Harbingers

HARBINGERS
A campaign setting for Marvel Heroic Roleplaying

based on The Harbinger CYOA
https://imgur.com/a/ZkX79fW
CHAPTER I: The Setting -- p. 2
CHAPTER II: Character Creation -- p. 6
CHAPTER III: The Campaign -- p. 14
CHAPTER IV: Dramatis Personae -- p. 24
This is not a complete game; you will need a copy of the Marvel Heroic Roleplaying core rules to play.
CHAPTER 1: The Setting
The world changed literally overnight. One night thousands of people -- approximately 0.0001% of
the world's population -- went to bed the same as they had done for years. The next morning they woke
up with alien symbiotes living in their bodies and minds. Having a second voice speaking in one's head
was strange enough, but the beings also wrought physical changes. Many of the hosts found their looks
altered in some way, some were afflicted with fantastic or horrific mutations, and all of them gained
superhuman powers.
It didn't take long for the new superbeings to conform to pop culture cliches or actively avoid doing
so. Some became costumed vigilantes or comic book villains. Others signed on with their respective
governments to become super soldiers. Still others joined with corporations or wealthy private citizens
to monetize their gifts or get help in understanding their conditions. Though a few went into hiding --
arguably the most sensible ones -- most of the new superhumans joined the various organizations that
have have sprung up in the wake of their genesis.
The changed have one other commonality; all of them have strange dreams or random visions that
warn of some impending disaster, and for this reason the combination of a symbiote with its host is
called a harbinger. The symbiotes are unable (or unwilling) to provide any details, but they all say that
something is coming that will either change humanity forever or end its existence. Which of these
endings a particular harbinger is working toward is anybody's guess.
Harbingers is a campaign setting for the Marvel Heroic Roleplaying ruleset. The characters are hosts
to alien "spirit" beings that grant them power in exchange for help in preparing for an event that will
forever alter... or forever end... life as we know it.
The Basics
Unlike most settings that feature superhuman abilities all of the characters in Harbingers have the
same origin. Most of the harbingers came into being on the same day, but there have been sporadic
emergences since then. People of every nationality, ethnicity, gender, and creed have become hosts.
The only universality is that none of the hosts have been children. Nearly 90% of the hosts from the
initial emergence were physically mature with the rest being adolescents. Subsequent emergences have
mostly been teenagers.
When a symbiote settles into a body there are a number of changes, though the degree of change
varies between hosts. About 60% simply have their bodies optimized; any diseases are cured, any
injuries are healed, and biological processes are tweaked so as to provide perfect health. This has the
side effect of rendering the host immune to biological aging. A further 30% of hosts are visibly altered
with the changes mostly being improvements (at least from the host's point of view) -- they might grow
taller, fitter, or more attractive according to how the host wishes they looked. Hosts of advanced age
almost always grow younger-looking, and transgendered hosts frequently change to their preferred
biological sex. The remaining 10% of hosts have their bodies optimized according to the standards of a
nonhumanoid alien entity. Odd coloration of skin, hair, or eyes is the least of such changes. Changes
to skin texture (i.e. fur or scales) and alterations such as pointed ears, slit pupils, horns, tails, additional
sensory organs, supernumerary digits and even extra arms have all been observed. Harbingers who are
afflicted with such mutations are the only ones that appear superhuman to the casual observer and are
therefore disproportionately targeted for violence or recruitment.
A symbiote is a separate entity distinct from though inextricably bound to its host. The host and
symbiote can communicate telepathically with each other, and there is reason to believe that symbiotes
can commune with other symbiotes as well... with or without the hosts' knowledge. Every symbiote
has its own agenda and its own way of dealing with its host. Scientific knowledge about the symbiotes
is scant but not nonexistent; there are eight recognized classifications based on their style of interacting
with their hosts and what motivations they display.
Archon: Fewer than one in 10,000 symbiotes is of this type. All of the most intelligent and ambitious
harbingers are archons, and they also grant the most potent abilities. Archons have world level agendas
-- whether to save the world, rule it, or destroy it -- and they are are terrifyingly strong-willed. All of
them have been seen taking over a host's body while the host was asleep or unconscious, and some are
suspected of having assumed the dominant role. To host an archon is to risk becoming a passenger in
one's own body. The only way for a host to avoid such a fate is to do whatever the symbiote wants.
Creative: These uncommon symbiotes are usually happy to observe. They enjoy gaining knowledge,
making things, and collecting new experiences. More than anything else creatives value ideas. They
encourage their hosts to seek out the new, but they tend to go about it subtly. Creatives exercise control
by tweaking the host's emotions rather than by issuing commands; creative hosts are easily bored and
suffer frequent bouts of wanderlust. Creatives generally offer their hosts low to moderate power, but
they guide the use of that power in -- wait for it -- creative ways. Hosts with creative symbiotes often
have more than enough skill to make up for any lack of power.
Guardian: What a guardian wants most is to protect something. The least powerful of them protect a
single neighborhood, while the most powerful consider the entire world their charge. Guardians are
loathe to let their hosts rest when there are innocents to defend. A guardian prefers to motivate its host
using encouragement... but it's very strong encouragement. At least the stick of their nagging is paired
with the carrot of suppressing the host's fear and doubt. Guardians, together with supporters, are the
most common type of symbiote.
Mastermind: Where there's a gambit or a long term plan there is probably a mastermind behind it. The
second rarest type of symbiote delights in social intrigue, stealth missions, and wheels within wheels.
Only archons surpass their intelligence, and no other symbiotes can match their patience. Masterminds
use manipulation (subtle or otherwise) to direct their hosts, and when that doesn't work they employ
bribery and/or emotional blackmail to good effect. Like creatives masterminds tend to rely on skill and
ingenuity rather than raw power, but they sometimes offer mentally-based abilities of great potency.
Soldier: Soldiers are least talkative of symbiotes; they don't chit-chat. If they talk it's to ask for orders,
acknowledge orders, or provide situation reports. Other than that they are silent. A soldier drives its
host using emotional control such as suppressing fear, stoking anger, or fueling competitive zeal --
these symbiotes love a good fight, and they're almost as fond of other high-adrenaline activities. Most
soldiers are quite willing to take over the host's body if the host loses consciousness, either to preserve
the host's life or continue the fight (depending on the likelihood of victory).
Supporter: A supporter values its host's well-being above all else. It offers helpful advice on everything
-- career, education, diet, health, and of course power development. In romantic matters a supporter is
the best wingman you could ask for. A supporter never argues with its host or takes over their body, but
it will deactivate powers if it feels that the way they are being used is not in the host's best interests.
Supporters are tied with guardians for being the most common type of symbiote.
Vacant: A vacant symbiote has no personality or agenda of its own. It offers advice when asked and
helps organize the host's thoughts -- anyone who hosts a vacant has photographic memory. It might
volunteer information when the host is indecisive or about to do something really stupid. Vacants are
quite common but are never more than moderately powerful.
Warlord: A warlord symbiote wants to make war. It seeks battle against worthy opponents, preferably
superhumans but unempowered humans in large numbers will do; the more powerful the symbiote the
bigger the battles it craves. A warlord will induce bloodlust to drive its host to start fights if need be.
The greatest weakness of warlords is that they don't play well with others. They're more likely to have
minions or temporary allies than actual friends. Warlord symbiotes are slightly more common than
masterminds, and all of them are of at least moderate power.
The Factions
There are literally hundreds of harbinger-centric groups all over the world, but they all fall within
four broad factions.
Elysium: The supers of Elysium hew closest to the stereotype of costumed do-gooders out of the pages
of comic books. They have no love for the status quo and hold their ideals of justice in higher regard
than the law, especially laws that serve to keep corrupt politicians and wealthy robber barons in power.
Territories controlled by Elysium therefore tend to have low crime rates. Elysium groups, which they
call teams or leagues, work with local government whenever possible, but they are known to depose
officials who think themselves above the law.
Elysium is the second largest faction, though still small compared to the largest, and has the lion's
share of the most powerful harbingers. Their emphasis on teamwork at all levels of the organization
means that groups all over the world have access to significant resources -- larger and better equipped
teams share information and equipment with their less fortunate brethren.
Starless: If the harbingers of Elysium are costumed heroes the Starless are their villainous (or at least
anti-heroic) counterparts. Only the most powerful or mentally unstable among them have ambitions as
vast as world domination, but many of them aspire to rule fiefdoms either individually or in groups.
For this reason much of their membership is drawn from the criminal element. Starless groups, which
they call clans, are allowed to govern their own territories as long as they share information with and
render aid to the faction as a whole.
The Starless is larger than the combined membership of all of the other factions by a significant
margin, but most of that consists of harbingers of little power. Different groups vary widely in terms of
resources; some clans have assets roughly equal to those of a municipal police force while others are
little more than metahuman street thugs.
United Nations: The world's governments are well aware of the threat that the harbingers pose... and
they are equally aware of the opportunity that harbingers present. The UN has formed a task force for
dealing with superhuman threats, and member nations actively recruit harbingers for the cause. UN
cadres report directly to their national governments -- they have official law enforcement powers within
their home nations and diplomatic immunity throughout UN-controlled territory.
The United Nations is the smallest faction, but their connection to multiple national governments
means they have more financial, technological, and information resources than all the others combined.
They are the only faction that boasts actual military assets.
Independent: Some harbingers simply aren't joiners, and others are too cautious or too prudent to trust
any of the factions. Still others don't see any ideological common ground with Elysium, the Starless, or
the UN and seek to found their own factions. Whether individually or in small groups about a quarter
of all harbingers choose to remain independent.
Independents can be of any power level, though this is risky for the weakest of them. Their biggest
disadvantage is their lack of resources; they have only what they can get for themselves. Their biggest
advantage is their ability to remain under the radar... as long as their deeds don't attract attention.
Because the player characters need to work together as a group the GM and players should agree on
which faction the player characters will join. This can be decided by pre-game discussion, or the PCs
can go in blind; the first few game sessions can cover their emergence and learning about the world of
harbingers. The characters can then join whichever faction they agree on in-game.
The World at Large

