TEXT: DEVIL’S WORKSHOP
  • M&M Superlink template • M&M Superlink template • M&M Superlink template • 
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  LPJ9972
  The chosen agents of ancient alien races, mythological gods, or nigh-omnipotent
  cosmic entities; mighty champions gone wrong who -literally, in some cases-
  sacrificed their souls to obtain still greater powers; mortal heroes transformed by
  contact with irresistible, unearthly energies that should have utterly annihilated
  them.  All of these have been touched by cosmic forces, their already super-
  human abilities augmented still further by energies beyond human
  understanding.  Some such individuals may have been driven
  to wrest control of such titanic forces because of
  desperate needs or burning obsessions.  Others seem
  to have been selected by fate, seemingly at
  random, to receive abilities that set them apart
  even from their superhuman peers.
  Regardless, all have emerged from their
  encounter with cosmic forces as some-
  thing…more. Even those who began as
  demigods, immortals, or extra-dimen-
  sional sorcerers have evolved past their
  former states. 
  Note: The power source for the
  template’s abilities is listed as Cosmic;
  this is used as a catch all for any and all
  forces that are beyond the ken of human
  understanding. 
  BECOMING
  COSMIC FORCE
  Infused
  Becoming cosmically-enhanced usually requires a char-
  acter to perform noble-or heinous-deed on a grand scale, a
  scale sufficient to alter the destiny of worlds or attract the pres-
  ence of incredibly powerful personages.  A time-traveling hero who
  prevented the timeline from being perverted by a mad demigod is selected by the
  Temporal Lords, over-seers of the timeline, to serve as their regent, guarding the
  modern era from any further such attempts.  Conversely, a celestial warrior, sent
  to Earth from one of the higher planes, might rebel, deciding her masters are not
  doing enough to battle evil in the material world.  After acquiring some dire
  mystic artifact and performing an obscene ritual, she drains the energies she needs
  away from her original plane, transforming it into a wasteland.
  Alternately, a character might become imparted with Cosmic Forces by surviving
  exposure to cataclysmic events-cosmic ray storms, a partial collapse
  of the space-time continuum, a clash between the armies of
  Heaven and Hell-that should have meant certain death.
  Usually, the character was willing to die, braving these
  deadly forces in an attempt to save others or prevent
  some terrible tragedy.  The universe chooses to
  reward the character’s efforts, granting power
  instead of oblivion.
  Those touched by Cosmic Forces now bear
  both greater powers and heavier burdens.
  A character so imbued may use the
  bestowed energies to augment any previ-
  ously existing powers.  Cosmic energy
  now sustains the character’s body,
  replacing many of the basic biological
  needs.  The range of the character’s
  senses expands to accommodate a
  cosmic perspective. The character
  assumes an unearthly demeanor,
  becoming more impressive, even fright-
  ening. In addition, entirely new abilities may
  be called upon, though these are always
  consistent with the character’s basic nature:
  For example, a speedster might find she can
  suddenly cause generate shockwaves or share her
  speed with others with but a touch, while a psychic
  could suddenly discover that he can now use his telekinesis
  to fly and create force fields, but neither would gain the ability
  to hurl fireballs or teleport from place to place.
  At the same time, the primal forces of the universe are often too overwhelming
  for any mortal-or even immortal-to bear. The character risks becoming a mere
  puppet, serving as a vessel for the power contained within his frame.
  Template: Comic Force Infused
  
  Page 2
  Devil’s Workshop
  Templates: cosmic force infused
  PL ADJUSTMENT: 0
  Feats: Immunities (choose any four), Detect
  Cosmic Forces, Startle.
  Powers: Boost +5 [Source: Variable; Extra: All
  Attributes (all powers) Flaw: Obvious; Cost: 2 pp;
  Total 10pp], Combat Sense +3 [Source: -; Cost: 1
  pp; Total 3 pp], Super-Charisma +5 [Source: -;
  Extra: Intimidating Presence; Flaws: Limited  (No
  bonus to Cha skill rolls or checks, no bonus to
  Loyalty score) Cost: 5 pp], Variable Effect +10
  [Source: -; Extra: Expanded Powers (3 pp/rank) ;
  Flaw: Obvious; Cost: 2 pp; Total 10 pp],
  Weaknesses: Overconfident, Quirk (Compulsion),
  Transformation, Unlucky.
