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M&M to HERO


MitchellS

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Here's the start of a basic conversion system between Champions and Mutants & Masterminds. I'd be happy to see any feedback anyone can give me so far.

 

Characteristics

This conversion is designed to take everyone from a 1 to 30 Cha value in Hero with the assumption that anything over 30 is superhuman.

 

Str: 1-10 Str in M&M are the same. For each additional point add +2

Dex: M&M Dex value * 1.5

Con: M&M Con value x 1.5

Bod: M&M Con value

Int: 1-10 Int in M&M are the same. For each additional point add +2

Ego: 1-10 Wis in M&M are the same. For each additional point add +2

Pre: 1-10 Cha in M&M are the same. For each additional point add +2

Com: M&M Cha value

PD: Figured x 2

ED: Figured x 2

Spd: Figured and rounded up. For Dex of 15-17 add +1 Spd. For Dex of 18-20 add +2 Spd

Rec: Figured

End: Figured

Stn: Figured

 

Skills:

M&M

Acrobatics = Acrobatics & Breakfall

Balance = Enviromental Movement: Narrow Surfaces

Bluff = Acting & Persuasion

Climb = Climbing

Computers = Computer Programming

Concentration = +2 PSL for Concentration-based Ego rolls

Craft = PS: Craft of Choice

Demolitions = Demolitions

Diplomacy = Bureaucratics, High Society, & Oratory

Disable Device = Demolitions, Security Systems, Systems Operations

Diguise = Dusguise

Drive = Combat Driving

Escape Artist = Contortionist

Forgery = Forgery

Gather Information = Conversation, Streetwise

Handle Animals = Animal Handler

Hide = Stealth, sight only: -1/2

Innuendo = Secret Language

Intimidate = Interrogation

Jump = + X inches of Leaping, Requires a Dex roll

Knowledge = Knowledge Skill

Language = Language

Listen = +2 Hearing Per Roll

Medicine = Paramedic

Move Silently = Stealth

Open Locks = Lockpicking

Perform = PS (Art of Choice) or Acting for an actor

Pilot = Combat Piloting

Profession = Professional Skill

Read Lips = Lipreading

Repair = Mechanics

Ride = Riding

Science = Science Skill

Search = Concealment

Sense Motivation = Detect Body Express

Sleight of Hand = Sleight of Hand

Spot = Concealment

Survival = Survival

Swim = Enviromental Movement: Water

Taunt = +5 Pre, offensive only & -2 Combat Levels, 0 End, Range, 1 Rec Charge

 

Feats:

