Power Profile - Cosmic Powers.pdf - Mutants & Masterminds 3rd Ed - ItsOver9000

POWER PROFILE: COSMIC POWERS

There are powers beyond life on Earth. Cosmic powers

deal with the vastness of the universe and the fundamen-

tal forces driving it. Soar amongst the stars and draw upon

the fabric of the cosmos with powers that can protect the

universe, or shake it to its foundations.

COSMIC DESCRIPTORS

The following are important descriptors for cosmic powers:

beings have planet-shaking capabilities and cosmic

adventures often place the fate of the universe (or all

universes in a greater omniverse) at risk. This is not

one of the uses of the descriptor in this profile. Any

power is potentially vastly powerful, if used at a high

enough rank of effect, and the powers in this profile

are no more inherently powerful than any others

simply because of their cosmic nature.

• Countering: Cosmic powers are fairly broad and

Gamemasters should tend to consider their effects,

rather than their source, when dealing with their

ability to counter other effects. For example, a

Cosmic Blast is a form of energy, and so it may be able

to counter other types of energy and direct attacks,

but its primary effect is Damage, so it is probably not

useful in countering, say, a Transform effect even if

the blast is “cosmic” in nature. Cosmic Transmutation,

on the other hand (itself a Transform effect) would

be useful to counter another Transform effect, or

an Affliction imposing the transformed condition.

For a broad cosmic countering effect, see the

Cosmic Order power under Utility Powers .

• Cosmic: The “cosmic” descriptor can have several

meanings. In this profile, it primarily means “of, or

related to, the cosmos” particularly outer space and

the universe beyond the bounds of Earth. This is one

way it is often used in comic books, with “cosmic” ad-

ventures being those involving outer space and alien

empires and such. Cosmic effects may be connected to

outer space and to planetary and stellar phenomena.

Cosmic literally means “order” particularly the

order inherent in nature and the universe (from the

Greek kosmos , the opposite of kaos ). Cosmology is

the study of that inherent order. In superhero set-

tings, it relates to things like primal or cosmic power

over the structure of reality, and the beings who

wield such power. Thus “cosmic power” is closely

aligned to descriptors like divine or metaphysi-

cal, related to “higher” supernatural powers such

as embodiments of cosmic order (or other con-

cepts as part of the greater cosmic order). In some

settings, there may be no real difference between

the cosmic and divine descriptors, although

cosmic beings in the comics are rarely worshipped.

Lastly, “cosmic” is often synonymous with “pow-

erful” in comic book terms; cosmic characters and

COSMIC POWERS & SCALE

Cosmic powers must often work on a different scale than

those of earth-bound characters. In particular, cosmic

powers range between planets or even stars and may have

those same planets and stars as their area of effect! There

are a number of ways to handle this in M&M game terms.

First is to simply require the necessary ranks of Area

and Extended Range to handle the vast distances and

POWER PROFILE: COSMIC POWERS

DEFAULT COSMIC POWERS

In a cosmic M&M series, the Gamemaster may want to take into account the importance of three primary power effects:

Comprehend, Immunity, and Space Travel.

Space Travel is necessary for a series to transcend the limits of a single planet or star system. Either all the heroes need to

have Space Travel powers, or they need access to equipment or vehicles providing them. Examples may include a fleet

of fast space ships (or a single ship the heroes call home and use as a mobile headquarters) or some type of “teleportals”

or “hyperspace corridors” allowing characters to visit other planets like Earth-bound heroes visit neighborhoods of their

home city.

Immunity (life support) is vital to deal with the environmental hazards of a cosmic series, particularly operating in the

depths of space. While things like explosive decompression and deadly alien atmospheres may be occasional hazards (as

complications), for the most part, the heroes should not have to worry about such things. Again, either all characters have

some degree of Immunity, from life support to all Fortitude effects, or else they use equipment like advanced space suits

or life-support force fields.

