COMPONENTS

4 series pads (Clash Among the Stars, 1 hero progress pad 1 Game Rulebook
Eldritch Mysteries, Explorers of the
Unknown, Streetlight Knights)

1 52-card Deck of Initiative 1 40-card Deck of Complications 1 Setting Book

2
 S
W ER
PO

1 105-card Deck of Powers 1 85-card Deck of Identities 1 8-card Deck of Team Roles

4 advantage dice 7 sets of percentile dice 4 challenge dice Tokens

3
 Spectaculars is a roleplaying game for three to seven players in Getting Started
which you and your friends take on the roles of superpowered heroes One player takes on the role of the Narrator who directs each issue.
and struggle against the forces of evil. More than that, Spectaculars The Narrator presents each situation, adjudicates the action, and
is an entire comic book universe packed into a single box, and it’s runs the villains and their minions. The other players take on the roles
one that you create from scratch as you play the game. You define of the heroes. If you can, it’s a good idea to have at least one person
the setting’s most important aspects, you create teams of heroes in the group read this rulebook to get a basic handle on the rules.
to populate that world, and you tell incredible comic book stories
set against a backdrop that you have crafted. Each Spectaculars IF YOU ARE THE NARRATOR . . .
box set is the equivalent of a unique comic book imprint, one that )) Make sure the Setting Book pages labeled “The Basics” have been
grows and evolves as you play through the stories it contains. filled out. Read over them to refresh yourself on the setting.
)) Choose a series pad for the issue you are going to play.
The Series Pads )) Tear off sheets in that pad until you reach the next issue and stop
In the box you’ll find four series pads, tear-off pads containing there. The next set of pages are for use with the next issue.
the teams, heroes, villains, and scenarios (called issues) that )) Give any team rosters or archetype sheets to the players, in case any
you are going to play through. These series pads are: of them want to create a new hero or team.
)) Clash Among the Stars (a pad containing stories of cosmic heroes )) Read the issue and familiarize yourself with its story and mechanics.
and villains set far out in the cosmos) )) If you want or need to create villains or minions for this issue, do so
)) Eldritch Mysteries (a pad all about sorcery, the occult, and at this time (the issue may have been preceded by villain or minion
supernatural threats from beyond our plane of existence) sheets specifically intended for use with that issue).
)) Explorers of the Unknown (a pad containing stories about super )) Take one set of percentile dice for your use.
science, larger-than-life heroes, and mad scientists)
)) Streetlight Knights (a pad for stories about street-level heroes IF YOU ARE A HERO PLAYER . . .
and vigilantes) )) Create a new hero, or choose an existing hero to play for this session.
You can play through these pads in any order you like, and you You do not have to use heroes who were created specifically for this
can jump back and forth between pads whenever you feel like it. pad (that’s how crossovers happen!).
If you’re not sure where to start, Explorers of the Unknown and )) If you’re playing an existing hero, retrieve your power and
Streetlight Knights are the two pads whose stories are most identity cards.
likely to feel familiar to even casual fans of comic book heroes. )) Choose a team role for this issue and take the team role card,
placing it face-up in the appropriate slot on your archetype. Give the
The Setting Book associated initiative card to the Narrator.
The Setting Book contains pages covering a variety of topics, each )) Take one set of percentile dice for your use.
one representing some iconic aspect of your comic-book universe. The )) Take hero point tokens equal to your Hero Points per Conflict.
first few pages, labeled “The Basics,” define the fundamental elements
of the setting you build as you play through the game. Before you
A Rotating Cast of Characters
Thanks to the nature of the series pads and the Setting Book, you don’t always have
start your first session, you and your players should go through “The to play this copy of Spectaculars with the same players, and returning players do
Basics” pages and answer the questions therein. As you play through not have to play the same characters. You can create entirely new heroes each
the issues in the series pads, they occasionally reference pages in the session, or play heroes created by other players in previous issues. Think of it
Setting Book (the title will be in bold with the entry’s identifier next to like a new creative team taking over a popular title! Players can take turns as the
it, such as SE01: The Powerful Artifact). The first time you encounter Narrator, since each issue is self-contained and there is no secret information to
a reference to a page in your Setting Book, all the players (including be hidden from the other players. You might even choose to have entirely different
groups of players for each of the series pads, running them in parallel. As one
the Narrator) should collaborate to answer the questions on that page.
group of players defines a setting element, another might encounter that setting
When in a future session another issue references that page, use that element and add to it, or deal with the unexpected consequences of those other
setting element as you have defined it. As you play through the series players’ decisions. Spectaculars is at its best when you treat it like a comic book
pads, over time you define more and more elements of your universe. imprint, using the heroes and villains you create as a stable of characters that
many “creative teams” (read: players) use to tell a wide variety of different stories.

4
 The Opening Scene Wrapping Up
Most issues start with an opening scene, where the Narrator lays out the When the heroes defeat the issue’s villain or otherwise resolve
first hints of the conflict at the heart of the issue. Usually, an opening scene the threat at the heart of the issue, the Narrator follows the
is a conflict scene, one where the heroes must leap into action to deal with instructions in the “Wrapping Up” section of the issue.
some threat to their safety or to the people they have sworn to protect.
Teams
Interludes All heroes are a member of a team. Each series pad includes at least two
After the opening scene concludes, the heroes are likely left with options for teams. When you first start a series pad, players create at
some questions about the villains they encountered, the scheme least one team for the heroes to belong to. Answer the questions on the
they foiled, or the mysteries they uncovered. In most issues, front side of that team roster and then fill in the roster on the back with the
the players can then create interlude scenes that give them a names of the heroes created for that session. During subsequent sessions,
chance to seek out answers or prepare for future conflicts. you can use the same team, adding any newly created heroes to the roster,
Interludes are short scenes initially framed by the players, based or create entirely new teams. Either way, the heroes must represent a
on what they want their heroes to pursue and how they want them to team for each session. The team rosters are a handy way to flesh out the
go about it. The Narrator then fleshes out the scene, introduces other bonds between the heroes quickly and easily, and they give you a place
characters, and possibly also adds some obstacles to the heroes’ to track the team’s members. Each team roster also includes a Truths
success. Most interludes are resolved with a little bit of roleplaying section, where you can write down setting-defining facts about that team.
and maybe a few dice rolls, since they rarely involve much conflict.
TEAM REPUTATIONS
Subsequent Scenes Each team roster includes three reputation tracks, which reflect how other
The world doesn’t sit still while the heroes try to figure things out. Each people in the setting view and react to the team. When you first create
issue includes a section that describes how the story continues to a team, these reputation tracks have default values as defined by your
progress in the background while the heroes participate in interludes. answers to the questions in “The Basics” section of your Setting Book.
These sections are labeled either “The Villain’s Plan” (indicating the active Each session, the actions of the heroes may have an impact on
works of the issue’s villain) or “The Sequence of Events” (which describes these reputation tracks, increasing or decreasing their scores as
events that occur, which may or may not have a villain driving them). defined in the specific issue being played. Similarly, the scenarios
Each time the heroes create a new interlude, the Narrator fills in presented in some issues change depending on whether a particular
one of the blank circles next to the title of the topmost incomplete team reputation track is above or below a certain threshold.
steps in the sequence. When all the circles next to a step’s title have Additionally, a team’s reputation affects their interactions with the
been filled in, that step in the sequence has been completed without people those tracks represent. Members of a team with a reputation
the heroes’ intervention. The Narrator moves on to the next step of 3 or higher add 1 advantage die ( ) to rolls made to interact with
in the sequence the next time the heroes create an interlude. people represented by that track, or 2 advantage dice ( ) if that
When the heroes finally decide to take action in a way that reputation is 5. Members of a team with a reputation of -3 or lower add
causes them to collide with the sequence of events, the 1 challenge die ( ) to rolls made to interact with people represented
Narrator knows which of the steps in the sequence have been by that track, or 2 challenge dice ( ) if that reputation is 5.
completed and can craft the scene based on the situation. A team’s public reputation represents how the average citizen (of the city,
world, or even galaxy) feels about the team. It represents the perspective of
Opening with Aspirations and Turmoils the bystanders, the victims, and the people endangered by their heroics.
If any of the heroes taking part in the issue have appeared in previous issues, A team’s media reputation represents the heroes’ portrayal in print,
they likely have aspirations and turmoils. At the start of each session of play, on the radio and TV, or on the Internet, either flattering or unfavorable.
before the opening scene of the first issue, the Narrator can allow each player A team’s government reputation represents whether the
of such a hero to create a single interlude associated with either their aspiration government actively seeks to crack down and control the
or their turmoil and play it out. This is a fairly common rhythm for many comic
heroes or allows them to operate independently.
book stories: opening with a peek at the challenges the heroes face in their
personal lives before they’re unceremoniously drawn back into the conflicts that
make them don their costumes in the first place. See p. 22 for more information
on aspirations and turmoils, and p. 20 for more information on interludes.
5
 RESISTANCE (B)
CREATING CHARACTERS Your archetype sheet includes a box where you can track your current
Creating a hero for Spectaculars involves making some
resistance, and also tells you what your maximum resistance is.
choices from several options. To get started:
)) Choose one of the available archetypes from the series pad. ARCHETYPE BENEFIT (C)
)) Draw five cards from the Deck of Powers and select between one and All heroes have a special benefit that is unique to their
three of these as your character’s powers. archetype. Its mechanics are described in detail here.
)) Draw three cards from the Deck of Identities and select one of these
as your character’s identity. TURN REFERENCE (D)
)) Choose one team role card. In the section labeled “On Your Turn” you will find a brief description of
the order of operations for taking your turn. This is merely a reminder of
Archetypes the way that time tokens, actions, and movement work on your turn.
You archetype is the center of your character, both figuratively
and literally. The archetype sheets included in the series pads
(labeled hero sheets) represent your hero’s core idiom. They
provide high-level descriptions of your hero, based around
C H
I
iconic and common character tropes from popular comics.
The front side of the sheet features a brief description of
the archetype, followed by several multiple choice questions
that help define some of the most important aspects of your
hero. Answer all these questions before beginning play.
At the bottom of the front side of the archetype is a box labeled Truths.
Here you write down any miscellaneous but important facts about your
hero. It’s okay if you don’t write anything in this box when you create your

H
hero; you can note details important to your hero when they occur to you.
On the back of your archetype sheet, record your hero’s name

J
(their heroic moniker), their real name (who they are when not in
costume), the team they belong to, and the hero’s first appearance
(the series and issue number the first time you play that hero),
along with a few other important pieces of information.
During play, keep the back side of your
A
archetype sheet face-up on the table. B
HERO POINTS PER CONFLICT (A) D F H
Your archetype sheet has a box labeled Hero Points per Conflict. This
is the minimum number of hero points you have at the start of any
conflict scene. Fill this box out last, once you have chosen your powers.
This number is equal to the number of hero point icons ( ) visible
E
G
on your power cards or open power card slots, plus 1 (represented by
the hero point icon in the bottom-right box of the archetype sheet).

Printing More Sheets

Though each series pad includes some number of hero archetypes, team rosters,
villain sheets, and minion sheets, you are not limited by these physical components.
You can download all these sheets for free, and print out as many as you need.
Visit http://scratchpadpublishing.com/spectaculars to download these files.

6
SPENDING HERO POINTS (E) slots. If you take a lesser or minor power, you do not gain the hero points
The section below your archetype benefit describes ways in indicated for those slots. (A Basic power in those slots grants 1 hero point.)
which you can spend hero points. This section is the same for
most heroes and is a quick reference for the rules on hero point Identity
use, which are explained in greater detail in this rulebook. Your identity card describes who your character is in their civilian
life, when they are not fighting villains in costume. For some, this
TAKING THE SPOTLIGHT (F) identity might be a secret, with the costume they wear as a hero
Each archetype includes a section that explains what happens when protecting their friends and family from the retribution of villains.
your hero takes the spotlight. These effects vary from hero to hero, For others, there may be no separation between their civilian
though the means of taking the spotlight are always the same. Taking identity and their hero identity; these heroes are often celebrities,
the spotlight is explained in greater detail later in this rulebook. deputized agents sanctioned by the government, or the like.
Your identity card includes a name, a series of questions meant
DISTANCES (G) to inspire you when creating your vision for the character, and a list
Each archetype includes a section that explains the three distances of skills, including a chance of success when using each one.
that are relevant during a conflict scene: up close, near, and far away. When you make a character, build the Deck of Identities by
combining the twenty-five Common identities with the fifteen identities
Power Cards associated with the series pad that you are playing to form a forty-
Your power cards form the core of your character’s abilities and card deck. Draw your identity cards from this combined deck.
are the most commonly used part of your hero. Each power card
includes a name for the power, a brief description of the power, CARD PLACEMENT (I)
and any mechanical benefits you gain for having that power. Place your chosen identity card so that it aligns with the
When you make a character, build the Deck of Powers by identity slot along the left edge of your archetype sheet.
combining the twenty-five Common Powers with the fifteen powers
associated with the series pad that you are playing to form a forty- Team Role
card deck. Draw your power cards from this combined deck. Your team role describes the tactical responsibility you
If some players are playing existing heroes and others are playing have when your team fights enemies. It includes a name, a
new heroes, the players playing existing heroes should retrieve brief description of the role, and a mechanical benefit that
their power cards first so that a player creating a new character expands the ways that you can spend hero points.
does not accidentally choose a power another hero possesses. You can choose a different team role at the start of each session.

BASIC POWERS CARD PLACEMENT (J)

There are five Basic powers included with the game (Energy Blast, Flight, Place your chosen team role card so that it aligns with the
Signature Weapon, Super Strength, and Super Toughness), with four team role slot along the left edge of your archetype sheet.
copies of each card. You can always choose from these five powers
when selecting your hero’s powers, provided there is a card remaining
for you to take. All Basic powers have a single hero point icon; each Multiple Heroes with the Same
such power adds 1 hero point ( ) to your Hero Points per Conflict. Power or Identity
If some of the players are playing existing heroes, two of them might have the
CARD PLACEMENT (H) same power or identity, especially if they were created during different sessions. If
You must choose at least one power card to place on your archetype this happens, the players decide between themselves which hero gets to use the
sheet, aligning the card with the guides on the right edge of the sheet in duplicated power(s), and the other players temporarily replace that power with an
the superpower slot. You may choose a second or third power if you wish, available Basic power card for this session. In the case of duplicated identities, the
placing them in the lesser power or minor power slots respectively. A card players decide which hero gets to use the identity for this session, and the other player
draws five identity cards and picks one to use for their hero for this session only.
placed in either the lesser power or minor power slot should be placed
such that the card completely covers up the hero point icons in those card

7
 Success and Failure
GETTING THINGS DONE The Narrator determines what happens when you
As play progresses, the Narrator sets up a scene for the players by
succeed or fail on a roll, based on your
outlining the villains, schemes, and complications involved, and then
description of what you were attempting
the players describe what they want to do in that scene. Many times,
and the circumstances of the scene.
the Narrator simply agrees that what the players want to happen does,
If you were making an attack,
in fact, happen, and then the Narrator reveals the consequences of
you usually deal damage.
the characters’ actions and how that affects the scene. Sometimes,
though, the outcome of the characters’ efforts is not certain, requiring Trying Again
the players to roll dice to determine the results of their actions. In general, there is no “try again.”
When you want your character to take action within a scene, you tell If you roll and fail, you fail. Further
the Narrator what you want to do. The Narrator then determines which attempts at the same task should
of the three results is most appropriate based on what you described: be fruitless, unless you invent a
)) There is no chance that your character fails to accomplish the task or radically different approach to the
action, so you automatically succeed and move on. same task and the Narrator agrees
)) Your character might be able to succeed on the task or action, to allow it. Once a roll has been
but there’s also a chance of failure. The game’s mechanics failed, that usually means the task
decide the outcome. is beyond the character’s skill, and
)) There is no chance for your character to successfully accomplish the no amount of trial-and-error can
task or action, so you must choose another course of action. bring it within the player’s grasp.
The most commonly used mechanic is the check. You make a check There are two
when you attempt a task that the Narrator decides has a chance to fail. exceptions to this rule:
Your powers and the skills on your identity card all have a numerical )) Attacks: Failing to attack
rating, ranging from 0 to 100%. This rating is called your chance of someone successfully does
success, because the number tells you exactly how much of a chance not mean that it is beyond your
you have to succeed on a task when rolling that skill. So, if you have ability, only that this attempt
the Fire Manipulation power in the lesser power slot with a rating of failed. You can try again, though
70%, you know that when the Narrator asks for a roll you have an 70% if you are making the attack
chance to successfully use your Fire Manipulation power in some way, during a conflict scene you
meaning you’re likely to succeed about three out of every four tries. need to wait until your next turn.
Your Narrator can advise you which power or skill to use, although )) Narrator’s Discretion: If the
the choice is often obvious. Roll percentile dice, and if the situation changes mid-scene,
number rolled is equal to or less than your chance of success, you perhaps as a result of other players’ actions, and
succeed! If it is greater than your chance of success, you fail. makes the circumstances of your attempt significantly different. The
Tara is playing the Influencer, a construct with super speed. She Narrator can let you attempt the roll again on a subsequent turn,
wants to scout out the building where some villains are holding usually with extra challenge dice as the pressure starts to build or
hostages by turning on the speed and dashing quickly through the time begins to run out.
building, never stopping long enough for the enemies to see her.
She has a 60% chance of success to use her Super Speed power,
which is in her minor power slot. She rolls the percentile dice and
gets a 47. Since a 47 is less than 60 (her chance of success with that
power), she succeeds, and the Narrator provides her with information
regarding the number and placement of enemies inside the building.

8
Using Your Powers TIME TOKENS
When you take an action in a conflict scene, chances are you will Many powers have special benefits that you activate by placing one or
use one of your powers. All your powers have a chance of success more time tokens on the card. Time tokens represent the time that must
associated with them. You use your powers just like you do skills, by pass before you can attack with the power or use the card’s power stunts.
describing what you want to do and then rolling dice to see if you Time tokens represent many different things, abstracting various parts of
succeed. You use your powers to make checks and attacks, and most the chaos of a superpowered battle. When you place time tokens on a card,
powers also have additional mechanical benefits listed on the card. you decide why your hero cannot use those benefits for a while. You might
When you use a power, you come up with a creative description for decide that it’s because your hero needs to rest and recharge a moment, or
what your hero is doing with that power, and what the intended outcome simply that using the power again so soon would be tactically ineffective.
is. This is where you get to flex your creative muscle, and you should try to You place time tokens on a power card when the card’s
come up with a description that is interesting, clever, or exciting and fits mechanics tell you to. For example, the Healing power’s
the scene at hand. Few things are more exciting at the table than when a benefit tells you to put time tokens on the card when you
player comes up with a particularly inspiring use for one of their powers! use the benefit to help an ally regain additional resistance.
When you use one of your powers to attack an enemy, most of the time Sometimes a sentence or entire paragraph is preceded
TIME TOKEN
you do so with the intent of dealing damage. However, you can also attack by 1 or more time token symbols. This means that to gain ICON
enemies in ways that hinder them instead of damaging them. Against the benefits that follow that icon, you must place that
particularly powerful villains, this can be a great way to make sure that you many time tokens on the card immediately. For example, to use the
and your allies don’t fall prey to the strength of the villain’s counterattack. benefit of Super Senses, you place 2 time tokens ( ) on the
When you use a power, the effect is instantaneous and is not power card first, then move your initiative card immediately.
assumed to last longer than the duration of your turn. Conjured While a power card has any time tokens on it, you cannot make
elemental forces dissipate, summoned creatures disappear, and checks or attacks using that power, or use any benefit that requires
animated objects return to their inert form by the time your action is you to put more time tokens on it. You remove 1 time token from each
over. Take into account the temporary nature of your powers’ effects power card that has any such tokens on it at the start of your turn.
when you create your description of how you are using them. Some powers have benefits that can be used even when there are time
tokens on the card. If a benefit does not require you to place time tokens,
Tifa is playing Atomic Bombshell, an energy battery with atomic
you can still gain its effect while there are time tokens on the card.
energy control. In a battle at a nuclear power plant, she decides
that she is going to absorb ambient radiation out of the air and POWER STUNTS
focus it into a blast directed at her enemies, attacking them. Later Many power cards have power stunts listed on them. These are additional
in that same scene, needing to protect some of the workers who modifiers you can apply to attacks and checks you make with the power,
had been taken hostage, she decides to create a barrier that changing their effect. They require you to place time tokens on the card,
repels harmful radiation, shielding the civilians from harm. and you cannot use power stunts if there are any time tokens on the card.
Power stunts are described in more detail in the “Conflicts” section.

Can I attack with this power?

Some powers may, at first, seem more passive or defensive than others. You can make an attack using any power, unless it explicitly says that it cannot be used to make an
attack. Attacking with a power doesn’t necessarily imply that the power itself is being used to strike or injure the enemy. Rather, it means that the power was an integral part of
some maneuver you used to get close enough to the enemy to hit them, or that your use of the power gave you the leverage you needed to make the attack in the first place.
Take the Invisibility power, for example. You use this power to make yourself or something else become invisible, which cannot itself directly harm an enemy. You
could still use the power to attack someone by describing that attack in such a way that the invisibility was critical to the attack’s success, even if the actual harm comes
from another source. You might describe yourself as turning invisible and sneaking up on the enemy to strike them with your fists or a baton, or you could describe
your hero turning a runaway garbage truck invisible so the enemy doesn’t see it coming. Even though in those cases it’s fists, a weapon, or a careening vehicle that
actually harms the enemy, your use of Invisibility is what facilitates the attack’s success, allowing you to make the attack roll using that power’s chance of success.

