Players at Age of Heroes MUX are allowed up to two powered, one street level, and two non-powered characters at the start of the game.
Non-Powered alts are built on 45 power points each and are capped at PL3.
- Non-Powered alts do not earn XP beyond level 5.
- Non-Powered alts cannot have any powers.
- Non-Powered alts are normal people, they can be exceptional within normal human limits.
- Examples Firemen, Police Officers, Bike Messengers…virtually any normal person you might meet.
Street Level alts are built on 90 power points and capped at PL6. This is the lowest level of Heroic character.
- When building a Street Level alt start by building yourself as a PL3-5 character then spend whatever points remain on what pushes you into the realm of the heroic.
- Examples A sidekick to a more powerful hero, a teen hero in high school, a super agent defending his country with chutzpah and high tech gear, a hero whose powers have just manifested, the hero (or anti-hero) portrayed in movies such as The Bourne Identity, or Die Hard.
Powered alts have 300 power points between them and can either be built on 150 power points each capped at PL10 or one can be built on 180 power points with PL10 level limits and the other built on 120 power points and capped at PL8.
- Powered Alts built on 180 power points are some of the mightiest beings to walk the Earth. These represent experienced heroes and heroines.
- Examples An immortal champion who's been defending the Earth for centuries, a mysterious sorceress who has been practicing her arts for years, the semi-divine incarnation of a hero of legend. From comic books examples might be an older Spiderman from Marvel Comics, or Doctor Fate from DC comics.
- Powered Alts built on 150 power points are still very powerful entities but less experienced and diverse than their higher power point counterparts.
- Examples Any of the characters as shown in the core rules, most of the heroes in Green Ronin's Freedom League or the X-Men from the recent movies.
- Powered Alts built on 120 power points are more powerful than Street Level heroes, but definitely not as strong as the more powerful heroes listed above. This is a sort of grey area that bridges the streets to the more epic levels of play.
- Examples An aging Golden Age hero, a Pulp Hero in his prime. From comic books a PL8 would be exemplified by the New Mutants or Hellions around their first appearances in Marvel Comics, or many of the early Teen Titans from DC comics.
Activity
We don't really enforce rigid rules about activity but if an alt isn't logged in for 30 days and is not on vacation it will be destroyed. No sense in bloating the database with character bits that aren't being used, whatever the reason. If you do need to retire or freezer an alt there are options for that.
Heroes should have Attack and Defense ratings at or close to their PL. Trade offs can of course affect this.
- Attack Bonus + Damage Bonus cannot exceed your PL x 2
- Defense Bonus + Toughness Save cannot exceed your PL x 2
Heroes should generally spend no less than their PL points on skills. Below are listed the skill ranks, not bonus, to determine how well trained you are in a skill.
Skill Benchmarks
- 1-4: Amateur: At this level you have a rudimentary understanding and level of training in the skill.
- 5-8: Professional: Most NPCs will have this level of skill in their primary occupation.
- 9-12: Expert: You are highly skilled at the skill in question and recognized as such.
- 13-15: Master: At this level of skill you are a virtual master of the skill in question.
- 16+: Legendary: You are so skilled that you are one of the best in the world at what you do. If your skill is known you are widely known for your expertise.
Heroes should have saves totaling no less than three times their PL, though anything over four times PL will be difficult to impossible to get approved. Also, one of your saves (not including Reflex) should be no more more than PL-3, very few heroes are strongly resistant to all forms of attack.
Heroes should have at least one attack power or ability at or near their PL except in very rare cases.
The most important guideline is that heroes should have their powers and abilities fit a concept.
There are five sources that you can choose from and two subtypes. The source of you powers is a crucial part of your character concept so it bears mentioning here. A character might have different power sources for different powers, though this is generally uncommon.
- Alien Your powers stem from the fact you're an alien with exotic abilities compared to human norm. Of course this can be combined with other origins such as an accident imbuing you with powers much stronger than a typical member of your race or entirely new powers. Some Alien abilities such as being permanently and inherently larger or smaller could qualify for the Innate power feat.
