Matter Control Powers

Matter Control Powers

*MC1/Bonding: The hero has the ability to join two or more targets together on a molecular level. The effect is the same as if the targets were glued or welded together. In actuality, the hero has induced molecular adhesion. A submicroscopic examination would fail to reveal any foreign material (such as a glue) or disturbances in the normal arrangement of the target's structure (such as the distortion caused by welding). The Bonding is so powerful that attempting to sever its effect results in physical damage to either of the Bonded targets because the only way to forcibly separate two Bonded objects is to tear the surface of one or both of them. This causes Typical wounds to a living target. The range for Bonding is limited to Contact only. The hero need not touch the actual area to be Bonded, although the hero needs to touch the two targets somewhere in order to direct the Power's effect. Once the hero is touching both targets and has begun to manifest his Power, Bonding occurs at any point where the two targets are in contact with each other. The Bonding process takes any number of turns, depending both on the hero's Power rank and the desired material strength of the Bonding. The first turn produces a Bonding of Feeble material strength. Each turn the Bonding process continues raises that material strength +1CS, up to the limit of the Power rank. At any point the hero can cease to use his Power and thus produce Bondings of varied strengths. Example: K. Z. Glew has Good Bonding and is testing his Power on a number of blocks. When he holds two together for two turns, he produces a Poor Bonding. Holding two together for three turns produces a Typical Bonding. Holding two bricks for four turns produces a Good Bonding; in fact, K. Z. could concentrate on the same two bricks all day and not be able to exceed that Good Bonding. The duration of the Bonding is determined by a Power FEAT at the time the Power is used. A green FEAT creates a Bond that lasts a number of turns equal to the hero's Reason rank number times 100. A yellow FEAT increases the multipliers to 10,000 turns times the Reason rank number. A red FEAT ensures a permanent Bonding. If the Bonding is temporary, its effects end without a trace at the expiration of the time limit. This is a Power that readily combines with many of the other listings in this book. Combining it with Webcasting produces an equivalent to Spiderman's web. Weapons Tinkering produces an equivalent to the Trapster's glue gun. Chemical Touch produces a natural adhesive coating on the hero's body. Combustion or Fire Generation produces napalm. There are more but I'll leave them to the player's imagination to devise.
The Power can only affect solids. Liquid, gaseous, ethereal, and Phasing matter are immune to this Power's effects. Once Bonded, matter cannot Phase as a means of escaping the adhesion; doing so causes Typical damage as the Bonded surface is lett behind. Transition from solid to either liquid or gaseous state will work to free the Bonded matter without physical damage, although this is not an option for most people. Bonding only occurs on the surface and does not penetrate more than 1/1 6th of an inch into any Bonded material. The effect this has on living targets is that only the epidermis is affected. As it does not affect liquids, the Power automatically penetrates any coating that might otherwise protect the target. Optional Powers include Missile Creation, Spray, Webcasting, and Weapons Tinkering. The Nemeses are Phasing, Body Transformation, and Energy Body.

*MC2/Collection: The hero can cause any.desi red. material to collect in a specific location. This material must already be present and diffused throughout the hero's vicinity, whether in the air, water, soil, or scattered across the ground. The Collection area has a radius determined by the Power rank; distances are shown on column C of the Range Table inside this book’s cover. For example, an Incredible rank can collect material from as far as 25 miles away. Collected material instantly teleports to the designated Collection site. The site must be in line of sight of the hero and within his Power's range. The hero can Collect per turn a maximum amount of material measured in the number of pounds equal to the Power rank number. This assumes, of course, that enough material exists within the vicinity in order to be Collected. Any material of any nature can be Collected. There is a partial exemption to this rule in regards to living beings. The Power can only Collect living beings whose weight is within the weight limits for the Power; if the beings weighs more, the Power can not affect them aside from a brief tug. If the Power is used to Collect the bodily products of living beings, player and Judges are to assume that so little is drawn from each being that no harm results. For example, a character could Collect a mass of blood without having to worry that he bled some stranger to death. The Power does not after the state of any matter either before or after Collection. The desired matter must be in the basic chemical formulation desired. Desired materials that are in some altered state are not affected by the Power. For example, trying to Collect steel in a junkyard full of rust will lead to naught. The exception is if the desired material is in either a state of solution or suspension, since neither actually affects the chemical nature of the material. For example, imagine your hero is standing at the seaside and practicing his Power. He cannot Collect the hydrogen bound into the water but he could Collect salt, gold, or anything else dissolved into seawater. Collecting salt is easy; a Remarkable Power can Collect a mansized pile within a minute's time. Gold is harder; each cubic mile of seawater contains only a few ounces of gold. Due to some unexplained limitation to this Power, it cannot randomly Collect foreign materials found within the bodies of anyone within the Power's range. Common foreign materials include tooth fillings, prostheses, sutures, and drugs. If the hero must Collect such materials from a body. For example if he knows arsenic has been swallowed by someone, the conditions increase in difficulty. The hero must be in contact with the source of the desired material and the hero must make a red FEAT to withdraw the material without harming the donor. Failure to do so means the material is still locked within the target's body. Ethereal and Phasing matter can be Collected. They just can't be held for any length of time without consciously and repeatedly using the Power to return such matter to the Collection site. This Power is most commonly linked to the Matter Control and Conversion Powers as a way to gather sufficient raw material to permit the other Powers to function. These are listed as Optional Powers. Even if used by itself, this Power can be used effectively. Matter can be Collected to form a protective shield or to entrap a foe in a suddenly appearing pile of debris. Dirt or water can be Collected to smother a fire or dampen escaping radiation. The hero is free to develop various Power Stunts using suddenly materialized matter. The complexity of the material to be collected determines what Intensity FEAT is required. Raw, amorphous materials can be collected in a dusty pile by a green FEAT. Common examples include metals, dirt, and water. Formed or complex material requires a yellow FEAT to collect in recognizable form. Examples include bricks, edibles, and comic books. Biological material requires a red FEAT, whether the hero is trying to collect bile or hamsters. Optional Powers include Crystallization, Matter Animation, Micro Environment, Molding, Weather, Combustion, Elemental Conversion, and Molecular Conversion. The Nemesis is Matter Animation.

