MP Homebrew Rules & Theorycrafting

On this page I'll list "home-brewed" and "theory-crafting" rules for Mighty Protectors. A homebrew rule is something that I actually use whereas the theory-crafting rules are something that I have not used and that have not been play-tested. I'll be adding to, and/or editing this page, as time goes by.

New MP Ability: Base B) Grounds

This new V&V3: Mighty Protectors ability allows a character add a "grounds" area around his base.

This is the land that surrounds the headquarters, expressed in acres. A square mile is 1056" x 1056"  and consists of 640 acres.

The terrain of the base grounds should match the local terrain. For example, if the base HQ is located within a desert, the grounds should be desert-like; if located in the Arctic, then the grounds should be ice and snow, etc.

Sensors, traps, "pop-up" blasters, and other systems can be placed on base grounds but must be part of the Base A) layout.

The CP cost and accompanying size is shown on the chart below.

.Notes:
1. The existing Base ability becomes BASE A) HEADQUARTERS.

New MP Ability: Physical Ability X) Body Part Removal
For (10) CPs, this ability allows the character to remove their body parts which continue to operate with no ill effects. It takes an Action to remove a body part.

A link, whose special effect is determined when the ability is bought, exists between the character and the removed body part. This link allows the character to control, and gain the benefits of, the body part at any range.

Separated body parts may move depending on their function. For example, a hand or arm may crawl, a leg may hop, and an eyeball may roll.

Generally, there is a penalty for hitting removed body parts due to their smaller size. The part itself has a 0 Physical Defense. For arms and legs the to hit penalty is @-3. For Heads, hands, and feet the to hit penalty is @-6. For eyes, noses, and tongues the to hit penalty is @-9.

Any damage done to the body part is felt by the character and may be rolled with. If the body part takes hit point damage, the character must make an EN+7 save at a penalty of -1 per Hit taken or lose the use of the body part until it is healed or repaired.

This is a Persistent Ability. PR = 0 per round.
A) Leaping (Homebrew)
Determining how far a character can leap is a multi-step process that uses the chart shown below. This change in how MP characters leap means the 'free' leaping for very strong characters is vastly reduced. If your character is really strong, he can still leap farther than a weaker character, but if you want him or her to leap miles like the Hulk then you will have to put CPs into Physical Ability F) Super Leap.

1. Find the Task # for the character's Carrying Capacity.
2. Find the Task # for the character's weight.
3. Subtract the Weight Task # from the CC Task # and add 1 to determine how far the character can leap in game inches.
4. Multiply the resulting number by the character's Super Leap multiple (if any).
5. Add +1" to the leaping distance if the character pushes.

• Example #1: Lone Star's CC Task # is 6 (he can lift 240 lbs). He has a Weight Task # 5 (he weighs 150 lbs). He can normally leap (6-5)+1=2" or 3" if he pushes.
• Example #2: S.A.M.'s CC Task # is 16 (he can lift 245760 lbs) and a Weight Task # of 7 (he weighs 720 lbs). He can normally leap (16-7)+1=10" or 11" if he pushes.
• Example #3: Alley Cat's CC Task # is 7 (she can lift 480 lbs) and a Weight Task # of 4 (she weighs 100 lbs). She can normally leap (7-4)+1=4" (5" with push) but she also has Super Leap with a x4 multiplier, so she leaps four times farther @16" or 17" if she pushes.

Leaping Notes:
1. Optionally, if the GM wants to add randomness to leaping distance, have the PCs roll their base HTH damage to determine their Carrying Capacity Task number. Even if the character fails to equal the Weight Task number, the minimum leaping distance is still 1".
2. Treat Size Change B) Smaller characters with 0 weight as if they weighed 3 lbs.

B) Tunneling (Theory-crafting)

C) Radiation (Theory-crafting)

D) Companion (Theory-crafting)
Use the chart below for the cost. Companions do not gain experience.

Power Level	Companion Character Points:
(-5)*	0 points
(0)*	20 points
(5)	40 points
Low (10)	60 points
(15)	80 points
Standard (20)	100 points
(25)	120 points
High (30)	140 points
(35)	160 points
Cosmic (40)	180 points
(45)	200 points
(50)	220 points
(55)	240 points
(60)	260 points
(65)	280 points
(70)	300 points
(75)	320 points
(80)	340 points
(85)	360 points
(90)	380 points
(95)	400 points

E) Summoning (Theory-crafting)
Use the chart below for the cost. Summoned creatures do not gain experience. Summoning takes 5 minutes, PR=2 to perform, and PR 2 per hour to maintain.

