specified like this: “d20+2,” meaning
“roll the twenty-sided die and add two to the number rolled.” An
abbreviation of “d20–4” means, “roll the die and subtract four from the
result.”

### PERCENTAGES

You
 can also use the die to roll a percent chance of something in
increments of 5% – just multiply the value of the die by 5 to get a
percentage from 5% (a 1) to 100% (a 20). So if there’s a 45% chance of
something, that’s a roll of 9 or less on the die.

### PLAYERS

If you’re creating a hero for a game, see Secret Origins
 for a basic overview. The following sections contain all the
information you need to create your own hero. You may want to consult
with your Gamemaster before creating a hero to find out what sort of series your GM is interested in running, and what types of heroes are appropriate.

### GAMEMASTERS

If you plan to be a Gamemaster, you should familiarize yourself with this whole website. Start by looking over hero creation in the Secret Origins section. Then read through the Action & Adventure
 section, and familiarize yourself with how to do things in the game.
You may want to run a few sample combats using the sample archetypes,
just to get a feel for things.

### UNDER THE HOOD

Throughout this website, you’ll find various **Under the Hood**
 boxes. They take a look “behind the scenes” at the logic underlying
design decisions and rules, and offer advice on how to handle common
problems or issues that might crop up. They give you an inside look at
how the game works and how to ensure you and your group get the most out
 of it.

## THE CORE MECHANIC

This
 game uses a standard, or “core,” game mechanic to resolve actions.
Whenever a character attempts an action with a chance of failure, do the
 following:

1. Roll a twenty-sided die (or d20).
2. Add any relevant modifiers (for game traits like abilities, skills, powers, or circumstances) to the number rolled.
3. Compare the total to a number called a **difficulty class** (abbreviated **DC**).

If the result equals or exceeds the difficulty class (set by the GM based on the circumstances), the effort succeeds. If the result is lower than the difficulty class, it fails.

This
 simple mechanic is used for nearly everything in the game, with
variations based on what modifiers are made to the roll, what determines
 the difficulty class, and the exact degree of success and failure.

Just remember…

> **d20 + modifiers vs. difficulty class**
>
>

…and you understand how to play most of the game!

## THE GAMEMASTER

One of the players in a game takes the role of **Gamemaster** (abbreviated **GM**). The Gamemaster is responsible for running the game—a combination of writer, director, and referee. The GM
 creates the adventures for the heroes, portrays the villains and
supporting characters, describes the world to the players, and decides
the outcome of the heroes’ actions based on the roll of the die and the
guidelines given in the rules. It’s a big job, but also a rewarding one,
 since the Gamemaster gets to develop the world and all the characters in it, along with inventing fun and exciting stories.

If you’re going to be the Gamemaster,
 you should read through this whole website carefully. You should have a
 firm grasp of the rules, since you’re expected to interpret them for
the players to help decide what happens in the game. You’ll also help
the players develop their own heroes, making sure they fit into the
world and have potential for exciting stories in their own right.

## THE HEROES

The
 other players in a game create heroes, the main characters of their own
 adventures, like an ongoing comic book or animated series. As a player,
 you create your hero following these guidelines and the guidance of
your Gamemaster. There are several components to creating a hero, described in detail in the linked pages, and outlined briefly below.

### ABILITIES

All characters in this game, from heroes and villains to the average person on the street, are defined by eight **abilities**, basic traits each character has to a greater or lesser extent. Abilities tell you how strong, smart, and aware a character is, among other things. The abilities are: Strength, Stamina, Agility, Dexterity, Fighting, Intellect, Awareness, and Presence, described in detail on the Abilities page.

Each ability is assigned a **rank**
 from -5 to 20, measuring its effectiveness. A rank of 0 is unremarkable
 or average, applying no modifier. Rank 2 is pretty well above average. A
 5 is truly exceptional, while a 7 is about the most that can be
expected from a “normal” human being. Beyond that is superhuman, and a
rank of 20 is cosmic-level, far beyond the ability of mere mortals (and
even most heroes). abilities can even have negative ranks, for those
well below average, as low as –5.

For more about abilities, see the Abilities page.

### SKILLS

Abilities describe a character’s raw potential or overall capabilities. Skills are a refinement of those basic abilities into specific areas of endeavor. For example, Agility defines how quick and agile your hero is, but the Acrobatics
 skill focuses on specific feats of agility like gymnastics, doing back
flips, and so forth. Think of abilities as providing a certain baseline,
 while skills focus in on a particular area of expertise.

