Environment

The heroes don't live in a vacuum — well, at least most don't. The following chapter rounds out the rules with some benchmarks and guidelines for interacting with the world itself.

Energy

Although there are many different kinds of energy in the real world, P&P lumps them into a few simple categories for game purposes—otherwise Powers that control or resist energy become too diluted. The standard types of energy are described on the table below. Because gravity and magnetism are forces that affect physical objects directly, they should be represented with Powers like Elemental Control and Telekinesis. If you must classify these forces as energy, treat them both as force energy.

*If you care, this kind of energy should be useless in a vacuum but at +3d when used underwater.

Falls

Falls are treated like attacks that can only be resisted with passive defenses (unless you can come up with a creative way to use an active defense instead). The attack rank of a fall depends on the distance fallen, as shown below. Apply a +3d bonus if you land on something like spikes or sharp rocks, or a −3d penalty if you land on something like cushions, garbage, or water. Additionally, whenever you fall onto soft surfaces like these, you can use Agility as an active defense against falling damage.

Heat And Electricity

Like falls, exposure to energy is considered an attack that can only be resisted with passive defenses (again, unless you can come up with a creative way of using one of your active defenses instead). Use the table below as a guide when determining the rank of such attacks.

Super Tip!
Some people play roleplaying games in general and ones about superheroes in particular to feel capable and powerful. They like the idea of being able to make a difference.

Hostile Environments

Environmental hazards are categorized as minor or major. A minor hazard might be a smoke-filled room, low-level radiation, significantly hot or cold temperatures, and so on. You can withstand exposure to minor hazards for a number of minutes equal to your Toughness; beyond that, you suffer 1 point of damage per minute of exposure.

Major hazards include things like crushing undersea pressure, high-level radiation, and the vacuum of outer space. Exposure to these conditions is measured in pages (each roughly 3 seconds long), so even if you aren't in combat, you should track time in pages when dealing with a major hazard. You can withstand exposure to major hazards for a number of pages equal to your Toughness; beyond that, you suffer 1 point of damage per page of exposure.

Hazards can't inflict more than 1 point of damage per page, even if you're exposed to multiple hazards at the same time. A number of Powers (notably Adaptation and Immunity) can protect you against environmental hazards.

Suffocation

You can hold your breath for a number of minutes equal to your Toughness. After that, you start suffering 1 point of damage per page until you can breathe again (at which point this damage goes away).

Swimming

Characters use half their Agility when making movement-related challenge rolls and travel only half as fast as normal when swimming. They also suffer a −3d penalty to Perception rolls while underwater. A scuba mask lowers this penalty to −1d, but only for visual Perception rolls.

When engaging in underwater combat, characters use half their Edge and suffer a −3d penalty to their physical attack and active defense rolls. Characters with the Swimming Power ignore all of these penalties.

Smashing

Simple objects like doors and walls have a Structure rank that determines their durability. The Structure of common materials can be found on the table below. GMs can raise or lower an object's Structure by 1d to 4d depending on its condition, thickness, and whatever other factors they deem relevant.

Whenever you want to bend, break, or smash through an object, make a challenge roll using Might or one of your Powers against the object's Structure. You can bend or make a small hole in an object with 1 to 2 net successes, but big holes require 3 or more net successes. You have to do this all at once; you can't combine net successes over multiple attempts.

• Most comic book worlds have at least one substance that's all-but invulnerable to physical harm. In the world of Pinnacle City, that metal is called Ozymandium — Metal of Metals! — and it's impervious only in its pure form. While not unbreakable, ­Ozymandium alloys are incredibly strong and resilient.

Damaging Cover

Attacks can penetrate objects if their attack rank exceeds the object's Structure. Any time you hit someone through an object, the target can use the object's Structure as a passive defense.

Scenery As Weapons

When super strong characters use vehicle and other massive objects as weapons, they get a +1d to their attack rolls, but those objects don't last long under this kind of punishment. For every page that an everyday object is used this way, its effective Structure is reduced by 2d.

Speed

Many characters have Travel Powers, and those who don't often travel in some kind of vehicle. The table below indicates how fast a character or vehicle can move in miles per hour, depending on its Travel Power or Speed. If you're wondering, ordinary people move at a speed of 3d, sound travels at 9d, and light clocks in at a brisk 27d.

Because hitting fast-moving targets can be tricky, characters performing an all-out defense can use their Travel Power or Speed to make active defense rolls.