Valiant Universe RPG Quick Start Rules

RPG QUICK START RULES

Featuring

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

© & TM 2014 VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

VALIANT UNIVERSE

WHAT IS VALIANT UNIVERSE RPG? Have you ever sat around with your friends talking about comics? About how in issue X your favorite hero or heroine did Y and sure, that was cool, but if it’d been you, you’d have done Z!? Or always wondered why if your hero can do X, Y and Z with his or her powers, why not Triple Z!? Well now’s your chance to step in, suit up and answer those questions for yourself! Valiant Universe: The Roleplaying Game is set in Valiant Entertainment’s brilliant superhero universe. A setting spanning millennia, where decisions made at the dawn of time ripple into the far distant future and today’s heroes can be tomorrow’s villains when the hard choices are made. A dark and gritty tapestry of stories that you join and bring to life at your gaming table!

QUICK-START RULES

We have specifically designed these quick-start rules (QSR) to drop you straight into the action and adventure of the Valiant Universe in minutes! Read through these quickstart rules, including the Unity adventure, once—it won’t take long. Then jump right into playing the Unity Events! For ease of reference, the first time an important term is introduced, it will be bolded.

Dice

Valiant Universe uses polyhedral dice: D4, D6, D8, D10, D12 and D20 (the value representing how many faces each die has); anytime “D” is used, as in “D12,” it’s shorthand for “die.”

BEFORE THE GAME BEGINS Gameplay in Valiant Universe revolves around two things: Building The Story and Rolling Dice. Once more detail is provided on what you need before your game begins, we’ll dive into explaining both aspects.

THE LEAD NARRATOR

Valiant Universe does not require a gamemaster for play. Instead, the responsibilities of the Lead Narrator (LN) rotate from player to player throughout the game. However, an appointed LN isn’t prohibited either. Ultimately, it’s up to the player group. If the group performs better with a dedicated LN, appoint one. But if the group doesn’t require one, simply use the rules as presented.

CHOOSE A HERO

Each Character Dossier (starting on p. 19) consists of an illustration and all the pertinent information for characters in Valiant Universe. To make sure you choose a character you’ll like, you’ll have to understand the different parts of a Dossier. Let’s take a look at the Dossier for Toyo Harada (see p. 19).

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

Stats and Stat Dice

Beginning at the top of the Dossier, you’ll see the different stats for Harada and the different dice that represent those stats (Stat Dice). Might: This represents the physical build of the character, whether endurance, brute strength, sheer stamina, and so on. Intellect: This corresponds to the mental faculties of a character, whether street smarts, learned science or just plain inherent brilliance. Charisma: The ability of a character to lead or to talk his way out of a situation is based on charisma; a character’s presence as he walks into a room. Action: How good a person is in combat—whether ranged, close quarters, hand-to-hand or even vehicleto-vehicle—is covered by this stat. Basically any “action” oriented maneuver a character wants to try that doesn’t use his or her Powers. Luck: Luck is a very special number for each character. It’s not a Stat Die, but instead a static number that represents the capriciousness of fate. If any Stat, Action or Power Dice result on any roll should ever match the character's Luck Stat, the roll is a success, no matter what. When rolling two Dice for a Power, check the Luck Stat against both dice before discarding the lower value.

Powers

Each character has a unique set of Powers, with a corresponding Power Die. Whenever a player uses that particular Power to accomplish an action, what the Power Die is rolled with is based upon the type of Power: if it's a weapon-oriented Power, roll it along with the Action Die; if it is a non-weapon-oriented Power, roll it alongside the appropriate Stat Die. In both instances, the lowest value result is then discarded. (The rolling of Powers in the full rules occurs in a variety of ways that create tons of additional fun as player's explore their abilities, but here we've kept it straightforward to ease players into these quick-start rules.) Powers are not just superhuman in nature. Instead, Powers represent the unique capabilities and/or qualities of a given hero (or villain) and what they excel at, whether that’s Livewire’s psionic ability to talk to machines, the endless years of training and drive that allows Ninjak to move silently through the shadows or Zephyr's Pop Culture Knowledge that weaves with her Optimism to act as the glue keeping the Renegades together no matter how dark it gets. During the game players may quickly find that some of the most memorable moments come when using "nonPower" Powers to save the day. If a Power has a direct translation as armor, a weapon, or some other aspect that applies to the rest of the character sheet, either the Power, or that portion of the sheet will include a name in parenthesis. In other words, thoroughly review your sheet to ensure you know where all the elements that make up a Power are located. The various sections, then, provide all the details a player needs to appropriately explore what he or she can accomplish with their abilities during a game. The name of each Power provides a guideline for what the power does, but ultimately it’ll be up to the player, the Lead Narrator (LN) and the roleplaying group to determine what a character can and can’t do with each Power. For example, a player may want a given Power to do two relatively different things in a given gaming session. The LN may allow both, or he may allow the second only

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VALIANT UNIVERSE after the use of a Plot Point, or after lowering the Power Die value. In the end, as with all the great comic books, a character is as strong—or as weak—as a plot needs him or her to be and your stories will need the same flexibility.

Cues

In the center-right of the Dossier are the character’s Cues. Cues are statements or quotes that help define the character—whether it’s attitude, capabilities or personality. Each Cue helps form the basis of a Narration (see p. 4). Additionally, they are split into “Cues” and “Action Cues.” While they are interchangeable as the situation dictates, generally Cues are more oriented toward the character in their hidden identity and Action Cues for when they’re storming the heavily secured facility in all their superhero majesty.

Armor

The Armor track gives the number of Armor pips the character has; this is a generic term that covers everything from an armored jacket, military-grade body armor, superhero thick skin, to extreme agility that keeps a person from being hit, and beyond. Toyo Harada is a businessman and so if surprised he’s got very little armor; but he’s almost never caught unaware and his Psionic Shield Power acts as armor; note the notation on Psionic Shield in the Power’s section pointing toward the corresponding Armor portion of the character Dossier. Armor helps deflect damage during combat (see p. 7).

Health

The Health track defines the character’s Health status. Once a character’s Armor (or any Power acting as Armor) has been depleted from damage, he begins to take damage to his Health track. As injuries pile up, a character will start to suffer negative performance effects (see p. 8).

Weapons

In a dangerous universe, most characters carry one or two weapons. The weapons column lists those weapons and the damage they inflict on a successful hit, as well as their range. In some instances, additional rules might be included for the effects of the weapon. Remember that Powers that act as weapons can have additional stats here. Since Harada’s Atomize Power is a weapon, it has “(Weapon)” next to the name in the Powers portion of the Character Dossier, which directs the player to the Atomize stats in the Weapon section. These two sections combine to provide all the details a player needs to use this attack. In the case of Harada, the player rolls a D12 (alongside the appropriate Stat Die as determined by the LN, and discard the lowest value result) when attacking with Atomize (as noted in the Powers section), and the Power can be used at any range. If an attack is successful, the player rolls a D8 to determine damage (as noted in the Weapons section).

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Quick Start Rules

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

Chris is playing Livewire as the characters are trying to exfiltrate from a P.R.S. facility with crucial stolen data. Time for Livewire to step up, especially as Ninjak just finished taking care of some security personnel at their station. One of her Powers is “Manipulate Electronic Devices.” Obviously this is wide open, and so Chris knows he’s got a lot of latitude. Chris provides the following Narration: “Livewire sprints to the station and touches the computer screen. ‘This will only take a moment.’ She then taps into the building’s security feeds to find out where the bad guys are and devise a path out.” The LN doesn’t have any issues with this use of her Power, and so Chris makes a standard Challenge dice roll (see p. 6). In a subsequent turn, Livewire’s team is nearing the outer wall of the facility, but are out of explosives and the door access is crawling with everincreasing numbers of P.R.S. security. The LN sets the stage of the current turn: “The characters find themselves in a small, fullyautomated assembly hub. A myriad of loud sounds, whirring wheels and rotating robotic arms doesn’t mask the shouting of guards as they seal the two doors and begin sweeping into the cluttered space searching for you with deadly intent. Chris, you’re up.” Chris thinks for a moment, then snaps his fingers and smiles at a new idea and begins: “Livewire notices a large flywheel spinning at high RPM near the outer wall. ‘Cover me.’ She crabs over to a terminal, plugs into the machine with a touch, overrides the safety protocols and revs the RPM as high as the machine will go, and then drops the brake. The machine vibrates wildly as the howl spikes up to a screeching pitch, then the flywheel breaks free and slams into the wall, shattering open a hole.” The LN slowly closes his mouth as he thinks it over then determines that seems a bit much for the Power as is. As such the LN tells Chris that it can happen like this, but instead of Livewire's usual D10 Power Die, she must use a D8—rolling it with the Intellect Die—for the Challenge and Chris needs to spend a Plot Point to show the flywheel casing had a hairline crack from lack of proper maintenance to allow the catastrophic event. Chris happily tosses in the Plot Point and grabs dice to make the roll!

