These house rules for Marvel Super Heroes RPG are provided as is, no warranty. Feel free to use them in your own game as you see fit. If you have any rules you'd like to contribute, please post them in our House Rules - Marvel forum.
We strongly recommend the use of the Advanced rules as well as the Ultimate Powers guide.

• Eric's Character Generation Method:
  This method is basically identical to that given in the published books (specifically the Ultimate Powers) until you get to the point of determining Powers.
  
  After you have determined the character's Initial Number of Powers (the number before the slash on the Table found on page 14 of the Ultimate Powers book), you roll two D10's for each Initial Power slot, but the result is recorded on scrap paper as TWO percentages rather than one (for example: one of the dice rolls a 6 and the other rolls a 2. This is recorded as BOTH 62 AND 26). When a double is rolled, however, it is just recorded as one percentage (for example: both dice roll an 8. This is recorded as 88 only once rather than counting as two identical rolls).
  
  When you are finished rolling compare each percentage to the Power Class Table found at the bottom left of page 14 in the Ultimate Powers Book and record each result. The Power Class which is duplicated the most number of times is the character's Primary Power Class and is also the number of powers slots which must be used in that Class.
  
  For example: your character starts with 5 Initial Power Slots and then rolls 2D10 a total of 5 times -- once for each slot. The results are: 4 / 4, 8 / 5, 3 / 8, 0 / 8, and 8 / 5 which are recorded as nine percentages: 44, 85, 58, 38, 83, 8, 80, 85, and 58. When compared to the Power Class Table these percentages are then translated to: (44)Matter Control, (85)Physical Enhancement, (58)Mental Enhancement, (38)Magic, (83)Physical Enhancement, (8)Detection, (80)Physical Enhancement, (85)Physical Enhancement, and (58)Mental Enhancement. Physical Enhancement is duplicated the most number of times (4 times) so this will be the Primary Power Class of the Character and where 4 of his 5 powers or power slots must be filled.
  
  2D10 per slot required in the Primary Power Class must then be rolled and recorded in the above method (with each roll resulting in two percentages unless a double is rolled, which is a single percentage). To continue with the above example: 5 / 6, 6 / 1, 4 / 3, and 2 / 2 are rolled, which are recorded as 56, 65, 61, 16, 43, 34, and 22. These are then compared to the list of Physical Enhancement Powers and translated as: (56)Regeneration, (65)Self Sustenance, (61)Self Revival, (16)Body Resistance, (43) Lung Adaptability, (34) Hyper Speed, and (22) Body Resistance. Since the 22 resulted in a duplicated Power it is rerolled: 3 / 9 is the result which is translated to (39) Hyper Speed and (93) Water Freedom. Because one of the results is another duplication, the Player is given the option to reroll yet a third (and final) time or keep the result. If it is rerolled, he cannot choose powers from more than one reroll because only one roll is actually chosen -- the others are then stricken.
  
  At this point the player must fill his Primary Power Class slots with Powers from this list (in the example given, that is four of his 5 total slots because he rolled Physical Enhancement 4 times).
  
  The remaining Power slot must be chosen from the other Power Classes which were determined by the first series of dice rolls (which in this example are: Matter Control, Mental Enhancement, Magic, and Detection). Another 2D10 is rolled and compared to each of the available Power Lists as two percentages. (to continue the same example: 8 / 0 is rolled, which is 8 or 80. When compared to the lists of available Power Classes this may be translated as (8)Collection or (80)Molding in the Matter Control Class, (8)Clairvoyance or (80)Serial Immortality in the Mental Enhancement Class, (8)Enchantment or (80)Sympathetic Magic in the Magic Class, or (8)Energy Detection or (80)Tracking in the Detection Class.)
  