  WEAKNESSES  
  Quirk (power with a purpose): As the cliché goes,
  with great power comes great responsibility.  In
  almost all cases, some higher purpose was actually
  being served when the character was granted
  access to cosmic might. Perhaps an individual was
  driven to seize cosmic power in an effort to avert
  or undo some tragic event.  The power may have
  been granted because was deemed worthy of one
  day facing a menace of even greater power.
  Perhaps the power is itself a living thing, using the
  character’s body as a host to better understand the
  lives of mortals.  Whatever the case, the character
  is compelled to use his powers for a particular
  purpose when the opportunity presents itself. Some
  possibilities include:  Either  protecting or
  destroying all mystical artifacts on Earth, altering
  history so that some terrible event never occurred,
  or banishing certain superhuman beings (heroes,
  villains, or otherwise) from the character’s home
  dimension, to ensure that some dreadful possible
  future will never come to pass. The GM should
  determine the exact nature of this weakness.  The
  character’s player may spend a Hero point to
  ignore the effects of this weakness for one
  encounter, but the compulsion to act will always
  return.
  Overconfident: Those touched by cosmic forces
  understandably tend to become overly impressed
  with their own abilities-and to underestimate those
  who have been similarly enhanced.  Even if only on
  an unconscious level, the character comes to disre-
  gard the possibility of being deceived or harmed by
  “lesser” beings.  The character suffers penalties iden-
  tical to those imposed by the Naïve weakness: a -5
  penalty to Sense Motive skill rolls and to checks
  made to avoid being surprised in combat.  
  Transformation (alternate persona): Cosmic forces
  are extraordinarily difficult for even the strongest-
  willed to control; a character may well end up as a
  slave to the cosmic energies rather than a master of
  them.  Whenever the character pushes himself to the
  brink, or has been rendered vulnerable in some way,
  the cosmic forces well up and threaten to seize
  control.  If this happens, the character assumes a new
  persona, an unearthly persona.  This new persona
  may be coldly logical, megalomaniacal, or unrelent-
  ingly fierce and passionate.  The new persona views
  ordinary humans (and most super-powered humans
  as well) as beneath consideration; it is indifferent to
  their well-being at best, contemptuously cruel at
  worst.  It will pursue its’ own agenda, usually
  actively seeking to fulfill it’s purpose (see above),
  regardless of any consequences.  A character afflicted
  with the Cosmic Vampire template (see below) will
  feed ruthlessly, preferably on intelligent beings.  
  The transformation could be triggered by any
  number of events.  Some possibilities include:
  Whenever the character uses extra effort to increase
  power rank or gain a power extra or stunt, whenever
  the character suffers 2 or more lethal hits, or when-
  ever the character is subjected to mind control
  (immediately allows a new saving throw at  +5 to
  shrug off such control.)  The character can resist the
  transformation by succeeding at a DC 15 Will save,
  but must continue to save every round the triggering
  condition persists.  The character suffers a cumula-
  tive -1 penalty to the saving throw each round.  The
  change lasts for 24 hours.  
  Unlucky: No one is ever truly prepared to wield
  cosmic forces-not a human, a superhuman, or even a
  demigod can make such forces perform as
  commanded without fail.  At least once per game
  session, the character’s cosmic powers will go awry
  in some way; they may fail him at a critical moment,
  he might suddenly find that he cannot restrain from
  lashing out at full power,  or they may manifest
  themselves while he is in his secret identity.  The
  character may spend a Hero Point to prevent a partic-
  ular incident from occurring, but this only postpones
  the problem.  Eventually such an event will occur,
  regardless of the character’s actions.
  LEAVING THE TEMPLATE
  Often, the effects of the cosmic forces vanish once
  the purpose for which they were granted (see above)
  has been served, either because the character has
  fulfilled his mission, or has found some alternate
  solution to the problem the cosmic powers were
  granted to deal with. The character then loses all
  benefits and drawbacks of the template.
  Alternately, the character may seek out a way to
  purge the cosmic forces, or others may be forced to
  do so because the character has become an out-of-
  control menace.  The GM must determine if any
  means exist to do so. Finding such should entail
  several game sessions of adventuring, and might
  involve petitioning ultra-powerful beings, performing
  a difficult mystical ritual, or retrieving advanced
  alien technology.  
