Mutants & Masterminds vs Star Wars Saga Edition
Compare Mutants & Masterminds and Star Wars Saga Edition side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Mutants & Masterminds | Star Wars Saga Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Modern, Superhero | Sci-Fi |
| Tags | Superpowers, Heroic, Crunchy, Character Building, Tactical, Cinematic | Licensed IP, Space Opera, Heroic, Cinematic, Character Building, Tactical, Combat-Heavy, Crunchy, Grid-Based, Miniatures |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d20 + modifier against a Difficulty Class. Heroes are built from a Power Points budget capped by a series Power Level (usually 10), which limits paired trait totals (attack bonus + effect rank, dodge + toughness) to twice the level. Damage is resisted with Toughness checks that escalate conditions (bruised, staggered, incapacitated) instead of tracking hit points. Hero Points let players reroll, edit scenes, or recover from conditions; complications coming into play earn them back. | Roll d20 + modifiers against a target number or a Defense score. Three static defenses (Reflex, Fortitude, and Will) replace saving throws. Trained skills grant a flat +5 bonus. A five-step condition track runs alongside hit points, so a single heavy hit can impose cumulative penalties before a character drops. Force Points and optional Destiny Points provide narrative and mechanical resources for critical moments. |
| Dice | d20 | d20 |
| Complexity | High | High |
| Availability | Free core rules | Out of print |
| Runnability | 5 of 5 book tools | 5 of 5 book tools |
| License | OGL | Proprietary |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | No verified route found |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Green Ronin Publishing | Wizards of the Coast |
| Year | 2013 | 2007 |
| Languages | English, Italian | English, Italian |
| Best For | Groups who want unlimited freedom to design any superhero concept (from masked vigilante to cosmic powerhouse) with a flexible point-buy build system and tactical combat that emphasizes power-level balance. | Groups who want a d20-based Star Wars campaign with deep character customization through talent trees and a tactical combat core built for miniatures. |
| Highlights | Modular power-construction system builds any superpower from effects, modifiers, and flaws; Power Level caps enforce balance even when individual traits vary widely; Hero Points reward roleplaying complications with mechanical benefits; conditions track damage progression instead of using a hit point pool | Talent trees let two characters of the same class develop along different branches, so a Jedi built as a Guardian and one built as a Consular play differently from first level. The condition track turns a single heavy hit into a persistent penalty, making damage threshold matter alongside hit points. The Force subsystem runs on one Use the Force skill, so telekinesis, mind tricks, and combat enhancement all resolve through the same check. |
| Considerations | Character creation requires significant rules mastery to navigate the point-buy power construction; resolving an attack involves multiple checks per action: attack roll, Toughness resistance, condition tracking; Power Level caps can frustrate players who want to push paired-trait limits like attack and effect rank | The game is out of print with no legal PDF, so acquiring the core book means the used market. The d20 chassis carries heavy per-character bookkeeping: talent and feat selections, a Force power suite, and a condition track that changes during combat. Vehicle and starship encounters switch to a second combat scale with its own actions and statistics, which is a lot to learn for a campaign that stays on foot. |