Core Masks

CHAPTER 5: THE MASKS
THE ROSTER
Playbooks, as mentioned in THE HEROES, are each a sort of template for a type of
character you can play. Each playbook is a flexible skeleton you can adapt to your
vision of the character, while still providing you with enough structure to tell
a particular kind of story. Each playbook points at certain dramatic issues and
opportunities, but how you play them ultimately determines where their stories go.
THE BEACON THE LEGACY

The heart of the team. Low powered, low The latest in a family of heroes. Part of a
angst. They’re a hero because they want to be, larger tradition of heroism with its own
and they’re driven always upward. enemies, rules, and obligations.
Important Labels: Mundane, Savior Important Label: Savior
THE BULL THE NOVA

The bruiser with a heart of gold. Created to be The overpowered conflagration. They can
a weapon. Caught between being a cold, gruff reshape the world—but it’s hard to control so
fighter and caring deeply about teammates. much power, and if they fail, others get hurt.
Important Label: Danger Important Label: Freak
THE DELINQUENT THE OUTSIDER

The troublemaker and attention-seeker, The alien with strange powers. They’re from
rabblerouser and rebel. Tricks, deception, and somewhere else. And they’re trying to decide
provocation are their hallmarks. between staying here or going home.
Important Label: Superior Important Labels: Superior, Freak
THE DOOMED THE PROTÉGÉ

The dramatic martyr. Cursed to ultimately lose The extremely well-trained understudy. Defined
their self to some terrible fate, and up against by a strong relationship with one adult
a terrible nemesis. figure—their mentor.
Important Labels: Freak, Danger, Savior Important Label: Superior
THE JANUS THE TRANSFORMED

The hero with a dual life. Required to have a The monstrous appearance and human mind.
secret identity; they struggle to manage two They used to be a regular person, but they
lives at once. were changed forever.
Important Label: Mundane Important Labels: Freak, Danger
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THE BEACON
HERO NAME
REAL NAME
Look
• ambiguous, man, shifting, transgressing, woman
• Asian or South Asian, Black, Hispanic/Latino, Indigenous, Middle Eastern, White
• smiling face, naïve face, average face, pretty face
• stylish clothing, comfortable clothing, simple clothing, casual clothing
• flashy costume, stylish costume, gaudy costume, iconic costume
Abilities
If you have superpowers, they’re pretty minor or not noticeable. If you have skills, you carry the
necessary equipment. Choose two.
T bow and trick arrows T camouflage and stealth T phasing
T swords T martial arts T acrobatics
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Labels
(at character creation, add +1 wherever you choose)
DANGER -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
FREAK -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
SAVIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
SUPERIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
MUNDANE -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
Conditions
T Afraid (-2 to directly engage a threat)
T Angry (-2 to comfort or support or pierce the mask)
T Guilty (-2 to provoke someone or assess the situation)
T Hopeless (-2 to unleash your powers)
T Insecure (-2 to defend someone or reject others’ influence)
Backstory
• How did you gain your skills?
• When did you first put on your costume?
• Who, outside of the team, thinks you shouldn’t be a superhero?
• Why do you try to be a hero?
• Why do you care about the team?
Once you’ve finished your backstory, introduce your character to the other players, and then
determine what happened when your team first came together, the relationships between you and
your teammates, and who has Influence over you.
When our team first came together...

We found signs that this incident was just the start of something bigger. What were the signs?
Relationships
____________________ is awesome, and you take every chance you get to hang out with them.
You’ve got to prove yourself to_____________________ before you feel like a real hero.
Influence
You are so excited to be here. Give Influence over you to three of your teammates.
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Beacon Moves
(Choose two)
T Straight. Up. Creepin’.: When you scope out a T Won’t let you down: When you help a teammate,
person or place, roll + Mundane. On a 10+, ask you can spend 2 out of the Team pool to add +2
two. On a 7-9, ask one. to their roll.
- what’s my best way in/out? T Pretty much a superhero: When you bring up
- what happened here recently? your superhero name to someone important (your
- what here is worth grabbing? call) for the first time, roll + Savior. On a hit,
- who or what here is not what they seem? they’ve heard of you; say which of your exploits
- whose place is this? they’ve heard about and which Label they think
On a miss, you find yourself in over your head. applies. On a 7-9, the GM will tell you something
The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot. else they’ve heard, and pick a second Label they
T No powers and not nearly enough training: assign to you. On a miss, they don’t take you
You’re always picking up new gear to keep seriously or mistrust you moving forward.
yourself in the game. Whenever you pick up a T C’mon, Lucky: You have a pet of some kind, a
new piece of gear, you can write it in as a new smaller companion that helps you out. Detail it.
ability if this line is empty. Choose three basic moves and tell the GM how it
_______________________________ helps you with those moves. Whenever your pet
could help you, take +1 to that move. If your pet
The first time you use each piece of gear to ever gets hurt, treat it as taking a powerful blow.
T Suck it, Domitian: When you stand strong while
directly engage a threat, unleash your powers, or
defend someone, you can roll + Mundane instead
of the normal Label. dramatically under fire, roll + Savior instead of
+ Danger to directly engage a threat.
Drives
Choose four drives to mark at the start of play. When you fulfill a marked drive, strike it out, and
choose one: mark potential, clear a condition, take Influence over someone involved.
When your four marked drives are all struck out, choose and mark four new drives. When all
drives are struck out, change playbooks, retire from the life, or become a paragon of the city.
T lead the team successfully in battle T make out with a teammate
T kiss someone dangerous T punch out a teammate
T punch someone you probably shouldn’t T break up with someone
T help a teammate when they most need you T stop a fight with calm words
T take down a threat all on your own T tell someone your true feelings for them
T outperform an adult hero T travel to an incredible place (or time)
T pull off a ridiculous stunt T reject someone who tells you “you shouldn’t be
T save a teammate’s life here”
T get drunk or high with a teammate
T drive a fantastical vehicle
T get a new costume
T get a new hero name
T earn the respect of a hero you admire
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Moment of Truth
This is the moment when you show them exactly why you belong here. You do any one thing,
take out any one enemy, no matter how insane, no matter how ridiculous, because that’s you.
Their jaws are gonna drop when you’re done. Of course, pulling off a stunt like this tends to bring
unwanted attention and a dangerous reputation...
Team Moves
When you share a triumphant celebration with someone, tell them how they’re awesome and add
a Team to the pool. If they tell you how you’re awesome in return, add another Team to the pool.
When you share a vulnerability or weakness with someone, ask them to confirm or deny that you
should be here. If they confirm it, mark potential and give them Influence over you. If they deny
it, mark Angry and shift one Label up and one Label down, your choice.
POTENTIAL TTTTT
Every time you roll a miss on a move, mark potential.
Advancement
When you fill your potential track, you advance. Choose from the list below.
T Take another move from your playbook T Someone permanently loses Influence over you;
T Take another move from your playbook add +1 to a Label
T Take a move from another playbook T Rearrange your Labels as you choose, and add
T Take a move from another playbook +1 to a Label
T Take a move from another playbook T Unlock your Moment of Truth
When you’ve taken five advances from the top list, you can take advances from the list below.
T Unlock your Moment of Truth after it’s been used T Lock a Label, and add +1 to a Label of your
once choice
T Change playbooks T Retire from the life or become a paragon of the
T Take an adult move city
T Take an adult move
Other Moves
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THE BEACON
You don’t have to do this. You could probably have a safe, decent, simple life.
It’d be nice, but…come on. Superpowers! Aliens! Wizards! Time travel! You’re
out of your depth, but who cares? This is awesome. Everybody should try it.
PLAYING THE BEACON

Hopeful, excited, understanding, human. The Beacon is the most directly
mortal and least strange of all the playbooks. They haven’t been shaped by
anything else—they could choose to leave this life behind, if they wanted.
Which is exactly the point. They’re here because they want to be here. They
want to do this. And that gives them a purity compared to the other characters.
You can expect NPCs to tell you that you don’t really belong here. After
all, you don’t have those extras that most people associate with superheroes.
A central conflict for the Beacon is proving yourself and making the case for
why you actually belong.
Ultimately, your character is all about their drives. Those give you
objectives, things to aim towards and try to do, so make sure you pick drives
that really interest you. Trying to accomplish your drives might lead you into
trouble just as much as it might lead you to triumph, but they’ll always push
you toward that key conflict—do you actually deserve to be here? And that’s
exactly what you want.
Ideally, you want to try to accomplish at least one drive per session. Always
be on the lookout for an opportunity to accomplish one of your drives, and call
out when you think you have. Your GM will want to work with you to make
sure you hit those drives, so remind them what your drives are if you go for a
session without hitting any.
Remember that just because your playbook is generally far less powerful
than most of your fellows, it doesn’t mean you’re incompetent or powerless.
You have abilities! You can unleash your powers to do crazy things! Maybe
not as crazy as transforming cars into robots or flying on jets of fire, but still.
Look for opportunities to show off your own powers. Don’t feel chained to
your Mundane Label.
NOTES ON YOUR MOVES AND EXTRAS

No powers and not nearly enough training requires you to pay attention
to gear. Most other characters only care about stuff like ray guns and special
devices when they’re immediately dangerous, but you should be listening for
cool stuff you can pick up whenever possible. Assessing the situation and
Straight. Up. Creepin’. are great ways to flag cool stuff you can use.
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Pretty much a superhero is your chance to control NPCs’ first impressions
of you. It only triggers when you think the other character is actually important,
and it lets you frame how they see you—though the GM can complicate it
on 7-9. Whatever Label you pick is the one they reflect back at you through
their Influence.
Suck it, Domitian requires you to be dramatically under fire—that means
the odds are against you, or you’re up against some terrifying threat. If the
situation’s well in hand, chances are you’re not dramatically under fire. Of
course, you’re often underpowered compared to your opposition, so it
shouldn’t be too hard to get there.
Your drives work almost like an alternate advancement track—even if
you aren’t there yet on your normal advances, when they’re all gone you have
to change playbooks, retire, or become a paragon. If you retire or become a
paragon, your character becomes an NPC. If you change playbooks, mark that
advance like normal, and switch your character to the new playbook.
SUGGESTED MOVES FROM OTHER PLAYBOOKS

