When you create your own super hero, the character’s rank tells you how many powers you can pick for them. For each rank a hero has, they can pick up to four powers.

Example: Spider-Man is Rank 4, so he can pick up to (4×4=) 16 powers.

Number of Powers

Power Sets

Many powers come grouped in thematically related sets called power sets. This includes things like Super-Strength, Martial Arts, Spider-Powers, and so on. Those that aren’t part of a power set are called basic powers.

You can select powers from as many different power sets as you like. However, if you use powers from fewer sets than the character’s rank, you get a thematic bonus. This is equal to the character’s rank minus the number of power sets they use.

Example: Spider-Man only uses basic powers and powers from the Spider-Powers set. This gives him (4–1=) 3 extra powers. That means he can pick up to 19 powers.

A character who wants to take a power they normally wouldn’t be able to pick because of their origin can do so with the Surprising Power trait. However, they still have to fulfill any other prerequisites to select the power.

Extra Power Picks

If you like, you don’t have to use all of a character’s power picks on powers. Instead, you can trade them in for traits or even extra ability points on a one-for-one basis.

Example: Spider-Man only uses 17 powers. This means that he can convert two of his power picks into ability points or traits.

Note that basic powers don’t belong to a power set and so don’t count toward the total number of power sets chosen.

Power Explanations

When picking a character’s powers, keep the character’s concept in mind. Some powers are going to fit naturally with it, and others might feel jarring. It’s up to you to come up with a rationale for why a character with a particular origin can choose a specific power.

For example, many powers from the Spider-Powers set fit well with characters who have the weird science origin. However, a character with a high tech origin might have a pistol that fires webbing. Or they might have a helmet that tingles to warn them of danger, giving them the equivalent of Spider-Sense.

Adding Some Color

While there are hundreds of powers included in this book, it’s impossible to cover every power that every Marvel character has used in full depth, exploring every possibility for using it. One of the ways that we work around this is to offer up some more generic powers that can apply to a number of different characters.

For instance, there’s a power set called Melee Weapons. This provides all sorts of ways to use common melee weapons in the game, from Daredevil’s billy club to Wolverine’s claws. If you’re making a character of your own, be sure to add some color to the character’s powers. Come up with specifics about what each power represents, and don’t be afraid to add in fun things like your own sound effects.

Wolverine’s claws go snikt when he pops them from the back of his hands. If your character has claws, are they retractable like that, or are they always out? If they’re retractable, do they make a sound effect when they pop out? When they go back in?

Similarly, when Nightcrawler teleports, it goes bamf, and it smells like sulfur. This is because he actually pops in and out of a place called the Brimstone Dimension. If your character can teleport, does it make a noise too? A puff of wind? A flash of light?

As another example, some people with Spider-Powers fire their webbing from a device, which means that the power is tied to the Tech Reliance trait. Others have that power inherently, firing the webbing from their wrists. Does your character have access to all of their powers inherently, or do they rely on gadgets for some of them? If so, what do they look and sound like? Do they require supplies or batteries?

You can make your character however you like, but adding little colorful bits like this can help separate them from the crowd. That makes them feel unique—more like your hero.

Special Training

Characters of nearly any origin can pick any basic powers they like. Most characters can also choose powers from any power set they like, although there are some notable exceptions. These are listed in the descriptions of the origins.

However, characters who have only the Special Training origin are a special case. They are restricted to picking powers only from the following power sets:

• Martial Arts
• Melee Weapons
• Ranged Weapons
• Shield Bearer
• Tactics

They can also choose basic powers a regular human could reasonably have. See the Basic powers list later in this chapter.