Universal Heroes:
The Core Rules

Written by Denny Hill²

Edited, Proofread, and generally Reality Checked by Bil Lockwood

Now, for the legal hub-bub:

Marvel Super Heroes is a © and ™ of Marvel Characters, Inc.  Super Hero is a dual © and ™ of Marvel Characters and D.C. Comics, Inc.  Also, the basic rules system of the Marvel Super Heroes Role Playing Game is a © of TSR, Inc.  However, Universal Heroes, as well as many, many additions and alterations to these rules are, in fact, the creation (and thus, a ©), property, and a © of myself, Denny Hill.  In other words, I didn't create the game (I'm not that lucky), but I've changed it to suit my own purposes.  So hey, enjoy the book!
 
The Real Basics

The Universal Heroes game is a super Hero game.  But, 'just what is a hero', you ask?  Well, a hero is a man or a woman that selflessly uses his* talents, abilities, or resources to help others, rather than being selfish and using all these qualities for personal gain.

In the Universal Heroes game, players take on the role of a hero, whether he is an existing comic book character, or an original creation of the player.  The characters used by 'ordinary' players are called player characters (PCs), and characters used by the player running the game (nominally called the game Judge) are called non-players (NPCs).

* his being a relative term.  I just use the word in a neuter sense, meaning a he or a she, as is required by the situation.  In other words, what I'm saying to all the politically correct people (PCPs) out there is:  Back Off!!!  I'm the Man!  Ha ha ha!

Abilities

Almost every character in the Universal Heroes game is represented by eleven ability scores.  These eleven statistics are those that players of the standard MSH game ought to be familiar with:  Fighting, Agility, Strength, Endurance, Reason, Intuition, Psyche, Resources, Popularity, Health, and Karma.  These primary abilities are further split into two secondary abilities, to better define a character.

This change is 100% compatible with normal MSH rules, and is considered to be optional; by splitting none of your stats, you are essentially playing by the standard rules.  Many people won't use this addition to the rules, and the text reflects this, so no translations will be necessary to use these rules however you see fit.

All eleven ability scores are described in complete detail here:

Fighting (Ftg):  this ability score offers a description of a person's natural or learned combat prowess.  The Ftg rank determines just how effective an N/PC is in combat maneuvers, as well as how many times he can attack (and dodge attacks) in a single combat turn.  Fighting is split into these secondary ability ranks – offensive (off) Ftg and defensive (def) Ftg.

Offensive Ftg is primarily used when a character initiates a melee (person to person) attack upon another character.  The Ftg (off) rank also determines how many of such assaults the character may attempt in a single combat turn, as is seen on table 11.  Defensive Ftg, on the other hand, is used to avoid melee attack, and shows how many dodging maneuvers said character may execute in a combat round without penalty, which is also detailed on table 11.

Agility (Agy):  Agility helps us gauge the coordination and nimbleness each character has.  It determines just how well an N/PC can throw things, shoot weapons, dodge attacks, catch objects in flight, perform sleight of hand tricks, walk a tightrope, etc...  An Agility score is divided equally into dexterity (dex) and balance (bal).

Dexterity is a secondary ability that describes, well, manual dexterity.  It is called into play whenever an attempt to perform delicate or exacting tasks is made, such as catching a flying object, throwing a Frisbee, carving a sculpture, performing magic tricks, and attempting ranged attacks.  On the other hand, your balance defines equilibrium.  This secondary ability is used when climbing walls, dodging ranged attacks, walking a tightrope, juggling, driving, and so on.

Strength (Str):  a measure of the sheer physical power inherent to a person, Str defines one of the single most important aspects of a character.  Str determines exactly how much he can lift, how much gear he can carry on his person, and (most importantly) how much damage he can inflict upon other folks in melee combat.  Strength is split into upper (upr) and lower (lwr) body Strength.

Upper body Str is an indicator of arm and torso power.  It shows how much weight one can bench press, states the amount of damage one can do with his bare hands, and is the base score for determining blunt and edged weapon damage.  Lower body Str, then, is the measure of raw leg power.  The rank of this ability determines how powerful one can kick, how much weight he can carry with him, and how fast he can run.  Most normal humans (and most animals, too) tend to have a higher lower body Str.

Endurance (End):  this ability score is a gauge of physical toughness.  The End rank describes how long a character can continue strenuous activity, how resistant to killing blows and metabolic attack he is, and how quickly he heals any damage inflicted upon his person.  Endurance is further divided into the secondary abilities of resistance (res) and stamina (sta).

Resistance shows just how well your character can resist disease, toxins, and other metabolic attack forms.  This, then, will determine how well he can overcome slam, stun, and kill results rolled against him in combat. Stamina, on the other hand, states a body's physical staying power.  The Stamina rank details how quickly a body can heal damage, and is referred to when you run long distance and hold your breath.

Reason (Rsn):  Rsn is, in loose terms, what we refer to as I.Q.  As game mechanics go, this is probably the most abused ability score, as players always confuse what they would know and what their character would know ("hey – I'd never fall for that... ").  Reason is divided into the secondary abilities of logic (log) and memory (mem).

Logic details the character's ability to reason, learn, and create.  In other words, it states his basic skill when building devices, figuring out how a bunch of seemingly random clues are tied together, and putting together a (hopefully good) strategy.  Meanwhile, memory dictates his ability to recall his experiences.  This includes both short and long term memory, used when remembering specific details, features of someone's face, and the schematics of that new device after the notes used to build them have been stolen.  Mean ol' arch villains do this all the time, you know...

Intuition (Int):  Intuition is the sum of a person's wisdom, common sense, and that sense of self that people possess (in theory, at least).  Intuition is also a gauge of a person's awareness of his surroundings, showing just how in tune with the multiverse he really is.  Also, the base Intuition score determines the initiative modifier a character receives in combat.  Intuition is further divided into the secondary abilities alertness (alt) and awareness (awr).

Alertness is primarily a measure of your sensory acuity:  in other words, it shows how easily you can detect any sensory input, in addition to how well you can distinguish any one input from many.  On the other hand, awareness defines your ability to 'read between the lines', and 'gut feelings' about a situation.  This ability is primarily used when characters are about to get real surprised in some sort of harmful way; say,  by a sniper.  The awareness rank also shows your innate resistance to empathic attack.

Psyche (Psc):  similar in function to the Endurance ability, Psyche is a gauge of mental strength.  It shows the psychic fortitude one has, detailing such elusive quantities as mental presence and a sense of focus.  Furthermore, Psyche is used extensively in mental combat, when attacking as well as defending, a fact that makes a powerful Psyche vital to mages and psis alike.  When it is split into its secondary abilities, Psyche becomes willpower (will) and presence (pre).

Willpower shows just how powerful the mind of a character is, determining how well he can resist psychic attack forms.  It also describes focus – how well the character can keep his mind on any one task at a time.  Presence, on the other hand, details how well characters can manipulate others, either through intimidation or by practicing leadership skills.  Also, presence is a base score for many mental manipulation powers.

Resources (Res):  a measure of one's personal wealth, Resources describes all the raw materials currently at a person's disposal.  While this is mostly used to show the material wealth an individual has access to, it can also be used to detail resources available to a character through an organization he is a member of.  The Resources ability is detailed further by the two secondary abilities known as materials (mat) and cash ($).

Materials represent the actual physical property someone has at hand, such as land, vehicles, businesses, and the like.  Cash, meanwhile, describes the liquid assets a character has access to, such as currency, stocks, bonds, and other financial entities that can easily change hands.  A normal person tends to have a higher materials rank, as most folks tend to have more junk around than cash (like the author of these rules, for instance).