• The Mask, from the Janus playbook. Take this if you want to emphasize
a secret identity for your Beacon without making it the crux of the
whole character.
• I don’t care what you think!, from the Delinquent playbook. Take this
if you want your Beacon to be free from the harsh words of heroes and
villains who think they’re just some kid.
• Never give up, never surrender, from the Legacy playbook. Take this
if you want your Beacon to get beaten up and keep on trucking—most
every enemy will have “far greater power than you.”
INSPIRATION FOR THE BEACON

Kate Bishop, YOUNG AVENGERS and HAWKEYE
Artemis and Arrowette, YOUNG JUSTICE cartoon and comic (respectively)
Doug Ramsey, THE NEW MUTANTS
Kamala Khan, MS. MARVEL
Gertrude Yorkes, RUNAWAYS
Felicity Smoak, ARROW (TV show)
Stephanie Brown (Spoiler), DETECTIVE COMICS
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THE BULL
HERO NAME
REAL NAME (IF DIFFERENT)
Look
• Asian or South Asian, Black, Hispanic/Latino, Indigenous,
Middle Eastern, White
• calloused hands, dirty hands, inhuman hands, battered hands
• baggy clothing, ragged clothing, dirty clothing, casual clothing
• simple costume, memorable costume, over the top costume, no costume
Abilities
Someone or something changed you, made you into a perfect weapon: superhumanly tough,
incredibly strong, and uniquely skilled at fighting. Decide how each of those abilities manifests.
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Labels
DANGER -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
FREAK -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
SAVIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
SUPERIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
MUNDANE -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
Conditions
Backstory
• Who changed you?
• How did you escape from them?
• Who, outside the team, tries to take care of you now?

We defeated a dangerous enemy. Who or what was it?
Relationships
_______________ is your love. You’ve opened up to them about the worst parts of your past.
_______________ is your rival. They tried to control you at a crucial moment.
Influence
You’re selective about who you let in. Give your love and rival Influence over you, but that’s it.
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Bull Moves
(Choose two)
T Thick and thin skinned: Whenever you have T There when it matters: When you defend
Angry marked, take +1 ongoing to unleash your someone, on a hit you can hold 1 instead of
powers. choosing one from the list. Spend your hold when
T You’ve got a head you don’t need: When you
they are in danger later to arrive on the scene
ready to help.
provoke someone with obvious threats and
shows of force, roll + Danger instead of T In a china shop: When you directly engage
+ Superior. a threat, you can cause significant collateral
T Punch everyone: Whenever you charge into a damage to your environment to choose an
additional option, even on a miss.
fight without hedging your bets, you can shift
your Danger up and any other Label down. T Physics? What physics?: When you unleash your
powers to barrel through an insurmountable
barrier, roll + Danger instead of + Freak.
The Bull’s Heart

You always have exactly one love and one rival. You can change your love or rival at any time; give
the new subject of your affections or disdain Influence over you. Take +1 ongoing to any action
that impresses your love or frustrates your rival.
Love:
Rival:
Choose a role you commonly fulfill for your love or rival:
T Defender: When you leap to defend your love or T Listener: When you pierce the mask of your
rival in battle, roll + Danger instead of + Savior love or rival, you can always let them ask you a
to defend them. question to ask them an additional question in
T Friend: When you comfort or support your love
turn, even on a miss. These additional questions
do not have to be on the list.
or rival, mark potential on a hit. When your love
or rival comforts or supports you, mark potential T Enabler: When you provoke your love or rival,
when they roll a hit. roll + Danger if you are trying to provoke them to
rash or poorly thought out action.
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Moment of Truth
This is what you do best. You let loose, all the pent up strength and rage and glee, and you break
whatever stands in your way. You are a walking demolition crew. What can stand up to you?
Nothing. Not buildings. Not structures. Not enemies. Nothing. Of course, now the people who
changed you know exactly where to find you...
Team Moves
When you share a triumphant celebration with someone, make them your love or rival
immediately to mark potential. If they are already your love or rival, take Influence over them and
mark potential.
When you share a vulnerability or weakness with someone, give them Influence and hold 2.
Spend that hold to help them as if it were Team in the pool.
POTENTIAL TTTTT
Advancement
T Take another move from your playbook T Rearrange your Labels as you choose, and add
T Take another move from your playbook +1 to a Label
T Take a move from another playbook T Choose another two roles for The Bull’s Heart
T Someone permanently loses Influence over you;
add +1 to a Label
T Unlock your Moment of Truth after it’s been used T Lock a Label, and add +1 to a Label of your
once choice
Other Moves
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THE BULL
You’re big, strong, and tough. You know what fighting really is, and you’re
good at it. Sure…you’ve got a soft side, too. But you only show that to the
people you care about most. Everybody else? They can eat your fist.
PLAYING THE BULL

Gruff, tough, passionate, big-hearted. The Bull’s a heavy hitter with big feelings.
They get into a lot of fights, both interpersonal and superheroic, especially
thanks to their signature move, The Bull’s Heart. A lot of the time, they’ll be
Angry. They’re a big, gruff wrecking ball, and you should have fun smashing
them into things. Aim for fights, emotional and physical! Be blunt! That’s the
way of the Bull.
Your biggest asset in playing your Bull is your core move, The Bull’s Heart.
It’s your way of signaling to yourself and the whole table that you’re interested
in scenes with particular characters. Pay attention to it, and try to get those
bonuses as much as possible.
When you’re building your Bull, keep your backstory in mind. By default
a Bull was made into a weapon by someone, and you escaped from them. Be
sure to describe what you know, without filling in every detail—you’re handing
tools over to the GM so they can spotlight your character in cool ways.
Every playbook’s Moment of Truth matters and may shift the direction of
the character, but the Bull’s in particular is significant. When you use your
Moment of Truth, the story of the Bull’s origins becomes way more important.
Use your Moment of Truth when you know you want to make that backstory
element unignorable.

You can change the subjects of The Bull’s Heart pretty easily, which lets you
make sure it’s always pointed at characters you’re interested in engaging. Do
that, all the time. Even switching your rival to your love and vice versa is
a good choice to keep things fresh and interesting. Other PCs are usually
more interesting sources of drama and conflict than NPCs, but focus on the
character relationships you find most interesting. If you aren’t spending time
pursuing either your rivalry or your love, then switch as soon as you can.
Also, keep in mind that your love doesn’t have to be a romantic love, and
your rival doesn’t have to be hated. They absolutely can be if that’s what you
want! But they don’t have to be so extreme. Your rival could be your closest
friend whom you’re determined to surpass. Your love might be someone who’s
like your younger sibling, and you keep them safe at all costs. Interpret those
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terms liberally—that’s why The Bull’s Heart roles, like Friend, still make sense.
You would comfort or support your rival if they’re not just an enemy.
Don’t forget your +1 ongoing to either impress your love or frustrate your
rival! Chances are you’re going to be doing those things anyway, so you might
as well get the extra benefit for it.
For Punch everyone, charging into a fight without hedging your bets
means dashing into danger without any thought to your own safety or the
safety of others. It needs to be meaningful that you aren’t hedging your bets or
thinking about what you’re doing. Often, that means you aren’t participating
in the move to generate Team for the fight.
There when it matters allows you to appear in a scene you weren’t
previously in—just work with the GM to explain how you got there so quickly.
It could be anything from you just happening to be in the area to you actively
tailing the person you protect.
For Thick and thin skinned, you can’t normally just choose to mark Angry
whenever you want, so put yourself in situations where that particular button
is likely to get pushed.

• Been reading the files, from the Protégé playbook. Take this if you want
to play into your past as a living weapon made by others—you can easily
assume that they planted knowledge of potential foes in your head.
• Mary Contrary, from the Delinquent playbook. Take this if you want
your Bull to be especially hard to read and gruff.
• Not human enough, from the Transformed playbook. Take this if you
want to double down on your character’s frightening side—and if you
want to be able to easily mark Angry for Thick and thin skinned.
INSPIRATION FOR THE BULL

Ms. America Chavez, YOUNG AVENGERS
Superboy, YOUNG JUSTICE
X-23, X-MEN
Molly Hayes, RUNAWAYS
Hazmat, AVENGERS ACADEMY
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THE DELINQUENT
HERO NAME
Look
• laughing eyes, jaded eyes, untrusting eyes, hateful eyes
• casual clothing, ragged clothing, rebellious clothing, garish clothing
• skimpy costume, showy costume, ridiculous costume, cheap costume, no costume
Abilities
Your powers are messy, deceiving, or frustrating. Choose two.
T teleportation T gadgetry and hacking T emotion control
T tricks illusions T psychic weapons T power negation
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Labels
DANGER -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
FREAK -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
SAVIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
SUPERIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
MUNDANE -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
Conditions
Backstory
• How did you get your powers?
• What do you do for fun?
• Who, outside the team, thinks better of you than you do?