Characters are said to have **training**
 in a skill if they have a rank in that skill. A character not trained
in a skill has no rank; only the character’s basic ability applies to
checks involving the skill. Trained characters have a skill rank that
adds to the basic ability when making checks. In the previous example,
we said Acrobatics skill applies to specific feats of agility. If this game

a hero has Agility 6 and is trained in Acrobatics (with a rank of 7) then the character’s bonus for checks involving feats of agility covered by Acrobatics
 is 13 (6 plus 7). Obviously, training in a skill makes characters more
effective at checks involving that skill, often much more.

For details on what skills are available and what they do, see Skills.

### ADVANTAGES

Halfway between skills and powers, **advantages**
 are minor benefits characters have, allowing them to do things others
cannot. They range from special combat maneuvers to things like
financial resources, contacts, and so forth.

Many advantages have
no rank, or rather just one rank; a character either has the advantage
(and the benefits that it grants) or does not. Other advantages may have
 multiple ranks, like abilities and skills, measuring their
effectiveness.

For details on the various advantages and what they provide, see Advantages.

### POWERS

**Powers**
 are special abilities beyond those of ordinary human beings. They’re
like advantages, only much more so. Whereas an advantage might give your
 hero a minor special ability, powers grant truly superhuman abilities.

Those abilities are based on **effects**, which describe what a power does in game terms. A power may have just one effect or several, and you can apply various **modifiers** to the effects to change how they work, customizing them to get just the right power.

Power
 effects have ranks like abilities do, on a scale from 1 to 20
(sometimes more). Unlike abilities, effects do not have ranks of less
than 1, since the “average” is not having powers at all!

Some power effects require checks to use, while others operate automatically.

For full descriptions of the various effects powers can have, see Powers.

### COMPLICATIONS

Finally, heroes often have **complications** to overcome. Overcoming such challenges is part of what makes a real hero. Complications
 range from physical disabilities or personal issues to unusual
vulnerabilities. You choose your hero’s complications, defining some of
the challenges your hero must overcome in the game. The process of
dealing with complications allows your character to be more heroic,
discussed later in the rules.

See Secret Origins for more on complications.

GAME PLAY

A session of the this game resembles an issue of a comic book or an episode of an animated series. The Gamemaster
 and the players get together and tell a story through the process of
playing the game. The length of the game session can vary, from just a
couple hours to several hours or more. Some adventures may be completed
in a single session while others may take multiple sessions, just as
some comic book stories are told in one issue while others span multiple
 issues, forming a story arc or mini-series. The episodic nature of the
game allows you to choose when to stop playing and allows you to start
up again at any time you and your friends want.

Also like a comic book, a game consists of a series of interrelated **scenes**.
 Some scenes are fairly straightforward, with the heroes interacting
with each other and the supporting cast. In these cases the GM
 generally just asks the players to describe what their heroes are doing
 and in turn describes how the other characters react and what they do.
There may be some improvisational acting as everyone plays out the roles
 of their characters. When the action starts happening, such as when the
 heroes are staving off a disaster or fighting villains, time becomes
more crucial and is broken down into **action rounds**, and the players generally have to make die rolls to see how their heroes do.

## CHECKS

Your
 hero stands perched on the rooftop, looking down through the skylight.
In the abandoned warehouse below, the villain throws the switch that

begins lowering your hero’s friends into the vat of boiling acid! You turn to the Gamemaster and say:

> *“I*leap down, smashing through the skylight, swing over to the catwalk,
>
>
> kick the bad guy out of the way, then flip the switch to stop the
>
>
>
> lowering mechanism!”
>
>

***How exactly do you do that in the game?***

Whenever a character in a game attempts something where the outcome is in doubt, it requires a **check** of an appropriate trait: ability, skill, power, etc. (also known as a “trait check” or a “[fill-in trait name]” check, like a “Dexterity check,” for example).

Make a check by rolling the die, adding the appropriate rank, and comparing the result against a **difficulty class** (**DC**): if your result equals or exceeds the DC, you succeed. If it does not, then your attempt fails. Sometimes how much you exceed or fail to exceed the DC matters, but often it is simply whether you do or not that counts.