VALIANT UNIVERSE Don’t forget, though, that even while the Power is noted as primarily a weapon, the Power can be used in a variety of ways only limited by the imagination. What if a player wants to simply heat up a gun at 100 meters by using Harada’s Atomize to force the atoms to move rapidly, without a big “disintegration” giving away their location? Make the Narration and see if your LN likes where you’re taking it!

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Equipment

While the characters trust their abilities, they also carry various tools and supplies, as shown on their Equipment column of their Dossiers. Unlike weapons, equipment in Valiant Universe has no set stats. Take a look at Harada’s Dossier, under Equipment. Exactly what does the Digital Assistant do, and how does it work? What if in a previous game the player determines it’s actually a “predictive AI named Cassandra,” and during the current game the LN decides Cassandra has moved up in the world of “AIs” and become sentient enough to try and seizing control of a Harada Conglomerate facility…what might happen? The player may have to answer those questions during gameplay with a clever Narration (see p. 4).

NPC Dossiers

Finally, there are two types of Dossiers—those for fleshed-out characters like the heroes players will become, or particularly important enemies, and those for less-important characters like henchmen or supporting characters. These non-player character (NPC) Dossiers are a third the size of normal Dossiers and contain much less information. Lead Narrators can modify the NPCs in this QSR (see p. 23) to expand the number of enemies for a given Event; they can also visit www.catalyst.com/valiant to download a blank NPC Dossier. It's important to remember that the nature of these simplified rules, alongside most NPCs as "disposable" villains, means the characters you run up against in these Events do not reflect their full nature. Obviously Anchor and the Eggbreaker have more Powers at their disposal (while their Stat Dice may seem a little "light"). And the LN can certainly tweak up a Stat Die and/or add additional Powers if he or she feels they are necessary to create a bigger challenge. But they are meant to be more minor characters, with X-O Manowar acting as the star NPC, hence why he has more details (though even X-O Manowar's stats are truncated due to his NPC nature here). Playing as those actual characters in the various QSR Supplementals (see inside back cover) will provide a much more robust experience showcasing a wider range of what each can offer.

THE EVENT BRIEF

The four-part Unity Event Briefs (see p. 11) supply all the information you’ll need to start a gameplay session with little effort required on the part of the players.

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

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Intro: A short overview of what the Event will be about, what the objective will be and what opposition the characters can expect to find. This will be presented as “sourcebook fiction,” as though the reader was a character transplanted into the game universe, reading military documents, historical texts, security briefs, intercepted personal communications, local newspapers and so on. Event Objectives: The Objectives list a set of events or accomplishments that characters are expected to do in order to complete the Event successfully, though they aren’t mandatory. Event Cues: The Event’s Cues function the same as the Cues on a Character Dossier. Each Cue can be the basis for a Narration as well as a description of the Event itself. Event Tags: Tags give short descriptions of the Event in order to give players the gist of the adventure or to aid the creation of a campaign. The Setting: Below that is the Setting—a description of the area where the characters find themselves at the beginning of the Event. Enemies and Obstacles: Finally, an Enemies/ Obstacles list gives the opponents and obstacles that the characters may have to defeat or overcome to successfully complete the Event, with each considered a Scene, or section, of the overall Event Brief.

BUILDING THE STORY: PLAYING VALIANT UNIVERSE Once each player has a set of dice, the appropriate Character Dossier at hand, an Event Brief selected, and an LN chosen, your group is ready to get started. Valiant Universe play is divided into a series of segments that build on each other: Turns & Narrations, Scenes, Event Briefs and Campaigns.

TURNS AND NARRATIONS

Valiant Universe gameplay is divided into a series of turns. Each turn, every player will have a chance to play out and describe his character’s actions. These descriptions are called Narrations, and as the game progresses these Narrations will build on each other and form the story of the game.

Lead Narrator

Each turn begins with the LN and continues with the player on the LN’s left until all players have had a turn at Narration. The LN begins the turn by giving a narrative of the current situation and advancing the plot, as described under Event Briefs (see p. 11). The LN also makes any actions or die rolls for enemies the characters may encounter. Though the LN begins the turn, he is the last to act with his character. Once all players have had a chance to narrate their character’s actions, the turn ends and a new turn begins.

Quick Start Rules

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VALIANT UNIVERSE

SCENES

A Scene is defined as the start and finish of a given section of time within an Event Brief. A Scene will contain a number of turns, which will vary depending upon what’s occurring within a given Scene. For example, take a look at Unity (see p. 11). Each of the three descriptions of the Enemies/Obstacles found in that Event Brief is a Scene. There is no hard and fast rule on how many turns are in a Scene. Instead, that will be based on how many players are involved, their style of play and their Narrations, which ultimately leads to how quickly (or slowly) they’re able to accomplish the goals of a given Scene.

Scenes and the LN

The LN starts a Scene and is the LN for every turn until a Scene is accomplished. Once a Scene is finished, the player to the right of the current LN becomes the new LN. The new LN starts the first turn of the new Scene by providing a narrative of the current situation, and so on, as described above.

EVENT BRIEF

An Event Brief usually constitutes a single game session and is finished when all of the Scenes within an Event Brief are accomplished. How many Scenes are required to finish an Event Brief is detailed in each Event Brief, but can be modified by the player group.

CAMPAIGN

The four-part Unity Event Briefs are designed to stitch together a larger story that will span many gaming sessions.

BUILDING THE STORY: NARRATION AND FLOW Giving a Narration is quite easy. All a player has to do is describe what his or her character is doing: whether it’s engaging in combat, exploring a room, using a Power, or repairing a device. If any action has a chance of failure, then a dice roll is made to determine whether the action succeeds or fails. Many Narrations are based on Cues provided on Character Dossiers or Event Briefs.

CUES

Cues are building blocks players can use as a basis for Narrations. Cues are both suggestions and descriptions. Cues can be positive and negative and never have to be narrated the same way twice. If a player draws a blank or wants to make sure he’s staying on-topic, he can take a look at a list of Cues and choose an appropriate one to base a Narration around.

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Quick Start Rules

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

Phil—playing as Toyo Harada— finds himself in perilous circumstances. He’s the first player to make a Narration this turn and the situation isn’t good: the players are trapped in an alien spaceship that’s crashed and is heading toward the bottom of the ocean. Phil takes a quick look at Harada’s Dossier and sees the Cue “We have very little time.” That couldn’t possibly fit the situation more perfectly. What’s more, from reading the comics, Phil knows that Harada is a dominant leader. He also knows that with such a charismatic character there needs to be some gravitas, even as death looms immediate and large. “‘Attend!’ Harada commands. He forcefully sweeps his arms to include his team. ‘We have very little time. Give me status updates immediately and your recommendations for action.’”

MOVING THE STORY FORWARD

Collaborative Narration is about creating a story and moving it forward. Valiant Universe is about making impossible choices, facing terrifying challenges and overcoming them in fantastic and fun ways. It is all about saying “yes” to fun, not “no” to something unexpected. So when you are faced with the impossible, you smile and say, “Yes, and…” Then you make it up! There is no wrong way in Valiant Universe. Want to have the characters swallowed by a timearc into the Faraway that just appeared in San Francisco’s Chinatown and took half a building and a taxi with you? Then do it! But be ready for the LN to have a Generation Zero psiot step out of that taxi for some buttkicking on you. After all, the rule is “Yes, and...” For example, the players are all gathered around the table for the night’s adventure (Event Brief ) and are already in the thick of the action. In the previous turn, Brandie, the current LN, revealed that after being swept into the Faraway by a timearc and being hunted by a large warband of what appears to be Mesoamericans, one of the walls of the cave they’ve been backed into suddenly appears to be acting funny.

PLOT POINTS

Plots create twists you never saw coming—a HALO drop of H.A.R.D. Corps troopers right in the middle of your firefight, that hidden button that does something, an alien beast suddenly rampaging out of a timearc. Plot Points can make all these happen! In gameplay, Plot Points may be used in many ways. They are used to interrupt or alter another player’s Narration—a method of adding a twist to the game. But they can also be used to change player turn order, alter a die roll or gain back a point of Health. The ways players utilize Plot Points are only limited by how creative they want to be.

VALIANT UNIVERSE

After the rest of the players make their Narrations in an effort to determine what’s going on, Brandie’s character (as the LN, her character is the last to act in a turn), says, “I use my scanner to see if the wall’s becoming unstable at a macro or micro atomic level,” hoping that’ll provide some data on the strange-acting wall. It is now the beginning of the next turn, and Brandie, still the LN, sets the stage for the start of this turn’s events. She takes a moment to gather her thoughts, based upon what’s just transpired from the previous turn, and says, “Unfortunately, that didn’t bring up any data as whatever is occurring appears to be beyond the scanners’ abilities. A new row of loud but unintelligible shouting comes from the Mesoamericans outside, and another fusillade of arrows arcs into the partially blockaded cave, narrowly missing one of you. Additionally, the cave wall now appears to be going transparent in a beating rhythm. And each time it goes transparent, you appear to see someone shouting at you from within, or without—you can’t tell.” The LN, wanting to have a little fun, then places a Plot Point into the pool and says, “Ninjak, you recognize the man from your young school days. Despite his exotic uniform, built from what appears to be crystal pellets, it’s Colonel Percy Fawcett, the explorer who disappeared close to a hundred years ago in South America. Ninjak, you’re up.” Joshua—playing as Ninjak—to Brandie’s right gapes at the surprise twist but quickly smiles and says, “Yes, and on seeing Percy Fawcett during one of the wall’s phasing moments, I yell ‘Harada, I think a timearc is tunneling between parts of the Faraway. This might be an escape that doesn’t involve several hundred warriors. Use your AI and see if she can’t establish a quantum field that’ll stabilize the singularity enough for us to escape. I’ll keep the warriors at bay.’ Ninjak moves carefully back to

Players will be earning and spending Plot Points throughout the game, and using some type of tokens (such as poker chips) is the best method to track them. However, players are free to use whatever system works best, whether it’s chips, dice, noting them down on a piece of paper/table/smartphone, and so on.

