Non-combat/ non-action powers

[EldritchFire]

…

But beyond that, I kept running into the issue that many of the potentially useful powers are just sort of there. Like Flight. When would you roll that outside of combat? I can think of times that you might say, "And then I fly to where we're going," but I'm having issues coming up with a use where's it's actually rolled that's not a chase scene or trying to outrun a timer of some sort (both of which are action oriented and which would often occur inside or alongside fight scenes).

I often run games that go for several sessions without fights. Like my entire current plotline (converted from another game) is a big mystery.

See OM06, when to roll and when not to. If you need to travel and you have a travel power, you get there, simple. Only roll if it's important. For example, roll vs. trouble to see if you can get there in time to do [thing], or see if you get there before [villain]. Heck rolling to see if you tire might work, too (failure resulting in stress).

But, really, if you're using flight to get from scene A to scene B, why roll the dice?

-EF

[Spatula]

Here's the Human Torch using his Flame Control power to add some oomph to an inspirational speech (a support action assisting Spider-Man's recovery).

Amazing Spider-Man #3: Human Torch's School Talk

ASM 03_01.JPG (39.53 KiB) Viewed 253 times

[Mouse]

But, really, if you're using flight to get from scene A to scene B, why roll the dice?

You're making my point for me, since I'm looking for powers that you would roll in a meaningful situation primarily outside of combat, and my flight example was showing how it's not that.

[Beast]

But, really, if you're using flight to get from scene A to scene B, why roll the dice?

You're making my point for me, since I'm looking for powers that you would roll in a meaningful situation primarily outside of combat, and my flight example was showing how it's not that.

It depends...

Like in the case of Flight, if you run into a storm that you have to deal with. Look at X2, with Storm piloting the X-Jet while creating tornadoes at the same time.

Another good example is Kid Flash from Young Justice in the recent episode where he had to run across the country to deliver a heart for a transplant. That's a non-combat scene that could require power checks against various issues.

[Mouse]

Like in the case of Flight, if you run into a storm that you have to deal with. Look at X2, with Storm piloting the X-Jet while creating tornadoes at the same time.

Another good example is Kid Flash from Young Justice in the recent episode where he had to run across the country to deliver a heart for a transplant. That's a non-combat scene that could require power checks against various issues.

And, again, those are fringe cases and not examples of powers whose primary use is out of combat. I'm not looking for fringe cases. I am looking for powers primarily useful for out of combat situations.

[Cam]

It's important to note that Action Scene doesn't always mean Big Fight Scene. Civil War will have a number of Action Scenes that are primarily social in nature. Conflict occurs in many forms in comics and the MHR rules support that.

As for power traits, I'd say Intangibility, Invisibility, the various Control powers, Size-Changing powers, Shapeshifting, Senses, and Sorcery are all excellent non-combat powers with considerable potential. Can you use all of them in a big fight? Sure. But they, and Power Sets that include them, are frequently used in non-violent scenes to great extent.

Cheers,
Cam

[Spatula]

And, again, those are fringe cases and not examples of powers whose primary use is out of combat. I'm not looking for fringe cases. I am looking for powers primarily useful for out of combat situations.

Well, you're working against the source material, there. How many major heroes or villains have powers that aren't intended to be used in a fight? Barely any, because fighting is the main source of conflict resolution in super-hero comics.

The one example that springs to mind is Cypher from the New Mutants. His mutant power was to understand any language. And that character really resented not being useful in a fight, and eventually merged with a technological life form so as to have some combat powers.

[MidnightBlue]

The one example that springs to mind is Cypher from the New Mutants. His mutant power was to understand any language. And that character really resented not being useful in a fight, and eventually merged with a technological life form so as to have some combat powers.

That's the first guy that popped into my mind as well.

But you could have a healer character...like Zzaj (??? that's not right but close enough...the healer in Secret Wars) with just the power to heal others.

I guess I'm not really following the question here.

With some creativity, probably every power that anyone comes up with could probably be useful in and out of combat. The issue will be if there are ever any non-combat scenes that are given the spotlight at your table for the players to make use of those non-combat options and abilities.

[cpip]

You're making my point for me, since I'm looking for powers that you would roll in a meaningful situation primarily outside of combat, and my flight example was showing how it's not that.