The existence of harbingers stopped being a secret less than a month after the first ones appeared.
The general public doesn't yet know how much power harbinger groups wield in world affairs, and
even the most well-informed governments don't know the actual number of harbingers in existence.
The most famous harbingers are minor celebrities while the most infamous are among the FBI's most
wanted or their nations' equivalents. The existence of harbingers is common knowledge, but a given
individual's status as a harbinger is only known if they make it so. Many harbingers wear masks and
use colorful code names in order to conceal their identities.
The UN faction has ties to national governments and wields a corresponding amount of power, but
the other factions aren't quite so well connected. Elysium has effective control of dozens of cities all
over the world, mostly in North America and Asia, but they don't rule openly in any of their territories.
They also have a large training facility in the Australian outback. The Starless have taken over districts
in a number of cities and rule many towns and villages outright. Their largest and most entrenched
holdings are in Eastern Europe and South America in addition to their fortress base near the North Pole.
Independents don't control any major territories, but they have a worldwide underground railroad and at
least one sanctuary city on every continent except Antarctica. Their main sanctuary is rumored to be in
Africa. There are three known Antarctic bases, one established by the UN and two under the control of
independent archons.
Prevailing attitudes toward harbingers vary widely. In some nations they are more admired than
feared, while in others it's the other way around. But even in places where harbingers are generally
liked nobody fully trusts them -- people know that anyone who wields such power is a potential threat,
so they maintain an appropriate level of wariness even while asking for autographs. A harbinger who
commits a questionable act -- or merely appears to have done so -- can expect a cheering crowd to turn
on them in an instant.
The world's laws haven't changed much in response to harbingers except for the doctrine that using
their powers on other people is almost always regarded as assault. Discrimination against harbingers
enjoys no official sanction, but neither have existing civil rights laws been expanded to prevent it. UN
harbingers have a great deal of latitude while operating within UN member nations. Members of the
Starless ignore the law within their territories whenever they find it expedient or they feel they can get
away with it. Elysium harbingers make a point of obeying just laws and working to change unjust laws.
Independents tend to be law-abiding for the express purpose of not attracting official notice.
The presence of harbingers has had a subtle effect on the world's tech level. Technologically gifted
harbingers have created advanced consumer electronics and fuel efficient automobiles in order to
generate revenue, but for the most part they haven't done anything to advance the world's overall level
of technology. Elysium goes after any harbinger who makes super weapons with extreme prejudice...
which doesn't stop tech geniuses among the Starless from offering such services. United Nations
troops are often armed with advanced weapons and armor courtesy of superhuman inventors who have
access to government-sponsored labs and national defense budgets. Nobody is inventing flying cars or
lunchbox-sized weapons of mass destruction -- not because they can't, but because of the shared belief
that boosting Earth's tech level too much will hasten the coming of the impending disaster about which
all harbingers dream.
CHAPTER II: Character Creation
The original Marvel Heroic Roleplaying book has no rules for character creation; the designers'
intent was for players to use canon characters from the Marvel Universe. A Harbingers campaign
requires original characters, however, so these rules for creating a character are provided. Character
creation is a seven-step process:
1. Create a Concept
2. Choose Affiliations
3. Create Distinctions
4. Choose Power Sets and Power Traits
5. Choose Specialties
6. Create Milestones
7. Fill in the Blanks
Create a Concept
The first step in creating a character is deciding what kind of character you want to create. The
concept has two parts; pre-emergence and post-emergence. You can use a concept interview -- with
you as the player asking questions for the character to answer -- to nail down your concept. Some of
these questions, particularly some of the post-emergence ones, can be answered in play, but all of the
pre-emergence questions should be settled beforehand. The answers to the concept interview questions
will guide your decisions in later steps.
 Pre-emergence: Where were you born, and where did you grow up? What are your nationality
and ethnicity? What are your sex, gender, and sexual orientation? What skills do you have (as
a result of your education, job training, or hobbies)? What religion, if any, do you practice, and
how devoutly? What socioeconomic class were you born into, and which one are you in now?
Are you a loner, a social butterfly, or something in-between?
 Post-emergence: What kind of symbiote do you have? Does your body still look mostly like the
one you were born with? Which faction are you most drawn to? What are your powers? Note
that archon symbiotes will only be available in campaigns of Global or Cosmic power level (see
Power Level below).
Choose Affiliations
Affiliations are a measure of how well a character works alone (Solo), with one partner (Buddy), or
in a group of three or more (Team). You have one Affiliation at d10, one at d8, and one at d6. Assign
the d10 to your strongest Affiliation and the d6 to your weakest with the remaining one getting the d8.
Choose Distinctions
Distinctions represent defining traits of a character's background, personality, or methods. Whether
a Distinction coming into play is a help or a hindrance depends on the situation, but the help aspect
should be proportional to the degree of hurt.
 Katniss Everdeen's Girl on Fire Distinction helps her when she's trying to lead or inspire others,
but it also represents her PTSD.
 Being the Dark Knight makes Batman intimidating to criminals and quite unpopular with law
enforcement. It can also be a nuisance when trying to comfort the civilians he saves.
 As the Savior of the Universe Flash Gordon has an edge when it comes to fighting otherworldly
invaders, but a lot of aliens recognize him even at times when he'd rather not be recognized.
He's also a preferred target for the forces of Ming the Merciless.
Each player character has three Distinctions. An in-game event can change an existing Distinction -
- or, more rarely, add a new one -- if it's dramatic enough to redefine some aspect of the character. See
the MHRP core rules pp. BR52-BR96 (pp. 184-228 in the pdf) for examples of Distinctions. Note that
many of the Marvel canon characters have their best known catchphrases as Distinctions.
If the campaign is set at a time when the PCs are recently emerged it's possible to skip this step on
the grounds that the characters have yet to do anything to distinguish themselves. In this case the PCs
will develop Distinctions in game -- either the GM can announce when an outcome is dramatic enough
to warrant gaining a Distinction or the other players can vote on it.
Choose Power Sets and Power Traits

This is the part of character creation that players will spend the most time on... and rightly so. In a
campaign about characters with superhuman powers a PC's power set is arguably their defining feature.
This step has five sub-steps followed by a list of power sets with possible power traits for each.
Note: This power creation system is a refinement of the system developed by Wordpress user
samhaine. You can find his original article here: https://samhaine.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/marvel-
heroic-roleplaying-point-based-character-creation/
Power Level
The campaign's power level determines how many Creation Points (CP) the players can spend to
build their characters. The campaign power level can evolve from a lower level to a higher one as the
player characters grow in power, but it's the starting power level that matters for character creation.
New characters should be built at the current campaign power level.
 Local (20 CP): The characters' activities will mostly be confined to one city or just a single
neighborhood in a particularly large city. In a rural setting this could be a handful of towns that
are close to each other.
 Regional (30 CP): The characters operate in a single state, province, prefecture, or similar
administrative area with occasional forays onto the national stage.
 Global (40 CP): The characters routinely handle national level cases and sometimes deal with
situations that affect the entire world.
 Cosmic (50 CP): The characters deal with world-level situations on a regular basis and are often
called upon to handle otherworldly threats, with said threats equally likely to be extraterrestrial
or extradimensional.
Power Sets
A power set defines the range of abilities available; all of the powers within a given set must be
appropriate to a single theme. For example, a power set like Mad Inventor easily admits a power trait
like Gadgeteer, but Telepathy or Superhuman Stamina would be a stretch. The GM should review all
power sets to ensure that they aren't too vague or too narrow.
Player characters all have 2-3 power sets. The process of becoming a harbinger gives every one of
them the Harbinger Optimization power set. Those whose bodies didn't change much (the Unchanged)
have only one power trait in this power set, while those who underwent more extensive changes (the
Altered and the Strange) have additional power traits. The second power set is the primary suite of
powers granted by the symbiote. If there is a third power set it is either a secondary suite of powers
(and therefore less powerful than the primary) or a detached set of powers that the character controls --
for example, equipment that the character owns or one or more loyal allies (for example, Shadowcat's
dragon companion Lockheed or Batman's utility belt).
There is no Creation Point cost for a power set, but each power set must have at least one limit (see
Limits below). Additional limits don't grant more CP; they simply provide an additional way to gain
Plot Points or remove dice from the Doom Pool. At GM discretion a particularly restrictive limit might
provide +1 SFX. A limit that is merely a roleplaying challenge never grants this bonus; in order to do
that a limit must have game mechanics that affect the character (as opposed to affecting the group).
Power Traits
A power trait is a specific application of a power set. It is the power traits that describe exactly what
a character's powers can do. A power trait has a rating of d6, d8, d10, or d12. A power set can have
any number of power traits subject to the limit of how many CP the player has to pay for them.
The cost of a power trait is equal to its die value (DV) times a multiplier for its power type. The DV
is 2 for d6, 3 for d8, 4 for d10, and 5 for d12. By way of example, a power trait with a multiplier of 2
rated at d8 would cost 2 x 3 = 6 CP. See Power Types below for a list of the power types and their
multipliers.
Starting power traits in the Harbinger Optimization power set don't cost any CP because their cost is
subsidized by the campaign. Improving these traits in play costs XP as normal, while improving them
during character creation requires that the player pay the difference in CP cost between the desired
level and the free level. The Harbinger Optimization power traits and their associated limits depend on
the character's body type.
 Unchanged: You gain the Ageless power trait at d12 (10 CP). Detectable: Any procedure that
could detect that you're a harbinger (i.e. blood test or genetic screening) steps up the effect die
one step.
 Altered: You gain Ageless at d8 (6 CP) and your choice of Exceptional Beauty, Exceptional
Durability, Exceptional Reflexes, Exceptional Stamina, or Exceptional Strength at d6 (4 CP).
You also have the Detectable limit.
 Strange: You gain Ageless at d8 (6 CP) and a power trait associated with your bodily changes.
Possibilities include Exceptional Durability, Exceptional Senses, Exceptional Strength, Extra
Limbs or Weapon (Claws, Fangs, Hooves, Horns, etc.) at d6 (4 CP). Obvious: Anyone who
sees you while you're not disguised knows you're a harbinger. You also step the effect die down
-1 for pleasant social interaction and up +1 for intimidation. If the changes are attractive rather
than unsettling step the effect die down -1 for intimidation and up +1 for seduction.
Special Effects (SFX)