Lastly, given the vast array of alien life in most cosmic series, characters need some means of communicating with the

intelligent life forms they encounter. The simplest solution is to assume there is some sort of galactic linguafranca (“Galac-

tican” or some such) used by civilized species, making the language barrier an occasional challenge. Otherwise, characters

need ranks of Comprehend (languages) to overcome this problem, either via their own powers, a telepathic or linguist

teammate, or “universal translator” equipment (perhaps built-in to the aforementioned space suits).

Gamemasters running a cosmic series may choose to require the players’ heroes to have some measure of these powers,

or can choose to make them (or suitable equipment) available to the heroes at no power point cost as a part of the series

itself, so players do not have to worry about spending additional points on the default powers.

areas involved. Each rank of Extended Range doubles

an effect’s ranges so just 5 ranks is a x32 increase; 10

ranks is just over 1,000 times! Some power effects

already take great distances into account: Commu-

nication, for example, has an unlimited range option,

while Environment can cover vast areas. Effects like

Space Travel handle movement over cosmic distances

(see the Default Cosmic Powers sidebar). Perception-

ranged effects can also greatly extend range; in outer

space, the distance you can see a target like a planet or

a massive starship is far greater than perception range

on a planet’s surface where you are limited by the curve

of the horizon. Add appropriate Extended senses for

even greater distances.

• Cosmic Council: You can gain the attention of higher

cosmic beings, calling upon them for advice, council,

or to render judgment in matters pertaining to

them. This is essentially like a use of inspiration via

hero points ( Hero’sHandbook, page 21) and under

the Gamemaster’s control (portraying the cosmic

beings). You can use this Feature once per rank per

adventure.

OFFENSIVE POWERS

Wielders of cosmic power can focus it in a number of of-

fensive ways, from blasts of pure energy to entrapping

webs or clouds of obscuring stellar gases.

Another option is to simply assume cosmic events occur

on a cosmic scale: ranged powers still have short, medium,

and long ranges, but they are 10 or 100 times greater; the

GM simply chooses whether to apply a 0, –2, or –5 circum-

stance modifier for range. Likewise, area effects might

cover an entire ship or nebula or the like when used in

the void of space. This approach is suitable for either a pri-

marily cosmic setting or the occasional cosmic adventure

where the GM and players do not want to concern them-

selves with the vast scale.

COSMIC FEATURES

Some potential Feature effects associated with Cosmic

Powers include the following:

• Cosmic Champion: You are the chosen champion or

representative of a cosmic being, which may give you

recognition and regard in certain circles (but may

earn you Enemy and Rivalry complications in others).

This Feature is good for a circumstance bonus when

appropriate and may provide access to other cosmic

Features or Benefits.

COSMIC BLAST

You can unleash a blast of pure cosmic energy. Some ver-

sions of this power have the Variable Descriptor modifier,

allowing you to project different types of energy, perhaps

along the entire electromagnetic spectrum (rank 2).

Cosmic Blast: Ranged Damage • 2pointsperrank.

Explosive cosmic blasts are a common variant, striking a

target point and bursting to encompass an area. Apply

the Burst Area modifier for this power, or the Cloud Area

for a cosmic blast that creates a lingering Damage effect

in the area.

Cosmic Burst: Ranged Burst Area Damage • 3pointsperrank.

COSMIC GRASP

A tendril of cosmic power entraps your target, rendering

them paralyzed, held in your grasp until you choose to

release them or they manage to break free.

POWER PROFILE: COSMIC POWERS

from the depths of space to the heart of a star. You also

do not age and are effectively immortal, so long as you

are not killed. This power includes lesser immunities like

Spaceworthy (previously).

Cosmic Grasp: Ranged Affliction (Resisted by Dodge,

Overcome by Strength; Impaired and Vulnerable,

Defenseless and Immobilized), Extra Condition, Reversible,

Limited Degree • 1point+2pointsperrank.

Unearthly: Immunity 30 (Fortitude effects) • 30points.