Power Level	Summoning Creature Points:
(-5)*	15 points
(0)*	35 points
(5)	55 points
Low (10)	75 points
(15)	95 points
Standard (20)	115 points
(25)	135 points
High (30)	155 points
(35)	175 points
Cosmic (40)	195 points
(45)	215 points
(50)	235 points
(55)	255 points
(60)	275 points
(65)	295 points
(70)	315 points
(75)	335 points
(80)	355 points
(85)	375 points
(90)	395 points
(95)	415 points

F) Extended Size Change A) Larger (Homebrew)

G) Microscopic Vision (Homebrew)
To simulate microscopic vision, buy it as if you were buying Heightened Senses: Telescopic Vision. See the chart below for size examples and corresponding range penalties:

Microscopic Range Penalty Chart

H) Optional Motivations (Homebrew)
Listed below are optional motivation categories for heroes and villains in Mighty Protectors. Also note that over time a hero or villain’s motivation may change. For example, if a hero starts with a Romance motivation and the loved one is killed, the hero could then adopt a new motivation of Vengeance.

Hero Motivations

Self-Improvement: The hero is motivated to make themselves the best individual that they can be. These heroes are constantly training and expect others to be as prepared as they are.

Unwanted Power: The character never wanted to be a hero or to have super-powers.

Gain Acceptance: The hero wants to be accepted by society, by his or her peers, or by some other group -- and will do whatever it takes to “fit in.”

Indebted/Owes Someone: The hero owes a debt to someone else and must do everything in their power to repay the debt.

Loyalty: The hero is motivated by his or her undying loyalty to another individual or organization.

Romance: The hero is romantically interested in another character, usually another hero, and will endeavor to gain that person’s affection and trust.

Villain Motivations
Collector: The villain loves collecting things. What those things are varies from the mundane to the rare and powerful – and even super-powered beings.

Fear: The villain is motivated by causing terror in other individuals.

Indebted/Owes Someone: The villain owes a debt to someone else and must do everything in their power to repay the debt.

Romance: The villain is romantically interested in another individual and will do things, including criminal acts, to gain that person’s love.

Superhero Motivation Table

d100	Superhero Motivation
01-06	Penance
07-12	Vengeance
13-18	Self-Improvement
19-25	Utopian
26-31	Thrill Seeker
32-37	Unwanted Power
38-43	Duty Bound
44-49	Gain Acceptance
50-55	Need To Know
56-61	For Hire
62-66	Owes Someone
67-72	Self-Defense
73-78	Glory Hound
79-84	Loyalty
85-89	Carnage
90-94	Romance
95-100	Justice

Supervillain Motivation Table

d100	Supervillain Motivation
01-05	Insanity
06-10	Vengeance
11-15	Collector
16-21	Dystopian
22-26	Thrill Seeker
27-31	Fear
32-36	Anarchist
37-41	Indebted
42-47	Prejudice
48-53	Mercenary / Servitor
54-58	Romance
59-64	Greedy / Egoist
65-68	Publicity Seeker
69-73	Belligerent / Carnage
74-78	Survival
79-83	Dupe
84-88	Conquest
89-94	Twisted Honor
95-100	Opportunist

I) Experimental Mechanics: Hit Point Calculation (Theory-crafting)

Increasing the BC stats that give both Power and Hit points tends to be a more cost effective way of increasing a character's combat effectiveness than buying abilities. If you would like to modify this tendency, then you can try out this rule change: EN and CL become the only attributes which affect Hit Points:

BC	EN	CL
Score	Hits	Hits
0	1	-3
1	2	-2
2	2	-2
3-5	3	-1
6-8	3	-1
9-11	4	0
12-14	8	+1
15-17	12	+2
18-20	16	+3
Etc.	+4 more	+1 more

J) Experimental Mechanics: Double BC Cost (Theory-crafting)
These rules double the cost of MP attributes. They were never fully play-tested, so use with caution. These changes reduce a character's power and hit points, making it more difficult for power-gamers to construct 'combat monster' characters. The generally lower power, hit points, to hit chance, and defenses of characters constructed with these rules tends to speed up combat. The downside is that it is more complicated than the official rules, with many changes made to existing abilities.

A double-BC character sheet shows what these changes look like. Note: this sheet also uses the change to hit point calculation shown above.