A special effect is a modification of a use of a power. The exact effects vary -- see the MHRP core
rules pp. OM88-OM91 (pp. 94-97 in the pdf) or the character datafiles on pp. BR52-BR96 (pp. 184-
228) for examples -- but in general SFX can be applied to any appropriate trait within the power set.
Each PC has three free SFX (total, not per power set), and each additional effect costs 2 CP. An
especially powerful effect might cost 3 CP, or it might count as two SFX if it is one of the freebies.
Limits
A limit provides a dramatic complication of using -- sometimes merely having -- a power set. It can
be a condition under which a power stops working (or works too well), a task that the power set makes
harder, or a complication that arises as a result of the power. See the MHRP core rules on pp. OM92-
OM93 (pp. 98-99 in the pdf) or the character datafiles on pp. BR52-BR96 (pp. 184-228 in the pdf) for
examples of limits.
Power Types
The list of power trait types below is comprehensive. The example list of power traits with each
type is not; players and GMs are free to create new power traits as needed. Power traits in italics were
created for this document and have basic mechanics detailed here. The rest appear in the Marvel
Heroic Roleplaying core rules or are clarifications of powers implied but not described there.
Attack Powers
Attack powers are exactly what it says on the label; they're all about taking an opponent down.
Attack powers come in three flavors -- direct (straight-up damage), indirect (impose debuffs or status
effects instead of damage), and insidious (damage that bypasses normal physical defenses, i.e. attacks
on the psyche, soul, or life force -- Durability doesn't defend against these attacks). The examples
below are all direct powers unless the description specifies otherwise.
Multiplier: 2 (Direct or Indirect) or 3 (Insidious)
 Drain (indirect; specify ability drained -- Reflexes, Stamina, Strength, Will, etc.; step a die
equal to or less than the effect die down one step or remove the lowest die from the dice pool)
 Energy Blast (specify energy type -- Electric, Fire, Force, Laser, Plasma, Radiation, Sonic, etc.)
 Material Blast (specify matter type -- Acid, Ice, Sand, Stone, Thorn, Water, etc.)
 Mystic or Psychic Blast (insidious; works against Mystic or Psychic Resistance)
 Weapon (melee or projectile attack; specify weapon type)
Augment Powers
The easiest powers to understand are those that augment basic human abilities. Augment powers are
prefixed with a specific adjective that varies according to the die type; Exceptional (d6), Enhanced (d8),
Superhuman (d10), or Godlike (d12). Note that Marvel canon characters never have these powers rated
at less than d8.
Multiplier: 2
 Beauty (appearance and sex appeal)
 Durability (resistance to physical harm)
 Intelligence (improved memory and comprehension; can invent future tech)
 Reflexes (agility and hand-eye coordination)
 Senses (possible SFX include hardening against sensory attacks)
 Speed (can be running or some type of matter/energy manipulation, i.e. Iceman's ice slide)
 Stamina (endurance, resistance to disease and poison; possible SFX include regeneration)
 Strength
Control Powers
These powers allow one to manipulate some form of matter or energy or an aspect of the world. A
power with "Control" in its name can be notated with a term that varies according to its rating (for
example, Earth Influence d6, Machine Control d8, Light Mastery d10, or Flesh Supremacy d12). These
powers are all quite versatile; any of them can produce a variety of effects like creating hazards in an
area, penalties on a target, or assets for oneself or an ally.
Multiplier: 4; 5 for powers marked *
 Amplify* (activate latent powers; temporarily increase another's powers)
 Animal (specify animal type)
 Animate (grants movement to inanimate objects)
 Elemental Control (specify element -- Air, Earth, Gravity, Shadow, Water, Wood, etc.)
 Energy Control (specify energy type)
 Emotion Control (includes healing emotional stress/trauma)
 Flesh Control* (changes another being's shape; heal physical stress/trauma)
 Illusions
 Leech (suppresses other beings' powers)
 Machine Control
 Matter Control (specify matter type)
 Mimic* (imitates other beings' powers; power stunts or SFX might grant powers to others)
 Mind Control*
 Plant Control
 Possession* (physically merge with the target and take control of them)
 Probability Control (creates good or bad luck, makes the unlikely more likely)
 Sorcery* (has a prefix of Novice at d6, Adept at d8, Master at d10, or Supreme at d12; this
ability involves localized alterations in the laws of physics that allow summoning creatures,
conjuring items, or creating mystic energy constructs)
 Telekinesis
 Telepathy (includes healing mental stress/trauma)
 Time Control* (controls the rate of time passage or places a target in stasis; possible SFX
include time travel)
 Transmutation
 Weather Control
Movement Powers
These powers all provide some form of alternate mobility.
Multiplier: 1; 2 for types marked *
 Airwalking
 Burrowing
 Dimension Travel* (possible SFX include creating pocket dimensions)
 Flight* (prefix based on die rating; d6 = none, d8 = Subsonic, d10 = Supersonic, d12 = Space)
 Leaping
 Swimming
 Swingline
 Teleport*
 Wall-crawling
 Water Walking
Resistance Powers
While attack powers deal damage resistance powers prevent damage. The nature of the power
determines whether or not it works on insidious or indirect attacks; the player and GM should work
together to determine this. It's possible that a power that normally wouldn't defend against an indirect
or insidious attack can do so with a power stunt or special effect.
Multiplier: 2
 Absorption (absorbs incoming energy; can fuel other powers with stunts or SFX -- add effect
die to the dice pool for an action that could benefit from a charge of the energy absorbed)
 Integrity (resists alterations to the target's physical form)
 Mystic Resistance
 Psychic Resistance
Sensory Powers
Instead of increasing the sensitivity of normal human senses (see Augmented Senses for that) these
sensory powers add new senses or allow existing senses to be used in new ways.
Multiplier: 1
 Cosmic Senses (sense EM fields, radio waves, ultraviolet, infrared, gamma rays, and X-rays)
 Cybernetic Senses (receive radio/TV signals; hear infra- and ultrasound; connect to the Internet)
 Mystic Senses (detect magic, souls, and supernatural beings; astral projection)
 Psychic Senses (astral projection; aura sight, clairvoyance; pre-/postcognition)
 Spatial Senses (detect spatial anomalies and know one's current location/plane of existence)
 Temporal Senses (detect temporal anomalies; pre-/postcognition; know elapsed time between
events or current place in the timeline)
Transformation Powers
All of these powers change the user's body in some way, and with a power stunt or special effect
they might be extended to include others.
Multiplier: 2; 3 for powers marked *
 Duplication* (creates copies of the user and their clothing, the higher the rating the more dupes;
allows splitting of dice within the dice pool; possible SFX include duplicating equipment)
 Extra Limbs (specify limb type, i.e. Arms, Legs, Tail, or Tentacles; the higher the rating the
more, stronger, or more versatile the limbs)
 Growth
 Intangibility*
 Invisibility
 Shapeshifting* (possible SFX include gaining abilities appropriate to the shape assumed)
 Shrinking
 Stretching
Utility Powers
This category is a catch-all for powers that don't fit in any of the other categories. There are only
five examples here because, quite frankly, the author couldn't think of more... but the author knows that
he doesn't think of everything.
Multiplier: 2
 Ageless (prevents biological aging; defense against effects that cause aging)
 Enchanter (creation of improvised magical devices; step up the die gained from a talisman-
based resource one step, or with a successful roll create a talisman during an Action Scene)
 Gadgeteer (quick assembly of improvised technological devices; step up the die gained from a
device-based resource one step, or with a successful roll create a device during an Action Scene)
 Life Support (surviving a specific range of environments unaided, i.e. Aerospace, Underground,
or Underwater; the higher the rating the more extreme the environment)
 Omniglot (begin play knowing a number of languages equal to the die type for this power trait;
can learn a new language in minutes with a successful action using this power trait)
Choose Specialties
Specialties represent skills and contacts that a character has developed or equipment that a character
can access. A Specialty is rated at Expert (d8) or Master (d10). Each character begins play with three
Expert Specialties. A player may use any unspent Creation Points from the previous step to improve on
this; it costs 1 CP to upgrade an Expert Specialty to Master, 3 CP to purchase a new Expert Specialty,
or 4 CP to purchase a new Master Specialty. See the Marvel Heroic Roleplaying core rules pp. OM98-
OM103 (pp. 104-109 in the pdf) for a list of available Specialties.
The Mystic Specialty deserves special mention. The world of Harbingers doesn't have magic as it's
usually defined in fictional universes, but characters with this specialty understand folklore and how it
interacts with harbinger abilities. Therefore they can use Mystic to create stunts for magic-based power
sets or analyze magic-based effects. This Specialty also covers knowledge of symbiotes and allows a
character to determine what kind of symbiote someone has by analyzing the host's actions.
The Cosmic Specialty, in addition to granting knowledge of space and celestial phenomena, also
covers dimensional travel, alternate planes of existence, and knowledge of spatial anomalies.
Create Milestones
A Milestone is a character's personal story arc. Each Milestone consists of three triggers, and each
trigger is a decision point. How the character's story progresses depends on what decision the character
makes at each trigger.
A character can have up to two Milestones. One should be personal to the character -- the player
works with the GM to create it. Note that by creating a Milestone the player is letting the GM know
what sort of story they want for the character. The second Milestone can also be player-created, or the
player can choose to pursue a Milestone specific to the event the group is playing through.
Each trigger awards XP based on how often the character can hit that trigger -- many times during a
scene (1XP), once per scene (3XP), or once per act (10XP). A trigger might be hit multiple times, but a
character only gets XP for it once. A character must hit the triggers in order. Once the 10XP trigger
has been hit that Milestone is resolved and the player may select a new one.
When designing Milestones keep in mind that they are always player driven; the Milestone and any
consequences tied to it depend on the character's choices, not on the actions of NPCs or other PCs.
That said, choosing inaction is still a choice. XP is awarded regardless of how the character chooses;
the important thing is that the character makes a choice. Check the hero datafiles in the MHRP core
rules pp. BR52-BR96 (pp. 184-228 in the pdf) for examples of character-specific Milestones. You can
also use the Milestones below; these are all drawn from the Harbinger CYOA.
Home is the Hunter

1 XP when you choose whether to capture or kill an enemy harbinger.
3 XP when the previous harbinger's teammates come to free or avenge them, and you choose
whether to fight or flee from them.
10 XP when you choose whether to capture or kill an archon affiliated with the previous team.
Spanner in the Works

1 XP when you steal or damage assets totaling at least $100,000 in value from another faction or
execute a successful denial-of-service attack on them.
3 XP when you commit an act of sabotage against the same faction that inflicts at least $5,000,000
worth of damage on their assets, or at least $2,000,000 worth of property damage plus harm to the
members of that faction.
10 XP when you commit sabotage against the same faction that inflicts at least $1,000,000,000
worth of damage on their assets, or at least $100,000,000 worth of property damage plus direct harm to
to the leadership of that faction... or to innocent bystanders.
Stimulus Package
1 XP when you acquire or create assets totaling at least $100,000 in value for your faction.
3 XP when you acquire or create assets totaling at least $5,000,000 in value for your faction.
10 XP when you acquire or create assets totaling at least $1,000,000,000 in value for your faction.
Fill in the Blanks

This should probably be the first step, but the writer knows that creating power sets for a game
about characters with superhuman powers is way sexier. Filling in the blanks is about the character's
mundane details -- name, age, sex, height, weight, hair color, and eye color at the very least. This is
also where the player can specify things like a character's pre-emergence job (and whether or not
they're still trying to do that job), distinguishing marks, and known relatives or associates. Any prized
possessions of purely sentimental value -- that is, those that don't qualify as Distinctions or Power
Traits -- can be listed here as well.
A generous GM might award an additional 1-3 Creation Points for a written background. This
shouldn't be any longer than the backgrounds given in the character datafiles in the Marve Heroic
Roleplaying core rulebook. If the character sheet for the campaign has space for a background then the
background (typed) should fit within that space.
Once you have completed all of these steps your character is ready for play. You begin each session
with one Plot Point (Exception: You begin the first session with 0 PP if your character doesn't yet have
a name) and will have opportunities to earn more throughout the game.
CHAPTER III: The Campaign
The exact nature of a Harbingers campaign depends on a number of factors. The GM decides where
the toggles are set, but a wise GM pays attention to what the players want.
Power Level
The options here are the power levels from Character Creation -- Local, Regional, Global, and
Cosmic. The campaign power level determines how powerful the PCs are and the quality of opposition
they'll face. The generic NPC write-ups below give stats for each NPC type at each power level.
Mood
The mood of the campaign determines both the overall feel of the campaign, what sorts of things the
PCs do in the course of their adventures, and what kind of effects they have on the world.
Cinematic
This is the default mood. A cinematic campaign hews closely to the tropes of superhero comics --
high action, little moral ambiguity, and generous doses of both humor and drama. Heroes in this kind
of campaign are unrelentingly heroic, while the villains are unashamedly villainous, and the characters'
actions can truly change things for the better.
Humorous
A humorous campaign has the same over-the-top action as a cinematic campaign -- in fact, it might
be even more so -- but serious injury happens rarely if ever and collateral damage never takes the form
of serious injury to innocents. The villains tend to be mustache-twirling caricatures, and the heroes are
often their lantern-jawed counterparts. Moral ambiguity has no place in a humorous campaign; good is
good and evil is evil. Even so, while the brights are extra bright the darks aren’t all that dark; the focus
is on fun, not on moral quandaries. The characters' successes can't improve things in the long run, but
neither to their failures make anything worse.
Realistic
This is the dark and gritty option. A realistic campaign is in many ways the opposite of humorous --
the action has consequences up to and including the deaths of innocents, humor is less common and
much darker, and morality consists mainly of shades of gray. Heroes fight and win, but they don't walk
away unscathed. The worst part is that no matter how much the characters strive they can't improve the
world in any significant way in the long run; at best they can temporarily make things better on a small
scale. They might, however, succeed in making things worse. This is easily the hardest campaign type
to run; it requires a degree of maturity from GM and players alike to not devolve into the characters
being the kind of jerks the players can't get away with being in real life.
Continuity
Harbingers is not nearly as complex and detailed as the Marvel and DC universes -- most of the
timeline consists of blanks for the GM and players to fill in -- but the GM must still decide where in
that timeline the campaign will take place.
Emergence (Year 1-Year 3)

A campaign set in this stage is about the appearance of the earliest harbingers. The full range of
harbinger abilities won't have been seen yet, and little will be known about the nature of the symbiotes.
PCs will have the chance to participate in the formation of the factions and might even be founding
members. Missions for this stage will focus on recruitment of new harbingers, establishing territories,
and gathering resources.
Growing Pains (Year 4-Year 6)

By this stage the factions are fully established and the major players are known. Scientists have a
good working knowledge of how symbiotes operate and what the major power groups are. Conflict
between factions -- in particular, competition for territory or resources -- drives most missions, but
many governments recruit harbingers for disaster response. Some harbingers, especially independents,
are actively seeking understanding of their visions at this time and therefore undertake information
gathering missions... which aren't necessarily peaceful, depending on where the information is.
Paradigm Shift (Year 7-Year 9)

At this stage active conflict between factions has given way to cold war, and the world has changed
in a number of ways due to the contributions of harbingers. Missions include developing technology or
gathering resources for environmental cleanup, climate remediation, or space travel. By Year 9 the UN,
the Starless, and Elysium have moon bases (as do a couple of powerful independent harbingers), and
they will all want harbingers to assist with security or construction.
Crisis (Year 10+)