*MC3/Crystallization: The hero can transform any target material into a gemlike material that possesses Power rank material strength. Crystallization occurs because the hero has the ability to shape the molecular bonds of normally amorphous matter into a crystal matrix of great strength. The Crystallization can occur at any site within the hero's line of sight and range; distances are determined by the Power rank and can be found on column C of the Range Table on the inside cover. The newlyformed Crystal is initially stationary; it cannot be launched like a missile (unless the hero possesses Missile Creation, but I'm getting ahead of myself). It can be formed in such a position that gravity immediately affects it. Crystallization automatically affects non-living, unprotected, stationary targets. Moving targets require the hero to make an Agility FEAT in order to hit the target. If Crystallization is used as an attack against a living target, it can be resisted by the usual methods. Methods of protecting a target from being Crystallized include Force Field vs. Energy Attack, Resistance to Energy Attack, True Invulnerability, and various Magics and Power Controls. Crystal can be formed in any shape the hero desires. The amount of Crystal the hero can create in a single turn is the number of square feet equal to the Power rank number. The material to be transformed into Crystal is drawn from particles in the air or from the target itself. Solid targets can themselves be Crystallized. If the Power is used on a living target, innate safeguards incorporated into the Power place the target into a semi-state of Suspended Animation; all life functions temporarily cease but the target remains aware of its condition and surroundings. A Crystallized lifeform must remain intact if the process is to be reversed. If the Crystallized lifeform is shattered, the transformation is permanent. Note: the shards-of a shattered, Crystallized lifeform all possess some of the victim's lifeforce; the percentage of the victim's Psyche possessed by a particular shard is equal to the percentage of the original body represented by the shard. Such shards can be used to create powerful Magic. Such shards can also lead to later Plot Complications. ("You don't understand. The gem in the necklace I gave Helen was part of Leviathan!") Normally Crystallization is only temporary. The duration of a given Crystal is the number of minutes equal to the Power rank number. At the expiration of this time, the Crystal reverts back to its original material. If the Crystallization was directed in the air the original material was probably dust particles. As mentioned earlier, if the Crystallization was used to transform a living target and that Crystal was subsequently shattered, the transformation is made permanent. (This rule is purposefully intended to spare the Judge and players from dealing with the hamburger that would be created if the formerly living target did revert to its original state.) For game purposes, the category of "living target" can be expanded by the Judge to encompass any of the Physical Types for player characters and NPCs. The Power can be combined with other Powers listed in this book. As mentioned before, Missiles can give the Crystals momentum and range. Weapons Creation can specialize in crystalline instruments of destruction. Body Armor or Body Coating can be a suit of flexible crystalline armor with that gives Power rank Resistance to physical or energy attacks. Vision-based Detection Powers can be achieved by the hero spontaneously forming optical devices and lenses of crystal. If the hero has an exotic Physical Type, perhaps he can himself be composed of living crystal. Such categories include Modified Humans, Cyborgs, Robots, Abnormal Chemistry, Mineral, Compound, and Changeling. Optional Powers include Weapons Creation (limited to Crystal weapons only), Collection, Matter Animation, Missile-Creation, and Spray. Nemeses include Force Field vs. Energy Attack, Force Field vs. Physical Attack, Resistance to Energy, Resistance to Physical Attack, and Disintegration.

*MC/4Diminution: The hero can reduce the size of a target. The target must be in line of sight and within one area of the hero. Any material can be Diminished by this Power With the sole exception of material that has already been Diminished by an equal or higher rank of this Power. In such a case, the would-be target is assumed to already be Diminished to a further point than the hero could reach anyway. The level to which the hero can Diminish a target is determined by the Power rank. Levels appropriate to this Power are:
Resultant Size Rank (% of Original Size)
FE 50%
PR 25%
TY 12.5%
GD 6.25%
EX 3%
RE 1%
IN .5%
AM .25%
MN .1%
UN .01%
In practical terms, a Diminishment rank of Shift X, Y, or Z is sufficient to reduce a normal-sized human to the size of a cell. Either CL1000 or CL3000 will reduce him to atomic scale. CL5000 reduces a human to such a point where he can enter a Microverse such as Jarella's world of Kaa. A note on Microverses: These are miniature dimensions that can be reached by a person undergoing extreme size reduction. The act of Shrinking causes the person to breach the Dimensional Barriers and reach a chosen Microverse. The worlds within a Microverse roughly correspond to but are not actually atoms or molecules. Once within a Microverse, the Dimension traveler finds himself in an environment that approximates conditions in the larger, outer world. Microverses may themselves contain even smaller Microverses. Even our own world may in fact be a Microverse to some inconceivably larger Macroverse. The duration of Diminution on a target is determined by a Reason FEAT made at the time the Power is used on the target. A green Reason FEAT gives a duration of the Reason rank number times 100 turns. A yellow FEAT increase this to 10,000 turns times the Reason rank number. A red FEAT makes the diminution permanent; in such a case the only way the target can return to its original size is through use of Enlargement, Magic, or Power Negation. There are three very different ways to create the effect of Diminution. Each has its own mechanism and peculiar properties as a result of that mechanism. The player can either choose for himself or let a random die roll determine which form. Atomic Collapse—The hero decreases the distance between the target's atoms and subatomic particles. The target does not lose weight as it shrinks. Rather, it becomes increasingly dense and could eventually collapse into neutronium (CL3000 Diminution) or even a black hole (CL5000 Diminution). Strength is unaffected by the change in size but leverage becomes increasingly difficult at smaller sizes. Atomic Reduction—The hero decreases the number of atoms in the target's body. The lost matter is either disintegrated (if the Diminution is permanent) or temporarily removed from the target's plane of existence and stored on another plane until it is needed to return the target to its