> **Check = d20 + ability vs. difficulty class**
>
>

So in the previous example, how many checks are there? Let’s break things down and look at what the hero is doing:

> *“…leap down …”* Jumping down is literally as easy as falling off a log, so there’s no need for a check here.
>
>

> *“… smashing through the skylight …”* Breaking something can require a check, but in this case—a body hurling through Plexiglas—the Gamemaster does not see a point in making one, so this is automatic, too. This is one of the ways the Gamemaster’s judgment and intervention is important in the flow of the game.
>
>

> *“…swing over to the catwalk …”* This part of the action is a bit of a judgment call. If your hero has the Swinging movement effect (see Powers), then this is automatic. Otherwise, it might call for an Acrobatics skill check to pull it off; even then, if your hero is good enough at Acrobatics, the Gamemaster might call this a routine check and waive the need for a roll (see **Routine Checks**).
>
>

> *“…kick the bad guy out of the way …”*
>
>
>  Here’s the real crux of the hero’s action. You want to hit the villain
> who, naturally, wants to avoid being hit. This calls for a check of your
>  hero’s Fighting
>  ability (which Measures the ability to hit things close-up). If you
> decided to have your hero shoot or throw something at the villain that
>
>
>
> would be a check of Dexterity instead.
>
>

> *“…flip the switch back up …”*
>
>
>  Assuming the bad guy is out of the way, this is easy, no check
> required. If the hero’s attempt to hit the villain fails, then the hero
> still has to get past him in order to do this at all. So it all depends
>
>
>
> on the outcome of the Fighting check against the bad guy. If the mechanism was especially complex, the GM might ask for a check here, such as using the Technology skill to figure out how it works.
>
>

As you can see, once you break it down, checks are actually fairly simple. All the Gamemaster has to say in response to the player’s declaration is: “Okay, roll a Fighting

 check to hit the villain,” letting the rest of the description stand as
 what happens. Whether or not the hero is successful in stopping the
trap depends on the outcome of the attack against the bad guy.

Of
course, if the villain is expecting the hero, there might be another
trap, such as part of the catwalk rigged to fall away under him, leaving
 him dangling above the acid vat and at the villain’s mercy! In that
case, the GM
 would respond to the player’s description: “You smash through the
skylight and swing over to the catwalk, but when you do…” and go on to
describe what follows. The rest of the hero’s intended action(s) are
null and void, because things don’t always go as planned when you’re
dealing with cunning supervillains!

Checks are used to resolve all outcomes so once you understand the basic concept, the rest is easy.

For detailed examples of how to use checks in the game and their effects, see Action & Adventure.

### CRITICAL SUCCESS

If you roll a 20 on the die when making a check you’ve scored a **critical success**.
 Determine the degree of success normally and then increase it by one
degree. This can turn a low-level success into something more
significant, but more importantly, it can turn a failure into a
full-fledged success! A critical success with an attack check is called a
 **critical hit**.

For more information regarding critical hits see Action & Adventure.

### DIFFICULTY CLASS

Checks are made against a **difficulty class** or **DC**, a number set by the GM, which your check must equal or exceed to achieve success. So for a task with a DC
 of 15 you must roll a check total of 15 or greater to succeed. In some
cases, the results of a check vary based on how much higher or lower the
 result is than the DC, known as its **degree** of success or failure.

### ROUTINE CHECKS

A
 check normally represents performing a task under a certain amount of
pressure, in the midst of the furious action of super-heroic adventure.
When the situation is less demanding, you can achieve more reliable
results.

Under routine circumstances—when you are not under any
pressure—instead of rolling the die for the check, calculate your result
 as if you had rolled a 10. This ensures success for average (DC
 10) tasks with a modifier of +0 or more. More capable characters (with
higher bonuses) can succeed on more difficult checks on a routine basis:
 a +10 bonus, for example, means a routine check total of 20, able to
succeed at DC 20 tasks on a routine basis, and achieve three degrees of success on average (DC 10) tasks on a routine basis.

The GM
 decides when circumstances are suitable for performing a task as a
routine check. Certain game traits also change what tasks or situations
are considered “routine” for a character. Routine checks help speed-up
game play and smooth-out some of the variability of die rolling in
situations where a character would be expected to perform at a steady,
reliable level.

If a character’s routine check result is not up to
 a task, the player still has the option to roll the die, since the task
 is by definition not routine for that character. The idea behind
routine checks is to eliminate die-rolling (and possible failures) for
things competent characters should be able to accomplish on a regular
basis, while still having a good idea of the characters’ capabilities.