9
 BOONS AND DRAWBACKS
ADVANTAGE DICE AND Advantage dice and challenge dice don’t determine whether you succeed
CHALLENGE DICE or fail; that’s determined by the roll of the percentile dice compared against
The details of a given situation can affect the likelihood of your success, your chance of success. Instead, these dice provide an additional twist,
regardless of your skills or powers. These circumstances include an unexpected side effect of the action you attempt to accomplish.
environmental factors (extreme temperatures, driving rain, distracting If at least one of your advantage dice comes up showing the boon
noises, and so on), good planning, the repercussions of previous symbol, you have a boon in addition to the outcome of your check or
actions, and even simply being particularly bold or foolhardy. attack. A boon is a positive twist on the situation, an unexpected
These circumstances affect what additional dice you roll when turn of events in your favor. If you roll a boon, an unexpected
making an attack or a check. Most of the time, the Narrator positive consequence results from your action, in addition
determines when a circumstance comes into play. to your success or failure at the attempt. The most common
If the Narrator determines that you have positive circumstances working boons involve gaining additional information that can help your BOON
in your favor, you roll a number of advantage dice along with team on the mission or dealing extra damage to an enemy. ICON
your percentile dice. Advantage dice are custom 8-sided dice If at least one of your challenge dice comes up showing the drawback
included with this game. The Narrator can choose to add up symbol, you have a drawback in addition to the outcome of your
to a maximum of 4 advantage dice to your roll, to express the check or attack. A drawback is a negative side effect of the action you
ADVANTAGE
circumstances in your favor. The more advantage dice you roll, are attempting, a twist of fate that can mean trouble for you or your
DIE
the greater the chances of elements in the scene turning in your allies. If you roll a drawback, an unexpected negative consequence
favor. Advantage dice represent the fruits of the team’s efforts results from your action, in addition to your success or
to prepare for certain aspects of the mission, and also apply when a team failure at the attempt. The most common drawbacks involve
member’s background or history perfectly aligns with the situation. taking some extra damage or the Narrator introducing an
Similarly, when the Narrator determines that negative circumstances additional complication that the heroes need to deal with.
are working against you, you roll a number of challenge dice along It’s possible to end up with both boons and drawbacks DRAWBACK
with your percentile dice. Challenge dice are custom 10-sided dice on the same roll, especially when you have advantage dice ICON
included with this game. The Narrator can choose to add up and challenge dice added to your roll from different sources.
to a maximum of 4 challenge dice to your roll, to express the When this happens, each rolled boon cancels out a rolled drawback,
circumstances working against you. The more challenge dice and vice versa; once you roll the dice, simply set aside each boon-
you roll, the greater the chances of elements in the scene and-drawback pair, as though you never rolled those dice, and then
going wrong. Challenge dice represent the risks associated CHALLENGE
resolve the check or attack as usual with whatever dice remain.
DIE
with the task being attempted, as well as times when the The Narrator determines the outcome of the boons and
circumstances of the scene are weighted against the team member. drawbacks that you roll. Boons and drawbacks do not change
Advantage dice and challenge dice don’t affect your chances of the fact that you succeeded or failed, but they do alter the way
success. Instead, they represent the possibility of unexpected positive you succeeded or failed. Typically, the Narrator uses boons and
and negative outcomes, regardless of whether you succeed. drawbacks as a way to heighten the tension of a scene, change the
Character abilities or other game mechanics can add advantage dice or tone of a scene, or propel the action into a new scene entirely.
challenge dice to your roll. Regardless of how many factors tell you to add
a number of advantage dice or challenge dice, including the Narrator’s Continuing the previous example, when Road Rash makes the jump
determination of the difficulty of a situation, you never roll more than up to the helicopter, another player reminds the Narrator that, on a
4 advantage dice or 4 challenge dice on any given attack or check. previous turn, another hero had pulled the helicopter lower to the
ground using telekinesis. The Narrator also gives Mike 2 advantage
Mike is playing Road Rash, a speedster with kinetic energy dice on the roll. Mike rolls a 25 on the percentile dice (success!) plus 1
control. He wants to use his power to accelerate himself to a boon on each of the advantage dice and 1 drawback on the challenge
sufficient speed that he can jump up to a helicopter overhead. The die. The drawback and 1 boon cancel each other out, leaving Mike with
Narrator adds 1 challenge die to the roll, since the landscape is 1 boon. The Narrator describes Road Rash landing in the helicopter,
flat and there is nothing that Road Rash can use for a ramp. and as the added boon the hero deals 10 damage to the villain inside.

10
For the Narrator: Advantage and BOONS
Challenge Dice When a player rolls a boon, work with the player to invent a positive
Here are some examples of how to use advantage and challenge dice. outcome of the task they were trying to accomplish and that makes
sense in the context of the scene. Below are some examples of how
WHEN TO GRANT ADVANTAGE DICE Narrators can interpret boons; the most common uses are in bold.
Add these dice to a roll in these common situations: When creating your own boons, try to think of things that not only help
Is the player using the environment in a creative way? Grant 2 the player who rolled the dice, but also can give another member of the
advantage dice ( ). Any time a character hits something team a leg up in that scene, or a future one, to reinforce the idea that
with a telephone pole, bounces a laser blast off a satellite dish, or succeeding is a team effort. Good boons often provide the heroes with new
performs some other feat that uses the scene’s setting as a tool, opportunities or angles of attack they would not otherwise have noticed.
that has the potential to be an iconic comic book hero moment.
Example Boon Applications
Is the player doing something entertaining? Grant 1 advantage die (
)) Add 10 damage to a hit against a villain or a hero
). Any time a player does something that you or the rest of )) For each boon, reduce the size of a squad of
the players at the table find to be thrilling, funny, or pleasingly minions by 1 more than normal on a hit
dramatic, reward that behavior with an advantage die. )) The attack forcefully moves the target in some way,
Is the player doing something bold, daring, or risky in an exciting way? Grant like knocking them back through a wall
1 advantage die ( ). Taking risks and bold actions is critical to comic )) The attack causes the target to stagger, fall down, or drop something they are holding
book stories. Many elements in the game encourage characters to play )) On a roll with 2 or more boons ( ), progress a complication
in the scene by 1 step, earning 1 hero point ( )
it safe (time limitations, complications, and so on), but excitement rises
)) Give another hero 2 advantage dice ( ) on an upcoming roll
only when players take a risk and it pays off—or they get into hot water. )) Regain 10 resistance per boon due to a surge of confidence or an unexpected respite
Is the player creatively using knowledge gained during an interlude in )) Gain an additional insight into an enemy’s nature, perks, or weaknesses
some way? Grant 2 advantage dice ( ). Interludes provide the
players with a chance to show their creativity and ingenuity, and you DRAWBACKS
should reward them when they use what they learn in clever ways. When a player rolls a drawback, work with the player to determine
what negative consequence occurs, beyond the results of the
WHEN TO IMPOSE CHALLENGE DICE
attempted task. You can choose any of the options below or create
Add these dice to a roll in these common situations:
new drawbacks, though a drawback should always make sense in the
Is the hero behaving in a cowardly or reckless manner? Impose 1
context of the task being attempted. The most common interpretations
challenge die ( ). When a hero does something that they might
of drawbacks are in bold. The best drawbacks increase the tension of
regret later, it distracts them from achieving their goals.
the moment and push the team members involved in the scene to take
Are there any environmental or circumstantial details that make the task
bigger risks and attempt more extreme actions. Drawbacks should
harder? Impose 1 challenge die ( ) for each such circumstance.
spur the players to action, not deter them from trying risky things.
Examples include thick fog that obscures vision, being within
the area of a villain’s pain-inducing aura, or trying to fight in
hand-to-hand combat in the middle of an earthquake. Example Drawback Applications
)) Subtract 10 damage from the damage of a hit against a hero or villain
BEING GENEROUS )) The character takes 10 damage from a glancing
In your role as the Narrator, be generous with the features you hand blow from an unexpected source
out: advantage dice and challenge dice, hero points, and other game )) The character takes 20 damage from a surprise
attack when up close to enemies
elements. Doing so gives the players a sense that their actions and
)) On a roll with 2 or more drawbacks ( ), introduce a new complication into
descriptions have a strong impact on the game. As long as the players the scene by drawing 3 cards from the Deck of Complications and choosing one
act in good faith and attempt to emulate the comic book heroes )) A future attempt of the same task imposes 2 challenge dice ( ) on the roll
genre, reward them for the effort. Each time you do so, accompany
it with a description of what happens in the world to warrant it.

11
 Perform a Teamwork Maneuver
HERO POINTS with Another Hero
You aren’t just a person with special powers, you’re a hero. To represent
your capacity for heroism, your character gains and uses hero points. Before another hero rolls dice, you and that hero’s player can
Hero points are a resource that you can spend to do exceptional things. describe some way that your two heroes are combining their powers
On your archetype sheet, you have a box that tells you the minimum to perform a special maneuver, or some way you are using one of
number of hero points you have for each conflict scene. At the start your powers to help that hero in their attempt. When you do, you
of a conflict scene, if you have fewer than that number of hero points, spend 1 hero point ( ) and add 2 advantage dice ( ) to the
you gain hero points until you reach your minimum. If roll. You cannot spend more than 1 hero point when performing a
you have more hero points than your minimum, you do maneuver with another hero. You must choose a specific power to
not gain any more at the start of the conflict scene. use in the maneuver, and it can be one that has time tokens on it.
You can earn more hero points during a scene by dealing Performing a teamwork maneuver with another hero doesn’t
with complications. If you take time to protect innocent cost you an action or add time tokens to any cards. Teamwork
citizens, put out fires, and do things other than punching HERO maneuvers are a great way to add more advantage dice to any roll,
POINT which is especially useful for attacks or other critical situations.
or shooting the villain, you are being heroic, putting the
needs of the people over your own satisfaction. Any time you successfully Luke is playing Steel Scorpion, a vigilante with a signature weapon, her
progress a complication or an objective, you gain 1 hero point ( ). bladed whip. One of her allies, a street sentinel called the All Nighter, is
At the end of the play session, any unspent hero points are about to charge at a villain and try to shove the villain off of the rooftop.
lost. If you play multiple issues in a single session, you can Luke decides to spend a hero point to perform a teamwork maneuver
carry over your hero points from one issue to the next. with the All Nighter, and describes how Steel Scorpion lashes out with
Generally, you cannot spend hero points outside of a her whip, wrapping it around the villain’s ankle and yanking it back
conflict scene, unless the Narrator makes a special exception as All Nighter puts a shoulder into the villain’s chest. This gives the
for you. You spend hero points as described below. All Nighter 2 advantage dice on their attack roll against the villain.

Increase Your Chance of Success Use your Team Role Benefit

After you roll a check or attack and would fail, you can spend any number Each team role grants a benefit that requires the player to spend
of hero points. For each hero point ( ) you spend, you increase your hero points to use. You simply state that you are spending hero
chance of success on that roll by 10%, but you must add 1 challenge points to use this benefit, and then describe what your hero does
die ( ) to the roll. If you cannot add any more challenge dice to in that moment to grant them the mechanical benefit listed on the
the roll due to already having the maximum number of 4 challenge card. Unless otherwise specified, you can spend as many hero
dice on that roll, you cannot spend more hero points in this way. points as you wish for a single use of a team role benefit.
Erica is playing Ms. Mole, a monster with super senses and natural Regina is playing the Battlemaster, a warrior with an arsenal
weapons. She wants to burrow up underneath the villain and attack who has also chosen the Striker team role. One her next turn, she
him with her claws. The Narrator gives her 1 advantage die for making attacks the villain using her Arsenal power, describing how she
a melee attack, plus one more for the element of surprise. However, he unlimbers a battle axe from her shoulder and takes a big swing at
also gives her 1 challenge die on the roll, because the villain is moving the villain. She rolls a 37, a successful attack, but really wants to dish
quickly and pinpointing his position from underground could be tricky. out some damage to this villain in the hopes that her allies can take
Erica rolls the percentile dice, 2 advantage dice, and 1 challenge die. the villain out before the end of the round. She decides to spend 2 of
On her percentile dice, she rolls an 83, and her chance of success with her hero points on her Striker team role benefit, which lets her add
her natural weapons was only 60%. She would need to spend 3 hero +20 to the damage of melee attacks for each hero point spent. She
points to increase her chance of success to 90% to hit, and would add 3 adds +40 to her initial roll of 37, dealing 77 damage to the villain.
more challenge dice to the roll. If she had instead rolled a 93, she could
not spend hero points to increase her chance of success, since she
already has 1 challenge die on the roll and could not add four more.

12
13
 If a player benefit allows them to move, flip over, or otherwise
CONFLICTS manipulate an enemy’s initiative card, and that enemy has multiple
When two or more characters want different things, a conflict arises. Any face-up initiative cards, the player chooses which card to manipulate.
time you fight a villain or some minions, you are engaged in a conflict.
The Narrator has no adjustments to make to the track, but the
Taking Turns Arcanist uses his Time Manipulation power to move Verdict’s
During some scenes, like conflict scenes, the intensity of the action initiative card 2 spaces forward (to the left) on the initiative
requires each character to take turns. To resolve fights between heroes track. The Narrator swaps Verdict’s initiative card with the
and villains, chases through city streets, and other exciting sequences, one to its left (one of Lady Banshee’s cards), and then swaps
taking turns allows each character involved in the scene to take actions, it again with the next card to its left (Blackheart’s card).
alternating with other characters to give everyone a chance to get involved.
At the start of a scene, the Narrator builds the initiative deck. The TURN ORDER
initiative deck has one initiative card in it representing each hero, and In order from left (the beginning of the track) to right (the end of the
one card for each villain, squad of minions, and secondary character. track), each hero or villain takes a single turn. At the end of that turn, flip
Some villains might have more than one card in the initiative deck, and the initiative card face-down to indicate which turns have been taken.
some complications and objectives may also have initiative cards. The next turn always belongs to the character, hazard, or event whose
There are multiple colors for each type of initiative card; choose a initiative card is face-up and closest to the beginning of the track.
color for each character, complication, event, or other scene element, If a new character, squad of minions, complication, or
and use the initiative cards of that color for that scene element. The obstacle enters the scene in the middle of a round, add
Narrator shuffles the deck and then deals them out face-up one at its initiative card face-up to the end of the track.
a time in a line, called the initiative track. Once the initiative track
WHAT HAPPENS ON A TURN
is assembled, it represents one round of the conflict scene.
At the start of your turn, you remove one time token from each power
The heroes Mr. Spirits, Verdict, Blackheart, and the Arcanist card that has any such tokens on it. During your turn, you can take one
face off against the villainous Lady Banshee and a squad of mind- action and, in most cases, move. Since the time span of a scene is
controlled citizen minions. The Narrator builds the initiative deck variable, the nature of the action you take depends on the situation.
for the scene by adding one card for each hero, one card for the In a fight scene, an action can be a single swing of a fist, firing a
mind-controlled minions, and two cards for Lady Banshee (per the bolt of energy at an enemy, or protecting civilians from a villain’s
instructions in the issue they are playing). Based on the description attack. During some scenes, a single action can encompass more
in the issue, the Narrator also adds a card for the complication in complex efforts; a single action (and usually a single check or attack)
the scene: a mind-controlling ritual that Lady Banshee has started. might represent what your character does over a lengthier period of
The Narrator shuffles the cards, then deals them out left-to-right. time, such as what transpires over several minutes of a chase.
When your turn comes up, you describe the action you want to take.
MANIPULATING THE INITIATIVE TRACK The Narrator then determines if you need to make any checks or attacks
When all the cards have been placed in the initiative track, the and, once those are resolved, describes the outcome of your action.
Narrator makes any changes to the track based on the special
benefits the villains or minions in the scene, or any benefits The Arcanist’s initiative card is the next one on the track, so on his
described in the issue (if there are multiple such alterations to be turn he decides to try to break Lady Banshee’s grasp on the minions by
made, the Narrator chooses in which order to make them). using his own Mind Control power. He first moves to get closer to the
Then, the hero players can make any changes to the minions, and then makes a roll to attack the minions with Mind Control.
initiative track based on their powers or benefits; as with the
ENDING A ROUND AND STARTING A NEW ONE
Narrator, the hero players choose in which order to make such
When the last turn on the initiative track has finished, the round ends,
alterations if there are multiple alterations to be made.
and a new one begins. The Narrator scoops up all the initiative cards,
Any time an initiative card is moved forward (left, toward the beginning)
shuffles them, and deals them out again to form a new initiative
or backward (right, toward the end) on the initiative track, for each position
track for the new round. Play continues as described above.
it moves, it swaps places with the card immediately adjacent to it.
14
Distances and Movement MULTIPLE CHARACTERS UP CLOSE
Comic book action sequences tend to play fast-and-loose Typically, if you move to be up close to an enemy, you also
with the concepts of distance and movement. When you become up close to any other characters that were already
are in a conflict, you use measurements of distance that up close to that enemy. Essentially, you become a part of a
are relatively abstract, for the sake of simplicity. cluster of characters that are all up close to each other.
When you are up close to an enemy, you are within physical striking Similarly, any character that is near one member of such a cluster
distance. You can make attacks with you fists and feet, swords, of up close characters is considered to be near to all of them, and
parking meters you rip out of the ground, and generally any weapon the same goes for being far away from that cluster of characters.
(improvised, or otherwise) that you can use to stab, slash, or bludgeon.
The hero Blackjack and the magically enhanced villain, Bloodstalker,
When you are near to an enemy, you are close enough that, with
are up close to each other trading melee attacks. A squad of bat-
your normal movement, you can get up close to them. When you are
winged demon minions moves to get up close to Blackjack and
near to an enemy, you can attack that enemy only if you have some
begin attacking him; next, the hero Count Zero moves up close to the
means of attacking at range, or if you can strike someone with an
demons to keep them off of Blackjack’s back. Blackjack, Bloodstalker,
exceptionally large object (such as a lamp post or telephone pole).
the demons, and Count Zero are all up close to each other.
When you are far from an enemy, you can move to get near them
this turn, but not up close. If you are too far away from an enemy to
get near them by moving, this is an exceptional circumstance that
the Narrator or the scenario must specify. You can attack an enemy
that is far from you only if you have some means of attacking at
range, such as shooting a beam of energy or throwing a car.
Generally, you move away from things by going from
being up close to near, and then from near to far.

Meridian, a vigilante with time manipulation powers, is stealthily

approaching the villainous Lady Banshee. He starts far away from
her, and chooses to move to be near to her before attacking. Once
he is near, he makes a ranged attack against her as he throws an
explosive orb to daze her. On her turn, Lady Banshee moves from
being near to Meridian to get up close to him so she can slash with
her claws, a melee attack. On his next turn, Meridian moves away
from her and is considered to be near to her once more. He then uses
his action to move a second time, retreating to be far from her.

Getting Around
Among the questions on the front of each hero archetype sheet is one that asks
how the heroes get from place to place. In general, this question is asking how
the heroes arrive in a scene, or how they travel between scenes. It does not
represent a method of moving around in a conflict scene. Of course, a player can
always choose a power that reflects their answer to this question, which could
in turn provide them with new means of moving while in a conflict scene.

15
 Attacks ALTERNATIVES TO DAMAGE
When you oppose someone directly, sometimes you want to make Sometimes, you might describe your attacks against an enemy in
an attack against them. Making an attack is exactly like making such a way that dealing damage isn’t the intent or doesn’t make sense.
a check—your Narrator can help establish what power (or even, This most often occurs when you and your fellow team members
occasionally, your identity) you are using to make the attack, and are fighting tactically, trying to keep one of your number from being
you roll percentile dice to determine if the attack succeeds. knocked out of a fight, and so on. Instead of dealing damage on a
You make mental attacks against people to try to get them to do successful attack, based on your description the Narrator could
something that you want; the attack can represent a telepathic attack choose one of the following alternative effects for a hit on an attack:
on the mind of an enemy, or it can represent coercion, intimidation, )) The hit target cannot move on their next turn (a good choice for
lying, or even seduction. Mental attacks don’t cause physical harm and attacks described as being intended to bind or immobilize a target).
are usually used in scenes when you want to coax something out of a )) The hit target adds 4 challenge dice ( ) to one
Narrator-controlled character that he or she doesn’t want to give up; many specific roll they might make on their next turn (a good choice for
of the skills on your identity card can be used to make mental attacks. attacks described as being intended to hinder a target attempting
You make physical attacks with the intent to physically harm people: that specific action).
stabbing them, shooting them, punching them in the face, and so forth. )) The hit target is forcibly moved, knocked down, staggered, or drops
Succeeding on an attack is called a hit. If you fail on the attack, it is something they are holding (these effects can also be applied as
called a miss. On a hit, the number you rolled is also the damage of the additional benefits on top of damage if boons are rolled).
attack. Successful attacks reduce resistance if they deal damage. )) The hit target loses one step of progress toward an objective they
are attempting to complete (a good choice for when an attack
Darren is playing Archimedes Jones, a scoundrel with light
somehow interferes with an objective that is otherwise not an
manipulation. Archimedes and his starship crew are facing off against
opposed objective).
space pirates who have boarded their ship, and Darren wants to use
his Light Manipulation superpower to create a blast of solid light to Taking the Spotlight
take down the space pirate boarding party leader. Darren is making a If you roll 4 boons ( ) on a single roll, you can take the spotlight.
physical attack using the power, with which he has an 80% chance of Taking the spotlight represents your hero stepping to the forefront and
success. Darren is making a physical attack against the pirate, so he becoming the focal point of the scene. It usually is the payoff for having
rolls percentile dice and gets a 55. This is a hit, since it is lower than swung the tide of battle strongly in your favor, though the conflict is far from
his chance of success with the power, and he deals 55 damage to the resolved. Only one hero can take the spotlight in any single scene. Your
pirate. This isn’t enough to take the pirate out, but Darren has made archetype describes the mechanics associated with taking the spotlight.
some progress, and he hopes that another hero might come to his When you take the spotlight, something exceptional happens to your
aid on their turn to finish the pirate off with a subsequent attack. hero, and this should be reflected in their appearance. A power armor
pilot might activate an entire second exosuit to surround them so they can
MELEE ATTACKS
go toe-to-toe with a rampaging brute; a powerhouse might activate her
A melee attack involves physically striking an enemy with an object
alternate form inspired by the power of binary stars, wreathing herself in
you are holding, or with a limb or a natural weapon (like a claw or bite).
flame to represent her surge in power. You and the Narrator should agree
Melee attacks can be made only when up close to an enemy, and you
on the way in which your hero’s appearance changes for the scene.
automatically add 1 advantage die ( ) to rolls for melee attacks.

RANGED ATTACKS
A ranged attack involves shooting someone, throwing something at Boons and Drawbacks with Multiple Rolls
them, or otherwise attacking from a distance (there is no minimum You roll the advantage and challenge dice only once, no matter how many rolls you
range). You automatically add 1 challenge die ( ) to rolls for are making to attack enemies in a single action. You can choose a single attack to
ranged attacks made against enemies that are far from you. apply the benefits of any boons you roll to. Similarly, the Narrator chooses which
attack roll to apply the effects of any drawback to. If it is an enemy making a special
attack, the Narrator decides which rolls both the boons and drawbacks apply to.

