Today's preview fragment gets to the meat of determining melee hits with the alternative (d20) attack matrix (part 1). For something this fundamental, there's a surprising amount of nuance, and some of it might be controversial.
To start, DD favours the GD&D/draft rendering of alternative attack matrix I, which more clearly retains the relationship between fighter levels, fighting capability, and rows on the attack matrix. This means the 3, 4 and 5 fighter-, cleric-, m-u- level bands mentioned in M&M are replaced by more specific level bands.
Additionally, you'll note there are some (placeholder) titles for top-end fighter and cleric fighting capability. As of this post, fighters can achieve Paragon FC. However, it is Warlord FC in the book 1 draft, and ultimately could be Superhero+2 as in the 3LBBs. Meanwhile, top-level clerics can achieve Paladin FC, parallel to the magic-user's Wizard FC. This means only fighters can achieve general-purpose superhero FC, which is kinda important.
Only one of the two tables below is intended to appear in the main rules. The first one is more concise, the second one is more explicit, but they both show the same thing. Additional variants can go in an appendix, along with the 2d6 matrices.
Comments welcome, as always :)
My values coffee club members also get the three-page, annotated version of the above, which explains the hows and whys of all of the above nuances. Surely you need to know? :D
Next up, alternative matrix 2, and determining damage...