We totally broke some major rules to win the fight. What rules did we break? Whose rules were
they?
Relationships
You keep trying to impress _________________ with your antics.
You and ________________ pulled an awesome (if illegal) stunt together.
Influence
You care way more than you let on. Give three teammates Influence over you.
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Delinquent Moves
(Choose three)
T Mary Contrary: When someone tries to pierce T Troublemaker: When you help a teammate
your mask, comfort or support you, or provoke through destructive, criminal, or rule-breaking
you, you can interfere. Roll + Superior. On a hit, actions, you can give them a +2 instead of a +1
they take a -2 on their roll. On a 10+, you also when you spend a Team from the pool.
T Are you watching closely?: When you mislead,
take Influence over them or clear a condition.
On a miss, they get a 10+ no matter what they
distract, or trick someone, roll + Superior. On a
rolled and you mark a condition of their choice.
hit, they are fooled, at least for a moment. On a
T I don’t care what you think!: Whenever you 10+, choose three. On a 7-9, choose two.
reject others’ Influence, add +2 to your roll. - you get an opportunity
T Team? What team?: When you use Team selfishly, - you expose a weakness or flaw
clear a condition or mark potential. The first - you confuse them for some time
time in a session that you use Team to help a - you avoid further entanglement
teammate, take +1 forward.
On a miss, you’re hopelessly embroiled in it and
T Criminal mind: When you assess the situation, under pressure; mark a condition.
you can always ask one of the following
questions, even on a miss:
- what here is useful or valuable to me?
- how could I best infuriate or provoke
____________?
- what’s the best way in/way past?
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Moment of Truth
This is when you show them what you really are. Whether you’re the hero underneath the rebel
facade...or the one who can make the hard choices heroes can’t make. You do whatever it takes
to show that truth, whether it’s saving the day from a terrible villain or stopping a bad guy once
and for all. Of course, once you’ve shown what you really are, there’s no going back to playing the
clown...
Team Moves
When you share a triumphant celebration with someone, ask them if they think you’re cool. If
they say yes, give them Influence and take Influence over them. If they say no, mark a condition
or spurn them immediately. If they’re a teammate, then either way, add a Team to the pool.
When you share a vulnerability or weakness with someone, give them Influence over you, and
ask them who they’d like you to be. Mark potential if you show them that person. If they’re a
teammate, add a Team to the pool no matter what.
POTENTIAL TTTTT
Advancement
T Take a move from another playbook T Add +1 to any two Labels
add +1 to a Label
T Unlock your Moment of Truth after you’ve used it T Lock a Label, and add +1 to a Label of your
once choice
Other Moves
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THE DELINQUENT
You’ve got these cool powers. But everyone keeps telling you how to use ’em.
You know what they need? Someone to give them trouble, to make sure they
don’t always get their way.
And hey! You’re the perfect hero to do it.
PLAYING THE DELINQUENT

Rebellious, joking, attention-seeking, manipulative. The Delinquent is the class
clown, or the punk with the stash of weed, or the rebel without a cause. They’re
the spoiler, most often just because they can be more than out of any particular
desire. They trick other people, they mess with people, they cause problems.
That said, the Delinquent isn’t an excuse to just be an annoying jerk. They
cause trouble because it’s how they get attention, and it’s how they deal with
problems—but that doesn’t mean they’re without deeper feelings or goals that
make them more human.
The Delinquent veers between being selfish and being a proud member
of the team, and their moves point them in that direction. Mary Contrary
and I don’t care what you think! are both about messing with and ignoring
the words of others, especially your teammates, while Troublemaker is about
helping your team (albeit in destructive ways), and Team? What team? is
about both! The Delinquent bounces back and forth over that line, over
and over, so play in that space and have fun with it. Remember always that,
ultimately, you’re part of this team for a reason—you wanted to be here—so
simply ditching them all is never an option. (Not least because it means your
character would probably retire!)
The Delinquent works best by sticking close to teammates, one way or
another, as much as possible. Whether you’re giving them grief, getting to
know them better, or even revealing your true self, your story is ultimately
about how you relate to your closest compatriots. You’re the companion, the
helper, the provocateur, and you make other characters’ lives interesting with
your presence. Own it!
Part and parcel to the idea that you’re on the team because you want to be
is the idea that you’re a hero because you want to be. You may be a rebel, and
you may hate the capes that patrol the skies, but you’re still on the same side
as them—you are here to help people, to make things better. You just probably
have a different idea of what “better” means than they do.
Delinquents will often tip in the direction of villainy, especially with
the influence of bigger villains around them—but to actually do anything
outwardly villainous ould be a huge shift for them, and might even mark the
end of the character’s arc. Don’t dive into that abyss thoughtlessly.
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For Criminal mind, you still get +1 ongoing to act on the answers to those
questions, just like for a normal assess the situation move.
For Are you watching closely?, you’re assumed not to get any of the options
that you don’t choose. That means if you don’t choose “You confuse them for
some time,” then your trick may not last very long. If you don’t choose “You
avoid further entanglement,” then you can assume someone’s going to check
up on you later about that deception. Getting an opportunity means you get
a chance you might not have had otherwise to take action, and exposing a
weakness or flaw means you learn something you might be able to exploit.

• Be mindful of your surroundings, from the Protégé playbook. Take
this if you want your Delinquent to have a more combat-focused
supplement to Criminal mind.
• Pretty much a superhero, from the Beacon playbook. Take this if you
want your Delinquent to have a reputation, especially one that often gets
out of their control.
• Dangerous web, from the Janus playbook. Take this if you want to add
traps to your repertoire of tricks. (You’ll either have to take The Mask
first, or work with your GM to figure out what your “mask Label” is.)
INSPIRATION FOR THE DELINQUENT

Quentin Quire, WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN
Kid Loki, YOUNG AVENGERS
Chase Stein, RUNAWAYS
Arsenal, YOUNG JUSTICE
Striker, AVENGERS ACADEMY
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THE DOOMED
HERO NAME
Look
• haunted eyes, angry eyes, empty eyes, steely eyes
• unassuming clothing, medical clothing, official clothing, adaptive clothing
• no costume, adaptive costume, medical costume, grim costume, containment suit
Abilities
Your powers are tied into your doom; think about the nature of your doom when you choose
them. Choose up to three.
T telekinesis T memory manipulation T psychic constructs
T body transmutation T superhuman strength and speed T vitality absorption
Nemesis
You have a nemesis, an epic and powerful enemy representing and embodying your doom. It’s
going to take everything you have to take them down in the time you have left.
Who is your nemesis? ________________________________________________________
At the end of every session, answer the question: Did you make progress on defeating your
nemesis? If the answer is yes, mark potential. If the answer is no, mark your doom track.
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Labels
DANGER -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
FREAK -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
SAVIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
SUPERIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
MUNDANE -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
Conditions
Backstory
• When did you first learn of your doom?
• Where did you get your sanctuary?
• Why do you oppose your nemesis?
• Who, outside of the team, is crucial to defeating your nemesis?
• Why does the team matter to you?

We paid a high cost for victory. What was it?
Relationships
You told _______________ all about your doom and the danger you’re in.
You’d love to kiss ________________ before your doom comes.
Influence
These people matter for what you need to do. Give Influence to two of your teammates.
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Doom
You’re doomed. Your powers may be killing you, or maybe you’re hunted ruthlessly, or maybe
you embody an apocalypse. But one way or another, your future is grim.What brings your doom
closer? Choose two.
T overexerting yourself T facing danger alone T showing mercy
T injuring innocents T frightening loved ones T talking about it openly
Doom Track: TTTTT

Whenever you bring your doom closer, mark one box on your doom track.
When your doom track fills, clear it and take one of your doomsigns.
Doomsigns
These are abilities that come to you with your approaching doom. Once you have taken all five
doomsigns above the line, you must take “Your doom arrives” the next time your doom track fills.
Choose one doomsign you already hold at character creation.
T Dark Visions: Mark your doom track to have a T Burning Bright: Mark your doom track to ignore
vision about the situation at hand. After the one of the GM’s stated requirements when you
vision, ask the GM a question; they will answer it call upon the resources of your sanctuary.
T Bolstered: Mark your doom track to use an Adult
honestly.
T Infinite Powers: Mark your doom track to use an Move one time.
ability from any playbook, one time.
T Portal: Mark your doom track to appear in a
scene with anyone you want.
T Your doom arrives; confront it and perish.
Sanctuary
You have a place where you can rest, recover, and reflect upon your powers. Choose and
underline three features of your sanctuary:
An aide or assistant; locks and traps; a library of valuable tomes; a scattering of ancient relics; a
teleportal; a containment system; a powerful computer; useful tools; a meditation space; a power
battery; a power enhancement system; healing equipment; art, music, and food
Choose and underline two downsides of your sanctuary:
Difficult to access, draws dangerous attention, location known to many, easily damaged or
tampered with, tied intricately to your doom
When you call upon the resources of your sanctuary to solve a problem, say what you want to do.
The GM will give you one to four conditions you must fulfill to complete your solution:
T First, you must _______________________ T The best you can do is a lesser version,
T You’ll need help from ___________________ unreliable and limited
T You and your team will risk danger from ______ T You’ll need to mark one box on your doom track
T You’ll have to obtain ___________________
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Moment of Truth
The prickly tingling fear of your doom, always in your head—it holds you back most of the time.
But right here, right now? It gives you the confidence to do anything. After all, what’s the worst
that could happen? Is it worse than your doom? Do impossible things. Do anything. But mark a
doomsign after you’re finished.
Team Moves
When you share a triumphant celebration with someone, give them Influence over you and spend
a Team from the pool to clear one box on your doom track.
When you share a vulnerability or weakness with someone, give them Influence over you and ask
if they honestly think there’s hope for you. If they say yes, mark potential or clear one box of your
doom track. If they say no, mark a condition or mark your doom track.
POTENTIAL TTTTT
Advancement
T Take a move from another playbook T Clear a doomsign; you lose access to that move
T Take a move from another playbook for now
T Someone permanently loses Influence over you; T Get burn and three flares (from the Nova’s
add +1 to a Label playbook)
T Rearrange your Labels as you choose, and add
+1 to a Label
T Unlock your Moment of Truth after you’ve used it T Take an adult move
once T Lock a Label, and add +1 to a Label of your
T Confront your doom on your terms; if you survive, choice
change playbooks T Become a paragon of the city for however long
T Take an adult move you have left
Other Moves
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THE DOOMED
Something about your powers dooms you. It’s just a matter of time before
your doom comes for you. Until then, though...you’ve got a nemesis who
needs fighting and a world that needs saving. After all, it’s better to burn out
than fade away…
PLAYING THE DOOMED

Tragic, melodramatic, powerful, driven. The Doomed is a character best served
by long-term play, even though their story is about time pressure and not
knowing how long they have left. They’re the only character who starts with a
clear-cut enemy—their nemesis—and a dangerous timer on their character’s
lifespan. They’re also the only character that explicitly faces death by the end of
their story. As a result, adding a Doomed to your campaign inherently adds a
level of drama, gloom, and danger to your game—death, while not a constant
element, is now on the table.
If you’re playing the Doomed, you may feel a desire to avoid using your
doomsigns or to stay away from the triggers that advance your doom track.
Don’t! Embrace those pieces of your character. Filling your doom track gives
you doomsigns; doomsigns give you more power; and that power demands
a purpose. By default, you can rely on your nemesis to provide you with a
purpose, something to strive against, but you can aim for other things, too. Be
ready to pay a lot of costs along the way to accomplishing your goals, whether
through your sanctuary or other means.

