Powers for Good

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    A Game by Sage LaTorra with Art by Dennis Culver andDoc Shaner

    Thanks to Sarah, for putting up with all the comics, and

    the Prost Crew, for figuring it all out.

    The text of this book is licensed under a Creative

    Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

    Issue #0

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    INTRODUCTIONWelcome, loyal readers, to Powers for Good Issue 0: Dr.

    Fission vs. the World! This roleplaying game holds the

    promise of unlimited adventure as you take on the roles

    of heroes and villains with powers far beyond those of

    mortal men.

    This being your introduction to the superheroic world

    of Powers for Good well keep things simple. Issue 0

    focuses on one team of heroes, one villainous plot, and

    just the rules you need to play. The rest is yours, as are

    these rulesyou can do whatever you want with them(including selling your own adventures) so long as you

    give attribution.

    But enough about the future, fan of the fantastic! Lets

    get you acquainted with Powers for Good so you can set

    out on your first adventure.

    GETTINGREADYTOPLAY

    Powers for Good is a game. In this strange breed of gameyou play with a few other people by talking, describing,

    and using these rules.

    One person will be the Gamemaster (GM for short),

    everyone else is a player. Each player will have one

    superhero who they playtheyll be responsible for

    what their character says, thinks, and does. The GM

    has domain over the other vast spaces of the world: the

    villains, bystanders, and the physical space itself.

    To play youll need to gather a few friends, 24 being

    best, as well as some basic materials: paper, pencils, and

    dice. Blank paper works fine, but youll be better off with

    the character sheets that came along with this book.

    Powers for Good uses a strange bestiary of dice. Youll

    need at least one four-, six-, eight-, ten-, and twelve-

    sided dice, but more is better. When referring to dice weuse the notation dX to mean a dice with X sides.

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    RECOMMENDEDREADINGThese comics and cartoons exemplify the tone that Powers

    For Good emulates. Use them as inspiration or even play

    out these exact stories, forging your own version.

    JLAby Grant Morrison and Howard Porter

    Captain Britain and MI-13by Paul Cornell and Leonard

    Kirk

    Astonishing X-Menby Joss Whedon and John Cassady

    New X-Menby Grant Morrison and various artists

    All-Star Supermanby Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly

    Legion of Superheroesvol. 4 (1994)

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    GETTING

    STARTED

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    Enough with the pleasantries and introductions,

    courageous reader! Lets step up and make your next

    favorite hero or heroine.

    Theres two parts to making characters: first you make

    the team, choosing members and giving them shortdescriptions. Then each player chooses a character to

    play and fleshes them out as a true powerhouse in the

    battle against evil.

    TEAMCREATIONYou wont be fighting the good fight alonewere here

    to make an entire menagerie of majestic superheroes.

    1. NAMEChoose a namefor your superhero team. Everyone has

    to agree to any name you choose. If you dont have any

    ideas handy, consider yourselves The Atomic Sentinels,

    the greatest heroes of the Cold War.

    2. ROSTERGo around the table twice, having each person (includingthe GM) add one character to the teams roster. Just

    write the name of each character to the rosteryoull fill

    in more detail later.

    If you cant come up with a character, consider adding

    one of these: Freedom

    Blue Eagle Girder

    Microwave Man

    Armory

    Electron

    The Masked Hero

    Alamos

    The Silver Soldier

    Fleet Leviathan

    Binary

    The Professor

    Athena

    Prowl

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    3. CHOOSEHEROESOnce every player has added two characters to the list,

    the last player to add a hero gets to choose which hero

    they will play in this adventure. The choice is theirs

    alone to make; they do not have to choose a hero they

    added to the roster.

    The heroes that no one selects will be the supporting

    cast. Theyre still played by the players, not the GM, but

    theyre not in the spotlight for this adventure.

    4. SUPPORTINGCAST

    Each member of the supporting cast is described by twothings: their personality and their powers. Just like the

    heroes being played by the players, a supporting casts

    personality is two words that sum up who they are.