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

the cave mouth, preparing to unleash a storm of knives and throwing stars should the warriors try and rush the cave.” Collin, Harada’s player, mouths to himself, “quantum field?” With a shrug and a smile he picks up the thread of the adventure. With his best gravitas -style impression of a man like Harada he responds, “You confirm my own suspicions, Ninjak.” Collin drops one of his Plot Point tokens on the table. “I’ll invert my Psionic Shield to act as a conduit for my digital assistant to infiltrate the singularity and stabilize it with the introduction of a quantum field.” Out-of-character Collin then says to the LN, "I'll use the Plot Point to support this." Collin rolls a D12 for the Challenge (see p. 6) with a result of 8; then rolls a D10 for his Power Die and a D10 for his Intellect (after the LN agrees the Intellect is the appropriate choice), getting a result of 5 and 6 (after checking to see he didn't roll his Luck Stat, he discards the 5 and selects the 6); the LN decides there are no modifiers so the total is 14. Brandie, as the LN, rolls the opposing D20, rolling a 17 (no modifiers are added). Looking at the result, Brandie shakes her head. “It appears your AI did its job too well. Yes, the cave wall is holding and now you can also hear Percy Fawcett yelling ‘Hurry it up, chaps, or those natives will be chopping you but quick.’ However, the instability of the timearc tunneling has breached Cassandra’s quantum field and is starting to consume the rest of the cave. If the instability reaches critical, it’ll bring the whole mountain down on you.” Brandie turns to Bo, nodding to him that it is his turn now. Bo stays in character and pantomimes sheathing a blade and affects his best Gilad Anni-Padda voice, saying, “’Even the Eternal Warrior knows when it is time for a strategic withdrawal, especially as we appear to have unexpected allies.’ Gilad quickly leaps through the opening.”

Earning Plot Points: Players

Players begin the game with three Plot Points each and may be awarded more points by the LN for particularly good Narrations. Players may have a maximum of five Plot Points at any time and only one point may be awarded to a player at a time.

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VALIANT UNIVERSE Players with no Plot Points are automatically given one at the beginning of their turn. The LN is the only person who may award Plot Points.

ROLLING DICE

Earning Plot Points: Lead Narrator

No matter how well your storytelling is unfolding, there will come a time when the dice need to come out to help resolve a given situation.

The LN also receives Plot Points into a Plot Pool. The LN starts an Event Brief with one Plot Point and every time a player spends a Plot Point (see below), the LN receives a Plot Point. Unlike the players, the LN’s Plot Pool has no size limit. The Plot Pool transfers between LNs in between Scenes. If the Plot Pool is empty at the start of a new Scene, the new LN receives 1 Plot Point.

Spending Plot Points: Players

No matter what effect you want to cause, the cost is one Plot Point and the change is immediately made to the game. Players may not spend more than one point at a time in an attempt to maximize the twist, though they can spend multiple Plot Points during any player’s Narration (whether their own, or another player’s).

A new turn of Valiant Universe has started and Jason’s character is injured. At the beginning of his turn, Jason spends one Plot Point to regain a point of Health. He deposits his Plot Point token into the Plot Pool and restores one of the Health pips on his character’s Dossier. He then makes a quick Narration: “Gilad Anni-Padda, still bleeding after he tangled with X-O Manowar, injects a medstim.”

Just remember, Plot Point use doesn’t always mean a positive change. Often plot twists are a negative event— something goes wrong that must be fixed or adapted to by the characters.

Spending Plot Points: Lead Narrator

Like players, the LN can spend Plot Points in any fashion he chooses, with the following caveats: zz zz

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Plot Points can only be spent to aid NPCs or create plot twists; they cannot be spent to directly aid or hinder a player. The LN can only spend one Plot Point per turn, unlike the players who can spend more than one per turn.

Quick Start Rules

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

THE CORE MECHANIC

As a story-driven role-playing game, Valiant Universe uses a simple, cinematic dice-rolling mechanic to resolve Challenges, Tests and Combat.

The Basic Mechanic for Challenges and Tests

A D12 is the Base Die, and forms the foundation that all players’ rolls are based upon. The result of this roll is modified by the appropriate Stat Die and any additional Modifiers. The basic dice rolling mechanic for all Challenges and Tests is: D12 + Stat Die (D4, D6, D8, D10, D12) + Modifiers vs. D20 A Challenge is any action taken against an inanimate object, while a Test is any action taken against another character or any NPC that is non-combat related. Which Stat Die To Use: The appropriate Stat Die to use will usually be very easy to determine: trying to lift something heavy? Might. Trying to outsmart an opponent? Intellect, and so on. Ultimately, however, if the situation is too muddy, the LN makes the decision on which Stat Die to use (see p. 1). Modifiers: Modifiers represent good or bad situational circumstances that take an ordinary situation and make it extraordinary. For example, while trying to work on X, the player is: being attacked (a negative modifier); he’s wounded (a negative modifier); there’s no gravity (depending upon what he is trying to accomplish, it could be a positive or negative modifier); the player is getting additional help (this also could be a positive or negative modifier depending upon the Stat Die of the player trying to help); the device he’s working on is extra difficult (a negative modifier) or extra easy (a positive modifier)—the sky’s the limit on what might happen. The decision on what modifiers are applied to any die roll, if any, and whether they are positive or negative, is always made by the LN. Powers: If the character is attempting a Challenge or Test covered by a Power, roll the Power Die with the appropriate Stat Die (as determined by the LN) and discard the lowest value result; adding it to the result of the D12 plus modifiers to compare against the D20. D12 + (Stat Die (D4, D6, D8, D10, D12) + Power Die (D4, D6, D8, D10, D12) [discard lowest result]) + Modifiers vs. D20

VALIANT UNIVERSE

Luck Stat

Always remember that regardless of the overall result, if a Stat Die (or Power Die, if used; check both dice rolled before discarding the lower value) result equals the character’s Luck Stat, that character automatically succeeds at his action (see p. 1).

On a mission for MI6 to infiltrate a potential Harbinger Foundation facility in Africa, Ninjak comes up against a locked door. And he needs to get past it. Charlie, playing as Ninjak, knows this is what Ninjak is famous for, and so has an excellent chance of bypassing the security on the door to gain access. Breaking a complicated lock is definitely a Challenge as it’s against an inanimate object. Charlie decides this is a test of Intellect (which the LN agrees with), which again is perfect for Ninjak, who has a D10 in that category. Charlie rolls for the Challenge, rolling a D12 (Base Die) and a D10 (Intellect Die). The LN rolls a D20 for the lock; the LN decides there are no special circumstances requiring any additional modifiers. The result is: 4 (D12) + 9 (D10) + 0 (no modifiers) = 13 vs. 6 (D20) A big success! With little effort, Ninjak bypasses the security. However, the whole thing leaves Charlie nervous. It looked like a much more difficult door to bypass regardless of Ninjak’s specialty. Charlie knows this is either a trap, or something else strange is going on…time to find out.

COMBAT

Combat is a variation on the basic dice rolling mechanic for Challenges and Tests. The Action Die forms the foundation of all combat rolls, instead of the usual D12 Base Die. The result of this roll is altered by any applicable modifiers. The basic dice rolling mechanic for all combat is:

Ranges

All weapons (and any Powers that act as weapons) fall into three range brackets for combat (the range of each weapon/Power is noted on the Character Dossier). zz zz zz

Close (Melee) Near (Pistols) Far (Rifles)

If a weapon (or Power) is used in a range bracket one higher than its noted bracket, apply a –3 modifier. A weapon cannot be used in a range bracket two higher than its listed bracket, though it can always be used in a closer bracket. For example, Shadowman’s sickle is a Close (Melee) weapon: if it’s used at Near range the player would apply a –3 modifier; it cannot be used at Far range. Any rifle, however, which all have Far range, can be used at Near or Close without any issues. It’s important to note, though that a specific Dossier may change these values based upon a specific weapon. So if you see different values than the norm, those are not “in addition” to the standard above, but instead fully replace the above modifiers.

