With the scope of the game established and basic character concepts fleshed out it’s time to decide the campaign’s Power Level. This decision determines the number of points players have to spend on various characteristics and helps to establish what level of power minor, average and major threats to the party might look like.
A team of Exceptional or Low Powered heroes probably stick to the streets and don’t do a lot of globe trotting. A notable exception being games set in a Pulp Era where the power level was generally lower. At the same time a Cosmic Level game will rarely involve ordinary street crime, common purse snatchers or other petty criminals except in asides.
Not all super teams are built on equal footing. Embracing this, Metahumans Rising supports mixed Power Levels. This may be sidekicks and mentors or simply a team of heroes with very diverse levels of ability. Characters should be built on the Power Level that is appropriate for the character. In play, when characters of different levels are pared together, lower powered characters gain a bonus allowing them moments of incredible ability, while the high powered characters will operate on a more even keel.
Bulwark and Elf
Bulwark is a Classic hero who gained his powers after bonding with the Circlet of Hestiphus becoming a living volcano. Now more mountain than man he struggles to prove he is not the monster he appears to be. Nigh indestructible Bulwark fights for those that would fear him.
Elf is a High Powered Hero born from the Drifter birthing pits of the Chimera Organization. Born to perform only a single mission before being broken down so that her genetic consciousness could be passed on to future generations of Drifters her short life was spared after encountering a hero who awoke the memories of her former life. Although she appears alien with her talk unnaturally slender body and six eyes, her genetic structure makes her stronger, faster and tougher and grants her a host of different senses. This altered Drifter heritage also infuses her with a powerful Bioforce that can manifest in devastating blasts of energy.
Although built on two different Power Levels both Elf and Bulwark are members of the same superteam. Often they work together even though Elf is built with more creation points. When they are partnered Bulwark gains bonus Willpower which can be used to fuel abilities like Impervious allowing him to ignore most damage in a turn or Erupt which allows Bulwark to use his understanding of the Occult to tap into the Circlet releasing gout of magma from his body.