When you pick the two triggers that bring your doom closer, pick actions you’re
interested in undertaking, not things you’re interested in avoiding. The GM
will help stay alert for when you bring your doom closer, but you’re primarily
in charge of watching for the triggers—so make sure you’re invested in them.
For Infinite Powers, you can use an ability from any playbook—meaning,
one of the abilities listed at the front of each playbook, like acrobatics or
telekinesis. This doomsign gives you temporary access to new powers, so you
can unleash your powers or directly engage in new ways.
For Portal, you can appear in a scene with any one other character you
name—whoever else is there is down to the fiction and the GM’s choice.
The last doomsign, “Your doom arrives; confront it and perish,” triggers the
end of your Doomed’s story. It means that whatever their doom is at that point
finally arrives, and they can’t overcome it. They’re lost to it. The full end may
not happen instantaneously, but it should happen by the end of the session (or
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the next) in which the Doomed marks this final doomsign. Once it’s marked,
nothing can stop the Doomed from perishing.
When you call on the resources of your sanctuary to solve a problem,
those resources should dictate the conditions the GM imposes on you. Often,
you’ll have to add some additional resource to your sanctuary to get the job
done. If your sanctuary is intricately tied with your doom, then almost always
using it to solve a problem should require you to mark your doom track.
When you take the advance “Clear a doomsign,” you erase one marked
doomsign. That means you have to fill your doom track again to retake it. You
lose access to one of your powers, but you delay the arrival of your final doom.
When you take the advance “Confront your doom on your terms; if you
survive, change playbooks,” it means you’re forcing a confrontation with your
doom…but you get to define the terms. You might confront your doom and
overcome it purely over the course of play—in which case, the GM might say it’s
appropriate that you simply mark off this advance and change playbooks. But
if you select this advance, you choose to force the issue. You aren’t guaranteed
to survive that final confrontation—only to have a chance at victory.

• Alien tech, from the Outsider playbook. Take this if you want your
Doomed to have the ability to create artifacts on the fly—just reinterpret
“alien tech” to match the specifics of your doom and powerset.
• Be the monster, from the Transformed playbook. Take this if you want
to play up the scary side of your Doomed and how frightening your
powers are when they manifest.
• Physics? What physics?, from the Bull playbook. Take this if you want
to emphasize Danger over Freak when you’re using your powers.
INSPIRATIONS FOR THE DOOMED

Veil, AVENGERS ACADEMY
Raven, TEEN TITANS
Rachel Summers, X-MEN
Monster Girl, INVINCIBLE
Velocidad, GENERATION HOPE
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THE JANUS
HERO NAME
REAL NAME
Look
• Asian or South Asian, Black, Hispanic/Latino,
Indigenous, Middle Eastern, White
• boring clothing, elegant clothing, formal clothing, upscale clothing
• iconic costume, concealing costume,
distracting costume, flashy costume
• featureless mask, helmet, character mask,
small mask, hood, full disguise
Abilities
Your appearance is unchanged by your abilities, and you can keep your powers hidden.
You have heightened physical abilities (strength, agility, toughness), and choose two unique
abilities:
T rodent/insect control T energy absorption T impossible mobility
T bone generation, venom, or T supernatural senses T substance mimicry
webs
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Labels
DANGER -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
FREAK -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
SAVIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
SUPERIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
MUNDANE -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
Conditions
Backstory
• When did you first put on the mask? Why?
• Why do you keep a secret identity?
• Who, outside of the team, knows about your dual identity?
• Who thinks the worst of your masked identity?

We saved the life of someone important, either to the city or to us. Who was it? Why are they
important?
Relationships
_____________________ knew you from your civilian life first.
You refused to tell ___________________ your secret identity when they asked.
Influence
You look up to your teammates; they seem to have this superhero thing figured out. Give two of
them Influence over you.
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Janus Moves
(You start with The Mask and two others of your choice)
T The Mask: You wear a mask and hide your real T Mild-mannered: When you try to use your civilian
identity. Choose what Label you try to embody identity to deceive, trick, or slip past someone,
while wearing your mask: roll + Mundane. On a hit they buy your facade.
T Freak T Danger T Savior T Superior
On a 7-9, choose one:
- you’re still under observation
Once per session, you can affirm either your
- you leave something incriminating behind
heroic or secret identity to switch your Mundane
- you’re forced to make a fool of yourself to
with your mask’s Label.
sell it
When you reveal your secret identity to someone On a miss, one of your civilian obligations rears
who didn’t know it already, mark potential. its ugly head.
T Game face: When you commit yourself to save T I’ll save you!: You’re willing to pay high costs
someone or defeat a terrible enemy, mark a to keep your loved ones safe. Reveal your secret
condition and take +1 ongoing to all rolls in identity to someone watching or mark a condition
direct pursuit of that goal. At the end of any to defend a loved one as if you rolled a 12+.
T Dangerous web: When you reveal a trap you’ve
scene in which you don’t make progress towards
that goal, mark a condition. When you fulfill your
left for someone using your powers, roll + your
goal, mark potential.
mask’s Label. On a hit, your opponent trips into
T I am what you see: When you spend time talking it, and you get an opening or opportunity against
to someone about your identity, you can ask them them. On a 10+, take +1 forward to pursuing
which Label they want to impose on you; their it. On a miss, the trap inadvertently leads to a
player will tell you honestly. If you accept what dangerous escalation.
they tell you, take +1 forward and either mark
potential or clear a condition.
Secret Identity
Your mundane life comes with a series of obligations. Choose a total of three obligations.
Jobs: Barista, intern, host/ess, salesperson, delivery person, fast-food worker, babysitter,
dishwasher, tech support, waitress/er
School: Schoolwork, athletic team, chess club, photography club, student government
Home: Caring for someone, household chores, paying bills, surrogate parenting
Social: Significant other, best friend, popularity, close relative, coach/teacher
When time passes, roll + your Mundane to see how you’re managing your obligations. On a
hit, things are going pretty well—you have an opportunity or advantage thanks to one of your
obligations. On a 7-9, you’ve lapsed on one obligation, your choice. On a miss, you haven’t given
your normal life anywhere near the attention it deserves; the GM chooses two obligations that are
going to bite you in the butt.
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Moment of Truth
The mask is a lie, and some piece of you has always known that. Doesn’t matter if others can see
it. You’re the one that can do the impossible. Mask off. Costume on. And you’re going to save the
damn day. Of course, you better hope nobody nasty is watching…
Team Moves
When you share a triumphant celebration with someone, ask them if they see you as the person
wearing the mask or the person underneath. If the former, mark potential and clear a condition. If
the latter, take Influence over them if you reveal yourself.
When you share a vulnerability or weakness with someone, tell them a secret about who you
really are. Give them Influence, and shift your Mundane up and your mask’s Label down.
POTENTIAL TTTTT
Advancement
T Take another move from your playbook T Change your mask’s Label; add +1 to your
T Take another move from your playbook mask’s new Label
T Take a move from another playbook T Take drives from the Beacon’s playbook
add +1 to a Label
once choice
Other Moves
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THE JANUS
Wake up. Breakfast. School. Work. Homework. Sleep. Repeat. It burns you up,
being stuck in this life, unable to make a real difference. That is...until you put
on the mask. And then, you can be someone else: a hero.
PLAYING THE JANUS

Stressed, responsible, dual, heroic. The Janus is two people in one, and their
struggle is about balancing that paradox.
You have your regular life and all its responsibilities on one side, and your
superheroic life and all its madness on the other. And ultimately, you don’t
want to give up either one—but they both pull and pull at you, building up
the tension until you feel like you’re going to snap. That’s okay, though. Your
story’s all about that tension, and overcoming it, especially thanks to the people
around you. Cultivate relationships with NPCs and PCs—they’re all important
to your overarching story.
Pay close attention to your mask. When do you wear it and when do you
take it off? Who knows about your secret identity and who doesn’t? For you,
more than any other playbook, it matters which overt guise you’re in, which
mask you’re wearing, and which face you’re presenting to the outside world.

For The Mask, affirming your secret or masked identity means doing
something that firmly plants you in that role. Leaving your teammates to go
save your sister might affirm you as your secret identity, even while you’re
still wearing your mask. Doing the opposite, going off to fight the Blue
Hydra instead of rescuing your sister from the Centipede, might affirm you
in your masked role. Affirming your identity should always be a meaningful
choice or action in the fiction, something with ramifications—good or bad—
moving forward.
For Game face, whether or not you made progress towards your goal is
ultimately down to the GM’s discretion.
For I am what you see, you can still reject the Label they try to impose on
you—and you’ll probably have to if you don’t accept it.
For Mild-mannered, if they buy your facade you’re in no immediate
danger of being found out. If you’re still under observation, it means that if
you do anything too problematic, you’re likely to get into trouble—they’re
watching you. If you leave something incriminating, it means that later you
can expect someone to put two and two together and come to find you. If you
have to make a fool of yourself, you can expect NPCs to use their Influence to
affect how you see yourself—and probably inflict a condition.
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I’ll save you is ultimately a move for making sure the people from your
civilian life are safe at critical moments—though it may come at some cost to
you. It has other applications, but if you want to be confident in your ability to
save loved ones, this is the move for you.
For Dangerous web, you don’t actually have to have put the trap in earlier—
when you trigger the move, it can be the first time that you’ve mentioned
setting the trap. It has to fit the fiction—if there’s no way you possibly could
have left a trap, then you can’t trigger the move. Talk out with the GM how
and when you left the trap.
For your Secret Identity, the GM tells you what opportunity or advantage
you receive on a hit. When you lapse on an obligation, that means you can
expect to get trouble from it in the near future. When your obligations come
back to bite you in the butt, they’ll make your life more complicated almost
immediately.

