POWER FEATS

ACCURATE

An effect with this feat is especially accurate; you get +2 on attack rolls made with it. This power feat can be applied multiple times, each time it grants an additional +2 on attack rolls. The campaign’s power level limits maximum attack bonus with any given effect. The GM may choose to waive this limit for Accurate feats acquired via extra effort (given their temporary nature).

AFFECTS INSUBSTANTIAL

An effect with this feat works on insubstantial targets, in addition to having its normal effect on corporeal targets. One application of Affects Insubstantial allows the power to work at half its nor- mal rank against insubstantial targets; two applications allow it to function at its full rank against them. Sensory effects do not require this feat, since they already affect insubstantial targets.

ALTERNATE POWER

This feat provides an additional Alternate Power for an Array, a different way in which it can be used (see the Array power structure description for details).

Alternate Power is also usable via extra effort, temporarily recon- figuring an existing power (see Powers and Extra Effort in Chapter 3 for details).

POWER STRUCTURES

A structure is how a power is put together from a combination of effect, modifiers, feats, and possibly drawbacks. The normal power structure is described in the Introduction and on page 66 of Mutants & Masterminds, it is:

Power cost = (effect + extras – flaws) x rank + (feats – drawbacks)

The minimum power cost for this and all other structures is 1 power point (although in some cases, 1 power point may provide more than one power rank, see Fractional Effect Costs on page 108.)

ARRAY

You have a collection or Array of (Array rank x 2) power points you can use to duplicate other effects, which share the descriptors and the points available to the Array. You can allocate your Array points once per round as a free action to any of the effects of your Array. Your Array also has one “default” effect where it can apply its points; choose this when you create the structure. Essentially, an Array is a collection of powers, each structured in the standard way, but sharing the same “pool” of power points. Each possible “setting” or configuration of an Array is called an Alternate Power.

A particular Alternate Power includes all effects, power feats, modifiers, and drawbacks included in that particular power. So if your Array gives you 20 power points to allocate, and you have an Alternate Power that is a 4 points per rank effect with two power feats, then you have 4 ranks in that power (for 16 power points) plus the two feats for a total cost of 18 points. Any “leftover” Array points not allocated to an Alternate Power don’t do anything.

Each Alternate Power of your Array requires an Alternate Power feat. So being able to apply your Array points to the Blast power is one power feat. To apply them to Blast with the Area extra is another power feat, to apply them to Flight is a third feat, and so forth.

ALTERNATE POWER LEVEL LIMITS

Alternate Powers are subject to the normal power level limits on effects. So, even if you have sufficient Array points to acquire a rank 20 Damage effect, for example, you’re still limited to whatever the campaign’s power level limit is on damage. This may result in “wasted points” for some Alternate Powers, as previ- ously described, but is generally more than compensated for by the flexibility an Array provides. Non-player characters are limited in the same way to whatever power level the GM sets for them.

USING ALTERNATE POWERS

Each Alternate Power available to your Array is usable individually. While one Alternate Power is in use, none of the oth- ers are available. So if you have an Array with Blast, Dazzle, Force Field, and Flight Alternate Powers, for example, you can only use one of these each round, the others don’t work and aren’t consid- ered in effect. The Dynamic power feat (see Array’s power feats, following) changes this, allowing you to “mix-and-match” Alternate Powers.

MULTIPLE EFFECTS IN AN ALTERNATE POWER

An Alternate Power can contain more than one effect and you can use all the effects of that Alternate Power normally, requiring their usual actions. Effects in the same Alternate Power need not be Linked, although they can be. For example, a rank 10 Array with 20 power points can have an Alternate Power that has Flight 5 (10 points) and Force Field 10 (10 points), both usable at the same time. Indeed, effects in the same Alternate Power must have points allocated to them at the same time and in the same proportion in order to use them at all, although they don’t have to be activated at the same time unless they are Linked.

POWER FEATS

Power feats within a particular Alternate Power are considered part of it and not feats of the Array itself. Thus points for the Array must be assigned to those feats in order to make that Alternate Power active, whether the feats are in use or not.

Some power feats apply to the Array structure itself rather than to any of its Alternate Powers. These feats are “outside” and apply equally to all Alternate Powers. The GM should carefully scrutinize any such overall feats, ensuring they do in fact apply to the Array as a whole. Array points do not need to be applied to these power feats.

DIMENSIONAL

This feat allows an effect to work on targets in another dimension (if any exist in the campaign). You affect your proximate location in the other dimension as if you were actually there, figuring range modifiers from that point.