Accurate Attack = Spreading in Champions

Aerial Combat = +1 Level, only when flying: -1/2

All-Out Attack = +2 OCV Levels, Side Effect: -2 DCV

Ambidexterity = Ambidexterity

Assessment = Analyze

Attack Finess = +1 Level per M&M Dex modifier

Attractive = +6 Com & +2 Levels Seduction, Persuasion

Blind-Fighting = Combat Sense

Choke Hold = Martail Arts Choke Hold

Connected = Well-Connected and Contacts

Dodge = Martial Dodge

Endurance = +10 End

Evasion = +2 Levels with Roll-With-The-Blow Maneuver

Expertise = Same as Shifting Levels in Champions

Fame = Reputation

Far Short = Martial Arts Distance Shot

Great Fortitude = +5 Con

Headquarters = Perk: Base

Heroic Surge = +1 Speed, Cost End

Heroe's Luck = 1d6 of Luck per

Improved Critical = Martial Art Basic Strike or Ranged Shot

Improved Disarm = Martial Disarm

Improved Grapple = +2 to Grab

Improved Initiative = +5 Lightning Reflexes

Improved Pin = Martial Grab

Improved Trip = Martial Takedown

Improved Two-Weapon Fighting = +2 Levels with Two-Weapon Fighting

Indomitable Will = 3 points of Mental Defense per modifier

Infamy = Reputation

Inspire =

Instant Stand = Breakfall

Iron Will = +5 Ego

Leadership = Tactics

Lightning Reflexes = +2 Levels with Dex Rolls

Minions = Followers

Move-By Attack = Martial Passing Strike

Multishot = Autofire Skill

Photographic Memory = Eidetic Memory

Point Blank Shot = +4 Ranged Skill Levels

Power Attack = Martial Strike of Offensive Shot

Precise Shot = Not applicable in Champions

Quick Draw = Fast Draw

Rapid Healing = +5 Recovery

Rapid Shot = +2 Levels with Rapid Fire Maneuver

Rapid Strike = +2 With Sweep Maneuver

Rapid Takedown = +4 with Sweep Maneuver

Ricochet Attack = +2 Levels with Bouncing

Sidekick = Follower

Skill Focus = +2 with Specific Skill

Startle = +10 Pre, offensive only

 

Super-Feats:

 

Super-Powers:

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Re: M&M to HERO

 

You should check out M&M's web site I think they have a conversion alreaddy there from Freedom city...

 

HERO 4E stats for a bunch of the characters, yes. They were originally going to be a supplement for the San Angelo line, but when that project tanked FC author Steve Kenson rewrote them for M&M.

 

Unfortunately they're just the stats, without any conversion guidelines.

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Re: M&M to HERO

 

San Angelo has now been published in both systems.

 

However conversions are best done by translating the themes rather than the details.

 

Attempts at numerical conversions leave you with PL10 MnM character that translate to anywhere from 200 to 800 points, and 350 point Champions characters that convert anywhere from PL5 to 25. The paradigms are different - so you should step back.

 

Convert the character to comic book language, and then stat up the comic book character in your chosen system.

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Re: M&M to HERO

 

San Angelo has now been published in both systems.

 

However conversions are best done by translating the themes rather than the details.

 

Attempts at numerical conversions leave you with PL10 MnM character that translate to anywhere from 200 to 800 points, and 350 point Champions characters that convert anywhere from PL5 to 25. The paradigms are different - so you should step back.

 

Convert the character to comic book language, and then stat up the comic book character in your chosen system.

Thanks for the advice but I think I'll run with the conversion system for a bit and see where it takes me when I'm finished. I have a feeling it will not be as outside the lines as you believe.

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Re: M&M to HERO

 

Thanks for the advice but I think I'll run with the conversion system for a bit and see where it takes me when I'm finished. I have a feeling it will not be as outside the lines as you believe.

 

I think the base stats and common powers might transfer well, but I'll be curious to see how well some of more creative powers transfer over. Some things M&M does with an expensive power needs a well thought out multi-power to duplicate easily, and that could be a tough simple stat conversion. Weather Control for example.

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  • 6 months later...

Re: M&M to HERO

 

Pardon the thread necromancy, MitchellS, but if you don't mind my asking, have you had the opportunity to make any further progress on your conversion? (I probably don't have to explain my interest by this point.) :o

 

BTW you might want to check your Private Messages more often. ;)

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Re: M&M to HERO

 

I made a conversion matrix like this for M&M, but I abandoned it after I realized how easy it was to tell the converted characters apart from "natural" Champions characters; they just didn't "feel" the same.

 

I do my conversions now by loading up a similar character in HeroDesigner and adjusting it to fit; they feel much more organic as a result.

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Re: M&M to HERO

 

I'm just curious as to why you assumed that Characteristics over 30 are superhuman, instead of going with Hero's normal value of 20 for Normal Maxima. I don't know M&M, but I certainly know that D&D's Ability Scores match pretty well one-for-one with Hero's Characteristics, so they can basically be converted by using identical values.

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Re: M&M to HERO

 

I'm just curious as to why you assumed that Characteristics over 30 are superhuman' date=' instead of going with Hero's normal value of 20 for Normal Maxima. I don't know M&M, but I certainly know that D&D's Ability Scores match pretty well one-for-one with Hero's Characteristics, so they can basically be converted by using identical values.[/quote']

That changed in 5th edition. To cite 5ER's page reference (but I swear this did appear, there's a certain irony in that I did the page conversion project but I'm too lazy to look it up) it's on page 40, the chart indicates that 21-30 is "Legendary" and 31+ is "Superhuman". Legendary is defined as "Few humans reach this lofty plateau; generally speaking, ordinary people can never attain it." PS - and it closes with "The upper limit of Legendary is the upper limit of normal human attainment."