    Sample Supporting Cast Personalities: Relentless

    crusader, inspiring leader, reluctant hero, stoic friend,

    dark loner.

    A supporting casts powers are just a short description of

    what they bring to the team and how they save the day.

    A good power is short (a sentence at most) and describes

    what they can do in broad strokes, not specifics.

    Sample Supporting Cast Powers: Outcast from the fifth

    dimension, living fluid, superspeed, impossible escape

    artist.

    Starting with the player who chose their hero last, each

    player takes turns writing either personality or powers

    for one supporting cast. The same player cannot write

    both the powers and personality of the same hero unless

    there are no other choices left.

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    CHARACTERCREATIONWhile the team is the star of the show, the players

    characters are the ones in the spotlight. They are the

    face of the team, the ones we care about, the ones we

    watch dive headfirst into the noble scrum against evil

    in all its forms.

    During team creation each player chose one hero

    to play and helped describe the supporting cast. The

    supporting cast and team are done now, its time for

    the players to give some detail to their heroes. The GMs

    job during this process is to guide everyone through thesteps and ask questions to give everyone a clearer idea

    of who these heroes are.

    1. PERSONALITYWhile we may think of these titans of truth as elemental

    forces they are also people. While they leave the

    problems of everyday life behind while in costume, their

    personalitiesstill shine through.

    A characters personality is two words that describe

    who they are and how they interact with others. Think of

    it as a summary of how to play the character. In addition

    to telling others how you envision your character, a

    characters personality can also provide a bonus when

    working alongside someone whos personality is similar

    or dramatically opposed.

    2. POWERSPowersare how a hero does what they have to. Think

    of describing your heros greatest triumphs: what words

    would you use to describe the tools the hero uses?

    Did they rely on their supercharged brain, endless

    preparations, and a gadget for every occasion? Or was

    it their unlimited budget, detective skills, and kung fu?Maybe their unmatched strength, invulnerability, alien

    eyes, and inspiring presence?

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    Your character can have as many as six powers. Having

    fewer than that isnt a limitationyou can adapt your

    hero as needed during play. You should have at least

    three to start with just to give you a basis.

    Describe each power with a few words. A good power isone thats big enough to be used many ways but narrow

    enough to suggest how it could be used. Shapeshifting

    alien DNA is a good power since it applies to many

    things, but suggest a direct use. Powers can have clear

    physical manifestations or they can be abstract qualities:

    being a brilliant tactician is as much of a power as rock-

    hard fists.

    Powers dont have ranks or ratings themselves. Think

    of powers as the nozzle on the end of a garden hose: the

    power shapes how the underlying strength can be used.

    3. COREIf powers are the nozzle on the end of a hose, coredice

    are the water. When you have to take up dice to back up

    what your character is doing you take them from thecharacters core and apply them through their powers.

    Every character starts with these dice in their core:

    d12

    d8

    d6

    d4

    As you play your character the size of these dice may

    change temporarilythe d12 might be downgraded to ad10, for examplebut any time you refresh your core you

    set it back to these dice.

    4. DETERMINATIONEvery hero has reserves they can draw on when the chips

    are down, this is called determination. You start with

    0 determination but that will change as soon as you start

    making rolls.

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    PLAYING

    THEGAME

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    When you sit down to play Powers for Good what actually

    happens is a conversation. Its not any one persons job to

    say everything or make everyone else have fun. Everyone

    gets a say. Take turns, certainly, but not turns like in

    chess. Take turns like you would when talking with agroup of people: let someone else talk for a bit, chime in

    with your own two cents, listen and respond.

    There are two modes of play in Powers For Good: action

    and preparation. Actionis when theres an immediate

    threat youre interacting withmaybe a bank heist, time

    bomb, or alien landing party. Preparation is all the

    superhero stuff that takes place while not in the action.

    That might be turning up clues about the villains plans,

    putting a plan into motion, or simply healing up.