Popularity (Pop):  this primary ability measures the public acknowledgment or approval people have in their normal environment.  Popularity, then, is used to modify the reaction result characters receive when they interact with others.  If a character maintains more than one identity (as most of your super humans tend to do), Popularity is further split into the secondary abilities of primary (pri) and secondary (sec) Popularity.

Primary Popularity is a measure of the public awareness and approval a body has in his primary public identity, which is usually a super hero or super villain persona.  Secondary Popularity, then, is the public's awareness of a character in his secondary public identity, if you had not guessed yet.  It details how famous (or infamous) the character is in his private persona, and how well known his mundane self is overall.

Health (Hpts):  Health shows us how much damage any one character can sustain before he loses consciousness, and possibly dies.  Instead of being represented by ranks like most primary abilities, Health is instead determined by adding together the rank numbers of one's Ftg, Agy, Str, and End abilities.  Secondary abilities of Health include negative health (NH) as well as mental health (MH).

Negative health describes exactly how much damage an unconscious person can withstand before he automatically dies.  Negative health is determined by adding the successive rank numbers in the character's End rank together.  This means that the rank numbers of all the ranks up to (and including) the N/PC's End rank number are added together to determine his negative health amount.  For example, Bob's new hero has a Good (10) ranked End, so his negative health is 22 (the sum of all the successive rank numbers for Good (10) rank is 2 + 4 + 6 + 10 = 22).

Mental health is an indication of just how much karmic damage someone can absorb before his mind is shut down.  Mental health is figured just like negative health is; it just uses the Psc rank number to figure the score instead of the End rank number.

Health and its secondary abilities are discussed in greater detail later on.

Karma (Kpts):  Karma is essentially a measure of a person's placement in the universal scheme of things.  Though all N/PCs begin their various careers with a little bit of Karma (that being the sum of their Rsn, Int, and Psc ability rank numbers), more Karma can only be obtained by performing acts of heroism (for heroes) or villainy (for villains).  

However, heroes can lose some (or all) of their Karma by committing evil (or just plain despicable) actions, while a villain can likewise lose Karma by performing heroic (or just plain nice) acts, as it tarnishes his villainous reputation.  Karma is, in other words, a UH equivalent of experience points.

Just what is Karma used for, you ask?  Well, Karma points may be spent in play to alter die rolls to more favorable ends.  Furthermore, Karma points can be used to improve characters over time, spent when increasing ability and power ranks, learning new talents, and even buying new powers (if possible).  Karma has two secondary abilities:  the Karma pool and the advancement pool.

Karma pools are sums of Kpts that can be accessed by many people at once.  Those people that can access the pool are the people that donate their own Kpts into it after each adventure.  Any rules detailing the withdrawal of Kpts are solely in the province of karma pool members.

The advancement pool is a sum of Kpts set aside by a character that is meant for physical improvement as opposed for spending during normal play.  Individual characters decide for themselves how much they wish to spend on advancement, but Kpts in the advancement fund may not be spent on die rolls during an adventure, at all.

Like Health, Karma is detailed in much greater detail later in the book.

Special Abilities

Special abilities are those capabilities and skills that aren't common to every character, and may in fact be unique to a specific person.  The types of special abilities available are powers, talents, contacts, and quirks.

Powers:  powers are what make super heroes super, as opposed to being 'just' a hero.  Most PCs have at least one power, whether it be in the form of an inborn ability, a sample of high tech equipment, or such studied equivalents as magic spells or psi powers.  Just like primary abilities, almost all powers are gauged by ranks.

Talents:  talents are skills that may be learned by virtually anyone, whether they be super human or not.  Instead of having a rank, almost all talents offer a boost to ability or power scores in the form of a +1 or +2 Column Shift to the standard rank (explained later) on all talent rolls, making the character more proficient in that area than someone who does not have that talent.

Contacts:  a contact is a person or an organization that a body can rely upon when needed, for either information, resources, or whatever else may be necessary.  Contacts are automatically considered friendly to a character for the purpose of NPC reaction rolls.  A character's contacts may help to shape his character's origin, and are rather useful for background information.

Quirks:  quirks are modifications added to a character during its creation.  They are oddities that add to the uniqueness of a character, adding or subtracting a column shift to certain rolls, or merely making his life a little more interesting.

Ranks and Rank Numbers

Most of a character's abilities, powers, and a lot of other stuff are represented by ranks.  Ranks are levels of power in an ability or superhuman power.  Each rank is represented by a special name that identifies its position in relation to others (greater than, less than, etc...), and a standard rank number (usually in the center of the rank's range).  There are twenty ranks in all, listed by name, standard rank number, and rank range on table 1.

Table 1:  Ranks and Rank Numbers

Rank Name	Rank #	Rank Range
Shift C		none	none
Shift B		none	none
Shift A		none	none
Shift 0		0	0
Feeble		2	1-2
Poor		4	3-4
Typical		6	5-7
Good		10	8-15
Excellent	20	16-25
Remarkable	30	26-35
Incredible	40	36-45
Amazing	50	46-62
Monstrous	75	63-87
Unearthly	100	88-125
Shift X		150	126-175
Shift Y		200	176-350
Shift Z		500	351-999
Class 1000	1000	1000-2999
Class 3000	3000	3000-4999
Class 5000	5000	5000 +

As you can see, the Class 1000, 3000, and 5000 ranks are the most powerful; PCs (and most NPCs, one would hope) normally have no access power levels of this magnitude, since they represent cosmic level forces, and mere mortal N/PCs simply can't handle such power and responsibility.  Also, I personally recommend that PCs, at least, almost never have access to the Shift X, Y, and Z ranks, as they have a tendency to disrupt play balance in general – in a standard hero campaign, at least.

Rank Conditionals

In addition to the twenty standard ranks, there's three rank conditionals.  The availability of each to players is in the exclusive control of game judges, as they can be all kinds of devastating in the wrong hands, especially in the untrained player.

the Hyperexhaustive Rank:  this is a special rank conditional that is applied to powers only (never to primary or secondary ability ranks).  A power that is hyperexhaustive will physically drain the person that uses it, being incredibly hard to operate or control.  When the hyperexhaustive rank first shows up in the character generation process, the player that rolled it must then roll up a functional rank for the hyperexhaustive power; this rank determines factors like range, damage, etc...

The result is the hyperexhaustive rank.  This will read as Hypex-(power rank).  For example, a player eventually rolls a hyperexhaustive rank for one of his powers.  He immediately rolls again on the applicable chart; the result being Excellent (20).  As such, his power is of Hypex-Ex (20) rank.  The tricky part is actually using a hyperexhaustive power in combat.

When a character wishes to use the hyperexhaustive power, the necessary power FEAT roll is made on the Shift 0 column.  As stated, this is physically tiring, and the power shouldn't be used for twenty four hours.  However, if the power is used again within this period of time, the next power FEAT roll must be made on the Shift C column, and the power must then be rested for a week before it should be used again.

Of course, circumstances aren't always nice to us, and a character may have to use the exhausted ability yet again.  If he does so within a week's time, the FEAT roll must be made on the Shift B column, and the power requires a month of rest before it can be used again.  If this necessary period of rest is not observed, the character must make this next FEAT roll on the Shift A column, though this action isn't without dire consequences.

To start with, the power will be taxed beyond repair, and will be lost to the character forever.  The power is now gone, and cannot be recovered without the use of extreme measures.  Also, the poor character must pass a Red End. FEAT roll, or lose on End. rank permanently.  This lost rank is only recoverable through later experience.

the Hyperkinetic Rank:  this is a special rank conditional that is a favorite of all those power greedy PCs.  If rolled, the lucky character needs to determine a functional rank, just like he would with a hyperexhaustive power rank.  The ability or power will normally operate at the functional rank listed, it can be subordinated by the hyperkinetic effect when activated by any one stimulus determined by the player during the character's generation.

