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Mutants & Masterminds RPG
Mutants & Masterminds Deluxe Hero's Handbook
Since 2002, Mutants & Masterminds has earned its title as the World's Greatest Superhero RPG, inspiring countless game sessions and winning many awards for excellence. The M&M Deluxe Hero's Handbook is the revised and expanded core rulebook of the game's Third Edition and it gives you everything you need to have your own superheroic adventures. The detailed character creation system lets you make the hero you want to play, choosing from a wide range of skills, advantages, and power effects. Customize your hero's powers with modifiers to create an almost endless range of superhuman abilities. The Deluxe Hero's Handbook is a beautiful full color hardback book that includes a Quickstart Character Generator and a new adventure set in Emerald City. Become a hero of legend with the Mutants & Masterminds Hero's Handbook!
320 pages, Hardcover
First published March 29, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 26, 2020
Really enjoyed the take on superheroics, and though I needed to actively play a few times before I "got" it, the ideas even prior to getting together I thoroughly enjoyed myself with the character building—I cannot stress enough how fantastic the quick character generators are, from both a point of view of diving into play quickly and from figuring out some of the crunch of the system by example.
The biggest strength of this system is in the flexibility (you can do pretty much anything you want for your character), and while that makes for a steep learning curve in places if you step away from some of the more basic ideas of superpowers (which is totally one's own fault, so hey), I gathered a group of writers together and in the end we figured out how to make all their character concept abilities work and they really ran the gamut.
I can heartily suggest the companions "Power Profiles" and the Deluxe Gamemaster's Guide as well, as both of those really help those just stepping into the game system. Also, I'd be remiss in not mentioning how wonderful it was to read a gaming system that seemed to take LGBTQ+ characters as just a matter-of-course, as well as weaving in some specific supporting characters and heroes of history, to boot.
The biggest strength of this system is in the flexibility (you can do pretty much anything you want for your character), and while that makes for a steep learning curve in places if you step away from some of the more basic ideas of superpowers (which is totally one's own fault, so hey), I gathered a group of writers together and in the end we figured out how to make all their character concept abilities work and they really ran the gamut.
I can heartily suggest the companions "Power Profiles" and the Deluxe Gamemaster's Guide as well, as both of those really help those just stepping into the game system. Also, I'd be remiss in not mentioning how wonderful it was to read a gaming system that seemed to take LGBTQ+ characters as just a matter-of-course, as well as weaving in some specific supporting characters and heroes of history, to boot.
October 2, 2018
TL;DR: M&M is 10 oz of gameplay wrapped into 30 lbs of character creation (and don't worry, the metric translations will be in the back of the book).
Mutants and Masterminds is a system of two minds, a simple system that disguises itself as something more complex. It's unfair to call it a disguise, because that complexity is there, front-loaded into the system. The book itself is a good metaphor for the game: the beginning is intimidating, but the end is simple. Similarly, all of the complexity of M&M is in character creation, and if you make it past that, gameplay is a breeze.
As I called out in a comment on another review, I have not played this game, only read the rule book, so my interpretation may be less valid than the experience of those saying it's a crunchy, number-heavy monster.
That said, my understanding is that the system is fairly straightforward. I initially thought it was a huge mess of formulas and algebraic math (as it introduces a massively complex table and several formulas barely 10 pages in!), but the end of the book reveals this isn't the case: most results are handled not with those formulas, but with a simple d20 roll (in fact there ARE no other dice).
In fact, those formulas seem barely useful, given how theater-of-the-mind the game encourages it to be run. They are for determining things like how fast a character can move, or how far someone can throw a car. Useful things to know, for sure, but really not the point of the book.
My read on this is that it's a fairly simple game that buried the lede on the simplicity of its mechanics (d20 rolls + 4 "degrees of health" rather than hit points) with a massively flexible and complex character creation system.
It almost seems like there are two designers at play here: one (whom I'll call Physics Pam) who said "This is a superheroes game, so we need answers for these questions, and these answers are rooted in PHYSICS" and another (Simple Stan)who said "Wait, we need people to actually PLAY this game, let's keep it simple".