16
Power Stunts LONG-LASTING POWERS
Power stunts are modifiers you can apply to powers when you use Some powers have an power stunt that allows you to make them long-
them to make attacks or checks. If a card has a power stunt listed lasting. When you choose this option, the effect of your use of the
on it, you can place some number of time tokens (as described power lingers until the end of the scene, until you are knocked out of
on the card) on the power card to use that power stunt. the scene, or until you choose to end that use of the power, whichever
You can use a power stunt only as a part of making a check or comes first. You don’t need to do anything on subsequent turns for
attack with a power. You can decide to use a power stunt after you the power’s effect to remain. Describe your use of the power in such
roll the dice for the attack or check, but before the Narrator describes a way that it makes sense for the effect to last for a long time.
the outcome, and you can use only one power stunt at a time. The effect you choose to be long-lasting must be something
Most power stunts follow the rules described in their entries below. that can reasonably persist that long. For example, things that
Some powers may have additional mechanics applied to a power stunt happen instantaneously, like damaging someone with an energy
when used with that power. For example, the Explosions power adds blast, cannot have a long-lasting effect. The Narrator must
advantage dice to the roll when making an area attack with that power. agree that the power’s effect could reasonably be made into
something that remains present for the duration of the scene.
AREA ATTACKS If the effect directly affects an enemy, that enemy can end
When you attack with a power and choose to make it an area attack, the effect by taking an action that could reasonably end it and
you describe your use of the power in such a way that it catches a large succeeding on an appropriate check or attack roll. You can
area in the space it affects, such as creating an explosion or laying a choose to end any long-lasting effect you create at any time.
psychic wave across a crowd of people. You then make the attack against
one enemy, plus every other character (ally, enemy, or bystander) that OBSTRUCTING ATTACKS
is up close to that enemy (except for you, if you are up close to them). When you attack with a power and choose to make it an obstructing
You make separate rolls against each target or squad or minions. attack, you describe your use of the power in such a way that it interfered
An area attack made against a squad of minions reduces with whatever the enemy is trying to do. If the attack hits, deal damage as
the squad’s size by 3, instead of by 1, if it is successful. normal and the enemy adds 2 challenge dice ( ) to their next roll.

FEATS OF HEROISM POWERFUL ATTACKS

When you make a check using one of your powers to progress a When you attack with a power and choose to make it a powerful
complication or an objective, if you choose to make it a feat of attack, you describe your use of the power in a way that explains why
heroism you add 2 advantage dice ( ) to your roll. this attack is much more powerful than other times when you have
attacked with it. If the attack hits a villain, add +20 to the damage you
HINDERING ATTACKS deal to that villain. If the attack hits a squad of minions, you reduce
When you attack with a power and choose to make it a hindering attack, the squad’s size by 2 more minions than you otherwise would.
you describe your use of the power in such a way that it would daze or
stun an enemy, or otherwise prevent them from taking actions. If the PRECISION ATTACKS
attack hits, you deal no damage. Instead turn the target’s initiative card When you attack with a power and choose to make it a precision
face-down, causing them to be unable to act for a turn. If the target has attack, describing your use of the power in a way that is careful or
multiple initiative cards, you choose which card to turn face-down. cautious. You can then swap the digits of the number you rolled on the
percentile dice (so a 37 becomes a 73, a 92 becomes a 29, and so forth).

QUICK POWERS
When you use a power and choose to make it a quick power, you
describe your character using that power quickly and briefly, as though
it required little effort, then move your initiative card to the end of the
initiative track. Keep your initiative card face-up when you do this, and
you may take another turn when your initiative card is next on the track.

17
 Resistance Hero Death
Almost all heroes start each scene with 100 resistance. Resistance In general, heroes rarely die in combat. The determining factor is your
simultaneously represents your general level of awareness, answer to one of the first questions you must answer in the Setting
resolve, and willpower, and also your physical resilience against Book. Essentially, a hero can die only if a villain rolled any advantage
damage. It is an abstracted amalgamation of everything that dice on an attack that would otherwise knock a hero out of the scene.
keeps a character moving forward when motivated and able. If a villain rolls any boons on the attack roll that reduced a hero to
When you’re being shot at or stabbed, resistance partially 0 resistance, that hero might die instead of being knocked out of the
represents your ability to avoid physical damage. Losing resistance scene. The number of boons necessary to result in a hero’s death is
when attacked with a weapon doesn’t mean that the attack determined by your campaign’s answer to the Setting Book question,
physically harmed you, but it does mean that you had a close “How Often do Superheroes Die in the Line of Duty,” as described below:
call. Additionally, each hero archetype includes a question on its )) Rarely, if Ever: If the villain rolls 4 boons ( ) on the attack
front side about what resistance means for that hero, to help you that reduces a hero to 0 resistance, the hero dies.
visualize the way resistance helps protect your hero from harm. )) It Happens Every Now and Then: If the villain rolls 3
When you fail a check to attempt something that puts your character boons ( ) on the attack that reduces a hero to 0
at risk of physical harm (for example, leaping across the wide resistance, the hero dies.
alleyway between the rooftops of two buildings), the Narrator can )) All the Time: If the villain rolls 2 boons ( ) on the attack that
rule that a failure deals damage to you. Usually, the Narrator simply reduces a hero to 0 resistance, the hero dies.
rolls a physical attack against you with a 50% chance of success; When a hero dies, remove the hero from any team rosters and
if successful, you take damage equal to the number rolled. mark them as deceased on their archetype sheet and hero progress
When you take any amount of damage, you reduce your sheet. If your hero dies, you must create a new hero for the next
current resistance by that amount. If you take damage greater scene or issue, or choose another hero from your team’s roster.
than the amount of resistance you have, reduce your resistance
to 0. When you have 0 resistance, you are typically knocked Complications
out of the scene and unable to participate in it any longer. When heroes and villains clash, innocent bystanders often end
up in danger, infrastructure becomes smashed to the brink of
RECOVERING RESISTANCE collapse, and collateral damage puts people at risk in unforeseen
At the end of each scene, all heroes regain all their lost ways. These are complications, and they are situations that
resistance. You can also recover resistance if something exist within conflict scenes that the heroes can choose to deal
happens in the scene that would bolster or reinvigorate you. with, in addition to whatever their primary goal is in the scene.
Complications represent opportunities for the heroes to be heroic,
to actively protect the people and places they seek to defend.
When you do something that resolves the situation created by
What Does Being Knocked that complication in a heroic way, you progress the complication. If
Out of the Scene Mean? the Narrator determines that you need to make a check to see if you
When you lose all your resistance and are knocked out of the scene, it’s up to you
succeed in your attempt, you must succeed on the check to progress the
to describe what keeps you from participating further. The simplest explanation is
that you are knocked unconscious, but that’s not always the most logical choice
complication. Each time a hero progresses a complication, that hero gains
given the circumstances. Your exit could be cinematic (being buried under a 1 hero point ( ). Each complication can be progressed some number of
collapsing wall or hurled out into the bay to splash down far from shore), or it could be times. Most complications can be progressed only twice, but some might
mysterious (simply nowhere to be found when the smoke clears after an explosion, require more progressions to completely resolve, as described in the issue.
or falling through a strange portal conjured by a villain). Since your character will For some complications, the heroes gain an additional benefit if they
rejoin the team at the start of the next scene, you should make sure that, whatever completely resolve the complication before the scene ends. These
explanation you come up with, your return makes as much sense as your exit did.
benefits are listed under the “Fully Resolved” entry for that complication.
Unless otherwise noted, you cannot progress a
complication if you are up close to an enemy.

18
 Miranda is playing as the Raconteur, a teenage hero with telepathy. Objectives
During a battle in the streets of downtown, one of the office buildings Some scenes have a goal other than to simply defeat the enemies. Similar
right in the thick of things has become badly damaged and threatens to complications in many ways, objectives are elements of a conflict
to collapse. Miranda decides that the Raconteur is going to get scene that can be progressed multiple times before they are resolved.
the people inside to safety, so she describes her hero as using her Unlike complications, objectives must be dealt with; they are critical to
telepathy to touch the minds of all the bystanders inside the building, determining the outcome of the scene. The scene describes both the
directing them toward safe exits and coordinating their escape. She nature of the objective and the way it affects the scene’s outcome. Each
rolls her percentile dice and gets a 26, a success. She progresses the time a hero progresses an objective, that hero gains 1 hero point ( ).
complication and gains 1 hero point as a reward. The Narrator describes Unless otherwise noted, you cannot progress an objective if you are up
about half of the building’s denizens making their way to safety, but close to an enemy, and only villains (not minions) can progress opposed
indicates that the complication has not yet been fully resolved. or enemy objectives (see below), and then only once each round.

CRITICAL COMPLICATIONS The Exemplars, a prodigy team, have responded to reports that alien
Some complications are labeled as critical complications. If a complication ships are entering the atmosphere in pursuit of a fleeing passenger
is critical, each round the complication gets worse. There will be a negative plane. The Exemplars need to protect the airplane from the pursuing
consequence should things go too badly, listed under the Failure entry ships, which is their objective in the scene. Each time one of the
for that complication. For each critical complication, add a Complication heroes does something to help the airplane escape (for example,
initiative card to the initiative deck. Whenever a Complication initiative a flying hero might try to boost the plane’s speed by adding their
card comes up, mark off the right-most empty box of the progress boxes own force to its propulsion), they progress the objective. When they
of that critical complication, and do so in a way that indicates a negative progress the objective enough times to fill all its progress boxes, the
(for example, marking it with an X instead of a check mark). Each progress passenger jet escapes to safety, and the objective is complete.
box marked with a negative removes one opportunity to progress the
complication for the rest of the scene. If a complication has more than OPPOSED OBJECTIVES
half of its progress boxes marked with a negative at the end of the Some objectives are opposed, meaning that the enemies are trying
scene, the heroes gain the failure condition listed for the complication. to accomplish something related to that goal while the heroes are
trying to stop them, or vice versa. An opposed objective has two
Alex is playing the Boatwright, an inventor with a combat vehicle (a sets of progressions, one for the heroes and one for the enemies.
speedboat called the Wavechaser). A barge carrying nuclear weapons Whichever side fully progresses the objective first succeeds in
stolen by one of the villains in Boatwright’s rogues’ gallery is taking on accomplishing their goal and resolving the objective. The enemies
water, threatening to sink beneath the waves and drop the stolen nukes in a scene can progress an opposed objective only once per
into the sea. This is a critical complication with three progression boxes, round, no matter how many enemies participate in the scene.
so the Narrator adds the Complication initiative card to the initiative deck.
In the previous example, if it was an opposed objective, the
On the first round of the scene, the Boatwright gets to act first, and alien ships could progress the objective by taking shots at the
he uses his combat vehicle to successfully unload some of the stolen passenger jets with their weapons. If the aliens fully progress the
weapons, progressing the complication once and gaining one hero objective before the heroes do, they destroy the passenger jet.
point. Unfortunately, the Complication initiative card comes up next,
and the Narrator describes several crates with nuclear devices spilling ENEMY OBJECTIVES
out of the barge and into the dark waters. Now, the complication has Some objectives are just for enemies. These objectives usually represent
been progressed once, and can only be progressed once more, since some aspect of a villain’s plan and usually mean that the heroes need
the third progression box is marked with a negative mark. Alex knows to take down the villain before they can fully resolve the objective. The
that the Boatwright needs to progress the complication the final time enemies in a scene can progress an enemy objective only once per
before the Complication initiative card comes up again, lest the team round, no matter how many enemies participate in the scene, and
have to deal with the consequences of failing the complication. they do so in the same way that heroes progress objectives, by taking
actions and potentially making checks to see if they succeed.

19
 BOONS AND DRAWBACKS IN INTERLUDES
INTERLUDES If you roll 1 or more boons on your roll to determine the outcome of
Interlude scenes are great opportunities for your heroes to learn
an interlude, regardless of whether you succeed the Narrator can
information, prepare themselves for future confrontations, and
grant you 1 hero point ( ) as a bonus to the scene’s outcome. When
make headway in countering the schemes of their enemies.
this happens, describe something that happens during, or after, the
When you decide to pursue one of your (or your team’s) goals
scene that bolsters your resolve as a hero, which could be some
proactively, interlude scenes are the way you make that happen.
event, or it could simply be your character’s own inner monologue
When you decide to create an interlude in which your hero is the
as they come to grips with what happened. If you instead roll
focus, you’ll want to choose one piece of knowledge they want to
drawbacks, the Narrator decides their impact based on the scene.
obtain or one goal they want to accomplish as the primary driver
behind the scene. You also get to describe where the scene takes PARTICIPATING IN OTHER HEROES’ INTERLUDE SCENES
place (working with the Narrator to craft a new location, if need When another player creates an interlude scene, with that player’s
be), and, if necessary, any other Narrator-controlled characters permission and the Narrator’s agreement your hero can accompany
that need to be present for the scene. You can use the following that player’s hero for the scene. You can participate in any number of
template to help you describe your interlude succinctly: interlude scenes and can engage in dialogue with Narrator-controlled
characters, help out on difficult tasks, and apply your skills and
Specify one goal you want to accomplish during the scene (a powers when relevant in the scene. If you think your hero can be of
specific piece of information, some asset or resource, the cooperation some assistance in that scene, there is no reason not to get involved
or aid of an individual, and so on), and describe the place you are in the scene, assuming it makes sense for your hero to do so.
going to get it. You then explain how you are going to get it and,
if necessary, who you will interact with to get what you want.

From there, the Narrator can expand the description of the scene, and
may present some obstacle to your success in achieving the scene’s goal. What Can I Get Out of an Interlude?
Other players can also choose to have their heroes participate in the scene. One of the best ways to ensure that your heroes have a leg up on their
enemies is to use interludes to learn more about the villains’ schemes,
Zoe is playing as Shadowsbane, a monster hunter with the capabilities, and allies. If you aren’t sure how to proceed after the first scene
Archaeologist identity. Following an encounter with a werewolf on the of an issue, here are some common questions you might ask yourself, which
streets of her city, she decides that she isn’t going to wait for the werewolf can then be used as the basis for crafting your own hero-led interludes.
to make the next move and intends to track the monster down herself. )) Who is responsible for what happened in the opening scene?
Zoe tells the Narrator that she wants to create an interlude scene to )) Is this an isolated incident, or merely the first in a series of such events?
)) Has anything like what happened in the first scene
try to track the werewolf back to its lair, starting at the scene of the last
happened before? If so, when and where?
attack. She tells the Narrator that she is going to use her years of monster )) Is there an obvious villain at work here?
hunting experience to quickly, but stealthily, follow the trail left by the )) If so, what is the villain’s goal? What is their plan?
werewolf as it fled the scene. She doesn’t want the werewolf to know that )) Where is the villain likely to strike next, and when?
she is on its trail, so she describes her pursuit as being very cautious, )) Does the villain have a lair or headquarters from which they are operating?
and the Narrator suggests that she make a roll for her Sneak Around skill. )) Is there strange technology or magic in play? What can the heroes do to counter it?
Since she is trying to be sneaky, Zoe decides that Shadowsbane won’t )) What can I learn about the villain, or the villain’s minions? What are their
histories and capabilities?
seek out the help of any Narrator-controlled characters for this scene.
Armed with this information, you can intervene in the villain’s plans or use this
Generally, interludes are free-form and play out mostly through dialogue knowledge to gain an edge on your enemies. Remember, one of the best ways
to gain advantage dice on rolls is to use your description of what you are doing
and your descriptions of your heroes’ interactions with the environment,
to illustrate the advantage you have at that moment, and you can describe how
other characters, and each other. If necessary, you might need to make a
you use the knowledge you gain in interlude scenes to give yourself an edge.
check of some kind (and sometimes more than one) to determine whether
you succeed in getting what you want. Even if you fail, you might come
away with clues that another player can use in their own interlude.

20
ASPIRATION AND TURMOIL INTERLUDES
Interludes are also the way that you proactively pursue your aspirations
or deal with your turmoils. (Aspirations and turmoils are described in
greater detail on page 22). Aspiration and turmoil interlude scenes always
occur at the start or end of a session, and they don’t affect the sequence
of events tracking. You can create an interlude that is meant to positively
impact one of your aspirations or turmoils, and should describe a situation
that could improve that aspect of your character’s life. In essence, your
goal for the scene is to further your aspiration or lessen your turmoil.
Once you describe which aspiration or turmoil you want to
pursue with the scene and how you’re going to do it, the Narrator
describes some obstacle that arises that would prevent you from
succeeding, and the scene begins. This obstacle likely changes
the situation somewhat, requiring you to describe how your
character is going to deal with that obstacle. You also engage
in dialogue with other characters, if relevant, which gives you
additional opportunities to frame your character’s approach.
Most of the time, you also make a roll using one of the skills listed on
your identity card to overcome that obstacle. Additionally, the Narrator
may add advantage or challenge dice to the roll, based on your description
of how you deal with this turn of events. Like any other scene, the
additional consequences (positive or negative) that result from these
dice can have an impact on future scenes, including conflict scenes.

James is playing as Flare, a blaster with the power of solar energy

manipulation. Flare’s turmoil is “I am on the run from the law for a crime
I didn’t commit.” James decides that, for a turmoil interlude scene, Flare
is going to try to approach one of the space police force member that he
knows is pursuing him and convince him to help clear Flare’s name. The
Narrator introduces an obstacle: the space police officer Flare picked
out is undercover, trying to pry the location of a slaver ship out of some
dangerous criminals at a starport cantina, and he thinks Flare is going to
blow his cover. Doing some quick thinking, James describes Flare barging
into the cantina, pretending to be one of the space police, giving the
undercover officer a chance to solidify his cover story by “taking Flare out.”

If you succeed in achieving your goal for an aspiration or turmoil

interlude, you mark off the next empty box on your character’s story
progress track (see page 22). If you fail, nothing bad happens as a result;
you simply have spent time that has no effect. You work with the Narrator
to describe what happens during the scene that produces these results.

21
 These struggles are represented in the game by the hero’s
AFTER YOUR FIRST SESSION . . . aspiration and turmoil, which you describe after the first session
After you play your first session with a new hero, take one of the hero in which you play the hero. An aspiration or turmoil is usually a
progress sheets from the tear-off pad included with the game and fill it out short sentence, written in the first person, that encapsulates the
for that hero. This provides a permanent place to track your hero’s powers nature of some goal or struggle, respectively, in the hero’s life.
and identity and allows you to expand the hero’s history and future.
ASPIRATIONS
Origin Stories Your hero’s aspirations represent their life goals, which may be
Invent a brief origin story for your hero, explaining how they got more associated with their civilian identity than their life as a
their powers or what pushed them to become a hero. This is mostly costumed hero. Aspirations are ambitions your hero wants to
for your benefit, helping you create a more well-rounded view achieve and actively works toward making them happen.
of your hero, and you can reference it during future issues. Here are examples of what aspirations might look like:
If you are struggling to come up with an origin story for )) I want to invent something that makes the world a better place.
your hero, pages 36–39 have some random tables you can )) I seek to bring down the crime lord who is the mayor of our city.
consult for inspiration, rolling dice to get a result. )) I want to marry my high school sweetheart, Martin Matthews.
)) I want to be the first person from Earth to visit another star system.
TYING INTO SETTING ELEMENTS )) I want to grow my deceased father’s company into the success he
When you create your origin story, if you can tie your origin
always wanted it to be.
story into one of the setting elements you have defined for
)) I want to find the lost city of an ancient civilization rumored to be
your campaign (i.e., one of the pages in the Setting Book),
in this region.
you mark off one box of your story progress track.
The most successful aspirations are those that could eventually
become a triumphant success, or that, should fate intervene,
The Story Progress Track could take an unexpectedly tragic or dangerous turn.
As your hero participates in the ongoing fight against villainy, their story
evolves and they become more savvy, more skilled, and more likely TURMOILS
to have learned from their experiences. To track this growth for your Turmoils represent things in your hero’s personal and professional
hero, each hero progress sheet includes a story progress track. life that they worry about and lose sleep over, relationships
At the end of each issue, if your hero survives, mark off the next they struggle to maintain, and inner conflicts that fill them with
empty box on your story progress track. You also mark off a box if you doubt and indecision. Turmoils are troubles your hero struggles
succeed in an aspiration or turmoil interlude scene (see page 21). with, while taking steps to improve or mitigate them.
When you have marked off all the boxes leading up to a story Here are examples of what turmoils might look like:
reward space on the story progress track, you gain a story )) I want to succeed in my profession, but nobody takes me seriously.
reward. Story rewards (which are detailed on pages 24–27) )) I am in a love triangle with Commander Phantom and Ricochet.
represent evolutions for your character and usually include )) My ailing father needs money for medical bills, but I am already
a mechanical benefit as well as a narrative impact. struggling to make ends meet.
)) I question whether I belong on this world or should return to my
Aspirations and Turmoils home dimension.
Though costumed heroes might stand above the crowd thanks to
)) If my parents ever find out that I have powers, they will disown me.
their incredible powers, inside they are people with hopes, dreams,
)) My powers and wealth isolate me, and loneliness consumes me.
fears, anxieties, and doubts. In popular comics, we see this manifest
The most successful turmoils are those that potentially have
in a costumed hero’s struggle to maintain a relationship with the
both a positive resolution and a negative one, depending on how
person they are dating, in their attempts to juggle the life of a
much effort your hero puts into improving the situation.
vigilante and the responsibility to care for an elderly loved one, or
in their efforts to earn a college degree and hold down a job while
staying out all night keeping the streets safe from criminals.

22
 )) Establish a prior relationship with a Narrator-controlled character,
CONTINUITY TOKENS giving you an edge in your interaction with them.
After players have finished creating aspiration and turmoil )) Describe an event that happened some time in the past that gives
interludes at the start of a session, for each player that you an edge in the current scene.
created such a scene, place one continuity token in In some cases, the Narrator may wish to say that a back issue is
reach of all players. At any time, any hero player can not possible (for example, to preserve a surprise or in a situation
choose to spend one of the continuity tokens. You can CONTINUITY where the heroes could not reasonably have encountered
spend continuity tokens in two ways: to reference a TOKEN
the intended subject of that back issue flashback).
back issue, or to introduce a retcon. When you use a
continuity token, return it to game box to indicate that it has been spent. Retcons
Unspent continuity tokens do not carry over from session to session. During an issue, you can use a continuity token to create a retcon,
establishing some new fact about a setting element, character, villain,
Back Issues team, or enemy group, which becomes forevermore true in your setting.
Most heroes are assumed to have been around for a while, starring in The fact that you choose to establish about the subject should be
their own solo series or other team books in the fictional comic book something that affects the subject as a whole and is true in a long-
universe you and the other players create. During an issue, you can term sense; your retcon cannot be something temporary or situational.
use a continuity token to create a back issue, a reference to some You describe the fact and, provided the Narrator and other players
previous event that you make up on the spot. Essentially, back issues agree that the fact is appropriate to both the subject and your setting,
provide flashbacks to things that happened in other comics that come the Narrator writes that fact down in the subject’s Truths box.
to exist in the moment you reference them, which you use to establish
some aspect of your hero’s history on the spur of the moment. Daniel is playing Professor Quantum, an inventor scientist with
When a player wants to use a back issue in the current scene, that atomic energy manipulation powers. After recovering a powerful
player should make up the series name and number of a fictional extraterrestrial artifact, the Void Egg, from the clutches of a villain,
back issue (which could be a solo title, team-up, annual, or other Daniel decides to introduce a retcon related to that artifact. He states
comic). Then, the player describes what happened in that issue, that the one flaw in the Void Egg is that it is susceptible to pure atomic
as it pertains to the current scene. The Narrator then decides how energy, and that anything that is created by the artifact, or powered
that back issue affects any knowledge the players have or rolls by it, gains that same susceptibility. Later, when the Void Egg causes
they make from that point forward. Most back issues do not have chittering demonlike creatures to leap from portals in the air, the retcon
relevance beyond the scene at hand, so each time you make a comes fully into play and the Narrator rules that these creatures are
reference to a back issue, you create a new event to refer to. especially vulnerable to Professor Quantum’s atomic energy blasts.