Power Die

As with non-combat situations, if the character has a Power Die that is combat-related and appropriate to the current situation (as determined by the LN ), the player will roll the Power Die with the Action Die and discard the lowest value result. (Action Die + Power Die [discard lowest result]) + Modifiers vs. Action Die + Modifiers Or, if two characters are fighting Power vs. Power the dice would look like the following: (Action Die + Power Die [discard lowest result]) + Modifiers vs. (Action Die + Power Die [discard lowest result]) + Modifiers

Luck Stat

Always remember that regardless of the overall result, if an Action Die (or Power Die, if used; check both dice rolled before discarding the lower value) result equals the character’s Luck Stat, that character automatically wins (see p. 1).

Unusual Circumstances

Modifiers

Any time an unusual circumstance arises not directly covered by the rules, the LN modifies the situation on the fly. For example, if two combatants are at a significant range from one another and the LN decides the “winner” of a combat roll couldn’t possibly damage the “loser,” he simply doesn’t apply damage and moves on; in this instance “winning” was simply an avoidance of damage on the winner’s part.

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

Quick Start Rules

Action Die + Modifiers vs. Action Die + Modifiers As shown, combat is a straightforward contest between combatants’ Action Dice, plus any applicable modifiers.

As with Challenge and Test rolls, combat can have a variety of situational modifiers added, all of which are decided upon by the LN.

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VALIANT UNIVERSE zz Aaron’s character, Bloodshot, is facing off with a Harada Global Conglomerates security agent. Bloodshot is using a rifle he secured earlier in the game. Unfortunately the security agent was previously disarmed—though he managed to escape—and so only has a crowbar and is on the other side of a large open area. Aaron rolls a D8 (Bloodshot’s Action Die) and the LN rolls a D6 (the security agent’s Action Die). Because Bloodshot can attack from a distance and the security agent can’t, the LN awards a +1 modifier to Bloodshot’s roll. Aaron rolls a 7 and adds the +1 bonus for a final result of 8. The security agent rolls a 3; with the –3 modifier for trying to attack with a weapon into a larger range bracket, the result is 0. The security agent loses and gets shot. There are numerous ways the encounter could play out. Just remember to roll with the dice and the Plot Points—anything can happen!

Vehicle Combat

There is no separate system for combat between vehicles. Instead, the focus is kept where it should be, on the action of the characters, with the LN deciding what Challenges/Tests/Combat should occur under any given situation.

Damage, Armor and Health

Whenever a fight occurs, or a dangerous situation is encountered, there’s a chance a character could take damage. Damage: On every Character Dossier, there’s a Weapons column that lists the weapon (or Powers) the character started the game with and its Damage Value. Whenever a character takes damage, the damage is first applied to the Armor column of the Dossier. Once all Armor pips are marked off, damage then begins to apply to the Health column. If that happens, it’s time for some serious heroics! Health Flow Chart: The Health column of the character Dossier takes the form of a flowchart. Players start at the top, left-hand pip and move to the right until the first row is marked off, then move to the top, left-hand pip of the second row and move to the right until the second row is marked off, and so on. zz

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First X: When the first “X” (on the second row) is reached, the character immediately applies a –1 penalty to all future Might Die rolls.

Quick Start Rules

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

zz

zz

Second X: When the second “X” (on the third row) is reached, a –1 to all future Might and Action rolls is immediately applied. Staggered: When the first “Staggered” pip is crossed out, the character simply cannot give anymore and may take no actions (he does not give any more Narrations until he’s healed, nor can he spend any Plot Points). (There are instances in which a Power could still work even if the character is Staggered, such as X-O Manowar's Armor Regeneration; the final call on whether a Power is still active while a character is Staggered is up to the LN.) Knocked Out: The character is wounded so badly he or she has slipped fully into unconsciousness and is completely out of the action for the rest of the Event. (This is NOT the same as a dead character; the character will fully heal before the next Event. Really "killing off" a character should be reserved for truly epic moments of storytelling where the players will be recounting stories about the game for years to come.)

Secondary Effects: Generally speaking,Valiant Universe doesn’t assume weapons have any other effects beyond straight-up damage as noted on the various Dossiers. However, like the equipment also noted on the Dossiers, players and LNs are free to come up with additional fantastical effects from a weapon. Regaining Armor/Health: Fortunately, there are many ways to regain Health or repair Armor. A player could spend a Plot Point to regain a pip of Health or Armor. Some characters carry first aid kits as equipment, which can restore Health. Additionally, some characters are doctors or engineers or even have the Power of healing and can use a Narration to fix Armor or help heal a teammate; in this instance how much they repair the Armor and/or the Health of a character could largely depend upon the quality/uniqueness of their Narration, with the LN fixing two or even more pips for a particularly superb recitation.

Weapons

Weapons come in all shapes, types and sizes. You name it, and it probably comes in a variety of colors and styles as well. Valiant Universe characters start each Event with a default set of weapons. These are listed on the Character Dossier along with the amount of damage they do when used successfully against a target, and their range bracket.

Equipment

Besides weapons, many characters also carry a variety of equipment to use during Events. The uses of many of the different items may be obvious: a first aid kit would help treat a character who’s been injured or a tool kit could be used to repair Armor or other devices. The intended application of other equipment may be obscure or even totally unknown. In many cases, this is intentional and gives the players a chance to decide exactly what that equipment does, based on the name.

VALIANT UNIVERSE

ROMANIA

402 AD TO PRESENT DAY: THE JOURNEY TO UNITY 1

2

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Hoping to ambush a Roman battalion, Aric and his men instead encountered a hostile alien race disguised as legionnaires. The creatures — known as the Vine — abducted the Visigoths.

After years of torture aboard a Vine colony ship, he and his fellow prisoners rebelled, and made their way to the alien armory . . . which was, in fact a temple holding the Vine’s most sacred relic, the X-O Manowar armor.

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5

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Bonding with it, Aric escaped the ship and returned to Earth, only to find that 1,600 years had passed. Furious, Aric left Earth and traveled to the alien homeworld . . .

. . . and discovered that the Vine’s slaves were descendants of the Visigoths. Aric freed his people and brought them to Earth, where he declared their ancestral homeland of Dacia — now Romania — his kingdom.

Aric of Dacia, a fifth-century heir to the Visigoth throne, came of age under the oppressive thumb of the Roman Empire.

The world, however, will not take the invasion of Romania lying down . . .

PLAYER WARNING: Players should remember these are the quick-start rules. Every effort has been made to ensure an enjoyable and immersive experience at your gaming table. However, this is just a taste of all the action from the full rulebook. Due to the limited nature of these rules, there may be some disconnect between the game stats shown and what a player might expect from reading the comics. Rest assured that the full rules, including the two-page characters sheets (as opposed to the one-page character sheets for these quick-start rules) will more fully reflect a player's expectations surrounding their favorite characters. Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

Unity Mission Briefs

9

THE RENEGADES, PART 1: ON THE RUN UNITY [Translated from Japanese:] Cassandra tells me the Russians are going to launch a nuke. If it were anyone else making such a claim, I would just laugh it off. No normal human could know how the Romania situation is going to play out. But Cassandra—the AI's predictions are nearly always right. Would that I could chalk this projection to a glitch in her predictive subroutines. Not even my power and influence on the global stage can stop mankind's most horrific weapon. Whatever the cost, I cannot allow this to happen. I will not let Bucharest become the next Hiroshima. Gilad tells me his meeting with his old friend Aric of Dacia, wielder of the X-O Manowar armor, did not go well. He had hoped to convince Aric to take his alien ship and leave Romania peaceably, but Aric does not understand "peace." The socalled Eternal Warrior may be effectively immortal, but today I learned he bleeds just as well as the rest of us do. Aric broke Gilad's arm in the confrontation; he will heal in due time, but that is not fast enough. A warrior with only one good arm is only half as good to me. Ninjak is still under MI6's thumb, but he won't turn down a lucrative contract. He has worked for me in the past; he will work for me again. His one-of-a-kind skills are necessary if we are to neutralize the threat before it goes critical. But his go-it-alone strategy may prove problematic when integrating him into this team… And Livewire—my dear Amanda—I believe she has learned her lesson by now. She may not be wholly loyal to me anymore, but if I can convince her what is at stake, she will use her abilities to help me. Her rapport with machines may very well be the key to counteracting the Manowar armor. Where an army will falter, we four can put an end to this nonsense in Romania. But if we fail…the world may never forgive us.

CATALYST GAME LABS Cue System Game Design Matt Heerdt Additional Game Design Randall N. Bills Project Development Randall N. Bills Writing Randall N. Bills Philip A. Lee Editing Jason Schmetzer Cover Artwork Tom Raney Graphic Design & Layout Ray Arrastia Artwork Lee Garbett Doug Braithwaite Khari Evans

VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT

Chairman CEO & Chief Creative Officer CFO & Head of Strategic Development Publisher VP Executive Editor VP Operations Director of Marketing, Communications & Digital Media Sales Manager Production & Design Manager Associate Editor Assistant Editor Logo & Trade Dress Design Operations Manager Operations Coordinator President, Consumer Products, Promotions & Ad Sales Vice Chairman

Peter Cuneo Dinesh Shamdasani Gavin Cuneo Fred Pierce Warren Simons Walter Black Hunter Gorinson Atom! Freeman Travis Escarfullery Alejandro Arbona Josh Johns Rian Hughes Peter Stern Robert Meyers Russ Brown Jason Kothari

©2014 All Rights Reserved. All characters, their distinctive likenesses and related indicia featured in this publication are trademarks of Valiant Entertainment, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Catalyst Game Labs, the Catalyst Game Labs logo and Cues System are trademarks or registered trademarks of InMediaRes Productions, LLC. Printed in the USA.