My question is, I suppose, given that the focus of the game is conflict between characters (be it mental, emotional, physical) -- what sort of conflicts are they looking to resolve with their powers?

Cypher is a character whose power is "Speaks Every Language." Bam, it's there. I cannot imagine a way in which this is a rollable power in any game I've ever encountered, as Cypher's power is a yes/no gate: Does Doug speak the language? Absolutely. He ALWAYS speaks the language. Where does the conflict come in? We can give him "Speaks Every Language" as a D6-level Senses power with an SFX attached, maybe a limit of Conscious Activation, and off he goes, but his player will likely be just as frustrated as Doug Ramsey himself was in the comics: his is a power better suited to a support Watcher character, not a PC, unless he has OTHER things he does.Still, he's actually a really bad example for a PC.

After Cypher, I also thought of Sage of the X-Men (formerly Tessa of the Hellfire Club) as another possibility, a bit better for actual play. She's a living supercomputer, capable of vast feats of memory and analysis. I'd call it a Senses power, useful especially in an Investigation-style Action Scene or one where access to knowledge is critical, with an SFX to let her step up her Specialty dice, or something akin to that. We see her using her powers in meaningful situations as a support character, a lot -- she's a great one to have at your side if you're at the gambling table (counting cards and all that); she can provide all the information to run a business, or to analyze the books of one -- or of a criminal enterprise. Basically, if the material can be learned, she can learn it and use it against her enemies.

Do those provide any better examples for you, Mouse?

[vitruvian]

You're making my point for me, since I'm looking for powers that you would roll in a meaningful situation primarily outside of combat, and my flight example was showing how it's not that.

My question is, I suppose, given that the focus of the game is conflict between characters (be it mental, emotional, physical) -- what sort of conflicts are they looking to resolve with their powers?

Cypher is a character whose power is "Speaks Every Language." Bam, it's there. I cannot imagine a way in which this is a rollable power in any game I've ever encountered, as Cypher's power is a yes/no gate: Does Doug speak the language? Absolutely. He ALWAYS speaks the language. Where does the conflict come in? We can give him "Speaks Every Language" as a D6-level Senses power with an SFX attached, maybe a limit of Conscious Activation, and off he goes, but his player will likely be just as frustrated as Doug Ramsey himself was in the comics: his is a power better suited to a support Watcher character, not a PC, unless he has OTHER things he does.Still, he's actually a really bad example for a PC.

After Cypher, I also thought of Sage of the X-Men (formerly Tessa of the Hellfire Club) as another possibility, a bit better for actual play. She's a living supercomputer, capable of vast feats of memory and analysis. I'd call it a Senses power, useful especially in an Investigation-style Action Scene or one where access to knowledge is critical, with an SFX to let her step up her Specialty dice, or something akin to that. We see her using her powers in meaningful situations as a support character, a lot -- she's a great one to have at your side if you're at the gambling table (counting cards and all that); she can provide all the information to run a business, or to analyze the books of one -- or of a criminal enterprise. Basically, if the material can be learned, she can learn it and use it against her enemies.

Do those provide any better examples for you, Mouse?

Matt Murdock arguing a case in front of a judge and jury is not combat, but he could certainly be rolling his Affiliation + Distinction + Crime Specialty + his Senses die to determine if witnesses are lying, if the jury is buying his spiel, etc.

For Flight, not all Action Scenes are combat scenes. A chase or race scene where nobody is shooting at or hitting each other is not combat. Flying to rescue somebody who jumped from a falling building would involve rolling against the Doom Pool, but is not combat. Rolling Flight and Strength to bring a disabled jumbo jet in for a safe landing involves rolling, but is not combat.

I think the problem is that the way the OP is interpreting 'combat' so broadly means that a negative answer is kind of assumed in the question; if you're going to think of every situation where the character is going to roll against another character (even though the object might be debate or persuasion or trickery or whatever rather than combat), or even against Doom, as a combat situation, then no, no dice actually get rolled outside of combat. But many of these things are different. Myself, I tend to think that saving people from natural and man-made disasters is as much a part of being a superhero as fighting villains, and is a distinct sort of action.