This stimulus cannot be something that is always present in the environment, such as water, but need not be a rare thing, either.  When the hyperkinetic effect is activated, the power will begin to function at Unearthly rank.  In each round afterward, the power will boost itself by +1 CS, until it hits an upper limit of Shift Z rank.  This enhancement will last until the stimulus is all gone, at which point the power rank will revert to it's normal, functional state.

It is important to note, that, while an ability score can be bolstered by the hyperkinetic effect, a character's Health and Karma isn't.  The hyperkinetic rank just doesn't work that way.

The Beyond Rank:  though it actually has a column on the Universal Table, the Beyond rank isn't actually a rank, per se.  Instead, it is a conditional that marks infinite power, gained only in the rarest of situations, or when two Class 5k powers are used in conjunction.  The Beyond rank is highly dangerous, and should be dealt with in a very, very objective manner by the game Judge if such a situation even comes up during the course of 'normal' game play.

The reason for this is all to simple:  the Beyond rank transcends mere game mechanics, for it is all powerful.  No player will ever hit this mark, nor should he, for to attain this much power is to evolve a character out of the game's boundaries.  As such, the character can no longer be used in normal game sessions, as there's really no point.  An NPC may have this level of power in some form or another, but only in the case of vastly powerful cosmic beings, beings who use the power wisely...

Functions of Exceptional Ability or Talent (or FEAT rolls)

Whenever a character attempts some action or another, he must normally make a FEAT roll; FEAT being an acronym for a Function of Exceptional Ability or Talent.  This is, of course, unless said action is dreadfully simple, such as lifting up a sheet of loose leaf paper.  A FEAT roll is made by rolling a d100, and checking the result against the rank in question on the Universal Table.  This procedure is the basis for all action in the Universal Heroes RPG, and after playing for a bit, will come to you naturally.

On the Universal Table (if you are now looking at it), you will see four color bands that stretch through the ranks.  When making FEAT rolls, a white result usually indicates failure.  A green result represents success.  A yellow result shows exceptional success.  Finally, a red result is the best success that the character can achieve at that rank.

For example, let us say that we are witnessing a hero in mortal combat with his arch nemesis.  In order to hit his foe with a left hook, the hero must make a successful FEAT roll based on his Ftg (off) rank.  Normally, a green result will do, so the character rolls the dice.  The player rolls a 42.  Cross referencing the die roll against the character's Ftg (off) rank, the hit will succeed if a 42 on the chart is a green on that character's Ftg (off) rank.

This is a simplification of the variables that can occur in combat, but this will do for the time being.

FEAT Intensities

Intensity is a rank that is associated with most every action or phenomena, a benchmark for characters who may attempt such an action or interact with such phenomena.  When attempting a FEAT roll, a character's rank will be compared to the intensity of such an action.  The result of this comparison will determine if the action in question is possible, and if it is, how difficult the action will be.

To determine the inherent difficulty of a given FEAT roll, compare the ability or power rank in question to the intensity of the FEAT.  If the intensity is more than three ranks below the rank being checked, the FEAT is considered to be automatic in most cases.  Automatic FEATs are things the character would normally accomplish with great ease, such as lifting a glass of water, trying to remember where his house is, and doing repetitive tasks such as working on an assembly line.

If the intensity is one to three ranks below the ability or power rank being checked, the FEAT requires that the character roll at least a green result on the Universal Table.  This is a rather easy task, but still has a small chance of failure.  Also, a green result is often required for most FEATs that do not have an intensity applied to them; this is to speed up game play, and to make things simpler overall.

If the intensity is equal in rank to the ability or power rank in question, the FEAT requires a yellow result in order to succeed.  This represents a FEAT that truly tests the character, but isn't too much for him.  On the other hand, if the intensity is one rank higher than the rank being checked, a red FEAT is required for success.  This describes a FEAT truly at the limits of a character's ability, one that is likely to fail, but not doomed from the start.

Now, if the intensity of the FEAT is two or more ranks higher than the ability or power rank in question, the FEAT is an impossible one, beyond the abilities of this character.  If the character is in a life or death situation, the Judge may allow the character to make a red FEAT roll anyway, if he is very, very nice.  However, he is more than likely to double or even triple the amount of Karma required to make this FEAT succeed, or he may even disallow the use of Karma on this roll altogether.

A listing of standard intensities is given on table ??, at the end of this book.

Column Shifts

Often, a FEAT can be more or less difficult to execute, depending on the circumstances.  For example, shooting a fast moving, randomly dodging target while standing on oil-slicked ice and dodging incoming fire yourself is a bit more difficult than hitting a stationary target in a shooting range on a sunny afternoon.  Circumstances like these are handled by column shifts (CS).

A +1 CS, to the right on the Universal Table, is a shift for the better.  This means the circumstances for executing this FEAT are better than is normal.  A -1 CS, to the left on the Universal Table, is a shift for the worse.  This will demonstrate an added difficulty that the character attempting the FEAT must overcome.  Additional CS one way or the other demonstrate extreme help or hindrance concerning the FEAT to be attempted.

There are three types of CS in the Universal Heroes game.  The first CS is the inherent CS.  It is a +/- CS that occurs because the character has a talent or quirk that aids or hinders the FEAT roll in question.  This will usually come in the form of a +1 or +2 CS, but if the character has a bad quirk or lacks a talent vital to the FEAT, the inherent CS may be in the negative, as well.

Second is the buddy CS.  This involves a person lending a helping hand to the character who is attempting the FEAT roll.  As long as the helping hand has a rank within +/- 1 CS of the score being checked, the person rolling this FEAT adds a +1 CS to his roll.  For example, two characters attempt to lift an 800 pound object (an Excellent weight), and only have Good Strength scores.

Added together, the character rolling makes his FEAT at a +1 CS, making the FEAT require only a yellow result, instead of the original red.  Now, the buddy CS must be used with common sense.  Otherwise, you could possibly end up with 512 people of Feeble (2) strength hitting one target to inflict Unearthly damage.  This is impossible, as that many folks couldn't assault a single opponent, but shows that without thought, a Judge can be overwhelmed by players abusing the buddy CS.

Finally, there is the situational CS, a type of Column Shift not covered by the other types of CS.  Many situational CS are presented on table ?.

Types of FEATs

Ability FEATs are those that are based on a character's seven basic abilities – either Ftg, Agy, Str, End, Rsn, Int, or Psc.  These are the easiest to manage, in that ability scores from one character to another work exactly the same, and it is often easy to determine when one is required.  However, the Str score is somewhat mysterious in this regard, in that by itself, it doesn't describe how much a character can lift – at least, in  standard gravity.  As such, here is the weight intensity table:

Table 2:  Weight Intensities

Rank		Weight
Feeble		up to 50 lbs.
Poor		up to 100 lbs.
Typical		up to 200 lbs.
Good		up to 400 lbs.
Excellent	up to 800 lbs.
Remarkable	up to 2000 lbs. (1 ton)
Incredible	up to 10 tons
Amazing	up to 50 tons
Monstrous	up to 75 tons
Unearthly	up to 100 tons
Shift X		up to 150 tons
Shift Y		up to 200 tons
Shift Z		up to 500 tons
Class 1000	up to 1000 tons*
Class 3000	up to 3000 tons*
Class 5000	up to 5000 tons*

*assuming something so heavy can be lifted and maintain structural integrity; these are large objects, already!