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Unity Mission Briefs

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

THE RENEGADES, UNITY,PART PART1:1:ON TIME THETRIAL RUN UNKNOWN VESSEL LANDS IN BUCHAREST

Today at 1403 GMT, a craft of unknown origin descended from the sky and landed in Bucharest, Romania. Neither the craft nor its as-yet-undisclosed inhabitants have made any hostile overtures, but the chaos caused by the vessel’s descent and landing has unleashed a wave of looting and other crimes of opportunity in the Romanian capital. Some Romanians are hailing the vessel’s arrival as definitive proof that we are not alone in the universe. Others claim the vessel itself is a classified weapons program being developed by the Russian military. Investigations have yet to determine the origin of the vessel itself. Further reports indicate that the armored, blue-and-gold individual involved in the recent at the Colosseum in Rome has been spotted near the craft. Whether this unidentified person of interest is responsible for the vessel’s presence remains to be seen. Rather than deny or confirm responsibility for the craft, the Russian leadership responded with a declaration of military force. In a public address given at 1455 GMT, Russian Premier Sergeyevich declared the vessel and the armored individual a threat to national security and vowed to mobilize against the vessel. Incoming alert from Cassandra:

Harada-sama, the latest footage of the Bucharest incident confirms that the armored individual—codename X-O Manowar, AKA Aric of Dacia—is indeed involved with the craft. He appears to be protecting the ship and the people that emerged from it. The ship itself matches no known configuration or design. Conclusion: Vessel is of extraterrestrial origin. Conjecture [93.8% certainty]: The Manowar brought the ship to Earth from some unknown location. Taking previous observation of the Manowar into account, predictive extrapolation indicates he will defend the ship to his last breath, destroying any and all who stand in his way with his array of offensive and defensive powers. With the Russians threatening to send in military force, I predict a nuclear solution will be pursued. Conclusion: Neutralizing the Manowar situation will forestall a nuclear solution.

OBJECTIVES  Infiltrate the Visigoth perimeter  Reach the hotel penthouse  Find and defeat Aric of Dacia, the X-O Manowar

CUES  team of convenience  no time to prepare  primitive Visigoth weaponry  out of the armor  element of surprise  virtual thoughtscape

TAGS  Bucharest  plowed field  infiltration  Visigoths  X-O Manowar  hotel  balcony  training

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

Unity Mission Briefs 11

UNITY, PART 1: TIME TRIAL THE SETTING

In the night, the parked alien ship looms overhead—a dark shadow, quiet and unyielding. Beyond the vessel lies a grassy field that looks recently plowed, and campfires dot the field. Past the field sits an eight-story Romanian hotel building.

ENEMIES/OBSTACLES

Scene 1: Initial surveillance places X-O Manowar in the penthouse suite of the hotel. Once Aric gets into his armor, he’ll be all that much harder to take down, so a bit of stealth will be required. To reach him the team will first need to infiltrate the perimeter of the field where the alien ship landed. Visigoths—descendants of Aric’s countrymen from the seventh century—are wandering about the encampment, but they are not expecting an attack. The team must try to sneak past the Visigoths. If any are alerted to the team’s presence, they must be dispatched quickly before they can raise an alarm and give Aric a chance to don the Armor of Shanhara. Scene 2: Once the team reaches the hotel, they will need to reach the penthouse before Aric can realize anything is wrong. Aric, confident in his mastery of the Armor of Shanhara, doesn’t

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have any personal guards watching over his suite, but a number of Visigoth warriors have taken up residence on the lower floors and will attack the team when discovered. Scene 3: When the team reaches Aric, assuming they have managed to keep a low profile to this point, Aric will still be unarmored, and it will take him 1 full Narration to summon and don the Armor of Shanhara. Aric fights alone, as the team will have already dispatched or avoided all nearby Visigoths. When using the NPC Dossier for X-O Manowar, ignore the character’s Powers for this scene. Once Aric has been incapacitated, the surroundings dissolve away, and the team finds itself sitting in chairs in Harada’s Harbinger Foundation office in Pittsburgh. Stronghold, one of Harada’s nearby Eggbreakers—Harada’s personal entourage of powerful psiots—congratulates the team. “Harada-sama,” Stronghold says, “it appears your thoughtscape training experiment was a success. This team is fully capable of working together and accomplishing our goals in Romania. I suggest you get underway before we’re out of time.” The mission to defeat Aric, it turns out, was a shared hallucination that occurred in Harada’s personal thoughtscape, as his way of ensuring that the mission to come would not be a disastrous failure.

Unity Mission Briefs

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

THE RENEGADES, UNITY, PART PART 2: GRAB 1: ON THETHE WHEEL RUN RUSSIAN TANK BATTALION LOST NEAR BUCHAREST

Early today, the Russian Federation sent a tank battalion into Romania, and hours later the entire formation was declared lost to enemy action. According to statements from the Russian government, a battalion of the Fourth Guards Tank Brigade crossed the Romanian border this morning intent on approaching the mysterious vessel that landed in Bucharest. The Russian military reported losing contact with the battalion when it reached the Berceni district. No explanations for the loss were made public. The Romanian government is denying any and all involvement in the incident and have threatened retaliation if the Russians do not withdraw from their border. Russian Premier Sergeyevich claimed the military movement was in proactive self-defense of Russian national security, and he blames the Romanian government for the battalion’s loss. The United Nations has called an emergency Security Council session to attempt resolving this dispute before it escalates into open conflict. One possible explanation for the Russians’ loss comes from amateur photographer Renee Rousseaux, who states she was on the scene during the Berceni attack. Her blurry photos show tanks encountering a blue-and-gold blur that many believe is the unidentified perpetrator of the Colosseum incident in Rome. Rousseaux claims this individual destroyed the Russian tanks with never-before-seen weapons, but the subpar quality of the photographs only leads to further speculation.

Incoming Alert from Cassandra: Harada-sama, the situation has escalated as previously predicted. Unfortunately, the Manowar is more of a variable than anticipated. His destruction of the Russian tank convoy has driven the Russian Federation one step closer to a nuclear solution, either to eliminate the Manowar and/or to destroy the vessel and the people he is protecting. Predictive extrapolation indicates that the Russians will resort to firing a tactical nuclear warhead unless you directly intervene. The Unity advance team you sent to confront the Manowar—codenames the Captain, Mirror, Bomb, and Ether—is currently underway, but I predict their current success rate at less than three percent.. … … Warning: Unity advance team eliminated. Primary and secondary mission failures. Updating my predictive matrices … Conjecture [97.1% certainty]: Attacking the Manowar directly will have disastrous results. Conclusion: Removing the Manowar’s vessel from the equation will leave the Russians and Romanians nothing to fight over.

OBJECTIVES  Infiltrate the alien spaceship  Escape capture (optional)  Reach the bridge  Defeat X-O Manowar OR plant computer virus in ship’s computer

CUES  This time it’s real  corpses of eliminated Unity team  high alert  breaking for orbit  virtual swordfight

TAGS  Vine battleship  infiltration  captured  liftoff  space  ship’s bridge  Visigoths  Wolf Class Armor  Aric of Dacia

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

Unity Mission Briefs 13

UNITY, PART 2: GRAB THE WHEEL

THE SETTING

The area around the alien ship is positively crawling with Visigoths this time of night, and the hotel lies in the distance. The area looks hauntingly familiar to the recent thoughtscape training, but this time the goals have changed. And this time it’s real.