Trevor is playing Commander Phantom, a super soldier pilot with hyper Generally, retcons should be used to give the heroes some
intelligence. As his team squares off against Dr. Osmosis, Trevor decides edge in a fight or help them get out of a tough situation. Retcons
to create a back issue to get more information about the villain. Trevor that completely negate entire characters, events, or villains are
describes a scene (which, according to him, comes from Commander inappropriate; you could not, for example, retcon that the major
Phantom and the Phantom Brigade #23) in which Commander Phantom villain of the current issue has a brain condition that causes them
battled Dr. Osmosis inside a genetic engineering laboratory. Since the to become paralyzed any time someone claps their hands.
description establishes some familiarity with Dr. Osmosis, the Narrator Retcons can also be used to help heroes overcome obstacles in
determines that Commander Phantom knows some basic information interlude scenes, including turmoil interludes, in the same way.
about the villain and his powers, and gives that information to Trevor. Carrie is playing Red Mary, a powerhouse with super strength
Some good uses for back issue flashbacks include: and flight powers. During one of her turmoil interludes where
)) Describe a prior conflict with a villain, allowing your character to Red Mary attempts to improve her public image by going on a
know some basic information about them. press tour, Carrie introduces a retcon that the head of the city’s
)) Describe a prior meeting with a Narrator-controlled character, major media outlet is a huge collector of Red Mary memorabilia,
allowing your character to have basic knowledge of that person. which she brings to him to get more favorable coverage.
 STORY REWARDS
As your hero participates in the issues of a series, they grow more
experienced and more intimately tied to the world in which they live.
GENERAL REWARDS
The story rewards in this section are suitable for selection
Periodically, your hero will earn story rewards, which usually provide any time you gain a new story reward. Some of these rewards
mechanical benefits as well as evolve that hero’s story in some way. are also granted when you select other story rewards.
When you gain a story reward, you choose one of the options listed on
the following pages and follow the instructions it contains. You also write DEVELOP A NEW SKILL
the name of the story reward on your hero progress sheet. Many story Choose a skill that you do not have on your identity card (you can
rewards will give you a choice about how that reward affects your hero’s either select a skill from another identity, or work with the Narrator to
ongoing story, or the setting you are playing in. create your own skill). You can use that skill with a 65%
chance of success. Write the name of your skill, and the
CHANGING YOUR ASPIRATIONS AND TURMOILS chance of success, as the name of your story reward.
When you select a story reward, you can You can choose this reward multiple times. Each
also change either your aspiration or your time you do so, choose a different skill to gain.
turmoil, writing an entirely new one. Some
story rewards may require you to do so EXTRA HERO POINT
as a part of selecting that reward. You add 1 to your Hero Points per Conflict number.
When you choose a new aspiration You can choose this reward multiple times.
as a result of gaining a new story
reward, work with the Narrator to GET BACK IN THE FIGHT
describe some way in which your When you have this story reward, once
previous aspiration was fulfilled, per issue when you are knocked out of a
tying that fulfillment into your fight, at the start of the round (before the
story reward in some way. Narrator lays out the initiative track) you
When you choose a new can choose to reenter the scene with 50
turmoil as a result of gaining resistance. Your initiative card is placed
a new story reward, work with at the end of the initiative track this round.
the Narrator to come up with
an explanation of why that part IMPROVED SURVIVABILITY
of your life no longer troubles you, When you have this story reward, once
either because you have resolved per conflict scene at any time you can
that turmoil’s conflict in some way, regain 25 resistance (you cannot exceed
or because some tragedy befell you your normal maximum resistance). If you
that caused that turmoil to no longer would be reduced to 0 resistance, you can use
be a part of your life. If you choose the this benefit to regain 25 resistance immediately
latter option, you can also opt to have and are not knocked out of the scene.
the Narrator introduce that explanation
INSPIRING PRESENCE
at a later time, possibly by integrating that
On your turn, you can give any number of your
turmoil’s ending into a future issue.
hero points to other heroes who can hear you.
24
PRACTICED POWER
Choose one of your powers when you choose this story reward. During
REVAMP REWARDS
From time to time you may decide that you want to change up your
a conflict scene, you can place 1 time token ( ) on that power card to
character a little bit. Revamp rewards are the way you can make
use that power with an 90% chance of success. You can decide to use
changes to your hero without creating an entirely new one. Many
this benefit after you roll the dice, but before you resolve the roll. If you
of these rewards share the same benefit or effect; the differences
use a power stunt when you use this benefit, you add the time token
between them define their impact on your hero and on the setting.
placed by this benefit on top of the time tokens from the power stunt.
You can choose this reward multiple times. Each time you do
so, choose a different power to become a practiced power.
Adding New Powers
When you select any of the following story rewards, you can draw
PREDICTABLE POWERS five cards from the Deck of Powers and pick one of them to slot into
When you have this story reward, once per issue you can remove one of your empty power slots. Alternatively, you can choose one of
any 2 time tokens ( ) from your powers at any time. the Basic powers and slot it into one of your empty power slots.

TEAM PLAYER TECHNOLOGY UPGRADE

When you have this story reward, you can choose a new team The technology that you use gets a serious upgrade, either one you
role card between scenes, returning your current team role implement yourself or as a gift from another hero. Alternatively, you
to the box and placing the new team role you have chosen might receive the new technology from SE02: The Super Science Lab.
in the appropriate slot on your hero archetype sheet.
SECONDARY MUTATION
TEAM-UP Whatever incident or genetic difference that gave you your powers is
Choose a hero who is not on the same team roster as you. You can spend a not done changing you, and you spontaneously manifest a new power.
continuity token to introduce that hero into a single scene before the scene
MYSTIC TECHNIQUE
begins, provided that no other player is playing as that hero at that time.
You learn a new spell, fighting style, or other supernatural technique
When you do so, you play that hero, and your original hero, for the duration
that you can use in your fight against villainy. You might teach yourself
of the scene. After the scene ends, you and the Narrator work to describe
this technique through intense research and practice, or perhaps
what happens when the hero you teamed up with departs for the rest of
the knowledge was imparted to you by SE13: The Mystic Order.
the session. Once you have spent a continuity token to introduce this other
hero into a scene, you cannot do so again for the rest of the session. COSMIC/SUPERNATURAL ASPECT
When you choose this story reward, you must also You discover some previously unknown supernatural or cosmic aspect
change your turmoil. Your new turmoil must be tied to the to your heritage. Perhaps one of your parents was an extraterrestrial
hero you chose for this story reward in some way. (maybe even one that hailed from SE22: The Distant World), or from
You can choose this reward multiple times. Each time you do another dimension (such as SE06: The Nether Realm). Maybe you
so, choose a different hero as the one you team up with. are secretly an angel, demon, or other immortal, and simply did not
realize it until now. Or perhaps you have recently been changed; you
TRUE NEMESIS
could have been bitten by a vampire or contracted lycanthropy. Also
You may select this reward only if you have the “Nemesis: [the name of
change your aspiration to something related to this story reward.
some villain from your setting]” lasting repercussion. You gain 2 hero
points ( ) at the start of any conflict scene that includes your TECHNOLOGICAL AUGMENTATION
nemesis as an enemy. Additionally, whenever you complete an issue You have been augmented technologically, such as by receiving
in which your nemesis was involved in at least one scene (interlude or cybernetic implants or genome therapy. If you are a member of SE19:
conflict), you mark off one extra box on your story progress track. The Pariahs, perhaps you gained your augmentations from SE24:
When you choose this story reward, you must also change your Pariah Experiments. If so, change your turmoil to be somehow
turmoil. Your new turmoil must be tied to the villain associated related to that program. Alternatively, you might have willingly received
with the above lasting repercussion in some way. those augmentations from SE02: The Super Science Lab.
 Changing Powers Changing Identities
When you select any of the following story rewards, you can draw five When you select any of the following story rewards, you
cards from the Deck of Powers and pick one of them to replace one of your can draw three cards from the Deck of Identities and
existing powers. Alternatively, you can choose a Basic power instead of pick one of them to replace your existing identity.
drawing cards from the Deck of Powers. You can also rearrange the slots
that your power cards occupy, though you must always have a superpower. CHANGE YOUR JOB
You have a career change. Perhaps you finally graduate from
NEW COSTUME college, get that promotion you’ve been angling for, or secure the
You debut a new costume, representing a radical departure job you’ve been training for but could never quite seem to land.
from your typical style. Accompanying this new costume When you choose this story reward, you must also
are changes in the powers at your disposal; perhaps you change your aspiration. Your new aspiration must
changed costumes to reflect your new powers, or perhaps your be tied to your new identity in some way.
costume provides you with those powers in some way.
When you choose this story reward, keep in mind some of the DISCOVER YOUR TRUE PAST
tropes of costumes for the genre your hero archetype is drawn Revelations come to light about your past, filling in gaps in your personal
from, and also the decade in which your world is set. For example, history that were blank even to you, or that were perhaps concealed
if your setting is in the 1990s, your costume might be covered in under a layer of false memories. When you make this discovery, you also
bandoleers and pouches of indeterminate function or incorporate discover that you possess certain skills gained during those lost years
armor plating and oversized guns, while a setting in the 1970s of your life. Some suggestions for the nature of your revelation include:
might produce costumes featuring bell bottoms and paisley. )) You are secretly an extraterrestrial from SE22: The Distant World, a
traveler from SE09: The Lost Civilization, or a supernatural creature
MUTATION from SE06: The Nether Realm. The passage to Earth blocked out
Your body’s genetic makeup mutates in some way, altering the way your memories from the time before.
your powers work and interact. This should be accompanied by a )) You are a member of SE19: The Pariahs, and your knowledge of
description of a physical change that results from the mutation. your true past was blocked out by trauma you suffered. What you
believe to be your origin story is just a story you tell to hide your
POWER DEGRADATION/CORRUPTION amnesia of your true origin. Alternatively, perhaps you have false
One of your powers become corrupted in some way, or memories that were implanted when you were subjected to SE24:
begins to show signs of degrading. While it fades from your Pariah Experiments.
repertoire, your other powers strengthen to compensate. )) You were once a villain or another hero entirely. You suffered a
traumatic event that left you near death and with total amnesia. The
TRANSFORMATION memories of your past, including your origin story, were fabrications
You are physically transformed by some outside force, and not
by your own mind filling in the gaps.
necessarily for your benefit. Your physical description changes based
When you choose this story reward, you must also
on the nature of this transformation. Choose one of the following
change your turmoil. Your new turmoil must be tied to
sources for your transformation, or come up with your own.
the revelations you uncovered about your past.
)) You are kidnapped by a villain and subjected to your transformation
in an effort to make you into one of the villain’s loyal servants. Choose FAKE YOUR CIVILIAN IDENTITY’S DEATH
a new turmoil that is tied to that villain in some way. Your civilian identity is compromised in some way; perhaps a
)) If you are a member of SE19: The Pariahs, you are captured and villain discovered your identity, or a tabloid magazine printed
subjected to SE24: Pariah Experiments. photos of your undisguised face. You fake your own death and
)) If you have the “Tainted by [SE01: The Powerful Artifact]” lasting create an entirely new identity for yourself. You’re still the same
repercussion, the Artifact’s corruption causes you to transform. person on the inside, you just lead a totally different life.
When you choose this story reward, you must also change your turmoil. When you choose this story reward, you must also change your turmoil.
Your new turmoil must be tied to the transformation that you have endured. Your new turmoil must be tied to the past that you are trying to escape.

26
PASS THE MANTLE TO ANOTHER REPLACE ANOTHER HERO
You pass your heroic identity off to someone else. If your powers When a hero leaves the world stage, the loss often leaves behind a
come from some external source (a power suit, specific technology) vacuum that demands to be filled. You step up and take on that hero’s
you hand that source off to the new person bearing your heroic pseudonym and costume, filling in for that hero for a time. Perhaps
mantle. If your powers are intrinsic, you hand off your heroic mantle you do this as a favor to that hero, or perhaps because you recognize
to someone else who has identical powers to your own. that having that the world needs someone wearing that hero’s mantle
When you choose this story reward, you must also change both your to go on. Regardless of your reasoning, the world considers you to be
aspiration and your turmoil. Your new aspiration and turmoil should reflect that hero and has no idea that the person underneath the costume is
the life and history of the new person inside the costume. If appropriate, any different. When you choose this story reward, you must choose
you can also rewrite your origin story to reflect the new identity’s history. a hero who has any of the following phrases in their Truths box:
)) Incarcerated at [the name of SE05: The Super Prison]
SETTLE DOWN )) Exiled to [the name of one of your setting elements]
You get married, and with your marriage comes a change in )) Formerly known as [a particular hero’s name]
your lifestyle and even your profession, as you and your spouse You change your archetype to the same archetype as that
find a home and take the next steps of your life together. hero. You take up that hero’s costume and pseudonym, and
as far as the rest of the world knows you are that hero.
Changing Archetypes When you choose this story reward, you must also
When you select any of the following story rewards, you can change your turmoil. Your new turmoil must be tied to the
choose a new hero archetype from among all those that have consequences of impersonating that other hero.
been revealed by playing through any series, as fits your vision for
your hero. Copy any Truths over to your new archetype sheet. TAKE UP A FALLEN HERO’S MANTLE
You decide to resurrect a dead hero, if not in body then at least in
CHANGE YOUR PSEUDONYM spirit. Choose a hero who is dead. You change your archetype to the
One of the most common expressions of a hero changing their archetype same archetype as that hero. You take up that hero’s costume and
is a change in the name they go by. Changing your heroic pseudonym gives pseudonym, and as far as the rest of the world knows you are that hero.
you a chance to reflect your new archetype and attitude with the name that When you choose this story reward, you must also
the world calls you by. You can choose to make this name change public change your turmoil. Your new turmoil must be tied to the
knowledge, or you can choose for the connection between your old heroic consequences of impersonating the deceased hero.
identity and your new one to remain a secret from the public at large.
When you choose this story reward, you must also change your TIME LAPSE
turmoil. Your new turmoil must be tied to the reason you change Something happens that causes large amounts of time to pass for
your pseudonym, or the consequences of your pseudonym you, but not the world . Suggestions for how this happens include:
change. Additionally, add the following to your hero’s Truths box: )) You are visited by NC05: The Mystic Sage, who uses sorcery to
“Formerly known as [your previous pseudonym].” Examples for draw you into SE28: The Sacred Site, where they impart upon you
reasons and ways you could change your pseudonym include: over the course of weeks or months training and wisdom that allows
)) You renounce your current heroic mantle, abandoning your you to emerge as a different person. When you do, you find that only
pseudonym and your hero motif out of principle, grief, anger, or due minutes have passed in the real world.
to a change in your team or allegiances. )) You are pulled into SE06: The Nether Realm or SE11: The Parallel
)) If part of your name is a title (Captain, Professor, Doctor) or a Dimension, where time flows differently than it does in the real world.
reference to age or gender (Mister, Miss, Boy, Girl, Lad, Ms.), you When you emerge, mere minutes may have passed in the real world,
change that part of your heroic pseudonym to reflect personal though for you it may have been years or decades.
growth, life changes, or your shifting role in the world. )) You travel forward in time to SE26: The Dystopian Future. After
)) Due to a personal or world tragedy, your outlook on the world dims, spending years or decades there, you travel back in time to the exact
and your life as a hero takes a dark and gritty turn. You rebrand moment of your departure. For the rest of the world, you have been
yourself to reflect the guilt, cynicism, or grimness you now feel. gone for only seconds.
 CREATE A SENTIENT BEING
SETTING REWARDS You create a new life form. The nature of this life form should
The story rewards in this section change not only your hero, but the
be shaped by your hero’s identity, archetype, and powers;
setting itself in some way. Unlike other types of story rewards, many of
for example, an inventor scientist might create an android or
these story awards affect the team, another hero, or a setting element
artificial intelligence, while a sorcerer librarian might conjure or
and do not affect you directly, though some of the awards do benefit
create a golem or arcane spirit. For the time being, the Narrator
you personally. When selecting one of these setting rewards, work with
should create a new minor character entry for this life form.
the Narrator to ensure that the choice makes sense in the context of the
One time in the future when a player other than you creates a new
setting and the events that your hero has participated in up to this point.
hero, they can choose the “Created by Another Hero” origin reward (see
p. 34) as a bonus story reward, choosing your hero as the hero they were
ACCOLADES FROM THE GOVERNMENT
created by. and basing the hero on the minor character mentioned above.
Your team is given an award, the key to the city, or some other accolade
When you choose this story reward, you must also
from the government, presented to you in a public ceremony where
change your aspiration or your turmoil. Your new aspiration
important figures in the government give speeches full of praise. When
or turmoil must be tied to the new being.
you choose this reward, increase your team’s Public Reputation by +2.

ACTIVE NEMESIS GAIN A NEW HEADQUARTERS

You team gains a new, upgraded headquarters that provides you
You may only select this reward if you have the “Nemesis: [the
with more comfort, better amenities, more resources, and a better
name of some villain from your setting]” lasting repercussion.
position from which to launch your heroic sorties. You work with
At the start of each issue, instead of creating an aspiration or
the Narrator to determine the nature of your new headquarters.
turmoil interlude scene for yourself, you can instead create a villain
On your team roster sheet, describe in a few words
interlude featuring your nemesis. When you create this interlude,
the nature of your team’s new headquarters.
use the following format to describe the nature of the interlude.

Specify one goal the villain wants to accomplish during the GAIN A VEHICLE
scene (a specific piece of information, some asset or resource, the Your team gains a new, specialized vehicle custom-designed to fit your
coercion of an individual, and so on) in the pursuit of a larger plan, and team’s activities and motifs. You describe the nature of this vehicle
describe the place where they are going to get it. You then explain when you choose this story reward; it could be a flying car, an SR-71
what crime or evil act they are going to commit to get it and, if Blackbird capable of operating in low Earth orbit, a VTOL-enabled fixed-
necessary, who they will interact with to get what they want. wing aircraft, or some other vehicle the Narrator agrees is suitable.
On your team roster sheet, describe in a few words the nature of your
The Narrator then describes any other relevant details of the scene, team’s new vehicle. Your team can travel together in this vehicle when
and then chooses one minor character or asset of the team’s that is responding to danger, and once per session when you or anyone on
put in danger by the scene you describe. You (and any other heroes your team uses this vehicle to help achieve their goal in an interlude
who wish to participate) then describe briefly how you intervene to scene, you automatically succeed without having to roll any dice.
foil the villain’s plan. You make a roll (just as you would for overcoming
obstacles in any other interlude scene). If you succeed, you foil the
villain’s plan. In addition to checking off another box on your story Story Rewards that affect the whole team
progress track, you place 2 continuity tokens (instead of 1, as normal) Some setting rewards affect entire teams. Before you choose a story reward that is
in reach of all players. If you fail the roll, the villain counts as having going to have repercussions for other players and their heroes, consult those players
appeared in another issue, gaining another villain perk. The Narrator first to make sure they are okay with the story reward you choose and the resulting
describes how the conclusion of the scene plays out, based on your roll. change to the team’s story. For example, choosing Under Government Authority might
cause a conflict with a hero on the team who has the Fugitive identity, or one who has
Despite featuring villains, heroes, and the possible description of
a turmoil that involves being at odds with the government. Then again, this might be
violence, this scene is an interlude scene and not a conflict scene. You
a good opportunity for that player to choose a story reward that changes that aspect
do not take turns or use the initiative track, and once you have made of their hero in a way that works well with your choice, so it’s always a good idea to
your roll for the scene, both you and the villain depart the scene safely. have these kinds of discussions with the other players to see what they are thinking.

