I'm planning to start introducing super powered beings into my Pathfinder game. As an E6 game, level advancement for everyone ends at 6th level, though they can still gain feats after that point, some of which would normally only be available to 9th level characters.

As a fantasy game, I'd like for the super powers to have little to do with the oddities of marvel - no magnetism or gravity control. No machine control.

To start, I need to make a list of the powers that are going to be available, and then make sure that they interact with each other in a fair way if possessed by 5th and 6th level characters.

Super Strength
Damage Resistance
Flight
Energy Projection
Super Physical Agility
Telekinesis
Force Fields
Alien / Divine Artifacts - Hover Boards, Powered Armor, Laser Guns

Help me out here - what powers should be included?

Super Strength

This power comes in two levels: Superhuman and Supernatural.

Superhuman strength increases the character's strength to 20 or adds 5, whichever is greater. Triple the range increment of all range weapons that utilize the full strength to damage. The character can carry double his normal load and double the distance of all jumps.

Supernatural strength increases the character's strength to 30 or adds 5, whichever is greater. Quintuple the range increment of all range weapons that utilize the full strength to damage. The character can carry four times the normal load and quadruple the distance of all jumps.

Damage Resistance

The character gains DR X / - where X is equal to his Strength modifier.

Invulnerability

The character gains Energy Resistance 10 to all types of energy save for one and DR 5 / -. If the character already has DR of 5 or higher, increase the Energy Resistance to 15.

Flight, I guess needs to be scaled to the era. In modern games, it isn't strange at all to have characters breaking the sound barrier with their flying, but it seems a bit inappropriate to have it that way in an old setting.

Though think about characters like superman and whatnot. Superman doesn't fight at mach speed, even though he can fly near the speed of light. I guess it probably takes him a lot of time and energy to build up that kind of speed.

Maybe I could make a distinction. Characters can fly in combat and while maneuvering at one speed, and then use overland flight at another speed. While using overland flight, they could potentially fly faster than the speed of sound, but they loose all of their maneuverability so there isn't any way for them to apply it in combat.

While in combat, their flight speed can be similar to the variety of flying creatures in the Beastiary.

I could make three different powers - Winged Flight: which is like any winged humanoid in the book, Wingless Flight: which is like the fly spell but maybe a little better, and Overland Flight: which would be an upgrade for the wingless flight, but super fast and used just for travel.

Energy Projection is a pretty easy one. I can treat it as archery, even using the archery feats to build it up. If a character already has archery feats, he could add one more that lets him apply them to his energy projection.

The energy projection needs to be a little better than archery, to make it s super power.

The two variations would be EP Long Range: 1d10 Damage, Range 100', ignore penalties for first range increment. Short Range 2d6, Range 60', ignore penalties for first range increment.

The power could also have a super move that has a recharge time, possibly gained as a feat. For example, the character could take a feat and learn to do fireball or lightening bolt every 1d4 rounds as if it were a breath weapon.

There should also be a vital strike feat variant for the regular shot. For example, if the 2d6 version were used to make only a single attack, it would deal 4d6 instead. This could have the deadly aim feat and the modifier for the associated attribute added as well, getting the damage up to 4d6 +8 to +10 per single shot, making it possible to harm characters with Invulnerability, at least a little.

I'd like at least 10 classic powers, each with a major and minor version, maybe each with a couple of feats that modify them. I think that would be enough. Even if all the supers in this setting were wonder woman type beings, I think it would be fun. 10 powers is probably enough variety for now.

Lots and lots of Pathfinder templates, spells, magic items, and powers qualify as super abilities. The issue is mostly finding a way to balance them. Even simple things like Shocking Grasp every round could be to strong. I'll have to think about each one.

It is more an issue for balancing the players against one another than against NPCs. Comic book heroes aren't really balanced against one another and no one expects them to be, but I don't want one player being totally over shadowed.

Also, some powers, like flight, could have problems I can't counter. There isn't any antiaircraft fire to turn against superman in pathfinder...