• Attributes now cost 2 CPs per point
• Weaknesses which affect Attribute scores are now worth twice as many points.
• Attribute score modifiers from Density Increase & Size Change need to be adjusted
• Stat-based Abilities are half as effective

Beginning characters receive +50 CPs to offset the increased attribute cost. However, the initial stats are somewhat lower (see chart below).

BCs	Normal	Low	Standard	High
1st	14	15	16	17
2nd	12	13	14	15
3rd	10	11	12	13
4th	8	9	10	11
5th	6	7	8	9
BC Cost	100	110	120	130
Ability Cost	0	40	80	120
Total CPs	100	150	200	250

Use the formulas below to determine BC and Ability Caps:

BC Cap = (Total CPs-50)/5 +10, rounded down

Ability Cap = (Total CPs-50)/5, rounded down

Damage Cap = (Total CPs-50)/12.5 +3, rounded down


Heightened Attributes yield half as many points (+5 at Low power, +10 at standard power, +15 at high power).

DENSITY INCREASE:

CPs	Protection	ST	Weight X	Equivalent Material
(0)	1/1/0/1	+0	1	SR 0 / water
(2.5)	2/1/1/1	+1	1	SR 1 / clay
(5)	2/1/1/2	+1	2	SR 2 / rubber
(7.5)	2/2/2/2	+2	3	SR 3 / quartz
(10)	3/2/2/2	+3	4	SR 4 / bone
(12.5)	3/2/3/3	+3	5	SR 5 / brick
(15)	3/3/3/3	+4	6	SR 6 / brick
(17.5)	4/3/3/3	+4	7	SR 7 / marble
(20)	4/3/4/3	+4	8	SR 8 / lead
(22.5)	4/3/4/4	+5	9	SR 9 / bronze
(25)	4/4/4/4	+5	10	SR 10 / iron
(27.5)	5/4/4/4	+5	11	SR 11 / steel
(30)	5/4/5/4	+5	12	SR 12 / tungsten
(32.5)	5/4/5/5	+5	13	SR 13 / titanium
(35)	5/5/5/5	+5	14	SR 14 /
(37.5)	6/5/5/5	+6	15	SR 15 / super alloy
(40)	6/5/6/5	+6	16	SR 16 /
(42.5)	6/5/6/6	+6	17	SR 17 /
(45)	6/6/6/6	+6	18	SR 18 / diamond
(47.5)	7/6/6/6	+6	19	SR 19 /
(50)	7/6/7/6	+6	20	SR 20 / adamantium

EXPERIENCE LEVELS:

CPs	Hit Bonus	Defense Bonus	Task Bonus
(15)	0	1	1
(20)	1	1	1
(30)	1	2	2
(40)	2	2	2
(50)	2	3	3

HEIGHTENED DEFENSE: 

Power Level:	Defense Bonus:
Low (10)	+1
Standard (20)	+2
High (30)	+3
(40)	+4
(50)	+5

HEIGHTENED EXPERTISE: 

CPs	All Attacks	One Class	Specialist
(5)	0	1	1
(10)	1	2	2
(15)	1	2	3
(20)	2	3	4
(25)	2	4	5
(30)	3	5	6
(35)	3	5	7
(40)	4	6	8
(45)	4	7	9
(50)	5	8	10

HEIGHTENED INITIATIVE: 

Power Level:	Initiative Bonus:
(5)	+1
Low (10)	+2
(15)	+3
Standard (20)	+4
(25)	+5
High (30)	+6
(35)	+7
(40)	+8
(45)	+9
(50)	+10

INVENTING: 2 CPs per +1 IP.

SIZE CHANGE A) Larger:

CPs	Height	Profile	Weight	ST	EN
(0)	6’	x1	x1	-	-
(2.5)	7'	x1.2	x1.5	+1	-
(5)	8’	x1.3	x2	+2	+1
(7.5)	9'	x1.5	x32	+2	+2
(10)	10’	x1.6	x4	+3	+3
(12.5)	11'	x1.9	x64	+4	+3
(15)	12’	x2	x8	+5	+4
(17.5)	14'	x2.3	x12	+6	+5
(20)	15’	x2.5	x16	+6	+6
(22.5)	17'	x2.9	x24	+7	+6
(25)	19’	x3.2	x32	+8	+7
(27.5)	22'	x3.6	x48	+9	+8
(30)	24’	x4	x64	+9	+9
(32.5)	27'	x4.5	x96	+10	+9
(35)	30’	x5	x128	+11	+10
(37.5)	34'	x5.7	x196	+12	+11
(40)	38’	x6.4	x256	+12	+12
(42.5)	43'	x7.2	x392	+13	+12
(45)	48’	x8	x512	+14	+13
(47.5)	55'	x9.1	x784	+15	+14
(50)	61’	x10.1	x1024	+15	+15

SHIELD: The default parry bonus drops from +4 Physical Defense to +2 Physical Defense. Each +1 bonus to physical defense costs (5) CPs. The cost for increasing the shield's breakpoint doesn't change.