The world situation has stabilized enough that open fighting between the factions is rare. Covert
skirmishes are another matter. Attempts at gathering information about the symbiotes and their origins
have intensified, and such missions often involve the covert acquisition of information that another
faction hasn't shared freely. Late in Year 10 a phenomenon called a mosaic storm appears above the
ocean -- this dimensional anomaly may offer a wealth of information to those who dare to venture
inside. How long the storm persists, and whether or not there will be others, are up to the GM.
Faction
Having the player characters work together as a team is difficult if they're in different factions, so it's
a lot simpler if everyone is in the same one. This is one decision the GM is probably better off staying
out of except to voice any concerns -- for example, some GMs won't be comfortable running a Starless
campaign. Let the players work out among themselves which faction their characters will join. Once
they've done this the GM has some guidelines on which factions to use as antagonists... and which
faction will be providing most of the intrigue (namely the PCs' own).
The choice of faction will affect the range of missions available. Elysium and the United Nations
will both offer peacekeeping missions, and Elysium will also do a fair bit of crime fighting. Missions
for the Starless and independents might involve committing crimes. UN harbingers might be pressed
into military service, while Starless and independents could become mercenaries.
Allies and Antagonists

Any mission that involves combat will require NPC opponents, and some will require helpers as
well or instead. The mini-datafiles here represent generic NPCs -- character types rather than actual
characters. The GM is free to customize these files to better fit the current event.
The datafiles below assume a Local power level. Any power trait listed should be stepped up one
step for a Regional campaign or two steps for a Global or Cosmic campaign except where noted, and
any Expert Specialty should be upgraded to Master for a Global or Cosmic campaign. In addition to the
traits listed every harbinger has the following Harbinger Optimization powers based on their body type.
 Unchanged: Ageless d12
 Altered: Ageless d8, Exceptional Beauty, Durability, Reflexes, Stamina, or Strength d6
 Strange: Ageless d8, Exceptional Durability, Senses, or Strength, Extra Limbs, or Weapon d6
The following stat blocks represent generic characters to be used as opposition. The GM is strongly
encouraged to customize these examples -- i.e. by switching out SFX or limits or adding Distinctions --
so that players who have read this document don't know exactly what they're up against. Any of these
stat blocks can be used as a starting point for creating a unique NPC.
Blaster
Solo d6 Common Tactics
Buddy d8 Blasters tend to be glass cannons. They rely on teammates
to draw fire while they fight from a distance -- they like to fight
Team d10
from the air when possible. Inexperienced Blasters will just
Energy Projector (specify energy type) plug away with Energy Blast until the target drops while those
who have more skill will use Energy Control to impose
Energy Blast d8 Subsonic Flight d8 penalties on their targets -- heatstroke for fire, paralysis for
Energy Control d8 electricity, slick ice for cold, etc.
If there is more than one Blaster on a team they will usually
SFX Impedance: Spend a die from the doom pool to have different energy types.
remove a die of equal size from the target's dice pool
for their next action.
SFX Ricochet: Spend a d6 from the doom pool to bounce a
blast off of an obstacle to attack from an unexpected
direction; step up the effect die one step.
Limit Exhausted. Shutdown any Energy Projector power
and step up lowest doom die or add d6 to the doom
pool. Recover power by activating an opportunity.
Combat Expert d8 Menace Expert d8
Caretaker
Buddy d8 Caretakers don't really fight; their role is to support fighters.
They focus on buffing or healing their teammates. If an ally
Team d10
is downed the Caretaker is the one who will try to evacuate
Better Mousetrap them from the battlefield.
The Caretaker is also the team's driver or pilot. For teams
Cybernetic Senses d8 Gadgeteer d6 with limited resources the vehicle is an extended van or a
Dimension Travel d8 Healing d6 minibus, possibly with homemade armor. UN teams and the
better-funded Elysium teams might use helicopters, APCs, or
SFX Know They Enemy: Spend a die from the doom pool to VTOLs. There will be a wide selection of equipment stored in
know the location of any hidden enemies, or focus on the vehicle and a smaller selection in the Caretaker's pocket
a single visible enemy to detect concealed weapons. dimension(s).
SFX One for the Team: Spend a die from the doom pool to There is typically only one Caretaker per team unless it's a
create a device resource on the fly. large team.
Limit Hammerspace: You can only use Dimension Travel to
create pocket dimensions to store gear.
Business Expert d8 Tech Expert d8
Medical Expert d8 Vehicle Expert d8
Cloaker
Buddy d8 Cloakers don't do stand-up fights. If they fight at all they
execute surprise attacks from stealth. With powers that
Team d6
aren't much good in direct conflict Cloakers prefer to avoid
Impersonator or Super Sneak attacks rather than withstand them. They often carry gear
that aids them in battle -- entangling weapons, flashbang
Enhanced Reflexes d8 Enhanced Reflexes d8 grenades, tranquilizer dart guns, etc.
Shapeshifting d8 Invisibility d8 There is typically only one Cloaker per team, but a large
team might have two and there are sometimes entire teams
Weapon d6 Wall-crawling d8 of Cloakers for stealth missions; such a crew will have their
SFX Blindside: Upon landing a successful attack from solo and team affiliations switched.
ambush step up the effect die +1.
SFX Focus: If a dice pool includes an Impersonator or
Super Sneak power you may replace two dice of equal
size with one die +1 step larger.
Limit Exhausted. Shutdown any Impersonator or Super
Sneak ability and step up lowest doom pool die or add
d6 to the doom pool. Recover power by activating an
opportunity.
Covert Expert d8 Crime Expert d8
Empowerer
Buddy d8 An Empowerer fights from the back line because they lack
abilities for direct attack or defense. They concentrate on
Team d10
increasing their allies' powers or neutralizing the powers of
Power Player their enemies. With great effort an Empowerer can turn an
enemy's powers against them. If fighting alongside normals
Amplify d8 Mimic d8 an Empowerer might give them lesser versions of a foe's
Leech d6 harbinger abilities.
Empowerers are one of the only harbinger types that is less
SFX Diminish: Target a foe's power trait; remove a die that effective against baseline humans than they are against
size from the doom pool to step the power down -1. other harbingers. They are also the rarest type; even the
SFX Overload: Make an attack using one of your target's largest teams only have one, and most groups have none.
power trait dice in the dice pool. This costs a die of
equal size from the doom pool.
Limit For the Horde: Can't use Amplify or Mimic on yourself.
Covert Expert d8 Medical Expert d8
Healer
Buddy d8 Healers don't fight unless the situation is dire. Their job is to
keep their allies in the fight -- or, if things are going badly, to
Team d10
get downed allies back into the fight. A team's Healer will
Miracle Worker spend most of the conflict trying to avoid notice until they're
needed. Most Healers wear some kind of body armor to help
Enhanced Durability d8 Flesh Control d8 prevent injury to themselves, and those who aren't complete
Enhanced Senses d8 Weapon d6 pacifists will often carry some kind of sidearm. They also
double as medivac drivers.
SFX Only a Flesh Wound: Step down a stress die that was Healers are the most sought-after support type. They are
gained during the current scene one step by stepping somewhat rare, so few teams have more than one, but any
down a die of equal size from the doom pool. group will have as many as they are able to recruit.
Limit Lay On Hands: You must touch someone to heal them.
Covert Expert d8 Psych Expert d8
Medical Expert d8 Vehicle Expert d8
Heavy Hitter
Buddy d8 The Heavy Hitter fights up close and personal -- with the
strength to dish out damage and the durability to take it they
Team d6
are the team's tank. A Heavy Hitter's powers aren't subtle, so
Powerhouse they rarely bother with sneaking. Instead they strive to
attract attention away from their more fragile teammates. A
Enhanced Durability d8 Enhanced Strength d8 Heavy Hitter is perfectly capable of fighting alone, however,
Enhanced Stamina d8 Flight or Leaping d8 and most of them prefer to do so.
As this is the most common power set all but the smallest
SFX Into the Stands: Spend a die from the doom pool to teams have two or more Heavy Hitters.
add additional knockback effect to your attack; the
bigger the die the further the target is knocked back.
SFX Shockwave: Spend dice from the doom pool to add an
equal number of effect dice to affect multiple targets.
Limit Exhausted. Shutdown any Powerhouse ability and
step up lowest doom pool die or add d6 to the doom
pool. Recover power by activating an opportunity.
Henchman
Solo d6 Armed and Dangerous Common Tactics
Buddy d8 Courage Under Fire Henchmen lack powers; they rely on military grade weapons
and armor and superior numbers. They adapt their tactics to
Team 5d6
their targets -- massed fire from a distance to take on melee-
High-tech Arsenal based foes, suppressing fire to pin down glass cannons while
using cover to get close to them, etc. Henchmen try to attack
Cybernetic Senses d6 Weapon (crewed) d8 from multiple angles without getting in each other's lines of
Exceptional Durability d6 Weapon (individual) d6 fire; UN teams use a triangle formation. Henchmen often
deploy from vehicles up to and including APCs, helicopters,
SFX Lots of Us: Spend a doom die to add that die to the and amphibious assault vehicles.
Team or Buddy affiliation for the current combat. Henchmen don't improve their power traits or specialties at
Limit Gear: Shutdown any High-tech Arsenal ability to add a higher campaign power levels; they add greater numbers,
d6 to the doom pool or step up the smallest doom die. better vehicles, and more powerful weapons. The stronger
the opposition the more Henchmen are present -- the odds in
Combat Expert d8 Menace Expert d8 their favor are usually 5:1 and can go as high as 50:1. There
Crime Expert d8 Vehicle Expert d8 are confirmed uses of briefcase nukes against archons.
Inventor
Buddy d10 Inventors don't usually fight, at least not directly. Instead they
create gear for their allies or Henchmen to use. They do
Team d6
carry personal weapons in the event that their hidey-holes
Mother of Invention are discovered. The more combative Inventors sometimes
fight using armed drones or telepresence rigs. Inventors
Cybernetic Senses d8 Machine Control d8 usually deploy with a single teammate as a bodyguard and
Gadgeteer d8 Weapon d8 often double as drivers or pilots.
Inventing is an uncommon power set, so most teams only
SFX One for the Team: Spend a die from the doom pool to have one Inventor. If there's an Inventor in the field that's a
create a device resource on the fly. strong sign that the team has at least two.
SFX Overclock: Step up one Mother of Invention power one
step for its next use, then shutdown that power.
Regain that power by activating an opportunity.
Limit Gear: Shutdown any Mother of Invention ability to add
a d6 to the doom pool or step up the smallest die.
Science Expert d8 Vehicle Expert d8
Tech Expert d8
Magician
Buddy d10 A Magician's versatility is their greatest strength. Their usual
tactic is to create obstacles to funnel enemies into their allies'
Team d6
attacks or impose hindering conditions. Enemies with high
Arcane Arts Durability are targeted by Mystic Blast instead. A Magician is
usually the best person to take down an opposing Magician
Adept Sorcery d8 Mystic Resistance d8 or Psychic. Most teams deploy a Magician alongside a
Mystic Blast d6 Mystic Senses d6 partner with more conventional abilities, usually one who can
fight multiple opponents -- a Magician's greatest vulnerability
SFX Split Spell: Split Mystic Blast into 2d6 (if rating is d10, is having to defend against large numbers of enemies.
2d8 or 3d6; if rating is d12, 2d10, 3d8 or 4d6). The Magician power set is the second rarest. Most teams
Limit Growing Dread: Both 1 and 2 on the dice count as aren't lucky enough to have one, and only the largest have
opportunities when using Arcane Arts. two or more.
Mystic Expert d8 Psych Expert d8
Mercenary
Solo d6 Best of the Best Common Tactics
Buddy d10 Military Mindset Mercenaries are baseline humans with more training and
better equipment than Henchmen. They use similar tactics
Team 4d6
but rely less on numbers; Mercenaries typically work in
High-tech Arsenal teams of two or squads of four. Their gear often includes
harbinger inventions. Mercenaries carefully research their
Cybernetic Senses d8 Weapon (crewed) d10 targets whenever possible; if they can they customize their
Enhanced Durability d8 Weapon (individual) d8 gear to better deal with whatever threat they expect to face.
As with Henchmen, Mercenaries don't improve their power
SFX Morale Boost: Add a d6 to the doom pool or step up traits or specialties in a higher-powered campaign; they have
the smallest die after completing a mission objective. improved vehicles instead. Mercenary vehicles and gear are
SFX One-two Punch: When a Buddy hits a target this round better than what Henchmen use. Mercenaries are more
before you attack step up your lowest attack die +1. careful about collateral damage, however; instead of artillery
or WMDs they will use chemical or biological weapons... and
Limit Gear: Shutdown any High-tech Arsenal ability to add a will also have medical personnel on hand to treat civilians
d6 to the doom pool or step up the smallest doom die. who are exposed. There are confirmed cases of Mercenary
Combat Master d10 Menace Master d10 units deploying tailored bio-weapons against archons using
gene samples taken from known relatives.
Crime Master d10 Vehicle Master d10
Psychic
Buddy d8 Psychics usually occupy a support role. They often use their
ESP to scout an area or create telepathic communications
Team d10
networks. In a fight they make occasional attacks from
Power of the Mind concealment with mental bolts, especially on targets who
have high physical resistance. A Psychic only takes a front
Psychic Blast d6 Psychic Resistance d8 line combat role against a Magician or another Psychic. A
Psychic Senses d8 Telepathy d8 Psychic usually fights as part of a team or with a more
physically capable teammate watching their back.
SFX Area Attack: For each additional target add d6 and The Psychic power set is uncommon enough that most
keep an additional effect die. teams only have one, but not so rare that many teams don't
SFX Memory Hole: Spend a doom die after hitting with have one.
Psychic Blast; target can't detect you until you make
an attack, are hit by an attack, or combat ends.
Limit Exhausted. Shutdown a Power of the Mind ability and
pool. Recover that power by activating an opportunity.
Menace Expert d8
Puppeteer
Buddy d6 Puppeters don't fight; they have minions to fight for them.
They use the environment around them as a source of
Team d8
minions or weapons. A Puppeteer tries to remain concealed
Army of One (choose only one marked *) while the minions do all the work. If the master is discovered
the minions will converge to protect their master or cover the
Enhanced Senses d8 Duplication* d8 master's escape.
Hardened Senses d8 Machine Control* d8 Despite their lack of direct combat ability Puppeteers prefer
to fight alone, but having minions to direct means that they
Animal Control* d8 Mind Control* d8 know how to function as part of a team.
Animate* d8 Plant Control* d8 The Puppeteer power set is quite rare; few teams have one,
and even fewer have more than one.
SFX Area Attack: For each additional target add d6 and
keep an additional effect die.
SFX Through the Grapevine: Spend a die from the doom
pool to perceive through the senses of all minions for
the duration of this conflict.
Limit Exhausted. Shutdown an Army of One ability and step
up lowest doom pool die or add d6 to the doom pool.
Recover that power by activating an opportunity.
Menace Expert d8
Scholar
Solo d8 In the Know Common Tactics
Buddy d6 Right Tool for the Job Scholars are the rarest baseline human field agents, and
arguably the most valuable. They're not much good in a
Team 3d6
fight, but they are indispensable for dealing with high-tech
Tools of the Trade gear and solving scientific puzzles, and their knowledge of
the abilities and limits of harbingers might turn the tide of a
Cybernetic Senses d8 Exceptional Intelligence d6 battle. If forced to fight Scholars fight indirectly if possible,
SFX Exploit Vulnerability: After making a successful attack dirty if not. If they know who they're up against they will have
step up the effect die one step by spending a die of specific countermeasures prepared, otherwise they'll just
equal or greater size from the doom pool. have counters for the most common power sets (Blasters,
Cloakers, Heavy Hitters, Scouts, and Scrappers). Scholars
SFX Bio-scan: Add Intelligence to Cybernetic Senses dice prefer hit-and-run tactics; they'll hit a target hard enough to
pools and add an additional die to the total when buy time to run away.
analyzing or scanning for the presence of harbingers. If Scholars are present there will be several of them, i.e. a
Limit Gear: Shutdown any Tools of the Trade ability to add a researcher and several assistants. If active opposition is
d6 to the doom pool or step up the smallest doom die. expected the nerds will be protected by at least an equal
number of jocks (Henchmen or Mercenaries). Even if no
Business Expert d8 Science Expert d10 enemies are expected the Scholars will have a vehicle handy
Medical Expert d8 Tech Expert d10 for a fast getaway. Like Henchmen and Mercenaries
Scholars don't increase their power traits or specialties at
higher campaign power levels. If a head researcher is
present that individual will have two of their specialties at
Master and Intelligence increased to d8.
Scout
Buddy d8 The role of the Scout is less about fighting than gathering
information so that the rest of the team knows what they're
Team d6
up against. Scouts are also the harbingers most likely to be
Unseen Watcher sent on extraction (theft or kidnapping) missions. A Scout
usually goes in ahead of the rest of the group alone, and the
Enhanced Reflexes d8 Intangibility d8 goal is to get out with the goods without anyone the wiser.
Enhanced Senses d8 Weapon d6 Fighting is reserved for when the Scout is discovered or if
presented with a target of opportunity that's too good to pass
SFX Immunity: Spend a die from the doom pool to ignore up. In either case the Scout prefers to attack from ambush
stress from projectiles or close combat attacks. and retreat into the shadows.
SFX Shadow Meld: Add Intangibility to the dice pool of a Scouts usually work alone, but for extractions they often
stealth check. work with a Cloaker or another Scout. This power set is fairly
common, so many teams have at least one Scout.
Limit Exhausted. Shutdown an Unseen Watcher ability and
Acrobatic Expert d8 Crime Expert d8
Covert Expert d8
Scrapper
Buddy d10 The Scrapper is similar to the Heavy Hitter in that both like to
fight up close and personal. The Scrapper differs in focusing
Team d6
on doing damage rather than drawing fire to protect their
Ready to Rumble teammates. A Scrapper can function as a duelist, but their
preferred method is to make hit-and-run attacks while a
Enhanced Durability d8 Enhanced Strength d8 partner holds the enemy's attention. When fighting multiple
Enhanced Reflexes d8 Weapon d6 opponents a Scrapper will frequently switch targets to keep
all of them off balance.
SFX Make 'em Bleed: Use Reflexes, Strength, and Weapon Scrapper, along with Heavy Hitter, is among the most
in the dice pool for a single attack, then shutdown one common power sets. Most teams have at least one.
of those powers. Regain that power by activating an
opportunity.
SFX Second Wind: Spend a die from the doom pool to step
down the lowest stress die one step.
Limit Exhausted. Shutdown a Ready to Rumble ability and
Acrobatic Expert d8 Combat Expert d8
Situational
Buddy d8 Situationals have no common tactics because each one
fights differently according to the strengths and weaknesses
Team d10
of their particular power set. The one constant is that they
Grab Bag (choose only two marked *) are usually weak in direct combat, so they focus on support.
Many Situationals have abilities that impose debuffs on their
Enhanced Intelligence d8 Enhanced Beauty* d8 enemies or buff their allies, and just as many are trained as
Cosmic Senses* d8 Flesh Control* d8 drivers or pilots to increase their operational usefulness.
Collectively Situationals have an uncommon power set, but
Elemental Control* d8 Mystic/Psychic Senses* d8 as individuals each power set is somewhat rare. It's a rare
Emotional Control* d8 Weather Control* d8 team that has even one, and the limited applicability of their
powers means few teams bother with having more than one.
SFX Afflict: Add a d6 to the dice pool and step up the effect When designing a Situational choose any three of the listed
die +1 when inflicting a complication appropriate to the Specialties. If Elemental Control is selected specify an
Control power used. element (Air, Earth, Fire, Light, Metal, Shadow, Water, etc.).
SFX Helping Hand: Spend a die from the doom pool to The Grab Bag powers should fit a coherent theme, i.e. a
create a resource for an ally using a Control power. super-charismatic with Emotional Control and Enhanced
Beauty or an oracular detective with both Mystic and Psychic
Limit Exhausted. Shutdown a Grab Bag ability and step up Senses.
lowest doom pool die or add d6 to the doom pool.
Business Expert d8 Psych Expert d8
Cosmic Expert d8 Science Expert d8
Mystic Expert d8 Vehicle Expert d8
Teleporter
Buddy d6 Teleporters excel at hit-and-run combat and at ambushes.
They often use their mobility to engage multiple opponents;
Team d8
they can give the illusion of greater numbers and therefore
I Get Around can be effective when working alone. A common tactic is to
bounce around the battlefield, engaging different targets in
Enhanced Reflexes d8 Teleport d8 succession to keep all of them off-balance, and wait for an
Spatial Senses d8 Weapon d6 opportunity to land a decisive blow. If a fight is going against
them they can quickly evacuate themselves, and possibly
SFX Area Attack: For each additional target add d6 and their teammates, from the battlefield. With no direct attack
keep an additional effect die. powers a Teleporter will typically carry some sort of weapon
SFX Blink: When avoiding an attack use both Reflexes and into battle.
Teleport in the dice pool and add an additional die to The Teleporter power set is quite rare; most teams don't
the total. have one, and only the larger ones have two or more.
Limit Random Jump: Change Teleport into a complication to