28
GAIN A WARD MEDIA BLITZ
You take on a ward, a younger aspiring hero who becomes your Your team is the subject of a media and promotional blitz, either an
sidekick. You can add the Companion power card into one of your empty incidental one that results from visible, daring heroics on your part, or
power slots, or replace your lesser power or minor power with the one you commission to improve your team’s public relations. When you
Companion power card. Your companion represents your sidekick. choose this reward, increase your team’s Media Reputation by +2.
One time in the future when a player other than you creates a new hero,
they can choose the “Inspired by Another Hero” origin reward (see p. 34) as NEWFOUND CELEBRITY
a bonus story reward, choosing your hero as the hero they were inspired Your recent exploits cause you to be publicly endorsed by NC01: The
by. When this happens, you remove the Companion power card from your Media Personality and the media outlet they represent; you receive a
hero if you still have it, and can replace it with a Basic power of your choice. constant stream of positive coverage from them from that point forward.
When you choose this reward, increase your team’s Media Reputation
GOVERNMENT AGENCY-SANCTIONED by +1; if your hero joins another team in the future, increase that
You receive special status with SE03: The Government Agency, team’s Media Reputation by +1, and decrease the Media Reputation
providing you with certain privileges and benefits. If you are the first of the team you are leaving by –1. Add the following to the Truths
hero to gain this story reward, describe the nature of this status and box of your hero archetype: “Endorsed by [the name of NC01: The
give it an official name (something like “Sentinel Status” or “Paragon Media Personality]” and “+1 to team’s Media Reputation” (to remind
Standing”) and write it in the Truths box of SE03: The Government you to adjust teams’ reputation tracks when you join them).
Agency. From this point on, you are considered to be a state-
approved agent and are offered legal protections by your status. SCIENTIFIC OR SORCEROUS BREAKTHROUGH
When you choose this reward, increase your team’s Government Some scientific or arcane research you have been performing finally
Reputation by +1; if your hero joins another team in the future, increase pays off, and you develop a new scientific revelation or a new spell. The
that team’s Government Reputation by +1, and decrease the Government nature of this discovery (which might be named after your hero’s civilian
Reputation of the team you are leaving by –1. Add the following to the identity) is up to you. Work with the Narrator to create something suitably
Truths box of your hero archetype: “Sanctioned by [the name of SE03: setting-altering, choosing a single card from the Deck of Powers that
The Government Agency]” and “+1 to team’s Government Reputation” best represents the discovery. In the future, in the future when a player
(to remind you to adjust teams’ reputation tracks when you join them). other than you creates a new hero, they can base that hero’s origin story
on your breakthrough and choose that power as their superpower.
GO PUBLIC WITH YOUR IDENTITY
You can select this reward only if you previously treated your personal UNDER GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY
identity as a secret. You reveal your secret identity to the public (in a press Your team is brought fully under the authority of local, state, or
conference or some other widely broadcast form) and as a result earn national government, and now answers directly to those authorities.
the trust of many average citizens, who recognize your transparency While you give up your team’s autonomy, you gain access to
as a move to allow yourself to be held accountable for your actions. resources and a trusted status with that government. When you
When you choose this reward, increase your team’s Public Reputation by choose this reward, increase your team’s Government Reputation
+1; if your hero joins another team in the future, increase that team’s Public by +2, and add the following to the team roster’s Truths box: “Under
Reputation by +1, and decrease the Public Reputation of the team you are [the name of a particular government agency]’s Authority.”
leaving by –1. Add the following to the Truths box of your hero archetype:
“Identity is Public Knowledge” and “+1 to team’s Public Reputation” (to
WINDFALL
You receive an unexpected increase in your personal wealth,
remind you to adjust teams’ reputation tracks when you join them).
either as a result of your professional successes or through
You must also change your turmoil when you choose this story
circumstances outside of your control (for example, an inheritance
reward. Your new turmoil should be in some way related to the
from the passing of a distant relative). You gain the Throw Money
revelation of your identity, either due to newfound celebrity or with the
at the Problem skill with an 80% chance of success.
danger having a public identity puts you and your loved ones in.
When you choose this story reward, you must also
change your aspiration or your turmoil. Your new aspiration
or turmoil must be tied to your newfound wealth.
 HEROIC DEATH
RETIREMENT REWARDS Your hero makes the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty, dying
Retirement rewards are a bit different from other rewards in that
a heroic death. When you choose this story reward, inform the
they don’t necessarily improve your hero, but rather give your hero
Narrator that you have done so. You continue to play this hero but
a creative send-off that evolves their role in the setting. When you
gain no further advancements on your hero’s story reward track.
reach the end of your hero’s story progress track, you must choose a
Discuss your ideas about when this should happen, and under
retirement reward for your hero. You can always choose a retirement
what kinds of circumstances, so your Narrator can help create a
reward for your hero before your fifth reward, if you want; this is a
death for your hero that fits your vision for the character’s end.
great way to retire a hero who you are tired of playing, or not entirely
During a conflict scene, the Narrator can choose an appropriately
happy with, without just letting that hero fade into the background.
dramatic moment for your hero to die. When this happens,
After doing so, your hero will no longer be available for play, and you will
your hero dies; give any hero points you have remaining to
need to create a new hero. However, this is neither the end of your original
other players, and each player who receives a hero point from
hero’s story, nor the last time you will ever play them. Each retirement
you also takes one extra hero point from the supply.
reward describes what happens to your hero and changes their role
When you create your next new hero, you can choose
in your setting. It may also change something about the nature of your
one origin reward for that hero, writing it in the Bonus
setting or one of the elements therein, and you may need to add things
Reward box on that character’s hero progress sheet.
to the Truths section of a setting element, hero, villain, minion, or team.
IMPRISONED OR EXILED
Sidelined You are jailed or banished for a crime. You determine the
Each of the following retirement rewards involves your hero nature of the charges against you, and whether your hero
being removed as a prominent player in the setting, making is guilty or simply a victim of false accusation.
them no longer relevant to the ongoing stories you tell. If your hero is jailed, they are incarcerated in SE05: The Super
Prison; write “Incarcerated at [the name of your setting’s super
DEPOWERED
prison]” in the Truths box of your hero’s archetype sheet.
Something strips you of your powers, leaving you incapable of the
If your hero is exiled, choose one of the following setting elements to be
amazing feats of heroism you rely on to fight against evil. Describe the
the place to which your hero is exiled, and write “Exiled to [the name of the
event, villain, or object that robbed you of your powers. As the cosmic
chosen setting element]” in the Truths box of your hero archetype sheet:
forces of creation demand balance in all things, the next hero you create
)) SE06: The Nether Realm
starts with the Practiced Power general story reward as a bonus reward.
)) SE08: The War-Torn Nation
GO UNDERGROUND )) SE11: The Parallel Dimension
You are forced to go into hiding for some reason, seeking )) SE22: The Distant World
deep cover for your safety or that of your family. Some )) SE23: The Lawless City
suggestions for why you might go underground include: When you create your next new hero, you can choose
)) SE14: The Crime Syndicate, SE18: The Terrorist Group, or SE25: one origin reward for that hero as a bonus reward.
The Secret Society discovers your true identity and puts a price on When to introduce a story reward
your head, causing assassins to pursue you. Given the tumultuous nature of some story rewards, it may not make sense to introduce
)) You did something that violates SE26: The Superhuman Edict and the changes in the middle of a multipart storyline, or even between standalone issues.
the government places you on a Most Wanted list. For example, it may make perfect sense for your hero to gain a new
)) A specific villain starts targeting your loved ones, forcing you to move costume between issues; perhaps your previous costume was badly
far away for their safety. In that villain’s Truths box, write: Forced [your damaged in a fight, and you found a mysterious alien machine that provides
you with a fresh costume that seems to be alive in some way.
retiring hero’s name] into retirement.
In other cases, especially in the case of retirement rewards, you should work
When you create your next new hero, you can choose with the Narrator to weave the reward naturally into the next issue. For example,
one origin reward for that hero, writing it in the Bonus if you have chosen a story reward that causes your hero to be depowered or to
Reward box on that character’s hero progress sheet. die a heroic death, inform the Narrator at the start of the session, giving them the
opportunity to weave that event into the issue’s narrative at the appropriate time.
30
LOSE CONTROL OF YOUR POWERS Pass the Torch
You lose the ability to control one or more of your powers, making you a Each of the following retirement rewards involves your hero passing
danger to yourself and those around you. You are forced to seek aid in on their heroic mantle to someone else, allowing them to carry on
bringing your powers under control. Choose one of the following options: in your stead while you retire from an active life of heroism.
)) You seek the aid of SE02: The Super Science Lab. They place
you in stasis. Time halts for you while the lab’s scientists continue BECOME THE NEW HEAD OF AN ORGANIZATION
to perform tests, seeking some way to bring your powers back You are promoted to become the new head of an organization, company,
under control. agency, or other group, forcing you to set aside you life as a costumed hero
)) You seek the aid of SE03: The Government Agency. They lock you to assume the responsibilities of your office. Choose one of the following
away in a secure, remote facility, leaving you functionally imprisoned organizations to be the one you are put in charge of, or choose another
to keep you from harming those around you. organization from your setting that the Narrator deems appropriate:
)) You seek the aid of SE13: The Mystic Order. You are invited to )) SE02: The Super Science Lab
live at their sanctuary, where NC05: The Mystic Sage works )) SE03: The Government Agency
with you to calm the storm within you, helping you master your )) SE13: The Mystic Order
powers once more. )) SE17: The Hero Academy
As the cosmic forces of creation demand balance in all )) SE20: The Space Police Force
things, the next hero you create starts with the Predictable If there is an existing Narrator character that is the head of
Powers general story reward as a bonus reward. that organization, you supplant that character as leader.

MALIGN TRANSFORMATION FORM A NEW TEAM

You are transformed, against your will, into a form that makes it You form a new team of heroes, with you acting more as the team’s
impossible for you to act as a hero any longer. This could be an mentor and instructor than as a field leader. You can describe the general
inanimate form (a statue, a painting), the form of an animal (a frog, a nature for this team, determine where it operates, and name it now. In
cat), or simply a different age (a baby, an elderly person). You describe the future, when you and other players create a new team, you can have
the source of your transformation; some suggestions include: this new team be the one that your former hero founded. Each founding
)) An existing villain transforms you as a part of some scheme or as member of this new team starts with the Team Player story reward.
revenge for your previous intervention in their plots.
)) You are exposed to SE01: The Powerful Artifact, which causes your PASS YOUR MANTLE ON TO ANOTHER
transformation. You choose to hand off your heroic mantle to someone
)) You are subjected to magic leaking out of SE06: The Nether Realm, else, allowing them to take up the role from which your hero
which transforms you. retires. You can choose to pass your mantle to either another
When you create your next new hero, you can choose existing hero, or to a Narrator-controlled character.
one origin reward for that hero, writing it in the Bonus If you choose another hero, that hero gains the Replace Another
Reward box on that character’s hero progress sheet. Hero revamp reward immediately as a bonus reward.
If you choose a Narrator-controlled character, when
RETIRE TO CIVILIAN LIFE you create your next new hero, you can choose one
You simply grow too old, or too tired, to continue life as a hero. You hang origin reward as a bonus reward for that hero.
up your cape and cowl, mothball your lair, and put away your crime-
fighting gear to retire to civilian life, giving up your heroic identity. Keeping Story Rewards Secret
For some retirement rewards, such as Heroic Death, it may spoil a bit of the dramatic
When you create your next new hero, you can choose
surprise to reveal to the other players that you have chosen that reward. On the other
one origin reward for that hero, writing it in the Bonus hand, most story rewards have interesting effects on the setting that you do want
Reward box on that character’s hero progress sheet. to share, so that everyone else at the table knows that something has changed.
Ultimately, it is up to you to decide whether you let the other heroes know about the
story rewards you choose. You should always let the Narrator know, so that they can
make sure they are keeping those story rewards in mind when running the game.
 Switch Sides GO ROGUE
Each of the following retirement rewards involves your hero taking In a stunning betrayal, your hero, of their own free will, takes a turn
a villainous turn, becoming an enemy that other heroes will fight toward villainy. You describe what event or circumstances pushes
against in the future. When you choose one of these rewards, you your hero over the edge; this could be a reaction to a tragedy your
also work with the Narrator to create a new villain, using any of the hero faced, or simply reaching the breaking point after years of
villain archetypes that have been revealed in the series thus far. enduring the stress of being a hero. Whatever the reason, your hero
abandons their heroic identity and takes on a new, villainous mantle.
BRAINWASHED BY AN ENEMY When you create your next new hero, you can choose
Your hero falls under the sway of evil and is brainwashed, one origin reward for that hero, writing it in the Bonus
forgetting your life as a hero and becoming a villain. Choose one Reward box on that character’s hero progress sheet.
of the following explanations for how your hero is brainwashed,
or come up with your own with the help of the Narrator: POSSESSED BY A COSMIC/SUPERNATURAL FORCE
)) Your hero is captured by SE18: The Terrorist Group and has their A powerful but incorporeal entity, something from deep in the
mind scrambled and reprogrammed. recesses of space or from another plane of existence entirely,
)) Your hero is lured into a trap set by SE25: The Secret Society, which chooses your hero as its new host, and your hero’s consciousness
bends your hero’s mind to their will. is suppressed as it takes over your body. Now, this supernaturally
)) Your hero is defeated by a villain with mind control or enchantment or cosmically powerful force has a corporeal body and becomes a
powers, and when the rest of the team next sees your hero it is in the villain capable of menacing the world, or the galaxy, once more.
thrall of that villain. When you create your next new hero, you can choose
When you create your next new hero, you can choose one origin reward for that hero, writing it in the Bonus
one origin reward for that hero, writing it in the Bonus Reward box on that character’s hero progress sheet.
Reward box on that character’s hero progress sheet.

32
REVEAL YOU WERE A SHAPESHIFTER
You reveal that your hero was never actually your hero, but rather
a shapeshifter all along, posing as your hero. Alternatively, at one
point your hero was not a shapeshifter, but at some point was
captured or killed and replaced by the shapeshifter, with no one
else the wiser. Ideally, this revelation should come at a point where
it creates dramatic tension, pitting the shapeshifter villain against
the other heroes at a moment when the stakes are already high.
When you create your next new hero, if your description of the
shapeshifter’s assumption of your heroic identity reveals that your hero
was captured or killed and then replaced, you can choose the Back in
Action or Resurrection origin reward as a bonus reward for your new hero,
creating your new hero using the same powers, identity, and archetype
as the hero you are retiring. Otherwise, the new hero you create starts
with a lasting repercussion (“Nemesis: [the name of the shapeshifter
villain]”) and gains the True Nemesis general reward as a bonus reward.

SPLIT INTO TWO

Whether through an accident or the plot of some villain, your hero
separates into two entities. One is a depowered version of your hero’s
identity, and the other, possessing all your hero’s knowledge and powers,
becomes a villain. It is as though your hero’s powers took on a life of
their own, and now menace the world. Choose one of the following
explanations for how this happened, or come up with one of your own:
)) An experiment involving your hero at SE02: The Super Science Lab
goes horribly wrong, resulting in the villain’s creation.
)) You are subjected against your will to SE24: Pariah Experiments,
which causes the split.
)) You are subjected by a villain you are fighting to technology or magic
that triggers the separation.
When you create your next new hero, you can choose
one origin reward for that hero, writing it in the Bonus
Reward box on that character’s hero progress sheet.

SWAP WITH ALTERNATE REALITY SELF

You are shunted into SE16: The Alternate Reality, and an evil version
of your hero from that reality appears in your world, taking your place.
The cause of this swap is up to you to describe; it might be a part of
some plan hatched by your evil alternate reality version, or simply a fluke
occurrence resulting from you and your alternate version being exposed
to powerful sources of reality-bending energies at the same time.
When you create your next new hero, you can choose
one origin reward for that hero, writing it in the Bonus
Reward box on that character’s hero progress sheet.

33
 CREATED BY ANOTHER HERO
ORIGIN REWARDS You are the product not of random chance or outside intervention,
Origin rewards are special story rewards your hero gains at the moment
but rather the creation of one of the world’s heroes. You might be
you create them. You gain an origin reward only when another story
an android, whose artificial intelligence was crafted by the hero,
reward tells you that you do. Usually, origin rewards are granted by
or the result of genetic manipulation and accelerated growth. On
retirement rewards; as you see your previous hero off, your new hero
that hero’s archetype sheet, write “Creator of [your new hero’s
gains access to special narrative options. When you select your origin
name]” in their Truths box. On your hero archetype sheet, write
reward, it defines some aspect of your new hero’s origin story.
“Created by [the name of your creator hero]” in the Truths box.
Additionally, increase this hero’s Hero Points per Conflict by 1.
AMALGAMATION
Your new hero is from an alternate reality (perhaps SE16: The Alternate
CLONE
Reality, if you so choose) where two characters from your world
You are a clone of a hero or villain. As a part of your origin story,
that you choose did not exist. Instead, your hero is a combination of
describe who is responsible for cloning you, why they cloned you,
those two heroes, a fusion of their identities, powers, and motifs.
and how you broke free of their control. You can (if appropriate)
Alternatively, you can choose one character from your setting and
have the same powers as the hero or villain you are cloned from;
one character from another comic book universe (such as those
when you create this hero, consider those powers to be among
published by the major comic book imprints), or two characters
the powers you can choose from, in addition to the five power
from two different universes belonging to other publishers. Instead
cards you draw from the Deck of Powers during hero creation.
of gaining your powers by drawing from the Deck of Powers,
Additionally, increase this hero’s Hero Points per Conflict by 1.
choose from powers possessed by the heroes of whom you are an
amalgamation, provided the Narrator agrees with your assessment of FROM ANOTHER TIMELINE
what powers those heroes possess; the same goes for your identity. Your hero is from SE16: The Alternate Reality. You choose a hero or
Additionally, increase this hero’s Hero Points per Conflict by 1. villain from your reality and create a new version of that character as
your hero, rewriting their origin story and personal history to create
ARTIFACT FROM ANOTHER REALITY your new hero. You can choose any powers and identity necessary
You gained your powers from a source that originates in a reality other
to accurately represent that character’s capabilities, instead of
than your own. When you create this hero, choose one object from
drawing cards from the Deck of Identities and the Deck of Powers.
another comic book universe (such as those published by the major
Additionally, increase this hero’s Hero Points per Conflict by 1.
comic book publishers) that bestows powers upon its possessor.
Examples might include a ring of power worn by a spacefaring INSPIRED BY ANOTHER HERO
protector corps, a helmet of destiny full of arcane power, a hammer of Your hero’s motifs and methods were heavily inspired by another hero;
powerful Norse god, a living alien costume that bonds with its wearer, perhaps you are a disciple or a family member or that hero, or maybe
and so forth. That object becomes the source of your powers. you were simply inspired by some act of heroism that you witnessed
Additionally, increase this hero’s Hero Points per Conflict by 1. that hero perform. Choose another hero and model your hero’s
description after that hero. When you create this hero, you can choose
BACK IN ACTION one power possessed by the hero who inspired you, in addition to
Instead of creating an entirely new hero, choose a retired hero for your
choosing powers drawn from the Deck of Powers or the Basic powers.
new character. Work with the Narrator to come up with an explanation
Additionally, increase this hero’s Hero Points per Conflict by 1.
of how and why your hero comes out of retirement. If that hero was
imprisoned, exiled, placed in stasis, depowered, or otherwise in a position A RIFT IN REALITY
where their return to the life of a hero was not fully under their control, Your hero is a known hero from another reality. When you create
you must come up with an explanation for how they overcame that this hero, choose a hero from another comic book universe (such
predicament and were restored to some semblance of their old selves. as those published by the major comic book publishers) to be your
Adjust the Public, Media, and Government Reputation tracks of hero. In your origin story, explain how it is that your hero came to be in
any team this hero joins by +1 at the time the hero joins the team. this setting’s reality, instead of the reality from which they originate.

34
You can choose any archetype, powers, and identity necessary to
accurately represent that hero’s capabilities, instead of drawing FOURTH WALL-BREAKING REWARDS
cards from the Deck of Identities and the Deck of Powers. These rewards treat your setting like a real comic book imprint, and
Additionally, increase this hero’s Hero Points per Conflict by 1. allow the players to break the fourth wall and to pretend that their
heroes are appearing in real comic series being published by a real
RESURRECTION company, with all the business decisions, creator conflicts, and
Instead of creating an entirely new hero, choose a dead hero editorial meddling that entails. These rewards may not be suitable
for your new character. Work with a Narrator to come up with for every group; decide as a group whether to allow them.
an explanation for how your hero returned to life. If you so
choose, you can have the Narrator introduce your new hero ACTION FIGURE LINE
at an appropriate moment during the play of an issue. Your hero is so popular that the publisher licenses your hero’s likeness
Additionally, increase this hero’s Hero Points per Conflict by 1. for a line of action figures. As a part of the deal, the publisher agrees
to feature some of the accessories created for those action figures
TIME TRAVELER in issues of the comic. At the start of each issue, draw a card from
You are a hero from another era, brought into the present by a twist of the Deck of Powers. Once during that issue, you can gain the use of
fate or a specific effort. When you create your hero, your origin story that power for the duration of one scene, describing some outlandish
takes place in another time period altogether, and you also describe the action figure accessory that the power represents and introducing
circumstances that caused you to travel through time to the present. This it into the scene. Your chance of success with that power is 70%.
can include actual time travel (disappearing from one time and appearing
in another) or being placed in stasis or some other suspended state and ANIMATED SERIES
having a large amount of time pass before you awaken in a future you do The publisher creates an animated series featuring your team
not recognize. Suggestions for the time period you come from include: as the protagonists. Write the name of the animated series on
)) SE26: The Dystopian Future in the Truths box of your team roster sheet. When anyone on
)) SE27: The Golden Age the team spends a continuity token to create a back issue, they
)) A Civilization of Antiquity: Ancient Rome, ancient Egypt, the Aztec can instead reference an episode of the animated series.
Empire, or other ancient civilization
BACK TO BASICS REBOOT
Your turmoil should be in some way related to your struggles
The publisher decides to reboot your team, clearing away the
to adapt to life in an entirely new time period. If your origin
cruft of continuity and bringing your heroes back to their purest
indicates that you traveled to this time period with a purpose,
or most popular form. Each member of the team can swap
your aspiration should touch on that purpose as well.
any of their story rewards for general rewards, undoing any
Additionally, because you were a hero before you traveled through time
changes introduced by revamp rewards they swap out.
to the present, you have some experience that rookie heroes do not. When
you create this hero, automatically check off three story progress boxes. SOLO TITLE/SPIN-OFF SERIES
Your hero gets their own comic book title, where they appear as the lone
TURN OVER A NEW LEAF
protagonist in their own stories. When you spend a continuity token
When you choose this origin reward, you choose a villain or minor
to create a back issue, if you reference this solo series you also gain 1
villain who has appeared previously in an issue. Your hero is that villain,
hero point ( ), in addition to the other benefits of the back issue.
attempting to turn over a new leaf. Instead of drawing cards randomly
to create your hero, work with the Narrator to choose powers and an SPONSORSHIP DEAL
identity that best fit that villain. You also decide if your hero chooses The publisher sells advertising space in your team’s series,
a new moniker and motif, hiding their past as a villain, or operates integrating the product into the panels of the comic. Choose a
under their villainous pseudonym, openly seeking redemption. product (real or fictional) and write “Sponsored by [the product
Your hero’s turmoil should be connected to their name]” in the Truths box of the team roster sheet. At the end of
past as a villain in some appropriate way. each issue, one player must endorse this product in-character; if
Additionally, increase this hero’s Hero Points per Conflict by 1. they do, they check off one extra box on their story reward track.
 ORIGIN STORY SEEDS
All Heroes (1–2)
This section contains several tables filled with potential ideas that you % d10 Origin Seed
can use when you craft your hero’s origin story. These ideas, called origin 01–02 1 Tragic Accident: You were in a vehicle accident (car, train, or
seeds throughout the rest of the section, should serve as a starting airplane) where many people lost their lives, yet you survived and
came out alive and with powers. What kind of accident was it?
point for your to modify and expand upon to create a origin story that What happened during the accident that gave you powers?
best fits your vision for the character and the tone of the series you are 03–04 2 Childhood Trauma: Something bad happened to you during your
playing through. Many of these origin seeds overlap thematically, offering childhood, and it led directly to your transformation into a hero. This
different angles for the same heroic origin stories. Additionally, many of could have been an incident during which you were physically harmed,
or it could simply have been something so traumatic that it put you on
the origin seeds offer suggestions for setting elements of major Narrator the path to becoming a hero of your own volition. What happened that
characters that you can tie into your origin story, if you so choose. put you on your heroic path? Was it intentional, or an accident?
Method 1: An Origin Suitable to the Genre. Using this method, you should 05–06 3 Adolescent Onset: You were born different in some way, and the seeds of
your powers were in you from the beginning. It was not until you reached
get an origin story seed that is close to the genre of the series that you
adolescence that your powers emerged and your life changed forever.
are playing. Pick one or two of the origin tables that best matches the 07–08 4 Amnesia: You don’t know how you got your powers; you woke up in a
genre of the series you are playing. For example, if you were planning hospital one day and discovered that you could do things that other
on playing through Streetlight Knights, you might choose both Magic people could not. The source of your powers is a complete mystery.
Heroes and Street Level Heroes as your possible origin seed tables, 09–10 5 Disaster Survivor: You were present at a major disaster that inflicted
great damage and loss of life. When the dust settled, you found that
adding a dash of the supernatural to your otherwise street-level game. you could do things other people could not. SE27: The Catastrophe
Once you have picked the genres you will use, roll a d10. If the d10 result is a possible setting element that you can tie into your origin story.
is one of the numbers listed next to All Heroes table header, or the table 11–12 6 Exposed to Radioactive Materials: You were accidentally exposed to high
header for a genre you chose, you roll a d10 again and use the number amounts of radiation during an accident involving the transport or storage
of radioactive waste, or indirect exposure through contact with some
you roll to pick an origin seed from that table. Otherwise, roll the d10 radioactive object or creature. Rather than dying a slow and painful death,
again until you get a result that corresponds to one of those tables. the radiation mutated your DNA, causing you to develop your powers.
Method 2: Totally Random. If you don’t care about matching the genre, you 13–14 7 Immortal: You are immortal, in the sense that you do not die due to old
age. At some point, you were an inhabitant of an ancient civilization,
can use this method to get an origin from any of the tables. Just roll your
and you simply stopped aging. Over the course of many lifetimes, you
percentile dice; each table has a percentile entry in the first column. Find the developed the ability to use your powers, which are learned, not inherent.
entry that matches your percentile dice roll and you have your origin seed. 15–16 8 Chosen by a Higher Power: A higher power, such as a god or
Method 3: Just Pick One. If you don’t like the idea of randomly being demon, a powerful cosmic force or an alien, or an interdimensional
being chose you to receive your powers. They selected you to be
assigned an origin story seed, you can always just skim through all their emissary and agent on Earth, and your powers are the blessing
these tables and pick our an origin seed that works best for you. you received to fulfill the mission they have chosen for you.
17–18 9 Encountered a Mysterious Object: You had an unexpected
SPECIAL ORIGIN TABLES brush with a strange object, its origin and purpose unknown to
There are two additional tables of origin seeds. The first is for heroes who you, that transformed you and gave you powers. This object was
alien to you, and you likely were not even aware that it had such
are members of your settings pariah group (from SE19: The Pariahs). power when you encountered it. SE01: The Powerful Artifact is a
Since all pariahs have a shared origin for their powers, this table instead possible setting element that you can tie into your origin story.
focuses on major events that happened before your character became 19–20 0 Creation: You are the product of an individual’s genius and were made
with intent by that individual. Your powers were engineered specifically
a hero. The second is for strange heroes; this table is full of weird, genre-
for you, a part of that lone creator’s master plan. The method of your
breaking origin stories that produce more off-beat heroes. You can roll creation depends on your fundamental nature; you might be a robot
on either of these tables if the Narrator agrees that it is appropriate. constructed in a lab or a living being who was genetically engineered.