- Science Your powers are the result of deliberate scientific design and could take many forms such as power armor, high tech weaponry, a super serum that temporarily grants abilities, or other gadgets. If your powers are a permanent part of you and cannot be taken away then this is not an appropriate power source, though science may well have been involved.
- Mundane This is used to describe ordinary tech, or things that model the normal world. Examples would include a knife, a normal radio, or a bicycle with no super abilities at all. Generally speaking only under the most exotic of circumstances can Mundane sources be nullified or if the Special Effect fits very well such as an EMP taking out a digital clock radio.
- Mutation Your powers are inherent to you and manifested either spontaneously or as the results of experimentation or rites performed to endow you with power. It could have been a repercussion of experiments or accidental radiation exposure to either or both of your parents (or to you!). It could be a product of genetic engineering or eugenics or a combination of factors. The key point here is that your powers are the result of permanent alteration to your physiology. Mutation is a very common power source.
- Training Your powers are the result of training, self or otherwise and a lot of very hard work. They could be spells and rites learned by a would be sorcerer, or advanced meditation techniques to awaken mental abilities. You could be a master martial artist who uses his Ki to perform incredible acts.
Subtypes for Power Sources
- Mental Powers that are primarily mental in nature such as telepathy and telekinesis can have the Mental subtype, for example you could have had an accidental exposure to a drug that altered your brain chemistry to give you telekinesis. This would be classified as Mutation (Mental).
- Mystical Powers that are magical in nature such as the arcane ability to summon demons, or hurl bolts of raw magic, or turn someone into a frog with a spell or mystic potion can have the Mystical subtype. A rote spell to turn someone into a frog could be classified as Training (Mystical).
There are a number of traits that we do not allow or will be keeping a careful eye on to avoid abuses that are unbalancing in a MUX environment.
Banned Powers
Players may not have the powers listed below:
- Nemesis
- Probability Control
- Time Travel
Restricted Powers
The powers listed below will be carefully scrutinized:
- Boost
- Drain
- Duplication
- Healing Especially with resurrection.
- Magic
- Metamorph
- Mimic
- Space Flight
- Summon
- Transfer
Restricted Feats
Many feats will be carefully scrutinized:
- Artificer
- Benefit Particularly ones like Diplomatic Immunity.
- Inventor
- Ritualist
Banned Power Modifiers
The following power modifiers are not allowed:
- Action This modifier will not be allowed on any attack powers.
- No Saving Throw
Restricted Power Modifiers
These modifiers will be closely scrutinized:
- Action (The Extra can be problematic even on non-attack powers)
- Duration
- Impervious
- Insidious
- Secondary Effect
Restricted Power Feats
The power feats listed below will be closely scrutinized:
Complications
Complications are traits that are very important for a character, they do not reward you with power points, but when they are triggered by the GM they do award hero points, which are tremendously useful.
But what is a complication? A complication is a setback that you choose for your character such as having a sickly aunt you need to care for, or job that crops up at awkward times, they can be dark secrets in your past that if found out will cause you distress. Complications can be rivals or recurring enemies, a complication could be some sort of psychological quirk such as a phobia or a stringent code of behavior you follow.
A starting hero should have at least two to three complications. Over time the complication may change as new are added, or old eliminated in favor new ones more appropriate to the evolving story. Two to three complications are what we recommend you start the game with.
Drawbacks
Generally speaking it will be difficult (to impossible) to get excessive amounts of drawbacks approved, especially if they don't really constitute much of an inconvenience. If you apply for Drawbacks totaling more than your PL it is quite likely that you won't be approved.
Overtly sexual drawbacks (or complications for that matter) or those that do not limit you very much will not be approved. A drawback that is not an inconvenience due to rarity or that in fact is useful is not worth any points (or might cost points).