  In the example given the player chooses Self Revival, Self Sustenance, and Regeneration as his powers in his Primary Power Class. Since Self Revival and Regeneration are both two slot powers this would use up all five of his initial slots (the player is not required to take the fifth slot outside his primary power class, it is just an available option). He could have instead chosen Body Resistance instead of Regeneration, leaving a slot still open, then taken the remaining slot in Molding, for instance. Another option would be if the Player wanted Serial Immortality for his single power allowed in an Outside Class. Since this power counts as two slots, taking it would reduce the number of available slots in his Primary Class from 4 to 3, so he drops Self Revival and instead takes Self Sustenance and Regeneration.
  
  Once the Character's Powers are determined a standard Percentage Roll is made for each power to determine its score. The placement of the rolls is normally in order rather than where the player chooses (though exceptions can be made if the results are determined to be contrary to sense or to a good character concept). The Power with the highest score becomes the Character's Primary Power, thus at least one of the other Powers must be linked to it in some manner.
  
  We prefer this method of generating Powers because it tends to produce more logical combinations than others while forcing players to figure out ways to use what is given.
  
  
• Eric's Vigilante:
  Another option besides the published Hero and Villain. Players may also choose a Vigilante, which is midway between the two.
  
  Vigilantes fill a sort of "gray area" between the morally "white" Hero and morally "black" Villain. They must have a Cause (which is always good) that separates them from the true Villain, but they may use illegal or immoral means to pursue it, unlike the Hero. A Vigilante has a personal concept of Justice but it differs from that of the Law. He sees his personal Code as superior to that of the Law and thus he is able to break laws in the interest of Higher Justice. Each Vigilante normally chooses one type of Injustice which is his Cause to punish or right, and it forms a sort of obsession. Karma is gained primarily from "bringing Justice" to Villains or other Vigilantes that act against the stated Cause. Simply stopping Crimes or saving innocents does not gain the Vigilante as much Karma as it does the Hero, because the Hero leaves the adminstration of punishment in the hands of the lawful authorities and courts. The Vigilante, however, is the judge, jury, and executioner and thus cannot stop at the line the Hero draws. The Cause usually involves Avenging some wrong, which has traumatized the Character in some way or otherwise cost him a part of himself. Thus the added Moral Freedom does not come without a price. Furthermore, because the Vigilante is freed of some of the restrictions which bind Heros, he will suffer greater Karma loss from failing to stop attrocities which are related to his obsession.
  
  There is another Class of Character which fills the Grey area between Hero and Villain, but I have so far never let players use it. It is called the Anti Hero, and is exactly the opposite of a Vigilante. The Anti-Hero is basically a law abiding Villain in the same way a Vigilante may be said to be a law-breaking Hero. The Anti-Hero has evil goals but he must work within the technicalities of the law. Examples could include a slum lord or a lawyer who frees criminals on technicalities.
  
  As an optional rule, we allow new Characters to be Undecided or existing characters to Reform/Go Bad (but these latter options will cost the player Karma, since it cannot be gained until he ends up in one of the three (or four) acceptible Classes and transitions involve loss of Karma)
  
  
• Eric's Advancement notes
  The topic of Marvels slow advancement has been brought up many times before. Because of it, I tend to be extremely generous with Karma awards, and also give out all sorts of bonuses (a Humor award, a Kenny Award (for a Player pointing out rules violations that hurt the party), a Good Role Playing Award, etc.), but that is only a partial compensation (if you are loyal to the values listed in the table on page 37 and the costs on page 39) since the cost of raising scores or gaining new powers is VERY high.
  
  I think that ten or twenty times the current score is a bit much since you don't gain any actual benefit til it "crests" to the next rating. I also never understood why the cost is based on the current score when the whole point in having the gap between the Ratings increase as you get higher is to make it costlier at higher levels. This is like taxing something that is already taxed.
  
  My proposed solution is a flat rate of cost (and one that is based on the cost of raising a Feeble Score). 20 pts to raise a score of any kind or any level, plus an additional 20 pts if it Crests seems reasonable to me.
  
  
• Eric's Resources notes
  I usually have players roll Resources and Popularity as if they were any other Attribute, but the percentages are translated to scores using the Normal Human Table, no matter what type of character is being generated. And I column shift them according to Origin (Mutants losing one column of Popularity and high tech wonders gaining one column of Resources, for instance).