Power FEATs are similar in function to Ability FEATs, in that it is usually easy to tell when one is needed; instead of referring to an ability score, however, a power rank is used to resolve this type of action.  Nominally, power FEATs are streamlined to work in the normal way; any variations are noted in a power's description.  One thing to note is that some powers operate at a significant range; if a power's range isn't noted, refer to table 3 to see how far one can reach with such an ability.

Table 3:  Standard Power Ranges

Rank		Range
Shift 0		contact
Feeble		contact
Poor		1 area (44 yards)
Typical		2 areas
Good		4 areas
Excellent	6 areas
Remarkable	8 areas
Incredible	10 areas
Amazing	20 areas
Monstrous	40 areas (one mile)
Unearthly	60 areas
Shift X		80 areas (two miles)
Shift Y		160 areas
Shift Z		320 areas (eight miles)
Class 1000	one hundred miles
Class 3000	ten thousand miles
Class 5000	one million miles
Beyond		unlimited range

Another odd kind of power FEAT is the power stunt.  A power stunt is a use for a power that is not accounted for in the standard definition of the power.  If the Judge allows one to try it, the first time a power stunt is attempted, it will fail unless a character passes a red FEAT roll.  The next  two times a character attempts a power stunt, the difficulty is yellow.  Finally, the last seven times a character attempts said stunt, he need only roll a green power FEAT.

After he has tried a stunt ten times, the character is thought to have mastered this stunt, and need not make FEATs just to see if the stunt will work – it is now part of his standard power usage. At any rate, each time a character tries a power stunt, he must pay 100 karma points if he wishes to have any prayer of success.  This forces characters to pay for their new power stunts – though they are nonetheless cheaper to work out than new powers altogether; that costs a lot more karma – and is much, much more dangerous to the character.

Talent FEATs are those required when one, well, attempts to use a skill in the course of a game.  These are primarily based on ability scores, but modified as per the talent's description.  Normally, a talent applies a positive Column Shift modifier to an ability (or power) FEAT, but some skills offer other advantages.  However, if a character tries an action requiring a skill he lacks, he will do so at a penalty; in other words, attempting brain surgery without the medicine skill is a very, very bad idea.

Now, the basic penalty for attempting a talent FEAT without the proper talent to back it up is –2 CS.  However, if a character has a similar skill that could help a FEAT out where a N/PC lacks the exact talent, this penalty is reduced to a mere –1 CS; similar weapons or technical training, for instance.  In the end, however, if game Judge feels an action can't be made without the right talent to back it up, the task is simply impossible.

Popularity FEATs are normally required when a player wants something from a body, whether it be information, money, equipment, or anything else.  When a character attempts such a FEAT, his popularity score is the base rank he will use on this roll.  This rank is then given potential Column Shift modifiers based on the situation at hand.  There's only a few basic CS modifiers to this FEAT, and they're listed on the following table:

Table 4:  Popularity FEAT Modifiers

CS	Situation
+3 CS	Target benefits greatly
+2 CS	Target of same mindset
+1 CS	Target benefits somewhat
-1 CS	Item is of Good value
-2 CS	Item is of Remarkable value, or is at risk of not being returned
-3 CS	Item is placed in danger or is unique

Of course, these Column Shifts aren't all that goes into the Popularity FEAT roll.  No, the general disposition of the person a character asks for aid decides the color difficulty of a popularity FEAT.  A green FEAT is called for when one is friendly to the character attempting the popularity FEAT.  Those neutral to the character make for a popularity FEAT of yellow difficulty.  A red popularity roll is necessary with unfriendly people are the subject of this FEAT.

But what does all this mean, you ask?  Well, friendly NPCs are those who are good friends with the character, or folks listed as his contacts.  Neutral NPCs're are people who don't know a character (but have heard of him) or large bodies of strangers.  Unfriendly NPCs include total strangers, folks who haven't heard of the character, neutral folks the fellow has ticked off by not returning an item previously, or persons having opposing popularity (negative vs. positive).

Finally, hostile individuals are people who're actively opposed to a character, or sworn enemies.  A popularity FEAT is unnecessary with such folks, as they are considered impossible FEATs for the purpose of this roll.  They will never help a character thanks to the whims of a die roll; in fact, they'll never help a character at all, unless doing so would help their specific agenda significantly.

Resources FEATs are made when a body attempts to buy something.  The intensity of this FEAT is dependent on the cost rank provided with the item to be purchased.  Now, this FEAT will be automatic under several conditions (a rich guy buying some hamburgers, for example), and a roll isn't needed.  The trick is that when a resource FEAT is rolled, it represents a large dent of the character's personal wealth.

As such, a character can make but one resource FEAT roll per week.  All other attempts will automatically fail; think of this as a short-term cash shortage or some such.  Furthermore, without the assistance of another character (per a buddy CS – see below), no one can purchase any item whose price rank is greater than their own resources rank – without the assistance of a bank loan.

A loan allows a character to make said resource FEAT roll – if red - but the trick is that he must pay back the loan.  Once a month, a character who has a loan must pass a resource FEAT of an intensity equal to the price rank of the object purchased –2 CS, for a number of months equal to the number of ranks in the price rank (Good priced items will take four months to pay off, Unearthly expensive items take ten, etc...).

Material Strength

One last area that deeply involves both intensity and Column Shifts is relative strength of a given material. Material Strength (m.s.) is the overall strength of a material, if you didn't see that one coming.  Mostly, m.s. is used when a person or weapon attempts to break (or break through) an object, like a street, wall, or vault, for instance.  Common material strengths are listed on table 5.

Table 5:  Material Strengths*

Rank		Materials	
Feeble	Brush, clothing, glass, electronics, paper
Poor	Crystals, ice, plastics, particle board
Typical	Interior walls, rubbers, sheet metal, wood
Good	Aluminum, plastic, light machinery, asphalt
Excellent	Concrete, bullet proof glass, iron, outer walls
Remarkable	Reinforced concretes, steel, solid stone
Incredible	Plast-steels, volcanic rock, heavy machinery
Amazing	Granite, high strength steel, osmium steel
Monstrous	Diamond, super heavy alloys, titanium
Unearthly	Iridium, generic mystic alloys 

* materials of greater m.s. than those listed are often campaign specific uber-materials, those that are 'unbreakable' or otherwise have special properties.  Materials of this variety are campaign specific, and beyond this table's intent.

The thickness of a mass or object also plays a part in determining its m.s.  If an item is less than 2 inches thick, the m.s. of this item is the listed value -1 CS.  If the item is between 2 inches and one foot thick, it is of standard m.s. If the item is between 1 and 2 feet thick, it's m.s. is the listed value +1 CS.  Finally, if an object is 2 feet thick or more, its m.s. is the listed value +2 CS.
Space, Time, and Movement

Now that the essential mechanics have been discussed, it is time to detail the basic nature of the world where all of the various characters (PC and NPC alike) interact.  In short, all of the action takes place in a grand multiverse of possibility; a multiverse being defined as a multitude of dimensions.  In fact, the Universal Heroes game recognizes seven physical dimensions:  three of space, three of time, and a seventh – one that seems to have certain mental aspects.

How these seven physical dimensions work and interact can be something of a mystery, but this will be detailed to some extent later.  However, the major point that needs to be discussed right now is how characters can move about within these seven dimensions.  There are all manner of ways a body can get from point A to point B, the simplest of which involves, you guessed it, walking there.

Ground Movement

The standard means of going places since time immemorial, walking allows for the crossing of horizontal spaces.  A character can, in about a minute, cross one area of space.  The base unit for space in the Universal Heroes, an area is 44 cubic yards (meaning that this 44 yards extends in all directions).  This, of course, assumed that said character is not in any hurry, and is simply having a pleasant stroll or determined walk.