### DIFFICULTY CLASSES

 Easy (5)
 Average (10)
 Tough (15)
 Challenging (20)
 Formidable (25)
 Heroic (30)
 Super-heroic (35)
 the guards, even though you’re not wearing an ID badge and aren’t on
 Nigh-impossible (40)

### CHECK EXAMPLES

 Climb the outside of a building
 Do a triple-back flip
 Find clues at a crime scene
 Notice a ninja sneaking up on you
 Recall a particular fact
 Fix a broken device
 Convince someone of something

### OPPOSED CHECKS

> **Under the Hood: Using Opposed Checks**
>
>

> Opposed checks offer the Gamemaster a useful tool for comparing the efforts of two characters quickly and easily. This applies not only to skills, but also powers and, in some cases, abilities. If two or more characters compete at a particular task, you can resolve it with an opposed check. The character with the highest check result wins. Of course, you can play things out if you want, but sometimes it’s good to be able to resolve things with a quick opposed check and move on.
>
>

> As Gamemaster, if you find yourself without a particular rule to resolve a conflict or contest between characters, the opposed check is your friend. Pick the appropriate skill, power, or ability, make checks for the characters and compare the results to see how they did.
>
>

Some checks are **opposed**. They are made against another character’s check result as the DC. Whoever gets the higher result wins. An example is trying to bluff someone. You roll a Deception check, while the GM rolls an Insight check for your target. If you beat the target’s Insight check result, you succeed.

For
 ties on opposed checks, the character with the higher bonus wins. If
the bonuses are the same, roll d20. On a 1–10, one character wins, and
on an 11–20, victory goes to the other character; decide which character
 is “high” and which is “low” before rolling.

### ROUTINE OPPOSITION

In
 cases where two or more characters are actively opposing each other,
both roll checks and compare the results. In some situations, however,
one or more of the characters in an opposed check may not even be aware
of it! For example, a guard standing watch and looking for intruders
would make a Perception check to oppose any attempt at Stealth, but somebody just sitting in a park, not expecting anyone to sneak up on her, isn’t specifically looking. This is a case of **routine opposition**, in which case the DC
 for the active character’s check is the opposing character’s modifier
+10, just like the result of a routine check (previously).

Active
defenses in combat, where characters are focusing on other actions, are
generally routine opposition, which is why attack checks are made
against a DC of 10 + the appropriate defense. Active opposed checks in combat are an option when a character goes on the defensive.

See **Defend** in Action & Adventure for further details.

### COMPARISON CHECKS

In
 cases where a check is a simple test of one character’s capability
against another, with no luck involved, both participants compare their
appropriate ranks. The character with the higher rank wins. Just as you
wouldn’t roll a “height check” to see who’s taller, you don’t need to
make a Strength check to see who’s stronger; Strength rank already tells you that.

So
 when two characters arm wrestle, for example, the stronger character
wins. If two flying characters race, the faster character wins, and so
forth. Note this does not include the use of extra effort (see **Extra Effort**)
 to temporarily increase a character’s rank, which can affect the
outcome of a comparison check, nor does it include things like
maneuvers, tricks, or other ways of trying to affect the outcome. It
assumes a straight-out comparison.

In the case of identical
bonuses or ranks, each character has an equal chance of winning. Roll a
die: on a 1–10, the first character wins, and on an 11–20, the second
character does.

### GRADED CHECKS

Much
 of the time a check is a simple pass-fail, it either succeeds, or it
does not. In other cases, it matters just how well the check succeeded,
or how badly it failed. This gradation of results is called a **graded check** and involves a **degree** of success or failure.

Just
 rolling a success or failure counts as one degree. Every five full
points a check result is over or under the difficulty class adds a
degree. Fractions are ignored when determining degrees. So DC 10 check with a result of 13 is one degree of success, just as a result of 8 is one degree of failure.

There
 is no limit to the number of degrees a check may have, although more
than two degrees of failure rarely matters, and some degrees of success
may have no further effect beyond a certain point (once you have
succeeded as well as is possible in a given situation). For example,
failure on an Acrobatics
 check to balance means you wobble and spend that turn maintaining your
balance, but don’t move. Two degrees of failure mean you lose your
balance and fall! After that point, further degrees of failure don’t
really matter.

In cases where a single degree of success or
failure is sufficient, the rules simply specify “success” or “failure”
without giving a degree.