ENEMIES/OBSTACLES

Scene 1: Ninjak arrives at the Vine ship first and is encouraged to infiltrate the ship alone, in order to get the lay of the land so the rest of the team isn’t blindsided when they arrive. [While it’s true to the comics to always have Ninjak be the advance scout, LNs should feel free to mix this up if they wish for more flexibility and variety, allowing another player to go in first.] The Visigoths are on high alert after the Russian tank attack, so Ninjak will need to slip past some Visigoth guards and take out a lone Visigoth warrior patrolling the ship. Once inside the ship, X-O Manowar discovers Ninjak’s presence and confronts him. If X-O Manowar makes one successful Action roll against Ninjak, Ninjak will be temporarily incapacitated and captured. This scene should move at a fast pace so the rest of the characters can get in on the action as soon as possible. Scene 2: Once Ninjak is captured (or manages to escape the Manowar), the rest of the team arrives. Ninjak can free himself by passing both an Intellect Challenge (to dislocate a thumb) and a Might Challenge (to wriggle out of his restraints). Otherwise, another team member will need to find him and loosen his bonds. Once the whole team is aboard the ship and freed, the Vine ship breaks for orbit. The team will need to reach the bridge in order to take control of the vessel. Acceleration forces make it difficult

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to stand or take action. Until the ship reaches orbit (Lead Narrator’s discretion), team members will need to pass a Might Challenge in order to keep their footing and/or make any Action rolls. Team members may attempt another try at a failed Test on his or her next Narration. Scattered throughout the corridors leading to the bridge, where X-O Manowar is controlling the ship, are some of Aric’s most dedicated Visigoth warriors and one or more Vine Wolf-class Armor. Scene 3: On the bridge, Aric is hooked directly into the ship via his armor. In order to gain control of the ship, Livewire must connect to the ship as well (the LN may allow another team member to connect if Livewire is out of action, but the player will have to explain “how” they're doing it—i.e., using a prototype Harada comms system, or some other way in which they can get around Livewire's abilities). Once connected, Aric will engage her consciousness in virtual combat inside the ship’s computer. The rest of the team must fend off the Visigoths and Wolf-class Armor until Livewire can either successfully plant a computer virus that will kick Aric out of the system or defeat Aric in virtual combat. To plant the computer virus, Livewire may take one Intellect Test on each of her Narrations (in addition to making Action rolls in combat against Aric). If she succeeds in three successive Tests, the virus is planted; if she fails a Test, she must start over again. Although Aric is fighting Livewire virtually, he still uses the stats and weapons on his Dossier. While Livewire is trying to take control of the ship, the rest of the team must protect her from Visigoths and Wolf-class Armor that will attempt to enter the bridge. Once Aric has been defeated or the virus is successfully planted, the ship begins losing altitude and plummets from space like a meteor.

Unity Mission Briefs

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

THEUNITY, RENEGADES, PART 3:PART A SINKING 1: ON THE FEELING RUN M.E.R.O. REPORT: BUCHAREST SITUATION UPDATE

At 0315 GMT, the Priority 1 vessel we have been monitoring in Bucharest suddenly took flight and headed for the upper atmosphere. After settling into a low orbit, the craft remained in place for 37 minutes before plummeting 60 kilometers back to Earth at 0402 GMT and sinking relatively intact into the Atlantic Ocean at N 47°22´15˝, W 33°12´19˝. NASA officials believe the vessel did not survive reentry and broke apart before crashing in the sea, and for now we are doing nothing to actively discourage this belief. Investigative efforts from the US, Russian, and Chinese navies are currently underway, but we are certain that the vessel will have already sank before any of these fleets can arrive on the scene. Fortunately, the pressure at those depths due to the pressure unable to get any agents in place to steer them away from few hold any hope of finding the wreckage and putting this mystery to rest. We’re currently attempting to piece together just what happened. Surveillance is no longer seeing signs of the X-O Manowar at the site, but his primitive associates are still on the scene. Infrared scans of the area indicate the presence of unknown individuals nearing and entering the ship. Please advise on our next course of action.

Incoming Alert from Cassandra: Harada-sama, I am reading that Livewire has subverted the X-O Manowar’s control over the alien vessel. I am also seeing that she has gained control over the Armor of Shanhara itself. This is an unexpected development. Updating my predictive matrices… The Armor of Shanhara is an article of extraterrestrial technology. Conjecture [95.6% certainty]: Livewire interfacing with the Armor may give her a greater understanding of how her teletechnopathic abilities work. The following facts are also of immediate importance: 1) Livewire’s previous betrayal resulted in “Omicron” psiot Peter Stanchek’s escape. 2) The Armor of Shanhara is one of the most powerful weapons yet seen on this planet. 3) Livewire chose to join your Unity team to neutralize the worldwide threat Aric of Dacia posed, and without the Armor, Aric’s threat has been neutralized. Conjecture [63.2% certainty]: With the Armor now under Livewire’s control, if she chooses to rebel against you a second time, you will be unable to stop her. Conclusion: Keep Livewire’s focus on the mission. In the meantime, I am calculating that the ship is currently falling from orbit and will impact the Pacific Ocean in approximately five, four, three … … two … … one …

OBJECTIVES  Escape the sinking ship  Stop the nuke  Broker deal with world powers  Save trapped Visigoths

CUES  Hang onto something!  There has to be a way out of here  filling up with seawater  never enough lifeboats…  when world powers collide

TAGS  free fall  Pacific Ocean  Visigoths  Wolf Class Armor  Aric of Dacia  the Armor of Shanhara  nuclear solution  Americans, Russians, and Chinese

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

Unity Mission Briefs 15

UNITY, PART 3: A SINKING FEELING THE SETTING

With no one able to directly control the alien ship, the Earth is rapidly growing larger in the bridge’s viewport. Flames obscure the view as the spacecraft blazes through Earth’s atmosphere like a meteor. Once the flames go out, the shining blue carpet of the Pacific Ocean awaits, just seconds below …

ENEMIES/OBSTACLES

Scene 1: With Aric defeated and taken captive, the X-O Manowar suit transfers itself to Livewire. Due to the rigors of interfacing with alien technology for the first time, she will be unable to perform any actions except interface with the Armor for two Narrations. Once Livewire has bonded with the Armor of Shanhara, she will immediately regain all of her lost Armor pips. While wearing the Armor, she gains an additional +7 Armor pips and the Armor Regeneration Power (D8, see X-O Manowar NPC Dossier, p. 23); all of her Stat Dice, Weapons, and other Powers remain the same. Aric’s defeat also means the ship is uncontrolled and plummeting to the Earth. The fall takes D4 Narrations before the ship will hit the ocean, and any action a team member or NPC wishes to take during the free fall will require a successful Might Challenge before the action can be attempted. When the ship crashes into the ocean, each team member or NPC who fails a Might Challenge will suffer 2 Health damage (ignoring Armor) from the impact. The submerged ship quickly takes on water and begins to sink. The team will need to find a way out of the ship before being drowned, and before water pressure crushes the ship like an egg. After navigating the ship’s maze of flooding bulkheads, the team will

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learn there is only one escape pod, and Visigoths and Wolf-class Armor are standing in the way. Scene 2: Because the Russians lost a whole tank battalion to the alien ship’s defenders, they don’t want anyone getting their hands on whatever is in the ship. To ensure the vessel’s destruction, a Russian plane launched a tactical nuke toward the sinking ship. While adrift on an escape pod or the ship’s wreckage, the team will need to find some way to destroy or neutralize this missile before it can explode. There are a number of creative ways in which the nuke can be disabled, rerouted or destroyed. To add some tension to the scene, the LN can decide that the nuke takes a specific number of turns to arrive at the ship, which will limit the amount of time the team will have to plan their strategy. To randomly determine how many rounds of Narrations the team has, roll a D4. Any unshielded team members or NPCs near the nuke’s blast radius when it blows (LN’s discretion) are immediately Knocked Out for the remainder of the Event. Scene 3: After the nuke has been dealt with, naval fleets from the United States, Russia, and China converge on the alien ship. The team will need to collectively meet with the officers from all three fleets in order to prevent them from attacking each other or going to war over the sunken ship. Bargaining chips include such things as salvage rights to the Vine ship and the X-O Manowar armor. The team must convince all three powers that the Armor of Shanhara is a dangerous weapon that remains under guard at Harada Global Conglomerates. During the meeting, one or more team members can venture down to the sunken ship in an effort to rescue any Visigoths before they drown.

Unity Mission Briefs

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

UNITY, THE RENEGADES, PART 4: THE PART RIGHTFUL 1: ON THE OWNER RUN COLOSSEUM AND BUCHAREST CULPRIT IN CUSTODY

INTERPOL officials released a statement declaring that the armored individual witnessed on the scene of the recent incidents at Rome’s Colosseum and Bucharest, Romania, has been apprehended and taken into custody. The culprit’s identity has not yet been revealed, but sources claim this international war criminal is being held at a secure, undisclosed location. The apprehended individual was responsible for using an unidentified form of self-contained aerial combat armor to attack several Italian Aeronautica Militare fighters over Rome and cause havoc in Bucharest. Photographs taken of the Bucharest incident indicate that this man was also responsible for the destruction of the Russian military convoy in Bucharest’s Berceni district. Italy and Romania’s governments have both lobbied for the culprit to be remanded to their respective custody to stand trial. So far no firm decisions have been reached, and no trial date has been established. “This is a delicate situation,” said INTERPOL Secretary-General Jean-Baptiste Beaumont. “The individual in question represents a clear and present threat to global security, so all precautions have been taken to ensure justice will be meted out accordingly.”

Incoming Alert from Cassandra: Harada-sama, I detect that something is amiss in your house. Though the X-O Manowar armor is now under constant guard in this facility, many different parties may seek to remove the armor from your protection. Based on previous behavioral and speech patterns, and the performance of your Unity team, I believe one or more of your associates will betray you: Gilad Anni-Padda: 22.3% loyalty rating. The Eternal Warrior is a longtime friend of Aric of Dacia and will not take kindly to Aric’s imprisonment. Recommendation: Release Gilad’s leash ASAP and cut your losses. Ninjak: 43.6% loyalty rating. The MI6 operative follows you for financial gain. Recommendation: Maintain lucrative business relationship. Livewire: 65.7% loyalty rating. Her earlier betrayal of you during the Omicron incident has taught her a valuable and unforgettable lesson; she will only side against you if she believes her cause is just. Recommendation: Provide specific examples to prove the rightness of your goals. Livewire’s Challenge When I bonded with the Armor, it showed me how to use my powers in ways I never imagined, so I now know every single plot Harada has put in motion, every single person he’s ordered killed. We took the Armor from Aric because it made Harada and his company look good. Aric, on the other hand, just wanted to use the Armor to create a home for his people. I’ve told Harada countless times that he’s too powerful, that he needs something— or someone—to balance his ego and ensure he doesn’t set himself up as a god among men. I say we should be that balance. Who’s with me?