However, this does not always apply, and a character may need to run to the scene of some crime or another (or, if a villain, from it).  If running, a character can cross a number of areas per turn – the basic unit of time in the Universal heroes game (equal to six seconds) – that is determined by his Str (lrw) rank.  These speeds are detailed on table 6:

Table 6:  Speed / Acceleration Rates

Endurance	Speed / Acceleration
Feeble		One area / two turns
Poor		One area / turn
Ty - Excellent	Two areas / turn
Remarkable +	Three areas / turn
Swimming

Similar to walking, swimming allows a body to easily get from one point to another, but swimming refers to moving across a body of water, as opposed to a field or city street.  When swimming, a character can simply tread water, an action allowing him to move at the base walking rate (one area per minute).  Or, if necessary, a character can put his all into the swim, and move at a rate equal to one area per turn – ten times faster!

Unlike walking, however, drowning is a serious issue with a swimmer.  People can hold their breath for a number of turns equal to their End (sta) rank.  If a character must hold his breath longer than this, he must pass a green End (sta) FEAT the first round after this, a yellow one the second round, and a red FEAT the third round after running out of air.  When these FEATs fail, a body falls unconscious, and begins to drown (see life, death, and karma for more on this subject).

Table 7:  Land / Water Speeds

Rank		MPH	Areas / Turn
Feeble		15		1
Poor		30		2
Typical		45		3
Good		60		4
Excellent	75		5
Remarkable	90		6
Incredible	105		7
Amazing	120		8
Monstrous	135		9
Unearthly	150		10
Shift X		180		12
Shift Y		210		14
Shift Z		240		16
Class 1k	480		32
Class 3k	750 (Mach 1)	50
Class 5k	1500 (Mach 2)	100

Vertical Movement

Often, walking or swimming just won't get a body where he needs to be, as a bevy of important locations lie up in the clouds, whether they be on mountain tops or in skyscrapers.  Whether he is using stairs, ladders, fire escapes, or is simply climbing a vertical surface (with requisite hand holds or the appropriate equipment), a character can only move vertically at a rate equal to one story - approximately thirteen feet - per round. This applies to vertical movement in either direction – up or down.

A big problem with vertical movement, though, is falling; it seems that people are always being pushed off of extreme heights to their doom.  If he cannot find convenient hand-holds to break his fall, a falling character will accelerate to his fate at the following rate:

Table 8:  Falling Rates

Time Falling	Falling Speed
One turn	3 stories / turn
Two turns	6 stories / turn
Three turns	10 stories / turn
Four + turns	20 stories / turn

When hitting the end of a fall, a body may be severely hurt, depending on his abilities.  You see, when a person hits the ground after a fall, the damage to him (and whatever he hit) is figured as if it were a charging attack, with the m.s. of the item on the ground struck acting as the body armor of the 'target'; see the combat section for more on this phenomenon.  This demonstrates how normal humans die so easily from a fall while super heroes occasionally do not – especially if they're tough enough...

Flight

Thanks to either powers or equipment, many people have the ability to fly.  A flying character typically moves at rates of travel much greater than those who are landlocked, so to speak.  The top speeds of such fliers are determined by the gear or powers that allow them to do so in the first place.  However, when a character first gets going, he is bound by his body's ability to accelerate, this is dependent on his End (sta) rank, and one's rate of acceleration is determined on table 6.

In other words, one may fly at over two hundred miles per hour – 15 areas per turn - but if he only has Good End (sta), it'll take him over 7 turns to get up to top speed; some powers may counter this acceleration limitation, though, and are so noted.  On the other hand, if a flying body wishes to decelerate, he may do so by simply halving his current speed each turn, thus quickly bringing himself to a complete stop.

Landing is good idea at this point.  This is simply the ending of flight, most likely by decelerating to sensible speeds and touching down on a runway, helipad, etc...  FEAT rolls aren't needed while landing, unless a character tries to land while travelling at more than three areas per turn; then, he needs to pass a yellow agility FEAT roll. 

A variant form of flight, gliding, should also be mentioned here.  Unpowered flight, gliding allows a character to ride air currents at the listed flight speed, but his altitude drops one story per turn unless he passes a yellow agility FEAT (or gliding power rank) roll every turn in the air.  Similarly, a character can't gain altitude while gliding unless he passes a red Agility (or gliding rank) FEAT roll; this involves carefully moving a glider around in air currents, and is tricky, to say the least.

Table 9:  Flight Speeds

Rank		MPH	Areas / Turn
Feeble		30		2
Poor		60		4
Typical		90		6
Good		120		8
Excellent	150		10
Remarkable	225		15
Incredible	300		20
Amazing	375		25
Monstrous	450		30
Unearthly	600		40
Shift X		750		50
Shift Y		1500		100
Shift Z		3750		210
Class 1k	25000		1667
Class 3k	light speed
Class 5k	faster than light speed

Leaping

An odd form of movement indeed, this involves a body jumping vast distances in a single bound, and cannot be done without the proper power or technology to make it possible.  Basically, persons so equipped can leap up or forward a number of feet that is equal to their power rank number.  For instance, one with Unearthly leaping ability can jump up 100 feet into the air, or 100 feet in front of himself.

Also, characters with this special ability can leap down (as a controlled fall) a number of feet that is equal to their power rank number times 1.5.  Our Unearthly leaper, then, may jump down 150 feet without injury.  This, of course, assumed that the leaping character is landing on his feet; if this isn't the case, treat his landing as per a normal fall – which tends to hurt somewhat...

Teleportation

While the previous forms of movement require a body to physically cross the space between the origin and end point of their travels, teleportation does not.  This form of movement, regardless of how it functions, involves a character effectively ceasing to exist at one point in space and then instantly beginning to exist at another.  A teleporter has a great range of movement, as is shown on table 10, here:

Table 10:  Teleportation Ranges

Rank		Range in Miles
Feeble		2.5
Poor		25
Typical		250
Good		2,500
Excellent	25,000
Remarkable	250,000
Incredible	2.5 million
Amazing	25 million
Monstrous	250 million
Unearthly	2.5 billion
Shift X		25 billion
Shift Y		250 billion 
Shift Z		2.5 trillion
Class 1k	One light year
Class 3k	10 light years
Class 5k	100 light years

However, while teleporters can cross a vast distance in the blink of an eye, all of them face the risk of teleporting into a solid object.  If he don't exactly know the area being teleported into, a body may inadvertently transport himself into something.  This causes damage equal to the m.s. of the object, and a person so damaged must immediately roll an End (res) FEAT vs. the intensity of this damage.

If this roll is successful, this teleporter can successfully teleport to safety, but if not, he will immediately pass out, and begin to lose End ranks at a rate of one per turn.  If deep within a solid object, such as a mountain or a thick wall, this may spell the end of our teleporter, as nobody may know where he wound up after his little trip.

Turning

The above guidelines, though sensible, simply refer to a character moving in a straight line.  When a moving character changes direction, however, there are a few considerations one must keep in mind.  For one thing, folks traveling on the ground at top speeds must reduce their speed by half when making any significant turn (one over 90 degrees).  If this isn't done, the character will lose control of his movement unless he can pass a red agility (bal) FEAT roll.

Similarly, in the air, a flying character or object will lose one area of movement in any turn where he turns in mid-air.  A minor inconvenience, but this allows for safe flying; if this speed loss is ignored, the character must pass the FEAT roll above or lose control of his plane.  Any airborne turn greater than 90 degrees requires an agility FEAT to accomplish; if this FEAT fails, the flier simply moves on in his original direction.

Clutter

When flying close to the ground or low in a city, or when running in a crowded area or some such, an area is full of what is called clutter.  It may be people, crates, trees, or anything else, but all moving characters risk striking clutter if they don't slow down when clutter is in the area.  Flying characters can only go safely at velocities shown on table 9, while the ground bound should lower their speed by –1 CS.