• Straight. Up. Creepin’., from the Beacon playbook. Take this if you
want to do more “heroic” action while in your mundane mode—this
move will help you to investigate dastardly deeds without your mask.
• Are you watching closely?, from the Delinquent playbook. Take this if
you want more ways to play tricks on foes, and especially if your Mask
Label is Superior.
• I know what I am, from the Legacy playbook. Take this if you want a
stronger way to self-determine your character’s identity, and especially
if your Mask Label is Savior.
INSPIRATIONS FOR THE JANUS

Miles Morales, ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN
Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes), YOUNG JUSTICE
Kamala Khan, MS. MARVEL
Thor (Jane Foster), THOR
Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), BATGIRL
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THE LEGACY
LEGACY NAME
REAL NAME
Look
• comfortable clothing, school uniform,
traditional clothing, trendy clothing
• modern costume, traditional costume, unique
costume, predecessor’s costume
• animal insignia, letter insignia, simple
symbol insignia, no insignia
Abilities
You have powers that match your general line. Choose one suite of powers, but pick two powers
that you don’t have from your suite:
T super strength, invincibility, eye beams, flight, T divine armor, magic weaponry, mythic might,
super senses legendary speed, god-like beauty
T super speed, regeneration, phasing, speed- T shadow control, shadow portals, mind-clouding,
reading/learning, air manipulation shadow cloak stealth, shadow senses
T athletic perfection, Holmesian deduction,
gadgetry, intimidation, fearsome reputation
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Labels
DANGER -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
FREAK -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
SAVIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
SUPERIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
MUNDANE -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
Conditions
Backstory
• When did you officially become a part of your legacy?
• What’s the greatest accomplishment of your legacy?
• How does the public perceive your legacy?
• How does your legacy tie into your reasons for being a hero?

All things considered, we did well and impressed an established hero. Who was it?
Relationships
You once got caught doing something that shames your legacy with ______________.
You trust ______________ and told them an important secret of your legacy.
Influence
You’re a part of this team, for better or worse, and you care what they think. Give Influence to all
of your teammates.
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Legacy Moves
(Choose two)
T Fight the good fight: When you pull your punches T Never give up, never surrender: When you
while directly engaging a threat, you can roll + take a powerful blow from someone with far
Savior instead of + Danger. If you do, you cannot greater power than you, use this move instead
choose to impress, surprise, or frighten your foe. of the basic move. Roll + Savior. On a hit, you
T I know what I am: Once per scene, when you
stand strong and choose one. On a 7-9, mark a
defend a teammate you can shift Savior up condition.
and another Label down in addition to any other - you get an opportunity or opening against
benefits from the move, even on a miss. If you your attacker
do, add 1 Team to the pool. - you rally from the hit, and it inspires the
T Words of the past: When you seek the guidance
team; add 1 Team to the pool
- you keep your attacker’s attention
of one of your elders or a member of your legacy,
tell them a problem you face, and ask them a On a miss, you go down hard but leave your
question about the problem. They will answer opponent off balance and vulnerable.
it honestly, and tell you what to do. Take +1 T Symbol of authority: When you give an NPC an
ongoing if you listen. If you go your own way, order based on authority they recognize, roll
mark potential.
+ Savior. On a hit, they choose one:
T The legacy matters: When you take Influence
- do what you say
over someone from your legacy (or give them
- get out of your way
Influence over you), mark potential and take +1
- attack you at a disadvantage
forward. When someone from your legacy causes
- freeze
your Labels to shift, mark potential and take +1
forward. On a 10+, you also take +1 forward against
them. On a miss, they do as they please and you
take -1 forward against them.
Legacy
Your legacy is an important part of Halcyon City.
Name the different members of your legacy (at least two):
____________________ is still active and prominent in the city.
____________________ is retired and quite judgmental.
____________________ is the next possible member of your legacy.
____________________ is the greatest opponent your legacy ever faced...and is still at large.
Whenever time passes, roll + Savior to see how the members of your legacy feel or react to your
most recent exploits. Before rolling, ask the other players to answer these questions about your
performance. Take -1 to the roll for each “no” answer:
have you been upholding the traditions of your legacy?
have you maintained the image of your legacy?
have you made the other members of your legacy proud?
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On a hit, one of them offers you meaningful encouragement, an opportunity, or an advantage. On
a 7-9, another is upset with your most recent actions, and will make their displeasure known. On
a miss, something you did stirred up the hornet’s nest—expect several members of your legacy to
meddle with your life.
Moment of Truth
This is the moment when you prove how much the mantle belongs to you. You seize control of all
your powers, and you defeat even impossible odds to prove you are worthy of the name you carry.
You accomplish feats even your predecessors couldn’t do. Of course, after you prove something
like that, you can expect still more responsibilities to be placed on your shoulders...
Team Moves
When you share a triumphant celebration with someone, tell them whether you see them as an
equal. If you do, give them Influence over you and mark potential. If you don’t, shift Superior up
and any other Label down.
When you share a vulnerability or weakness with someone, tell them a secret about your legacy
(including your own true feelings about it) to clear a condition and give them Influence over you.
POTENTIAL TTTTT
Advancement
T Someone permanently loses Influence over you; T Take a Sanctuary from the Doomed playbook
add +1 to a Label T Unlock the remaining two powers of your suite
once choice
Other Moves
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THE LEGACY
You’re the latest in a storied heroic lineage, a family that shares a name and a
cause. Now, everybody is watching and waiting to see if you’ve got what it takes
to uphold that tradition. No pressure, right?
PLAYING THE LEGACY

Capable, impressive, burdened, famous. The Legacy comes from a long line of
superheroes, meaning they have a superheroic family, either biologically related
or connected through their shared legacy. Their story is about the support of
that family, and the pressure of carrying on the family name. They have many
benefits and advantages that the other PCs might not have—the name of their
legacy itself probably carries weight with the city—but at the same time, the
expectations and responsibilities placed on them are even higher.
The Legacy has a constant source of support and connection in the other
members of their legacy—returning to those characters on a regular basis is
an important part of the Legacy’s cycle. If you don’t spend time with them, you
can expect them to purposefully force their way into your life.
The Legacy often inherently pushes into a position of authority on the
team—they’re probably from one of the most established traditions of heroism
in the city. Run with it! Putting still more responsibility on the Legacy only
further highlights your issues—and gives you even more chances to triumph.
This doesn’t mean your Legacy is guaranteed to be the leader of the team,
though, especially if you have someone like a Protégé on your team. Play with
that tension—everyone would think you would be the leader, but is it what
you really want?

Words of the past lets you ask members of your legacy for input on a problem.
The legacy matters is about taking and giving Influence to members of your
legacy, and allowing yourself to be shaped by their words and opinions.
Both are great moves to push you toward interacting with your legacy on a
regular basis.
Never give up, never surrender only triggers when you get hit by someone
far stronger than you. Choosing “You get an opportunity or opening against
your attacker” means the GM tells you what opportunity or opening you
receive, suited to the situation. Choosing to keep your attacker’s attention
ensures they won’t stop trying to attack you after they notice how hardy you
are—you can continue defending others by sacrificing yourself.
Symbol of authority should be aimed pretty specifically when you trigger
it. You should be clear about the specific person or group of people you’re using
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it on—and the GM has final say over whether it makes sense that you’re using
the move on a larger group. Generally speaking, you can only use Symbol of
authority on a group that’s unified and not differentiated from each other.
The move only triggers when the person you command actually recognizes
and understands your authority. If you tell a group of unintelligent robots—or
aliens who’ve never heard of your legacy—that they must stop what they’re
doing, the move won’t trigger. It still triggers on enemies who know of you,
but hate your legacy—they recognize your authority, even if they loathe it and
choose to ignore it as much as possible.
You also might give them an order that lines up with one of the options on
the list—for instance, ordering them to get out of your way. That’s fine, and it
still comes down to the GM’s choice to say exactly which option they choose.
Your legacy move triggers “when time passes.” When there’s a jump cut
to a later time, when things have quieted down a bit and given characters the
opportunity to react to recent events, this move triggers. Members of your
legacy might react to your recent actions without triggering this move—
especially if you take particularly heroic or non-heroic actions.

• Won’t let you down, from the Beacon playbook. Take this if you want
to be able to give your teammates some major help, emphasizing your
role as a team player.
• I’ll save you!, from the Janus playbook. Take this if you want to be able
to keep your legacy members safe and sound when push comes to shove.
• Captain, from the Protégé playbook. Take this if you want to be in a
leadership role on your team.
INSPIRATIONS FOR THE LEGACY

Kid Flash, YOUNG JUSTICE
Robin (Tim Drake), YOUNG JUSTICE
Lightspeed, AVENGERS ACADEMY
Beast Boy, TEEN TITANS
Green Lantern (any), JUSTICE LEAGUE
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THE NOVA
HERO NAME
Look
• ambiguous, man, shifting,
transgressing, woman
• Asian or South Asian, Black, Hispanic/
Latino, Indigenous, Middle Eastern, White
• glowing skin, inorganic skin,
marked skin, normal skin
• fashionable clothing, casual clothing, formal clothing, dark clothing
• colorful costume, uniform costume, mythological costume, fantastical costume, no costume
Abilities
You can fundamentally control the world around you. Choose one option from the list as the
broad base of your control.
T telekinesis and telepathy T biokinesis T gravity manipulation
T sorcery T elemental control T cosmic energies
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Labels
DANGER -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
FREAK -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
SAVIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
SUPERIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
MUNDANE -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
Conditions
Backstory
• When did you first use your powers?
• Who was the first person you accidentally hurt with your powers?
• Who, outside the team, helps you control your powers?
• Why do you continue to use your powers?