original size. Mass and strength both decrease as the target Shrinks; the lower ranks are proportional to the target's new size. The target becomes increasingly simple in structure and reach a stage where the remaining structure is too simple to sustain the lifeforce of a living target. This occurs at Shift X rank. If the Diminution is temporary, the target's lifeforce is stored on the same plane as the displaced matter that normally forms his body. At Shift Z Diminution, the target consists of only a single molecule which immediately vanishes when the next rank is reached. Atomic Reduction—This is the most common form of Diminution and the only form that permits the target to enter a Microverse. The hero can reduce the size of the atoms and subatomic particles themselves, thus reducing the overall size in a proportional manner. Mass and physical strength are reduced a proportional amount. While this Power has more advantages than the other forms, it has a deadly disadvantage. As the target's atoms shrink, they are no longer able to interact with other, normal sized atoms. As a result, a living target is unable to breathe the air or consume food or water. Seen in this light, this form of Diminution is the equivalent of a Fatal attack. Fortunately, there is a 95% chance the Power envelopes the target in an energy field that shrinks anything within one foot (proportional to the target's current size) of the target to the same size as the target. This allows the target to breathe, drink, and eat. The existence of this field is randomly determined at the time the source of the Diminution is created. If the hero lacks such field, then any target must have its own supply of proportionally-sized consumables. Even non-living targets can be affected in that the Power effectively insulates them from electricity, since normal-sized electrons cannot flow into a Diminished conductor. Treat this as rank level Resistance to Electricity. If the field exists, electrons are automatically Shrunken to permit conductivity. It is assumed that when the Power is used, the hero intends to Diminish the entire target. If the hero specifies, he can attempt to shrink only part of a target. Since this is equivalent to tearing the target apart, a Power FEAT determined by the Material Strength of the target is required to do such an act. Example: Sizemaster has possesses Remarkable Diminution. Seeing an uproar at his local bank, he wanders in to see what's up. He discovers The Shocker trying desperately to free people trapped in a safe and he decides to assist the rescue. He locates a section of the safe away from The Shocker and begins to manifest his Power. The safe is made of steel and reinforced concrete and has a Remarkable Material Strength. Good, Sizemaster only needs to make a yellow FEAT to Diminish a hatch in the safe's wall. Within twelve seconds he has Diminished a six-foot-wide area into a one-inch-wide plug, which drops out of the wall and rolls around on the floor. Sizemaster is helping the trapped people out of the safe when Shocker finally burns through the opposite wall. Later the two rivals seal the hole Sizemaster made by holding the plug in place as returned to its original size. The Power can automatically effect a non-living, stationary, unprotected target. Moving targets require the hero to make an Agility FEAT to hit the target with his Power. Living targets are allowed to resist the Power's effects in the same way they would resist any energy attack Targets can be protected from Diminution by such Powers as Force Field vs. Energy, Resistance to Energy, True Invulnerability, certain Magics and Power Controls, and the simultaneous use of an opposing Enlargement Power. Atomic Dispersal opposes Atomic Collapse, Atomic Gain opposes Atomic Reduction, and Atomic Growth opposes Atomic Shrinkage. If the opponent lacks the matching form of Enlargement he can still try to negate the effects of Diminution with whatever form he possesses; the results can get a little weird, though. The Nemeses are those Powers mentioned in the previous paragraph.

*MC5/Disruption: The hero can destroy a target's physical structure without resorting to a physical or overt energy attack. The molecular bonds that give a target its solidity are directly Disrupted, with the result that the target collapses into dust, sand, liquid, or even vapor. The Material Strength of the target determines what Intensity FEAT is required. For example, asphalt has Good Material Strength and consequently would require a Good Intensity FEAT to destroy. The hero can Disrupt any target within both line-of-sight and range. The range is determined by the Power rank; distances are shown on Column A of the Range Table on the inside cover. The amount of matter the hero can Disrupt in a single turn is the number of pounds equal to his Power rank number. If the player chooses when creating the character, he can increase either range or amount affected any number of +CS by decreasing the other factor an equal number of -CS. Example: an initial rank of Good can be altered by up to 3CS and produce results as varied as Feeble range (Contact only) and Incredible effect (40 pounds) or Incredible range (11 areas) and Feeble effect (two pounds). Also when creating the character, the player can choose whether to make the Disruption permanent or temporary. Choosing the temporary option raises the Power rank +1CS. The duration of the Disruption is determined by a separate Reason FEAT made at the time the Power is used. A green FEAT gives a duration equal to 100 turns times the Reason rank number. A yellow FEAT increases that to 10,000 turns time the Reason rank number. A red FEAT makes the Disruption permanent. At the expiration of the duration, the Disrupted matter reforms in its original shape although not necessarily in its original location. If the target is living, the Power has the peculiar;r effect of placing the target in a state of semi-Suspended Animation. All life function cease for the duration but the target somehow retains consciousness and awareness. This Power is often incorporated into weapons systems. A Disruptor Gun can be designed and built by a Reason rank and an expenditure of Resource points equal to the Power rank desired for the weapon. Stationary, non-living, unprotected targets are automatically affected by the Power. Moving targets require the hero to make an Agility FEAT in order to hit the target. Living targets are allowed to resist the Power in the same manner they could resist any energy attack. Targets can be protected from Disruption by the use of such Powers as Force Field vs. Energy, Resistance to Energy, True Invulnerability, a combination of Collection and Molding, certain Magics, and certain Power Controls. Any of these can reduce the Intensity of the Disruption by the opposing Power's rank. The Judge is free to decide for himself the results of partial protection from Disruption. The Nemeses are any of the Powers mentioned in the previous paragraph.