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Re: M&M to HERO

 

Pardon the thread necromancy, MitchellS, but if you don't mind my asking, have you had the opportunity to make any further progress on your conversion? (I probably don't have to explain my interest by this point.) :o

 

BTW you might want to check your Private Messages more often. ;)

Sorry. I haven't done any additional work on it. I did establish that powers have an active point value [pre advantages] of 6 Hero character points for each 1 M&M point value. So a +10 blast is equivalent to a 12d6 eb in Hero. Of course I have been toying with the idea of going back to a 10d6 Hero standard, so in that case each M&M point would be worth 5 points. Really the skills and characteristics were the things I was most interested in though.

 

And sorry about the private messages. I never look there so it didn't down on me that I have 4 messages from various people waiting. :)

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Re: M&M to HERO

 

I'm just curious as to why you assumed that Characteristics over 30 are superhuman' date=' instead of going with Hero's normal value of 20 for Normal Maxima. I don't know M&M, but I certainly know that D&D's Ability Scores match pretty well one-for-one with Hero's Characteristics, so they can basically be converted by using identical values.[/quote']

I'd also add to what zornwil stated that 20 in not the top-cap for characteristics, even in Heroic games. 20 is just the point where you must start paying double [you can have a 30 strength character in Fantasy Hero]. Far too many people seem to think 20 is the top and that you cannot exceed that number. That's one of the main reasons I try to promote the idea of dropping Heroic level standards and just have all games use the same characteristic values and ranges. It also makes cross-continuity play easier.

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Re: M&M to HERO

 

Here's as far as I had gone:

 

Here's the start of a basic conversion system between Champions and Mutants & Masterminds. I'd be happy to see any feedback anyone can give me so far.

 

Characteristics

This conversion is designed to take everyone from a 1 to 30 Cha value in Hero with the assumption that anything over 30 is superhuman.

 

Str: 1-10 Str in M&M are the same. For each additional point add +2

Dex: Dex x 1.5

Con: M&M Con value x 1.5

Bod: M&M Con value

Int: 1-10 Int in M&M are the same. For each additional point add +2

Ego: 1-10 Wis in M&M are the same. For each additional point add +2

Pre: 1-10 Cha in M&M are the same. For each additional point add +2

Com: M&M Cha value

PD: Figured x 2

ED: Figured x 2

Spd: Figured and rounded up. For Dex of 15-17 add +1 Spd. For Dex of 18-20 add +2 Spd

Rec: Figured

End: Figured

Stn: Figured

 

Skills:

M&M

Acrobatics = Acrobatics & Breakfall

Balance = Enviromental Movement: Narrow Surfaces

Bluff = Acting & Persuasion

Climb = Climbing

Computers = Computer Programming

Concentration = +2 PSL for Concentration-based Ego rolls

Craft = PS: Craft of Choice

Demolitions = Demolitions

Diplomacy = Bureaucratics, High Society, & Oratory

Disable Device = Demolitions, Security Systems, Systems Operations

Diguise = Dusguise

Drive = Combat Driving

Escape Artist = Contortionist

Forgery = Forgery

Gather Information = Conversation, Streetwise

Handle Animals = Animal Handler

Hide = Stealth, sight only: -1/2

Innuendo = Secret Language

Intimidate = Interrogation

Jump = + X inches of Leaping, Requires a Dex roll

Knowledge = Knowledge Skill

Language = Language

Listen = +2 Hearing Per Roll

Medicine = Paramedic

Move Silently = Stealth

Open Locks = Lockpicking

Perform = PS (Art of Choice) or Acting for an actor

Pilot = Combat Piloting

Profession = Professional Skill

Read Lips = Lipreading

Repair = Mechanics

Ride = Riding

Science = Science Skill

Search = Concealment

Sense Motivation = Detect Body Express

Sleight of Hand = Sleight of Hand

Spot = Concealment

Survival = Survival

Swim = Enviromental Movement: Water

Taunt = +5 Pre, offensive only & -2 Combat Levels, 0 End, Range, 1 Rec Charge

 