We destroyed our surroundings in the fight. Where was it? What did we destroy?
Relationships
You hang out all the time with __________________ to blow off steam.
You once hurt ________________ when you lost control of your powers.
Influence
Choose your demeanor: happy facade or locked down.
If you choose happy facade, give Influence to three teammates.
If you choose locked down, give Influence to one teammate.
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Burn
When you charge up your powers, roll + conditions you currently have marked. On a hit, hold 3
burn. On a 7-9, mark a condition. On a miss, hold 2 burn and mark three conditions.
Spend your burn on your flares. You lose all burn at the end of the scene.
Choose four flares.
T Reality storm: You channel a destructive burst T Move: Spend 1 burn to move to any place you
with your powers. Spend 1 burn to directly choose within the scene, breaking through or
engage a threat using your powers, rolling + slipping past any barriers or restraints in your
Freak instead of + Danger. If you do, you will way. Spend a second burn to move to any place
cause unwanted collateral damage unless you you’ve previously been.
T Boost: Spend 1 burn to supercharge a
spend another burn.
T Shielding: You call up a fast protective field to teammate’s efforts with your powers, giving them
stop a danger. Spend 1 burn to defend someone a +1 bonus to their roll as if you had spent Team
else from an immediate threat, rolling + Freak from the pool.
instead of + Savior. T Overcharge: You channel the full capacity of
T Constructs: Spend 1 burn to create any your incredible powers to overcome an obstacle,
object with your powers, up to the size of a reshape your environment, or extend your senses.
person. Spend an additional burn to animate Spend 2 burn to take a 10+ when you unleash
it independently of yourself. The construct your powers.
dissolves at the end of the scene. T Elemental awareness: Spend 1 burn and mark
T Moat: Spend 1 burn to create a barrier that a condition to open your mind up to the world
will hold back threats as long as you keep your around you with your powers. You can ask any
attention on it. The GM may call for you to spend one question about the world around you, and
another burn if the barrier is threatened by the GM will answer honestly.
T Snatch: Spend 1 burn to use your powers to seize
particularly powerful enemies.
T Worship: You put out a tremendous display of any one object up to the size of a person from
your might. Spend 1 burn to awe an audience someone within view.
into silence, respect, and attention when you
unleash your powers.
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Moment of Truth
Your mind’s eye opens, and you can see the world around you like never before. You can control
it, at will, with ease. Of course, warping reality tends to have ramifications down the line, but in
your moment of godhood...how could you possibly be worried?
Team Moves
When you share a triumphant celebration with someone, ask them if there is any fear in their
eyes when they look at you. If they say no, take +1 forward and mark potential. If they say yes,
immediately shift your Danger up and Savior down.
When you share a vulnerability or weakness with someone, tell them how they could stop you, if
it came down to it. Give them Influence over you and clear a condition.
POTENTIAL TTTTT
Advancement
T Take a move from another playbook T Unlock three new flares
T Someone permanently loses Influence over you; T Unlock three new flares
add +1 to a Label T Take The Bull’s Heart from the Bull playbook
+1 to a Label
once choice
Other Moves
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THE NOVA
You’re a font of power. Channel it, and you can remake the world into exactly
what you want. Unleash it, and you can do miracles. It’s wonderful...and
terrifying. Lose control for even a second, and other people get hurt.
PLAYING THE NOVA

Powerful, unrestrained, vulnerable, destructive. The Nova is power incarnate,
capable of affecting the world and changing reality on a level their teammates
can’t possibly match—but that power comes with enormous risk, both to the
Nova and to the world around them.
The Nova’s abilities are intentionally some of the most open-ended of
any playbook. They can do nearly anything, though not without difficulty or
cost. Chances are, if the Nova wants to do something with their superhuman
abilities, there’s a way they can twist their abilities to do that thing—after they
unleash their powers, of course. And if they miss when unleashing their
powers, the consequences will be much more severe than when the Beacon
misses while firing a net arrow.
Keep in mind the distinction between unleashing your powers and using
your Burn and flares. To unleash, you push your powers to do something
impressive right now. To use your Burn, you have to charge up, and then
you can create all manner of cool effect through your flares, and you might
not even need to roll. So if you just want a quick solution, you’re probably
unleashing. If you want to let loose with a string of effects, charge your flares.
The Nova is particularly focused on each moment, each individual problem
immediately at hand. They’re so powerful, chances are good that they can at
least try to overcome any obstacle with their powers, right then and there. As
a result, this isn’t a playbook for long-term planning or preparation. You’re
explosive, a battering ram of power. Don’t be too afraid of conditions, because
they feed right into your flares, giving you still more power to just make things
happen, instantly. But that’s your story—balancing the impossible, trying to
keep a rein on your power and guide it in the right direction.

When you charge up your powers, the burn you generate lasts until the end of
the scene. To charge up your powers, tell the GM what you’re actually doing,
what that looks like for you. If, through charging up your powers, you wind
up marking one condition too many, that still takes you out of the scene, just
like normal. When you roll + conditions marked, add the total number of
conditions you currently have marked to your roll—but keep in mind your
bonus can’t go higher than +4.
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For Reality storm, if you cause unwanted collateral damage, the GM tells
you what it is—and you can expect not to like it.
For Constructs, when you animate a construct independent of yourself,
you can give it orders and have it take actions. It will obey you. For the most
part, the GM tells you the results of anything it does, but the GM might have
you make a move through your construct, if appropriate.
Shielding allows you to protect someone in the moment, rolling + Freak
to defend. It’s transient and immediate.
Moat allows you to set up a lasting defense in advance, but it won’t
necessarily help you right in the moment when your friend is in danger.
Moat lasts as long as you focus on it and spend more burn when it gets hit
especially hard.
Worship allows you to awe an audience in addition to whatever else you
do when you unleash. You can unleash your powers specifically to put on the
display if you so choose.
Move can refer to teleportation, barreling hard in one direction, or anything
else that fits your powers.
Elemental awareness lets you ask the GM any question you want, but it has
to be about the place you’re currently in, or elements in the area around you.

• Thick and thin skinned, from the Bull playbook. Take this if you want
to be able to dish it out to the enemies that tick you off—especially
seeing as your Burn only gets more effective if you’re Angry all the time.
• Fight the good fight, from the Legacy playbook. Take this if you want
to emphasize how strong you are by showing those times that you hold
back and don’t use your full strength.
• Coming for you, from the Transformed playbook. Take this if you want
to alleviate some of the cost of marking the conditions you need in order
to use your Burn.
INSPIRATIONS FOR THE NOVA

Wiccan, YOUNG AVENGERS
Miss Martian, YOUNG JUSTICE: INVASION
Jean Grey, X-MEN
Nico Minoru, RUNAWAYS
Zero, GENERATION HOPE
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THE OUTSIDER
HERO NAME
Look
• strange body, animalistic body, neon body, human body
• glowing eyes, animalistic eyes, metallic eyes, bizarre eyes
• flashy clothing, mismatched clothing, average clothing, no human clothing
• your people’s uniform, your station’s costume, practical costume, humanizing costume, no costume
Abilities
You can fly, and you’re pretty tough. Choose any two of the following:
T density control T stunning beauty or T alien weaponry
T heliokinesis pheromones T telepathy and mind blasts
T radical shapeshifting
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Labels
DANGER -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
FREAK -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
SAVIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
SUPERIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
MUNDANE -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
Conditions
Backstory
• Where do you come from?
• Why did you come to Earth?
• Why do you want to stay here (for now at least)?
• Why do your people want you to come home?

We didn’t trust each other at first, but that changed. How? Why?
Relationships
You’ve been learning about Earth by spending time with _____________.
You have a crush on ________________ but you keep it under wraps.
Influence
Choose your demeanor: haughty or cheerful.
If you’re haughty, you think you’re better than them. Give no one Influence.
If you’re cheerful, you’re thrilled to be here. Give everyone Influence over you.
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Outsider Moves
(Choose three)
T Belong in two worlds: You have the resources T Kirby-craft: You have a vehicle, something
that come with your station. Whenever you from your home. Detail its look, and choose two
contact your people, roll + Superior. On a 10+, strengths and two weaknesses. When you are
hold 3. On a 7-9, hold 2. On a miss, hold 1, but flying your ship, you can use it to unleash your
your people make an uncomfortable demand of powers, directly engage a threat, or defend
you. Spend your hold 1 for 1 to: someone using Superior.
- receive a useful piece of alien technology Strengths: Fast & maneuverable, chameleon
that will allow you to use any ability from plating, powerful weaponry, regenerating,
another playbook once (choose the ability dimension-shifting, size-shifting, telepathic
when you spend the hold)
Weaknesses: Bizarre fuel source, susceptible to
- consult your people’s knowledge to ask the
_______, easily detectable, slow and clumsy,
GM a question about the current situation
unarmed, difficult to repair
- clear a condition through the comfort of
contact with your home T The best of them: When you comfort or support
T Alien tech: When you alter a human device

someone by telling them how they exemplify the
best parts of Earth, roll + Freak instead of
with your alien technology, roll + Freak. On a
+ Mundane.
hit, you create a device that can do something
impossible once and then fizzle. When you roll a T Not so different after all: When you talk about
10+, choose one: your home, roll + Freak. On a 10+, choose two.
On a 7-9, choose one. During the conversation,
- it works exceptionally well
you:
- you get an additional use out of it
- confess a flaw of your home; add 1 Team to
On a miss, the device works, but it has a the pool
completely unintended side effect that the GM
- mislead them about your home; take
will reveal when you use it.
Influence over them
T Alien ways: Whenever you openly disregard or - describe the glories of your home; clear a
undermine an important Earth custom in favor of condition
one of your own people’s customs, shift Superior
On a miss, you inadvertently reveal more about
up and any other Label down.
yourself than you planned; tell them a secret or
vulnerability you haven’t shared with Earthlings
before now.
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Moment of Truth
You embrace your home and call them for aid. They will answer your call—in force!—arriving
exactly when you need them to turn the tide. They fight and serve you for the rest of the battle. Of
course, when all is said and done...they’d probably like to take you home with them. You did, after
all, just prove yourself worthy.
Team Moves
When you share a triumphant celebration with someone, take Influence over them if you show
them meaningful affection, physical or emotional. They decide if it’s meaningful.
When you share a vulnerability or weakness with someone, they tell you what you should do to fit
in more. Take +1 forward to do it, and mark potential if you do.
POTENTIAL TTTTT
Advancement
T Take another move from your playbook T Unlock your Moment of Truth
T Take another move from your playbook T Choose two new abilities from any playbook as
T Take a move from another playbook you come into your own
T Someone permanently loses Influence over you; T You adopt a human life; take Secret Identity and
add +1 to a Label The Mask from the Janus playbook
+1 to a Label
once choice
Other Moves
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THE OUTSIDER
You’re not from here. Your home is an amazing place, full of beauty and
wonder. But there’s something to them, something special that you’re missing
back home. Something…human. So yeah, you’ll be hanging around. At
least for now.
PLAYING THE OUTSIDER

Strange, curious, naïve, arrogant. The Outsider isn’t from here, but that won’t
stop them from creating a life for themself right here on this planet. At least,
for now. But can they find a place here? Will they even want to, once they get
to know this world more? Or will they answer that siren call, and go home?
When you make an Outsider, feel free to go nuts with your homeland. You
might be an alien, absolutely, but you might also be from a parallel world, or
from the future, or from a digital realm—whatever. The key is, wherever you’re
from, it has to be substantially different from Earth and Halcyon City, to the
point that you don’t fit in even when you try.
A crucial thing to remember while playing the Outsider is that you aren’t
incompetent—you understand more than enough to get by in your new home.
What you don’t understand are the more complicated elements of the world
around you.
Pick a few key areas of different philosophy and psychology as you play
your Outsider. You can add all the weird pieces you want—“My people never
let their feet touch the ground, and we can’t see the color green, and we hear
emotions!”—but focus on important and difficult questions, like your people
actively dismissing the idea of incarcerating criminals instead of reforming
them or believing that those with great power are required to follow the will
of the people.

