Editing Mutants and Masterminds (section)

===Descriptors and Power Stunts===
Descriptors are how the system ''does'' care if an effect like damage is caused by a magical fireball or mundane sword. Characters can have immunity or enhanced protection against a descriptor. For example, the Human Torch will shrug off your attempt to burn him alive. Some characters may have ''weakness'' to a certain descriptor as a complication, like the original Green Lantern's weakness to wood. Descriptors also interact with the environment, positively and negatively like underwater that penalizes fire but enhances sonic. Not all descriptors are necessarily written out explicitly, but applied as makes sense. For example an elf archer has attacks considered wood (So Green Lantern can't steal his bow or arrows), metal on the arrows (but Magneto can take the arrows), magical (Superman risks being damaged by them) and many others that won't matter till they apply to something, but you'd only say "magical bow and arrows".

Descriptors also interact with power stunts. By spending a hero point or accepting a level of fatigue, a character can make one power do something unusual. For example, an electricity using hero might decide to overload an evil machine (weaken) instead of just blasting it (damage). A power stunt is limited by an effect's descriptor, so your GM can shoot your idea down if he doesn't think control over water can generate intersettler travel. Since magic can do anything with the right spell, it's one of the most powerful descriptors. Power stunts on equipment, like Batman pulling ''exactly'' the right item from his utility belt (even if it's not actually an effect listed on his utility belt power) requires a hero point (see down) and can't be accomplished by fatigue (this is one of the disadvantages equipment has in exchange for lower cost).