| Mutants & Masterminds | |
| Designer: | Stephen Kenson |
| Publisher: | Green Ronin Publishing |
| Date: | 2002 |
| Genre: | Superhero fiction |
| System: | d20 System |
Mutants & Masterminds (abbreviated "M&M" or "MnM") is a superhero role-playing game written by Steve Kenson and published by Green Ronin Publishing based on a variant of the d20 System by Wizards of the Coast. The game system is designed to allow players to create virtually any type of hero or villain desired.
In the late 1990s, Steve Kenson had an idea for a superhero setting that he had been contracted to produce. Through a series of misfortunes, the project fell through, and he was left with a partially completed manuscript. Shopping it around to various publishers, none were interested (superhero game popularity had declined at that time)[1] until he talked to Chris Pramas (President of Green Ronin Publishing) about the setting.
Pramas made the offer to publish the setting if Kenson would also create a superhero game system based on the d20 System. Kenson agreed and began work. Over time, it became clear to him that the game would need to be released only under the Open Game License. Releasing the game under the d20 Standard Trademark License, as originally planned, would have prohibited the inclusion of ability generation and character advancement rules. Presenting a complete game was seen as taking precedence over having a d20 logo on the product, so the decision was made to use the OGL without the d20 license.
Mutants & Masterminds was published in 2002; the setting, which was once known as Century City, became Freedom City. The first edition of M&M books featured graphic design and art direction by the design studio Super Unicorn, but other firms provide the artwork on all subsequent releases.
A second edition of the Mutants & Masterminds system debuted at Gen Con in 2005 and saw wide release in October of that year.
A third edition of Mutants & Masterminds was released in 2011 and it has also been translated to Italian by Kaizoku Press.[2] [3] In the previous year, Green Ronin Publishing had released another superhero role-playing game, DC Adventures.[4] [5] Both games have the same mechanical system and are fully compatible.[5] [6]
Mutants & Masterminds game mechanics use a highly modified version of the d20 System.[5] Differences include changes to character creation, injury and damage, hit points, the addition of "hero points" and super powers, the elimination of character classes and attacks of opportunity,[5] a modified skill list, a very different feat selection, and that any equipment possessed is considered a part of the character and purchased in a manner similar to powers.[7] [8]
M&M characters are not class-based nor do they technically have class levels.[5] Instead, they have a Power Level (or "PL"), and typically a character begins at Power Level 10 instead of Level 1. This allows a character to begin as an already established superhero with incredible abilities. The power level represents the maximum rank of any combat abilities a character can purchase. Each power level typically grants a character an allotment of points to purchase attribute levels, base attack and defense bonuses, saving throws, feats, skill ranks and super powers, though the game encourages game masters to modify the number of points given per level up or down to reflect the style of game they wish to run. All aspects of the character, including abilities, feats, skills, powers, and equipment, are purchased from this pool of points.
The M&M power level restricts the maximum bonus held by skill ranks, ability scores, and most feats and powers. Beyond limiting bonuses, power level does nothing to restrict a character's power; a power level 10 character can have a maximum strength of 40.
Damage in M&M is handled differently as well. M&M does not use hit points. Instead, characters have a fourth saving throw called the "toughness save" which is based on their Constitution scores, like the fortitude save. Weapons and powers that do lethal and subdual damage do not roll any dice to determine damage. Instead, damaging attacks are ranked based upon their overall power. For example, a fairly fit but normal human may throw a punch that inflicts +1N (non-lethal) damage, while an irradiated simian mastermind with enhanced strength and razor-sharp claws throws out +12L (lethal) damage. When a character is struck by an attack, he or she rolls a toughness save against a target number equal to the rank of the attack plus 15. Success allows the character to shrug off the attack with minimal effect, while failure results in injury according to the degree of failure and the type of damage. Accumulated damage applies a penalty to further saves, increasing the chances of any given attack knocking out the character.
This system of damage is meant to model the nature of superhero comics, in which many characters can ignore most damage outright while still being susceptible to a lucky punch or superpowered blast. The Mastermind's Manual rulebook includes notes for conversion to traditional hit points if desired.
In M&M, characters are awarded experience points, called "power points" (pp), that can do many beneficial things for the character. As described above, power points are used to purchase powers, feats, skills, abilities, and devices. The specific nature of power points was changed drastically with the 2nd edition of Mutants & Masterminds. In the first edition, when a character accrues 15 pp, they advance a power level, thus raising the caps on power and skill ranks, as well as on power bonus stacking.
Under the second edition, power points and power levels are independent, the latter being set by the gamemaster as a function of the campaign. The 2nd edition version of power level determines only the maximum bonus that any power can give, and does not imply that a character does or does not have the points required to purchase enough levels in any power to reach this limit. Though the two are described as being entirely independent, the Mutants & Masterminds manual recommends that the power level be increased by one with each 15 Power Points awarded.
Like many other super-hero role-playing games, M&M uses "hero points".[5] Hero points allow an unlucky player to be able to hold their own in a battle, thus reducing the amount that luck plays into the gameplay. A hero point can do several things, like allow the reroll of a failed roll of any sort at a crucial moment, including toughness saves to avoid damage. On this reroll numbers under 11 have ten added to them, resulting in a range of 11-20, and a very slim chance of failing.
A player may also use a hero point to ignore fatigue, allowing them to use temporary feats without the negative effects of fatigue that normally occur with such feat usage.
Hero points are generally awarded to a player by the gamemaster when something bad befalls the character, such as the villain escaping without them having a chance of stopping him. This is particularly encouraged if the bad thing in question is something related to one of their disadvantages, and many disadvantages provide no other benefit aside from acting as a source of hero points.
No edition of the core M&M book comes with a default setting, but 2E and 3E include an adventure that takes place in the Freedom City setting.
Settings published for the game include:
Green Ronin licences the use of M&M through the M&M Superlink program.[9] Under this program, other publishers may request permission from Green Ronin to publish their own material (such as adventure modules, character books, and new power books) incorporating "product identity" text from Green Ronin's published works. Text which is not "product identity" is already covered by the Open Game License; its use requires no further permission from Green Ronin.
Over a dozen publishers have produced more than fifty products using the Superlink program. A few have released their products as hard-back or soft-back books through retail outlets, but most have produced products as Portable Document Format books intended to be obtained online through electronic distribution systems.
Mutants & Masterminds won the 2003 Gold Ennie Award for "Best d20 Game".[10]
Mutants & Masterminds 2nd edition won the 2006 Gold Ennie Award for "Best Game" and "Best d20/d20 OGL Product" and the Silver Ennie Award for "Best Rules" and "Best Product".[11]