Physics Pam wrote the beginning of the book, the giant rank table, the formulas, and the character creation system (which is largely piecemeal, flavorless effects that can be combined and built into powers, reminiscent of GURPS in some ways), while Simple Stan wrote the mechanics for combat, the descriptions of play, and the elegant way of handling "hit points".
Yes, the system has far too many conditions (including some that are merely collections of others). But the fact is this kind of game in particular (an RPG focused on super-heroes) WILL draw people from both crowds-- you'll get Pam's friends who want to know HOW far they can throw a car, and how long it would take them to run 1,000 miles (I think the most I can drive home the complexity and absurdity of this table is to say that it appears on page 11 (that is to say, the ENTIRETY of page 11), is only referenced in the immediately surrounding pages, and is translated, in full, to metric in the back of the book) and you'll also get Stan's friends who don't WANT to do physics problems, they just want to be an HONEST-TO-GOODNESS SUPERHERO. This game accomplishes both, and it accomplishes neither.
Building your character is going to take some Pam -- you're going to have to read dozens of effects and piece them together into the hero you want. You're going to have to spend 150(!) character points on abilities, powers, gears, equipment and skills. And then you'll get to play your character, and you'll be awed at how simple it all really is. Luckily, for the timid amongst us, there are a large number of pre-made templates included.
There are some things this game does really well, things that don't feel Jekyll-and-Hyde. Among them are complications (take them once, invoke them always), Hero Points (for when you need to be extra awesome), and Leveling up in general (it's slow, but its steady, and reminiscent of Shadowrun--spend your points now, or save up for something big). Heroes are constantly evolving, and this system seems more welcoming to a campaign than anything else.
There's no better demonstration of the Pam/Stan dichotomy than when they intersect at damage. M&M has no concept of hit points, instead taking on a tiered system (that is actually well ahead of its time for 2011). Defenders make a toughness check (d20 + toughness, of course [thanks Stan]) vs a static amount of damage (15 + the number of ranks the attacker has in Damage). If the defender fails by 4 or less, they take a cumulative -1 penalty to defense tests. If they fail by 5-9, they take the penalty and are dazed. 10-14, and they're also staggered. If they get staggered while already in this state OR fail by more than 14 (remember those cumulative -1s!), the target goes incapacitated and gets no defense.
At this point, the fight is over, though 2 more hits will take them to dead (through dying, of course). The damage system is a kind of synecdoche for the system as a whole -- a simple concept implemented in the most complicated way possible.
Above all else, M&M knows its audience, and it is more true to the superhero setting than any other RPG I've seen.
As a final note, I'll say that nothing piqued my interest in a more confused way than the suggestion of running a supers game during the American Revolution.
Mutants and Masterminds is a system of two minds, a simple system that disguises itself as something more complex. It's unfair to call it a disguise, because that complexity is there, front-loaded into the system. The book itself is a good metaphor for the game: the beginning is intimidating, but the end is simple. Similarly, all of the complexity of M&M is in character creation, and if you make it past that, gameplay is a breeze.
As I called out in a comment on another review, I have not played this game, only read the rule book, so my interpretation may be less valid than the experience of those saying it's a crunchy, number-heavy monster.
That said, my understanding is that the system is fairly straightforward. I initially thought it was a huge mess of formulas and algebraic math (as it introduces a massively complex table and several formulas barely 10 pages in!), but the end of the book reveals this isn't the case: most results are handled not with those formulas, but with a simple d20 roll (in fact there ARE no other dice).
In fact, those formulas seem barely useful, given how theater-of-the-mind the game encourages it to be run. They are for determining things like how fast a character can move, or how far someone can throw a car. Useful things to know, for sure, but really not the point of the book.
My read on this is that it's a fairly simple game that buried the lede on the simplicity of its mechanics (d20 rolls + 4 "degrees of health" rather than hit points) with a massively flexible and complex character creation system.
It almost seems like there are two designers at play here: one (whom I'll call Physics Pam) who said "This is a superheroes game, so we need answers for these questions, and these answers are rooted in PHYSICS" and another (Simple Stan)who said "Wait, we need people to actually PLAY this game, let's keep it simple".