Specific types of graded checks—notably
skill and resistance checks—give specific results for degrees of success
 and failure in their descriptions.

### CIRCUMSTANCE MODIFIERS

Circumstances and Difficulty

Technically,
 circumstance modifiers could apply to either the check result of the
difficulty class of a check, affecting the character’s performance, or
making the task itself easier or harder. If you want to differentiate
between circumstance modifiers that affect performance versus those that
 modify the difficulty of a task, feel free to do so. This game applies
circumstance modifiers directly to the check result because it is easier
 to deal with them consistently, and the game effect is the same: the
chance of success changes.

Some circumstances make checks easier or harder, resulting in a **bonus** or **penalty** to the check. Characters in a favorable situation are said to **have a circumstance bonus** for the check, while those in a disadvantageous situation are said to be **have a circumstance penalty**.

As
 a general rule, apply a modifier of plus or minus 2 if the character is
 at a minor bonus or minor penalty, and a modifier of plus or minus 5 if
 the character is at a major bonus or major penalty for the check:

+/-2 for bonus/penalty

+/-5 for major bonus/penalty

> **Under the Hood: Circumstances**
>
>

> Circumstance modifiers are another useful Gamemaster
>
>
>  tool for handling a lot of the variables that come up during game play.
>  Specific examples are discussed throughout the rules for various types
>
>
>
> of checks. One example includes the following:
>
>

> **TOOLS**
>
>

> Some
>
>
>  tasks require tools. If tools are needed, the specific items are
> mentioned in the description of the task or skill. If you don’t have the
>  appropriate tools, you may still be able to attempt the task, but at a
>
>
>
> major disadvantage, for a –5 circumstance penalty on your check, if the GM decides you can attempt the task at all.
>
>

> A character may be able to put together makeshift tools in order to make the check. If the GM allows this, reduce the circumstance penalty to –2.
>
>

### TEAM CHECKS

Sometimes
 characters work together and help each other out. In this case, one
character (usually the one with the highest bonus) is considered the
leader of the effort and makes the check normally, while each helper
makes the same type of check using the same trait(s) against DC
 10. The helpers’ individual degrees of success (and failure!) are added
 together to achieve the final outcome of the assistance.

Success
grants the leader a +2 circumstance bonus. Three or more total degrees
of success grant a +5 circumstance bonus. One degree of failure provides
 no modifier, but two or more impose a –2 circumstance penalty!

The GM
 sets the limit on how many characters can help as part of a team check.
 Regardless of the number of helpers, the leader’s bonus cannot be more
than +5 (for three or more total degrees of success) nor the penalty
greater than –2 (for two or more total degrees of failure).

Team Check = +2 circumstance bonus for one total degree of success

+5 circumstance bonus for three or more total degrees of success

-2 circumstance penalty for two or more total degrees of failure

### ATTACK CHECKS

An
**attack check** determines whether or not you hit an opponent in combat with an attack. It is a d20

roll plus your bonus with that particular attack, usually based off of
 Fighting or
 Dexterity and appropriate modifiers, like the Close and
 Ranged Combat skills. The difficulty is your target’s defense class:
 Parry for close attacks,
 Dodge
 for ranged attacks. Certain attacks may target other defenses. If you
equal or exceed your target’s defense class result, your attack hits.

Otherwise, you miss.

> **Attack Check = d20 + attack bonus + modifiers vs. defense class**
>
>

A natural 20 on an attack check (where the die comes up 20) always hits and may be a **critical hit** (see **Critical Hits** in Action & Adventure

 for further information). A natural 1 on an attack check (where the die
 comes up 1) always misses, regardless of the check total. This differs
from normal checks and reflects the variable and unpredictable nature of
 combat.

### RESISTANCE CHECKS

A
**resistance check**
 is an attempt to resist different effects, ranging from damage and
injury to traps, poisons, and various power effects. A resistance check
is a d20 roll + the appropriate defense (typically
 Dodge,
 Fortitude,

 Toughness, or Will).

> **Resistance Check = d20 + defense bonus + modifiers vs. hazard’s**
>  DC (generally 10 + rank)
>
>

**The** **difficulty class is based on the strength of the hazard, such as the**

rank of an effect or the strength of a disease or poison, typically that
 value plus 10 (like a routine check). Resistance checks may be graded,
with different results at different degrees.