  CUSTOMIZATION
  Connected to the Godhead:
  Sometimes, cosmically enhanced individuals are able
  to call upon some unknown source of wisdom.  They
  can now answer questions and solve problems that
  
  were utterly beyond their previous intellectual abili-
  ties. Their minds also become more resistant to
  unwanted intrusion, as their spirits, as well as their
  bodies, have been fortified.   The character gains the
  Indomitable Will feat and the following powers:
  Comprehend +2 [Source: Cosmic; Flaw: Obvious;
  Cost: 1 pp; Total: 1 pp], Super-Wisdom +3 [Source:
  Cosmic; Extra: +1 rank of Super Intelligence; Flaw:
  Obvious; Cost: 3 pp; Total: 7 pp].  Increase the PL
  adjustment to +1.  Optional: If the Gamemaster
  wishes to balance out the PL, assign the character the
  Cosmic Perspective weakness, described in the
  following. 
  WEAKNESS
  Cosmic Perspective: Cosmic awareness is not
  always a boon; being aware of universal concepts
  and events sometimes makes the events going on
  around oneself look boring and unimportant.  The
  character must make a roll each round before he can
  act.  On a result of 1-5 on a d20, the character
  becomes apathetic and loses interest in all around
  him.  He can do nothing that round, though he may
  defend normally if attacked.  This is identical to the
  Quirk (malfunction) weakness, save that the char-
  acter can maintain any defensive powers he had
  previously activated.
  Cosmic Vampire:
  The power granted comes with a price; the cosmic
  energies stoke a burning hunger, a hunger that may
  only be satisfied by feeding either on the life essence
  or the mental energy of living beings.  Most heroes
  afflicted with this condition will find the situation
  abhorrent, but any attempts to refrain from “feeding”
  when necessary provoke Will saving throws to avoid
  transforming into the alternate persona, as described
  above under the Transformation weakness. The char-
  acter gains the power Drain +5 (Source: Cosmic;
  Extra: all physical attributes or all mental attributes;
  Devil’s Workshop
  Page 3
  Flaw:Limited:  May only be used when "feeding" is
  necessary, and can drain no more than 20 total
  ranks.) Cost: 2 pp; Total: 10 pp) and the Susceptible
  (hunger) weakness.  
  WEAKNESS
  Susceptible (hunger): The character can remain
  active for periods of up to one hour per point of
  Constitution bonus, or up to two hours, whichever is
  greater, before needing to feed.  After this, he must
  replenish his energies by absorbing 10 ranks of phys-
  ical (Str, Dex, Con) or mental (Int, Wis, Cha) attrib-
  utes from a living victim or victims.  If he fails to do
  so, he begins to suffer the effects of the Susceptible
  weakness.    
  Unbridled Power:
  The very nature of the template makes it appropriate
  for GMs who wish to tinker with a character’s power
  level, or introduce a mix of power levels within a
  group of heroes.  A GM who believes he and the
  character’s player can handle the situation should
  feel free to adjust the template’s abilities to result in
  an overall PL adjustment of +1 to +3.  Thereafter, the
  player must devote all future power points earned by
  the character to “paying off” any power levels
  acquired in this fashion.  If the character loses the
  template, the GM should allow the player to redis-
  tribute the power points.
  PL +1: Add +5 ranks of the Variable Effects power,
  +2 ranks of Amazing Save (Damage, Fortitude,
  Will), and two more Immunities.  All previously
  described Extras and Flaws apply.
  PL +2: Add +5 ranks of Boost and +5 ranks of
  Super-Charisma.
  PL +3: Add four more Immunities, +3 ranks of
  Combat Sense, and +3 ranks of Super-Senses.
  Artwork: Alejandro Moreno
  Mutants & Masterminds, M&M Superlink, Green
  Ronin and the M&M Superlink logo are
  Trademarks of Green Ronin Publishing and are
  used with permission.
  Hero Points and Power Points are Product Identity
  of Green Ronin Publishing and are used with
  permission.
  OPEN GAME LICENSE
  Version 1.0a
  The following text is the property of Wizards of
  the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of
  the Coast, Inc ("Wizards"). All Rights Reserved.
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  Templates: cosmic force infused
  All text on all pages is Open Game Content as
  defined by the Open Gaming License. See page 3
  for more information.
  
  Page 4
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  Mutants & Masterminds RPG, Copyright 2002,
  Green Ronin Publishing; Author Steve Kenson
  Crooks!, Copyright 2003, Green Ronin Publishing;
  Author Sean Glenn, Kyle Hunter & Erik Mona
  Template: Comic Force Infused, Copyright 2004,
  Louis Porter Jr. Design, Inc.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Super Hero Games/Mutants & Masterminds/1st Edition/Mutants & Masterminds - 1st Edition - Devils Workshop - Sourcebook - Template - Cosmic Force Infused.pdf