CHAPTER 4: FEATS
Heroes are more than just skilled, they’re capable of amazing feats, often far beyond the abilities of ordinary people. In Mutants & Masterminds, a feat is a particular special ability. Feats often allow heroes to “break the rules,” doing things most people cannot. Feats are not actually classified as powers. Those are covered in Chapter 5.
Acquiring Feats
Feats are rated in ranks and bought with power points, just like skills and powers.
Feats cost 1 power point per rank. Feat Cost = 1 power point per feat rank.
Feat Descriptions
Each feat’s description explains the benefit it provides. It also says if the feat can be acquired in ranks and what the effects are of doing so. If a feat’s description does not specifically say it can be acquired multiple times, then it can only be taken once by a character. Ranks in a feat are noted with a number after the feat’s name, such as “Defensive Roll 2” (for a character who has taken two ranks in the Defensive Roll feat), just like skill and power ranks.
Types of Feats
Feats are categorized as one of four types:.
• Combat feats are useful in combat and often modify how combat maneuvers are performed.
• Skill feats offer bonuses or modifications to skill use.
• Fortune feats require and enhance the use of hero points.
• General feats provide special abilities or bonuses not covered by the other categories.
Power feats are a special fifth type of feat, related to powers and described in Chapter 5.
Feat Descriptions
Each feat is listed by name, type, and if the feat is available in multiple ranks, followed by a description of the feat’s benefits. The effects of additional ranks of the feat (if any) are noted in the text of each feat. In some cases a feat’s description mentions the normal conditions for characters who do not have the feat for comparison.
Accurate Attack (Combat)
When you make an attack you can take a penalty of up to –5 on your save DC modifier and add the same number (up to +5) to your attack bonus. Your save DC modifier cannot be reduced below +0 and your attack bonus cannot more than double. The changes to attack and save DC modifier are declared before you make the attack roll and last until your next round.
Acrobatic Bluff (Skill)
You can use your Acrobatics skill instead of your Bluff skill to feint and trick in combat (see page 42). Your opponent opposes the attempt with Sense Motive or Acrobatics (whichever is better).
All-Out Attack (Combat)
When you make an attack you can take a penalty of up to –5 on your defense bonus and add the same number (up to +5) to your attack bonus. Your defense bonus cannot be reduced below +0 and your attack bonus cannot more than double. The changes to attack and defense bonus are declared before you make the attack roll and last until your next round.
Ambidexterity (General)
You are equally adept at using either hand. You ignore off-hand penalties to checks and attack rolls. Without this feat, characters suffer a –4 penalty when using their off hand. Note this does not give you any additional attacks, it merely allows you to use either hand equally well. If you have more than two hands, this feat applies to all of them (see Additional Limbs, page 75).
Animal Empathy (Skill)
You have a special connection with animals. You can use the Handle Animal skill (see page 49) like Diplomacy (see page 46) to change the attitude of an animal by interacting with it. Unlike a normal use of Diplomacy, you do not have to speak a language the animal understands, and Animal Empathy affects creatures with an Intelligence of 1 or 2 (but still greater than 0). You can also use the Bluff and Gather Information skills normally on animals. You don’t actually need to speak to the animals; you communicate your intent through gestures and body language and learn things by studying animal behavior.
Special
The GM may allow other forms of this feat for interacting with other unusual creatures, such as Machine Empathy, Plant Empathy, Spirit Empathy, Undead Empathy, and so forth. The specifics of using interaction skills with any unusual subjects are left up to the Gamemaster.
Artificer (Skill)
You can use the Knowledge (arcane lore) and Craft skills to create temporary magical devices. See Magical Inventions, page 132, for details.
Assessment (General)
You’re able to size up someone’s combat capabilities. As a move action, choose a target you can accurately perceive and make a Sense Motive check opposed by the target’s Bluff check result. If you succeed, the GM tells you the target’s attack and defense bonus relative to yours (lower, higher, or equal). You don’t know the target’s exact bonus unless it equals your own, only a rough estimate of relative ability. In cases of a 5-point or greater difference, the GM may choose to tell you the target’s bonus is considerably more or less than yours. If you lose the opposed roll, the GM should over- or under-estimate the target’s bonus.
