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It's been about a Month since i started playing Mutants and Masterminds 3e with my friends, and we absolutely LOVE the system (particularly the one-shot modules), but something in the Impervious Modifier caught my attention today. It says that though it's intended to be used for Toughness, Impervious can apply to other defenses at the DMs discretion to reflect reliable abilities, be it a robust immune system, keen warrior intuition or years of practice repelling magic attacks. What it doesnt mention, however, is how these Impervious Defenses would function.

Can someone tell me How would Impervious Will, Impervious Fortitude, Impervious Dodge and Impervious Parry function?

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It would more or less work in the exact same way, requiring a particular level of bonus to get through. If you have Impervious on all 10 ranks of your Will save, it will block all effects of Rank 5 or less that require a Will save. If you have Impervious 10 on your Dodge, a Ranged attack would need at least a +5 bonus to hit you.

Unfortunately, I've yet to find an official ruling on this (and I suspect there never will be one for 3e, as they stopped allowing Steve Kenson to chime in on the Official Rules Questions forum). In 2e, he said in 2005 only Toughness could be Impervious (although, given it's 2005, when 2e had just been released, it's possible that was supposed to be a 1e answer).

Other saves cannot be Impervious, only Toughness.

He does have a later post in 2008 regarding a 2e construct of Mind Shield where he countenances Impervious on Will saves by not disagreeing with the querent's invocation of it to break down the cost of Mind Shield. Nothing on straight Defense (or Dodge Defense) though.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ thanks for the input \$\endgroup\$
    – Areadbhair
    Nov 1, 2019 at 17:06
  • \$\begingroup\$ I wish I could give you a more official answer on the Dodge and Parry. \$\endgroup\$
    – Sean Duggan
    Nov 1, 2019 at 17:15
  • \$\begingroup\$ np, my assumption going is was either what you suggested or it bumped up the automatic failure range. In hindsight, making it so only natural 17s or better hit you at impervious Dodge/Parry 30 is a bit insane. your "this tall to ride" interpretation is probably the most balanced way to rule it \$\endgroup\$
    – Areadbhair
    Nov 1, 2019 at 17:21
  • \$\begingroup\$ Since Impervious only applies to resistance checks, Impervious Dodge / Parry should automatically succeed on the handful of effects (most custom) resisted by Dodge or Parry. Though Impervious Dodge would help when dodging area effects. \$\endgroup\$
    – ValhallaGH
    Nov 1, 2019 at 17:25
  • \$\begingroup\$ @ValhallaGH: Except the text doesn't reference resistance checks, just resistance difficulties. "A defense with this modifier is highly resistant. Any effect with a resistance difficulty modifier equal to or less than half the Impervious rank (rounded up) has no effect. So, for example, Impervious Toughness 9 ignores any Damage with a rank of 5 or less. Penetrating effects can overcome Impervious Resistance (see the Penetrating extra description)." \$\endgroup\$
    – Sean Duggan
    Nov 1, 2019 at 17:36

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