MC6/Enlargement: The hero can increase the size of any target. The target can be of any nature and must be within both line-of-sight and one area of the hero's location. Any material can be enlarged with one exception; the Power cannot affect any target that has already been Enlarged by another Power of equal or greater rank. In such a case, the would-be target is assumed to already be Enlarged past any point the hero could have Enlarged it to anyway. The amount the hero can Enlarge a target is determined by the Power rank. The levels to which the hero can Enlarge a target are shown below:
Resultant size Rank (x original size)
FE 1.5X
PR 2X
TY 3X
GD 4X
EX 6X
RM 8X
IN 10X
AM 12X
MN 15X
UN 20X
The duration of the Enlargement is determined by a Reason FEAT made at the time the Power is used. A green FEAT gives the Enlargement a duration of 100 turns times the hero's Reason rank number. A yellow FEAT increases that to 10,000 turns times the Reason number. A red FEAT makes the Enlargement permanent. There are three different mechanisms by which Enlargement can occur. Each form has a different set of innate properties. When creating the character, the player must decide which form the hero has. The player can either select one or let the dice randomly determine it for him. Die Roll Form 01-30 Atomic Dispersal 31-60 Atomic Growth 61-00 Atomic Gain Atomic Dispersal—The Power causes the spaces between the atoms and subatomic particles to increase, thus increasing overall size. Mass remains the same despite any increase in size, causing the target's density to drop. Material Strength decreases -1CS with each doubling in size. Eventually, at Shift X Enlargement a solid target reaches a stage where it is less dense than air and can drift off. At Class 1000 rank and beyond, the target becomes effectively intangible to contact with normal matter. Atomic Gain—The Power causes the target to gain additional atoms. These are automatically incorporated into the target to duplicate and augment existing molecular structures. As the targets gains new atoms, the size and mass of the target increase proportionally. Where do the new atoms come from? There are three possibilities. One theory holds that Molecular Creation creates them from the hero's force of will. A second theory suggests Molecular and Elemental Conversion are responsible; the new atoms are simply Converted air molecules. The third explanation is that the hero somehow taps into another dimension, one that contains nothing but the raw material for this Power and the Matter Creation Powers and also provides a storage place for the matter displaced by Shrinking, Diminution, and Disintegration. This last idea could lead to a Plot Complication wherein the hero accidentally draws something More than raw material from that unknown dimension. I'll leave it to you to decide which explanation you accept as the truth. As the target expands, it gains real strength sufficient to move its new mass. Real strength increases +1CS for each +2CS of Enlargement the target is exposed to. Example: The Power is used on a normal adult six feet in height, 200 pounds in weight, and possessing Typical Strength. The target's other Primary and Secondary Abilities remain unaffected. The disadvantages of great size negate the advantages. However, Health seems to increase because physical attacks do less relative damage. For example, a single bullet could kill a normal sized person but would be little more than a high-velocity grain of sand to a giant. The damage done by Physical Attacks decreases -1CS for each +2CS of Enlargement. Note: the damage that didn't affect the giant might be fatal when he reverts to normal size. Wounds shrink but bullets do not. Atomic Growth—The target's atoms and subatomic particles actually increase in size, thus increasing the target's overall size. Mass increases proportionally. The target's Strength increases only enough to match his greater weight; Lifting Strength does not increase. There is a dangerous drawback to this form of Enlargement. As the target's atoms grow, they become unable to interact with normal atoms. The result is that the target is unable to breathe, drink, or eat. Fortunately there is a 95% chance that the Power envelops the target in an energy field that enlarges any atoms within its effect to the same scale as the target. The existence of this field must be determined at the time the hero is created. If the field is not present, the target must have a proportionallysized supply of consumables or this Power is considered a Fatal attack. The lack of the field has one advantage in that Electricity cannot flow between normalsized and Enlarged conductors. The Power thus provides rank level Resistance to Electricity. It is always assumed that the hero intends to Enlarge the entire target's body. If the hero intends to Enlarge a specific area of a target, he must make a special effort to do so. Since this has the effect of tearing the target apart, the hero must make a Power FEAT based on the Material Strength of the target. For example, a brick wall has Good Material Strength. A hero with Typical Enlargement would need to make a red FEAT to enlarge a specific section of the wall, while a hero with an Incredible rank would only have to make a green FEAT. The effects -on the entire target if only a section of it is Enlarged vary by case and by degree of Enlargement. The most common result of a section of Enlarged matter surrounded by normal matter is that one of the two sections shattered, depending on which is the weaker section. Atomic Dispersal weakens Material Strength, Atomic Growth doesn't alter it, and Atomic Gain increases it. Judges should use this guide and their imagination to decide the results of specific Enlargement. The Power automatically affects stationary, non-living, unprotected targets. Moving targets require the hero to make an Agility FEAT to hit. Living targets are allowed to Resist this Power just as they could any Energy Attack. Targets can be protected from Enlargement by the use of such Powers as Force Field vs. Energy, Resistance to Energy, True Invulnerability, Certain Magics and Power Controls, and any of the Shrinking or Diminution Powers used simultaneously to the Enlarging attack. The opposing forms of these are Collapse vs. Dispersal, Reduction vs. Gain, and Shrinkage vs. Growth. Only the matching form can completely protect a target from unwanted Enlargement; while the other two will apparently work, the final result can be a little weird if extreme ranks of Power are employed. The Nemeses are those Powers mentioned in the previous paragraph.

