Great Feats of Heroism

Mutants & Masterminds heroes are more than just skilled, they're capable of amazing feats, often beyond the abilities of ordinary people. In Mutants & Masterminds, a feat is a particular special ability. Feats often allow heroes to "break the rules," doing things most people cannot.

Feats in M&M are rated in ranks and bought with power points, just like skills and powers. Feats cost 1 power point per rank.

Types of Feats

Feats in Mutants & Masterminds are categorized as one of four types:

• Combat feats are useful in combat and often modify how combat maneuvers are performed.
• Skill feats offer bonuses or modifications to skill use.
• Fortune feats require and enhance the use of hero points.
• General feats provide special abilities or bonuses not covered by the other categories.
• Power feats are a special fifth type of feat, related to powers and described in Chapter 5 of the rulebook.

Sample Feats

Here's just a sample of the selection of feats found in Chapter 4 of Mutants & Masterminds.

Animal Empathy (Skill)

You have a special connection with animals. You can use the Handle Animal skill like Diplomacy to change the attitude of an animal by interacting with it. You can also use the Bluff and Gather Information skills on animals. You don't actually need to speak to the animal; you communicate your intent through gestures and body language and learn things by studying animal behavior.

Benefit (General, Ranked)

You have some significant perquisite or fringe benefit. The exact nature of the benefit is for you and the Gamemaster to determine. As a rule of thumb it should not exceed the benefits of any other feat, or a power costing 1 point. It should also be significant enough to cost at least 1 point. Several examples are given below. A license to practice law or medicine, on the other hand, should not be considered a benefit; it's simply a part of having enough ranks in the appropriate Profession skill and has no significant game effect. Benefits may come in ranks for improved levels of the same benefit. The GM is the final arbiter as to what does and does not constitute a Benefit in the campaign. Keep in mind some qualities may constitute Benefits in some campaigns, but not in others, depending on whether or not they have any real impact on the game.

The following are some potential Benefits. The GM is free to choose any suitable Benefit for the campaign.

• Alternate Identity: You have an alternate identity, complete with legal paperwork (driver's license, birth certificate, etc.). This is different from a costumed identity, which doesn't necessarily have any legal status.
• Diplomatic Immunity: By dint of your diplomatic status, you cannot be prosecuted for crimes in nations other than your own. All another nation can do is deport you to your home nation.
• Security Clearance: You have access to classified government information, installations, and possibly equipment and personnel.
• Status: By virtue of birth or achievement, you have special status. Examples include nobility, knighthood, aristocracy, being a samurai in medieval Japan, and so forth.
• Wealth: You have greater than average wealth or resources. Increase your Wealth bonus by +4 per rank.

Defensive Roll (Combat, Ranked)

You can evade damage through agility and "rolling" with an attack. You receive a bonus to your Toughness saving throws equal to your rank, but lose your Defensive Roll bonus whenever you are denied your dodge bonus or unable to take a free action. Your Defensive Roll bonus is not reduced by Penetrating attacks, but neither can it be Impervious. Your total Toughness save bonus, including Defensive Roll, is limited by the campaign's power level.

Fearless (General)

You are immune to fear effects of all sorts. You automatically succeed on any saving throw against a fear effect.

Fearsome Presence (General, Ranked)

You can inspire fear in others. Take a standard action to strike a suitably fearsome pose or utter an intimidating threat; anyone within (feat rank x 5) feet able to interact with you must make a Will save (DC 10 + rank) or become shaken. If the save fails by 5 or more, the subject flees from you. If the save fails by 10 or more, the subject panics, dropping any held items and fleeing from you as quickly as possible. Your Fearsome Presence rank cannot exceed your Intimidate skill bonus.

Interpose (General)

Once per round, when an ally adjacent to you is targeted by an attack, you can choose to trade places with that ally as a reaction, making you the target of the attack instead. If the attack hits, you suffer the effects normally. If the attack misses you, it also misses your ally. You must declare your intention to trade places with an ally before the attack roll is made. You cannot use Interpose if you are stunned or otherwise incapable of taking free actions.

Inventor (Skill)

You can use the Knowledge (technology) and Craft skills to create inventions and temporary devices.

Jack-of-All-Trades (Skill)

You can use any skill untrained, even skills that normally cannot be used untrained, although you must still have proper tools if the skill requires them.

Minions (General, Ranked)

You have a follower or minion. This minion is an independent character with a power point total of (rank x 15). Minions are subject to the normal power level limits, and cannot have minions themselves. Your minions automatically have a helpful attitude toward you. If you double the cost of this feat (2 points per rank) your minions are fanatical. They are subject to the normal rules for minions.

Rather than increasing the power points available to create your minion, a rank in this feat can move your total number of minions of the same type one step up the Progression Table. So Minions 5 can give you one 75-point minion, or two 60-point minions, or five 45-point minions, or ten 30-point minions, and so forth. Your minions don't have to be identical, but should be generally of the same type (human agents, infernal demons, zombies, etc.).

Any lost minions are replaced in between adventures with other followers with similar abilities at the Gamemaster's discretion.

Ultimate Effort (Fortune, Ranked)

When spending a hero point on a particular task, you treat the roll as a 20 (meaning you don't need to roll the die at all, just apply a result of 20 to your modifier). This is not a natural 20, but is treated as a roll of 20 in all other respects. You choose the particular action the feat applies to when you acquire it and the GM must approve it. You can take Ultimate Effort multiple times, each time, it applies to a different action.

The following are potential Ultimate Efforts. The GM is free to add any others suitable to the campaign.

• Ultimate Aim: When you take the time to aim an attack (see Aim), you can spend a hero point to apply a 20 result to the attack roll. Since the Ultimate Aim bonus is not a natural 20, it also does not qualify as an automatic or critical hit, however.
• Ultimate Save: You can spend a hero point to apply a 20 result to a saving throw with one type of save (Toughness, Fortitude, Reflex, or Will).
• Ultimate Skill: You can spend a hero point to apply a 20 result to checks with a particular skill.

Next: It's all about the power! We begin a multi-part preview of super-powers in Mutants & Materminds, starting with power descriptors and countering powers.