Attack Focus (Combat, Ranked)
You have a +1 bonus to melee or ranged attacks rolls per rank in this feat. Choose which type of roll the bonus applies to when you acquire the feat. Your total attack bonus is limited by the campaign’s power level.
Attack Specialization (Combat, Ranked)
You have a +2 bonus with a specific attack or weapon per rank in this feat. Choose the attack when you acquire the feat. Your total attack bonus is limited by the campaign’s power level.
Attractive (skill, Ranked)
You’re particularly attractive, giving you a +4 bonus per rank on Bluff and Diplomacy checks to deceive, seduce, or change the attitude of anyone who might find you appealing. This bonus cannot increase your total effective skill rank higher than the campaign’s power level limit.
Beginner’s Luck (Fortune)
By spending a hero point, you gain 5 ranks in any skill in which you currently have 4 or fewer ranks, including skills you have no ranks in, even if they can’t be used untrained. These temporary skill ranks last for the duration of the encounter and grant you their normal benefits.
Benefit (General, Ranked)
You have some significant perquisite or fringe benefit. The exact nature of the benefit is for you and the Gamemaster to determine. As a rule of thumb it should not exceed the benefits of any other feat, or a power costing 1 point. It should also be significant enough to cost at least 1 point. An example is Diplomatic Immunity (see Sample Benefits). A license to practice law or medicine, on the other hand, should not be considered a benefit; it’s simply a part of having enough ranks in the appropriate Profession skill and has no significant game effect. Benefits may come in ranks for improved levels of the same benefit. The GM is the final arbiter as to what does and does not constitute a Benefit in the campaign. Keep in mind some qualities may constitute Benefits in some campaigns, but not in others, depending on whether or not they have any real impact on the game.
sample benefits
The following are some potential Benefits. The GM is free to choose any suitable Benefit for the campaign.
• Alternate Identity: You have an alternate identity, complete with legal paperwork (driver’s license, birth certificate, etc .). This is different from a costumed identity, which doesn’t necessarily have any legal status.
• Diplomatic Immunity: By dint of your diplomatic status, you cannot be prosecuted for crimes in nations other than your own. All another nation can do is deport you to your home nation.
• Security Clearance: You have access to classified government information, installations, and possibly equipment and personnel.
• Status: By virtue of birth or achievement, you have special status. Examples include nobility, knighthood, aristocracy, being a samurai in medieval Japan, and so forth.
• Wealth: You have greater than average wealth or resources. Increase your Wealth bonus by +4 per rank (see page 132 for more information).
Blind-Fight (Combat)
In melee combat, you suffer half the usual miss chance due to concealment (see Concealment, page 161). If you spend a hero point before rolling the miss chance, you automatically ignore it for that attack. You take only half the usual penalty to speed for being unable to see; darkness and poor visibility reduce your speed to three-quarters rather than half.
Chokehold (Combat)
If you pin an opponent (see Grappling, page 156), you can apply a chokehold, causing your opponent to begin suffocating for as long as you maintain the pin (see Suffocation, page 168).
Connected (Skill)
You know people who can help you out from time to time. You can call in favors by making a Diplomacy check. It might be advice, information, help with a legal matter, or access to resources. The GM sets the DC of the Diplomacy check, based on the aid required. A simple favor is DC 10, ranging up to DC 25 or higher for especially difficult, dangerous, or expensive favors. You can spend a hero point to automatically secure the favor. The GM has the right to veto any request if it is too involved or likely to spoil the plot of the adventure. Use of this feat always requires at least a few minutes (and often much longer) and the means to contact your allies.
Contacts (Skill)
You have such extensive and well-informed contacts you can make a Gather Information check in only one minute, assuming you have some means of getting in touch with your contacts. You can take 10 or take 20 on this check (taking 20 requires 20 minutes rather than 1). Further Gather Information checks on the same subject require the normal length of time.
Critical Strike (Combat)
You can score critical hits normally on favored opponents with Immunity (critical hits) (see Immunity, page 89). You must have the Favored Opponent feat (see page 61) in order to make a critical strike against that type of opponent.
Defensive attack (Combat)
When you make an attack you can take a penalty of up to –5 on your attack bonus and add the same number (up to +5) as a dodge bonus to your defense. Your attack bonus cannot be reduced below +0 and your dodge bonus cannot more than double. The changes to attack and dodge bonus last until your next action.