*MC7/Geoforce: The hero can detect and control geological forces. These include plate movement, stress, faults, and vulcanism. This Power only applies to natural rock and semi-natural materials such as concrete, cement, and asphalt. Radically altered material (steel, plastic) is not directly affected by the Power. This Power has two ranges, both based on the Power rank. The ability to detect forces and materials within the earth has a range shown on Column C of the Range Table on the inside cover. The ability to actually control those forces is more limited and is determined on Column B. For example, a hero with Remarkable Geoforce can detect forces 12 miles distant but can only control those forces within one mile of her location. The Detection aspect of this Power enables the hero to sense a variety of earth-related things. These include ground temperature (green FEAT), general mineral composition (green), specific minerals (red), locate caves (green), locate beings moving within the earth (yellow), identify faultlines and stress points (yellow), and communicate with beings made of rock (red). The active aspect of this Power enables the hero to accelerate, slow, or alter the direction of natural geological forces. The hero can affect plate movement; this can create Power rank tremors or reduce the intensity of existing tremors by the Power rank number. The hero can accelerate erosion by decreasing the Material Strength of exposed rock. The flow of magma within the earth can be redirected to anywhere the hero wants an instant baby volcano to erupt. By magnifying existing faults and decreasing the rock's Material Strength, the hero can create openings in the earth. These can be instant pits, valleys, caves, or tunnels. The effects of the Power are permanent alterations to the landscape. Baby volcanoes don't last very long, though, if the area didn't have a previous history of vulcanis,. For example, during her tenure with the New Mutants, Magma has created baby volcanoes in such places as Rio de Janeiro's harbor, the living room of Professor Xavier's man sion, and an apartment in Manhattan. Such freakish volcanoes immediately cool down once the Power is no longer supporting their existence; heat is lost at a rate of -1CS per hour. For example, the volcano in the X-Mansion was cool enough to sit on by the time Professor X came home a few hours later. It is assumed that the cooling effect extends all the way down back through the ground to where the magma came from in the first place; otherwise all these baby vol canoes would act as conduits for later, normal vulcanism. The amount of matter the Power can effect is awesome. The Power can affect a maximum amount of rock equivalent to ten tons for each point of the Power rank number. For example, Magma's Monstrous Geoforce can affect 750 tons (1.5 million pounds!) at a range of up to six miles. The Power can be expanded into a variety of Power Stunts, such as induced Avalanches and sculpting chambers in the earth. The latter example is also a way for the hero to make some money on the side by creating "secret underground headquarters" on commission. The giant caves that litter the pages of comic books do not occur in real life, people. A curious use of the Power is to communicate with beings who are themselves composed of natural rock. The Power provides the hero with a seismic equivalent of Telepathy. Such beings include Golems, Earth Elementals, and planetary beings such as Ego the Living Planet. Is Mother Earth alive in your campaign? If she is, then this Power will let your hero talk to her. The Nemeses for this Power include itself, Disintegration, and Phasing.

*MC8/Matter Animation: (*): This power is so powerful that it costs twice as many character power options as other 'normal' powers. Whereas a normal PC might start off with four character options, this power would eat up two of those slots.
    The hero can alter the flow of any raw matter, impart movement to stationary matter, and shape such matter into any desired form. The Power can only affect matter that is in a relatively natural state. It cannot affect mechanical objects or material that is now or had once been alive. There are three basic forms of this Power, each with dominion over a state of matter. When creating the hero, the player must choose one of these forms for the character. He can do this himself or let the dice choose for him.
Die Roll Form
01-20 Air Animation
21-50 Liquid Animation
51-00 Solid Animation
Air Animation—The hero can directly control the movement of gases and vapors and indirectly control the movement of material suspended in the air, such as smoke, dust, steam, and so on. He can create winds of speeds equal to Power rank speed (see the Airspeed table on the inside cover). He can control the actions or air, wind, clouds, and potentially even the weather. The hero can use air either defensively or offensively by forming shields or gales of Power rank strength. Note: Air attacks cannot penetrate Force Fields or an aerial shield of higher Intensity. The Power can be developed into Power Stunts such as Gliding, Whirlwind Flight, and limited Weather Control. The forms of Weather Control available to the hero all depend on stirring up the air. These include bringing in storms, fog, tornadoes, and suddenly bringing two air masses of differing temperature together to form either fog or lightning.
Liquid Animation—The hero can directly control the movement of liquids and indirectly control material suspended in liquid (mud, cake batter). He can create currents and waves that can travel at Power rank speed (see the Water Travel table on the inside cover) and do Power rank damage to anything in their path. Liquid can animated to resist gravity and act as if it were temporarily a solid of rank level Material Strength. Liquids can be used as a shield that reduces the Intensity of Energy Attacks by the Power rank number. It can be further refined into a variety of Power Stunts, such as forming propulsion systems or being shaped into air bubbles with "solid" floors.
Solid Animation—The hero can alter the condition of solid matter, so long as it is not biological or mechanical in nature. He can give the solid movement, reshape to any form, and even give it the semblance of life. Solids can travel at Power rank speed (see the Land Travel table inside the cover) either across the ground or through the air. The hero can Mold the solid into any single mass. Solids retain their Material Strength but can be Animated to do Power rank damage to other targets. The hero can create Golems or simulated Elementals that obey his every whim; such creations are only sophisticated puppets that possess no more life than does a marionette. (Of course, there is the example of Pinocchio…) Animated solids possess a Lifting Strength equal to the Power rank. The Power can be refined into a variety of Power Stunts, such as turning an opponent's weapon against him, creating self-tying knots, and creating flying platforms that can carry the hero across the ground or through the air. The range at which the hero can Animate Matter is determined by the Power rank; distances are shown on Column B of the Range Table. The maximum amount that can be Animated is a mass weighing the equivalent of 1000 pounds times the Power rank number. For example, a Feeble rank can move one ton; in liquid terms this is the weight of a water bed. Matter remains Animated as long as the hero concentrates on using this Power. Judges are free to develop their own criteria to determine how well and how long a hero can do this in a given situation. Any material can be Animated, as long as it is within the restrictions on the chosen form of that Power. Any reshaping done to the target is permanent; of course, this only applies to solids. The possibilities for both construction and vandalism are immense. At the time the hero is created, the player has the option of raising the Power rank +1CS by further specializing the Power's range of effect to a specific compound or type of matter. Examples of specializations include Powers that specifically Animate steam, water, oil, ice, clay, and so on. The Nemeses for this Power include itself and Disintegration.

*MC9/Machine Animation: (*): This power is so powerful that it costs twice as many character power options as other 'normal' powers. Whereas a normal PC might start off with four character options, this power would eat up two of those slots.