add a d6 to the doom pool or step up the lowest doom
die one step.
Combat Expert d8 Crime Expert d8
Covert Expert d8
Trickster
Buddy d10 Tricksters avoid direct combat if possible, and if forced into a
stand-up fight will always fight dirty. They prefer to attack
Team d6
from ambush and focus their efforts on vulnerable spots. A
Tricksy Trixie (choose only one marked *) Trickster is most effective when supporting a partner --
usually by drawing fire away from a back-line fighter like a
Enhanced Reflexes d8 Probability Control* d8 Blaster, Magician, or Psychic -- but they can fight alone if
Leaping or Swingline d6 Shrinking* d8 need be. Tricksters don't usually carry weapons into battle;
they prefer improvising weapons from their surroundings.
Illusions* d8 Transmutation* d8 Those who are more technically minded might carry parts
SFX Acme Catalog: Spend a die from the doom pool to from which they can build weapons.
create a weapon or device resource. Tricksters have an uncommon power set, but the real
reason why most teams have only one is that they tend to be
SFX Low Blow: After making a successful attack spend a annoying.
die from the doom pool to step up the effect die.
Limit Tough Room: Change any Tricksy Trixie power into a
complication to add a d6 to the doom pool or step up
the lowest doom die one step.
Acrobatic Expert d8 Crime Expert d8
Covert Expert d8 Tech Expert d8
CHAPTER IV: Dramatis Personae
A group of newly-emerged harbingers are drawn into the machinations of an archon who might be a
chessmaster who plans far in advance... or might be totally insane.
The archon called l'Auteur (law-TOOR; French for "The Author") is a master strategist and probably
a master manipulator. He uses his prognostic abilities -- which might be precognition or just uncanny
intuition -- to predict when and where harbinger threats will emerge. He then arranges what he calls
"plays" to position harbingers with appropriate abilities to deal with those threats. Law enforcement
officials suspect that l'Auteur is somehow staging the threats for his own amusement, and no known
interaction with him has done anything to dispel this notion.
This short two-Act event is intended as an introduction to the Harbingers setting. In the course of
being "cast" in l'Auteur's latest "production" the player characters -- and by extension, the players --
will become acquainted with the factions and the basics of the campaign.
Everything after the event Milestones is intended for the GM's eyes only. Players who want to be
surprised should stop reading at the end of this page.
Structure of the Event

