When running tabletop RPGs at a cosmic scale, balance becomes tricky. How do you manage god-like powers without overshadowing other players? Here's the core takeaway: different RPG systems tackle this challenge with unique mechanics, ranging from strict numerical caps to narrative-driven tools.
- Mutants & Masterminds: Uses Power Level (PL) caps to control abilities, ensuring fairness while allowing cosmic feats. Its logarithmic scaling keeps gameplay consistent across power levels.
- Hearts & Souls: Focuses on storytelling and resource management, using a tiered Scale system (Human, Superhuman, Cosmic) to balance power levels.
- BASH: Keeps mechanics simple with a 2d6 system, letting mundane characters remain relevant even in cosmic settings.
- GURPS: Offers a point-buy system with detailed rules for "Cosmic" abilities, though it demands heavy GM oversight.
- HERO System: Modular and flexible, requiring players to build every ability from scratch, but at the cost of high GM preparation.
- Worlds in Peril: Leans heavily on narrative mechanics, though its specifics for cosmic play remain unclear.
Each system has strengths and challenges, so the best choice depends on your group's preferences - whether you value detailed mechanics or story-driven gameplay.
1. Mutants & Masterminds
Power Scaling Method
Mutants & Masterminds uses Power Level (PL) caps as its main balancing mechanism. These caps impose strict limits on combat traits: your total Attack Bonus plus Effect Rank (such as Damage) cannot exceed twice your PL. Similarly, Defense plus Toughness must follow the same rule. For example, a PL 10 campaign - the typical starting point for most superhero games - keeps heroes grounded at street level, while PL 20 allows for cosmic-scale adventures.
The system relies on logarithmic scaling through its "Ranks and Measures" table, where each rank doubles the value of the previous one. This approach, paired with a single d20 roll, lets the game handle everything from a hero lifting a car at Rank 4 to a cosmic entity moving a planet at Rank 20+ without requiring complex dice rolls. As the rulebook notes:
A rank of 20 is cosmic-level, far beyond the ability of mere mortals (and even most heroes).
Ranks also define abilities: Rank 0 reflects average human capability, Rank 7 represents peak human performance, and anything higher ventures into superhuman territory.
Players get 15 points per PL to allocate, allowing them to choose between a few high-rank cosmic powers or a wider array of versatile abilities. This approach ensures no single character becomes an overpowered "jack-of-all-trades" that overshadows the team.
Cosmic Threat Handling
To handle cosmic-level conflicts, the system uses comparison checks and degrees of success. For situations where luck isn't a factor - like two cosmic entities in a direct power struggle - the character with the higher rank automatically wins, maintaining the integrity of the power hierarchy. When outcomes are less certain, every five points by which a check result exceeds the Difficulty Class adds a "degree of success", enabling truly massive effects during high-stakes moments.
For routine tasks within a cosmic hero's abilities - like flying across a solar system - GMs can use routine checks. These calculate results as 10 plus the character's bonus, skipping unnecessary dice rolls. Additionally, the system incorporates Complications to challenge even the most powerful characters. These narrative-driven obstacles, such as personal dilemmas or moral conflicts, reward Victory Points when they impact the hero.
Street-to-Cosmic Viability
The game's universal core mechanic - rolling a d20 plus modifiers versus a Difficulty Class - remains consistent whether a character is investigating a crime or battling a reality-warping foe. Characters progress by spending Character Points to increase ranks or gain new powers, creating a seamless transition from street-level to cosmic play without needing to overhaul the rules. The Power Profile describes the "Cosmic" descriptor as encompassing abilities tied to universal forces:
Cosmic powers can protect the universe, or shake it to its foundations.
GM Complexity
Character creation requires close oversight by the GM. Ensuring builds adhere to PL guidelines and align with the campaign's scope is critical. The high level of customization makes this one of the most demanding parts of the game. However, digital tools like HeroLabs ($35) and the free-beta Hero-Sheet simplify the process, helping track Power Points and PL caps. These tools are invaluable, with 75% of users reporting that they make managing cosmic powers more practical.
Next, we’ll explore how Hearts & Souls approaches the challenge of balancing cosmic powers.
2. Hearts & Souls
Unlike the rigid numerical limits found in Mutants & Masterminds, Hearts & Souls shifts the focus to storytelling and strategic resource management.
Power Scaling Method
In its 2nd Edition, Hearts & Souls introduces a Scale system to categorize power levels - Human, Superhuman, and Cosmic. This approach allows characters with vastly different abilities to share the same story while keeping gameplay balanced. Instead of piling on massive numerical bonuses, the system emphasizes the effectiveness and story-driven impact of powers.