    The hero can control the movement of anything mechanical. It is as if the hero were a combination remote-control panel and power source. The machines can only perform those functions for which they were designed. While under the influence of the Power, the affected machines can function even in the absence of a normal power supply, such as would be provided by an electric cord, wound spring, or miniature nuclear generator. The only new function the hero can give a machine is limited ground movement. Affected Machines can travel at -2CS Power rank speed by sliding or rocking along the ground; see the Surface Movement table inside the cover. If the machine already incorporates a means of propulsion (wheels, tracks, table legs), it can travel at Power rank speed; see ditto. The Power can affect any single machine within range of the Power; Column B of the Range Table gives the appropriate limits. If the hero attempts to control several machines simultaneously, the Range decreases -1CS for each additional Machine the hero is controlling. For example, a hero with Good Machine Animation can control a single machine 10 areas away, two machines 5 areas away, three machines within his area, or four machines if he is touching all of them at once (an interesting Agility FEAT, I suppose). The Power is primarily intended to control normally non-sentient devices, which are considered to have a Psyche of zero. If the hero tries to gain control of a Robot or the mechanical part of a Cyborg, greater effort is needed. It becomes a contest of wills, as the hero's Power tries to overcome the target's Psyche. The Psyche in question is either that of the Robotic brain or the living mind of a Cyborg; if the Cyborg incorporates both living and mechanical minds, only the Psyche of the mechanical mind is used to determine the difficulty of the FEAT. The latter determines what Intensity FEAT is required. Example: A Poor rank of Machine Animation could seize control of a Dreadnought's Feeble Psyche with a green FEAT and Ultron-11's Poor Psyche with a yellow FEAT, but couldn't begin to touch Jocasta's Good Psyche. Attempting to wrest control of the Iron Man armor would require a red FEAT if either Tony Stark or Jim Rhodes were wearing it at the time but would automatically succeed if the armor were, say, hanging in a closet somewhere. To protect against such interference, High Technology types would need to develop circuitry that would give the equivalent of a desired Psyche rank to the machine. Optional Powers include Communication with Cybernetics, Communication with Non-Living Matter (limited to machines only), and Matter Animation.

*MC10/Micro-Environment: The hero can alter his immediate surroundings to create a miniature climate around himself. The Micro-Environment always contains fresh clean air (or water or methane or whatever the hero breathes) at any temperature and pressure the hero desires. The Micro-Environment incorporates a Force Field that protects it from any factor that might harm or even annoy the hero, such as rain, poisonous gases, extreme temperatures, or the pressure that naturally results from having three miles of ocean over your head. In such cases, the MicroEnvironment automatically excludes potentially hazardous gases and liquids and reduces the Intensity of pressure, extreme temperature, and high gravity by the Power rank number. Lesser or equal Intensities are canceled out, while higher ranks only penetrate in diminished form. The Power automatically Collects the desired materials into a sphere around the hero; if no such materials are available, the Power employs an innate form of Matter Creation or Conversion to produce those materials. The Force Field maintains the desired pressure, temperature, and gravity levels while enclosing the desired materials and shielding the hero from the undesired ones. If the hero requires a surface to stand on but none is available, the Power provides one by solidifying a section of the Force Field. The Power is primarily intended to protect the hero when he is in places other than his home environment. It can, be used to protect him from extreme variations in that home environment though, should the hero so choose. Thus the Power can be used to protect the hero in the middle of a house fire, gas leak at a fertilizer plant, radiation spill at a laboratory, a thunderstorm, or a smog alert in Los Angeles. The Power can be used to Resist the effects of Air or Water Animation, Weather Control, Heat, or Cold Generation; the Intensity of the attack is reduced by the Power rank number. The Micro-Environment has a maximum radius in-feet equal to the Power rank number. Normally it is a sphere centered in the hero but she can shape it or direct it to another location if she so desires. The maximum range at which the hero can direct the MicroEnvironment is determined by the Power rank; appropriate distances are shown on Column B on the Range Table. The maximum volume of the MicroEnvironment is the equivalent of a sphere whose radius equals the Power rank number. Figuring out the maximum volume of other shapes requires a doing a bit of geometry. Example: A rank of Good can produce a sphere of 3.14(10-cubed) or 3,140 cubic feet. This can be shaped into a rectangular "tunnel" 10 feet high, 10 feet wide, and 31 feet long. I suggest that anyone with this Power figure out as soon as possible how big a sphere/ hemisphere/column/tunnel/cone/etcetera he can make with his Power rank. If you don't, the Judge is liable to say that mysterious changes in the. environment prevent your hero's Power from working. The Power only protects the hero from environmental effects or Powers that employ aspects of the Environment. Beside the Powers mentioned earlier, this Power will also provide limited protection against Electrical Control, Electrical Generation, Coldshaping, Gravity Manipulation, Hard Radiation and its Control, Thermal Control, Plague Carrier, Geoforce, Spray, and Pheromones, but only if the offending Power originates outside the Micro-Environment. As hinted at before, the Power can be used to create any environment the hero desires, provided it is beneficial to whatever nature of being is inside its protection. Of course, what is a marvelous climate for one being could be instantly fatal to another. Consider the MicroEnvironments created by beings that thrive on super-heated steam or swim in liquid helium. Player characters are limited to producing only those MicroEnvironments that will help the beings inside. Villainous and MindControlled NPC heroes are able to pervert the Power and create toxic MicroEnvironments. In such a case, the Power is treated as an attack and the intended victim is urged to Resist it in any way he can. The Nemeses are either Air or Liquid Animation, depending on the nature of the Micro-Environment.