Physics Pam wrote the beginning of the book, the giant rank table, the formulas, and the character creation system (which is largely piecemeal, flavorless effects that can be combined and built into powers, reminiscent of GURPS in some ways), while Simple Stan wrote the mechanics for combat, the descriptions of play, and the elegant way of handling "hit points".
Yes, the system has far too many conditions (including some that are merely collections of others). But the fact is this kind of game in particular (an RPG focused on super-heroes) WILL draw people from both crowds-- you'll get Pam's friends who want to know HOW far they can throw a car, and how long it would take them to run 1,000 miles (I think the most I can drive home the complexity and absurdity of this table is to say that it appears on page 11 (that is to say, the ENTIRETY of page 11), is only referenced in the immediately surrounding pages, and is translated, in full, to metric in the back of the book) and you'll also get Stan's friends who don't WANT to do physics problems, they just want to be an HONEST-TO-GOODNESS SUPERHERO. This game accomplishes both, and it accomplishes neither.
Building your character is going to take some Pam -- you're going to have to read dozens of effects and piece them together into the hero you want. You're going to have to spend 150(!) character points on abilities, powers, gears, equipment and skills. And then you'll get to play your character, and you'll be awed at how simple it all really is. Luckily, for the timid amongst us, there are a large number of pre-made templates included.
There are some things this game does really well, things that don't feel Jekyll-and-Hyde. Among them are complications (take them once, invoke them always), Hero Points (for when you need to be extra awesome), and Leveling up in general (it's slow, but its steady, and reminiscent of Shadowrun--spend your points now, or save up for something big). Heroes are constantly evolving, and this system seems more welcoming to a campaign than anything else.
There's no better demonstration of the Pam/Stan dichotomy than when they intersect at damage. M&M has no concept of hit points, instead taking on a tiered system (that is actually well ahead of its time for 2011). Defenders make a toughness check (d20 + toughness, of course [thanks Stan]) vs a static amount of damage (15 + the number of ranks the attacker has in Damage). If the defender fails by 4 or less, they take a cumulative -1 penalty to defense tests. If they fail by 5-9, they take the penalty and are dazed. 10-14, and they're also staggered. If they get staggered while already in this state OR fail by more than 14 (remember those cumulative -1s!), the target goes incapacitated and gets no defense.
At this point, the fight is over, though 2 more hits will take them to dead (through dying, of course). The damage system is a kind of synecdoche for the system as a whole -- a simple concept implemented in the most complicated way possible.
Above all else, M&M knows its audience, and it is more true to the superhero setting than any other RPG I've seen.
As a final note, I'll say that nothing piqued my interest in a more confused way than the suggestion of running a supers game during the American Revolution.
June 15, 2016
Most likely the best tabletop superhero RPG on the market, and an excellent evolution of the d20 mechanics first laid out by 3rd edition D&D, making them its own. The quick character generator is an obscenely strong feature, and the book looks great and has a nice smaller and lighter size to it than other densely packed core books. I've also got the earlier editions but would never look back at them now.
January 12, 2017
An interesting set of rules for a superhero RPG. The character creation is one of the most convoluted and detailed I have seen since Traveller. The min/max players will love it as it is designed for them.
Game mechanics are straight forward and presented as simple but I will be interested to see how it actually plays out.
Game mechanics are straight forward and presented as simple but I will be interested to see how it actually plays out.
August 29, 2019
The level of customization is staggering and leads you to make a lot of unique characters, but I feel that the rulebook makes a lot of different concepts confusing. Things like variable powers, devices and equipment, and strict limits are scattered all over the place. I really wish they put all the charts in one place for quick reference. While the game itself may be good, this book actively combats you getting into the game.
Get Power Profiles to help you make characters. Seriously.
Get Power Profiles to help you make characters. Seriously.
May 14, 2021
The 3rd edition of M&M continues to improve on the efforts of the last two editions.
If you want to play as a superhero, this game is the closest you will get to experiencing it in a TTRPG medium.
A common critique of the game is the level of complexity present in character creation. Although valid, I think these comments fail to acknowledge the huge challenge of translating the superhero genre to a TTRPG. Specifically that superhero stories encompass a vast range of beings and powers: from aliens, magic, lost worlds, to representations of cosmic forces!