36
 Super Science Heroes (3–4) Magic Heroes (5–6)
% d10 Origin Seed % d10 Origin Seed
21–22 1 Government Experiment: You were part of a government experiment, 41–42 1 Totem Spirit: You are imbued with powers by the spirit or spirits of
either as a willing participant or an unwilling guinea pig. You were one of an animal or abstract concept that has significance to your culture,
many subjects in a government program designed to give regular humans religion, or personal beliefs. Your devotion to that spirit made you worthy
powers. SE03: The Government Agency and SE24: Pariah Experiments of it, and the spirit allows you to draw upon its power to fuel yours.
are possible setting elements that you can tie into your origin story. 43–44 2 Inherited/Supernatural Bloodline: You have the blood of some supernatural
23–24 2 Serum/Chemical/Drug: You discovered or were given a special being in your veins. Perhaps you are half-vampire, descended from ancient
serum, exposed to a particular chemical, or dosed with a certain gods, sired by a demon, or inherited lycanthropy from one of your parents.
drug that caused you to develop your powers. You may even require Regardless of the source of your supernatural blood, you manifested
a constant supply of that compound to maintain your powered powers as a result of your not-quite-human heritage. SE06: The Nether
state, which could be the source of your hero’s turmoil. Realm is a possible setting element that you can tie into your origin story.
25–26 3 Lab Accident: You were in a science laboratory when an accident 45–46 3 Magic Tome: You sought out or stumbled across a magic tome.
occurred and unstable chemicals or energies were unleashed. Upon reading the words inside, you gained incredible sorcerous
Though you could have easily died, you somehow came through powers and put yourself on the path to becoming a powered hero.
not only alive but bestowed with your powers. SE02: The Super S06: The Nether Realm and NC05: The Mystic Sage are possible
Science Lab and SE15: The Megacorporation are possible setting elements that you can tie into your origin story.
setting elements that you can tie into your origin story. 47–48 4 Reincarnated: You have lived before. In the past, you were a powerful
27–28 4 Willing Test Subject: You volunteered to be a test subject for an hero, standing above the rest of your kind. You died, and have been
experimental drug, therapy, or medical treatment. Something went reborn in your current body. When you discovered that you are a
wrong, and the side effect of the experiment is the manifestation reincarnated soul, your powers were awakened. S12: The Forgotten City
of your powers. SE02: The Super Science Lab is a possible is a possible setting element that you can tie into your origin story.
setting element that you can tie into your origin story. 49–50 5 Back from the Dead: You died. And then you came back. You
29–30 5 Invention/Discovery: You personally made a scientific breakthrough, were miraculously resurrected, not the same as you were before
successfully making a discovery or producing some invention that you expired but something more. Something empowered. What
grants you your powers. This discovery could be something that caused your death? By what means were you resurrected, and by
powers the technology that you use (such as a new subatomic who? S06: The Nether Realm and NC05: The Mystic Sage are
particle), or it could be a piece of technology itself (such as a possible setting elements that you can tie into your origin story.
suit of power armor or a weapon of your own design). 51–52 6 Cursed: A curse was placed upon you, and along with it you gained
31–32 6 Cybernetically Enhanced: You have cybernetic parts, incredible supernatural powers. This curse bestows a command upon
enhancements, or replacements for your natural body, that grant you that binds your very soul, driving you to pursue that command at all
you your powers. SE02: The Super Science Lab is a possible costs. Who placed the curse upon you? What does the curse demand
setting element that you can tie into your origin story. of you? Did you deserve it, and if so, what did you do to warrant it?
33–34 7 Genetic Engineering/Gene Splicing: You underwent gene therapy 53–54 7 Magical Misfire: You were caught up in a spell or magical effect that
to overwrite your DNA, or were genetically engineered before your went wrong in some way. Unexpected magical forces transformed
birth. Your custom genetic sequence may even have material spliced you, giving you your powers. You might have gotten your powers from
in from other animals, giving you animal-like qualities that manifest a spell gone wrong, or you might have mishandled a magical artifact,
themselves as your powers. SE02: The Super Science Lab is a speaking the wrong words to the incantation used to activate it.
possible setting element that you can tie into your origin story. 55–56 8 Found an Item of Legend: You found a legendary item, thought lost
35–36 8 Time Traveler: You traveled through time, coming from another to the mists of time, but which was in reality only waiting for the right
period when the things that modern people label as your “powers” person to find it. You decide which legendary item it is that you found. It
are commonplace and available to many people. SE28: The could be an ancient weapon, such as King Arthur’s sword Excalibur or
Dystopian Future and SE29: The Golden Age are possible the blade Durendal, the famous weapon of the paladin Roland. It could
setting elements that you can tie into your origin story. also be a suit of armor worn by an ancient hero, a ring or other piece of
37–38 9 Dimensional Traveler: You used technology to travel to and from jewelry belonging to a famous sorcerer, or something else of that ilk.
other dimensions, exploring the different planes of existence. During 57–58 9 Possessed: You are possessed by a powerful spirit, a creature from another
one such journey, something (perhaps merely passing through the plane of existence that inhabits your body alongside you. This could be
veil between dimensions) bestowed incredible powers upon you. the ghost of a famous sorcerer, the spiritual embodiment of a concept or
SE11: The Parallel Dimension and SE16: The Alternate Reality are force (such as the spirit of vengeance or the spirit of justice), an angel, a
possible setting elements that you can tie into your origin story. demon, or a fey creature. This possessing spirit grants your powers to you.
39–40 0 Stolen Technology: You stole a piece of valuable and experimental 59–60 0 Made a Pact with an Entity: You forged a pact with an ancient,
technology from another person or organization, or obtained it powerful entity. Its side of the bargain involved bestowing your powers
on the black market. Though the tech doesn’t belong to you, you upon you. It carved off a fraction of its own power and invested you
have learned to use it, turning it to a heroic purpose. SE15: The with it, or simply taught you the forbidden knowledge it possesses.
Megacorporation and SE23: The Lawless City are possible What kind of entity did you bargain with? What did you have to
setting elements that you can tie into your origin story. promise to that entity in exchange for the power that you gained?
 Cosmic Heroes (7–8) Street Level Heroes (9–0)
% d10 Origin Seed % d10 Origin Seed
61–62 1 Exposed to Cosmic Rays: You were exposed to cosmic rays, consisting 81–82 1 Left for Dead: You did something to someone that made them want to
of high-intensity radiation that originates from outside of the solar kill you. They thought they had succeeded and left you for dead. Yet you
system. When your body was bombarded by cosmic rays, it was miraculously survived, and when you fully recovered you discovered
transformed in some way, which resulted in the powers that you gained. new powers, or a new drive to become powerful enough to be a hero.
63–64 2 Abducted by Aliens: You were kidnapped by aliens and taken away SE08: The War-Torn Nation and SE14: The Crime Syndicate are
from your home from some time. During your time in alien captivity, possible setting elements that you can tie into your origin story.
those aliens altered you in some way, changing you from an ordinary 83–84 2 Family Tragedy: Something terrible happened to your family, and
person into someone with powers. SE07: The Star Empire is a though you survived, you were filled with a drive for justice or vengeance
possible setting element that you can tie into your origin story. that prompted you to become a hero. Which members of your family
65–66 3 Born in Space: Though you might have terrestrial parentage, you were born were killed in this tragedy, and did anyone besides you survive?
in space, either aboard a space ship or some kind of space station, and lived 85–86 3 Trained by a Master: You were trained as an apprentice by a master,
much of your young life away from the world that your people are native who instilled in you the skills and experience you needed to become
to. As a result of your spacefaring early life, you grew up with powers that a hero. This master might have taught you a fighting style, trained
others of your kind do not possess. SE07: The Star Empire and SE21: The you in military tactics, or simply gave you the control you needed to
Starport are possible setting elements that you can tie into your origin story. master the powers you already possessed when you entered their
67–68 4 Strange Alien Artifact: You found a strange artifact of alien tutelage. NC04: The Team Mentor and NC05: The Mystic Sage are
origin. Clearly not native to your world, it drew you in somehow, possible setting elements that you can tie into your origin story.
and when you came into contact with it the object granted you 87–88 4 Raised by a Secret Organization: You were raised not by parents,
magnificent powers. SE01: The Powerful Artifact is a possible but by a secret organization, which trained you from an early age to be
setting element that you can tie into your origin story. their agent in the world. Your upbringing included extensive training
69–70 5 Cosmic Refugee: You are a native of a planet far from Earth, an alien in and unorthodox lessons designed to help you fulfill the organization’s
your own right. You came to Earth fleeing persecution or the destruction mission. SE13: The Mystic Order and SE25: The Secret Society are
of your home world. When you arrived, you found that your natural possible setting elements that you can tie into your origin story.
physiological functions gave you powers that the natives of the Earth did 89–90 5 Self-Fashioned Hero: One day, you looked around at how bad
not possess. SE02: The Super Science Lab and SE22: The Distant World things had gotten in your neighborhood and wanted to do something
are possible setting elements that you can tie into your origin story. about it. You decided to become a hero and sought out the training,
71–72 6 Alien Visitor: You are not from the Earth, but came to the planet on a technology, or resources to fight against villainy on your own.
mission of some kind. Perhaps you were sent to spy on the Earth by your 91–92 6 Betrayed by Superiors/Authorities: You were betrayed by those who you
superiors, or were accidentally drawn to the Earth by a terrestrial science worked for, or by an authority figure. Up to that point, you thought that you
experiment gone wrong. When you arrived, you found that your natural were safe, a loyal subject helping to further the mission. When things went
physiological functions gave you powers that the natives of the Earth did wrong you were an easy scapegoat, and suddenly you found yourself fighting
not possess. SE03: The Government Agency and NC08: The Cosmic for your life. SE15: The Megacorporation and NC03: The Hateful Authority
Liaison are possible setting elements that you can tie into your origin story. are possible setting elements that you can tie into your origin story.
73–74 7 Alien Lineage: You may look human, but there is alien blood in you. 93–94 7 Wrong Place, Right Time: Your life as a hero is the result of dumb luck.
Somewhere in your ancestry you can find nonterrestrial blood, and through You were simply going about your day when suddenly you were exposed
this lineage you have inherited the special powers from the alien physiology to chemicals or radiation, or stumbled across a piece of technology,
of your ancestor. SE07: The Star Empire and SE22: The Distant World or witnessed something that urged your transformation into a hero.
are possible setting elements that you can tie into your origin story. SE02: The Super Science Lab and SE14: The Crime Syndicate are
75–76 8 Strange Meteorite: A meteorite, burning brightly in the night possible setting elements that you can tie into your origin story.
sky, fell to Earth near you. When you encountered it, the glowing 95–96 8 Delusions of Grandeur: You saw other powered heroes helping
rock transformed you, granting you the powers that you use to to save the world and decided that you could do the same thing,
become a hero. SE02: The Super Science Lab is a possible powers or no. You fashioned a heroic identity for yourself and
setting element that you can tie into your origin story. set about making yourself into a hero, even though you did not
77–78 9 Bestowed by a Cosmic Power: A powerful cosmic being, either an alien or possess the incredible powers displayed by most heroes.
some godlike cosmic force, deemed you worthy of possessing a fraction of 97–98 9 Natural Phenomenon: You were subject to some natural phenomenon,
its power. When this being’s energy flowed into you, it granted you powers not such as being struck by lightning, caught in a landslide, or trapped in a
possessed by other mortals. This cosmic power may have also demanded wildfire that gave you your powers through some miraculous stroke of luck.
your service or loyalty in exchange for the powers you were granted. 99–100 0 Ill-Gotten Gains: You received your powers from a criminal, who
79–80 0 Bonded to an Alien: You encountered an alien creature, perhaps one had in turn obtained the means of granting you your powers
that was nonsentient or semisentient at best, and it bonded to you. through illegal means (theft, black market sales, or the like). SE05:
Now you and the alien creature have a symbiotic relationship, with your The Super Prison and SE14: The Crime Syndicate are possible
terrestrial body playing host to the creature. In exchange, the creature setting elements that you can tie into your origin story.
provides you with the incredible powers that you use to be a hero.

38
 Special Origins: Pariah Heroes Special Origins: Strange Heroes
d10 Origin Seed d10 Origin Seed
1 Tragic Accident: There was a horrible accident caused by your powers, 1 Conjured: You were once a spirit, ghost, demon, or other being from another
and though you survived, other people (perhaps even people close to you) plane of existence. Through sorcery or science, you were dragged into this
did not. You carry with you the guilt from causing that accident and are world and given a corporeal form, making you mortal but leaving you with
constantly haunted by your memories of the tragedy. SE27: The Catastrophe many of your supernatural powers, which you now use in your life as a hero.
is a possible setting element that you can tie into your origin story.
2 Animal: You were a normal, everyday animal, going about your life as others of
2 Former Anti-Human Terrorist: Normal humans hate and fear you, so for a your kind do, when you were exposed to the same events that created another
while you decided to hate them right back, joining up with other pariahs and hero. Like that hero, you gained your powers, along with increased intelligence, and
forming an anti-human organization. You lived alongside these militant pariahs became a powered hero in your own right. You may or may not be able to speak
for a time, but eventually realized that the life of an extremist wasn’t for you. the languages of humanity, but you serve right alongside their heroes, even if they
You abandoned your former comrades, instead taking up the life of a hero to sometimes refer to you as a “wonder pet” or some other endearing moniker.
try to change the hearts and minds of those who you once railed against.
3 Cartoon: You are a cartoon character, an animated version of a well-known
3 Victim of Anti-Pariah Violence: You were caught by an angry mob, wounded hero from this world. You were drawn into this reality by some means,
in a bombing or shooting, or were otherwise the victim of a violent act that coming from another reality populated by other cartoons like yourself.
specifically targeted you or other pariahs in an act of bigotry and hate. Though Though you now adhere to the physics of this reality, you still retain some
you eventually recovered physically from the attack, the emotional wounds still of your cartoonish properties, including occasional genre-savvy quips.
remain, and you struggle with flashbacks every time some stimulus reminds
4 The Good Twin: You are the identical or fraternal twin of a powered villain,
you of the attack. NC02: The Celebrity Bigot and NC03: The Hateful Authority
someone who the world reviles but you call family. Choose a villain from
are possible setting elements that you can tie into your origin story.
your setting who had their powers (or the seeds of their powers) from birth,
4 Experimented Upon by the Government: You were caught up in a government or at least a very young age. Your origin story mirrors theirs, and you grew
program where you and other pariahs were test subjects in various physical and up together, sharing a childhood with a person who would go on to become
psychological experiments. For a time, you were a guinea pig, treated as less than a villain. Your origin story is intimately tied into that villain’s story, and you
human by the government that should have been protecting your rights. SE24: Pariah should build your origin story as an expansion of that villain’s origins.
Experiments is a possible setting element that you can tie into your origin story.
5 There Is Another: You have the same origin story as another hero, but where
5 Normal Life: You lived such a normal life that you didn’t even know you that hero was in the spotlight, you were in the background, overlooked by most
were a member of a controversial group, sheltered from prejudice by your people who witnessed the origin event. You are the other test subject in the
family. You are a wide-eyed innocent compared to other pariahs. government experiment, the person just out of frame who was also splashed
6 Cast Out: You once led a relatively normal life, but that all came crashing with radioactive waste, or the second child sent in an escape pod fleeing your
to a halt when you were cast out by those who cared for you. Perhaps dying home world. Choose another hero and write yourself into that hero’s
your family disowned you upon learning that you were a pariah, or the background, casting your origin as an expansion of that hero’s origin story.
people you called your friends and colleagues ended their relationships 6 Psychotic Break: You suffered some trauma or mental illness that resulted
with you when anti-pariah sentiment reached a heated peak. in a psychotic break. You lost touch with reality and fashioned yourself
7 Escaped Imprisonment: You were held captive for many years, and only into a hero as either a defense mechanism or as a result of believing you
became a hero once you escaped. You may have been unjustly jailed by have powers or some special origin, when in reality you may not.
bigoted small-town police or locked away in a basement by your hateful 7 International Version: You were made into a superhero by your home country as a
family. SE05: The Super Prison and NC03: The Hateful Authority are means of producing your peoples’ version of a popular hero from another country. You
possible setting elements that you can tie into your origin story. were created for propaganda, or perhaps just as a means of showing that your country
8 Rescued from the Streets: You lived on the streets for many years, homeless and is capable of producing great heroes, despite the fact that your power set, costume,
poor, with nowhere to call home and no one to rely on for aid. Eventually, you were and hero moniker are clearly riffs on those possessed by a hero from another country.
rescued from your impoverished life and given a place to live, food, and the stability 8 Public Domain Character: You come from another reality entirely, one where
you needed to eventually become a hero. SE17: The Hero Academy and NC04: The you had your own allies and enemies and had been a hero in your own right for
Team Mentor are possible setting elements that you can tie into your origin story. many years. Then suddenly, everything changed. You woke up in this reality,
9 God or Hero: Unlike other pariahs, you were not subject to the fear, hatred, finding that you suddenly had a history that seemed to stretch back to your
and bigotry that most of your kind faces on a daily basis. Instead, you lived in a earliest days as a hero. You have since encountered other versions of yourself
place far from the center of modern politics, such as in a third-world country or who claim to be from other realities, and have come to understand that your
in a deeply rural community. There, your incredible powers made you special, original reality was cannibalized and copied into many other realities.
someone to be lauded or perhaps even worshipped as a god or powerful spirit. 9 Fell Into the Comic World: You weren’t born in this world, but rather in the “real” world,
It was only when you left your community that you realized the prejudices faced where you read about this world in comic books. One day, you fell through a portal
by other pariahs. SE08: The War-Torn Nation and SE10: The Evil Dictatorship or were sucked into a comic book, only to emerge in this world. Finding yourself with
are possible setting elements that you can tie into your origin story. vast knowledge of the world from your previously omniscient perspective, you turned
0 Woke Up in the Hospital: Something very bad happened to you, but that knowledge to your advantage and began a successful career as a superhero.
you do not know what. You awoke one day in a hospital bed, recovering 0 Fourth-Wall-Breaker: You are a writer or artist who wrote yourself into a comic
from serious wounds or a deadly disease, completely unaware of what book, fashioning yourself into a hero in this world. Now, you fight alongside the
happened to you. In fact, you have no memory of your life before waking other heroes, yet you remain genre-savvy and frequently break the fourth wall by
up in the hospital, or perhaps only shadowy recollections and fragmented talking about comic book tropes and addressing an audience that may or may not
knowledge, leaving you with mysteries about your life before now. be there. Other heroes likely find you strange and may be concerned about your
mental health as a result of your frequent references to a world beyond this one.
 FOR THE NARRATOR
As the Narrator, you present your players with threats and conflicts and Interpreting the Situation
keep the session moving along smoothly. While running the game involves As the Narrator, you listen to what the players want to do, determine
managing a lot of things at once, a number of simple methods can help the right mechanics to use (if any), and then describe the outcome
you to run a fun, entertaining game set in your own comic book universe. of the attempt. In many cases, the scope of skills or powers and the
This section contains explanations of those methods, as well as advice wording of player abilities have intentionally been left vague and
on how to avoid some common pitfalls you might encounter while running open to interpretation. The game relies on the players to provide
the game. It also contains recommendations for ways you can make the the narrative context of scenes and events in the game, using their
game better fit the setting you create for your version of Spectaculars. characters’ aptitudes as they see fit. As a general guideline, if characters
attempt to use skills or powers to perform exciting, compelling, or
Work Smarter, Not Harder particularly in-genre feats, allow them to do so, even if their particular
To keep the game moving, share the responsibility to be creative with interpretation of a skill or power isn’t obvious. Err on the side of
the players. When a player asks, “Is there a restaurant in the city where saying “Yes” to your players and use advantage dice and challenge
the big organized crime family hangs out?” you respond, “Yes. Can you dice (see below) to reward or offset an unusual interpretation.
tell me the name of the place and what it looks like inside?” When a
player asks if there are any scientists in the super science lab who are Ask the Right Questions
sympathetic to the heroes’ cause, you say, “Sure. There’s one. What’s her It’s important to keep the flow of play grounded in the narrative, both
name, and why does she risk losing her job to help costumed heroes?” during conflict scenes and more abstract interlude scenes. Ask the
Not every player is going to be comfortable improvising, so be players questions about their goals, their methods, and their reactions
prepared to step in when necessary. If a player hesitates, appears during these scenes so the course of what happens becomes clear to
overwhelmed, or isn’t feeling particularly creative, you can pose the everyone. Encourage players to provide details that help everyone at the
question to the group of players as a whole. If you do need to come table picture how the scene plays out. Ask questions at these points:
up with the details yourself, go with whatever come to mind; you )) When players describe an interlude scene they are creating, ask for a
can always change those details later and inform the players. clear picture of the result they hope to achieve.
An entire comic book universe is enormous, and no Narrator can )) When players state that they want to use a skill or power, ask them to
reasonably be expected to learn every aspect of it. Instead of worrying describe what their characters do to warrant the use of that skill or
about the minor details, when you find yourself needing a name, a power. Ask for further details about how they are going to get what
character, a location, or a description, turn the question back on the they want out of a scene.
players and let them shape the details of the setting so you can focus )) When a player is being vague or doesn’t have a great idea of what
on the bigger picture. If the players create a compelling piece of the they want to accomplish, it’s okay to both ask for more details and
setting, be sure to add it to the Truths section of the relevant Setting invite other players to pitch in and help flesh out the scene.
Book page, or, in the case of characters, add it to the minor character )) When players succeed or fail on a physical attack, ask them to
roster in the back of the Setting Book for easy reference later. describe what the attack looked like.
)) When a character is knocked out of a conflict scene, ask the
players to describe how the character exits the scene in a way
that makes sense.