If the speedy characters fail to follow these safety guidelines, they must pass a yellow agility FEAT when attempting any action, no matter how minor, lest they inadvertently crash into someone or something.  This, of course, is why people aren't supposed to read their newspaper while driving...
Maps and Ranged Movement

Though it is not required, players of the Universal Heroes game may wish to have a map handy with which to detail their actions and movements.  When a game Judge makes a map, he should do so at a scale of two inches to an area, allowing for a detailed showing of all the action.  This may seem small, especially when one is used to the map scale of other games, but a heroic fight tends to spread out all over the place.

A map this size is good for general use, but the Judge is free to make his own at any size he prefers.  Just make sure to mark off each area as such on the map with dotted or dashed lines, so players know how far they can move their characters in a given turn.  Of course, instead of going with a generic area mapping, one can instead used a concept known as ranged movement.

This allows a player to use a ruler to measure out his exact movements, a method that has both good and bad points.  Good in that it is far easier to track a character's exact movements, but bad in that it is harder for N/PCs to be anywhere in a given area at a given point in time, which can put a small crimp in a game Judge's plans.  Either way works well, however.

As far as pointers go for one's heroes go, virtually anything can be used.  Any die, coin, or other knick-knack can fill this function nicely.  Some people do make small, paper cut-and-fold stand up 'figures', usually triangular, with the front of the fold-up figure representing exactly where the character is.  Some players even buy miniatures from their RPG supplier, painting them up to look like their characters.

Of course, the scale of the map may alter the usefulness of these items.  If the Judge uses a map of Manhattan, it will be of miniature scale, indeed, and it may be difficult to pinpoint exactly what street out of the twelve one's figure is standing on is actually occupied by the hero.  To each his own, however, and for those that go forward with their map techniques, good luck to you!  Trust us, you'll need it!
Combat

(general intro)

Order of Actions

(summary of such)

Declaration

(description)

Initiative

(description and modifier table – decide which one to use)

Table 11:  Initiative Modifiers

Rank	Bonus		Rank	Bonus
Fe	-1		Pr	+/-0
Ty	+/-0		Gd	+1
Ex	+2		Rm	+3
In	+4		Am	+5
Mn	+6		Un	+7
Sh X	+8		Sh Y	+9
Sh Z	+10		Cl 1k	+15
Cl 3k	+20		Cl 5k	+25

Feeble		-1
Poor		+/-0
Typical		+/-0
Good		+1
Excellent	+2
Remarkable	+3
Incredible	+4
Amazing	+5
Monstrous	+6
Unearthly	+7
Shift X		+8
Shift Y		+9
Shift Z		+10
Class 1k	+15
Class 3k	+20
Class 5k	+25

Action

(discuss defense vs. action)

Counter Action

(discuss defense Vs counter action)

Multiple Actions

(general stuff that goes here)

Table 12:  Multiple Attacks / Defenses

Rank		Combat actions / turn
Remarkable	Two attacks / dodges
Amazing	Three attacks / dodges
Unearthly	Four attacks / dodges
Shift Y		Five attacks / dodges

Resolution

(wrap-up)

Types of Attacks, Types of Damage

You know, stuff like BA, BT, EA, ET, Fo, Sh, En, Stun, MB, De, So, Ka, and so on.

(damage modifiers afterward, like AP, SD, Stun, TF, PS, etc...)

12/15/6 note:  As it turns out, i found some of the business I'd written for version 2 of these rules, which were done in '94!  Here's some of the bits I'd put on electronic-format type stuff, I'll definitely need to polish this heavily later.

COMBAT MECHANICS
In the CMSH game, combat is one of the most intricately handled situations, as battle can easily be the death of even the most powerful of characters.  Also, it is the most common result when a group of good guys run into a group of bad guys.  So, without further delay, here is the CMSH combat rules!

Time Scale:  the Turn
The typical combat turn (or round) takes up an amount of time equal to about five seconds.  During this time, a typical character can execute at least one attack per turn, and defend himself against any number of attacks that he is aware of.  The way a Judge can determine the order of combat (which player goes when) can be done in one of two ways.

The first (and easiest to manage) is to have each player act in turn, declaring that all of their turns just take place at the same time.  The other, more complex one can occur if the players wish to coordinate their actions, and truly work as a team.  This is done by having one player roll the initiative for the group, and having them roll their attacks simultaneously.  Player defensive FEAT rolls are still rolled as normal (when someone attacks them), but this method is useful when attacking extremely powerful opponents.  The game Judge can allow players to switch between the two as is necessary, to let them attempt to use strategy in their battles.

The specific order in which the  turn unfolds is detailed in six easy steps, which are detailed here:

Step 1:  at the very start, all characters may roll for extra attacks, if so desired, if their Ftg. (off) is high enough.  To earn two attacks per turn is a Remarkable intensity Ftg. (off) roll, and to earn three attacks per turn is an Amazing intensity Ftg. (off)  FEAT roll.  If they forget to roll for extra attacks after they roll their  initiative, then it's just too late.
Step 2:  before any other rolls are made, have the characters involved determine their actions, whether they be combat or non combat oriented.  The players must then state their plans to the Judge, who should also determine what his NPCs are doing, although he need not inform the players of what his NPCs are doing until they do it.
Step 3:  after step two, all relevant characters that will interact with the PC should roll for their initiative, which is determined by rolling one d10.  The higher a roll is, the better.  It should be noted that all characters have an inherent initiative modifier based on their base Int. rank; this modifier is listed on table 11.  Also, remember that an initiative roll of a 1 is never modified; the character is just a little slow or distracted this turn, or something like that.
After rolling initiative, and observing that he has lost it, an N/PC can decide to change his actions if he so chooses.  This is accomplished by passing a yellow Agy. (bal) FEAT roll, after which the character's new action must be rolled with a -1 CS penalty.  If this yellow FEAT roll fails, the character will be unable to do anything for the rest of that turn but defend himself, and then at a -2 CS to his normal ability.
Step 4:  the character who won the initiative this turn may now roll his FEAT to hit (or whatever), and the side losing, if necessary, may roll the proper FEATs to defend himself.  If the character then hits his target, he must roll for the amount of damage inflicted by this attack.  The more common attack forms, and the damage that they can do, are listed a bit later.
Step 5:  the loser of initiative may then make his FEAT roll to attack (or whatever) if still able, and the character who already attacked may now defend himself.  Again, if the character hits his target, he must then roll for damage as per the attack form he used.
Step 6:  if any characters have earned extra attacks, they may now use them by repeating steps 4 and 5 as required, until all excess combat actions are expended.
Now that you have a basic understanding of the order of combat, a comprehensive listing of the more common battle moves are presented for you in the next four columns, to show you what options your character has in a fight.

