Altering Ability Scores

Over the course of play, your hero’s ability scores may change for the following reasons:

* Some super-powers temporarily raise or lower ability scores (see Chapter 5).
* You can improve your ability scores permanently by spending earned character points on them, but you cannot increase an ability score above the limits set by the campaign’s power level (see Power Level, page 24).

Whenever an ability score changes, all traits associated with the ability change as well. So if you increase your character’s Dexterity and gain a higher bonus, his Dexterity-based skills and Reflex saving throw bonus also increase. Likewise, if the hero’s Dexterity bonus decreases, his Dexterity-based skills and Reflex saving throws suffer.

DEBILITATED ABILITY SCORES

If one of your hero’s ability scores drops to 0 for any reason, that score is said to be debilitated and the character suffers more serious effects. Debilitated Strength means the hero collapses, helpless and unable to move. Debilitated Dexterity means the hero is paralyzed and helpless. Debilitated Constitution means the hero is dying and cannot stabilize (and suffers a –5 modifier on Constitution checks to avoid death due to the low score). Debilitated Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma means the hero is unconscious and incapable of waking until the score is restored to at least 1.

Debilitated ability scores usually result from a power affecting your character. An ability score lowered to 0 during character creation is actually nonexistent; characters only suffer the effects of debilitated abilities if an ability score is lowered to 0 during play.

Abilities scores cannot be lowered below 0. Traits based on ability modifiers, such as saving throws and skill bonuses, can be lowered to -5 (the “modifier” of a 0 ability score), but no lower.

NONEXISTENT ABILITY SCORES

Rather than having a score of 0 in a given ability, some things or creatures in Mutants & Masterminds actually lack an ability score. The effect of lacking an ability score is as follows:

* Strength: Any creature capable of physically manipulating other objects has at least 1 point of Strength. A creature with no Strength score is incapable of exerting any physical force, either because it has no physical form (like an incorporeal ghost) or simply can’t move (like a tree). The creature automatically fails Strength checks.
* Dexterity: Any creature capable of movement has at least 1 point of Dexterity. A creature with no Dexterity cannot move (like most plants) and hence cannot make physical attacks. It automatically fails Dexterity checks and Reflex saves.
* Constitution: Any living creature has at least 1 point of Constitution. A creature with no Constitution has no physical body (like a ghost) or is not alive (like a robot or other construct). The creature always fails Constitution checks. This includes checks to avoid dying and to recover from injury, so creatures with no Constitution do not recover from damage naturally. They must be repaired in some fashion. The same is true of objects. Creatures with no Constitution suffer all damage as lethal (like objects do) and do not suffer nonlethal damage conditions. Creatures with no Constitution are immune to fatigue (see Fatigue, page 167) but cannot exert extra effort (see Extra Effort, page 120). Creatures with no Constitution are often—but not necessarily—immune to many of the things affecting living beings (see Immunity, page 89).
* Intelligence: Any creature that can think, learn, or remember has at least 1 point of Intelligence. A creature with no Intelligence is an automaton, lacking free will and operating on simple instinct or programmed instructions. Anything with no Intelligence is immune to mental effects, interaction skills, and automatically fails Intelligence checks.
* Wisdom: Any creature aware of its environment has at least 1 point of Wisdom. Anything with no Wisdom also has no Charisma. It is an inanimate object, not a creature. Objects are immune to mental effects, interaction skills, and automatically fail Wisdom checks.
* Charisma: Any creature capable of interacting with other creatures has at least 1 point of Charisma. Creatures without Charisma are immune to interaction checks and automatically fail Charisma checks.

Inanimate objects have no scores other than their Toughness (see Damaging Objects, page 166). Animate, but nonliving, beings such as robots or zombies have Strength and Dexterity, and may have Wisdom and Charisma (if aware of their environment and capable of interaction). They may have Intelligence (if capable of thought), but have no Constitution (since they are not living things). See Constructs in Chapter 7 for more information.