Defensive Roll (combat, Ranked)
You can evade damage through agility and “rolling” with an attack. You receive a bonus to your Toughness saving throws equal to your rank, but lose your Defensive Roll bonus whenever you are denied your dodge bonus or unable to take a free action unless you are able to succeed on a Concentration check (DC based on circumstances, see Concentration in Chapter 3). Your total Toughness save bonus, including Defensive Roll, is limited by the campaign’s power level. You can add your Defensive Roll rank as a bonus to Reflex saves against area attacks (see Chapter 8) or as a bonus to your Toughness save against the resulting damage, but not both.
Diehard (General)
When your condition is reduced to dying you automatically stabilize on the following round without any need for a Constitution check, although further damage can still kill you.
Distract (Skill, Ranked)
You can make a Bluff or Intimidate check (choose one when you acquire the feat) to cause an opponent to hesitate in combat. Take a standard action and make a skill check against your target’s opposing check (the same skill, Sense Motive, or Will save, whichever has the highest bonus). If you succeed, your target is dazed for one round (defending normally, but taking no action). Targets gain a +1 bonus on checks to resist Distract per attempt against them in the
same encounter. You can take this feat twice (gaining the ability to use it with either Bluff or Intimidate).
Dodge Focus (Combat)
combat, Ranked
You have a +1 dodge bonus for each rank in this feat. You lose this bonus whenever you are denied your dodge bonus. Your total defense bonus (including your dodge bonus) is limited by the campaign’s power level.
Eidetic Memory (General)
You have perfect recall of everything you’ve experienced. You have a +4 bonus on checks to remember things, including saving throws against effects that alter or erase memories. You can make any Knowledge skill check untrained, meaning you can answer questions involving difficult or obscure knowledge without ranks in the skill.
Elusive Target (Combat)
While you are fighting an opponent in melee combat, others attempting to target you with ranged attacks are at a –8 penalty rather than the usual –4 penalty for shooting into melee combat.
Endurance (general, Ranked)
You gain a +4 bonus per rank on Swim checks to avoid becoming fatigued and Constitution checks or Fortitude saves to hold your breath, avoid damage from starvation or thirst, avoid damage from hot or cold environments,
and to resist suffocation and drowning.
Environmental Adaptation (General)
You’re adapted to a particular environment, such as underwater, zero gravity, and so forth. You suffer none of the normal die roll or movement penalties associated with that environment, moving and acting normally. You are still affected by environmental hazards like suffocation, exposure, and so forth. You need Immunity (see page 89) for resistance to these effects.
Equipment (general, Ranked)
You have 5 points to spend on equipment per rank in this feat. See Chapter 7 for details on equipment.
Evasion (combat, Ranked)
If you make your Reflex save against an area effect (see page 111), you suffer no damage. If you have two ranks in this feat, you only take half damage from an area effect even if you fail the Reflex save, and no damage if you succeed.
Fascinate (skill, Ranked)
One of your interaction skills is so effective you can capture and hold someone’s attention with it. Choose Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, or Perform when you acquire this feat. You are subject to the normal guidelines for interaction skills, and combat or other immediate danger makes this feat ineffective. Take a standard action and make an interaction skill check against your target’s opposing check (the same skill, Sense Motive, or Will save, whichever
has the highest bonus). If you succeed, the target becomes fascinated (see Condition Summary, page 170). You can maintain the effect (requiring a standard action each round). The fascination ends when you stop or the target overcomes it. You may take this feat more than once. Each time, it applies to a different interaction skill. Like all interaction skills, you can use Fascinate on a group, but you must affect everyone in the group equally.
Fast Overrun (Combat)
If you make a successful overrun attempt (see Overrun, page 158) you can make another overrun, so long as you have sufficient movement to reach another target. You can continue making overrun attempts until you either run out of movement or miss an attempt. You can change the direction of your movement between overrun attempts, but you must still move at least 10 feet in a straight line before each attempt.
