Core Mechanics

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This may be a big book (the *Core Rulebook* will be even bigger), but playing the *Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game* comes down to a few simple things.

The Narrator sets the stage for the story. They also take on the roles of every other character in the game that the players don’t control.

The other players each control a single character (or PC). They usually coordinate their heroes’ actions to work together as a team.

The Narrator determines the results of the heroes’ actions, sometimes with the help of the other players.

That’s when things can get more complicated.

## THE ACTION CHECK

Often the heroes perform actions that are certain to succeed. If so, the Narrator simply describes what happens. For instance, if Peter Parker wants to walk to the corner mini-mart to pick up groceries for Aunt May, the Narrator simply describes what Peter finds at the mini-mart.

However, heroes sometimes want to attempt actions that could fail. What happens if you try to clobber Doctor Doom? Do you hurt him, or do you hurt your fist on his body armor? What happens if a Hydra agent walks past when you’re sneaking into their headquarters? Are you able to find cover in time, or does he spot you?

Anytime the circumstances make it challenging for a character to complete an action, the Narrator calls for an *action check* to resolve what happens.

To resolve an action check, you need three six-sided dice (each referred to as a “d6”): two regular ones and a special one called a “Marvel die.” This particular configuration of dice is referred to as d616.

An official *Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game* die has a special Marvel logo in place of the 1. If you don’t have a Marvel die, just substitute an ordinary d6 of a different color from the other two dice you’re rolling. Or roll one of the dice separately and call that the Marvel die.

It’s important to be able to differentiate your ordinary dice from your Marvel die, because any time you roll a 1 (or Marvel logo) on the Marvel die, something special happens.

With your d616 in hand, follow these steps to resolve any action check:

1. Roll d616
2. Apply action modifiers
3. Compare the total to the target number

### Roll d616

Roll your three six-sided dice and add up the numbers. Most of the time, you’re done at that point, but there are two exceptions.

* **Fantastic Roll:** If you roll a 1 on the Marvel die and anything other than a pair of 1s on the other dice, that’s a *fantastic roll.* Count the Marvel die as a 6 and add the other two dice to it to get your result. A roll of 1 on the Marvel die and a 6 on each of the other dice is an *ultimate fantastic* roll of 18, even better than rolling three regular 6’s.
* **Botched Roll:** If you roll a 1 on all three dice, that’s a *botched roll*. Count the Marvel die as a 1, and your roll equals 3, the worst possible result. You automatically fail at whatever you were attempting and something particularly bad happens.

### Apply Action Modifiers

Add the character’s *action modifier* for the ability they’re using for the attempted action. Depending on the action and the character’s ability scores, archetype, and rank, the action modifier can range from –5 to +20 or more.

There might also be a *circumstantial modifier* to the roll. For instance, if a character is hiding on a rooftop at night in the fog, they might get an additional bonus for trying to remain unseen. How much is entirely up to the Narrator.

### Compare the Total to the Target Number

Every action check has a *target number* (TN). The rules describe the TNs for many common action checks. If a particular kind of action check isn’t covered by the rules, the Narrator determines the target number, using their judgment.

The result of the action check depends on both how you roll relative to the TN and what type of roll you made (ordinary, botched, or fantastic).

* **Ordinary Roll:** If the total is greater than or equal to the TN, you succeed at whatever you were attempting. If the total is less than the TN, you fail.
* **Botched Roll:** With a botch, the attempt automatically fails.
* **Fantastic Roll:** If the total is equal to or greater than the TN, you achieve a *fantastic success*. You didn’t just succeed, you triumphed! Many powers in the *Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game* have special effects triggered by a fantastic success. If your total is less than the TN, you failed at that action, but something good still happens—just maybe not what you were expecting. That’s a *fantastic failure*.

### Doing the Math

If may seem like there are a lot of numbers flying around. Feel free to use a calculator (or calculator app) to help out if you like.