Feats:

Accurate Attack = Spreading in Champions

Aerial Combat = +1 Level, only when flying: -1/2

All-Out Attack = +2 OCV Levels, Side Effect: -2 DCV

Ambidexterity = Ambidexterity

Assessment = Analyze

Attack Finess = +1 Level per M&M Dex modifier

Attractive = +6 Com & +2 Levels Seduction, Persuasion

Blind-Fighting = Combat Sense

Choke Hold = Martail Arts Choke Hold

Connected = Well-Connected and Contacts

Dodge = Martial Dodge

Endurance = +10 End

Evasion = +2 Levels with Roll-With-The-Blow Maneuver

Expertise = Same as Shifting Levels in Champions

Fame = Reputation

Far Short = Martial Arts Distance Shot

Great Fortitude = +5 Con

Headquarters = Perk: Base

Heroic Surge = +1 Speed, Cost End

Heroe's Luck = 1d6 of Luck per

Improved Critical = Martial Art Basic Strike or Ranged Shot

Improved Disarm = Martial Disarm

Improved Grapple = +2 to Grab

Improved Initiative = +5 Lightning Reflexes

Improved Pin = Martial Grab

Improved Trip = Martial Takedown

Improved Two-Weapon Fighting = +2 Levels with Two-Weapon Fighting

Indomitable Will = 3 points of Mental Defense per modifier

Infamy = Reputation

Inspire =

Instant Stand = Breakfall

Iron Will = +5 Ego

Leadership = Tactics

Lightning Reflexes = +2 Levels with Dex Rolls

Minions = Followers

Move-By Attack = Martial Passing Strike

Multishot = Autofire Skill

Photographic Memory = Eidetic Memory

Point Blank Shot = +4 Ranged Skill Levels

Power Attack = Martial Strike of Offensive Shot

Precise Shot = Not applicable in Champions

Quick Draw = Fast Draw

Rapid Healing = +5 Recovery

Rapid Shot = +2 Levels with Rapid Fire Maneuver

Rapid Strike = +2 With Sweep Maneuver

Rapid Takedown = +4 with Sweep Maneuver

Ricochet Attack = +2 Levels with Bouncing

Sidekick = Follower

Skill Focus = +2 with Specific Skill

Startle = +10 Pre, offensive only

Stunning Attack =

Suprise Strike =

Takedown Attack =

Talented =

Throwing Mastery =

Toughness =

Track =

Trance =

Two-Weapon Fighting =

Underwater Combat =

Whirlwind Attack =

 

Super-Feats:

All-Around Sight = 360 degree Vision

Amphibious = LS: Breathe Water, Safe Enviroments: Cold & High Pressure; Eviromental Movement: Water; +4 Sight Perception, only in water, +5" Swimming

Blindsight = Spatial Awareness

Darkvision =

Detect = Detect

Durability = +5 PD/ED

Extra Limb = Extra Limbs

Identity Change = Instant Change

Immunity =

Mental Link =

Penetrating Attack =

Penetration Vision =

Power Immunity =

Power Stunt =

Psychic Awareness =

Radio Broadcast =

Radio Hearing =

Scent =

See Invisibility =

True Sight =

Ultra-Hearing =

 

Super-Powers:

Each 1 M&M point is eqivalent to 6 Hero points.

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Re: M&M to HERO

 

I'd also add to what zornwil stated that 20 in not the top-cap for characteristics' date=' even in Heroic games. 20 is just the point where you must start paying double [you can have a 30 strength character in Fantasy Hero']. Far too many people seem to think 20 is the top and that you cannot exceed that number. That's one of the main reasons I try to promote the idea of dropping Heroic level standards and just have all games use the same characteristic values and ranges. It also makes cross-continuity play easier.

