2. Abilities, Health, and Energy

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Abilities

With the exception of Durability, the fundamental Abilities have not changed. The Physical attributes (Strength, Agility, Speed and Durability) are capped at 3 for most characters, representing peak human ability. Intelligence can range from 1 to 10, but cannot be bought up higher with Lines of Experience (LOEs).

Intelligence is a measure of how smart you character is. You would use your Intelligence number for solving problems, operating devices and machinery, learning new subjects, etc. Intelligence also governs the following factors:

* Your Mental Defense factors in your Intelligence (and under most circumstances it also includes your Mental Defense Modifier, and your Telepathy AN, if any).

* note that the Special Intelligence Energy Rule no longer exists in MURPG 2.0.

Strength is a measure of how much physical force your character is capable of generating. Aside from being related to many Actions as a bonus, your Strength is associated with several other physical tasks, including:

* Lifting and Throwing

* Breaking Objects

* Leaping

Agility is a measure of how fast your reflexes are, how coordinated you are, how deftly or dexterously you handle things, and how well you move. You would use your Agility for physical activities you don't have an Action for, such as sports like football or basketball, climbing, or even playing a musical instrument like the piano or guitar. Also:

* Your Initiative is typically equal to your Agility.

Speed is a measure of how fast your character runs. That's about it. You would use your Speed for running, but it also limits your movement rates with certain Movement Actions such as Acrobatics. Also:

* For the cost of one white stone, you can substitute your Speed for your Agility when calculating your Initiative.

Durability is a measure of the sturdiness of your body, how much punishment it can take, and to some extent your tolerance of pain, will to survive, or drive to carry on even when injured. Most importantly:

* Your Durability determines the maximum number of white stones of Health you have.

* Unlike in MURPG 1.0, your Durability does not determine the rate at which you recover energy, nor the size of your energy pool. Instead, it only determines maximum Health.

* Durability does not cost triple the normal price. Instead, it costs no more or less than any other Ability.

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Health

Your character begins play with white stones of Health (often just called "Health") equal to your Durability score. As you take and heal damage your Health will fall and rise, but your Durability will remain the same.

Taking damage functions as described in the core rules on pages 12-13, with one exception:

* Unlike in 1.0, losing Health does not affect your Energy Recovery.

Healing Damage functions as described in the core rules on pages 13-14.

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Energy

One of the biggest fundamental changes in MURPG 2.0 is the rehaul of the energy system. Rather than being tied strictly to Durability and/or Health, and modified by Healing Factors and house rules (such as Energy Battery, Rapid Recovery and Deep Reserves), Energy Recovery and Energy Pool have become separate attributes.

This new system is designed to give players greater flexibility in designing their characters and how they operate, as well as to encourage longer battles; well-designed characters should no longer completely wind themselves after the first or second page.

Energy Recovery (often just called "Recovery") is the rate at which you recover red stones of Energy at the start of every Page. Recovery is unrelated to your current Health; losing Health does not diminish your Recovery.

Option
+X CL = Absorb Ambient Energy. Your character absorbs a specific type of energy from their surroundings, such as solar energy, sound, heat, or electricity. Effectively, you recover additional energy, but at a rate that varies with proximity to your chosen energy source. Work with your GM to come up with an appropriate table detailing how much you recover in which situations. Here are some examples (feel free to come up with others, or even other versions for the same energy type, as appropriate to your character):

+2 CL = Absorb Ambient Solar Energy
+0 stones = total darkness, artificial lighting only
+1 stones = starlight, moonlight
+2 stones = indirect sunlight (shade, overcast skies, or being near a window)
+3 stones = direct sunlight

+1 CL = Absorb Ambient Sound
+0 stones = veritable silence (library, calm field or forest)
+1 stones = noisy (city street, your average fight)
+2 stones = deafening (gunfire and explosions, rock concert)

+2 CL = Absorb Ambient Heat
+0 stones = sub-zero temperatures (winter, skating rink, walk-in freezer)
+1 stones = cold weather (early spring/late fall, cool nights, jacket weather, cranked AC)
+2 stones = room temperature (your average day)
+3 stones = heat wave (sweaty summer day, in a burning house, in a desert)

+2 CL = Absorb Ambient Electricity
+0 stones = wilderness (forests, fields, the ocean)
+1 stones = bare necessities (telephone poles, small appliances,)
+2 stones = the city (large powerlines, buildings near-by, in the wilderness during a thunder storm)
+3 stones = power centers (near a generator, in the Danger Room, on board an alien space craft)

Example: Surge absorbs ambient electricity, and is therefore strongest and most energetic near great sources or conduits of electrical power. When she is caught off-guard by Predator X while on a camping trip, she knows she's in trouble. Her normal recovery is that of an athletic teen (Recovery 2), but that alone won't be enough to take down a genetic monster designed specifically to hunt and kill mutants, and she is currently absorbing zero stones of ambient electrical energy out in the wilderness.

Without any options, she makes a run for it - and the monster follows her. Luckily, she spots just what she needs: a set of enormous power lines in the distance, connecting two of the local towns. Barely staying ahead of the beast, she keeps running until she's under the power lines. The GM decides that they count as a two-stone source of ambient electricity, and her recovery suddenly jumps up to 4. Now she at least stands a chance of defending herself. In the few seconds before Predator X catches up to her, she makes a desperate call over her X-Men communicator for help. Now she must hold out until it arrives..

Energy Pool (often just called "Pool") measures your maximum amount of Energy. The exact maximum is equal to your Pool x 5. Note that this gives the average character more total energy in 2.0 than in 1.0.

Like Physical Abilities, both Energy Recovery and Energy Pool have a "natural limit" of 3, and can be bought up with Lines of Experience (LOEs); however, they are not truly Abilities, and thus can't be chosen as Ability bonuses for Actions as Close Combat.