## FANTASTIC ROLLS

Fantastic rolls add extra drama to the game. When a player gets a fantastic success, that’s considered a “Yes, and” result. The action succeeds, and an extra special something happens.

A fantastic failure, on the other hand, is a “No, but” result. The action fails, but something special still happens.

Many powers list an effect for a fantastic success. If nothing is listed, the controlling player can suggest an effect, subject to the Narrator’s approval.

When it comes to a fantastic failure, there are no set standards. Instead, the extra effect is up to the player. They get to suggest an idea for that special something on the spot. If the Narrator approves, then it happens.

If you aren’t ready to come up with something else, the default extra for any fantastic roll is that the player gets an *edge* on their next standard action (more on that in a moment).

### The Ultimate Fantastic Roll

Lucky players might wind up with an *ultimate fantastic roll*: a 616 result on a d616. If a player makes such a roll, they automatically succeed at whatever they’re attempting to do and can ignore any *trouble* (which is the opposite of an edge. More on that soon too).

## TARGET NUMBERS

Target Numbers range from 8 to 40. By default, action checks are *Challenging*. The Challenging TN by Rank Table shows the TN for Challenging actions at each Rank.

### Challenging TN by Rank

The Narrator can modify a TN by assigning it an adjective: Trivial, Easy, Routine, Challenging, Difficult, Ridiculous, or Impossible. See the TN Modifiers by Adjectives Table for how this works.

For instance, imagine that Colossus and Nightcrawler are paragliding on vacation and decide to zoom through a tiny hole in a cliff. The maneuver is considered a Ridiculous task for a Rank 5 character. A Rank 5 task has a Challenging TN of 19, so if the task is Ridiculous, the TN is 19 + 4 = 23.

With Agility 8, Colossus needs to roll a (23–8=) 15 or better to succeed. On the other hand, the nimble Nightcrawler has an Agility of 14. He only needs a roll of (23–14=) 9 or better to succeed.

### The Action Check Format

##### Challenging TN by Rank

If the action has a static Target Number (TN), the action check uses the format “[ability] vs. TN [#],” such as, “make a Might vs. TN 20 action check.”

If the action’s TN is another character’s defense—as is often the case when attacking in combat—the format is “make [an ability (specifier)] vs. [ability defense] check.”

If the attacker or target can choose which ability to use, available abilities are listed, separated by a slash. For example: Make a Might/Agility vs. Might/Agility check.”

Unless otherwise specified, the attacker gets to choose the ability they use, and the target gets to choose the ability they use.

## EDGE AND TROUBLE

Sometimes circumstances can help the dice go your way, and sometimes they hurt your chances instead. That’s the difference between having an edge and having trouble.

### Edge

If your character makes an action check under favorable circumstances, uses special skills, employs top-notch tools, or otherwise has an advantage, the Narrator can grant your character an *edge*. If so, you can reroll a single die on that action check and use the better of the two numbers.

For instance, if you roll 4 and 5 on the ordinary dice, and 2 on the Marvel die, you might choose to reroll the Marvel die in the hopes of getting a 1 on that die or at least something better than a 2.

On the other hand, if you roll 1 and 1 on the ordinary dice and 5 on the Marvel die, you might choose to reroll one of the ordinary dice instead, with the hope of getting a better total.

Sometimes you may have an edge from several circumstances that can stack together, giving you a double edge, a triple edge, and so on. The Narrator determines if various sources of edge can stack (add up to help you) or not.

For instance, if you have an edge because you are berserk and invisible, the Narrator could rule that you have a double edge. On the other hand, if you have an edge because you are invisible and the target is blind, those sources shouldn’t stack, as there’s no extra benefit to being invisible when facing a blind person.

When you have an edge stacked from two or more sources, you can reroll the same die repeatedly or reroll different dice, choosing as you go.

You don’t have to use an edge. It’s always your choice.