Yes character creation is heavily front loaded. As a point buy system, players have a huge range of options to choose from and it can be overwhelming. As there are no official “classes” a player can customise their hero as they like within Power Level limits.
Part of this complexity comes down to how powers are broken down into mechanical “effects” which you buy and customise with “extras” and “flaws”. Effects are not split into different schools or categories. Rather you build your powers from the mechanical level up. What differentiates your powers from another players comes down to the “descriptors” you use to define its function.
Example: two players both have a power which does Damage 5 (ranged). At a mechanical level both powers are identical. However if the descriptors are “laser eye blast” and the other is a “lightning strike” this impacts how the powers behave in the wider context of gameplay.
With the above in mind, the deluxe edition has been expanded to make character creation easier. Chapter 2 presents 15 pre-made archetypes (the closest thing to classes) at Power level 10 to choose from. These can be used as presented or customised to the players needs. The QuickStart Character Generator adds another 5 archetypes and provides a step-by- step process to roll up a unique character in minutes. These additions circumvent the complexities of character creation if your group wants to start playing as soon as possible.
From a gameplay standpoint there is a marked difference in “feel” compared to more common fantasy/sci-fi TTRPG’s. For a start, your players will have powers/abilities in session 1 that are comparable to a level 19-20 character in D&D. As a result the scale of challenge is different. Obstacles that would take hours or entire sessions to navigate are no more than a slight inconvenience.
Secondly combat in the game runs far quicker than D&D, even against a boss type enemy. The damage system is based on characters accumulating negative conditions until they are incapacitated. This take reflects the lower level of lethality in the superhero genre where characters can shrug of deadly blows.
Another satisfying part of combat is the inclusion of “manoeuvres”. This gives players more options in terms of how they interact in combat, than simply hitting the enemy with an offensive power. Characters have choices on whether to support their friends, sacrifice damage for hit bonus and vice versus.
The book provides a decent but limited summary of game master basics in Chapter 9. It outlines how to build sessions and adventures and basic do’s/dont’s.
If you want a superhero game that can provide in depth customisation with satisfying gameplay, I highly recommend Mutants and Masterminds.
If you want to play as a superhero, this game is the closest you will get to experiencing it in a TTRPG medium.
A common critique of the game is the level of complexity present in character creation. Although valid, I think these comments fail to acknowledge the huge challenge of translating the superhero genre to a TTRPG. Specifically that superhero stories encompass a vast range of beings and powers: from aliens, magic, lost worlds, to representations of cosmic forces!
Yes character creation is heavily front loaded. As a point buy system, players have a huge range of options to choose from and it can be overwhelming. As there are no official “classes” a player can customise their hero as they like within Power Level limits.
Part of this complexity comes down to how powers are broken down into mechanical “effects” which you buy and customise with “extras” and “flaws”. Effects are not split into different schools or categories. Rather you build your powers from the mechanical level up. What differentiates your powers from another players comes down to the “descriptors” you use to define its function.
Example: two players both have a power which does Damage 5 (ranged). At a mechanical level both powers are identical. However if the descriptors are “laser eye blast” and the other is a “lightning strike” this impacts how the powers behave in the wider context of gameplay.
With the above in mind, the deluxe edition has been expanded to make character creation easier. Chapter 2 presents 15 pre-made archetypes (the closest thing to classes) at Power level 10 to choose from. These can be used as presented or customised to the players needs. The QuickStart Character Generator adds another 5 archetypes and provides a step-by- step process to roll up a unique character in minutes. These additions circumvent the complexities of character creation if your group wants to start playing as soon as possible.
From a gameplay standpoint there is a marked difference in “feel” compared to more common fantasy/sci-fi TTRPG’s. For a start, your players will have powers/abilities in session 1 that are comparable to a level 19-20 character in D&D. As a result the scale of challenge is different. Obstacles that would take hours or entire sessions to navigate are no more than a slight inconvenience.
Secondly combat in the game runs far quicker than D&D, even against a boss type enemy. The damage system is based on characters accumulating negative conditions until they are incapacitated. This take reflects the lower level of lethality in the superhero genre where characters can shrug of deadly blows.