I would just add that the book also discusses at non-trivial length that the bar of where characteristics cross into categories such as "beyond human" is very much up to the GM and the setting, so HERO doesn't really want to draw that line as a hard rule.

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Re: M&M to HERO

 

I would just add that the book also discusses at non-trivial length that the bar of where characteristics cross into categories such as "beyond human" is very much up to the GM and the setting' date=' so HERO doesn't really want to draw that line as a hard rule.[/quote']

Sure but some people just seem to take for granted that 20 is a cap because of the NCM rule but the NCM rule does not state it's a cap of any type. It's just a double-cost threshold. It's fine for people to set standards for their own games. I'm just saying people shouldn't over-interpret the rules, which seems to happen quite a bit in regards to NCM.

 

My preferred method would be to set human standards and then abide by them for all genres so that you don't have slow Champions' characters with 18 dexterity and 4 speed and yet very nimble Fantasy Hero characters with the same scores. Ultimately it only leads to confusion.

 

I also don't like using the NCM standard because every characters then gets grouped into the same 5-6 CV range with only an occasional 4 or 7 cv. There ends up not being enough difference between the nimble rogue and the burly warrior then, IMO.

 

In any event, I built the conversion system based on the stardard presented in Champions, Champions Universe, and 5Er.

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Re: M&M to HERO

 

Sure but some people just seem to take for granted that 20 is a cap because of the NCM rule but the NCM rule does not state it's a cap of any type. It's just a double-cost threshold. It's fine for people to set standards for their own games. I'm just saying people shouldn't over-interpret the rules, which seems to happen quite a bit in regards to NCM.

 

My preferred method would be to set human standards and then abide by them for all genres so that you don't have slow Champions' characters with 18 dexterity and 4 speed and yet very nimble Fantasy Hero characters with the same scores. Ultimately it only leads to confusion.

 

I also don't like using the NCM standard because every characters then gets grouped into the same 5-6 CV range with only an occasional 4 or 7 cv. There ends up not being enough difference between the nimble rogue and the burly warrior then, IMO.

 

In any event, I built the conversion system based on the stardard presented in Champions, Champions Universe, and 5Er.

Agreed, I was trying to same the same thing, actually.

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Re: M&M to HERO

 

I'm not sure that 1 level of a power is the same as 6 AP though. A PL 10 MM character probably has attacks and defenses at least on par with MBTs' date=' and many of them will completely ignore handguns and rifles.[/quote']

The ability to be immune to things is something that is M&M specific and not easily accounted for in a random system like Hero. Guns, for instance, have too wide of a damage variance [2d6 rka ranges from 2 body 2 stun to 12 body 60 stun] to be accounted for easily [and we've seen that argument many times already :)]. But assuming someone has a 10 point force field in M&M converting it out to a 30 pd/ed force field in Hero still works.

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Re: M&M to HERO

 

I'd also add to what zornwil stated that 20 in not the top-cap for characteristics' date=' even in Heroic games. 20 is just the point where you must start paying double [you can have a 30 strength character in Fantasy Hero']. Far too many people seem to think 20 is the top and that you cannot exceed that number. That's one of the main reasons I try to promote the idea of dropping Heroic level standards and just have all games use the same characteristic values and ranges. It also makes cross-continuity play easier.

Oh no! I never said it is a cap. I think it is a decent cap for, "normal," people, just like, "normal," people shouldn't be able to Push. That doesn't mean PCs or even necessarily interesting NPC protagonists and antagonists. I just think it is good for a, "real world limit," and also for making high Characteristics values expensive and thus rarer and more impressive in heroic games.

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Re: M&M to HERO

 

The ability to be immune to things is something that is M&M specific and not easily accounted for in a random system like Hero. Guns' date=' for instance, have too wide of a damage variance [2d6 rka ranges from 2 body 2 stun to 12 body 60 stun'] to be accounted for easily [and we've seen that argument many times already :)]. But assuming someone has a 10 point force field in M&M converting it out to a 30 pd/ed force field in Hero still works.