    During play youll move between action and

    preparation as needed. Generally youll know youre in

    action when you start describing what your character

    does in detail: I dash past the cybermonkies to try and

    grab the bomb before it goes off. Youre in preparation

    when you describe what youre characters doing moregenerally: Im going to use my connections at the police

    department to look up the two-bit thugs associates and

    try to trace them back to whomever is pulling the strings.

    Its ultimately the GMs call if something will be resolved

    as action or preparation.

    STARTINGTHEGAMEThe GM always starts the game by presenting the playercharacters in action. The exact action is up to the GM

    (though the adventure in this book may provide ideas),

    whats important is that the player characters start in

    heroic action. Dont sweat how the player characters got

    to the actiontheyre superheroes after all.

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    ACTIONWhen you act despite forces controlled by the GM

    (villains, minions, natural disasters, and more) the GM

    will describe the forces that stand in your way. Listen

    carefully, the more obstacles are in your way the tougher

    your roll will be.

    The GM will tell you a target number based on the

    obstacles in your way. You can then assign one dice from

    your core for each power your character is using, as fits

    the situation. Which dice you use is up to you, you dont

    always have to use the same dice with the same power.

    I dash through the rubble at superspeed, get to the

    Doctors device before he knows whats happening and

    start pulling out pieces at random to disable it I say,

    trying to disable Fissions Doomsday Device before he can

    end the world. Dr. Fission is firing bolts of nuclear energy

    at you, trying to lead you by enough to hit you before

    you reach it. Of course the buildings still collapsingaround you, so youre having to dodge falling brick,

    and the device is far beyond any technology youve ever

    seen Ben replies. The bricks arent a problem, I use my

    vibrational frequency to pass through them harmlessly.

    Of course you do Ben says with a smile, your target

    number is 6. Okay, Im taking the d12 from my core for

    my superspeed and a d6 for my vibrational frequency.

    Once youve chosen dice from your core roll all of them

    together and add up the result. If you like you can spend

    determination to increase you resulteach point of

    determination spent adds one to the total.

    If your total is equal to or greater than your target

    number, congratulations, you succeeded! The GM will

    describe your outcome.

    If your total was less than the target number youre

    in trouble. The GM will describe what happens, but you

    gain a point of determination.

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    I roll my dice and get a 3 on the d12 and a 6 on the d6.

    Sweet success!

    No matter the outcome every roll has consequences. First,

    gain a point of determination for each dice that stayedin your pool and wasnt rolled.

    I still had two d4s in my core while I rolled the d12 and

    d6, so I mark two points of determination.

    Once youve marked determination you can return the

    dice you rolled to your core. Find the die that rolled the

    highest (in case of a tie, choose the smaller die), thatdie is reduced by one size and returned to your pool.

    One size means the next smallest die: d12 becomes d10,

    d10 becomes d8, d8 becomes d6, d6 becomes d4. If a d4

    would be reduced it is instead removed from your core

    entirely, you cant roll it until your core is restored. The

    only exception is if a d4 is the only die you have left, in

    which case it stays a d4 no matter the roll.

    All other dice are returned to your core without

    changing size.

    My d6 rolled highest, so I reduced it by one size to a d4

    and return it to my core. I put the d12 back in my core

    unchanged.

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    TEAMWORKWhile every hero is a true titan of power, together they

    are something more. When your actions benefit another

    hero as they roll the dice, choose a die from your core

    and push it forward, this indicates that youre helping.

    When the ally youre helping rolls, roll your helping

    die as well. Your die counts towards your allys total and

    you can choose to spend determination if you like. If your

    personality is very similar or dramatically opposed with

    your allys (your call) you add an additional 1 to the total.

    This great benefit comes with risk: after the roll all

    players consider all dice rolled when finding the highestroll to reduce when returned to the core. That means that

    if you rolled highest your dice will be the one reduced,

    intrepid adventurer! Additionally, if you fail, youre

    subject to the effects of that failure as the GM describes

    them. With great power comes great danger.

    Girder is mounting an assault on the Red Brigade and I

    help by creating plasma armor around him. I take a d8from my core and push it forward to indicate my help.