Another satisfying part of combat is the inclusion of “manoeuvres”. This gives players more options in terms of how they interact in combat, than simply hitting the enemy with an offensive power. Characters have choices on whether to support their friends, sacrifice damage for hit bonus and vice versus.
The book provides a decent but limited summary of game master basics in Chapter 9. It outlines how to build sessions and adventures and basic do’s/dont’s.
If you want a superhero game that can provide in depth customisation with satisfying gameplay, I highly recommend Mutants and Masterminds.
July 13, 2017
Praticamente il GdR supereroistico Definitivo. Flessibile come pochi e però compatibile con D&D, gli autori sono riusciti nell'alchimia di rendere moderno, duttile e rispettabile un sistema vecchio di oltre 30 anni! Potete creare il vostro eroe in MENO DI DIECI MINUTI se decidete di utilizzare l'utilissimo "Generatore Rapido". Il capitolo sui poteri poi è una vera chicca, e vi consente di personalizzare il vostro supereroe per renderlo diverso da tutti gli altri. Se ci aggiungete decine di abilità, privilegi e l'equipaggiamento, le possibilità sono praticamente ILLIMITATE. Avete inoltre la possibilità di DECIDERE VOI a che "Genere Supereroistico" giocare. Volete giocare avventure dal sapore "classico", con supereroi ultra-potenti in grado di spostare palazzi come nulla? Nessun problema! Oppure preferite una campagna più realistica, dalle atmosfere dark e dall'alta mortalità, dove i confini tra supereroi e supercattivi sono più sfumati? O ancora una serie di taglio nipponico alla "Power Rangers"? MUTANTS & MASTERMINDS ve lo consente e VI SPIEGA COME FARLO! Completano il manuale (TUTTO A COLORI e splendidamente illustrato) ben 2 Avventure lunghe (non i soliti scenarietti a cui ci hanno abituato i manuali base). Se aggiungete che potete scaricare dal sito ufficiale materiale di espansione GRATUITAMENTE, questo manuale è da NON PERDERE. Non per niente viene chiamato il "MIGLIOR GIOCO DI RUOLO DEL MONDO". Consigliatissimo! Sul sito ufficiale mutantsandmasterminds punto it e sulla pagina Facebook Mutants and Masterminds Italia TANTISSIMO materiale gratuito!
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September 11, 2021While difficult to learn it is clean and quick to play.
Steve: I do have a design question. Why do you have the ability fighting? Its not an obvious property of a living organism. Unlike all other ability's it seems to have only two uses; as a defensive input to parry and as an offensive input to close attacks. Logically its unnecessary. It's presence does ensure that neither Dexterity or Agility are more important than other Ability's but the same goal could be accomplished by using Dexterity for the defense(parry) input to the system and Agility for the offense(close attack) portion of the system. This would make both slightly more important than other ability's but the various balance equations would keep over use at bay. As is the systems math elegance is distorted by an artificial ability construct who's utility is too limited.
Steve: I do have a design question. Why do you have the ability fighting? Its not an obvious property of a living organism. Unlike all other ability's it seems to have only two uses; as a defensive input to parry and as an offensive input to close attacks. Logically its unnecessary. It's presence does ensure that neither Dexterity or Agility are more important than other Ability's but the same goal could be accomplished by using Dexterity for the defense(parry) input to the system and Agility for the offense(close attack) portion of the system. This would make both slightly more important than other ability's but the various balance equations would keep over use at bay. As is the systems math elegance is distorted by an artificial ability construct who's utility is too limited.
May 20, 2019
Lots of detail, lots of interesting rules, and lots of potential, but honestly, as someone who has read more than a few rulebooks in his life, even I found some of the sections really hard to understand. A few more examples of creating powers (especially for some of the more complicated power effects) would have been nice, and a more extended example of using those powers in action would have been handy.
Regardless, still a fine read, looks like a fine system, and I'm eager to try to run it.
Regardless, still a fine read, looks like a fine system, and I'm eager to try to run it.
September 14, 2011
An ok addition to your M&M collection.
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August 12, 2013
A jumbled, overly-numerical game. The theme is wonderful, the mechanics suck all the life out of it.
June 17, 2022
My super hero RPG of choice.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews