Karma is the reward system of the game — a register of how well the character is doing compared to an "ideal" hero. It's also a spendable experience point: gained by the player, spent to make certain actions happen.
Karma has no rank or rank number. Starting Karma = Reason + Intuition + Psyche rank numbers. Karma may never drop below 0 through normal play.
Karma is gained and lost through three general types of action: Heroic Actions, Personal Actions, and Gaming Actions.
Karma may be awarded to individuals or to a group. When awarded to a group, the amount is split evenly among active participants (drop fractions). When one character did all the work, that character gets all the credit.
Heroes earn Karma by preventing or arresting criminals. Each class of crime has a specific point value.
| Crime | Stop (in act) | Arrest (after) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent crime (murder, assault, kidnapping) | 30 | 15 |
| Destructive crime (arson, bombing, vandalism) | 20 | 10 |
| Theft (shoplifting, pickpocketing, embezzling) | 10 | 5 |
| Robbery (mugging, bank job, store stick-up) | 20 | 10 |
| Misdemeanor (gambling, weapons, drugs, driving) | 5 | 2 |
| National offense (treason, hijacking, terrorism, smuggling) | 50 | 25 |
| Local conspiracy (plot affecting one city/region) | 30 | 15 |
| National conspiracy | 50 | 25 |
| Global conspiracy (world conquest, alien invasion) | 75 | 40 |
| Other crimes (drug dealing, forgery, fraud) | 15 | 8 |
"Stop" = preventing the crime or stopping it in progress. "Arrest" = bringing perpetrators to justice after the fact. Even if a court releases the villain, the hero keeps the arrest award.
Example: Three heroes stop a rampaging monster (drove off, didn't capture). 5 heroes split — destructive crime (20) + rescue of building (100) = 120 / 5 = 24 each.
Karma losses are always to individuals, not groups. Karma cannot drop below 0.
| Action | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Committing a crime (any class) | 2× listed value |
| Permitting a crime to occur (could have intervened) | = arrest value |
| Defeated by foe — private (no witnesses) | −20 |
| Defeated by foe — public (3+ witnesses, news) | −40 |
| Property destruction (per damaged area) | −5 |
| Killing — accidental, controlled, or deliberate | ALL current Karma to 0 |
| Noble death (sacrifice for others) | −50 per hero |
| Mysterious death (no body found) | −50 per hero |
| Self-destruction (villain ends own life) | −50 per hero |
Key rule: If a hero kills, ALL current Karma is reduced to 0 — including Karma not yet spent for advancement. Karma already spent (used for stunts, advancement, FEAT modifiers prior to the death) is unaffected. Even accidental deaths from external control trigger this — Iron Man being mind-controlled to kill someone still drops his Karma to 0.
Most heroes have a home life — friends, family, jobs, relationships. Personal Karma is awarded for making and keeping commitments outside the cape.
Example: Peter Parker delivers his Bugle photos on time, makes a dinner date with MJ, drops in on Aunt May. End of week: +10 weekly + 5 date bonus = +15 personal Karma.
Counter-example: Tony Stark fights the Crimson Dynamo in the Sahara all week and never checks in with Stark Industries. No weekly award, plus loss from missed business commitments (and possible Resources downgrade).
Karma may be spent for: manipulating die rolls, changing results, advancement, building things, and Power Stunts.
For attacks with a possible Kill result (Edged, Shooting, Energy), the attacker may spend 50 Karma to reduce the result by one color (red→yellow). Must be declared immediately after the effect roll, before any other rolls (such as the defender's Endurance FEAT).
Using a Power in a creative new way costs 100 Karma the first time. The player describes the stunt to the Judge, who states whether it's possible and what FEAT is required. Karma to manipulate that FEAT roll may be added on top.
Karma may be spent to determine the success of an experiment or invention. Unique rule: for Building FEATs only, the player must declare the EXACT amount of Karma being spent BEFORE rolling. If not declared, 10 points are assumed.
Established teams (Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four) may share a Karma pool. Karma earned by group action may go into the pool. Any member may spend from it, even when other members aren't present.
Karma can be set aside for permanent character improvement. Advancement Karma is placed in a dedicated fund for a specific purpose; once set aside it's untouchable for normal use (and is unaffected by Karma penalties).
A character may have only ONE Advancement fund at a time, but after spending it on one purpose may redirect remaining Karma to another.
Cost = 10 × current rank number to raise an ability by one rank NUMBER (Reason 14 → 15 costs 140). Raising to the next RANK (Excellent 25 → Remarkable 26, etc.) adds +400 Karma "Cresting" cost.
Example: Reason Good (14) → Good (15) costs 140 Karma. Good (15) → Excellent (16) costs 150 + 400 Cresting = 550 Karma.
Same formula as Ability Advancement. Reflects time and energy increasing wealth or connections.
Cost = 10 × current rank number per rank number gained. NO Cresting cost. In addition, the hero must have performed a publicized act of charity in the past three weeks.
Same cost as Ability Advancement (10 × current rank number; +400 to crest into next rank).
Cost = 3,000 + (40 × starting rank number). New Powers must have an in-fiction rationale (latent ability surfacing, magical accident, etc.).
Robot exception: Robotic characters may add Powers at 3,000 + (10 × starting rank number), provided someone with the appropriate Reason is capable of modifying them.
Must have a rationale (training, study, mentorship).
Karma cost varies; the Judge sets it based on the Contact's significance. New Contacts must fit into the hero's existing fiction.
Use this as a session cheat sheet for the most common awards. All values are canonical per the Players Book.
| Action | Karma |
|---|---|
| Save a life | +20 |
| Save many lives (one action) | +100 max |
| Defeat foe (rank number of foe, if Remarkable+) | + rank # |
| Make a personal commitment | +5 |
| Normal weekly commitments | +10 |
| Break commitment / miss | −10 |
| Leave commitment early | −5 |
| Defeated, private | −20 |
| Defeated, public | −40 |
| Property destruction per area | −5 |
| Killing (any cause) | All Karma → 0 |