    When Girder rolls I also roll my d8 and get a 7. I add that

    to his total, making it 15, more than enough. Since my 7

    is the highest dice rolled it becomes a d6 when returned

    to my core, all of Girders dice are not changed when

    returned to his core.

    An entire team of heroes can work together for truly

    titanic tasks. Each can provide a helping die and a

    personality bonus. Only one die is ever reduced as the

    result of a roll, the highest amongst all those rolled. In

    case of a tie on two dice of equal size its up to the heroes

    involved to decide whos die is reduced.

    SUPPORTINGCAST

    Each player may describe any supporting cast doing

    anything they wish. If a supporting cast helps a player

    character, the player adds 1 to their roll.

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    INFORMATIONThe GM will honestly describe the situation around you

    as best you can perceive it, but sometimes a hero may

    pour their considerable powers into finding something

    out. Usually this is done during preparation, but if you

    find yourself needing information during the GM phase

    you can describe how you use one power to perceive

    what you otherwise wouldnt, reduce one of your core

    dice by a step, and ask the GM one question about the

    situation, the villain, or anything else pertinent. The GM

    will answer honestly and completely, with details based

    on the powers used.When acting on the information the GM gives you,

    you add +1 to your rolls.

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    PREPARATIONWhen action dies down youll shift to describing what

    your characters are up to in broader strokes: how they

    hunt down the secret base, repair their battle suit, or

    recover in their secret identity. This is all preparation.

    Beware that villains dont just twiddle their thumbs

    while out of the action. The more time you take before

    hunting down their base the more prepared they will

    be. The same time that lets you ready for a new fight lets

    them get ready as well. Sometimes you wont even be in

    control of how much time you have to preparethe GMwill interrupt your plans with action.

    LEAVINGACTIONAs soon as the action dies down (the GM gets the final

    judgement on this) each player:

    Erases all their determination

    Increases each die in their core by one step. Dice that

    have been removed return as d4s. May modify or replace one of their powers

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    PREPARINGThe GM will ask what each player character is up to in

    the lull between action. The amount of detail is up to the

    GM and player, but generally a high level description

    is fineI lay low in my secret identity for a few days

    or I immediately go into the lab and start building a

    new device to counteract the nullifier. If the characters

    action, in the GMs judgement, is:

    Uncovering new information, the GM answers

    any one question the player has that their character

    could discover, the player takes +1 when they act on

    that information. Partaking in a normal life, the player gains 2

    determination.

    Recovering, resting, or restoring, the player

    increases two core dice one step each, up to the starting

    core of d12, d8, d6, d4

    Putting a plan in motion, add a d4 to their core

    and a power for the plan. If theyre working on an

    existing plan, increase the core dice for that plan byone size instead.

    BACKTOACTIONAt some point play will transfer back to action as the

    players actions or the villains plots come to fruition.

    When this happens just go back to describing what your

    character does in detail and using the action rules.

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    CHANGINGCHARACTERSEach time you sit down to play Powers for Good youll

    start with some action, switch back and forth between

    preparation and action, and then eventually call it a

    night. If your adventure naturally draws to a closethe

    villain is defeatedthat makes a good stopping point.

    Otherwise, end a session with preparation, since it sets

    you up for action next time.

    When starting a new adventure with an established

    team you can choose to play a new hero from the teams

    roster. Choose a hero that no one else is playing andcreate them as a character using the rules in chapter 2.

    Keep in mind their established personality and powers.

    You dont have to use them exactly, but they should serve

    as a basis for whatever you come up with.

    The hero you played in the previous session becomes

    Supporting Cast. Keep their personality the same and

    choose one power for them to use in support.

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    THEGMYour job, intrepid GM, is to present the living breathing

    world around the heroes. You play the villains sure, but

    youre also the wind in their hair as they swing from

    skyscraper to skyscraper and the pavement that cracks

    beneath their mighty knuckles. Play your roles with

    gusto, embellish freely, and follow these rules.