Dramatis Personae is a mini-event in which the characters undergo a series of tests. The faction
reps want to see if they are recruitment material, while l'Auteur wants to see if they have what it takes
to be true heroes... or true villains. Stat blocks for the antagonists that appear in this event are provided
at the end of this document. Each Act should be played in 1-3 sessions depending how how many
action scenes the players participate in.
 Act One consists of the PCs' "audition" for the "play" in which they are faced with minor
antagonists and contacted by local representatives of the factions.
 Act Two is the "play" itself, in which the PCs investigate the villains, and possibly l'Auteur, in
order to neutralize the threat.
Milestones for This Event

Dramatis Personae has the following event Milestones that characters may choose to pursue.
A Hero Walks Alone

1 XP when engaging in superhuman activities causes you to miss a personal event or shirk a
personal responsibility.
3 XP when you knowingly put someone you care about at risk with your superhuman activities.
10 XP when you fully bring your loved one(s) into your double life or break off the relationship to
protect them.
A Place at the Table

1 XP when you learn about the factions and make contact with the local faction representatives.
3 XP when you accept a mission from one of the factions.
10 XP when you formally join a faction or reject all factions and choose to remain independent.
The Play's the Thing

1 XP when you involve yourself in l'Auteur's "play."
3 XP when you research l'Auteur's methods and past works to figure out the current script.
10 XP when you embrace your role in the script or reject it and try to write your own.
ACT ONE
Light a Fire
The first act involves scenes at Three Pines Mall, a mega shopping center in the city of Hill Valley,
CA. It begins with the PCs being drawn into a disturbance there and ends when the threat is resolved.
Setting: Three Pines Mall

Three Pines Mall is the largest shopping center in the region.
 The mall suffered damage in a harbinger battle and has been closed for the last three months.
 The much-awaited grand reopening is a huge media circus; there are national news crews and
several B-list celebrities in attendance.
 The mall is at the edge of town near a fairly affluent neighborhood. It's in Elysium territory, but
there are frequent Starless incursions.
Prominent Locations
Here are some sample locations within the mall, each with at least two scene distinctions included in
the description.
Food Court: This large area located near the center of the mall is an Obstacle Course of tables, chairs,
and planters, and the restaurant interiors offer Good Places to Hide.
Parking Lot: The area around the outside of the mall is a huge expanse of asphalt. On the one hand it is
Open to the Elements. On the other hand it will be Full of Cars.
The Promenade: The main walkways that connect the major sections of the mall are Wide and Spacious,
but during the event they will be Crowded.
The Rotunda: The central area to which all sections of the mall lead has a High Ceiling and Plenty of
Room, but the Huge Fountain that is its centerpiece can be a hazard to aerial travel or leaping.
Store Interiors: Even the largest big box stores in the mall are filled with Racks of Merchandise that
result in Obstructed Sightlines.
Hook: Grand Opening

A character's reason for being at the mall will determine where they will be when the action starts.
 Customer: People who are here for the sales will either be in a Store Interior, on the Promenade
on their way to a store, or taking a break in the Food Court or the Rotunda.
 Fan: Those who came to see the celebrities will be out on the Parking Lot or in the Rotunda.
 Loiterer: These people (probably bored teens, or perhaps the homeless) are most likely to be
hanging out at the Food Court or wandering the Promenade.
 Media Type: A character might be one of the clowns in the media circus. Performers or stage
crew will be working on the main stage in the Rotunda or one of the smaller stages on the
Parking Lot. News crews will be covering the performances in the Parking Lot or the Rotunda
or giving man-on-the-street interviews on the Promenade.
 Staff: Characters who work at the mall could be anywhere but the Parking Lot (exception:
security staff might be stationed on the Parking Lot), with the Food Court and Store Interiors
being most likely.
Doom Pool
The doom pool begins at 2d6 for this Act.
Buildup: Getting to the Action
This is where the PCs get involved in the action. They're all on site already, so there's no problem
with getting them there. The trick is giving each of them a reason to engage with the action. It's lucky
for the GM that l'Auteur has already figured this out. Narrate a scene for each player with l'Auteur
offering them something they want in exchange for taking part in the "play" (not that l'Auteur will put
it in those terms). l'Auteur will be in disguise for these interactions (see his write-up at the end of the
chapter), and he will probably use a different disguise for each character.
Finding out what the characters want can be tricky; after all, just because l'Auteur knows doesn't
mean the GM does. The simplest method is to ask the players directly, but it's a safe bet that at least
one player hasn't given this any thought. It might be easier to use the PCs' Distinctions as a guide;
l'Auteur draws them in by offering them a chance to become what they aspire to be or prove that they
already are. Of course, those with heroic motives can simply be told that innocents will soon be in
danger while those who desperately need money can be shown a way to monetize their gifts.
Any characters who are concerned about revealing their identities will be offered masks based on
the major arcana of the tarot deck. That these masks are appropriate to their assigned roles in the story
will become evident later. Those who don't receive masks before the action will be given copies of
their respective cards afterward, while the masks will turn into cards once the need for them passes.
Card Symbolism
The Fool Folly, delirium; negligence, apathy, vanity
The Magician Energy, potential; black magic
The High Priestess Secrets, silence, wisdom; passion, conceit, surface knowledge
The Empress Fruitfulness, initiative, the unknown; light, truth, unraveling
The Emperor Stability, power, protection; compassion, obstruction, immaturity
The Hierophant Alliance, servitude, mercy; society, over-kindness, weakness
The Lovers Love, beauty, trials overcome; failure, foolish plans
The Chariot War, victory, providence; riot, defeat, quarrels
Justice Equity, deserved triumph; bigotry, legalism
The Hermit Prudence, discretion; corruption, fear
Wheel of Fortune Change in status
Strength Power, courage, honors; despotism, discord, disgrace
The Hanged Man Trials, sacrifice; selfishness
Death Change; stasis
Temperance Moderation, management; disunity, competing interests
The Devil Violence, fatality; pettiness, blindness
The Tower Adversity, unforeseen calamity; negligence, absence
The Star Loss, abandonment; arrogance, impotence
The Moon Danger, deception, darkness; instability, error
The Sun Contentment, prosperity
Judgment Absolution, rebirth, karma, second chance
The World Recompense, voyage; permanence, stagnation
Action: First Response
Elysium's heroic duo Run & Gun are the first harbingers on the scene. If any of the characters are
on the Parking Lot and visibly using their powers the pair will assume that the PCs are the threat and
try to apprehend them. If no one is on the Parking Lot Run & Gun will drive their motorcycle onto the
Promenade to the nearest trouble site. Once the large fire starts in the Food Court they will make their
way there.
Options with First Response

 Run & Gun will give assumed perpetrators a chance to surrender before attacking, so there's a
chance to resolve the encounter without fighting.
 If fighting occurs the duo will follow Elysium procedure and fight to capture rather than kill.
This forbearance lasts only until Run is stressed out, at which time Gun will start using deadly
force on the parties responsible.
 If the encounter reaches a peaceful resolution Run & Gun will press the PCs into service. The
first priority is to neutralize any harbinger threat, but they will also want to assist any police and
firefighters on site.
Action: That Blows

The main stage is where the most media presence is, so of course that's where the Starfall heavy
Blowhard shows up. He crashes through the ceiling and immediately starts fighting anyone who looks
like a worthy opponent. He won't negotiate unless the fight is going against him, but he's more than
willing to talk smack.
Options with That Blows

 Blowhard won't intentionally harm civilians, but neither is he careful to avoid collateral damage.
This is a real problem considering his ability to make area attacks.
 As mentioned before Blowhard won't negotiate (unless he's losing), but he is susceptible to
flattery. Once convinced that the PCs aren't a threat he's willing to let them "assist" him while
he finds and takes down the actual threat.
 Blowhard will head for the Food Court as soon as it becomes clear that the actual threat is there.
Action: The Man in White

The UN team makes a more sedate entrance than the others. Agent Argent and his squad enter
covertly through one of the store entrances into a Store Interior. The agent will start by questioning any
harbingers he finds and will instruct them to stay out of the way if he feels they're not up to helping. If
there's no one in a Store Interior area the squad will make their way to the Food Court by way of the
Promenade and question -- and, if Agent Argent deems necessary, restrain -- any harbingers they meet
along the way.
Options with The Man in White

 Agent Argent will use his abilities to facilitate crowd control. Any PC who wants to help with
that will be welcome to assist.
 The UN team doesn't want to fight the PCs, as they already know who the culprit is, but they
will detain anyone suspicious as a possible accomplice.
 Once they reach the Food Court and see the extent of the problem Agent Argent will take all the
help he can get. He will take charge of the situation and offer the PCs suggestions on how to
fight effectively. Run & Gun will defer to him. Blowhard, not so much.
Action: We Didn't Start the Fire
Jack Ash is an independent harbinger of a villainous bent. He starts by entering the mall covertly
and starting a fire inside one of the stores and then makes his way to the Food Court. Once there he
begins terrorizing a well-dressed man in his 40s named Thomas Katz, who is there with a 30-something
woman and three children ages 10, 9, and 7. He has to find them first -- the man somehow knows in
advance that Jack is coming and leads the woman and children into hiding -- but once he does Jack
takes the man's watch and makes repeated death threats against the children to get the "professor" to
reveal the location of "the engine."
Jack's ashlings follow the Mob rules in the MHRP core book p. OM115 (p. 121 in the pdf).
Options with We Didn't Start the Fire

 If the characters try to fight Jack he will happily oblige. He goes out of his way to cause as
much collateral damage as possible.
 At the first opportunity Jack will create as many ashlings as he can. He will send one of them
to "get the car" while the rest start fires and harass civilians.
 If the PCs try to evacuate the family instead it becomes a chase scene. The Food Court is a
difficult environment to flee through, and with the panicking crowds running through the
Promenade would be disastrous. If they manage to get outside they can escape, or they can rely
on help from the police presence to take Jack down.
 Jack Ash will try to escape if the fight is going against him. If he can't get away he will wait
until somebody lands a strong blow and crumble to a pile of cinders. See Jack's stat block for
why this is not a win for the PCs.
Transition: After-action Report

Once Jack Ash has fled or been neutralized -- and Blowhard has been convinced that there's no point
in further combat -- it's time for a transition scene. The police will take over crowd control, the fire
department will handle the fires, and paramedics will be on scene to treat any injured (including the
PCs') while the harbingers talk harbinger business.
After the NPCs make some phone calls they state that they've been authorized by their factions to
act as liaisons to the characters. They will explain their factions' principles and codes of conduct and
offer the PCs a chance to help resolve the issue.
Interrogating the professor reveals the existence of the Envigoron Engine, a device that temporarily
boosts a harbinger's powers. If Jack Ash escaped Agent Argent assumes that Jack will use the watch to
track down the engine and leads the investigation to find a large enough source of fire for Jack to take
advantage of the boost .
 Business Resource: The pattern of damage to the building shows that Jack knew exactly what
he was doing to divert first responders from the part of the building he was planning to hit. This
suggests that he knew the layout of the mall. The trail leads to a clerk in the hall of records,
who confesses that she took a bribe from someone calling himself "Arsenio" to hand over a
copy of the blueprints. All communication was electronic, so she never saw the person with
whom she was dealing.
 Covert Resource: Sources within Starfall reveal that they commissioned Professor Katz to
create a way to boost the powers of weak harbingers.
 Crime Resource: A search of digital records shows a security breach in Starfall's email network;
someone has been monitoring their communications for months.
 Psych Resource: Accessing the psychological records in Jack's UN file suggests that he follows
the path of least resistance. He'll probably use the closest active volcano that he can reach.
 Science Resource: The Fire Marshall suggests that Jack Ash's limit has probably left him with a
fear of large bodies of water; while Hawaii is a reliable source of active volcanoes Jack isn't
likely to risk an ocean crossing. For the same reason he probably won't go into Alaska; the cold
would inhibit his powers. He'll probably go to one of the volcanoes in the continental USA
instead. The closest are Lassen Peak in California and Gorda Ridge and Mount Hood in
Oregon, but Mount St. Helens in Washington is more active.
 Tech Resource: Professor Katz, if pressed, will reveal that his watch contains both a sensor that
can detect harbingers and a GPS scanner that can lead the wearer to the Envigoron Engine.
Other technicians can duplicate that tech to make a scanner.
 Vehicle Resource: Once the characters have a destination in mind either Elysium, the UN, or the
fire department can arrange a ride.
Unlockables
In addition to the normal things players can spend XP on add the following items to the list. These
are tied to the event Milestones, so they're only available to characters who pursued the respective
Milestones. Each has a 5 XP and 10 XP level, which correspond to minor and major event resources.
 (5 XP/10 XP) Unlock Know Your Role: Any player who spends 5 XP during the act can unlock
basic information about the role that l'Auteur has assigned them (provided by a helpful NPC,
probably a UN or independent researcher). For 10 XP l'Auteur himself will offer insight into
the role, though he does so by providing hints rather than straight answers, as well as some
information about the opposition's methods and motives.
 (5 XP/10 XP) Unlock the Local Rep: Any player who spends 5 XP during the act can unlock
Agent Argent, Blowhard, or Run & Gun as a contact. The character is given contact info for
their contact and can call them once to request critical information, transportation, or loaned
gear. For 10 XP the contact will show up to help the team. Multiple PCs can pool their XP for
this one.
 (5 XP/10 XP) Unlock the Sidekick: A player who spends 5 XP during the act can unlock the
friend, relative, co-worker, or love interest who was affected by the PC's harbinger activities as
an assistant. The sidekick will help cover for the character's absences and aid in keeping the
character's identity secret. For 10 XP the sidekick will also perform errands up to and including
securing needed items; once during Act Two the sidekick can obtain a minor resource for the
character. This resource must be something that the sidekick could reasonably obtain or make.
ACT TWO
Out of the Frying Pan
Act Two is the hunt for the Envigoron Engine and the final battle against Jack Ash. There are two
settings for this act with a transition scene separating the action at each one.
Setting: Professor Katz's Lab