40
Keep Interludes Moving Handling Creative Uses of Powers
It’s easy for an interlude scene to consume a lot of game time. While The heroes’ powers are designed give the players the ability to describe
that’s not necessarily a bad thing (in some ways, it means that the attacks and effects with a high degree of freedom of creativity and
players are enjoying the scene so much that they want to continue), few restrictions. These powers have limitless possibilities, which can
it can slow down the momentum of the issue. If you feel that an be liberating for some players but paralyzing for others. When a player
interlude scene is going on too long, or if the other players at the struggles to come up with something to do, consider offering a suggestion
table have spent a long time disengaged from the action, refocus for how they can use one of their powers. Eventually, the players will
the scene on whatever the player stated was the original goal of the get the hang of utilizing their powers’ blank canvas of creativity.
scene. This should put the scene back on a path toward conclusion. A player might try to describe a use of a power that seems to circumvent
whole challenges with ease, or even the entire issue’s conflict. For
Encourage Teamwork example, a hero with the Time Manipulation power might decide to go
Spectaculars is not a game about being a costumed hero; back in time to when the villain was first turning to evil and stop them
it is about being a team of costumed heroes. As the Narrator, then. When this happens, remember that despite the player’s description,
you can do certain things to help remind the players that they a power’s effect is instantaneous unless it is made long-lasting, and
are a team that succeeds best when working together: even then the power lasts only until the end of the scene. Furthermore,
)) Encourage players to spend hero points to perform teamwork enemies have resistance just as the heroes do, which serves as an
maneuvers. Offer suggestions for how such maneuvers could work if abstract catch-all to protect them from harm. Even with a clever plan,
a player is struggling to come up with one. Remind them that adding an enemy is not defeated until the hero reduces their resistance to 0.
advantage dice to other heroes’ rolls is a great way to take down In extreme cases, if a player comes up with such a clever
villains faster, and spending hero points in this way does not require use of a power that it could circumvent the entire scenario,
them to take an action or place time tokens. as the Narrator you can simply state that such a use of the
)) Remind the heroes when they have powers that can be used on other power is beyond the scope of the hero’s capability.
players’ turns. At the start of the session, quickly glance over the
heroes’ powers, just so you know what they are capable of doing. AREA ATTACKS AND LONG-LASTING EFFECTS
)) Likewise, remind heroes about their team role benefits if they have Many powers allow the player to make the effect of that power long-
one that can be used to benefit the other heroes. lasting or turn it into an area attack. If a player describes a use of a
)) As the heroes take damage from villains’ attacks, remind the heroes power that seems like it should last for a while or that it should affect
that they can protect one another by playing tactically. Encourage multiple targets, but the power does not normally allow the player to
some heroes to focus on stopping the villains from attacking their do so, you can always determine that it becomes an area attack or
damaged allies. long-lasting anyway. When you do, have the player spend 1 hero point
( ), since they are using the power in an unconventional way.
MAINTAINING ENERGY FOR LARGE GROUPS
With large groups (those with five or six hero players), the time
between player turns can often be quite long, especially since each
additional hero in the group usually also means an extra turn for the
villains. With a group of that size, it’s important to keep players actively Attacks That Should Hit Multiple Minions
engaged in the scene when it isn’t their turn, since an unlucky deal of Generally, attacks are made against a single enemy. However, some attacks (usually
the initiative track could create even larger gaps between turns. area attacks, like explosions, clouds of poison, illusions, or lies and distractions likely
When the villain takes a turn, have them deliver some brief to deceive an entire group) just feel like they should take out multiple minions at once.
dialogue to one of the heroes whose turn is far off, and give that When a player makes such an attack, be generous in handing out advantage dice
hero’s player a chance to respond in turn. Spread villain attacks and consider having drawbacks not cancel advantages for that attack, to increase
the chances for the player to roll boons and take out multiple minions at once.
around, so that players who have not been engaged for a while get a
few moments in the spotlight; if such an attack misses, encourage
the player to describe what their hero did to avoid the attack.
 Recurring Nonhero Characters Retcons are an opportunity for players to make an impact on the
Heroes and villains might be the stars of your comic book universe, nature of the setting and its characters beyond the questions posed
but it’s the other Narrator-controlled characters who make it feel like by one of the pages of the Setting Book. They give players creative
a real, fully detailed setting. Look for opportunities to use characters agency and let them directly shape the setting. When a player uses
you and your players have created whenever it would not seem a continuity token to introduce a retcon, work with them to carefully
contrived—especially during interlude scenes, when your players word the information they add to the setting. Ideally, any new items
have time for dialogue and interaction. You can also periodically written in a Truths section have a greater impact than just affecting
integrate these characters into conflict scenes; nothing says that the current scene, and should be fodder for future stories and scenes.
the innocent bystanders described in a complication cannot include Adding information to the Truths section of a villain, minion, Setting
a named character your players have previously interacted with. Book page, or other key element has long-lasting repercussions
While some Narrator-controlled characters get full setting and fundamentally changes the nature of that setting element. That
element entries in the Setting Book, many of these characters will information should frequently come back into play in future issues.
be created as the needs of certain scenes dictate. If a character Both retcons and back issues should serve to give the heroes
catches some of your players’ interest or is a part of a particularly some advantage in their current scene, reveal some piece of
fun or memorable scene, record the relevant information about information that they might not otherwise have access to, or give
the character in the minor character logs at the back of the Setting them a resource that helps them accomplish some goal. What
Book. When you need a character to participate in a scene, flip they should not do is entirely obviate scenes or issues or eliminate
through these pages and select one that makes sense. challenges entirely. If a player attempts to use a continuity token in
Remember, recurring characters aren’t just familiar faces and references a way that seems more effective than intended, you can suggest an
to past issues; they are another avenue for reinforcing your setting’s alternative version of that use that is more in line with their intent.
themes and traits. When you create a character, use the choices that
you and your players made when developing “The Basics” pages of your IMPACT OF A RETCON OR BACK ISSUE FLASHBACK
Setting Book to inform that character. If you decided that costumed Ultimately, the Narrator decides how much impact the use of a
heroes and the media have a contentious relationship, create a bombastic continuity token has on a scene. If it is not obvious how the retcon or
media pundit whose ratings soar when they badmouth the heroes. back issue flashback impacts the story of the scene, encourage the
Later, when you reintroduce that character, you are simultaneously player who used the continuity token to elaborate on what they think
reminding your players of that very contentious relationship, in addition the expected impact would be. When it comes to determining any
to giving them another chance to interact with a known character. mechanical impact from the use of a continuity token, here are a few
examples of ways you can interpret the retcon or flashback’s effect:
Handling Retcons and Back Issues )) A hero (usually the hero who spent the continuity token) adds 2 to 4
Continuity tokens give players a chance to “break the fourth wall” and advantage dice to a roll they make during the scene.
exercise creative control over a scene by fully embracing the idea )) A villain adds 2 to 4 challenge dice to a roll they attempt
that the game they are playing is an ongoing comic series. When a during the scene.
player does so, lean into this premise. For a back issue flashback, )) A villain gains an additional weakness.
ask the player to name the other, fictional comic book series they are )) The player who used the continuity token learns the exact mechanics
flashing back to and use that as an opportunity to reference tropes of of the villain’s perks and weaknesses.
comics from other time periods. In describing a flashback to a comic )) A hero in the scene gains 2 to 4 hero points.
book from the 1990s, reference the collector’s craze and gimmicky )) A single attack deals no damage.
cover options, or the abundance of gritty, gun-toting “edgy” heroes. )) A player automatically succeeds on a roll they would make during an
Alternatively, in a flashback to a comic book from the 1970s, reference interlude scene.
the dark turns that many series took, including melodramatic covers
touting storylines featuring drug use or the deaths of characters.

42
Embrace the setting you Create notes on important events (including which villains appeared in the
The setting that you and the other players create is one of your most issue, the outcome of the issue, any significant events that occurred,
valuable tools as a Narrator. Not only will your players already be and which heroes received lasting repercussions or chose story
invested in the setting, since they helped create and shape it, but rewards), and a section where you can write down any references to
there is a certain degree of excitement that comes with knowing that fictional back issues your players made when spending continuity
during any given session, the players might make decisions that shape tokens. If you are playing through multiple series, alternating between
some aspect of the setting for the rest of the series, and even in other them from session to session, writing down these notes also helps
series. Given this, when crafting obstacles and scenes, you should you create a continuity timeline for your comic book universe.
frequently reference setting elements that the players have defined.
Not only does this allow the heroes to interact with familiar elements
of the setting, it also gives those setting elements more value, and
makes the players feel like the decisions they made were important.

DECADE, DETAILS, AND TONE

One of the first choices you make when building your setting is
the decade in which it takes place. In addition to providing you
with fodder for the details you can use when describing scenes
in your setting, it also serves a secondary purpose of pointing
toward genre tropes that you can weave into your group’s
ongoing narrative and helps you define the tone for your game.
If you have the inclination, familiarize yourself with the
historical details of the decade. Specifically, look for moments
of crisis, moments of great human achievement, and moments
that shifted the cultural landscape. Think about the impact they
had, and use those ideas to shape elements of the setting.
For example, in a game set during the 1960s—the height of
the Cold War between the US and the USSR, a time when the
Space Race became symbolic of the conflict between the
nations—consider creating villains who are themed around
space exploration and the technologies associated with it.
Similarly, the comics being published at the time should
serve as inspiration for the tone of the game as you run it.
If your setting comes from a decade where the Comics Code
Authority still holds sway, your game is likely to be tamer than,
say, a game set at the height of the Bronze Age. Though the Ages
of comic book publishing don’t perfectly line up with the decades,
you can decide from which Age your series draws its tropes.

USING THE PUBLICATION HISTORY

At the back of the Setting Book you will find several pages dedicated
to a Publication History. This is where you can chronicle how things
played out as your heroes work their way through the various series.
Each entry contains a space where you can write the series and issue
number for each issue you play through, a section where you can write
 The Opening Scene
RUNNING ISSUES Most issues open with a conflict scene. Usually, this is some event or
Once you have the issue you are going to play in hand, read
attack that draws the heroes away from their base of operations and
through it while the players select, create, and refamiliarize
into the action. It’s up to you to frame the opening of the issue in such
themselves with their heroes. You don’t have to read every word
a way that the heroes reasonably become aware of the impending
of the issue, but you should have a good idea about how the issue
conflict; this could be as simple as seeing a news broadcast.
flows and what the villains, if any, are trying to accomplish.
Opening scenes are a great place to lay out the stakes of the issue.
Pay special attention to places where the issue calls for Narrator-
If you see a good way to integrate a Narrator-controlled character
controlled characters, references team reputation tracks, or calls upon
from a past issue or a particular truth or element of your setting, do
specific lasting repercussions. Being prepared and familiar with the issues
so! Because the issues are designed with no foreknowledge about
helps you quickly answer questions and makes your setting feel more like
what makes your particular Spectaculars universe unique, it’s up to
a real comic book universe. Each of these elements serves as a callback to
the Narrator to weave in those elements whenever possible. Always
something that has happened in a previous issue, or provides a means of
keep an eye out for places where you can make specific, impactful
fitting the heroes into a world that is, at least partially, of their own creation.
references to things that have come before in your setting.
CHOOSING OR CREATING VILLAINS AND MINIONS
Most issues feature one or more villains who initiate and then
Interludes
Once the issue’s opening scene is complete, most issues then allow
drive the conflict. Many issues are preceded in their series pads by
opportunities for the hero players to lead the creation of interlude scenes.
several new villain sheets and minion sheets. In most cases, the
At the end of the opening scene, prompt the players into action; a simple
issue either instructs you to create new villains or minions (using
“What do you do?” often spurs them to start creating interlude scenes.
those sheets), or gives you the option of creating new villains or
An issue usually has some number of suggestions for things that
choosing an existing villain. When it comes to minions, most of the
the heroes can learn or do during interlude scenes. If the players
time the scenario calls for you to either create or use a specific
seem unsure of what to do next, offer small nudges toward these
type of minion, though you should always feel free to swap out the
suggestions to inspire the heroes to start moving toward the issue’s
recommended minions for another type of minions if it makes sense.
ultimate goal. Use a friendly character from a previous issue or an
Choosing an existing villain has a few advantages. First, it
allied organization to present this information to the players.
reduces the amount of time you need to prepare before you start
You may need to gently remind players from time to time about what
playing the issue. Additionally, that villain may already be familiar
they can gain or learn from interlude scenes. Additionally, it’s important to
to your hero players, giving them an emotional connection to the
instill in them both a sense of time pressure, if not urgency, and make them
conflict at hand. Lastly, like heroes, villains grow more powerful and
aware that though they may have had an early victory there is still work
more versatile the more times they appear in issues, making that
to be done to deal with the threat at hand. Reminders that there are still
villain a more compelling and dangerous threat than before.
villains on the loose, hostages to rescue, or stolen goods to track down give
If you want or need to create a new villain, start by drawing the
your players goals to aim for in their interludes: tracking the villain to their
recommended number of power cards from the Deck of Powers (all
lair, learning the location where the hostages are being kept, investigating
villains have instructions on their back on how to assign them). Then,
the crime scenes from which the goods were stolen, and so on.
with those powers in mind, answer the multiple-choice questions
on the front of the sheet. Having the villain’s potential powers on
How powerful are these heroes?
hand should inspire your answers to these questions. Once you’ve Spectaculars is designed to let players freely move heroes between series, but
answered all the questions, go ahead and choose your villain’s this can create some dissonance when comparing the apparent power levels
powers, perks, and weaknesses on the back of the sheet. of those heroes. For example, a cosmic powerhouse and a street-level vigilante
Minions are simpler to create than villains. After you’ve skimmed seem to have a stark disparity between the strengths of their powers. In order
over the issue and created or chosen your villains, start on the front of for these disparate heroes to play well together, Spectaculars assumes that all
heroes are equal in their effectiveness. As Narrator, you should encourage all
the minion sheet, answer the multiple-choice questions, then choose
hero players to scale the descriptions they use for their powers to fit the series
the minions’ mechanics by following the instructions on the back.
that they are playing. In this way, the strength of the heroes is more defined by
the nature of the series than by the series that their archetype comes from.

44
The Villain’s Plan/ AMBIGUOUS VILLAIN DEFEAT
The Sequence of Events When a villain is defeated, unless the method of their defeat is
After the opening scene ends, most issues are a bit more ambiguous completely unambiguous, feel free to describe their defeat in such a
as to where, when, and how the conclusion of the issue will play way that it allows for the villain’s fate to be a mystery. Use your best
out. Once the heroes have become aware of the threat, mystery, or judgment when creating such a description; in cases where it is
challenge standing in front of them, it’s up to the players to figure out very clear what the villain’s defeat means, players will feel cheated
how to deal with it. From the conclusion of the opening scene onward, of their victory if your description alters the expected outcome.
the players have total control over how their heroes proceed. Below are several suggestions for ways that you can leave
Of course, villains don’t just sit still while the heroes pursue their a villain’s fate in question, even if they were defeated.
investigations, and impending disasters don’t put themselves on )) The villain falls off of the edge of the building or into a body of water
hold while the heroes prepare for it. To represent this, most issues and their body is never found.
present a section called “The Villain’s Plan” or “The Sequence of )) The villain is revealed to be a robot, clone, simulacrum, or
Events” that details, story beat by story beat, how things progress other impostor.
in the world while the heroes engage in interlude scenes. )) The villain is mysteriously teleported or disintegrated.
Each high-level entry in the list has a check box () next to it; these )) An explosion obscures the heroes’ view of the villain for a moment,
boxes allow you to track the forward movement of time and events. and when the smoke clears they are gone.
Starting with the top-most entry with an empty box and proceeding )) A building collapses on the villain, yet no body is found once the
down, for each interlude scene any heroes participate in mark off one of rubble is cleared.
the boxes. If an entry has all the boxes next to it filled in, that part of the
sequence has been completed and events have moved on from there. Wrapping Up
This way, time passes as the heroes engage in scenes, and you always Once the final conflict scene ends, provide some closure to the
know the state of events and can frame subsequent scenes to match. issue, working with the players to describe what happens in the
immediate aftermath of the scene. Depending on the team’s
Additional Conflict Scenes government reputation, they might stick around waiting for
At some point, the heroes will make a decision that brings them into the authorities to arrive, or they may wish to make a hasty exit
direct conflict with the villain or the sequence of events. When this before the blame for the conflict can be pinned on them.
happens, create the conflict scene using the information presented Each issue contains a section that describes any relevant information
in the most current entry in this sequence. Most entries include you need to convey to the heroes, any lasting repercussions the heroes
specific information, including objectives, complications, enemy might gain, and any truths or changes to team reputation tracks you need
composition, and locations, that informs what happens in that scene. to make. Dispense this information to the players in a way that makes
sense in the context of what happened, and feel free to make adjustments
DEALING WITH HERO FAILURE to this section as fits your setting and the way events played out.
If the heroes are all defeated or otherwise fail to completely deal
with the conflict the issue sets up, you may need to create and run MULTI-ISSUE STORYLINES
additional conflict scenes to fully resolve the issue’s plot. If the If an issue is part of a multiple-issue story arc, its “Wrapping Up”
villain’s plan or the sequence of events had not been advanced section likely includes basic information that leads to the next issue.
all the way to its concluding point, you can simply have the failed
ADVANCING VILLAINS
conflict scene count as another moment of passing time. You can fill
At the end of every issue, advance the villain or villains as
in all remaining circles for the current entry and then create a new
described on the back side of their villain sheet. Even if the
conflict scene, framing it around the current step in the sequence.
villain died or was incarcerated, go ahead and fill out these
Alternatively, if the conflict took place at the end of the sequence,
advancements; you never know when, in a future issue, a villain
the heroes simply fail, which may have an effect on future issues.
might be released from jail or come back from the grave.
 REINFORCE THE BASICS OF YOUR SETTING
RUNNING INTERLUDE SCENES Think about “The Basics” section of your Setting Book and the
Interlude scenes give the hero players a way to drive the narrative for
answers you gave to the questions about the fundamental
a while. Since most comic book stories put the heroes in a reactive
nature of the setting. Use these answers to inspire obstacles;
position (responding to a threat that appears unexpectedly), it’s
doing so will help your players feel as though the setting they
important to give players the opportunity to help shape the story you
created has a real impact on the stories for their heroes.
are playing. Interludes provide one of the best ways to do that.
If some of your players have played the game before and you REFERENCE THE HERO’S LASTING REPERCUSSIONS
have heroes who already have aspirations and turmoils, start the If any hero has a lasting repercussion from a previous scene, draw
session by allowing each such player to create interludes dealing inspiration from it and directly reference it when presenting the
with either their aspirations or turmoils (see “Aspiration and Turmoil hero with an obstacle. Lasting repercussions are more than just
Interludes” on page 21). Generally, you run these scenes after you tags on the characters that future issues will reference; they also
have skimmed the issue and created or chosen your villains, so represent the impact that a hero’s past exploit had on them.
players have time to refamiliarize themselves with their heroes.
Each such interlude scene should be brief; aim to keep each scene’s USE NONHERO CHARACTERS
time below 5 minutes if possible. Since most such interludes feature Integrating previously introduced characters into an interlude scene is a
a single hero, the other players at the table will be sitting idle during great way to give players a sense of continuity with past issues. A recurring
these scenes, so you’ll want to get through them as quickly as possible character could directly stand in the hero’s way, or might simply be a
while still allowing them to have an impact on the hero and the world. distraction, coming to the hero to beg for help at an inopportune time.
Also remember that each such interlude represents time passing in
the story as well. Even if the players claim that their interludes take place When to Play It Out
at the same time, Spectaculars abstracts the passage of time such The Narrator gauges the mood around the table and adjusts the game
that there is no such thing as an interlude where time does not pass. to keep the players engaged. As the game proceeds, you decide
either to handle each interlude scene on an abstract level or to focus
Obstacles for Interlude Scenes in and describe what happens on a moment-to-moment basis.
Whenever a hero player creates an interlude scene, especially an If your players are strongly engaged in a scene, if they enjoy
aspiration and turmoil interlude scene, come up with one obstacle roleplaying dialogue and banter, or if every player at the table is involved
that the hero needs to deal with to accomplish the goal they set out to in the same scene, it’s okay to dedicate a little more table time to that
achieve. This obstacle doesn’t need to involve high stakes, but it should scene. Give the players opportunities to engage in dialogue with the
require the player to exercise some skill and creativity to overcome. Narrator-controlled characters, and encourage them to describe
Such obstacles are best when they provide more opportunities for the their actions in ways that allow the scene to play out naturally.
heroes to use the skills on their identities, as opposed to their powers. If your players begin to lose their engagement with the scene,
When creating an obstacle for a scene, start by asking yourself, “What are unaccustomed to in-character roleplaying, or if several players
could get in the way of the hero accomplishing their goal for the scene?” are not involved in the current scene, consider narrating the scene
This could be innate risk from something in the scene, resistance on quickly: use basic descriptions of the setup, roll necessary dice,
behalf of any characters the hero might interact with, or interference and then describe a quick resolution. Skipping past mundane
from a third party that threatens to throw a wrench in the hero’s plan. scenes keeps the players’ attention from drifting and allows the
In addition to the obstacle itself, consider other factors in the game to move on to a scene that engages the full team.
scene that could add advantage or challenge dice to the hero’s Your players’ preferences will become evident as you play. If your
roll, and describe those at the outset of the scene. Then, leave table is full of veteran roleplayers who love acting out every scene,
it up to the hero player to decide if they want to engage with by all means let them. If your players are more focused on moving
that element or simply go after their primary goal directly. things along and getting to the next conflict scene, that’s fine too.
The next section offers some suggestions for how to create obstacles Adjust the pace of scenes based on the desires of your players.
that reinforce the continuity of your setting and remind players of the
decisions they made when creating and playing in the setting.

