Powers and Mastery

Created by Charles Xavier on Wed May 19th, 2021 @ 11:37pm

Most powers will be derived from the X Gene mutation, although some characters may have powers or abilities from technological or mystical sources.

In the X-Men comics, mutant powers are assessed through Greek letters (Alpha, Beta, etc.), but there really has never been any consistent or comprehensive definition given to them. For the purposes of flavor text only, the following definitions may be referenced in posts but will not be included in character bio/profiles:

Alpha: Top tier mutant power; strongest in category (example: Xavier - most powerful Telepath).

Beta: Powerful mutant ability but not the strongest in category (example: Nightcrawler - Teleportation limited by line of sight and conservation of momentum).

Gamma: Least powerful mutant ability but not necessarily weak (example: Beast - Super Strong and Agile, but not the biggest, strongest, or fastest).

Delta: Undefinable due to unique or unusual mutation (example: Metamorphs like Mystique).

Omega: Reserved for truly overpowered mutants whose abilities have no upward limit (example: Magneto, Master of Magnetism). Exceedingly rare.

Remember: These power levels are for in-character flavor text only and will not be used for definitive out-of-character development.

Power Proficiency will be rated from 1 to 6. This rating should directly affect the portrayal of their character’s power(s).

New powers are always rated at 1.

2 is achieved by regular practice.

3 is the standard rating achieved by formal training.

4 and above require extensive training.

Few mutants ever achieve 6.

Mutant Mastery is the average of all power proficiencies. The mutant mastery of a character with one mutant power will equal their proficiency while the mutant mastery of a character with three mutant powers will be the result of all three power proficiencies added together and then divided by three. Example: (2 + 3 + 4) / 3 = 3

The express purpose of this setup is to allow for maximum roleplay without the need for skill checks or other stat-based determinations. Players craft a character with the understanding that the more powers and abilities they have, then their mutant mastery will likely be lower than the proficiencies of their individual powers. As a result, an immensely powerful character may not be very effective (e.g., Rogue). Roleplay should directly reflect this.