TRAITOR OBJECTIVES

HARADA OBJECTIVES

 Steal the Armor of Shanhara from Harada Global Conglomerates  Return the Armor of Shanhara to Aric

CUES

 Prevent the Armor of Shanhara from being stolen OR regain stolen Armor  Convince traitors to rejoin the cause OR humble all holdouts

 We’re doing the right thing  three against one  I don’t trust him  breaking the Unity  He’s too powerful  Guard your thoughts

TAGS  betrayal  Armor of Shanhara  infiltration  Harada Global Conglomerates  Military Extraterrestrial Recon Outpost  Aric of Dacia  Visigoth prisoners

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

Unity Mission Briefs 17

UNITY, PART 4: THE RIGHTFUL OWNER

THE SETTING

Harada Global Conglomerates’ main headquarters in Pittsburgh is a well-guarded skyscraper with an extensive underground facility. Between standard HGC security guards and the Harbinger Foundation’s army of psiots, anyone attempting to enter Toyo Harada’s fortress without permission will be in for a rude awakening. The Armor of Shanhara is safe from all but the most superhuman of would-be thieves.

ENEMIES/OBSTACLES

At the beginning of this Event, the players are split into two groups: Harada in one and all of the traitors—Eternal Warrior, Ninjak, and Livewire—in the other. Throughout the course of this Event, the traitors will attempt to complete the Traitor Objectives, and Harada’s player will attempt to complete the Harada Objectives. A member of the Traitors group can defect to Harada’s group either by doing so voluntarily, by Harada controlling the character via one of his Powers, being Knocked Out or Dead, or any other means the LN deems plausible. If Harada is ever Staggered or Knocked Out during this Event, he will reappear in the next scene with full Health and Armor due to having gone into a regenerative trance. Any Traitor who is Staggered or Knocked Out will reappear in the next scene with full Health and Armor, but will be on Harada’s team instead. Scene 1: The Traitors must sneak into Harada Global Conglomerates building in Pittsburgh, locate the Armor of Shanhara, and steal it. The Armor is guarded by a psiot named Anchor and some of Harada’s Eggbreakers. Any character can pick up and carry the Armor in its spherical form, but Livewire is the only character who can don the Armor. See p. 16 for Livewire’s stats when wearing the Armor. Once the Traitors have stolen the Armor, they must confront Harada and his Eggbreakers in order to escape the HGC building. Harada, on the other hand, must try to convince the Traitors that the Armor of Shanhara is too dangerous for anyone to wield. He and two

18

Eggbreakers will try to retrieve the Armor once it has been stolen, and he can attempt to convince any of the Traitors that they are doing the wrong thing. Scene 2: If the Traitors managed to steal the Armor, they must then learn where Aric of Dacia is being held. He and his Visigoths are currently at Camp Sigma, a military facility run by the intelligence organization MERO. While the Traitors are in hiding and attempting to locate Aric, Harada can track them down and try to steal back the Armor and/or convince more of the Traitors to rejoin his cause. Likewise, the Traitors can attempt to break Harada’s hold on any former Traitors that are currently under Harada’s influence. Scene 3: After the Traitors manage to locate Aric, they must make their way to Camp Sigma, which is out in the middle of the desert. At the camp, Harada will have one last chance to try either stealing back the Armor or coercing the remaining Traitors to his side. If Aric is given the Armor, he will immediately suit up and join the Traitors in their fight against Harada.

AFTERMATH If the Traitors prevail Livewire: Harada was right about one thing— the Armor of Shanhara is indeed the most powerful weapon on Earth. But it doesn’t belong to us. The Armor told me that it chose Aric of Dacia for a reason. Watching him in the Armor—he is a natural with it, and his experience in Romania has forged him into a better person and a greater leader for his people. I only hope we made the right decision. If Harada prevails Harada: The Armor of Shanhara is the most powerful weapon on Earth, and I still believe no one should ever wield it. This petty squabble with Amanda and my former allies over the Armor has only proven the rightness of my cause. Had I the nerve, I would strap that accursed metal orb to a rocket and launch it into the sun. But I cannot. There may yet come a day when the Armor will be needed. I only hope that I will never need to be the one to wear it.

Unity Mission Briefs

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

MIGHT

INTELLECT

D6

D12

POWERS

Atomize (Weapon)

D10

Levitation (Flight)

D8

VALIANT UNIVERSE LUCK CHARISMA ACTION D10

Telepathy

Psionic Projection

D10

Psionic Shield (Armor) Reduces damage taken by 2

3

D8

D12

D10

HARADA VITAL FACTORS

Name: Toyo Harada

Affiliation: Harbinger Foundation

TAGS

 Psiot  Visionary  Controlling  Confident  “Omega”

CUES The time to act is now. I can stop this. Believe me when I tell you, I will not let this happen. Nuclear weapons will never be used again. We have very little time. That was just … intuition. There’s nowhere for you to run.

ACTION CUES Prepare to have the world forget you ever existed. I am the most powerful psiot on this planet.

WEAPONS

-1 TO MIGHT

ARMOR (PSIONIC SHIELD)

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

RANGE Close Near Far

Atomize

D8

OK

OK OK

Mind Wipe

2*

OK

–3 —

-1 TO MIGHT & ACTION STAGGERED

DAMAGE

*Target also forfeits its next action

EQUIPMENT

KNOCKED OUT

Digital Assistant

HEALTH

Designer Shoes

Expensive Suit

Character Dossiers 19

VALIANT UNIVERSE MIGHT INTELLECT CHARISMA D10

D8

Weapon Mastery

POWERS

D12

(Weapon)

Accelerated Healing

ACTION

LUCK

D10

10

D6

Tactical Genius

D8

Sure Shot Adds +2 to next Action roll result

D8

D4

Heals D4 – 1 pips of Health

ETERNAL WARRIOR VITAL FACTORS

Name: Gilad Anni-Padda Affiliation: The House of Earth

TAGS

 Immortal  Sumerian  Patient  Fist of the Earth  Resilient

CUES I hate being late. I’m the oldest living thing in the hemisphere. Go away. I won’t ask you again. There’s always a war going on. You’re never so alive as when you’re killing something. This won’t end well. The world is watching. There will be consequences.

ACTION CUES My war is eternal. I was around when war got invented.

WEAPONS

-1 TO MIGHT -1 TO MIGHT & ACTION STAGGERED

ARMOR (EARTH’S EMBRACE)

20

RANGE Close Near Far

Axe

3

OK

–2 —

Submachine Gun*

2

OK

OK –2

*May target two enemies with the same attack action

EQUIPMENT

KNOCKED OUT

Token of the House of Earth Cloak

HEALTH

Medical Cuff for Broken Arm

Character Dossiers

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

DAMAGE

MIGHT

INTELLECT

D8

D10

Smart Gloves/Boots

POWERS

(Climbing)

Explosive Foam

D10

D8

VALIANT UNIVERSE LUCK CHARISMA ACTION

9

D12

D10

Ninjutsu Reflexes (Armor) Reduces damage taken by 2

Adaptive Camouflage

D8

Poison Gas

D6

D10

Hologram Belt

D8

NINJAK VITAL FACTORS

Name: Colin King

Affiliation: MI-6

TAGS

 Precise  Relentless  Skilled  Freelancer  Super-spy

CUES I’d’a done this job for free. It’s time. Blunt-force trauma will suffice. Alien tech or not, a locked door is a locked door. Voilà. Only one chance … I guess you didn’t get my “It’s a trap” memo?

ACTION CUES Go wage your war in the open. I’ll wage mine in the shadows. You can take away my equipment but not my training.

WEAPONS

-1 TO MIGHT -1 TO MIGHT & ACTION STAGGERED

ARMOR (HEX-WEAVE FABRIC)

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

DAMAGE

RANGE Close Near Far

Katana

4

OK

–2 —

Poisoned Shuriken

2*

OK

OK OK

*Target suffers 1 additional damage over the next D4 rounds

EQUIPMENT

KNOCKED OUT

Stealth Drone Vehicle

HEALTH

Pocket Computer

Wing Suit

Character Dossiers 21

VALIANT UNIVERSE MIGHT INTELLECT CHARISMA

ACTION

LUCK

D8

D8

4

D6

D6

POWERS

Manipulate Electronic Devices

D10

Multi-Tool Levitation Field (Flight)

D6

D8

Martial Arts (Weapon)

D8

Multi-Tool Deflection Shield (Armor) Reduces damage taken by 1

LIVEWIRE VITAL FACTORS

Name: Amanda McKee

Affiliation: Harbinger Foundation

TAGS

 Psiot  Teletechnopath  Rebellious  Honest  Logical

CUES I’ve a unique relationship with machines. You reap what you sow. Try to be less of a punk, will you? Forgive me, Master. It’s nothing like I’ve ever synced with before. I need you to come with me. There must be balance.