*MC11/Molding: The hero can shape any solid material into any desired shape. The shaped material retains its original chemical nature. If the target is living, its internal anatomy is rearranged in such a way that permits life to continue without loss of Health. The new shape can be of any complexity; even intricate machines can be created if the proper materials are available. The newly-Molded target can be Animated, even if the original material or the current shape is normally incapable of movement. This movement is accomplished by the simple act of continually re-Molding the target (think of it in terms of stop-motion animation). Molded targets retain their basic Material Strength. New shapes may alter the load-bearing capacity of the material. For example, a arch can bear greater weight than a plane and a honeycomb is about the strongest shape there is. Using the Power destructively is easy; using it constructively is harder and requires the player to have some knowledge of basic Engineering. The maximum range at which the hero can Mold a target is determined by the Power rank. Appropriate distances are. shown on Column A of the Range Table. The amount of material the hero can Mold is a mass weighing 100 pounds times the Power rank number. When creating the hero, the player has the option of raising either range or amount affected by lowering the other factor an equal amount. For example, a Remarkable rank can Mold 3,000 pounds of material at a range of 8 areas. Either factor can be altered by as much as 5CS and produce results as varied as Feeble range (contact)/Shift X effect (15,000 lb.) to Shift X range (80 areas)/Feeble effect (200 lb.). The player has the further option of raising the Power rank +1CS by specializing in Molding a particular type of matter, such as wood, metal, stone, and so on. This option is not available if the hero also possesses any of the Elemental or Molecular Conversion or Creation Powers. The complexity of the intended design determines what Reason FEAT is needed. Simple, single-component designs require a green Reason FEAT. Complex or multiple-component designs require a yellow FEAT. Extremely complex designs (anything from a clock on up) requires a red FEAT and probably a set of blueprints. Exactly duplicating an existing object also requires a red Reason FEAT. The Power can function for as long as the hero can concentrate. Any failed rolls while attempting a FEAT mean that while the Power has begun to Mold the target, there is a problem because "something doesn't look quite right." Molding automatically affects any stationary, non-living, unprotected material. Moving targets require the hero to make an Agility FEAT to hit. Living targets are allowed to Resist this Power in the same way they would try to Resist any Energy Attack. As mentioned earlier, living targets can be affected but not directly slain by this Power. A target can be protected from being Molded by the use of such Powers as Force Field vs. Energy, Resistance to Energy, True Invulnerability, certain Magics and Power Controls, temporary Conversion to a liquid or gaseous state, or an equal or higher rank of Molding. The simultaneous use of a protective Molding Power to counteract an offensive one by continually re-Molding the target into its original shape would look positively psychedelic as the target of both Molders continually rippled and wavered). The Power can be used quite profitably to outfit either heroes or villains with all the arcane and exotic equipment they need. After all, Quinjets, body armor, and nuclear pogo-sticks aren't exactly off-the shelf purchases. Clever use of this Power could raise the hero's Resource level anywhere from +1CS to +4CS; the Judge and player will have to work this out for themselves. ("Okay Jeff, in yesterday's game you remodeled the HQ of Dr. Octopus. Today you try to collect what he owes you.") Optional Powers include Elemental and Molecular Conversion, Collection, and Crystallization. Nemeses include Force Field and Molding.

*MC12/Weather Control: The hero has complete control over the weather. He can sense those factors in the air that create weather and alter any aspect of them at his desire. Any of these factors can produce both physical and psychological effects on humans. He can control temperature by raising or lowering the air a maximum number of degrees equal to his Power rank number. For example, an Incredible rank can change a comfortable 70 degrees into a wintry 30 degrees or a sweltering 100 degrees. He can increase or decrease windspeed by a number of miles per hour equal to his Power rank number. For example, an Excellent rank can stop a 20-mph wind, slow a 50-mph gale to 30mph, or turn still air into a 20-mph wind. Gale winds of 40-mph or higher begin to make travel difficult. Whole gales of 55 to 72 mph begin to do widespread damage. Winds above 72 mph reach hurricane strength. Above 200 mph the wind becomes a tornado. Wind direction can be changed up to 60 degrees by a green Power FEAT, up to 120 degrees by a yellow FEAT, and completely reversed 180 degrees by a red FEAT. For example, changing a cool northern wind to an east wind is a change of 90 degrees, a yellow FEAT. Humidity can be increased or decreased a maximum percentage equal to the Power rank number. Note: the maximum humidity is 100%. Apparently humidity has some effect on human behavior and health. As humidity approaches 80% or higher, people become more sluggish and irritable, especially if the air temperature is also 80 degrees or higher. If the air has any moisture at all, the hero can Collect it into any type of cloud, whether Cirrus, Cumulus, Stratus, a common Fog, or any other type. He can form Nimbostratus clouds that continually disgorge moisture in the form of rain, hail, sleet,-or snow, depending on the air temperature and wind direction. Rainfall per hour can reach a maximum number of inches equal to the Power rank number. If the precipitation falls as snow, the snowfall depth is equal to six inches for each inch of rainfall (since snowflakes pack less densely than rain). The Power can form Cumulonimbus clouds into thunderheads that deliver lightning as well as rain. The hero can control the emission and direction of lightning, producing bolts that do rank damage. The area of weather over which the hero has control is a circle (a vertical cylinder actually) with the Weather Controller at the center. The diameter and height of this cylinder is determined by the Power rank. Appropriate distances are shown on Column C of the Range Table. For example, when she possessed her full Amazing Weather Control, Storm could control the weather over a fifty-mile wide area. Note: While the atmosphere is composed of four layers and is a few hundred miles deep, only the bottom layers of the troposphere and stratosphere really affect the surface weather. Beyond twenty miles in height, the Power is reduced to a negligible effect. The duration of the effect the Power has over the weather varies. The hero has a limited amount of time each day she can actively Control the weather. The maximum length of time is the number of minutes equal to the hero's Health. Each minute spent using this Power temporarily costs the hero one point. Note: this does not decrease the hero's actual Health; instead it decreases a "dummy account" set up for the purposes of the player's bookkeeping. The account is replenished at the start of each new day. Returning to the example of Storm, her Amazing rank enabled her to actively control the weather fifty minutes each day. Furthermore, the effect the Power has over the weather does not instantly vanish when the hero rests. The changes the hero made continue for a while before things return to their original state. Lingering effects last an amount of time equal to the time spent actively controlling the Weather. The Intensity rank of the lingering Weather slowly decreases; the average Intensity rank is half that of the Power rank. For example, if Storm spent ten minutes operating a thunderstorm, that storm would last an additional ten minutes and produce Excellent rainfall and lightning while it slowly dissipated. As mentioned briefly, the hero can detect any aspect of the Weather that he can control. A green FEAT enables the hero to know the local wind's speed and direction, humidity, temperature, the chance for precipitation, and the next day's weather forecast. A yellow FEAT enables the hero to detect these thing anywhere within her Power's range and thus figure out the weather forecast for the next two days. A red FEAT enables the hero to make three-day weather forecasts and more importantly detect the cause and location of any change in the weather, such as distant disturbances or the use of this Power by others elsewhere. For example, with a yellow FEAT the hero senses a mass of hot air twenty-three miles away. A red FEAT enables her to detect the cause as a fire raging in New Rochelle. A peculiar use of the Power involves gaseous beings such as Air Elementals. The hero can create puppets of air whose actions simulate the behavior of Air Elementals. The hero can directly combat real Air Elementals with the Power doing rank damage to the opponent's Health. Imagine this as a vaporous equivalent of a Slugfest. Finally, the Power can serve as a means to communicate with gaseous beings. In this case the Power acts as an equivalent to Telepathy. Optional Powers include Environmental Awareness and either True Flight, Whirlwind, or Gliding. Nemeses include itself and Phasing, since Weather cannot affect a phantom.

