My house rules/fix

[CaptainKaulu]

M&M is already a great system, but there are some acknowledged problems with the system's rules. I'm trying to set up my own set of house rules that fix the most egregious problems. It will be heavily based on NintendoGeek's series of discussion threads from last summer, with some additional influence from Quellian-Dyrae's work.

I intend to ask the forums for advice on a number of issues that I'm still not sure how to fix, though.

The first of these is: the Beginner's Luck Advantage. I LOVE the flavor of it, so I don't want to just discard it. But the +5 effective skill bonus you get from it is just weak, especially compared with the ability to pick up Enhanced Skills from a Power Stunt, even though Beginner's Luck lasts for a scene rather than just a round.

How can I boost this advantage to be worthwhile? I'm thinking of things like not requiring a Hero Point at all, but limiting it to 1/scene or something?

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Would it help to make it not an advantage at all but a function of Hero Points? Then maybe the advantage gives you a free use.

[JDRook]

Would it help to make it not an advantage at all but a function of Hero Points? Then maybe the advantage gives you a free use.

I kind of like that. The +5 is kinda weak, especially when you consider that a reroll is statistically equivalent to about a +5 bonus anyway, so why not just make it a Hero Point option?

The other way to go could be just to bump the bonus. The standard minimum Variable Effect limited to Skills would allow +10 to any skill at 1 rank for a handful of power points, so how about making Beginner's Luck behave like a one-off of that effect and just double the bonus? It is beginner's luck, after all, so it should have a better than average chance of succeeding the first time.

[CaptainKaulu]

Would it help to make it not an advantage at all but a function of Hero Points? Then maybe the advantage gives you a free use.

So essentially turn it into a specialized form of the Luck Advantage? But one that lasts for a scene instead of one use ... hmm. If I did this I'd feel obligated to put it under the same PL-based restriction that other Luck Advantages have. Which wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, but it's something to consider.

The other way to go could be just to bump the bonus. The standard minimum Variable Effect limited to Skills would allow +10 to any skill at 1 rank for a handful of power points, so how about making Beginner's Luck behave like a one-off of that effect and just double the bonus? It is beginner's luck, after all, so it should have a better than average chance of succeeding the first time.

How about +5 bonus and a free reroll? Is that too strong?

Should it still last a whole scene in this variation?

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

I never noticed it lasted a whole scene. You could make the Hero Point version last for one check, and then make the advantage a ranked effect with each rank allowing extension of one Beginner's Luck Hero Point use to last 1 scene. (Or same effect, but you can only have one of them.)

I wouldn't be against limiting Beginner's Luck by PL, as in my mind it's for becoming competent at something you don't have max-PL-ranks in anyway. Though you could also introduce the rules from 2e where you could take -5 penalties to do things like reduce time needed or complete two related activities at once, and then if someone's going to exceed the PL limit just have them trade the +5 for one of those effects instead.

[JDRook]

So this could actually be two adjustments to make the fix:

1) a "Flash of Inspired Skill" option that gives +5 to any skill under 4 ranks for 1 round for a HP. The descriptor often being some lucky coincidence of recent information. ("Hey, I just saw them doing this on the Discovery channel!")

2) Have Beginner's Luck Advantage extend the bonus for a whole scene with one (1) free reroll at some point during the scene. Descriptor-wise, this can be an aspect of the PC's background that's just never come up before. ("I spent a summer cropdusting on my uncle's farm; it wasn't with a 747 but how different can they be?")

Of course the descriptors can be anything appropriate for the PC, like massive or fast intellect or psychic acquisition of knowledge or whatever.

The PL limit doesn't involve bonuses, since the skill bonus is designed to never go over +9 and skill cap for PL1 would be +11. But for Luck-style HP options bought as Advantages, the limit would be half-PL ranks, so a PL10 PC could have up to 5 ranks of "Flash Skill" (or a better name).