Slugfest Combat
Slugfest is slang for Ftg. ability combat, which involves man to man battle.  Slugfest combat exclusively uses a character's Ftg. (off) to hit, and his Ftg. (def) to defend.  Common slugfest moves include:

Blunt Attack (BA):  your typical blunt attack involves attacking with any hard, non sharp item as a weapon, such as a fist, brass knuckles, or your classic Louisville Slugger.  This type of attack inflicts Blunt Attack (BA) damage, and is the most common form of combat.
Edged Attack (EA):  edged attack entails striking a target with a sharp, pointy item, such as a switchblade, claw gauntlet, punch dagger, broken bottle, board full of rusty nails, or any other classic instrument of cutting.  This type of attack form (obviously) inflicts Edged Attack (EA) damage, and can be quite lethal.
Evasion (Ev):  an evasion maneuver is one where a character, by foregoing all of his attacks in a turn, can gain superior defense against incoming melee attack.  If evading, a character must roll a Ftg. (def) FEAT against all incoming melee attacks; a green or better means that the attack has been completely avoided.  If any of these FEATs that fail, the attack being evaded will automatically hit.
If the evading character rolls a yellow or red evasion FEAT, he is effectively in a better position to hit his opponent back in the next turn.  These bonuses only apply to the last attacks made by an opponent towards the evading character in a given turn, but if multiple attacks are aimed at the defender, he may have variable bonuses against his opponents.  For example, if a character is attacked by two thugs, and he rolls a yellow and a red evasion against them, their attacks do not hit.  In the next turn, he'll have a +1 CS to hit one of them (the yellow evasion), and a +2 CS to hit the other one (the red evasion).
The Ftg. Dodge (FD):  this is a universal defensive maneuver designed for a character who wishes to defend himself from melee attack, but nonetheless wishes to return the favor by attacking back.  This defensive maneuver  simply consists of moving out of the way of incoming melee attacks, while not putting the defender out of a position to attack.  The fighting dodge is effective against blunt and edged personal assaults.

Ranged Combat
Ranged combat usually involves shooting or throwing some weapon at a target, or even the use of several super human power effects.  This type of attack is uses a character's Agy. (dex) to hit, and his Agy. (bal) to defend.  The following is a brief explanation of the standard types of ranged combat:

Blunt Throwing Attack (BT):  this form of attack is invoked when an N/PC picks up some sort of dull, often heavy object and throws it at someone.  This attack form inflicts Blunt Throwing (BT) damage, and is just slightly more lethal than BA attacks.
Catching (Ca):  this is a specialized defensive maneuver that allows one to catch items thrown (or shot) at himself.  The only catch (hah!) with this move is that if it fails, you'll automatically get hit by the moving object, as you're putting yourself (or at least a part of yourself) in it's path.
Dodging (Do):  everyone's universal defensive move, the dodge involves moving out of the way of incoming objects that are in a very terminal trajectory with your body, and with all the goons out there with ranged powers and devices, this is one of the most common forms of defense.
Edged Throwing Attack (ET):  this attack is utilized when throwing sharp, deadly objects like throwing stars, knives, and axes at your targets, and it inflicts nasty Edged Throwing (ET) damage.  These attacks are preferred by bad guys without energy weapons or powers as they do the job almost as good; killing people, that is.
Energy Attack (En):  energy attacks are those that hurt a person by exposing him to an energy form not compatible with his body, like fire or high voltage electricity.  This attack form used to be relatively uncommon until the advent of the super human, who often uses it like a drunk does J.D.  As you can guess, assaults of the energy variety inflict deadly Energy (En) damage.
Force Attack (Fo):  this form of distance attack most often comes in the form of someone wielding a TL 4 item called a blaster, although many super humans also wield non lethal force attacks, which are resolved on the Force (Fo) column on the Universal Table.  Heroes most often prefer this attack form to En assaults, as it don't kill quite as many people.
Shooting Attack (Sh):  in the last century or so, shooting attacks have become much more common, especially with the advent of the automatic rifle.  This assault form involves shooting a gun (or other major metal firing weapon) at a target.  This attack form obviously uses Shooting (Sh) damage, which (like En damage) is very lethal.

Wrestling Combat
These are, for the most part, non damaging attacks which utilize a character's base Str. ability to grapple and hold an opponent.  Common wrestling maneuvers are:

Blocking (Bl):  this is a defensive move most often used by those of super strength.  It involves using your Str. to block the force of an attack.  Whether this will be with upper or lower Str. depends on the manner in which the character describes his blocking action to the Jugde.  This then results in effective armor against certain attacks, as stated on the Blocking column on the Universal Table.  Only BA, BT, EA, ET, and Fo attacks can be blocked.
Escaping (Es):  this is a wrestling maneuver used when one has been successfully grappled, either fully or partially.  It entails wriggling and flexing in an effort to shake off the grappler.  Note that if done very well, this move can be used to actually reverse the hold the defender is stuck in.
When attempting to escape a grappling hold, the character needs to roll a Str. FEAT that must be resolved on the Universal Table's escape column.  This FEAT will have a number of Column Shifts equal to the number of ranks of Str. between the grappler and grapplee; if the grappler is stronger, a negative CS is applied, and vice versa.
Also, note that this is the only move a grappled N/PC can attempt, short of using super human powers.
Grabbing (Gb):  grabbing is a special fighting move designed to remove an item from the hands of an opponent.  The only drawback of using a grab is that the item may be accidentally set off or broken during the struggle to grab it.
Grappling (Gp):  grappling is an attack form that is designed to hold an opponent without actually harming him, although that option is available once a character has been at least partially held.  A character may be grappled regardless of the Str. differences between him and the grappler, but how long the grapple lasts does depend on such a difference; see the escaping maneuver for more on this.
Once a character is grappled, however, the grappler can squeeze to inflict his Str. rank in damage.  A character who is held in a grapple can resist by passing an End. (res) FEAT equal in intensity to the FEAT rolled by the grappler to do the damage.
the Wrestling Dodge (WD):  very similar to the fighting dodge, this defensive tactic involves actively avoiding a character attempting to perform a grappling or grabbing move.  It is even used the same way, except that if a white FEAT result is rolled, it means that the defender has 'walked' right into the hold, and must escape normally.

Charging Combat
Charging combat basically happens when an N/PC charges headlong into his target, slamming into him at full speed.  This uses a character's base End. rank to do damage, and is described below:
Charging (Ch):  this is a move that involves getting some space between you and a target, running at them full speed, and nailing them with all you've got.  For each area traversed through on your way, add 2 points to the total damage inflicted, up to a maximum of 20 extra points. areas.
Note that while Ftg. (off) is used to actually target a charging attack, the damage done is determined by the base End. rank or rank of body armor (whichever the charger chooses) to inflict the damage.
Luring (Lu):  luring involves letting an opponent barrel on towards you, full tilt, thinking he's gonna smash you to pieces, when at the last second you dive out of the way, only to make him smash whatever is behind you to pieces.  This is an effective maneuver against people who love to overuse charging attacks.