Instead of making Damage Reduction based on the strength score, I think I'm just going to make it 5, 10, or 15 points. At 15 points, a character can take an arrow with deadly aim, fired by someone with a peak human strength and probably not suffer more than a point of damage. It is effectively bullet proof, especially with all those HP.

Of course, most characters won't have maxed out anything, but instead a couple of mid range powers.

Certain powers would be WAY better on certain characters. Flying archer... invulnerable wizard.

Maybe I'm looking at some of this in the wrong way.

I could use pathfinder powers, but stick to things that are obtainable for a CR 10 creature, and use them as super powers. That could be a good goal post for an E6 supers game.

So, here is the base for the powers I'm going to be using. Like I said, I can also make super beings just by adding templates, spells, levels, or powers from higher level creatures - god knows Pathfinder has enough of those.

Even so, I needed some basic abilities that I could just add on quickly and easily. I'm not going to write any kind of official scale for this stuff, though I'm pretty sure "average" super beings will have about 4 points off this list, or enough templates and powers that I can feel comfortable treating them as a CR +2 to +3.


Super Attribute

Rank 1
Increase the character’s Attribute by 5 or raise it to 20, whichever is higher.

Rank 2
Increase the character’s Attribute by 5 or raise it to 26, whichever is higher.

Rank 3
Increase the character’s Attribute by 5 or raise it to 32, whichever is higher.

Invulnerability

Rank 1
The character gains DR 5 / -.

Rank 2
The character gains DR 10 / -.

Rank 3
The character gains DR 15 / -.

Resistance

Rank 1
The character gains Energy Resistance 5 to all but one type of energy. He also gains a +2 Deflection Bonus to AC.

Rank 2
The character gains Energy Resistance 10 to all but one type of energy. He also gains a +4 Deflection Bonus to AC.

Rank 3
The character gains Energy Resistance 15 to all but one type of energy. He also gains a +6 Deflection Bonus to AC.

Flight

Rank 1
The character gains a pair of wings and the ability to fly at a speed of 50’. The winged creature can double move on a charge or fly as a full round action at x4. The flyer’s speed is halved while climbing and doubled on a dive. While flying, the super being gains a +2 to AC, Reflex saves and Initiative. While not flying, the wings provide a DR 2 / -.

Rank 1 - Alternate
The character gains the ability to fly magically, without the use of a pair of wings. Speed and movement is the same as a winged character. The ease at which a wingless flyer can turn on and off their power means that they can apply the flying bonuses at all times – not just when they are already flying.

Rank 2
The flyer gains the ability to increase his speed dramatically when traveling a great distance overland. Every round, the character’s speed doubles until they reach a speed of 6600, which is just under mach 1. While traveling at this increased speed, the character becomes extremely immobile. In order to fight, he must slow down to his ordinary flight speed. If a character traveling at full speed crashes, he must make a Fortitude saving throw of 25+ or die. Passing the saving throw still causes the character to gain the injured condition three times.

Energy Aura

Rank 1
The character deals an additional 1d6 damage by touch. This damage can be performed as a part of a touch attack or in addition to a normal strike.

Rank 2
The damage is increase to 2d6 and the hero gains a +2 Deflection bonus to AC.

Rank 3
The damage is increase to 3d6. Everything within 5’ suffers 1d6 damage per round automatically. Increase the Deflection bonus to +4.

Energy Projection

Special – Each of the following abilities can be taken separately. They are not ranked.

Energy Sphere
Once every 1d4 rounds the character can hurl a sphere of energy as a touch attack at his opponent.

When making a melee attack that scores a critical hit, this power’s damage can be added as a swift action.

Damage      3d6
Range Increment   10’
Maximum Range   50’

Cone of Energy
Once every 1d4 rounds, the character can unleash a 15’ cone of energy that damages everything in its path. Enemies can make a save for half damage.

Damage      5d6
Saving Throw      DC 16 Reflex for Half

Energy Beam
At will, the super being can fire a blast of elemental energy as a ranged touch attack. This power can be used at will, fired once per action. This power can be modified by archery feats, so long as those feats are taken specifically for this power.

Damage      1d10
Range Increment   150’
Max Range      600’