METEOR SHOWER

MOVEMENT POWERS

Cosmic movement powers tend to focus on crossing the

vast distances between planets and stars.

A bombardment of fiery streaks strikes your chosen

target. The meteor shower normally comes from your out-

stretched hands, but apply the Indirect modifier if you can

call down a meteor shower from a different point.

Meteor Shower: Ranged Multiattack Damage (fire and impact) •

3pointsperrank.

FASTER THAN LIGHT

You can fly through space faster than the speed of light,

able to traverse the distance between planets, stars, even

galaxies in a relatively short amount of time. This power

does not include the ability to survive unprotected in

space, although Immunity (life support) or the Unearthly

power are common for characters who have this power.

NEBULAR FIELD

You conjure a glowing, swirling cloud of nebular gases,

able to conceal everything within it. A Nebular Field might

add additional senses (particularly magnetic or radio) to

the Concealment effect, increasing its rank accordingly.

Faster Than Light: Movement (Space Travel) • 2pointsperrankup

torank3(6points).

Nebular Field: Ranged Cloud Area Concealment Attack 4

(Visual) • 16points+4pointsper+1distanceranktoarea.

SPACE WARP

DEFENSIVE POWERS

Cosmic power shields against harm as well as causing it,

and those infused with its power may be beyond many

human concerns. In addition to the powers listed here,

some with cosmic powers may have ranks of Immortal-

ity, with an enduring life force able to recover from any

damage, given enough time.

You can open a warp in the fabric of the cosmos, allow-

ing you to instantly cross a distance in space: entering

the portal at one point and emerging from the other. Like

Faster Than Light (previously) Space Warp is only useful

for travel over interplanetary distances; warping across

the surface of a planet take a Teleport effect, possibly with

the Portal modifier as well.

COSMIC SHIELD

Space Warp: Movement (Space Travel), Portal • 4pointsperrank

uptorank3(12points).

An aura of cosmic energy surrounds you, shielding you

from harm. For those lacking the Unearthly power (fol-

lowing), Cosmic Shield may include a Sustained Immunity

10 (life support) effect, providing protection against the

environmental hazards of space and alien worlds as well

as direct damage.

SOAR THE SPACEWAYS

You soar through the black void of space with the ease of

a bird in the sky. It is a natural environment to you. Char-

acters with this power may also have the Favored Environ-

ment (space) advantage, or an Enhanced Advantage as

part of this power, granting the same benefit.

Cosmic Shield: Impervious Protection, Sustained • 2points

perrank.

Soar the Spaceways: Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation:

Space) • 2points.

SPACEWORTHY

UTILITY POWERS

Cosmic power can accomplish a great many things, pro-

viding a wide range of utility powers, from communica-

tion across the vastness of space to sensing cosmic phe-

nomena to virtually unlimited power within a specific set

of parameters.

You can survive unaided in the void of space, a useful

ability for those who spend a great deal of time away from

the comforts of a planetary environment.

Spaceworthy: Immunity 5 (cold, all suffocation, radiation,

vacuum) • 5points.

UNEARTHLY

COSMIC AWARENESS

You are a being of the void between worlds, beyond mere

mortal frailty. You do not need to eat or sleep and are

immune to the harmful effects of environments ranging

You are connected to the fabric of the cosmos on a funda-

mental level, allowing you to sense energies and events

POWER PROFILE: COSMIC POWERS

of universal importance. You also have some awareness

of the “correct” flow of events in the cosmos, warning you

when something diverts destiny from its proper course.

Than Light travel). This power often includes the Area

modifier as well, working on all effects in an area rather

than all effects on a single target at once.

Cosmic Awareness: Senses 6 (Acute Cosmic Awareness,

Precognition Limited to Cosmic Events) • 4points.

Cosmic Order: Nullify Chaos Effects, Simultaneous • 2points

perrank.

COSMIC COMMUNICATION

COSMIC STRENGTH

You can project your voice and image across vast distances,

allowing you to communicate with subjects on other planets

or even galaxies as if they were in the same room with you.

Cosmic energy flows through your corporeal form, giving

you increased physical strength.

Cosmic Strength: Enhanced Strength • 2pointsperrank.

Cosmic Communication: Communication 5 (subspace audio-

visual projection, any distance) • 20points.

COSMIC TRACKING

COSMIC CONTROL

Provided you have some sort of connection (DNA sample,

psychic trace, prior knowledge, etc.) you can “lock on” to a

subject and track them across to vastness of space anywhere

in the cosmos, although some phenomena in the depths of

space—nebulas or supernovas, for example—may cause

you to lose the trail. This power does not include the move-

ment ability necessary to follow a trail you sense, although

such capabilities are commonly associated with it. Cosmic

Tracking allows you to move at your full speed, even using

Space Travel to fly faster than light through the void of space.

Your control over cosmic energy allows you to use it

to grasp, lift, and manipulate objects from a distance

without actually touching them. Typically this involves a

visible beam or tendril of energy extending from you; if

it is simply an invisible extension of your will, apply the

Subtle modifier to the power.

Cosmic Control: Move Object • 2pointsperrank.

COSMIC HEALING

Cosmic Tracking: Senses 8 (Accurate, Acute, Direction Sense,

Distance Sense, Extended, Tracking 2) • 8points.

You can channel cosmic energies to bolster the life force of

injured creatures, helping to quickly restore them to health.

Various Healing modifiers are common for this power, up

to and including Resurrection for powerful cosmic healers.

COSMIC TRANSMUTATION

Cosmic energy gives you the power to rearrange matter

on a molecular or atomic level, restructuring it into differ-

ent forms or materials. See the Element Powers profile for

additional details on transmutative powers and effects.

Cosmic Healing: Healing • 2pointsperrank.

COSMIC MASTERY

Cosmic Transmutation: Transform (anything into anything else)

• 5pointsperrank.

You wield great, but vaguely defined, “cosmic power” able

to do virtually anything, limited solely by your will and

imagination. With sufficient ranks, this power can include

all of the various other powers in this profile and more.

UNIVERSAL TRANSLATION

Tapping into low-level telepathic abilities or the fabric of

the cosmic consciousness allows you to speak and under-

stand any language, no matter the alien species or civi-

lization, and to be understood in the listeners language,

regardless of how many beings interacting with you.

Cosmic Mastery—also known as “The Power Primal” or

“The Power Cosmic”—may have different Variable modi-

fiers, particular to the action needed to change the effect,

allowing you to choose different effects essentially at will

(as a free action). Gamemasters are cautioned against al-

lowing a large number of ranks of this power; most heroes

with broad cosmic powers are better handled with power

stunts while most villains with such power are essentially

Power Level X plot devices ( Gamemaster’sGuide, page 72).

Universal Translation: Comprehend 3 (speak, understand,

understood, all languages) • 6points.

OTHER COSMIC POWERS

Given the broad nature of “cosmic energy” any other

energy power could potentially be cosmic, especially for

those able to use cosmic energy to control a wide spec-

trum of forces. Powers from the Light Powers profile work

particularly well as supplemental cosmic powers.

Cosmic Mastery: Variable (cosmic powers) • 7pointsperrank.

COSMIC ORDER

You can call upon the universal forces of order to weed

out chaos and eliminate the effects of unnatural powers,

particularly those which tamper with the fabric of space

and time (including things like Space Warp and Faster

Cosmic power may imply some influence over the funda-

mental forces of the universe, making powers from the

POWER PROFILE: COSMIC POWERS

Gravity Powers , Teleport Powers , or even Time Powers

profiles suitable for wielders of cosmic power as well. By

a similar token, if cosmic power involves tapping into the

“universal order” or some such, then it may grant effects

like Luck Powers , or be opposed to such powers for their

violations of that same universal order.

where. This makes it difficult for the characters to escape

the demands of their powers and their other complica-

tions, like enemies or responsibilities.