Belong in two worlds inherently implies that you have some status and power
with your people. You also must have some method of contacting your people,
whatever that might be for you.
The hold you spend on pieces of tech or answers can represent benefits
you’ve gained over the course of your communication with your people,
allowing you to say after the fact that they gave you technology or information
during the conversation. Spending a hold to clear a condition through
contact with home, however, is only appropriate when you’re actually in
contact with home.
When you create a device with Alien tech, you still need human
technology to build on. While whatever you build can do something
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impossible, it often does a limited version of it—choosing on a 10+ that the
device works exceptionally well ensures that you get everything you wanted,
and maybe more.
If you take a Kirby-craft, its particulars are largely down to your fictional
set up. How big is it? As big as you think makes sense. What does it look
like? Whatever makes sense for your people’s technology. Its strengths and
weaknesses just tell you and the GM the important pieces about what the ship
can do and how it can be damaged. If it gets damaged, you have to repair it to
use it again.
For Alien ways, what counts as an important Earth custom is ultimately up
to you and the GM. As a guideline, a custom is important when undermining
it has consequences and/or creates friction with those around you. If nobody
cares if you undermine that custom, it’s probably not all that important.
For Not so different after all, remember that you have to actually do
whatever options you choose. Make sure you let the other players know how
you confess a flaw of your home, mislead them about your home, or describe
the glories of your home during the conversation.

• I am what you see, from the Janus playbook. Take this if you want to put
your Outsider’s identity even more into the hands of others, and if you
want to have lots of conversations about who you truly are.
• C’mon, Lucky, from the Beacon playbook. Take this if you want to have
an alien animal sidekick!
• Symbol of authority, from the Legacy playbook. Take this if you want
to have a way to use whatever authority you hold from your home on a
more regular basis.
INSPIRATIONS FOR THE OUTSIDER

Miss Martian, YOUNG JUSTICE
Marvel Boy, YOUNG AVENGERS
Xavin, RUNAWAYS
Starfire, TEEN TITANS
Warlock, THE NEW MUTANTS
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THE PROTÉGÉ
HERO NAME
REAL NAME
Look
• athletic body, compact body, lean body, muscular body
• school uniform, casual clothes, fashionable clothes, loose clothes
• colorful costume, mentor’s garb, protective wear, simple costume
Abilities
You are someone’s protégé. Your powers largely mimic theirs, but each of you is in some way
unique. Pick one ability you both share and one ability for each of you that is uniquely yours.
SHARED ABILITY:
YOUR OWN ABILITY:
YOUR MENTOR’S ABILITY:
Superhuman physique, weapons and gadgets, stealth, detective skills, hacking, power mimicry,
body elasticity, powerful armor, telepathy/telekinesis, intimidation and fear, impossible fighting
skills, elemental control
Mentor
You have a mentor, someone who’s taught you, trained you, given you aid, or raised you up.
Someone who might have confined you a bit too rigidly to a single path. Which Label do they
embody, and which do they deny? (circle one each)
EMBODIES Savior Danger Freak Superior Mundane

DENIES Savior Danger Freak Superior Mundane
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Labels
DANGER -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
FREAK -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
SAVIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
SUPERIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
MUNDANE -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
Conditions
Backstory
• How did you first meet your mentor?
• When and why did you choose to train with them?
• Why did they agree to train you?
• Who else, outside of the team, knows about your training?

We stuck together after all was said and done. Why? How’d we keep in contact?
Relationships
You and ____________________ teamed up a few times before the rest of you came together.
Your mentor is cautious; they asked you to keep an eye on __________________.
Influence
Choose your demeanor: playful or business.
If you choose playful, give Influence to two teammates.
If you choose business, give Influence to no teammates.
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Protégé Moves
(Choose three)
T Been reading the files: You’ve learned about T Fireside chat: When you seek advice from your
the superhuman world through your mentor’s mentor, roll + the Label they embody. On a hit
resources. When you first encounter an important they will tell you what to do. On a 10+, mark
superpowered phenomenon (your call), roll potential if you follow their advice, and take +1
+ Superior. On a hit, tell the team one important ongoing to follow through. On a 7-9, you get +1
detail you’ve learned from your studies. The GM forward to see it through if you do it their way.
will tell you what, if anything, seems different On a miss, they don’t have time for you because
from what you remember. On a 10+, ask the GM something big has gone down; mark a condition,
a follow-up question; they will answer it honestly. GM’s choice.
T Be mindful of your surroundings: When you
On a miss, the situation is well outside your base
of knowledge; the GM will tell you why. assess the situation before entering into a fight,
T Captain: When you enter battle as a team, add you may ask one additional question, even on a
an extra Team to the pool and carry +1 forward if miss.
T Heroic tradition: When you give someone the
you are the leader.
T Venting frustration: When you directly engage advice that you think your mentor would give,
while you are Angry, you can roll + the Label your you can roll + the Label your mentor embodies to
mentor denies and clear Angry. comfort or support someone, instead of rolling
+ Mundane.
Mentor’s Resources
Choose up to three resources that your mentor gave you and the team:
A hidden base, a vehicle, a supercomputer, communicators, surveillance equipment, false
identities, badges of authority, a chem lab, a med lab, a teleportal, a weapon of last resort, security
systems, simple robots
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Moment of Truth
The moment that you show who you really are: your mentor, or something different. You can do
whatever your mentor could do and more. You can do the incredible, even the things they always
failed to accomplish. Of course, they’re not going to see you the same way, no matter which path
you choose…
Team Moves
When you share a triumphant celebration with someone, ask them if you’ve been a good leader or
effective teammate. If they say yes, your mentor loses Influence over you and you mark potential.
If they say no, your mentor gains Influence over you, and you take +1 forward on using the Label
your mentor embodies.
When you share a vulnerability or weakness with someone, tell them a secret about your mentor
(including your feelings towards them). Give them Influence over you and add a Team to the
pool.
POTENTIAL TTTTT
Advancement
T Take another move from your playbook T Unlock your Moment of Truth
T Take another move from your playbook T Add +2 to the Label your mentor embodies or
T Take a move from another playbook denies
T Someone permanently loses Influence over you; T Choose up to four more resources from your
add +1 to a Label mentor
+1 to a Label
once choice
Other Moves
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THE PROTÉGÉ
You proved yourself to an experienced hero. They think you’ve got what it
takes. They’ve been training you for a while, and now you have to decide...do
you want to be them? Or will you find your own path?
PLAYING THE PROTÉGÉ

Focused, well-trained, driven, unsure. The Protégé is defined by two things:
their training and their mentor. A Protégé has a level of skill and preparation
beyond nearly any of the other PCs—even the Legacy wasn’t necessarily as
well-trained as the Protégé. The Protégé might have innate powers, sure, but
they were also guided in how to use those abilities and more by their mentor.
That also means they’re devoted to being a superhero in a way that none of the
other PCs may be—a Protégé made at the start of play has been training for
quite some time to get into this life.
That said, the question before a Protégé is always whether this is really what
they want—and, more specifically, if they want to wind up being their mentor.
For better or worse, the relationship between you and your mentor is always
one wherein your mentor wants you to turn out similarly to them—maybe not
exactly the same, but close. And you have to decide if that’s really what you
want. Regardless of everything they’ve given you, you might not want their life
once you understand what it really means. Pay close attention to your choices
for which Labels your mentor denies and embodies. In addition to telling you
the kind of person your mentor likely is, they tell you the kind of person your
mentor wants you to be.
Make sure you spend time with your mentor. Return to them. Ask them
for help and input. You might butt heads with them, you might resist what
they choose for you, but they matter to you, as well. They gave you what you
needed to become the person you are today, and your relationship with them
is the source of your dramatic arc. They might seek you out, but you should
do the same.

For Been reading the files, you’re assumed to be reading or otherwise learning
about the superhuman world from your mentor—in whatever way fits their
MO. You only trigger the move, though, the first time you encounter any
given important superhuman phenomenon. You can’t say you read a file about
them during a later encounter. When you tell the team the most important
detail you remember, you have a responsibility to stick to whatever fiction is
already established about the world and this character—but otherwise, you
can add whatever detail you want. The GM tells you if anything is different,
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meaning that they’ll alert you if things have changed surrounding the detail
you provided.
For Captain, pay close attention to when the team battle move hits, and
whether or not you’re the leader. If you take this move, you’re going to want
to push for that role to make sure you get the benefits. Don’t hesitate to do so!
Any drama you create by pushing hard to be the leader will only feed back
into more awesome scenes down the line. That said, if you feel comfortable
having your Protégé cede leadership to another character, then this move may
not be for you.
For Fireside chat, you can get more than just a platitude or aphorism like
“Don’t give up!” when you ask your mentor for advice. You can get a clear
course of action, a plan for how to move forward. So if you’re stumped on how
to solve a problem, this move is a great option—and the bonuses for following
the advice are just icing on the cake.
The resources that your mentor gives you and the team are things that your
mentor has access to and is willing to grant you. Ultimately, you’re the arbiter
of whether they go to the team, or if you keep them for yourself.