    Yes, GM, you have rules too. These rules guide you, just

    like the players rules guide them. Youll still be using the

    full power of your considerable creativity, but working

    with a set of rules that help shape that creativity into theevil plots and great acts that heroes deserve.

    Your rules hinge on your goals. Your goals are what

    youre playing to do. Theyre not goals that you reach

    and are done with, theyre things that you strive for

    over and over again. To help you do that, you always

    act according to your guides. Your guides are things you

    always do, all the time, to promote a comic book feel.

    From moment to moment youll be making threats. Athreat is a way of taking the fictional world around the

    players and shaping it into something that they have to

    react to. Threats are ways of driving action, drawing the

    players in, and making the game roll onwards.

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    GOALS Play to find out what happens

    Throw the players into action

    Honestly describe the world around the heroes

    These are it, these are what youre playing to do.

    First and foremost, play to find out what happens.

    Youll know the villains plot, sure, but thats just the

    villains plan, and no plan survives contact with the

    enemy. You are not here to guide the players from one

    encounter to the next. All you know is what resources the

    villain has to bring to bare at any time, their plan may

    adapt. Even the powers available to them may change. Bedynamic; dont guide the players to a known conclusion.

    Your next goal is to throw the players into

    action. Superheroes are reactive by nature, so give

    them something to react to. Strike at the world around

    them. Do something nefarious. Above all, give them

    action to dive in to.

    You are responsible for the whole world, which can

    be a daunting task. Fear not, GM! While you may havethe entire world to work with, youll already know what

    tools the villain has at their disposal. Beyond that all you

    need to do is honestly describe the world around

    the heroes. Give them details of their surroundings,

    their actions, their enemies. Appeal to their senses. Bring

    the world to life.

    Of course this isnt just any world, this is a heroic

    world. Dont worry over how the heroes fit into society,

    how the courts work when a superpowered villain is

    brought in by a masked vigilante. Dont worry about the

    heroes get to the location to confront the villain. If theres

    something that doesnt seem to make sense, gloss over

    itthis is a world where masked heroes do daily battle

    against titanic forces that would enslave mankind.

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    GUIDES Address the players by their superhero names

    Use comic book logic

    Bring everyone to life

    Ask questions

    Think off-panel

    Your guides are what you do, all the time, to promote

    your goals.

    You address the players by their superhero

    namesbecause this is all about the heroes, right? You

    dont ask Dan what hes doing because what hes doing is

    playing a game. What his character, Freedom, is doingon the other hand is probably far more interesting.

    Comic book logic prevails because without it

    superheroes just dont make much sense. Dont worry

    about how one person can hold an entire bridge without

    just punching though it, or why running at superspeed

    doesnt cause some inconvenient sonic booms. This is

    a comic, faithful GM! Powers are not something set in

    stone that we can measure, they are constantly changingways for heroes to save the day in unexpected ways and

    show their true colors.

    Of course that doesnt mean everything is believable. If

    someone does something that just really doesnt fit at all,

    talk it over with them and adjust. Set your threshold for

    disbelief as high as it will go and get on with the game.

    While the players just think about one character you

    have to bring everyone to life. Youbring the masses of

    bystanders, villains, sidekicks, and everyone else

    to lifeby playing them simply and with vigor. Take your

    first assumption about every character the heroes meet

    and play it big. When the heroes meet a mad scientist

    dont reach for a detailed, nuanced character. Simply

    think of the stock mad scientists youve seen in comics,

    movies, and TV, and sell that to the players with details.A memorable GM character is not filled with complexity;

    they are understood and easy to identify.

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    Even when presenting the entire world you dont

    have to know everything. Ask questions and use the

    answers. If a players question puts you on the spot and

    you dont know the answer, turn it back around to them.

    When Isaac says to me Have I fought Dr. Fission before?I simply reply I dont know, have you? Hes been around

    for a while, its certainly possible. What you ask about

    is up to you; youre not obligated to let the players have

    a say over anything but their characters. But when you

    do come across something you dont already know the

    answer to, use the players as a resource to fill it in.

