Mutants & Masterminds — The d20 superhero RPG

"Build any hero from the comics — and save the city before the next panel."

Diced20 + bonus vs DC

Players3–6

Prep~45 min

Foundry VTTCommunity

Complexity

What is this system

The best-known generic superhero RPG. A d20 engine with no classes and no hit points: heroes are built with power points, and every ability, from flight to mind control, is assembled from effects and modifiers. Power Level keeps the team balanced. Third edition (2011) is the current game; Green Ronin crowdfunded fourth edition on Kickstarter in early 2026 after a public playtest in 2025, with release planned for late 2026.

Setting

Earth-Prime is a comic-book universe with decades of history: Freedom City and its legendary teams, Emerald City, secret societies, alien invasions and time travel. The setting is optional, though. The rules handle street-level vigilantes and cosmic gods equally well, so you can play in your own world or your take on a favorite series.

What it looks like at the table

The villain fires an energy blast with Damage 10, so the Toughness resistance DC is 15 + 10 = 25. Your hero has Toughness 10 and rolls a 9 on the d20: total 19, a miss by 6, which is two degrees of failure. She's dazed and takes −1 on further Toughness checks. The GM triggers her Secret Identity complication: a news photographer is filming from the street below. That complication earns a Hero Point, and you spend it to shake off the daze. You strike back: d20 + 12 attack against the villain's Dodge (10 + 8 = 18). You roll 11 — a hit.

Playstyle

Combat Tactical Modern

Key mechanics

Effects-based powers

No spell lists. A fireball is the Damage effect with ranged and area modifiers; teleportation is Movement with the right extras. Any idea from the comics can be built and priced in points.

No hit points

A hit forces a Toughness check against 15 + damage rank. The worse you fail, the worse your condition: −1 Toughness, dazed, staggered, incapacitated. Fights stay short and cinematic.

Hero Points and complications

Hero Points buy rerolls, scene edits and instant recovery. You earn them when the GM invokes your complications: a secret identity, a responsibility, an arch-enemy.

Power Level

Power Level caps attack, defense and damage. The flying brick and the fragile sharpshooter end up in the same weight class: the team is balanced, yet every hero plays differently.

What people say

Its blend of flexible character creation, fast resolution, and modifiable powers has helped to cement it as a game that is both deep and approachable.— John Farrell, Gaming Trend

It’s simple enough for a green player to learn on, but still open enough for the most outlandish concepts your GM decides to throw onto the table.— Meaghan Colleran, Bell of Lost Souls

Art & materials