The MAU (Metahuman Analysis and Understanding) Laboratories complex is about an hour's drive
north of Hill Valley well away from populated areas. All of the factions consider it neutral territory;
Professor Katz has done work for each of them in the past. When the PCs arrive the only people on-
site are the night security staff.
Prominent Locations
There are five locations of note at MAU Labs; the Building Exterior, Reception, the Office Block,
the Security Station, and the Lab Wing.
Building Exterior: The building complex has a small parking lot and is surrounded by a wide, flat
grassy area. There are no trees or even hedges within 300 feet of the building. The area is Wide Open
and Lacks Cover.
Reception: The building's main lobby is spacious with a high ceiling. Between the bright lighting and
the echo-y footsteps from the tiled floors it's Impossible to Sneak through here. There are also multiple
Security Cameras covering this area.
Office Block: Past the Reception area lie the administrative offices. Professor Katz believes in the
open office plan, so the entire floor has Clear Sightlines from one end to the other. There are also
Security Cameras covering this area.
Security Station: In an out-of-the-way alcove between Reception and the Office Block is a small room
with a bank of monitors. There is a guard stationed here at all times to monitor the Camera Feeds from
Reception and the Office Block. It would be difficult to fight in such a Cramped space.
Lab Wing: The southwest wing of the building is where the actual labs are located. The research rooms
are designed to hold up against sudden outbursts of superhuman power, so the labs feature Reinforced
Walls and Windows. In the event that an enraged subject needs to be contained there are also Sentry
Guns with nonlethal weaponry and Automatic Blast Doors.
Hook: Engine Trouble

The characters have been recruited by the factions to retrieve the Envigoron Engine from MAU
Labs. What they're expected to do with it depends on which faction they're working for. It's probably
easier if they're all working for the same faction, but having PCs working for different factions can add
an element of inter-party intrigue.
 The Starless wants a return on its investment, so characters working for this faction have been
instructed to recover the engine and get it back to Starless territory.
 The United Nations wants to study the engine with an eye toward reversing the technology to
suppress the powers of unruly harbingers. Characters working for the UN are told to recover
the engine and bring it to Agent Argent.
 Elysium and the independents see the Envigoron Engine as a major threat to the balance of
power; PCs working for these factions are ordered to see that the device is destroyed.
Doom Pool
The doom pool begins at 4d6 for this Act.
Buildup: Getting to the Action

The PCs should already have arranged for transportation in the preceding transition scene. If they
didn't the location is close enough to drive to if they have access to automobiles. Blowhard will spot
them $50.00 for gas if they go this route, while Agent Argent will tell them to bring him their receipts.
Elysium will give them a ride if asked.
Action: Lab Tested

When the characters arrive at MAU Labs they find the building mostly deserted. There is one guard
in Reception but no patrols.
The antagonists waiting inside will wait for the characters to get to the Lab Wing before attacking;
they have someone in the Security Station watching the cameras, so they know where the PCs are.
Options with Lab Tested

 If the PCs enter through the front door the guard in Reception will try to get them to leave with
vague warnings about "a radiation leak." If they persist the guard will draw a gun and try to
force them out. A group of harbingers should have no trouble handling one human guard; use
the Henchman stats except that there's only one.
 If the characters want to sneak in they can enter the Office Block through a side door or get into
the Lab Wing through the roof. Either option will set off a silent alarm that the enemy in the
Security Station will notice unless someone with the Crime specialty disables the alarm.
 Upon reaching the Office Block the characters find about a dozen people. They are all tied up,
unconscious, and wearing MAU Labs ID badges. Taking one of the badges will allow the PCs
to get through security doors without breaking them down -- two of the hostages are security
guards, so their badges have the highest access.
 The enemies attack when the characters reach the Lab Wing; they will be waiting outside
Professor Katz's personal lab trying to get the door open. The team will consist of a Blaster, a
Heavy Hitter, a Scout (starts in the Security Station), a Scrapper, and a Trickster. If there are
more than five PCs the group will also have a number of Henchmen. Interrogating them later
will reveal that they are independents.
 Just before the team of enemies is defeated there will be an explosion outside the building.
When the PCs investigate they will see Jack Ash taking the Envigoron Engine. A dozen
ashlings will cover Jack's retreat as he takes off heading north in an experimental vehicle. It
will take Supersonic Flight to catch him, and since most of the group will probably be left
behind catching him might not be a good idea.
Transition: Up the Mountain

For the final scene the PCs must get to Mount St. Helens to stop Jack Ash from using the Envigoron
Engine. By now they should already have arranged for transportation. If not they can call their faction
contacts to ask for a ride. The trip will take long enough that there's time for some basic medical care
and phone calls to colleagues or loved ones.
l'Auteur will show up during this transition to offer a pep talk. He will answer any questions the
characters have, or he will listen calmly if anyone wants to tell him off.
Setting: Mount St. Helens

The climactic battle takes place here. Jack Ash uses the fires of the volcano to take advantage of the
boost in power he gets from the Envigoron Engine. The stakes of this battle are high; if Jack manages
to take out all of the PCs he will definitely kill them.
Prominent Locations
For the purpose of this scene the mountain has only three locations; the Lower Slopes, the Upper
Slopes, and the Crater.
Lower Slopes: If the characters came here in ground vehicles or an aircraft with no hover capability
they will have to land at the base of the mountain and climb up from the bottom. The Rocky Terrain
makes for a strenuous climb, but at least there are Hiking Trails for easier going. Starting from here it
takes about three hours to reach the crater.
Upper Slopes: There is no place to land an aircraft here, but if the vehicle can hover the characters can
jump out and save most of the climb (one hour to the top). It's Very Windy up here, and the ground is
Blanketed with Snow. Parts of the climb are also Steep.
Crater: This is where Jack Ash has set up shop. It's impossible for an aircraft to approach here due to
the tremendous Cloud of Ash pouring from the summit, and fighting here is complicated by the fact that
The Floor is Lava except for some semi-safe islands of rock.
Action: A Furnace for Your Foe

By the time the PCs arrive it's obvious that it's already too late; Jack Ash will be surrounded by
ashlings -- at least two dozen, more if the PCs have called in their sponsors to help. They will also
catch him in the very act of summoning a firedrake from the lava. Jack's Burning Man powers will all
be boosted by one die type during this battle.
Options with A Furnace for Your Foe

 The characters can try to just duke it out with a powered-up Jack Ash and hope that they win.
 If anyone can get to the Envigoron Engine they can use a full-round action to amplify their own
abilities. The engine has enough energy to be used twice with at least three rounds between
uses. Choose one harbinger power set (the engine has no effect on gear); all powers in that set
improve by one die type for the rest of the scene. Shutdown that power set for 24 hours when
the scene ends.
 If they rode there in an aircraft provided by the fire department they can call in a flame retardant
air strike. This automatically destroys all of the ashlings, but roll dodge reactions for Jack and
the firedrake. It will take 1d6 + 3 turns for the strike to hit. This option is only available if the
vehicle is already in the air, i.e. they jumped out on the Upper Slopes. This also has the benefit
of negating The Floor is Lava for 1d4 + 2 rounds.
Conclusion: The Engine That Could

If the PCs win -- and they'd better, if they want to survive -- they will have successfully recovered
the Envigoron Engine. What happens to it afterward depends on who they're working for.
 If the entire team is working for the same faction they simply carry out that factions instructions
for the engine's disposition.
 If different characters are working for different factions they must work out between them what
happens to the engine. This could very well result in another action scene in which the PCs
have to fight each other.
 Because of the power shutdown following the use of the Envigoron Engine it's possible to
capture Jack Ash because he can't Rekindle. The UN will take him into custody and pay out a
reward of $100,000.00. The characters can work out how to split it.
 The firedrake fades away at the end of the scene regardless of the outcome.
Aftermath: Curtain Call