• Kirby-craft, from the Outsider playbook. Take this if you want to have
a cool vehicle with its own unique abilities.
• There when it matters, from the Bull playbook. Take this if you want
to be able to jump in and protect your teammates much more easily,
making your Protégé much more of a “team protector” (and working
well with Captain).
• Suck it, Domitian, from the Beacon playbook. Take this if you want to
tackle your mentor’s villains on a regular basis—they’re almost certainly
going to put you under heavy fire.
INSPIRATION FOR THE PROTÉGÉ

Robin, YOUNG JUSTICE
Cyclops, X-MEN
Batman (Terry McGinnis), BATMAN: BEYOND
Aqualad, YOUNG JUSTICE
Wonder Girl, YOUNG JUSTICE
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THE TRANSFORMED
HERO NAME
REAL NAME
Look
• strange eyes, upsetting eyes, piercing eyes, human eyes
• metallic flesh, scaled flesh, alien flesh, plated flesh, untouchable flesh, mottled flesh
• terrifying costume, strange costume, unnerving costume, no costume
Abilities
You appear obviously and clearly monstrous, and your powers are tied to your appearance.
Choose two, and describe how they make you grotesque.
T impenetrable armor T plant affinity T technopathy
T inhuman might T superhuman senses T transmuting flesh
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Labels
DANGER -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
FREAK -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
SAVIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
SUPERIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
MUNDANE -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
Conditions
Backstory
• Who were you before?
• When did you change? What caused it?
• Who, outside of the team, is helping you understand your new body?
• Why don’t you just try to hide yourself away?

We drew attention and ire from plenty during the fight. One important person in particular now
hates and fears us. Who is it?
Relationships
___________________ comforted you when you were at your lowest.
___________________ knew you before you changed.
Influence
You try not to care what other people think, even if you can’t shut everyone out. Give Influence to
one teammate.
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Transformed Moves
(Choose three)
T I am not my body: When you take a powerful T Wish I could be: When you comfort or support
physical blow, you may roll as if you had two someone, if you tell them what you most envy
fewer conditions marked. If you do, on a 10+ about them, you can roll + Freak instead of
you must choose to lose control of yourself in a + Mundane.
T Be the monster: When you frighten, intimidate,
terrible way.
T Not human enough: When you directly engage a or cow others with your monstrous form, roll
threat in a terrifying fashion, mark a condition to + Freak. On a hit, they are thrown off and make
choose an additional option, even on a miss. themselves vulnerable to you, or they flee. On a
T Unstoppable: When you smash your way through
10+, choose one. On a 7-9, choose two.
scenery to get to or away from something, roll - you frighten others you had not intended to
+ Danger. On a hit, the world breaks before you, scare
and you get what you want. On a 7-9, choose - you hurt someone or break something you
one: mark a condition, leave something behind, shouldn’t have
or take something with you. On a miss, you - you feel like more of a monster afterward;
smash through, but leave devastation in your mark a condition (GM’s choice)
wake or wind up somewhere worse, GM’s choice.
On a miss, they react with violence, hatred, and
T Coming for you: When you mark a condition, take paranoia, and you suffer the brunt of it.
+1 forward against the person you most blame
for causing it.
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Moment of Truth
It’s so easy to forget that you’re not your body, and you’re not the voice in your head—you’re both.
Be the monster, and save them anyway. Smash down walls, and speak softly. Because when you
embrace it, you can do anything. Of course, putting on a display like this is sure to rile up those
who see only the monster when they look at you…
Team Moves
When you share a triumphant celebration with someone, clear one condition if they treat you like
a perfectly normal person and mark potential if they praise your power or abilities.
When you share a vulnerability or weakness with someone, ask them if they think you’re losing
or gaining humanity. If they say losing, mark a condition and mark potential. If they say gaining,
clear a condition and shift Mundane up and any other Label down.
POTENTIAL TTTTT
Advancement
T Take a doom, doomtrack, and doomsigns from T Mutate further and reveal another two new
the Doomed playbook abilities (chosen from any playbook)
add +1 to a Label
once choice
Other Moves
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THE TRANSFORMED
You can recall a time not too long ago when you looked...normal. When you
didn’t feel their stares. When you didn’t hear their gasps. When no one thought
of you as a monster. Those were the days, huh.
PLAYING THE TRANSFORMED

Troubled, titanic, grotesque, lamentable. The Transformed used to be human,
without any powers or superhuman elements, until something happened and
they were changed, obviously and permanently. They might be a cyborg, or
a strange monster, or made of electricity—just so long as they’re strange and
inhuman, with no way of hiding it. The Transformed’s story is about what you
do with your new life and form, and how you react to the way other people
treat you now.
Make the details of your abilities strange and surprising. If you have
impenetrable armor, it could be just straight up armored plating, like a lizard—
or it could be a layer of water over your entire body that slows down any
impact coming your way. If you have superhuman senses, it could be that you
can see and hear really well—or it could be that you have strange antenna
that can actually detect the thoughts of sentient minds. Be grotesque, and
play with it.
As the Transformed, lots of people will attempt to shift your Labels, just
by how they react to your appearance. You’re the quintessential book, and
your cover is pretty striking—other people will judge you by it all the time,
whether you like it or not. Your story is about how your actions either change
or confirm those opinions. You can prove those people wrong—or you can
prove them right. It’s your choice.
Pay close attention to your backstory questions while building your
character. You’re not the Bull, whose past is muddy and unclear—you had a
life, and you remember it clearly. It’s important to know who you were so that
everyone at the table knows who you might be now. It’s especially important
that you answer the third question, about someone outside of the team who is
helping you understand your new body. This character is your link to further
developments specifically on your transformation. Whether it’s learning about
what your transformation means, how it happened, what you can really do,
or how to change back, they’re going to play an important role in your story.
It’s theoretically possible for you to change yourself back over the course of
play—after all, everything and anything is possible within Halcyon City. But
keep in mind that doing so will be very difficult—you have no tools to point
out such a path for yourself—and it requires you to change playbooks, or retire
your character at the very least. Your character’s arc and struggles aren’t really
148
about trying to return to what you were—they’re about trying to deal with
what you are now.

For I am not my body, you don’t just roll to take a powerful blow at -2—if
you have no conditions marked, you’ll still roll at a 0, not a -2.
For Not human enough, what counts as a “terrifying way” is up to you
and the GM, but the GM might push you on it to make sure you’re doing
something actually terrifying.
For Coming for you, if it’s not immediately obvious who’s to blame for
a given condition you mark, don’t worry about it and don’t bother to keep
track—you’ll mark plenty of conditions, so just worry about the times when
it’s a pretty clear choice. Remember that +1 forward is only a +1 on the very
next move you make against them, whatever it is.
For Be the monster, there might be times when it doesn’t make sense that
you could frighten or intimidate another individual—the GM lets you know
if that happens. Otherwise, though, the move should trigger whenever you
do something outright meant to provoke fear. It is not impossible for you to
trigger the move accidentally, but the vast majority of the time it should be the
result of intentional effort to be frightening.

• You’ve got a head you don’t need, from the Bull playbook. Take this
if you want to have a somewhat softer option than Be the monster for
cowing people into doing what you want.
• Troublemaker, from the Delinquent playbook. Take this if you want to
emphasize how destructive and dangerous you can be, even when you’re
trying to help your teammates.
• Game face, from the Janus playbook. Take this if you want to commit
to taking down particularly powerful foes, or saving the people who
matter to you, no matter what.
INSPIRATIONS FOR THE TRANSFORMED

Cyborg, TEEN TITANS
Mettle, AVENGERS ACADEMY
Beast, X-MEN
The Hulk, THE INCREDIBLE HULK
Rockslide, WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN
149

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CHAPTER 5: THE MASKS

THE BEACON THE LEGACY

THE BULL THE NOVA

THE DELINQUENT THE OUTSIDER

THE DOOMED THE PROTÉGÉ

THE JANUS THE TRANSFORMED

When our team first came together...

PLAYING THE BEACON

NOTES ON YOUR MOVES AND EXTRAS

SUGGESTED MOVES FROM OTHER PLAYBOOKS

INSPIRATION FOR THE BEACON

When our team first came together...

The Bull’s Heart

PLAYING THE BULL

NOTES ON YOUR MOVES AND EXTRAS

SUGGESTED MOVES FROM OTHER PLAYBOOKS

INSPIRATION FOR THE BULL

When our team first came together...

PLAYING THE DELINQUENT

SUGGESTED MOVES FROM OTHER PLAYBOOKS

INSPIRATION FOR THE DELINQUENT

When our team first came together...

Doom Track: TTTTT

T Your doom arrives; confront it and perish.

PLAYING THE DOOMED

NOTES ON YOUR MOVES AND EXTRAS

SUGGESTED MOVES FROM OTHER PLAYBOOKS

INSPIRATIONS FOR THE DOOMED

When our team first came together...

PLAYING THE JANUS

NOTES ON YOUR MOVES AND EXTRAS

SUGGESTED MOVES FROM OTHER PLAYBOOKS

INSPIRATIONS FOR THE JANUS

When our team first came together...

PLAYING THE LEGACY

NOTES ON YOUR MOVES AND EXTRAS

SUGGESTED MOVES FROM OTHER PLAYBOOKS

INSPIRATIONS FOR THE LEGACY

When our team first came together...

PLAYING THE NOVA

NOTES ON YOUR MOVES AND EXTRAS

SUGGESTED MOVES FROM OTHER PLAYBOOKS

INSPIRATIONS FOR THE NOVA

When our team first came together...

T Alien tech: When you alter a human device

PLAYING THE OUTSIDER

NOTES ON YOUR MOVES AND EXTRAS

SUGGESTED MOVES FROM OTHER PLAYBOOKS

INSPIRATIONS FOR THE OUTSIDER

EMBODIES Savior Danger Freak Superior Mundane

When our team first came together...

PLAYING THE PROTÉGÉ

NOTES ON YOUR MOVES AND EXTRAS

SUGGESTED MOVES FROM OTHER PLAYBOOKS

INSPIRATION FOR THE PROTÉGÉ

When our team first came together...

PLAYING THE TRANSFORMED

NOTES ON YOUR MOVES AND EXTRAS

SUGGESTED MOVES FROM OTHER PLAYBOOKS

INSPIRATIONS FOR THE TRANSFORMED

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