You can take this feat multiple times. If you take it a second time, your effect can reach into any of a related group of dimen- sions (mythic dimensions, mystic dimensions, fiendish planes, and so forth). If you take it a third time, it can reach into any other dimension in the setting.

For many powers, you may need a Dimensional ESP effect to tar- get them. Otherwise, targets have total concealment from you, and any attack has a 50% miss chance, assuming it’s targeted in the right area at all.

EXTENDED REACH

Each time you apply this feat to a touch range power, you extend the power’s reach by 5 feet. This may represent a short-ranged power or an effect with a somewhat greater reach, like a whip or similar weapon.

HOMING

This feat grants an effect an additional opportunity to hit. If an attack roll with a Homing power fails, it attempts to hit again on the following round on your initiative, requiring only a free action to maintain and leaving you free to take other actions, including making another attack.

The Homing power uses the same accurate sense as the original attack, so concealment effective against that sense may confuse the Homing attack and cause it to miss. If a Homing attack misses due to concealment, it has lost its “lock” on the target and does not get any further chances to hit. You can buy Super-Senses Linked to the Homing effect, if desired (to create things like radar-guided or heat-seeking missiles, for example). If a Homing attack is coun- tered before it hits, it loses any remaining chances to hit.

You can apply this feat multiple times, each time moves the number of additional chances to hit one step up the Progression Table, but the effect still only gets one attack roll per round.

IMPROVED RANGE

This feat improves the range increment of a ranged effect, mov- ing the base increment (power rank x 10 feet) one step up the Progression Table. So Improved Range 1 makes a ranged effect’s increment (rank x 25) feet, then (rank x 50), and so forth. This does not increase the effect’s maximum range (see Ranged, page 13).

INCURABLE

The damage caused by an effect with this feat cannot be healed by powers such as Healing and Regeneration; the target must recover at the normal rate. Powers with the Persistent feat can heal Incurable damage.

INDIRECT

An effect with this feat can originate from a point other than the user, ignoring cover between the user and the target, such as walls and other intervening barriers, so long as they do not pro- vide cover between the power’s origin point and the target. The range modifier is based on the distance from the attacker to the target, regardless of where the effect originates. An Indirect effect normally originates from a fixed point directed away from you. In some cases, an Indirect effect may count as a surprise attack (see Surprise Attacks, M&M, page 163).

If you apply this feat a second time, the power’s effect can come from any point directed away from you, including behind you. If you apply it three times, the effect can also be directed toward you (hitting a target in front of you from behind, for example).

INNATE

An effect with this feat is an innate part of your nature. Trait effects, such as Boost, Drain, or Nullify, cannot alter it. Gamemasters should exercise caution in allowing the application of this feat; the power must be a truly innate trait, such as an elephant’s size or a ghost’s incorporeal nature. If the effect is not something normal to the character’s species or type, it probably isn’t innate. Unlike other power feats, the use of innate is not optional: you cannot choose not to apply the feat’s benefits.

Since Innate is essentially the same as a very limited Immunity to Trait Effects applies to a particular effect or power, and complete Immunity to Trait Effects is 5 ranks of Immunity, the Gamemaster may choose to allow characters requiring 4 or more instances of the Innate feat to simply take 4 ranks of it and apply to as many of the character’s effects or powers as desired.

KNOCKBACK

Applied to an effect that causes knockback (see Knockback, M&M, page 165), this ranked power feat adds +1 per rank to the effect’s rank when determining knockback. So a rank 5 Blast power with rank 3 Knockback is treated as Blast 8 for determining its knockback effect. Generally, this feat is limited to no more ranks than the rank of the effect, but the GM may modify this as desired.

MOVING FEINT

You can substitute twice the power rank of a movement effect with this power feat for your Bluff check modifier when making a check to feint in combat (see Bluff, M&M, page 42, for details). You must use the effect to move during the round in which you feint, mak- ing the attempt a full round action (a move action to move plus a standard action for the feint check).

Example: Siren is fighting Devil Ray in the waters of Great Bay. Using Moving Feint, Siren swims rapidly in circle around the undersea villain, attempting to distract him. Siren’s player makes a check of d20 + 16 (twice Siren’s Swimming power rank) against the result of Devil Ray’s Sense Motive check. If she is successful, Devil Ray loses his dodge bonus against Siren’s next attack, distracted by her dazzling speed.

PRECISE

Effects with this feat are especially precise. You can use a Precise effect to perform tasks requiring delicacy and fine control, such as using Precise Ranged Damage to spot-weld or carve your initials, Precise Move Object to type or pick a lock, Precise Environmental Control to match a particular temperature exactly, and so forth. The GM has final say as to what tasks can be performed with a Precise effect and may require a power, skill, or ability check to determine the degree of precision with any given task. A ranged attack effect with the Precise modifier gains the benefits of the Precise Shot feat (see Precise Shot, M&M, page 63), which is essentially the same thing.

