Exceptional Attributes are an integral part of the genre. You can make a super character without any schticks at all, only exceptional attributes. Thus it takes no extra schtick to have an attribute over 10 unless you are of the Natural origin.
In a Supers campaign, most everybody who is anybody has super powers. These most commonly manifest in the form of Super schticks, but Cyber, Fu, Guns, Items, Pulp, Races, Sorcery, or Super schticks are all possible. In general, each character should only use one or a few of these schtick categories, or the genre will quickly break down.
Each super must have an Origin; this has little actual effect on the character, but can affect the story greatly and gives focus to powers and limitations.
Schtick Types
As mentioned before, supers can use Blast, Cyber, Fu, Guns, Items, Pulp, Races, Sorcery, and Super schticks but each super tend to focus in one to three schtick types. Rules and suggestions for each type of schtick are detailed below.
Blast
Most supers use Blast schticks in one way or the other, even if many use blast only in Melee. The notable exceptions are Masterminds and Scrappers. A few Stalkers and Tanks also eschew blast. Note that you must have either Super or Sorcery to use Blast schticks.
Super blasts tend to have few effects by many Metablasts. For example, most blasts will be Armor Piercing, making physical armor something you use against physical attacks.
| Frequency | Origin | Archetype |
|---|---|---|
| Common | Magic, Mutant, Science, Technology | Blaster, Brute , Controller *, Corruptor, Defender, Dominator *, Stalker , Tank |
| Uncommon | Alien | Mastermind, Scrapper |
| Rare | Natural | None |
These blasts almost always use the Melee metablast.
* Blast effects are heavily modified for Controllers and Dominators.
Cyber
As a Super you should not get Cyber schticks unless it is central to your concept, in which case you probably have a lot of them. Cyber schticks tend to replace Super schticks used for defense and utility.
| Frequency | Origin | Archetype |
|---|---|---|
| Common | Technology | None |
| Uncommon | Alien, Natural, Science | Blaster, Brute, Controller, Corruptor, Defender, Dominator, Mastermind, Scrapper, Stalker, Tanker |
| Rare | Magic, Mutant | None |
Fu
Fu requires that you develop the Martial Arts skill and focus a great deal of effort; not very common among supers. When used, it is usually by Naturals. Martial Arts relies more on Dodge and burst damage than on base damage and soak values. Tankers that use fists or melee weapons do so in order to profit from their high Body scores; they do not use Fu schticks.
| Frequency | Origin | Archetype |
|---|---|---|
| Common | Natural | Scrapper, Stalker |
| Uncommon | Alien, Magic, Mutant, Science | None |
| Rare | Technology | Blaster, Brute, Controller, Corruptor, Defender, Dominator, Mastermind, Tanker |
Guns
A few supers use Guns as an alternative to Blast, but it is pretty rare; more so in the role-playing version. Guns require that you develop the Guns skill, which few supers do. Those who do are mostly villains of the Natural or Technology origins.
| Frequency | Origin | Archetype |
|---|---|---|
| Common | Natural, Technology | Mastermind |
| Uncommon | Alien, Mutant, Science | Blaster, Corruptor, Stalker |
| Rare | Magic | Brute, Controller, Defender, Dominator, Scrapper, Tank |
Items
A few Items are common among supers, but few have many. There are two limitations tied to this; Gadgeteer that basically turns your powers into gadgets and Power Complacency that limits your general equipment. Common among Alien, Magic, Natural and Technology supers. All archetypes use about as many of these, as they mostly add utility.
| Frequency | Origin | Archetype |
|---|---|---|
| Common | Magic, Natural, Technology | None |
| Uncommon | Alien, Mutant, Science | Blaster, Brute, Controller, Corruptor, Defender, Dominator, Mastermind, Scrapper, Stalker, Tanker |
| Rare | None | None |
Pulp
A Pulp schtick or two can flesh out a super, but few have many. The exceptions are Masterminds.
| Frequency | Origin | Archetype |
|---|---|---|
| Common | Natural | Mastermind |
| Uncommon | Alien, Magic, Mutant, Science, Technology | Blaster, Brute, Controller, Corruptor, Defender, Dominator, Scrapper, Stalker, Tanker |
| Rare | None | None |
Races
Races schticks are tied to specific fantasy or Critter races, and only available to such characters. This is rare, though less so among Alien and Magic supers.
| Frequency | Origin | Archetype |
|---|---|---|
| Common | Alien, Magic | Scrapper, Stalker |
| Uncommon | Mutant, Science | Blaster, Brute, Controller, Corruptor, Defender, Dominator, Mastermind, Tanker |
| Rare | Natural, Technology | None |
Sorcery
Sorcery powers are available to all origins and need not be magical at all; in fact they never are to Technology supers and rarely so for anything but the Magic and Natural origins. Instead they represent a broader degree of control over something that given by normal Super powers. They require you to develop the Sorcery Skill. This broader control is common among more versatile supers.
| Frequency | Origin | Archetype |
|---|---|---|
| Common | Alien, Magic, Mutant, Science | Controller, Corruptor, Defender, Mastermind |
| Uncommon | Natural, Technology | None |
| Rare | None | Blaster, Brute, Dominator, Scrapper, Stalker, Tank |
Each sorcerer must have a Tradition, and this applies even to those who do not actually use magic. Most use Power Incarnate. Appropriate traditions for non-magic sorcerers include Power Incarnate, Psionics, Technomagic, and Wild Psionics.
Magic-using supers have a much wider selection. Common versions are Elementalism, Power Incarnate, and Wizardry, but these traditions are also possible: Archaic Magic, Astrology, Bondage Witchery, Chinese Alchemy, Druidism, Dynamic Magick, Elemental Magic, Hedge Magic, Incarnation, Infernalism, Mysticism, Naming Magic, Necromancy, New Age Occultism, Techno Occultism, and Teurgy.
Super
The staple Super schticks almost define the genre, but not every super has them. Powerful but limited in focus, they fit focused archetypes. Natural and Technology supers must explain any power they get as a gizmo or through some other plot device.
| Frequency | Origin | Archetype |
|---|---|---|
| Common | Alien, Magic, Mutant, Science, Technology | Blaster, Brute, Dominator, Scrapper, Stalker, Tank |
| Uncommon | Natural | None |
| Rare | None | Controller, Corruptor, Defender, Mastermind |