Favored Environment (Combat, Ranked)
You have an environment you’re especially suited for fighting in. Examples include in the air, underwater, in space, in extreme heat or cold, in jungles or woodlands, and so forth. While in your favored environment, you gain either a +1 attack bonus or +1 dodge bonus. Choose at the start of each round whether your bonus applies to attack or dodge. Your maximum attack and defense bonus is limited by the campaign’s power level.
Favored Opponent (Combat, Ranked)
You have a particular type of opponent you’ve studied or are especially effective against. It may be a type of creature (aliens, animals, constructs, mutants, undead, etc .), a profession (soldiers, police officers, Yakuza, etc.) or any other category the GM approves. Especially broad categories like “humans” or “villains” are not permitted. You gain a +1 bonus on Bluff, Intimidate, Notice, Sense Motive, and Survival checks dealing with your Favored Opponent as well as +1 damage on all attacks against them. You may take this feat multiple times, either choosing a different opponent or increasing your existing bonus by +1, to a maximum of +5. Your maximum damage bonus is limited by the campaign’s power level.
Fearless (General)
You are immune to fear effects of all sorts. You automatically succeed on any saving throw against a fear effect. This is the equivalent of the power Immunity 1 (fear effects) (see page 89).
Fearsome Presence (General, Ranked)
You can inspire fear in others. Take a standard action to strike a suitably fearsome pose or utter an intimidating threat; anyone within (feat rank × 5) feet able to interact with you must make a Will save (DC 10 + rank) or become shaken. If the save fails by 5 or more, the subject flees from you. If the save fails by 10 or more, the subject panics, dropping any held items and fleeing from you as quickly as possible. Your Fearsome Presence rank cannot exceed your intimidate skill bonus.
Grappling Finesse (Combat)
You can use your Dexterity bonus, rather than your Strength bonus, to make grapple checks. You retain your dodge bonus to Defense against all opponents while grappling.
Hide in Plain Sight (Skill)
You can make Stealth checks even while being observed and even if you do not have cover or concealment. Characters normally must have cover or concealment to hide and cannot make Stealth checks while being observed.
Improved Aim (Combat)
When you take a full-round action to aim (see Aim, page 154), you gain double the normal bonus: +10 for a melee attack or a ranged attack adjacent to the target, +4 for a ranged attack at a greater distance.
Improved Block (Combat, Ranked)
You have a +2 bonus on attack rolls to block melee attacks (see Block, page 155). If you can block ranged attacks (using the Deflect power, page 81), your Improved Block bonus does not apply to those block rolls, which are improved separately by adding power ranks.
Improved Critical (Combat, Ranked)
Your critical threat range with a particular attack (chosen when you acquire this feat) is increased, allowing you to score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20. Only a natural 20 is an automatic hit, however, and an attack that misses is not a critical. Each additional rank applies to a different attack or increases your threat range with an existing attack by one more.
Improved Defense (Combat, Ranked)
When you take the total defense action in combat you gain an additional +2 dodge bonus (+6 rather than the usual +4 dodge bonus, see Total Defense, page 159). You can take a second rank in this feat, giving you a +8 total dodge bonus with the total defense action.
Improved Disarm (Combat, Ranked)
You have a +2 bonus per rank on attack rolls when attempting to disarm an opponent and they do not get the opportunity to disarm you (see Disarm, page 156).
Improved Grab (Combat)
When you hit with an unarmed attack you can immediately start a grapple against that opponent as a free action. The opponent must be no larger than your size. Your unarmed attack inflicts normal damage and counts as the initial attack roll required to start grappling.
Improved Grapple (Combat)
You can make grappling attacks with only one hand, leaving the other free. If you pin your opponent, you can maintain the pin while still using your other hand to perform actions.
Improved Initiative (Combat, Ranked)
You have a +4 bonus to your initiative checks per rank in this feat.
Improved Overrun (Combat, Ranked)
When you make an overrun attempt, your opponent cannot choose to avoid you, and you have a +4 bonus on the trip check (see Overrun, page 158).
Improved Pin (Combat)
Your grappling attacks are particularly difficult to escape. Opponents suffer a –4 penalty on grappling checks against you to escape a grapple or pin.
Improved Sunder (Combat)
You have a +4 bonus to attack rolls to hit an object held by another character.
Improved Throw (Combat)
You’re skilled at throwing opponents off-balance. When making a trip attack (normally or using a power), choose which ability bonus your opponent uses to defend, Strength or Dexterity.
Improved Trip (Combat)
You have a +4 bonus on checks to trip an opponent (normally or using a power) and they do not get the opportunity to trip you. If you use this feat with a ranged trip attack it’s only half as effective (a +2 bonus).
Improvised Tools (Skill)
You ignore the –4 penalty for using skills without proper tools, since you can improvise sufficient tools with whatever is at hand.
Inspire (Fortune, Ranked)
You can inspire your allies to greatness. You must be able to interact and you can affect a number of allies equal to your Charisma bonus. By taking a full-round action and spending a hero point, your allies gain a +1 bonus on all attack rolls, saving throws, and checks for the following round. Each additional time you take this feat increases the bonus by +1, to a maximum of +5. You do not gain the inspiration bonus, only your allies do. The inspiration bonus can exceed power level limits, like other uses of hero points. Multiple uses of inspiration do not stack, only the highest bonus applies.
Instant up (Combat)
You can stand up from a prone position as a free action.
Interpose (Combat)
Once per round, when an ally adjacent to you is targeted by an attack, you can choose to trade places with that ally as a reaction, making you the target of the attack instead. If the attack hits, you suffer the effects normally. If the attack misses you, it also misses your ally. You must declare your intention to trade places with an ally before the attack roll is made. You cannot use Interpose if you are stunned or otherwise incapable of taking free actions.
Inventor (Skill)
You can use the Knowledge (technology) and Craft skills to create inventions and temporary devices. See Inventing, page 131, for details.
Jack-of-all-Trades (Skill)
You can use any skill untrained, even skills that normally cannot be used untrained, although you must still have proper tools if the skill requires them.
Leadership (Fortune)
Your presence can reassure and lend courage to allies. As a standard action, you can spend a hero point to remove one of the following conditions from an ally with whom you can interact (see Interaction Skills, page 38): dazed, fascinated, fatigued, panicked, shaken, or stunned. Your Leadership cannot remove damage (although it may alleviate some of its effects) nor can it remove other conditions, including exhausted, disabled, or unconscious.
Luck (Fortune, Ranked)
You have an extra hero point, over the normal starting amount, per rank in this feat (see Hero Points, page 121). You cannot have more ranks in luck than half the campaign’s power level. The GM may choose to set a lower limit on this feat, depending on the campaign.
Master Plan (General)
If you have the opportunity to prepare for an encounter you can formulate a plan. This requires at least a few minutes, longer at the Gamemaster’s discretion. Make an Intelligence check (DC 10). If successful, you and your allies gain a bonus on all skill checks and attack rolls in the encounter depending on the result of your roll: +1 for a roll of 10-14, +2 for 15-24, and +3 for 25 or higher. This bonus is not subject to power level limits. You choose when during the encounter to initiate your master plan. The bonus lasts for 3 rounds, then begins decreasing at a rate of 1 per round until it is gone. You can only use this feat when you have the opportunity to prepare for an encounter in advance, not when dealing with sudden or unexpected encounters.
Minions (General, Ranked)
You have a follower or minion. This minion is an independent character with a power point total of (rank × 15). Minions are subject to the normal power level limits, and cannot have minions themselves. Your minions automatically have a helpful attitude toward you. If you double the cost of this feat (2 points per rank) your minions are fanatical. They are subject to the normal rules for minions (see page 163). Rather than increasing the power points available to create your minion, a rank in this feat can move your total number of minions of the same type one step up the Time and Value Progression Table (see page 70). So Minions 5 can give you one 75-point minion, or two 60-point minions, or five 45-point minions, or ten 30-point minions, and so forth. Your minions don’t have to be identical, but should be generally of the same type (human agents, infernal demons, zombies, etc.). Any lost minions are replaced in between adventures with other followers with similar abilities at the Gamemaster’s discretion.
Move-by Action (Combat)
When taking a standard action and a move action you can move both
before and after the standard action, provided the total distance isn’t
greater than your movement speed.
Power Attack (Combat)
When you make an attack you can take a penalty of up to –5 on your attack bonus and add the same number (up to +5) to your attack’s saving throw DC. Your attack bonus cannot be reduced below +0 and your save DC modifier cannot more than double. The changes to attack and saving throw DC are decided before you make your attack roll and last until your next round. This feat does not apply to effects requiring no attack roll or allowing no saving throw.
Precise Shot (Combat, Ranked)
When you make ranged attacks on an opponent engaged in melee with your allies, you reduce the attack roll penalty by 4. This eliminates the normal –4 penalty, and reduces the penalty for Elusive Target (see page 60) to –4. A second rank ignores the defense bonus for anything less than total cover and the miss chance from anything less than total concealment. It also completely negates the penalty for the Elusive Target feat.
Prone Fighting (Combat)
You suffer no penalties on attack rolls for being prone, and adjacent opponents do not gain any bonus to hit you while you are prone (although opponents making ranged attacks are still at –4 on their attack rolls). You can crawl at half your speed rather than the usual 5feet per move action.
Quick Change (General, Ranked)
You can change clothes—such as changing into your costume or your secret identity—as a free action. Normally, changing clothes requires at least a minute (10 rounds). If you take this feat a second time, you can change into any outfit at will. This allows you to use the Disguise skill (see page 47) as a move action rather than taking the usual time.
Quick Draw (General, Ranked)
You can draw or load a weapon as a free action, rather than a move action. You can only do one of these things as a free action each round; the others remain move actions as normal. So you could draw a weapon as a free action, then load it as a move action, for example, but not draw and load it as a free action. Quick Draw 2 allows you to both draw and load a weapon in the same round as free actions.
Rage (General, Ranked)
You can fly into a berserk rage as a free action, gaining +4 Strength, +2 to your Fortitude and Will saves, and a –2 penalty to Defense. While raging you can’t use skills or powers requiring concentration (with a duration of Concentration or Sustained), and you can’t take 10 or 20 on checks. Your rage lasts for five rounds, after which you are fatigued for five rounds. Each additional rank gives you +2 Strength and a +1 Fortitude and Will save bonus to a maximum of +10 Strength and +5 to saves total at 4 ranks (the –2 penalty to Defense and other effects remain the same). Your maximum Strength and save bonuses are limited by the campaign’s power level. Instead of increasing your Rage benefits, a rank in this feat can extend the duration by 5 rounds. This extends the duration of your post-rage fatigue by the same amount.
Ranged Pin (Combat)
You can use a ranged weapon to pin an opponent to a nearby surface. The target must be within 5 feet of a wall, tree, or similar surface. Make a normal attack roll against the target. If your attack is successful, the target makes a Reflex saving throw against your attack roll result. Failure means the target is entangled and unable to move. To break free, the victim must take a move action and make a successful Strength or Escape Artist check (DC 15). A Strength or skill bonus greater than the DC allows the target to escape as a free action.
Redirect (Combat)
If you successfully trick an opponent (see Bluff, page 42), you can redirect a missed attack against you from that opponent at another target as a reaction. The new target must be adjacent to you and within range of the attack. The attacker makes a new attack roll with the same modifiers as the first against the new target.
Ritualist (Skill)
You can use the Knowledge (arcane lore) skill to create and cast arcane rituals (see page 131).
Second Chance (General, Ranked)
Choose a particular hazard, such as falling, being tripped, triggering traps, being mind controlled (or affected by another specific power, such as Blast with the fire descriptor) or a particular skill with consequences for failure. If you fail a saving throw against that hazard or a check with that skill, you can make another roll immediately and use the better of the two results. You only get one second chance for any given save or task, and the GM decides if a particular hazard or skill is an appropriate focus for this feat. Each additional rank in this feat applies to a different hazard or skill.
Seize Initiative (Combat)
You can spend a hero point to go first in the initiative order, without having to roll for initiative. You may only do so when you would normally roll initiative. If more than one character uses this feat, they roll for initiative normally and act in order of their initiative result, followed by all the other characters involved in the combat.
Set-Up(Combat)
You can transfer the benefits of a successful combat use of an interaction skill to a teammate. For example, you can feint and allow your ally to make the surprise attack against that opponent. The interaction skill requires its normal time and skill check.
Sidekick (General, Ranked)
You have another character serving as your partner and aide. Create your sidekick as an independent character with (rank × 5) power points, and subject to the campaign’s power level limits. A sidekick’s power point total must be less than yours. Your sidekick is an NPC, but automatically fanatically loyal to you (provided you treat your sidekick fairly and well). Gamemasters should generally allow you to control your sidekick, although sidekicks remain NPCs and the GM has final say in their actions. Sidekicks do not earn power points. Instead, you must spend earned power points to increase your rank in Sidekick to improve the sidekick’s power point total and traits; each point you spend to increase your rank in Sidekick grants the sidekick 5 additional power points. Sidekicks also do not have hero points, but you can spend your own hero points on the sidekick’s behalf with the usual benefits. Sidekicks are not minions, but full-fledged characters, so they are not subject to the minion rules. Rather than increasing the power points available to create your sidekick, a rank in this feat can move your total number of sidekicks of the same point total one step up the Time and Value Progression Table (see page 70), so one additional rank gives you two sidekicks, two additional ranks give you five, and so forth. The GM may limit the number of sidekicks a character an have to keep things from becoming unmanageable during play.
Skill Mastery (Skill, Ranked)
Choose four skills. When making checks with those skills, you can take 10 even when distracted or under pressure. This feat does not allow you to take 10 with skills that do not normally allow you to do so. Each additional rank applies Skill Mastery to four more skills.
Sneak Attack (Combat, Ranked)
When you make a surprise attack (see Surprise Attack, page 163), increase your attack’s damage bonus by +2. You cannot sneak attack an opponent you cannot accurately perceive (due to concealment) and opponents immune to critical hits suffer no additional damage. Additional ranks increase your Sneak Attack damage bonus by +1, to a maximum of +5. Your total damage bonus is limited by the campaign’s power level.
Startle (Combat)
You can make an Intimidate check rather than a Bluff check to feint in combat (see Feint on page 42). Targets resist with Intimidate, Sense Motive, or Will (whichever is best) and gain a +1 bonus on their resistance check per startle attempt against them in the same encounter.
Stunning Attack (Combat)
When you make a damaging melee attack, you can choose not to inflict normal damage. Instead, the target makes a Fortitude save against a DC of 10 plus your damage bonus. A successful save results in no effect, a failed save means the target is dazed for one round. Failure by 5 or more means the target is stunned for one round, and failure by 10 or more means the target is unconscious.
Takedown Attack (Combat, Ranked)
If you knock out or disable an opponent with a melee attack, you get an immediate extra attack against another opponent within range and within 5 feet of where the previous target was when attacked. You can’t move before making this extra attack. The extra attack is with the same attack and attack bonus as the first. You can use this feat once per round, except when fighting minions, where you can use it an unlimited number of times, until you miss or there are no more opponents within range of your attack or your last target. You can take this feat a second time, allowing you to move up to 5 feet between each attack you make, but you still cannot move more than your total speed, regardless of the number of attacks you make.
Taunt (Skill)
You can demoralize an opponent with a Bluff check rather than an Intimidate check. Use the normal rules for demoralizing (see page 49), substituting Bluff for Intimidate. Targets resist using Bluff, Sense Motive, or Will (whichever is best) and gain a +1 bonus on their resistance check per taunt attempt against them in the same encounter.
Teamwork (General, Ranked)
You’re more effective at helping out friends. When you use the aid action (see page 154), you grant a bonus 1 higher than usual for each rank in this feat, up to a maximum of 3 ranks (for an additional +3 bonus).
Throwing Mastery (Combat, Ranked)
You have a +1 damage bonus with thrown weapons per rank in this feat. You can also throw normally harmless objects—playing cards, pens, paper clips, and so forth—as weapons with a damage bonus equal to your rank, a range increment of 10 feet, and a maximum range of 50 feet. Your maximum damage bonus with this feat is limited by power level.
Track (Skill)
You can use the Survival skill to visually follow tracks like the Tracking
Super-Sense (see page 104).
Trance (General)
Through breathing and bodily control, you can slip into a deep trance. It takes a minute of uninterrupted meditation and a DC 15 Concentration check. While in the trance you add your Concentration bonus (not rank) to your Constitution score to determine how long you can hold your breath and you make Concentration checks rather than Constitution checks to avoid suffocation (see Suffocation, page 168). Poison and disease effects are suspended for the duration of the trance. It requires a Notice check with a DC equal to your Concentration check result to determine you’re not dead. You are aware of your surroundings while in trance and can come out of the trance at any time at will. You cannot take any actions while in the trance.
Ultimate Effort (Fortune, Ranked)
When spending a hero point on a particular task, you treat the roll as a 20 (meaning you don’t need to roll the die at all, just apply a result of 20 to your modifier). This is not a natural 20, but is treated as a roll of 20 in all other respects. You choose the particular action the feat applies to when you acquire it and the GM must approve it. You can take Ultimate Effort multiple times, each time, it applies to a different action.
Sample Ultimate Efforts
The following are potential Ultimate Efforts. The GM is free to add any others suitable to the campaign.
• Ultimate Aim: When you take the time to aim an attack (see Aim, page 154), you can spend a hero point to apply a 20 result to the attack roll. Since the Ultimate Aim bonus is not a natural 20, it also does not qualify as an automatic or critical hit.
• Ultimate Save: You can spend a hero point to apply a 20 result to a saving throw with one type of save (Toughness, Fortitude, Reflex , or Will).
• Ultimate Skill: You can spend a hero point to apply a 20 result to checks with a particular skill.
Uncanny Dodge (Combat, Ranked)
combat, Ranked
You are especially attuned to danger. You retain your dodge bonus when surprised or flat-footed. You cannot be surprise attacked (see Surprise Attack, page 163). Uncanny Dodge does not prevent loss of your dodge bonus from anything other than being surprised or flat-footed, such as if you are immobilized, pinned, or helpless, or when you move all out, and so forth. It also does not protect against feints and other combat maneuvers. Uncanny Dodge must belong to a particular sense type (see page 68). Opponents with total concealment from that sense type can surprise attack you normally. You can apply additional ranks of Uncanny Dodge to different sense types, if you wish (making it harder to overcome).
Weapon Bind (Combat)
If you successfully block an armed melee attack (see Block, page 155), you can make a disarm attempt immediately as a free action. The disarm attempt is carried out normally, including the attacker getting the opportunity to disarm you.
Weapon Break (Combat)
If you successfully block an armed melee attack (see Block, page 155), you can make an attack against the blocked weapon immediately as a free action. This requires an attack roll and inflicts normal damage to the weapon if it hits (see Attacking Objects, page 155, for details).
Well-Informed (Skill)
You are exceptionally well-informed. When encountering an individual, group, or organization for the first time, you can make an immediate Gather Information check as a reaction to see if your character has heard something about the subject. This takes the place of a normal Knowledge check (if any). Use the guidelines for Gather Information checks (see page 48) to determine the level of information you gain, and the guidelines for Knowledge checks (see page 50) for the sorts of questions you can answer. You receive only one check per subject, although the GM may allow another upon encountering the subject again once significant time has passed.
FIGHTING STYLES
You can use combinations of feats to create different “fighting styles” ranging from martial arts to superhero combat techniques. For example, a “soft” fighting style focusing primarily on defense may include the feats Defensive Attack, Improved Block, Improved Defense, Improved Trip, and Instant Up. A “hard” fighting style focused on offense might include All out Attack, Improved Critical, Improved Sunder, Power Attack, and Startle.
You can combine various feats to create specific styles or allow players to mix-and-match to design their own unique styles. Fighting styles also provide useful “shorthand” for summing up a number of combat feats on a character’s sheet without having to list them all.
Sample Fighting Styles
Use the following feat combos as examples of how to create different
fighting styles. Students who have not yet mastered a style may have only
some of a style’s associated feats rather than all of them.
• Boxing (6 points) All-out Attack, Defensive Attack, Elusive Target, Improved Block, Power Attack, Takedown Attack.
• Judo (7 points) Accurate Attack, Defensive Attack, Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Improved Pin, Improved Trip, Stunning Attack.
• Kung Fu (8 points) Defensive Attack, Improved Block, Improved Critical, Improved Sunder, Improved Trip, Instant Up, Power Attack, Startle.
• Sword-fighting (7 points) Accurate Attack, Defensive Attack, Improved Block, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Taunt.
• Wrestling (5 points) Chokehold, Improved Grapple, Improved Grab, Improved Pin, Power Attack.