    Even though the heroes are the stars, important

    things can take place off-panel.Not every event

    takes place in front of the player characters, you can have

    a dramatic event occur off-panel and just show them

    the results. The villain doesnt have to flip the switch on

    the doomsday machine in front of the players for them

    to see the effects.

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    THREATSThreats are how you find ways to drive the action forward.

    Theyre guides to you, the GM, to take the whirling

    situation around the players and drive it forward.

    During play you may know that something bad

    happens, either because the players missed a roll or

    because the villains are acting without interference.

    Threats are ways to find a specific answer to what goes

    wrong now? Theyre a lens you can use to view the

    world and find the consequences of a failed roll or a

    new dastardly act.

    Your threats are: Do irreparable harm to something valuable

    Take definite hold of something or someone

    Put someone in a spot

    Exploit a weakness

    Tell them the requirements or consequences and ask

    DOIRREPARABLEHARMTOSOMETHINGVALUABLE

    Look for something important or useful that can be hurtand hurt it. The villain is firing blast of atomic energy

    every which way? You can use that as this type of threat

    by saying a blast of energy strikes the airfoil and it

    starts to drop from the sky as the electronics short out,

    what do you do?

    TAKEDEFINITEHOLDOFSOMETHINGORSOMEONE

    Look for a villain (or environmental factor) that can

    take control of somethingmaybe a location, weapon,

    or hostage. The ground is crumbling as the earthquake

    rages? You can use that as this type of threat by saying

    the sidewalk under Prowl gives way and he tumbles into

    the depths, what do you do?

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    PUTSOMEONEINASPOT

    Look for someone (likely a player character, but maybe

    supporting cast or innocent bystander) and put them

    someplace dangerous, inconvenient, or otherwise hostile.

    The heroes are fighting a raging battle in a deserted

    industrial complex? You can use this type of threat by

    saying your punch throws the robot back into one of

    the smokestacks which starts to crumble and bring the

    entire building down around you, what do you do?

    EXPLOITAWEAKNESS

    Look for a point where the heroes are weak and exploitthat. This may be intentional on the part of a villain or

    simple bad luck for the player characters. The Professor

    has waded into battle in his power armor? You can use

    this type of threat by saying the assassin dodges your

    blow and with a deft strike cuts through the weak join

    in your armor, rendering your left arm powerless, what

    do you do?

    TELLTHEMTHEREQUIREMENTSORCONSEQUENCESANDASK

    Look for a way the heroes could overcome a failure and

    tell them what theyll risk to do it. This is a particularly

    good threat for a failed roll: they can still do what they

    set out to, but theyll have to compromise to get it. Alamos

    is trying to reach Dr. Fission before he can set off the

    bomb? You can use this threat by saying the only way

    you can get to him in time is to make a diveyoull stophim, but youll both go tumbling off the platform, what

    do you do?

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    ROLLINGTHEDICEWhen the players act despite some obstacleyour villains,

    the environment, or anything elseits time to roll the

    dice. Usually the players will declare they do something,

    like I grab the gem before he can get to it, and youll

    tell them well, youre trying to beat him to it, so youll

    have to roll.

    The player needs you to tell them what number to

    roll against.

    If the player is at a disadvantage, tell them

    their target number is7. If the player is doing

    something thats outside their heros abilities orcompeting against someone thats better than them (an

    average human brawling with a chemically enhanced

    goliath) theyre at a disadvantage.

    If the player as at an advantage, tell them

    their target number is3. If the player is doing

    something thats their characters focus or competing

    against someone thats beneath them (an expert martial

    artist against a group of thugs) theyre at an advantage.Otherwise, tell them their target number is 5.

    This covers anything that doesnt clearly put the player

    at advantage or disadvantage: racing against another

    super-speedster, or holding up a collapsing building

    with the might of Jupiter.

    SUCCESS

    When the players roll is equal to or greater than the

    target number they succeed. That means that things turn

    out as well as could be hopedthe concrete details are

    up to your judgement. In some cases the best a character

    can hope for may be pretty bad, thats fine so long as you

    give the player the best potential outcome.