*MC13/Zombie Animation: (*): This power is so powerful that it costs twice as many character power options as other 'normal' powers. Whereas a normal PC might start off with four character options, this power would eat up two of those slots.
    This is a macabre Power that is definitely more at home in the horror genre than in the heroic genre. The hero, um… well, the character with this Power can Animate any previously living body. Normally, the Power is used to Animate relatively intact cadavers, since these are capable of a greater variety of actions. Part of the Power is used to halt the process of decay and to maintain the structural integrity of the remaining body parts. Still, Zombies look awful, even the fresh ones. This Power is not Biophysical Control/Revival. The Zombies are not alive. They lack the essential lifeforce that is the core of each living being. The Zombies are at best mindless slaves, at worst grotesque marionettes who shuffle on the end of the Zombie Master's strings. The condition of a Zombie can range from freshly deceased to skeletal. The latter type of Zombie is little more than a walking skeleton, though being mostly bone it is cleaner than a still-fleshed Zombie. The Zombie does not have to have all its body parts. In fact, the Power can be used to Animate detached limbs or partial remains. These have their uses too. For example, if a character's Physical Type is either Cyborg or Compound/Undead and he possesses this Power, perhaps some of his body parts are Animated bones grafted onto his still living sections. (I told you this is a grotesque Power…) Zombies possess Physical Abilities that are -3CS Power rank. Mental Abilities are Zero-shift. A Zombie's "Health" is the same as the Zombie Animator's Power rank. Karma is non-existent and Popularity is as low as the scale goes. Most Zombies were originally human but there is nothing to prevent your Animator from creating Zombies of other species. Since Zombies probably can't swim or fly worth a darn, the Animator is best choosing land-based species for his experiments. Possibilities include Undead wolves, tigers, elephants, and so on. The Zombie Animator Can create a single Zombie in a process whose minimum time gets shorter as the Power rank gets higher. It comes in two stages, Preparation and Activation. The required Preparation time is the number of rounds equal to 101 minus the Power rank number. For example, a Good rank can prepare a Zombie for Animation in 91 turns, a Monstrous rank can do it 4n 26 turns, and any rank -higher than Unearthly doesn't need any Preparation time at all. The next step is Activation. All this requires is a successful red Power FEAT. Failure requires the Animator to Prepare for another minute. It is possible, if however unlikely, for a character to have this Power and never, ever be able to successfully Animate a Zombie. That's one of the mysteries of random chance. Once he creates a Zombie, the Animator retains control over it until it is destroyed, returned to life, or stolen away by a higher ranked Undead Controller. An Animator can create an infinite supply of Zombies but can only retain direct control of a number of them equal to his Psyche rank number. For example, an Animator with an Excellent Psyche can control up to twenty Zombies simultaneously. Any Zombies over that number are in effect free agents who can act independently. Such free Zombies never attack their Animator though. Curiously, some Zombies retain some of their Resources and Contacts. This is an extremely rare occurrence and is only possible if the Zombie is in a near-perfect condition (albeit of course dead) and if the late person's death was not widely known. In such a case, a clever Zombie Animator can make the Zombie pretend to still be alive. For example, Nekra Animated the corpse of the Grim Reaper so well that the risen Zombie actually believed he was alive. Zombies are immune to attacks based on Psionics or other Mental Powers, Disease, poisons, Pheromones, Hard Radiation, and Sonics. They cannot see Illusions. They have Power rank Resistance to most of the Lifeform Control Powers; the Power rank that created them decreases such Powers by that number. The exception is Undead Control, with which a green FEAT can permit control of any independent Zombie. Some aspect of the original mind remains. Zombies possess rudimentary memories of their previous existence. A Zombies is also linked to the Spirit that once dwelled within it and can be used as a tool to Communicate with, Summon, and Control that Spirit. The use of a Zombie in this way increases the other Powers' rank +1CS. It is possible return the Spirit to its now-Zombie body by use of the Forced Reincarnation. Although this does not return the body to actual life, it does weld the spirit and body together so well that only the total destruction of the body will free the spirit again. Such a Spirited Zombie possesses his original Mental Abilities and can work at restoring the other Abilities to their original levels. The effect of Bio-Physical Control on a Zombie is peculiar. Zombies don't actually Heal since that is a function of living organisms. Any attempt to Heal a Zombie actually kills it by negating the Animation. Only Revival will truly return the Zombie to life, as it negates the Animation, cures any damage or decay, and draws the spirit back home. Note: if the Spirit is now Reincarnated elsewhere, this action creates a person with a newborn's mind and spirit. Okay, so why would anyone want to Animate Zombies, particularly so-called heroes? The popular misconception is that Zombies are inherently evil. This is not true. Zombies are only a reflection of their Animator's personality. A currently popular fantasy series features a goodwilled if misunderstood character whose sole Magical Power is Zombie Animation. He uses them as servants and if necessary soldiers. He even used the Power on himself in order to wait out the centuries until his fiancee could return to life. Your character will have his own justifications and uses for this Power. The key thing, as always, to use your imagination and not be afraid to experiment. Be afraid of your experiment's results instead. Optional Powers include Extradimensional Detection (limited to detecting spirit realms), Forced Reincarnation, Summoning (Spirits only), Undead Control, and Communication with Nonliving Matter. The Nemeses for this Power include Exorcism, Healing, and Undead Control.