ACTION CUES I don’t much care for weapons. I prefer communication. I can pull the code and twist it to fit whatever I need.

-1 TO MIGHT

DAMAGE

Electrified Multi-Tool Whip D6*

OK

OK –2

Aerial Drone Cannon

2

OK

OK OK

-1 TO MIGHT & ACTION STAGGERED

ARMOR (DEFLECTION SHIELD)

22

*+1 damage against non-living targets

EQUIPMENT

KNOCKED OUT

Multi-Tool Bracelet

HEALTH

First Aid Kit

Character Dossiers

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

RANGE Close Near Far

WEAPONS

Harbinger Foundation ID

X-O MANOWAR

MIGHT

(ARMORED)

INTELLECT UNIVERSE CHARISMA ACTION VALIANT

D12

D8 Armor Regeneration

POWERS

(Armor) Restores 2 Armor and 2 Health, even if Staggered or Knocked Out

D8

Anti-gravity

D10

(Flight)

Energy Weapons

-1 TO MIGHT -1 TO MIGHT & ACTION

MIGHT D8

CHARISMA

D8

OK

OK OK

Energy Sword

3

OK

–2 —

ACTION

STAGGERED

ARMOR

DAMAGE

RANGE Close Near Far

Dagger

2

OK

— —

Fist

2

OK

–2 —

Visigoth Emblem

HEALTH

ANCHOR

(UNARMORED)

EQUIPMENT

KNOCKED OUT

(VISIGOTH TRAINING)

ARIC OF DACIA

D10

WEAPONS

-1 TO MIGHT & ACTION

Prosthetic Hand

Visigoth Clothing

MIGHT

INTELLECT

CHARISMA

ACTION

D12

D6

D4

D6

WEAPONS

-1 TO MIGHT -1 TO MIGHT & ACTION STAGGERED

ARMOR

(PSIONIC HARDENING) Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

Far

3

The Sacred Armor of Shanhara

D8

-1 TO MIGHT

Close Near

HEALTH

(ARMOR OF SHANHARA)

INTELLECT

RANGE DAMAGE

EQUIPMENT

KNOCKED OUT

ARMOR

D8

Deals 2 damage to targets in Close or Near ranges

Energy Blast

STAGGERED

Dacia belongs to my people! I am king of the Visigoths! Don’t tell me what I can and cannot do!

D6

Wrist Rockets

WEAPONS

CUES

D12

D10

KNOCKED OUT

DAMAGE

RANGE Close Near Far

Fist

2

OK

–2 —

Fist

2

OK

–2 —

EQUIPMENT Unity Uniform

HGC Passkey Card Character Dossiers 23 HEALTH

VALIANT VISIGOTH WARRIORUNIVERSE MIGHT INTELLECT D8

CHARISMA

ACTION

D4

D8

D4

WEAPONS

-1 TO MIGHT -1 TO MIGHT & ACTION STAGGERED

ARMOR

INTELLECT

CHARISMA

ACTION

D10

D4

D4

D10

-1 TO MIGHT -1 TO MIGHT & ACTION STAGGERED KNOCKED OUT

ARMOR

HEALTH

EGGBREAKER

2

OK

–2 —

Spear

2

OK

OK —

Vine Necklace

Visigoth Emblem

MIGHT

DAMAGE

WOLF-CLASS ARMOR

RANGE Close Near Far

Energy Cannons

3

–2

OK OK

Rending Claws

2

OK

–2 —

EQUIPMENT Visigoth Warrior Pilot

Repair Kit

Spare Parts

MIGHT

INTELLECT

CHARISMA

ACTION

D6

D10

D6

D8

WEAPONS

-1 TO MIGHT

Psionic Lash

DAMAGE

3

RANGE Close Near Far

OK

OK –2

-1 TO MIGHT & ACTION STAGGERED KNOCKED OUT

24

ARMOR Character (PSIONIC Dossiers HEALTH SHIELD)

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

Far

Sword

Slave Rags

HEALTH

WEAPONS

Close Near

EQUIPMENT

KNOCKED OUT

(VISIGOTH SHIELD)

RANGE DAMAGE

EQUIPMENT Harbinger Foundation ID

Pocket Computer

Harbinger Foundation Uniform

A STORM IS COMING…BE A PART OF THE ACTION The Valiant Universe RPG Digital Initiative rolls out a firestorm of heroic action onto your gaming table. Starting on Free Comic Book Day with the Quick-Start Rules, a free PDF will release every other week to keep the action pumping until the Valiant Universe RPG hits your local comics/game store shelves in August.

RPG QUICK START RULES

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Free PDF Available June 14th

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Play the ultra-powerful Toyo Harada—the mastermind orchestrating the Harbinger Wars—or one of his Harbinger Foundation Eggbreakers, and manipulate events behind the scenes. Via characters and Event Briefs, a different chapter of this epic crossover event unfolds for you and your friends.

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Free Print Book Available June 21st (Free RPG Day)

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Print Pre-Orders and PDF available July 5th DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?

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The final chapter in the Valiant Universe RPG Quick-Start Rules supplementals allows players to tackle Major Palmer, Shakespeare and others as they come out of retirement and are thrown into the brutal fray. Las Vegas is caught in the grip of superheroes, villains, megacorps and secret government organizations vying for dominance. Will you survive? Whether you’re a longtime fan or brand new to the Valiant Universe, this is the only source you’ll need to bring Valiant’s leading characters to life in a fantastic superheroes setting!

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z Character Dossiers & Creation Rules: Along with ready-to-play missions, superhero and villain character dossiers will have for smaller use

players in the thick of the action in no time. Or do you want to create your own superhero or villain and add it to the Valiant Universe pantheon? Quick and easy rules give you that freedom! for larger use

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©2014 All Rights Reserved. All characters, their distinctive likenesses and related indicia featured in this publication are trademarks of Valiant Entertainment, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Catalyst Game Labs, the Catalyst Game Labs logo and Cue System are trademarks or registered trademarks of InMediaRes Productions, LLC. Printed in the USA.

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CatalystGameLabs.com/shop and DriveThruRPG.com. ©2014 All Rights Reserved. All characters, their distinctive likenesses and related indicia featured in this publication are trademarks of Valiant Entertainment, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Catalyst Game Labs, the Catalyst Game Labs logo, Cue System are trademarks or registered trademarks of InMediaRes Productions, LLC. Printed in the USA.

Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES? COMING TO COMIC/GAME SHOPS AUGUST 2014

The edge between superhero and villain has never been sharper. In the Valiant Universe RPG, S ? players E gritty TA K ITa dark T A H will immerse themselves in and world W E V A H Y O Uwhere every mission and every battle has deadly consequences. Whether playing X-O Manowar, Bloodshot, Shadowman or even the all-powerful Toyo Harada—or any of dozens of characters— Valiant’s most fearless heroes will unite for the first time in a roleplaying game, allowing you to join their stories and createNnew ones! ARMOR…

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between supe of characters—Valian y mission and every y world where ever da—or any of dozens ! es in a dark and gritt all-powerful Toyo Hara es and create new ones owman or even the you to join their stori owar, Bloodshot, Shad first time in a roleplaying game, allowing to bring Valiant’s the need l for you’l unite ce will sour es less hero is the only Valiant Universe, this or brand new to the you’re a longtime fan es setting! fantastic superhero haracters to life in a kly get inside the d RPG player to quic ncludes: a novice or uninitiate Cue System allows t and easy to learn -ligh rules part of the The : e tem n. y determin which plunge into the actio allow players to easil their superhero and nt Universe comic titles book of characters. ment’s Valiant Hand maries of all the Valia will have iers doss r xposés: Detailed sum a perfect companion to Valiant Entertain acte n char e in; nt , superhero and villai e they want to gam and add it to the Valia ready-to-play missions superhero or villain tion Rules: Along with t to create your own wan you cter Dossiers & Crea do Or . n in no time actio the of om! thick freed the s in you that k and easy rules give se pantheon? Quic

• Character Dossiers & Creation Rules: Along with ready-to-play missions, superhero and villain character dossiers will have players in the thick of the action in no time. Or do you want to create your own superhero or villain and add it to the Valiant Universe pantheon? Quick and easy rules give you that freedom!.

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for smaller use

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Additional Material Available Online! The roleplaying game is coming this fall, but you can download the additional free quick-start rules PDF content and start gaming now; just use the url below!

WWW.CATALYSTGAMELABS.COM/VALIANT Derek Armstrong (order #5983480)

©2014 All Rights Reserved. All characters, their distinctive likenesses and related indicia featured in this publication are trademarks of Valiant Entertainment, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Catalyst Game Labs, the Catalyst Game Labs logo and Cue System are trademarks or registered trademarks of InMediaRes Productions, LLC. Printed in the USA.