On the way home the group receives a visit from l'Auteur in the guise of none other than William
Shakespeare. He congratulates them on their success and states that he looks forward to their future
"performances." If they have any questions he will give hints or cryptic responses... except to those
who actively rejected their roles. To them he gives straight answers.
Having successfully resolved this situation the characters have proven themselves to the factions and
will be invited to join the faction of their choice. If they choose to accept they continue the campaign
as fully-fledged faction members or as recognized independents.
l'Auteur
There are no stats provided for l'Auteur on the grounds that, "If it has stats we can kill it." PCs --
especially starting PCs -- should find it impossible to win a direct fight against this experienced and
frighteningly clever archon (not that he would give them a direct fight).
l'Auteur is rumored to be both clairvoyant and precognitive. He is certainly aware of events that he
couldn't possibly have been present to witness and often predicts events before they happen, sometimes
months in advance. Many people who have met him claimed that he wasn't physically present, so he
seems to be able to project his image over long distances. l'Auteur is persuasive to such a degree that
many suspect him of having some sort of mental or emotional domination power. He is known to be
superhumanly intelligent; he has a multitude of skills and speaks over two dozen languages fluently.
He has vast knowledge of history and folklore and is an accomplished writer, actor, and makeup artist.
l'Auteur's method seems to be to detect an imminent threat and then identify a person or persons
suited to deal with it. He then arranges the meeting of the "protagonists" and "antagonists" by setting
in motion a series of events that pits them against each other. l'Auteur assigns each participant in the
story a role and nudges them, through hints or seeming coincidences, to act out that role. He admits
that it amuses him to put on these "plays." Those who passionately embrace their roles often go on to
become beloved heroes or hated villains... but so do those who actively reject their roles and choose
other paths. No one who takes the latter path is comfortable asking if that was what l'Auteur intended
all along.
Many in law enforcement suspect that his own amusement is l'Auteur's main goal and therefore
question his sanity. Asking if this is because he has assigned them the role of "bumbling bureaucrats"
is a sure way to get on their bad side.
No one has ever seen l'Auteur's face -- not his real one, anyway. When not disguised as a deceased
public figure he appears dressed as the title character from The Phantom of the Opera. He usually
speaks in the manner of a well-educated and highly cultured person, though he has been observed to be
fluent in the working class dialects of French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. When in disguise as a
famous person he speaks as they did in life.
Agent Argent
Solo d8 Fearless Leader Common Tactics
Buddy d6 Nothing Up My Sleeve... Yeah, Right Agent Argent is a low-powered harbinger... and quite a few
people who underestimated him because of that are now
Team d10 Trust Me, I'm a Professional
"guests" in UN prisons. He has vast knowledge of known
Harbinger Optimization (Altered) harbingers and harbinger powers, and he adapts his tactics
to the current target. He's not exactly a pacifist, but he is on
Ageless d8 Enhanced Beauty d8 record as stating that he will never kill while capture is still a
Silver Tongue possibility. Nothing changes his mind about capture being
possible faster than threats to innocents, however.
Emotion Control d8 Psychic Senses d8 Agent Argent leads a team of Mercenaries (two four-man
Enhanced Intelligence d8 Weapon d6 squads) that deploys from a custom APC. They always carry
nonlethal weapons (flashbangs, shotguns loaded with taser
SFX Analyze: Roll a dice pool with Psychic Senses and rounds, tear gas and smoke grenades, etc.) but have more
compare the total to the highest die type for each lethal weapons on hand if needed. Agent Argent always has
power set except Harbinger Optimization. If the total is at least one concealed weapon and a hidden set of lock picks
6+ you know the target is a harbinger. If the total > the on his person.
die type for the highest power trait in a power set you Agent Argent's suit has been chemically treated to resist all
know about that power set. manner of stains. He is a bit of a neat freak.
SFX Area Attack: Add a d6 and keep an additional effect die
for each additional target.
SFX Focus: If a dice pool includes a Silver Tongue power
you may replace two dice of equal size with one die +1
step larger.
Limit Exhausted. Shutdown a Silver Tongue ability and step
Combat Master d10 Science Expert d8
Covert Master d10 Vehicle Expert d8
Blowhard
Solo d10 I'm Too Sexy Common Tactics
Buddy d6 Screw the Rules, I Have Muscles Blowhard has all the subtlety of a hurricane. He crashes into
the situation and starts hitting people -- usually, but not
Team d8 Whoever's the Loudest is Right
always, the ones he came to fight -- and keeps doing it until
Harbinger Optimization (Altered) somebody goes down. The closest he gets to tactics is using
his breath weapon to engage targets he can't close with or to
Ageless d8 Exceptional Beauty d6 break up formations. Otherwise he likes to stand toe-to-toe
Strong Wind and duke it out with the biggest or scariest-looking target
available. Blowhard prefers to work alone, but he plays
Air Blast d8 Superhuman Durability d10 surprisingly well with others as long as they acknowledge
Enhanced Stamina d8 Superhuman Strength d10 that he's in charge. He's one of the more powerful members
of the Starless, so most members of the faction defer to him.
Flight d6 As a member of the Starless Blowhard never turns down a
SFX Invulnerable: Spend a die from the doom pool to bribe, but even more than money he values any chance to
ignore physical stress or trauma caused by impacts or build his rep. He'll go easy on an opponent who agrees to
physical projectiles. take a dive. He has even been known to work with members
of other factions as long as he gets to be the one to complete
SFX Second Wind: Before using a Strong Wind power the mission. Avoiding a fight with Blowhard is sometimes as
spend a die from the doom pool to step up Strong easy as offering flattery... but only if he's in a good mood.
Wind +1 for this action.
SFX Unleashed: Step up or double any Strong Wind power
for one action. If the action fails spend a die equal to
the normal rating of the power from the doom pool.
Limit Exhausted. Shutdown a Strong Wind ability and step
Jack Ash
Solo d10 Burn, Baby, Burn Common Tactics
Buddy d8 The Devil You Know There's not much subtlety to Jack; he shows up, and things
catch fire. He revels in destruction -- indeed, he will often
Team d6 Twice as Bright, Half as Long
pass up an opportunity to inflict injury in favor of taking action
Harbinger Optimization (Strange) that will cause fear and confusion. He only gets serious
about hurting people if someone manages to hurt him, and
Ageless d8 Weapon (Horns) d6 even then he focuses his attacks on whoever hurt him unless
Burning Man they're too tough. In that event he'll pick an innocent and
burn them alive instead.
Enhanced Durability d8 Fire Mastery d10 Jack is too unstable to play well with others, but he can
Fire Blast d8 Flight d6 work with a partner who shares his love of mayhem. He will
start as large a fire as possible early in the encounter so as
SFX Area Attack: Add a d6 and keep an additional effect die to have flames to feed off of if he gets injured. Jack uses his
for each additional target. ashlings as a means of causing further destruction; he sends
SFX Create Ashlings: Activate an opportunity to create a them to cause property damage or harass civilians so the
number of ashling constructs based on the effect die -- heroes have to split their forces. Jack loves puns and dad
1 (d4), 2 (d6), 5 (d8), 10 (d10), or 20(d12). jokes, the more atrocious the better. Bonus points if they're
fire-related.
SFX Feed on Fire: Roll a dice pool including Fire Mastery; Fights with Jack Ash don't usually last long. He will come in
step down a physical or emotional stress die equal to stealthy, cause a sudden burst of mayhem, and try to leave
or smaller than the effect die. when the chaos is at its height. If he can't flee immediately
SFX Rekindle: If Jack Ash is killed he can be revived during he will create a threat to civilian or first responders' lives to
a transition scene if at least one ashling survives. He divert the heroes' attention.
can will himself to collapse into a pile of ash and use
this ability to escape confinement.
Limit Extinguished: Shutdown Burning Man if doused in
water or fire suppressant chemicals. Regain Burning
Man by activating an opportunity.
Combat Expert d8 Menace Master d10
Ashlings
Solo d6 Fiery Constructs Common Tactics
Buddy d8 Jack's Little Helpers Ashlings employ simple tactics; they do whatever Jack Ash
tells them to. This usually means spreading out and causing
Team 4d6
maximum property damage, but if Jack is in trouble he'll send
Living Flames them to harass civilians or interfere with firefighters. The first
ashling Jack creates will be sent to flee the scene so it can
Enhanced Durability d8 Fire Blast d8 Rekindle him later if the fight goes badly.
Enhanced Reflexes d8
SFX Fiery Aura: As part of a reaction to a melee attack
inflict stress with Fire Blast.
SFX Immunity: Ignore physical stress from heat and fire.
Limit Doused: If immersed in water or flame suppressant
chemicals shutdown Living Flames and take physical
stress. An ashling that is stressed out in this way is
destroyed. Regain Living Flames by activating an
opportunity.
Combat Expert d8
Firedrake
Solo d8 Chiefest of Calamities Common Tactics
Buddy d10 Fiery Construct Like its creator the firedrake isn't subtle. It uses its fire breath
or storms of sparks from its wings to attack multiple targets,
Team d6 One Part Brave, Three Parts Fool
while anyone fool enough to close with it is subject to attacks
Dragon's Fire from its bite, claws, and tail. If the firedrake is in real danger
of being destroyed, and Jack Ash isn't there to command
Fire Blast d12 Superhuman Durability d10 otherwise, it will try to fly away.
Growth d8 Superhuman Strength d10
Subsonic Flight d8 Weapon d10
SFX Area Attack: Add a d6 and keep an additional effect die
SFX Fiery Aura: As part of a reaction to a melee attack
inflict stress with Fire Blast.
SFX Immunity: Ignore physical stress from heat and fire.
Limit Doused: If immersed in water or flame suppressant
chemicals shutdown Dragon's Fire and take physical
stress. If the firedrake is stressed out in this way it is
destroyed. Regain Dragon's Fire by activating an
opportunity.
Combat Master d10
Run & Gun
Run
Solo d8 Eat and Run Common Tactics
Buddy d10 Help is on the Way Run's typical method is to draw fire while Gun concentrates
on doing damage. He relies on his speed and agility to avoid
Team d6 Nobody Left Behind
attacks. Run typically fights unarmed, but if the enemy is
Harbinger Optimization (Unchanged) especially tough he'll activate his stun gloves, both to do
more damage and to make them an easier target for Gun.
Ageless d12 Run's high metabolism requires a lot of calories; he carries
Need for Speed snacks with him at all times and will use opportune moments
to stop and eat. He tires quickly if he can't do this.
Enhanced Reflexes d8 Superhuman Speed d10 If Gun goes down Run will grab her and evacuate from the
Enhanced Stamina d8 Weapon d6 battlefield.
Run and Gun deploy to mission sites on a tricked-out
SFX Area Attack: Add a d6 and keep an additional effect die motorcycle; Run usually drives.
SFX Second Wind: Before using a Need for Speed power
spend a die from the doom pool to step up Need for
Speed +1 for this action.
SFX Stun Gloves: Weapon attack may deal mental stress.
A target who receives mental stress in this manner is
unable to move for the rest of this round.
Limit Exhausted. Shutdown a Need for Speed ability and
Acrobatic Master d10 Vehicle Expert d8
Combat Expert d8
Gun
Solo d8 A Gun for Every Target Common Tactics
Buddy d10 Fog of War Gun's preferred tactic is to set up in a secure location and
snipe targets from a distance. She makes liberal use of flash
Team d6 Hair Trigger
suppressors, silencers, and subsonic rounds to avoid giving
Harbinger Optimization (Altered) her position away. Gun uses high-caliber weapons so as to
have enough stopping power to bring down tough enemies.
Ageless d8 Exceptional Stamina d6 For the toughest opponents she breaks out the underslung
Walking Arsenal grenade launcher. Gun's equipment is beyond state of the
art due to her power, which is super technology.
Cybernetic Senses d6 Gadgeteer d8 Gun always wears body armor and has at least three guns
Enhanced Durability d8 Weapon d10 on her when on a mission; a primary, an alternate, and a
holdout. The holdout weapon is a heavy pistol while the
SFX Area Attack: Add a d6 and keep an additional effect die other two are customized for the current job. If need be Gun
for each additional target. will modify a weapon in the field to make it more effective
SFX Dangerous: Add a d6 to the dice pool for an attack against the current target.
action and step back highest die in the pool -1. Step If Run is injured Gun will go ballistic; she'll fight until taken
up stress inflicted by +1. down or she runs out of targets. While in this state she no
longer worries about concealing her position.
SFX Versatile: Split Weapon into 2d8 or 3d6.
Limit Gear: Shutdown a Walking Arsenal power to add a d6
to the doom pool or step up the lowest doom die.
Regain that power by activating an opportunity.
Combat Expert d8 Tech Master d10
Covert Expert d8

Harbingers

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HARBINGERS

A campaign setting for Marvel Heroic Roleplaying

CHAPTER I: The Setting -- p. 2

CHAPTER II: Character Creation -- p. 6

CHAPTER III: The Campaign -- p. 14

CHAPTER IV: Dramatis Personae -- p. 24

The World at Large

Choose Power Sets and Power Traits

Special Effects (SFX)

Home is the Hunter

Spanner in the Works

Fill in the Blanks

Emergence (Year 1-Year 3)

Growing Pains (Year 4-Year 6)

Paradigm Shift (Year 7-Year 9)

Crisis (Year 10+)

Allies and Antagonists

Mystic Expert d8 Psych Expert d8

Limit Random Jump: Change Teleport into a complication to

Structure of the Event

Milestones for This Event

A Hero Walks Alone

A Place at the Table

The Play's the Thing

Setting: Three Pines Mall

Hook: Grand Opening

Options with First Response

Action: That Blows

Options with That Blows

Action: The Man in White

Options with The Man in White

Options with We Didn't Start the Fire

Transition: After-action Report

Setting: Professor Katz's Lab

Hook: Engine Trouble

Buildup: Getting to the Action

Action: Lab Tested

Options with Lab Tested

Transition: Up the Mountain

Setting: Mount St. Helens

Action: A Furnace for Your Foe

Options with A Furnace for Your Foe

Conclusion: The Engine That Could

Aftermath: Curtain Call

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