## THE ACTION ROUND

When things really start happening in a game, time is broken down into six-second segments called **rounds**
 (sometimes “action rounds”). A round isn’t very much time. Think of it
like a page in a comic book, just long enough to go around the table
once, with each hero doing something. Each character’s portion of the
round is called their **turn**.

The things you can do on your turn are broken up into **actions**.
 There are standard actions, move actions, free actions, and reactions.
During a round you can take a standard and a move action (or substitute
an additional move action for your standard action) along with as many
free actions as you wish and as many reactions as are called for.

### STANDARD ACTIONS

A **standard action**
 generally involves acting upon something, whether it’s an attack or
using a power to affect something. You’re limited to one standard action
 each round.

### MOVE ACTIONS

A **move action**,
 like the name implies, usually involves moving. You can take your move
action before or after your standard action, so you can attack then
move, or move then attack. You cannot, however, normally split-up your
move action before and after your standard action. Move actions also include things like drawing weapons, standing up, and picking up or manipulating objects.

### FREE ACTIONS

A **free action**
 is something so comparatively minor it doesn’t take significant time,
so you can perform as many free actions in a round as the GM
 considers reasonable. Free actions include things like talking (heroes
and villains always find time to say a lot in the middle of a fight),
dropping something, ending the use of a power, activating or maintaining
 some other powers, and so forth.

### REACTIONS

A **reaction**
 is something you do in response to something else. A reaction doesn’t
take any significant time, like a free action. The difference is you
react in response to something else happening during the round, perhaps
not even on your turn. Reactions don’t count against your normal
allotment of actions and you can react as often as the circumstances
dictate, but only when they dictate.

## EXTRA EFFORT

Heroes are sometimes called upon to perform feats beyond even their amazing abilities. This calls for **extra effort**.
 Players can use extra effort to improve a hero’s abilities in exchange
for the hero suffering some fatigue. The benefits of extra effort are
not limited by power level due to their extraordinary nature.

### USING EXTRA EFFORT

Players
 can have their heroes use extra effort simply by declaring they are
doing so. Extra effort is a free action and can be performed at any time
 during the hero’s turn (but is limited to once per turn). A hero using
extra effort gains one of the following benefits:

### ACTION

Gain an additional standard action during your turn, which can be exchanged for a move or free action, as usual.

### BONUS

Perform
 one check with a bonus (+2 circumstance bonus) or improve an existing
bonus to a major bonus (+5 circumstance bonus). This bonus can also
negate a penalty (–2 circumstance penalty), allowing you to perform the
check with no modifier, or reduce a major penalty from a –5 penalty to a
 –2 penalty.

### POWER

Increase
 one of your hero’s power effects by +1 rank until the start of the
hero’s next turn. Permanent effects cannot be increased in this way.

### POWER STUNT

Temporarily gain and use an Alternate Effect (see **Alternate Effect** in Powers).
 The Alternate Effect lasts until the end of the scene or until its
duration expires, whichever comes first. Permanent effects cannot be
used for power stunts.

### RESISTANCE

Gain
 an immediate additional resistance check against an ongoing effect. If
you’re compelled or controlled, the fatigue from the extra effort
doesn’t affect you until you’re free of the effect; this is so you can’t
 resist yourself to exhaustion as a way of avoiding being controlled!

### RETRY

Certain effects (see the Powers)
 require extra effort to retry after a certain degree of failure. The
extra effort merely permits another attempt to use the effect; it grants
 no other benefits.

### SPEED

Increase the hero’s speed rank by +1 until the start of the hero’s next turn.

### STRENGTH

Increase the hero’s Strength rank by +1 until the start of the hero’s next turn.

In
 comic book stories, heroes often confront the villain(s) and deal with
various setbacks. Perhaps the villain defeats or outwits them in the
first couple scenes. Maybe one or more of the heroes have to overcome a
personal problem. The villain may have a secret the heroes need to
discover, and so forth. By the end of the story, the heroes have
overcome these challenges and they’re ready to take on the villain.

### COST OF EXTRA EFFORT

At
 the start of the turn immediately after using extra effort, the hero
becomes fatigued. A fatigued hero who uses extra effort becomes
exhausted and an exhausted hero who uses extra effort is incapacitated.
If you spend a victory point at the start of the turn following the
extra effort to remove the fatigue, the hero suffers no adverse effects.
 In essence, spending a victory point lets you use extra effort without
suffering fatigue.

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