    Especially in cases where the best possible outcome

    isnt great, tell the player what a likely success is goingto be: well, this is an entire skyscraper falling on your

    head, at best youll hold it for a minute or two.

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    FAILURE

    When the players roll is less than the target number

    they fail. That means that something goes wrong for

    themthe situation deteriorates in some way. Use your

    threats to help figure out what that isremember that

    your threats are tools to figure out what something goes

    wrong means in any given situation.

    In some cases something goes wrong may not be

    too bad. A skilled martial artist versus a gang of street

    thugs isnt really at risk of being taken captive, but they

    might get surrounded or slowed down long enough for

    the mastermind to get away.Always tell the player likely outcomes of a failure, at

    least in general terms: youre taking a big risk here,

    failure means youll probably be out of the fight or at

    worst, thisll take some time, and let the mastermind

    get away.

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    VILLAINOUSPLOTSThe dastardly doers-of-evil that the heroes face are what

    drives heroic adventures. The heroes are fundamentally

    reactivewithout some evil plot in motion theyd be

    reduced to saving kittens from trees and helping old folks

    across the street. As a GM, your job is to bring a villains

    plot to life and let the players do their best against it.

    This idea of an evil scheme is known as avillainous

    plot (thats plot as in a plan, not plot as in a story).

    Writing up your villainous planor using the one in this

    bookmakes it easy to put your players into the action.

    A villainous plot is made up of an agenda, countdown,and resources. The agendais what the villain is trying

    to accomplish. The countdown is what will happen,

    unless the players intervene. You may end up adding

    more as play progresses, each tracking some events set

    in motion. Finally, the resourcesare what the villain

    has at their disposal. The villain themself is usually a

    resource to their own plot.

    Each resource might be a thing, person, connection,debt, or a group of one or more of those. Each individual

    resource list whats its powerfulin, and what itsweak

    in. These serve as a guide to the GM on what situations

    might put a given hero at advantage or disadvantage. A

    intelligent computer virus might be powerful in digital

    hijacking, putting any but the most technological

    heroes at a disadvantage to stop it from taking over the

    computers of a missile silo. Its always the GMs call if

    advantage or disadvantage is warranted, powerful and

    weak areas are a guide to help the GM.

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    USINGVILLAINOUSPLOTS

    Start by reading over the plot. Once youve got a broad

    idea of it, youre ready to play.

    Start play with the player characters arriving to

    interfere with the first step of the countdown. Choose

    some resources that fit the situation and throw them at

    the heroes. Then see what happens.

    Sometimes the heroes will fail. Theyll run out of core

    dice and be at your mercy. What happens to them is up

    to the villainmost will at least want a chance to taunt

    the heroes before doing away with them in the most

    obnoxious way possible. Update the countdown as itmoves along without the players intervention. If the

    villains plan for the helpless heroes isnt immediate,

    start a new countdown for it as well.

    Sometimes the heroes will interfere with the plan,

    but not stop it. Take a look at the remaining parts of

    the countdown and update them to work with what the

    villain has. Maybe if they didnt get the power core in

    their raid theyll try for a different power source, orchoose a new target for their lass powerful death beam

    whatever you think the villain would do to pursue their

    agenda.

    Sometimes the heroes will entirely derail the plot.

    Thats great. Look at what resources the villain has left

    and consider the villains disposition. Will they make

    an all-out assault? Start a new plan? Retreat to plan

    something worse?

    Dont get invested in any given outcome. Entire teams

    of heroes can be made quickly, so dont worry if they get

    wiped out. Villains and their resources are only limited by

    the GMs imagination. Theres always another adventure.

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    DR. FISSIONVS.

    THEWORLD

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    Dr. Fission was once Doctor Frederick Eshawn, a noted

    pioneer of atomic power. A horrible lab accident twisted

    his body, leaving him a strange mutant only able to

    survive in an environment full of radiation. His only

    choice for survival was a specially crafted suit that keepshim alive in a cloud of radiation that would be deadly

    to anyone else. Deprived of human contact the Doctor

    was driven mad, blaming society for his condition and

    setting out to create a world full of radiation in which

    he could survive without his suit.