Effects Rolled on the Universal Table
As stated numerous times in the previous pages, the Universal Table is the ultimate guide to combat actions, as it has column for all of the standard battle moves, as well as all of the ranks ever needed to roll a FEAT on.  When rolling any sort of combat FEAT, refer to the following descriptions of rolled results to determine the outcome of your combat FEAT rolls:
-6 CS:  concerning a block, this means that you have obtained your Str. -6 CS rank armor against the attack you are defending against.  The best possible dodge, this result states that your opponent has a -6 CS to hit you.
-4 CS:  for a block, this is saying that you now have your Str. -4 CS ranked armor against the incoming attack.  For a dodging move, your opponent has a -4 CS to hit you.
-2 CS:  as far as a block defense is concerned, you now have your Str. -2 CS armor against incoming attacks.  When dodging, this indicates that your opponent has a -2 CS to hit you.
1:  when resisting the effects of a Stun shot, this roll on the Stun column means that you are stunned for one entire combat turn.  While this isn't a serious injury, a lot can happen while you're down...
1-10:  when resisting the effects of a Stun shot, this result means that the defender has been knocked unconscious for one to ten turns, determined by the roll of a d10.
+1 CS:  the best block you can get, this means that you have earned your Str. +1 CS in armor against the attack you're defending against.  For an evasion, this means that your have a +1 CS to attack your opponent in the next round, if this result was scored on the last attack made by that opponent during the current combat turn.
+2 CS:  this is an evasion that gives you a +2 CS against your opponent in the next round, if this result was scored against the last attack made by that opponent during the current combat turn.
Autohit/Automiss:  this result that indicates that the attack automatically hits or misses, depending on the situation.
Break:  while trying a grabbing attack, this means that you tried to pull too hard (or something like that), either breaking or setting off the item being grabbed.
Bullseye:  this result states that if a character was aiming a non lethal shot, it hit right on the nose.  If the character wasn't particularly aiming for something, he still hit, however.
Escape:  when attempting to escape, the character has done so in full measure.
Evasion:  while attempting to evade, the character has done so in full measure.
Grab:  while trying a grabbing maneuver, you have successfully done so.
Grand Slam:  if rolled while attempting to resist a Slam result, this means that the attack affected the defender fully.  The victim of such an attack is then thrown a number of areas equal to the rank of the damage inflicted (before any resistances) divided by ten.
Hit:  while attempting one of the various attacking maneuvers, you have successfully 'hit' your target.  Roll for damage.
Hold:  in a grappling attack, you have placed your target in a full hold.  The only non super powered move your opponent can attempt is to escape.
Kill:  when this result is rolled, this means that the attacker has hit in such a manner that is potentially lethal to the victim of such attacks.  There are two methods in which the effect of a killing blow can be determined.  First, all victims of kill results must roll an End. (res) FEAT against the intensity of the damage inflicted by the killing shot, or else they will begin to die.
The other, traditional method is rolled on the Universal Table on the Kill column.  This method, while being standard to all kill shots, does not consider the End. (res) of the target in relation to the damage inflicted by the wound.  Which method the Judge uses to resolve kill shots is ultimately up to him.
More on death and the dying process can be found in the Life and Death section later in the book.

Tactics

Fastball special, etc...

Powers in Combat

(this oota be interesting)

Life, Death, and Karma

Stuff about health, using karma in play, and all that goodness...  no adv. type rules here, though, as those go in the CC book.  Just what the headers say.

Character Generation

Basic header paragraph or so

Quirks

(they come first, after all...)

Talents

(Flippin' burgers?)

Talent Listing (101)

Background 'Talents' (2):
Heir to Fortune (start with money money money)
Student (no other talents, but serious bonus for buying 'em later on)

Fighting Talents (16):
Acrobatics (agile moves and whatnot)
Aerial Combat (fighting in the air, whether in a vehicle or not)
Astral Combat (fighting when disembodied, whether in cyberspace or the astral)
Martial Arts type A 
Martial Arts type B
Martial Arts type C
Martial Arts type D
Martial Arts type E
Martial Arts type F (dirty fightin' - may need to look up those extra martial arts things)
Multiple Attacks (plus something to extra attack roll)
Spatial Combat (fighting in zero g - whether in a vehicle or not)
Targeting (aiming a personal power, like energy blasts, etc...)
Tumbling (rolling with punches)
Underwater Combat (fighting underwater, duh)
Vehicular Combat (fighting behind the wheel)
Wrestling (you know, groping and whatnot)

Mental Talents (6):
Parapsychology (you know, Ghostbusters)
Psionic History (knowing what folks've forgotten about psi stuff)
Psionic Theory (knowing the deep basics of psionic power)
Psychic Combat (using psionic powers to quash your foes)
Resist Domination (resisting psychic attack)
Trance (pretending yer dead)

Miscellaneous Talents (12):
Artist (drawing, singing, dancing)
Climbing (you know, rock climbing, spelunking, ropes, buildings)
First Aid (keeping folks not-dead)
Languages (referred to in linguistics, may need to work on that)
Leadership (telling people what to do - and having them do it)
Manipulation (convincing people to do things, for better or worse)
Power Skill (skill in the use of a power)
Repair / Tinkering (fixing things, making new things from old things)
Sport Skill (you know, baseball, lacrosse...)
Theft (criminal type activity of the larcenous type)
Tracking (following folks - this shouldn't just be a power)
Trivia (obsequious knowledge of the inane and useless)

Mystic Talents (10):
Bibliophile (magic book expert)
Demonologist (demon expert)
Occult Lore (expert in odd things)
Runesmith (expert in old languages 'n stuff)
Scholar of Antiquities (expert in old magic items)
Sorcerous Combat (using magic to quash your enemies)
Sorcerous History (knowing what other people forgot about magic)
Stamina (some sort of trance style dingus)
Theogony (knowing your magic sources, like hoggoth, etc...)
Zoologist of Magic (magic creature expert)

Professional Talents (19):
Animal Handling (making animals do what you want)
Business / Finance (money money money)
Criminology (methodology of the criminal mind, etc...)
Diplomacy (making peace, or at least insulting someone eloquently)
Detective / Espionage (private eyes 'n stuff, connecting the dots)
Education (teaching - not as easy as you'd think)
Engineering (making things.  from houses to cars)
Journalism (finding the truth - or making it up)
Law (you know, lawyer types)
Law Enforcement (you know, cop types, may make 'background' talent)
Military (you know, be all you can be, may make 'background' talent)
Performer (singing, dancing, clogging)
Pilot / Air (flying planes)
Pilot / Land (driving cars)
Pilot / Sea (captaining boats)
Pilot / Space (flying spaceships)
Psychology (figuring out what's going on in people's heads)
Salesmanship (selling things, from cars to burgers to ... something)
Theology (priestly stuff.  'cause enough people do it)

Scientific Talents (14):
Anthropology (study of people)
Archaeology (study of people's stuff in the past)
Biology (study of people's mechanics)
Chemistry (study of... chemicals and bubbly stuff)
Computers (study of the thing that's letting you read this)
Electronics (study of the stuff in your tee vee, etc...)
Genetics (study of the bubbly stuff that makes you not a tapeworm)
Geology (study of the earth, or alternately other planets)
Higher Mathematics (the super stuff.  einstein style funnery)
History (study of what people forget)
Linguistics (study of languages and whathaveyou, or just individual languages)
Medicine (doctors and stuff)
Physics (study of how things work)
Sociology (study of how people act)

Technical Talents (3): (these are above and beyond regular science skills, sorta)
Biotechnology (biology and genetics and mebbe something else... can't recall)
Cybernetics (medicine plus electronics plus computers plus ... something)
Robotics (engineering plus electronics plus perhaps computers)

Weapon Talents (19):
Advanced Guns (energy casters)
Blunt Weapons (costs 2, ees all clubs / staves / louisville slugger, etc...)
Bows (you know, bows - but not bose.  compound bows, crossbows, whatever)
Concussion Weapons (focused, melee energy weapons that inflict Force damage)
Energy Weapons (focused, melee energy weapons that inflict Energy damage (light saber, etc...)
Guns (regular, semi-auto, full-auto)
Marksman (hardcore artillery; mortars, tank cannons, those big 200mm battleship guns...)
Natural Weapons (claws, quills, razor skin, etc...)
Oriental Weapons (you know, ninja stuff.)
Quick Draw (initiative bonus with weapon of choice)
Sharp Weapons (swords, knives, broken bottles, stuff)
Shield (for offense (clubbin') or defense (not dyin')
Spontaneous Weapons (couch, television, lamp post, bus, whathaveyou)
Thrown Objects (throwing things like rocks, televisions, lamp posts, you know)
Thrown Weapons (knives, haxes, shuriken, etc)
Two Weapons (using two similar weapons (of single type) at once.  extra attack w/em
Weapons Master (costs 3 - use all weaponses of melee type)
Weapon Skill (use a single weapon)
Weapons Specialist (costs 2) (with a big fat asterisk (*) here)

Talents to add:

climbing
astronomy

Contacts

(Friends and such)

Weaknesses / Limitations

(You know you hate em)