POWER LOSS

Cosmic powers can be considerable, but there may be

ways in which characters can lose them temporarily,

leading to complications.

COSMIC COMPLICATIONS

Like the powers, cosmic complications tend to be big .

The following are some of the complications wielders of

cosmic power might encounter in a series.

Those reliant on an object or touchstone of some sort for

their powers may face its loss or damage. In some cases,

the character’s cosmic powers may be Removable. In

others, the loss of the item is rare and better treated as a

complication than a power modifier.

ACCIDENT

Cosmic powers dependent on the whims of a higher

being might be revoked (see Responsibility, following)

while powers reliant on the character’s confidence, will-

power, moral purity, or some other characteristic could

be lost when that quality falters, regained only when the

character undergoes some penance or effort to recover.

PREJUDICE

Cosmic accidents come with equally large consequences.

These types of powers have the potential to destroy planets

and stars, earning a character a galaxy-wide Enemy or a

major Quirk or Phobia involving the guilt of causing such

devastation. Of course, given the dangers of cosmic power,

it might also only appear such an accident has happened, an

effort to make the character seem like a threat by those who

would rather not confront those cosmic powers directly.

DISABILITY

With vast cosmic power comes grave concerns. People

and authorities may turn a watchful (and jaundiced) eye

towards cosmic power wielders, treating them as poten-

tial disasters waiting to strike. While a world might be

grateful for the character’s help, they may not tolerate a

long-term presence, given the potential for disaster or the

possibility of attracting cosmic foes.

Cosmic types are often “strangers in a strange land”—either

aliens visiting Earth or humans traveling amongst the stars

to alien worlds. In either case, the character may well be ig-

norant of local history, customs, laws, and so forth, leading

to potential complications. This differs from prejudice (fol-

lowing) because it represents a gap in the character’s knowl-

edge and abilities, rather than just the opinions of others.

Similarly, aliens may face xenophobic attitudes on other

worlds. This includes humans visiting alien planets, where

they may not be welcome. Certain races and cultures may

develop prejudiced attitudes and stereotypes, and heroes

looking to keep the peace and obey local laws—much

less establish friendly diplomatic relations—have to find

ways to deal with them.

Alien characters may also have “disabilities” relative to

humans due to different physiology, such as an alien

species lacking human sensory capabilities or manipu-

lative limbs. Aliens can also be dependent on different

environmental conditions—breathing a methane atmo-

sphere, for example—relying on life support equipment

or powers to survive on Earth.

RESPONSIBILITY

ENEMY

Cosmic power comes with a heavy amount of responsibility,

whether self-imposed, or coming from a higher authority.

Characters with cosmic power tend towards either a great

sense of personal responsibility (for heroes) or an obsession

with a goal (for villains). Either way, the character is devoted

to wielding power for a purpose, and must avoid distractions.

Cosmic power tends to come with a destiny of some sort,

and there are often those opposed to that destiny who

become the character’s sworn enemies. Even cosmic char-

acters simply seeking peace and solitude amongst the

stars may find enemies looking to exploit or steal their

power for their own uses.

Given the number of “higher powers” in cosmic events,

those with cosmic powers are often responsible to godlike

patrons, from interstellar law enforcers answering to their

superiors to vastly powerful soldiers of alien empires, or

heralds of cosmic gods serving their masters’ needs.

Cosmic enemies need a range and scope similar to the

character, able to pursue wherever their foe might go,

even across the vastness of the universe.

FAME

TEMPER

Just as earthly heroes may be famous in a city, country, or

even worldwide, cosmic characters are often famous on

a galactic or even universal scale, known and recognized

on civilized planets (colonies, space stations, etc.) every-

A fiery temper is a common complication for imperious

and (perhaps understandably) arrogant cosmic beings,

who see themselves as too powerful to deal with petty

matters or to be questioned by their inferiors.

POWER PROFILE: COSMIC POWERS

Power Profile - Cosmic Powers.pdf

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