Difficulty & Resistance

Whenever stones are placed in an action box, chances are the resolution of that action involves Difficulty and Resistance. It's the core concept behind this system, and for that reason little has changed with good ol' D&R in these house rules - if anything, the rest of the rules have been changed around them to allow a better fit and smoother, more sensical overall gameplay.

As a quick overview, Difficulty is the measure of the minimum ability required to even attempt a task, and Resistance is the number of stones of energy that must be spent in order to accomplish said task.

Many rules will ask you to refer to the Difficulty & Resistance Chart, which can be found to your right (click for a full-sized image). Some basic rules, such as those for lifting or throwing, are too generic to be described under the heading of a single Action or Modifier, and are found on this page instead.

Lifting Heavy Objects
The lifting and throwing of heavy objects comes up quite often in comic book stories. In most circumstances, your Strength is what determines what you can and can't lift, as well as how far you can throw it. Some Actions, such as Telekinesis or Tendril Whip, can be used in place of your Strength, but otherwise still obey these rules.

Difficulty: To lift an object, first determine its weight on the Difficulty & Resistance chart. An object's weight is also the Difficulty, which must be met by your Strength or another appropriate Action.

Resistance: If your Strength is double or more than the object's weight, you don't even need to worry about Resistance; otherwise, the Resistance is 1/2 the object's weight, rounded up. GMs can add resistance for particularly awkward objects if they like. You must overcome the Resistance in one Panel in order to lift an object; you cannot chip away at the Resistance over multiple Panels.

Carrying heavy objects around can be exhausting. If you are lifting an object at the very limits of your Strength (that is, if the object's weight is exactly equal to your Strength), the Resistance to lift it increases by 1 stone per Page beyond the first, and at best you can only stagger around with it. Otherwise, refer to the Durability row on the Difficulty & Resistance chart to see how long you can maintain strenuous activity.

Throwing Heavy Objects
Throwing an object is a little harder than just lifting it.

Difficulty: The Difficulty for throwing a heavy object is equal to its weight +1; thus, your Strength must exceed the object's weight by at least one point.

Resistance: The Resistance for throwing a heavy object is equal to the object's full weight. You must overcome the Resistance in one Panel.

The maximum range you can throw the object is equal to your Strength minus the object's weight. For example, a character with a Strength of 7 can throw a car (an object with a weight of 4) a maximum of 100 yards (Range 3).

If you are throwing an object at someone, your total attack is equal to your stones of Strength (including any that count towards Resistance). If you have the Ranged Combat Action, you can combine stones with your Strength to create a devastating attack. Objects with a weight of at least 4 (such as cars) deal x2 damage, while objects with a weight of at least 7 (such as a school bus) deal x3 damage.

Heavy Objects as Melee Weapons
Heavy objects can also make good Close Combat weapons, provided you have enough Strength.

Difficulty: The Difficulty for using a heavy object as a Close Combat weapon is equal to its weight +2.

Resistance: There is no Resistance for using a heavy object as a Close Combat weapon. As long as you meet the Difficulty, use Close Combat as usual to make your attack. Consult the rules for Improvised Weapons to determine what bonus, if any, you get for your big heavy object.

Leaping
Sometimes you'll find yourself in a situation where you need to leap a certain distance - often with dire consequences for failure, such as a 15 story drop! Long-distance jumps are difficult characters to accomplish, but easy for us to sort out with the rules.

Difficulty: Consult the Area/Leaping row of the Difficulty & Resistance chart to determine the Difficulty based on the total distance you want or need to cover. Your Strength, Agility, or Speed (if you have a decent running start) must be equal to or higher than the Difficulty to even attempt the jump.

Resistance: The Resistance of a leap is equal to 1/2 its Difficulty, rounded up. You can use stones of Strength, Agility, Speed (if you have a running start), or Acrobatics to to overcome the Resistance. However, you must overcome the Resistance in one Panel.

If you want to be exceptionally talented at long jumps, consider buying the Leaper Modifier.

Breaking Stuff
Stuff breaks in comic book stories. A lot. Especially if you are playing a character with super strength or a destructive force blast, you will inevitably find yourself in a situation where you just have to kick in a door, blow up a control panel, or just outright smash something.

Difficulty: The Difficulty of breaking an item is equal to its rating on the Hardness row of the Difficulty & Resistance chart. You must have sufficent Strength, or a sufficent AN in a destructive Action (such as a Force Blast) to even have a hope of destroying the object in question. If you have an appropriate tool in hand (a sledge hammer to help break down a brick wall, or a knife to cut through a thick rope), you may add 1 to your Strength for the purposes of meeting Difficulty.

Resistance: Resistance generally depends on the size of the object: very small or brittle objects such a scell phones or glass windows may only have a Resistance of only 1 or 2 stones; a door might have a Resistance of 3 or 4; most large, sturdy objects such as thick walls generally have a Resistance equal to one or two times Hardness. As always, this is up to the GM's discretion.