For example, cosmic-level abilities come with trade-offs. Players must allocate resources like time, talent points, or even make specific in-game commitments to wield such powers. On the other hand, street-level heroes can follow heroic or practical paths, gaining unique advantages that ensure they remain important contributors - even when sharing the stage with characters capable of bending reality.
Cosmic Threat Handling
To handle universe-shaking dangers, the game employs Spectrums of Success, which provide varied outcomes, ranging from partial successes to additional bonuses. This is paired with a Plot Die mechanic, which adjusts the stakes and tension dynamically. Together, these elements ensure that cosmic-level encounters remain narratively rich, avoiding the trap of reducing such conflicts to simple win-or-lose scenarios.
Street-to-Cosmic Viability
The Scale system treats power levels as relative rather than absolute. Whether it’s a street-level hero breaking through a brick wall or a cosmic being destroying a planet, both actions use the same resolution mechanics. The distinction lies in the narrative scale and the tier applied. This design choice allows characters to move seamlessly between different power levels without requiring new rules or major character adjustments. It keeps cosmic-level challenges engaging while ensuring every hero, regardless of tier, has a meaningful role in the adventure.
3. BASH
BASH (Basic Action Super Heroes) is a streamlined superhero RPG that uses just two six-sided dice (2d6) to resolve everything - from gritty street brawls to epic cosmic battles.
Power Scaling Method
When it comes to power scaling, BASH stands out for its straightforward and versatile approach. It weaves science fiction elements into its mechanics, making it possible to handle large-scale conflicts, whether they're planetary invasions or starship duels, all with the same simple 2d6 system.
One standout feature is its "Mundane powers" mechanic. This ensures that characters without superhuman abilities - like resourceful bounty hunters or skilled starship captains - can still hold their own against reality-bending foes. This balance not only keeps gameplay fair but also encourages a wide variety of character types to thrive.
From Streets to the Stars
BASH’s consistent 2d6 system makes it flexible enough to handle encounters at any scale. Whether players are tackling street-level crime or engaging in galaxy-spanning conflicts, the game maintains a unified framework that allows all characters to contribute meaningfully to the story. This design bridges the gap between grounded and cosmic gameplay, making it accessible and engaging for all.
4. GURPS
GURPS (Generic Universal RolePlaying System) uses a point-buy system to assign value to every ability - ranging from everyday skills to reality-bending powers. This flexibility allows characters to scale from ordinary humans to godlike entities.
Power Scaling Method
GURPS introduces a "Cosmic" enhancement, which lets players bypass the usual rules in three distinct tiers:
- Utility (+50%): Focused on overcoming defensive measures.
- Cheating (+100%): Adds lingering effects to abilities.
- Godlike Tricks (+300%): Grants attacks that are nearly impossible to counter.
Sean Punch, the GURPS Line Editor, explains:
In 4e, psi starts out balanced against super-abilities, because it uses exactly the same advantages...
This balance is achieved by building all superhuman abilities - whether they involve Psi, Magic, or Superpowers - using the same core advantages and mechanics, ensuring consistency across the board.
The system also features "Super-Effort" mechanics. For example, a character with 20 levels in an ability can perform feats equivalent to someone with 5,000 levels, provided they spend 1 Fatigue Point. These feats are calculated using the Size and Speed/Range Table, which adds another layer of depth.
GM Complexity
Running a high-powered GURPS campaign requires significant effort from the Game Master (GM). Managing cosmic-level play often involves supplements like GURPS Powers ($25.00), GURPS Supers ($16.00), and GURPS Power-Ups 4: Enhancements ($7.00).
One notable supplement, Power-Ups 4, categorizes over 50 enhancements and assigns risk ratings (1–4) to each. For instance, the "Irresistible Attack" enhancement, rated 4, is flagged as potentially game-breaking. To maintain balance, GMs are advised to set limits on damage and defense capabilities beforehand, avoiding situations where characters can eliminate opponents with a single attack.
This meticulous approach to balancing cosmic-level gameplay highlights the system's depth and sets the groundwork for comparing GURPS to other role-playing systems.
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5. HERO System
The HERO System stands out for its raw, modular mechanics that empower both Game Masters (GMs) and players to create abilities entirely from scratch. Instead of providing pre-made powers, the system offers a toolbox of modular components, allowing users to build any ability they can imagine.
Power Scaling Method
At its core, the HERO System uses a point-based framework where powers are defined by generic effects rather than specific names or themes. For instance, whether a character is hurling lightning bolts or firing cosmic rays, the underlying mechanics rely on the same foundational effects like "Energy Blast" or "Killing Attack – Ranged." The narrative flavor is entirely up to the player, but the mechanical structure stays consistent.