PROGRESSION

Each time you apply this feat, move the area, range, mass, subjects, or other trait of the effect one step up the Progression Table. See the effect and modifier descriptions for details on specific applica- tions of Progression.

REVERSIBLE

You can remove the lingering results of an effect with this feat at will as a free action, so long as the subject is within the effect’s range. Examples include removing the damage conditions from a Damage effect, repairing damage done by Drain Toughness, or removing a Dazzle or Snare effect instantly. Normally, you have no control over the lingering results of such effects.

RICOCHET

You can ricochet, or bounce, an attack effect with this feat off of a solid surface once to change its direction. This allows you to attack around corners, overcome cover and possibly gain a surprise attack bonus against an opponent. It does not allow you to affect mul- tiple targets. The “bounce” has no effect apart from changing the attack’s direction. You must be able to define a clear path for your attack, which must follow a straight line between each ricochet. You can take this feat multiple times; each time allows you to rico- chet the attack an additional time before it hits. In some cases, a Ricochet effect may count as a surprise attack (see Surprise Attacks, M&M, page 163).

SEDATION

An effect able to cause unconsciousness can, with this feat, keep an unconscious subject from regaining consciousness as a sustained lasting effect. The subject gets a recovery check from unconscious- ness for each interval on the Time Table rather than each minute, starting at one minute. If you concentrate during the time interval, the subject gains no bonus to the save to recover from that interval (as with a normal sustained lasting power).

SELECTIVE

An effect with this feat is discriminating, allowing you to decide what is and is not affected. This is most useful for Area effects (see the Area power extra description). You must be able to accurately perceive a target in order to decide whether or not to affect it. If the power requires an attack roll or allows a saving throw, then Selective is an extra instead of a power feat (see the Selective Attack extra).

SLOW FADE

An effect that fades over time—such as a trait effect or an effect with the Fades modifier—does so slower with this power feat. Each application moves the time interval one step down the Time Table: from one round to five rounds to one minute (10 rounds), and so forth.

SPLIT ATTACK

With this feat, an effect normally affecting one target can split its effect between two targets. The attacker chooses how many ranks to apply to each target up to the power’s total rank. So a rank 10 power could be split 5/5, 4/6, 2/8, or any other total adding up to 10 (whole numbers only). If an attack roll is required, the attacker makes one roll, comparing the results against each target. The power affects the target normally at its reduced rank.

Each additional application of this feat allows the power to split an additional time, so two applications of this feat allows an effect to split among three targets, then four, and so forth. An effect can- not split to less than one rank per target, and cannot apply more than one split to the same target.

SUBTLE

Subtle effects are not as noticeable. A subtle effect may be used to catch a target unaware and may in some cases qualify for a surprise attack (see Surprise Attacks, M&M, page 163). One application of this feat makes an effect difficult to notice; a DC 20 Notice check is required, or the effect is noticeable only to certain exotic senses (at the GM’s discretion). A second application makes the effect completely undetectable.

TRIGGERED

An instant duration effect with this feat can be “set” to activate under particular circumstances, such as in response to a particular danger, after a set amount of time has passed, in response to a par- ticular event, and so forth. The circumstances must be detectable by your senses. You can acquire Super-Senses Limited to Triggered effects, if desired. Setting the effect requires the same action as using it normally. Any necessary rolls are made when you set the effect’s trigger. Setting the effect requires the same action as using it normally.

A Triggered effect lying in wait may be detected with a Notice check (DC 10 + power rank) and in some cases disarmed with a successful Disable Device check or appropriate power check (such as Nullify or another countering power) with a DC of (10 + power rank).

A Triggered effect is good for one use, an instant duration. You can apply the Duration modifier to the power as a whole to extend the trigger’s duration, allowing the effect to go off multiple times, so long as its duration lasts (this usually requires a continuous duration). This does not affect the normal duration of the triggered effect itself.

If you apply this feat a second time, you can change the trigger condition each time you set it.

VARIABLE DESCRIPTOR

You can change the descriptors of an effect with this power feat, varying them as a free action once per round. For one rank with this feat, you can apply any of a closely related group of descrip- tors, such as weather, electromagnetic, temperature, and so forth. For two ranks, you can apply any of a broad group of descriptors, such as any mental, magical, or technological descriptor. The GM decides if any given descriptor is appropriate for use with a particu- lar effect and this feat.