### Trouble

You may have *trouble* on an action check if you attempt the action under bad circumstances, lack the appropriate expertise, use poor equipment, or otherwise suffer from a drawback. When you have trouble, the cause of your trouble (usually the Narrator, but possibly another player) can force you to reroll a die in your action check. You must use the worse of the two numbers.

For example, if you roll 1 and 1 on the ordinary dice and 5 on the Marvel die, the Narrator would probably have you reroll the Marvel die. Similarly, if you roll 6 and 6 on the regular dice and get a 1 on the Marvel die, the Narrator would probably have you reroll the Marvel die.

Sometimes you may have trouble from several circumstances that can stack together to cause double trouble, triple trouble, and so on. As with edges, the Narrator determines if various sources of trouble can stack. When you have trouble stacked from two or more sources, you might have to reroll the same die repeatedly or reroll different dice as you go. Whoever controls the sources of your troubles gets to decide in each instance.

### Mixing Things Up

It’s possible to have both edges and troubles at the same time. These things cancel each other out in equal measure, so you only need to deal with what’s left.

**Example:** On one roll, you have trouble from two factors and edges from three. Two troubles cancel out two edges, leaving you with one edge.

On another roll, you have trouble from two factors but only one edge. The edge cancels out one of the troubles, leaving you with one trouble.

## SAMPLE CHARACTER PROFILE

Let’s look at how a *Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game* character is put together, using Spider-Man (Peter Parker) as our example.

## SPIDER-MAN

### ABILITIES

**Initiative Modifier:** +7 (with an edge)

**Speed:** 32 (6 spaces)

**Climb Speed:** 32 (6 spaces)

**Jump Speed:** 32 (6 spaces)

**Swingline Speed:** 64 (13 spaces)

**Fight Damage:** 3d6+14+5

**Ranged Damage:** 3d6+14+7

**Size:** Average

**Karma:** 5

### POWERS

***Spider-Powers***

* Jump 1
* Mighty 1
* Spider-Dodge
* Spider-Sense
* Spider-Strike
* Wallcrawling
* Webcasting
* Webgliding
* Webgrabbing
* Webslinging
* Webtrapping

***Utility***

* Wisecracker

### BIOGRAPHY

**Real Name:** Peter Parker

**Gender:** Male

**Height:** 5’10"

**Weight:** 170 lbs.

**Eyes:** Hazel

**Skin:** White

**Hair:** Brown, short

**Distinguishing Features:** None

**Occupation:** Reporter, inventor, photographer, student

**Teams:** Avengers, Fantastic Four, Spider-Army

**Base:** New York City

**History**

Bitten by a radioactive spider when he was in high school, Peter Parker gained a suite of spider-related powers. He exploited them for profit until he let a robber get away who later shot and killed his Uncle Ben in a botched burglary, driving home the lesson, “with great power there must also come great responsibility.” Since then, Peter has dedicated himself to fighting crime and helping those who have less power than him.

Over the years, Peter has been cloned, discovered one of his costumes was an alien symbiote, and learned more about his deep connection to the spider totem. At the same time, he’s battled against the most colorful rogues’ gallery around. Meanwhile, he’s met up with several different variations on Spider-Man hailing from alternate dimensions, including the younger Miles Morales, also known as Spider-Man.

**Personality**

Peter is a genius who often lets his sense of responsibility get in the way of taking care of the basics of his life. He’s known for his sharp wit and his wisecracking ways, which he often uses to enrage his foes. Despite the problems that often plague his personal life, it’s rare that he lets feeling sorry for himself stop him from helping others, especially when he’s in costume, web-swinging through the city’s streets.

**Backstory**

* **Origin:** Weird Science
* **Profession:** Journalist

**Traits**

* Audience
* Combat Finesse
* Combat Reflexes
* Combat Trickery
* Connections: Sources
* Heroic
* Inventor
* Free Running
* Pundit
* Secret Identity
* Scientific Expertise
* Weird