HERO Games explains the philosophy behind this approach:
"The HERO System is unique because it's the only game on the market offering players and GMs the means to create any character they want, and yet keep that character balanced against other characters and threats." – HERO Games
With the release of the 6th Edition, the system introduced some key changes to streamline gameplay. It removed "Figured Characteristics" (such as Physical Defense, Energy Defense, and Speed) from being automatically tied to primary attributes like Strength or Dexterity. Additionally, it replaced hexes with meters, making it easier to adjust combat scales. These changes give GMs more precise control over balancing powers without unintentionally inflating unrelated stats.
This modular framework also allows the HERO System to maintain balance across different campaign scales, from street-level adventures to cosmic-level challenges.
Cosmic Threat Handling
The system distinguishes between two main campaign types: "Heroic" and "Superheroic." In Heroic campaigns, characters acquire equipment through the narrative, without spending Character Points. However, in Superheroic campaigns - where cosmic-level gameplay takes center stage - every ability, weapon, and piece of gear must be purchased using Character Points. This rule ensures that even the most powerful abilities remain balanced within the game's mechanics.
Street-to-Cosmic Viability
One of the HERO System's strengths is its consistency across power levels. The same rules logic applies whether you're running a street-level detective story or a universe-spanning cosmic saga. As HERO Games puts it:
"Once you figure out how something works, that same rules logic often applies in many other situations." – HERO Games
That said, transitioning to cosmic-level gameplay requires shifting to the Superheroic ruleset, where characters pay points for all their gear. The Heroic ruleset, which allows free equipment, becomes less effective at higher power tiers, where balance is essential.
GM Complexity
Running a cosmic-level campaign in the HERO System is no small task. The system's modular design means GMs must build cosmic threats from the ground up, using the available powers and modifiers. While this approach offers unmatched flexibility, it also demands a deep understanding of the system and a clear vision of how to translate those ideas into mechanics. For GMs, this can mean a steep learning curve and significant preparation time.
6. Worlds in Peril
When it comes to Worlds in Peril, the specifics of how it handles cosmic power balancing are still a mystery. There’s no official word yet on whether the game leans on narrative-driven mechanics, a point-based system, or some other method to manage the leap from street-level heroes to cosmic-scale conflicts. This lack of concrete information highlights the ongoing experimentation and development of mechanics for handling such massive power scales in tabletop RPGs.
Unlike other systems that clearly outline their mechanics, Worlds in Peril keeps us guessing. This uncertainty leaves the door open for potential innovations in the future. If you're curious about how the game ultimately tackles this challenge, keeping an eye on official updates is your best bet.
For those eager to dive into other tabletop RPGs and see how they approach cosmic-level gameplay, the TTRPG Games Directory is a fantastic resource. It offers a wide selection of games, complete with detailed breakdowns of their mechanics and themes.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Cosmic-Level RPG Systems Comparison: Power Scaling, Threat Handling, and GM Complexity
After breaking down each system in detail, let’s now compare their strengths and challenges when it comes to handling cosmic-level gameplay. Each system brings something different to the table, offering unique benefits and hurdles.
Mutants & Masterminds relies on Power Level caps to maintain balance, avoiding runaway stats and encouraging well-rounded character designs. Its Routine Checks feature is a standout, letting skilled characters bypass unnecessary dice rolls for tasks they can easily handle, which speeds up gameplay for GMs. On the downside, the system’s complexity during character creation demands careful attention, which can be a hurdle for new or casual players.
GURPS is highly adaptable, using a modular point-buy system that works seamlessly for everything from street-level heroes to cosmic gods. This granularity adds incredible depth, making it a favorite for those who enjoy detailed simulation. However, this same depth can increase the workload for GMs, especially when compared to systems that lean more heavily on narrative mechanics.
Fate System takes a different approach, using adjustable “dials” like skill caps and refresh rates to manage power levels. This keeps the system lightweight for GMs. As noted in the Fate System Toolkit:
A power that makes one character an omnipotent god might seem unbalanced, but when all the characters have it, that's the foundation of a really neat game. It's all about context.
While this narrative focus minimizes mathematical complexity, it does rely on players being comfortable with less crunch and more cooperative storytelling. This can be a challenge for groups that prefer mechanics-heavy systems.