SPECIAL WEAPON: The CP cost of the Accuracy modifier is doubled, from 2.5 to 5 CPs for +1 to hit.

Shown below are two example MP character sheets. The first sheet shows how the double stat cost looks on a beginning standard power level character. The second sheet shows a standard power level character with a bunch of heightened stats for Abilities.

with Heightened Stats

K) Life Support (Homebrew)
Life Support is a voluntary ability that automatically activates when needed. It is not gear by default, although it may be given the Gear modifier if desired. Similarly, the PR cost may be given the Charges modifier. In all other ways this ability functions like the official version.

CPs	Environmental Immunity	Protection
(5)	PR=1 per Round	2
(10)	PR=1 per 3 Rounds	2
(15)	PR=1 per 5 Minutes	2
(20)	PR=1 per Hour	2
(25)	PR=1 per 10 Hours	3
(30)	Unlimited	4
(35)	Unlimited	5
(40)	Unlimited	6
(45)	Unlimited	7
(50)	Unlimited	8

L) Attractiveness (Homebrew)

For those who want to add a beauty component to their MP game, try using Attractiveness. This is a Continual Ability. PR=0 per hour. The reaction modifier can be used as a bonus for influencing others (see 3.1.1 Influence Tasks on pg. 103 of the MP rules). Note: the CP cost and bonuses are based upon the Distinctive Weakness.

CPs	Reaction Modifier	Example
-10	-4	Repulsive
-5	-2	Ugly
-2.5	-1	Homely
0	+0	Average
2.5	+1
5	+2	Pretty/Handsome
7.5	+3
10	+4	Model/Movie Star
12.5	+5
15	+6	Elite Model/Movie Star
17.5	+7
20	+8	Helen of Troy
22.5	+9
25	+10	Other Worldly Beauty

• Gender Modifier: There is a cost adjustment of (-5) CPs if the reaction modifier only applies to members of the opposite sex.

M) Meta Points (Theory-crafting)

Introduction

Many super-hero RPGs utilize game mechanics that allows PCs to re-roll dice, learn important clues, or in general override the game system to their character’s benefit. In Mutants & Masterminds and DC Heroes the system is called "Hero Points," in Savage Worlds Supers it is called "Heroic Bennies" and in Marvel Super Heroes it is called "Karma Points."

In DC Heroes and Marvel Super Heroes the system is tied in with character advancement (experience). In Mutants & Masterminds and Savage Worlds, the system stands alone and is not tied to experience.

For Mighty Protectors, what would such a system look like and how would it work? One could go the route of DC Heroes and MSH and tie the system into experience or use the stand alone system of the other rpg’s. There are pros and cons to both systems, but I think the stand-alone system is ultimately the better system for Mighty Protectors, so I’ll go with that and call it Meta Points.

Earning Meta Points

MP heroes start each game session with one Meta point. If the hero suffers a major setback, roleplays well, or performs a heroic action, he gains one Meta point. Add +1 Meta points for every (5) CPs of Luck the character possesses. Meta points reset at the end of each adventure.

Spending Meta Points

The hero may use as many Meta points per round as he possesses. Meta points may not be used when the hero is surprised or unaware. Possible uses include the following:

1. Inspired: spend a Meta point to get a clue, hint, or help from the GM
2. Re-roll: spend a Meta point to re-roll hit, damage or save rolls; hero get to use the better of the two rolls
3. Power Stunt: spend a Meta point to temporarily use an existing Ability in a different way or to use an entirely new Ability (so long as it makes sense)
4. Increase Initiative: spend a Meta point to add +1d6 to the hero’s initiative roll
5. Recover: spend a Meta point to recover from knockout (requires at least 1 Hit)
6. Escape Death: spend a Meta point to automatically stop bleeding

Meta Points Usage By Campaign Type:

Standard: 1-6

Gritty: 1, 2, 4 and only 1 Meta point per round may be used