 

Yes, but the point is that if you benchmark versus "real world" stuff, then PL 10 MM characters are far above 350 HERO supers in terms of DCs and defenses. A PL 10 blaster has the same power as a tank, while tanks in HERO have 18+ DCs - the M1A has over 30. That PL 10 FF blocks most of a tank shot or comparable EB in way that a 30 point FF doesn't.

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Re: M&M to HERO

 

Yes' date=' but the point is that if you benchmark versus "real world" stuff, then PL 10 MM characters are far above 350 HERO supers in terms of DCs and defenses. A PL 10 blaster has the same power as a tank, while tanks in HERO have 18+ DCs - the M1A has over 30. That PL 10 FF blocks most of a tank shot or comparable EB in way that a 30 point FF doesn't.[/quote']

 

That very point was part of an interesting discussion about M&M conversion that Metaphysician started: whether you should convert according to the "Strength Standard" (how much damage a character with that lifting capacity would do in HERO) or the "Tank Standard" (how much damage comparable weapons would do in HERO vs M&M). It would be worth checking out:

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14626

 

Part of the confusion may be different assumptions by each game as to the relationship of supers to the rest of the world, and how that colors the way that real-world objects and environments have been constructed. Mutants and Masterminds has a rather Silver Age default, in that supers from that era regularly manhandled modern military hardware. OTOH Champions shades more into Late Bronze/Iron Age as the default, where real weapons pose a real threat. The thread linked above discusses possible approaches to help balance that.

 

Not for the first time, I wish that the high-powered supers rule options from Galactic Champions had been in the core 5E genre book from the beginning. They'd help GMs adjust perceived imbalances like these.

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Re: M&M to HERO

 

Yes' date=' but the point is that if you benchmark versus "real world" stuff, then PL 10 MM characters are far above 350 HERO supers in terms of DCs and defenses. A PL 10 blaster has the same power as a tank, while tanks in HERO have 18+ DCs - the M1A has over 30. That PL 10 FF blocks most of a tank shot or comparable EB in way that a 30 point FF doesn't.[/quote']

When doing a conversion you need to compare apples to apples: a starting character to a starting character. The fact that the two systems choose to portray ordinary items as having differing power-levels is really irrelevant. You can easily convert the M&M items to Hero to get the desired cross-over feel.

 

M&M's design choice is to make starting characters larger than life from the beginning. Hero's design choice is sort of the exact opposite. Some of the toughest heroes in Champions only have 12-15d6 attacks. Dr. Destroyer would have a hard time taking an Abrams tank face-to-face in Hero [that 30 front def makes his 30d6 eb bounce]. As Lord Liaden said above, you really need to either use the optional in Galactic Champions or you need to rewrite everything in Hero to make more sense. :)

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Re: M&M to HERO

 

[i'm in a bit of a hurry, so this might already have been mentioned in the thread, even if I couldn't see it.]

 

Provided that all the M&M-abilities follow the same scale, you can see (MM p.105) that the maximum load for a character with Str 10 can carry 200 lbs. It is quite common to translate 1 kg into 2 lbs., so a Str 10 character in M&M can carry 100 kg.

 

If we add +5 to Str, for a total of Str 15, the character can carry 200 kg. If the value is lowered by -5, to Str 5, the lifting capacity is 50 kg. Unless I've messed things up, the scale between 1 and 20 is identical to the one in Hero System.

 

Each level of super-ability (super-strength, super-charisma, and so on) doubles the value in the corresponding normal ability. To double a value in the Hero System, you add +5 to the ability.

 

My ability conversion suggestion is:

  • Assign the same value in the corresponding ability.
  • Add +5 per rank in the corresponding super-ability.

Ex:

Raven has a normal Dex of 20, and a super-Dex of 5. This would translate into a Hero System Dex of "20 + 5*5" (or Dex 45).

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