Here’s a quick comparison of how these systems handle key aspects of cosmic-level gameplay:
| System | Power Scaling Method | Cosmic Threat Handling | Street-to-Cosmic Viability | GM Complexity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mutants & Masterminds | Power Level (PL) caps and Character Points | Rank 20+ designated as "Cosmic" | High; designed for all tiers | Moderate; "Routine Checks" ease GM work |
| GURPS | Point-buy and "Powers" framework | Strict rules for cosmic feats | High; extremely granular | High; crunch-heavy and detailed |
| Fate System | Adjustable "dials" (skill caps, refresh rates) | Narrative-driven; high-shift stunts | High; modular power levels | Low; narrative focus reduces math |
These comparisons lay the groundwork for a deeper dive into how each system stacks up across key metrics for balancing cosmic-level power.
Conclusion
When choosing a cosmic-level system, it's all about aligning with your group's priorities - whether that's diving into detailed mechanics or weaving a compelling narrative. For groups that thrive on crunch and customization, GURPS Powers stands out. It allows players to create characters ranging from "megawizards" to "gods", offering a deeply detailed mechanical experience. Similarly, Mutants & Masterminds, with its d20 system and Power Level caps (capped at Rank 20 for cosmic-level play), provides structured yet flexible mechanics for balancing immense power.
On the other hand, groups that prioritize storytelling might gravitate toward the Fate System. This system emphasizes narrative flexibility through "Super Skills" and adjustable power levels. Players can spend Fate Points for extraordinary feats without getting bogged down in complex calculations. Game Masters can set skill caps at Fantastic (+6) with a refresh rate of 6, keeping the game streamlined and story-focused. As the Fate System Toolkit aptly puts it:
Balance does not exist in the abstract - it is a specific element of play.
For those who prefer a physics-simulation approach, Ascendant offers an intriguing option. Its 496-page rulebook provides "infinitely scalable" mechanics with color-coded resolution tables, simulating power levels from street-level heroes to "living gods." The system even includes a free online character creator, making it easy to jump into comic-book-style action without overwhelming complexity.
Each system brings its own flavor to the table, catering to different playstyles and preferences. Whether you're crafting a universe of cosmic deities or telling grounded, character-driven stories, there's a system designed to bring your vision to life.
FAQs
How do RPG systems handle balancing cosmic-level powers?
RPG systems handle the challenge of balancing cosmic-level powers in different ways, depending on their design philosophy. Take Mutants & Masterminds, for example. It uses a structured, point-based system to define and limit powers. This setup ensures that even at cosmic scales, characters stay balanced, giving players precise control over their abilities and power progression.
On the other hand, systems like Ascendant use scalable mechanics that adapt challenges dynamically to match a character’s power level. This means even heroes with godlike abilities still encounter meaningful obstacles, keeping the gameplay both challenging and engaging.
Then there are narrative-driven systems like Fate Core, which prioritize storytelling over rigid mechanics. Here, cosmic powers are balanced through collaborative storytelling and their relevance to the narrative. This approach encourages creativity and flexibility while ensuring the game remains fun and immersive. Each system brings its own style to the table, offering different ways to handle larger-than-life adventures.
What are the main challenges for GMs in running cosmic-level RPG campaigns?
Running campaigns on a cosmic scale brings its own set of hurdles for Game Masters (GMs), especially when it comes to balancing power levels and keeping the story captivating. Characters often possess extraordinary abilities, which can turn encounters into a breeze or make them feel overwhelmingly difficult. To strike the right balance, GMs need to design challenges that let players flex their powerful skills while still feeling genuinely tested. The trick is to maintain the thrill without tipping the scales too far in either direction.
Another major hurdle is capturing the awe and vastness of a cosmic setting. GMs must build encounters and weave narratives that radiate grandeur, all while ensuring that the characters' abilities don’t overshadow the story's impact. Achieving this balance calls for a mix of creativity, adaptability in storytelling, and a solid grasp of the game’s mechanics to keep the adventure feeling epic without losing its edge.
How can players keep their characters relevant in high-powered cosmic RPG settings?
To make characters shine in cosmic RPG settings, it's crucial to focus on abilities that can handle a wide range of challenges. Systems like Mutants and Masterminds are great for this, offering customizable powers that grow alongside the stakes of the story. Similarly, frameworks like Fate Core allow players to tweak power levels and skill caps, ensuring their characters can keep up with the intensity of cosmic-scale adventures.
When designing characters, think about flexibility and creativity. Abilities that can combine with others or be used in unexpected ways keep players engaged and effective, even when facing overwhelming threats. Striking a balance between adaptability and staying true to the character's theme ensures they remain relevant and compelling in the expansive world of cosmic-level campaigns.