    AGENDABring about a radiated wasteland where Dr. Fission can

    survive without his suit.

    COUNTDOWN Attack on the Atoll: distract the heroes

    Out to Launch: send Fissionbots to steal nuclear weapons

    while heroes are occupied

    The Doctor Is In: set off the worlds nuclear weaponsand bring about Dr. Fissions perfect vision

    ATTACKONTHEATOLLDr. Fission has planted false information to draw two

    groups of heroes in to conflict so that his true plan

    may move forward unhindered! Using government

    double agents Dr. Fission has convinced international

    superteam The All Nation Squad that the player

    characters are planning to steal something valuable

    from remote Suwarrow Atoll while at the same time

    planting information for the player characters that The

    All Nation Squad is doing the same. Likely Resources:

    Government double agents, Red Star, Hurricane, Djinn,

    Strike, Cosmos, Fortress.

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    OUTTOLAUNCH!While the battle raged on Suwarrow Atoll Dr. Fission

    put his fissionbots in motion to infiltrate missile silos

    all over the world! Using their advanced technology

    and pure force theyll launch the missiles towards Dr.

    Fission. Unless someone can stop them, that is. Likely

    Resources:Fissionbots (a lot of them)

    THEDOCTORISINHovering high over the Earth in his nuclear suit Dr.

    Fission is gathering the worlds atomic armaments to

    create a destructive blast that will leave him as thesole inhabitant of Earth. What hope remains? Likely

    Resources: Dr. Fission, rogue warheads

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    RESOURCESThese are Dr. Fissions primary resources, his arsenal of

    annihilation.

    GOVERNMENTDOUBLEAGENTSGovernments around the world have been infiltrated by

    Dr. Fissions moles. Theyll do his bidding and turn the

    great political powers to his whims (though once found

    out, theyre done).

    Powerful: Deception, twisting government resources

    Weak: Confrontation, overt action

    REDSTARA Chinese hero gifted with the light and gravity of a star.

    Powerful: Light blasts, gravity manipulation

    Weak: Endurance, control

    HURRICANE

    Originally from the island of St. Lucia, Hurricane wasswept out to sea only to be blessed by water spirits with

    control of water in all its forms.

    Powerful:Water control, dedication

    Weak: Combat skills, strategy

    DJINNSearing fire with human form, Djinn is a purifying flame

    barely contained.

    Powerful: Fire, reckless action

    Weak: Teamwork

    STRIKEThe only remaining survivor of a super soldier program,

    Strikes seemingly human body conceals one of the most

    inspiring tactical minds.Powerful: Inspiration, tactics

    Weak: Lightly enhanced, failing enhancements

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    COSMOSFalling to Earth isnt so bad, if you survive. The cause

    of Cosmoss powers are unclear, but when the re-entry

    capsule failed Cosmoss powers manifested and allowed

    her to return to earth safely.

    Powerful: Indestructible, energy absorption

    Weak: Untrained

    FORTRESSThe Castle That Walks was once a tower in some crumbling

    keep. Waking to a strange sentience, Fortress took to

    defending those without the benefit of a body of stone.Powerful: Towering, made of stone

    Weak: Slow, cares too much

    FISSIONBOTSNothing like a nuclear powered robot to do your bidding.

    Powerful: Destruction, computer overrides

    Weak: Improvisation

    DR. FISSIONDriven mad by the power suit that contains him (and is

    powered by him) Dr. Fission wants nothing more than

    to make the world into a nuclear wasteland paradise.

    Powerful: Nuclear blasts, mad plans

    Weak: Self control, bragging

    ROGUEWARHEADSOnce Dr. Fission has control of the missiles hell use them

    as his own personal puppets driven by the technology

    of his suit.

    Powerful: Blowing up

    Weak: Everything else