46
 INHERENT COMPLICATIONS
CRAFTING CONFLICT SCENES Adding inherent complications to a scene not only helps make the
After the opening scene of an issue, the Narrator crafts most of
scene more tense by asking the heroes to divide their attention
the subsequent conflict scenes, using advice and mechanics
between their primary goal and the complication, it also provides
provided by the issue. Unlike the opening scene, these scenes
a much-needed source of additional hero points during the scene.
require you to fill in a lot of the details of the scene yourself.
Some questions you can ask to help create complications include:
The most important thing to remember about creating a good conflict
)) What is something in the scene that puts innocent
scene is that it should be full of opportunities for the heroes to make
bystanders in danger?
creative use of their powers. Make sure that the environment contains
)) What is something in the scene that threatens high amounts of
things that players can interact with creatively, and instill a real sense
property damage?
of risk and danger in the scene. Heroes and villains slugging it out in
)) What is something in the scene that the villain could use to escalate
empty, open arenas isn’t very interesting. The best comic book fight
the danger (triggering one of the Escalating Danger elements
scenes put the heroes and villains in situations where they improvise and
in your scene)?
react to unexpected situations. More than that, they require heroes to be
aware of the bystanders and infrastructure endangered by the battle. ESCALATING DANGER
Use the following template when crafting conflict scenes for the Sow the seeds of possible escalations early in the scene. Nothing
climactic moments of an issue. Take into account the general setting ramps up the tension like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.
of the scene provided by the issue, briefly sketch out a description of Then, if you later need to add more complications to the scene,
the location at which the scene occurs, and then add in the following: you already have something to expand on that makes sense in the
)) Two or more environmental elements that can be used by the heroes context of what the heroes have already seen. Some examples of
in creative ways (many issues offer suggestions for such elements in elements you can add that sow the seeds of later danger include:
entries labeled “Scene Details”) )) Something critical to the structural integrity of the setting is broken,
)) At least one complication frayed, thinned, or weakened in some way.
)) One means of escalating the danger in the scene )) Something keeping a major hazard contained or at bay is in danger
of breaking down.
ENVIRONMENTAL OPPORTUNITIES )) Something volatile has been placed in an area of danger.
Describing environmental elements does more than help the players
form a good mental picture of what is happening in the scene. Detailing
parts of the environment that can be opportunistically used during
Using the Deck of Complications
the conflict gives the players prompts for when they want to describe
There are two ways to use the Deck of Complications included with the game.
an attack and use the environment in an interesting or creative While running a conflict scene, you can keep the Deck of Complications at hand.
way. Some examples of environmental opportunities include: When the heroes roll two or more drawbacks ( ) on any roll, you can draw
)) Something big and heavy that can be picked up and three cards off of the top of the deck, and at your discretion pick one to introduce
thrown as a weapon into the scene. This is the mostly likely way that you will use the deck, as an aid
)) Something narrow but strong that could be wielded as an to help with improvisation and raising the stakes during moments of action.
impromptu melee weapon The other way to use the Deck of Complications is at the beginning of a
conflict scene you are crafting. Usually, the issue you are running will offer
)) A wall, bridge, or other structure that could be collapsed
suggestions for complications and objectives. However, if you wish to include
on top of someone more, or if there aren’t any complications suggested for the scene, or if you
)) Something that could be made to explode are creating your own issue (or improvising one), you can use the Deck of
)) Something hazardous (like a power line or a steam pipe) that could Complications as inspiration for the complications in that scene. Draw five cards
be broken and turned into an improvised weapon from the deck and look over them; if you don’t see any you like, draw five more
and repeat this process until you have enough complications for your scene.
You can also just skim through the entire deck, but drawing a small number
of cards might make it easier for your to choose one that fits your scene.
 Enemies Outside of Conflict Scenes
RUNNING ENEMIES Though enemies mostly appear in conflict scenes, you can use them
During a conflict scene, the Narrator controls all the enemies arrayed
as obstacles during interludes if you find a compelling reason why a
against the heroes. As the Narrator, you choose the enemies’ actions
known enemy would be involved. Generally, interludes don’t involve
and how they move, and roll all the dice for those enemies. Additionally,
fighting, so any appearance by an enemy in an interlude should make
you are responsible for deciding when to use any villain perks that
sense without the scene devolving into a battle. Heroes usually overcome
can be activated only at certain times. Beyond that, you breathe life
obstacles in interlude scenes with a single roll, and the same is true
into those enemies, giving them personalities and making them feel
when an enemy is the obstacle. This means you ignore the normal
like powerful adversaries that the heroes pity, hate, or resent.
rules for resistance or attacking squads of minions and treat their
The Narrator rarely rolls dice for enemies outside of conflicts;
interaction with the enemy as a normal check. This also means that
usually, the steps in the villain’s plan proceed apace until the
it is easier to justify the use of a single minion as an obstacle in the
heroes find a way to intervene. If there is some doubt about
scene, as opposed to an entire squad of minions, or even a villain.
whether an enemy should succeed on a task outside of a conflict
scene, use the following guidelines to determine the outcome: Daniel is playing Count Zero, a monster hunter with telekinesis and
)) Is the action inconsequential, or would failure be uninteresting? The super toughness. He is investigating the activity of a cult known as
enemy succeeds. the Legion of Disciples and decides to visit an occult bookstore in
)) Is the enemy such an expert in the action being attempted that it an old part of town, where he hopes to find out more about the cult’s
makes no sense for the enemy to fail? The enemy succeeds. dark aims. When he arrives, Count Zero discovers the obstacle to his
)) Is the attempted action within the enemy’s areas of expertise? Roll a success in the scene: a patron in the store who has the telltale signs
check with a 75% chance of success. of being mind-controlled by Lady Banshee, a villain who he has faced
)) If none of the above are true, roll a check with a 50% before. Count Zero needs to find a way to conduct his investigation
chance of success. without tipping off Lady Banshee to what he is doing, requiring him to
deal with the mind-controlled patron (a lone minion) in some way.
Enemies Attacking Heroes
If you do use a villain as an obstacle in an interlude scene, try to
The Narrator rolls percentile dice for enemies attacking heroes. If the
provide ways that a hero could reasonably deal with that villain without
attack succeeds, the hero takes damage as described on the enemy’s
resorting to violence. You might describe the obstacle in such a way
sheet. For most villains, the number you roll is also the amount of
that it makes it seem like sneaking past the villain is the right move, or
damage the villain inflicts on their target, the same as with hero attacks.
make it clear that the villain is best dealt with through intimidation, or
For minions, their primary attack determines their damage (usually
simply convincing them to give way to the hero. It is also easier to use
also the number rolled, but with a maximum amount of damage
villains as obstacles during interludes where the hero is in their civilian
determined by the number of minions remaining in that squad).
identity and the villain does not recognize the hero, since the hero has
Most attacks made by villains are physical attacks, usually involving
more incentive to seek nonviolent solutions to maintain their cover.
a power or weapon of some kind. In some cases, as with telepathic
Not every appearance of an enemy outside of a conflict scene needs
attacks or powers that induce strong emotions (such as fear), the villain
to be antagonistic. Maybe one of the heroes needs information, so
might make a mental attack against a hero, though this is more rare.
they go to the Super Prison to interrogate an incarcerated supervillain,
When an enemy hits a hero with an attack, the hero’s resistance is
or maybe they suspect the involvement of a supposedly reformed
reduced by an amount equal to the damage dealt by the attack. An
super criminal in an ongoing plot and they decide to pay the villain
enemy who reduces a hero to 0 resistance knocks the hero out of the
a visit to see what they know. Encourage scenes like this! They
scene; when this happens, you work with that hero’s player to craft an
provide lots of opportunities for you to flesh out the personalities
adequate explanation for why the hero is no longer involved in the scene.
and the histories of your villains without all the distractions inherent
in a conflict scene, and let your players engage in dialogue and
other interactions that might be forgotten once a battle begins.

48
Enemy Mechanics MINIONS
Enemies fall into two broad categories: villains and minions. Minions are enemies that appear in large numbers. They are
Both villains and minions have their own sheets in the usually faceless goons in a scene: a group of brutish monsters, a
series pads, allowing you to shape their narrative and their gang of hired thugs working for a villain, brainwashed members
mechanics to fit your setting and preferences. of a cult, and so forth. Minions group up into squads, and a squad
A standard villain is a threat that challenges the entire team has a size rating equal to the number of minions in that squad. A
at once. They usually take multiple turns during a conflict scene group of ten rampaging monster minions is a size 10 squad.
and have enough resistance to withstand attacks from all the A squad counts as a single opponent in a scene. Rather than
heroes while retaining a chance to accomplish their goal. Villains depleting resistance, any successful attack against the squad
often have multiple initiative cards. These villains are usually the reduces its size by 1. Additionally, if a player rolls any boons along
primary antagonists for an entire issue, and you can bring them with the attack roll, the player can reduce the squad’s size by 1 for
back again and again in future issues with little difficulty. each boon spent to do so. When a player character attacks a squad,
A major villain is an incredibly powerful threat, one that is capable the player should be encouraged to describe how he or she is taking
of unleashing untold devastation. Major villains usually appear only out one or more members of this group in a cinematic fashion.
in issues that specifically call for them, due to the fact that they are When you first create a type of minions, choose those minions’
tightly integrated into the plot of the issue. You shouldn’t substitute a primary method of attack, a perk, and a weakness.
major villain for a standard villain, since they are significantly more
powerful and are usually intended to be driven off but not truly defeated. Bring Villains Back from the Grave
They always have multiple initiative cards and have the potential Over the course of the series, many of the villains the heroes face will be
to overwhelm an entire team of heroes whenever they appear. incarcerated or, in some cases, killed or destroyed. When that happens,
A minor villain is usually grouped with other minor villains. Most that does not have to be the end of that villain’s presence in the series. If
of the time, a minor villain takes only a single turn during a round in a you want to have a villain who is incarcerated or dead appear in an issue,
conflict scene and is a good challenge for a single hero. When an issue you can have another person take up that villainous mantle, becoming that
calls for a standard villain, you can use a group of minor villains; for each villain. For example, if you have a villain in your campaign who is a wealthy
initiative card the issue would grant the villain, use one minor villain. but insane technology mogul whose villainous identity is based around a
Minions embody groups of enemies meant to oppose the mythical creature, the mogul’s son might take up the mantle of that villain
heroes en masse. They act in concert and are easily whittled in a future issue. You need not reveal the true identity or nature of the
down. They do not have resistance, and every attack against returned villain right away; figuring out how they can be facing off against a
a squad of minions reduces their number and potency. villain they already defeated will be a great mystery for the heroes to solve.
If you use this technique, use the same villain sheet for the villain, and
DEFEATING VILLAINS retain any perks earned by that villain across multiple appearances.
Villains have resistance, just as the heroes do. When a hero hits them
with an attack, reduce their current resistance by an amount equal to the Rebuild Villains
damage of that attack. When a villain is reduced to 0 resistance, they are When you create a new villain, you do not always have to create that
defeated. Describe the nature of their defeat in such a way that makes villain completely from scratch. Instead, from time to time consider
sense in the context of the scene and the attack that defeated them. using an existing villain as the base for the villain you are creating.
Minor villains, who often appear as a part of groups of villains, are a
Conflict scenes with many heroes good candidate for this technique. When creating a new villain, simply
Keep in mind that the more hero players you have, the more actions villains choose a minor villain who the heroes have encountered before, and
will take—actions that might happen back-to-back due to the luck of the that villain gets “upgraded” from minor villain to standard villain. Instead
deal on the initiative track. When you have a high number of heroes in a of drawing cards for the villain’s superpower, you simply use the power
scene (say, five or six hero players), have your villain spread their attacks
they already have, and answer all the questions on the villain sheet
around among the heroes to reduce the chances of a hero going from full
resistance to being knocked out of the scene in the span of a single round.
and choose perks and weaknesses that best fit that villain. You can
also do this with standard villains (rebuilding them as major villains).
 Reshape an Issue’s Structure
CUSTOMIZING YOUR CAMPAIGN Most issues are designed with the same general structure: the heroes
Spectaculars comes with dozens of different heroes, villains,
are presented with a problem, a danger, or a mystery (often in the form
scenarios, and setting elements that, while meant to help you flesh
of an opening conflict scene), then must pursue their own investigations
out your own comic book universe, are designed to be very broad and
or find ways to overcome obstacles before finally confronting the villain
easy to use regardless of the specific details of your campaign. The
or dealing with the imminent danger presented by that issue. This
downside to this approach, of course, is that the contents of the game
format is designed to get your players into the action quickly and usually
cannot be tailored to the tastes and history of your game group, or to
presents the challenges the heroes must deal with in straightforward
the specific details of your ever-evolving comic book universe. This
terms. This is useful in situations where you are playing the game on a
is part of the Narrator’s job in shaping the game for each group.
moment’s notice or have only sporadic gaming sessions. If your group
As the Narrator, you should always feel empowered to change
meets regularly and plays through one or more issues per session on a
anything about any villain, issue, or setting element to make it better
consistent basis, you may wish to alter the issue’s scenes to provide a
fit the expectations and needs of your group. Furthermore, you are
less structured flow that feels more natural in the way the story plays out.
encouraged to put as much effort as you would like into changing
Specific suggestions for ways to alter the issue’s flow
the issues and series pads as a whole to reflect the events of issues
to fit your group’s preferred play style include:
that your heroes play through. If the heroes fail to stop a villain from
)) Ignore or reduce the division between interlude scenes. Don’t worry
destroying a building in one issue, and a later issue calls for something
so much about when one scene ends and another begins, and just
to happen at that building, adapt the issue to take this change into
describe the heroes moving from place to place and time passing
account. The events of your campaign should always supersede the
naturally. For the purposes of “The Villain’s Plan” or ”The Sequence
descriptions found in the series pads, and your players will enjoy
of Events,” just check off progress on those tracks whenever you feel
the game more if they feel as though the campaign reflects their
like a significant amount of time has passed.
actions, instead of their actions being dictated by the game.
)) Delay the opening scene. After the heroes have crafted aspiration
When reading over an issue before the session, keep the heroes’
and turmoil scenes, instead of launching right into the issue’s
histories, identities, aspirations, turmoils, lasting repercussions, and
opening scene (if there is one) you can have the heroes come
relationships in mind, and look for opportunities to change the shape
together and spend some time just interacting with one another
of the issue to integrate them. If you see a place where a small change
in their hero identities. If things slow down, you can introduce the
can make a conflict more personal to a hero, call back to the events
events that would otherwise kick off the issue’s opening scene.
of a previous issue, or reintroduce one of the setting elements your
players defined in a previous session, by all means make the change! Embracing Story Rewards
As your players make story reward selections for their heroes, they
WHEN THINGS GO REALLY FAR AFIELD
may make choices that have an impact beyond their hero, affecting
It’s entirely possible that events could take such a drastic turn during the
major setting elements. This is the desired result! If a player makes a
play of an issue that the rest of the issue, or even subsequent issues,
choice that drastically alters a character, place, or organization, roll with
don’t make sense. If this happens, try to roll with it. Though it might
it. Make the necessary alterations to pages in the Setting Book, and
mean that you have to craft some scenes without a lot of guidance from
integrate the changes into future issues. To put it another way: it’s okay
the issue, or even create an entirely new issue of your own, it’s better
to make plans for things you want to integrate into future issues, but
for the players to feel like they have control over the way their heroes’
hold onto those plans loosely. You never know when your players might
stories play out than to feel railroaded down a predetermined campaign
choose story rewards that don’t mesh with those plans, and you want
path. See “Improvising an Issue” on page 55 for suggestions on how to
your players to feel like they have agency in the shaping of the world.
handle an unexpected major twist in the story created by your players.
One great way to make sure their story reward choices feel
Eventually, you should find opportunities to realign the heroes’
important is to constantly reference them in the context of the game:
stories with the path laid out in the series pad. If you frequently change
an offhanded comment by a minor character about the hero’s new
players or Narrators, make sure that you make adequate notes (usually
costume, a description of the city skyline featuring the heroes’ new
in the form of adding Truths to setting elements and villains) so that
headquarters, or replacing a faceless background character with a
someone else can continue to explore the same story threads.
minor character related to a hero’s story reward can go a long way.
50
 Many retirement rewards (which cause a hero to exit the world of Use Content from a Different Series
heroes and villains, often permanently) offer ample opportunities for Though each series plays out like its own, self-contained story,
compelling moments. One of the most obvious examples of this is Spectaculars is a game about creating an entire comic book universe.
the death of the hero. The player might decide that the way their hero As the Narrator, it’s your job to remind the players that there is a lot
retires is by going out in a blaze of glory. When a player relays this more going on in their setting than the world right in front of them.
to you, start thinking about ways to help set up a heroic, and tragic, From time to time, you may wish to introduce elements from
moment during the session. It’s your job to help the player achieve other series as a reminder of the interconnected nature of the
the impact of the story reward they have chosen, so try to find a setting. Though the villains are often thematically tied to the series
moment when their decision will pay off in the most satisfying way. they appear in, feel free to bring in another villain when there is a
plausible explanation for that villain’s involvement. This also has
INTRODUCING RESOLVED ASPIRATIONS & TURMOILS INTO ISSUES the added benefit of advancing that villain, making the villain a
From time to time, heroes will change their aspirations and turmoils, little more capable the next time the heroes face the villain.
usually as a result of choosing a particular story reward. Changing Along similar lines, when starting a new series or forming a new team,
aspirations and turmoils means that they are no longer relevant to you can encourage one or more of your players to choose an existing
that hero’s life. Of course, why they are no longer relevant is a question hero for the team instead of creating a new one. Alternatively, if there is an
that you may wish to answer in-game. Whenever a hero changes archetype from another series that has not yet been used to create a hero,
their aspiration or turmoil, look over the next issue and see if there are encourage one of your players to use that archetype for their new hero,
any opportunities to tie that change into the conflicts of the issue. to add some connection to the other pad to the series you are playing.
When a hero changes their aspiration, it probably means they either
achieved what they were reaching for, or it somehow moved completely Use the Tools the Game Gives You
out of the hero’s reach. If they achieved their goal (often reflected by the The series pads included with the game make use of several tools that
story reward they chose), you usually don’t need to work that success you can also use to help manage the impact that your players have on
into the issue. If the goal moved out of the hero’s reach, describing the the setting, and the feedback they receive from the setting in turn.
reason could be fodder for a compelling scene or obstacle. For example, )) Reputation Tracks: Frequently reference the team’s reputation
if a hero had an aspiration to graduate from college as valedictorian, you tracks when deciding on the reactions and attitudes of nonhero
might introduce an obstacle in that hero’s next aspiration or turmoil scene characters. Many issues modify these reputation tracks based
that has them being expelled from their university for some reason. on hero actions, and they can provide you with guidance to help
Likewise, changing turmoils either represents a turmoil’s internal determine how an individual character would view the heroes.
conflict being resolved in a way that is a relief to the hero, or it means Likewise, you can hand out modifications to these reputation tracks
that something tragic happens, causing that part of the hero’s life to as you see fit, even if the issue doesn’t specifically call for it, based
become irreparably devastated. A hero changing their turmoil is a great on your interpretation of the results of the heroes’ actions.
opportunity to raise the stakes in the scene, since the prospect of a turmoil )) Lasting Repercussions: Lasting repercussions are short phrases
being no longer relevant introduces an easy avenue for truly life-or-death that communicate how a hero has been affected by the events of
situations. For example, if a hero had a turmoil that described the hero an issue. Feel free to craft obstacles and complications based on a
struggling to maintain a romantic relationship with a fellow student, hero’s lasting repercussions; this will emphasize the hero’s history.
you could put that romantic partner in danger during the final conflict Similarly, you can invent new lasting repercussions as you see fit.
scene of the next issue, treating rescuing them as a critical complication. This is best done as a way of making it easy to repeatedly reference
Even if the hero succeeds in rescuing their romantic interest, being in some important event that the hero participated in.
danger might just be too much for that person to handle, causing them )) Truths: When something feels like it should be impactful but there’s
to move to another city to escape the memories of their time in peril. no clear way for you to represent that mechanically, you can always
Heroes are defined by their triumphs and tragedies. Outside of the add a short sentence to the Truths box of a hero, villain, or setting
specific conflicts of the issues themselves, resolving aspirations and element. These are free-form ways of modifying the setting, and even
turmoils in-game provides a great opportunity to give texture to the heroes. if they are only used for roleplaying purposes they still remind the
player that their past adventures had a lasting impact.

51
 CREATING YOUR OWN ISSUES
As your group plays through the series included with Spectaculars, THE VILLAIN’S PLAN
you will undoubtedly find opportunities to veer away from the If a villain with a plan is the core struggle of your issue,
path laid out in those issues. You may want to create your own you can answer the following questions to provide
issues, either for play by your group or to share with others. On the inspiration for filling out the details of the issue.
following pages, you’ll find advice for crafting issues in the same What does the villain want? The villain’s goal should always be at the
vein as those presented in the series included with the game. forefront of the conflict. Each step in the villain’s plan must bring them
closer to their goal, and each decision the villain makes should either favor
The Core Struggle pursuit of the goal or be something that the villain would do to eliminate
The heart of every issue is some struggle that the heroes must an obstacle standing in the way of achieving that goal. Decide why the
engage in, something dangerous and exciting and threatening to villain wants that thing, and to what lengths they are willing to go to gain it.
the peace and prosperity of the world that they protect. Every issue What (overly) elaborate scheme must the villain pursue? You
is about something, and that something is the core struggle. should concoct an elaborate scheme that your villain is trying to
In most cases, the core struggle is obvious: the fight against a complete, full of mad science or clever crimes or dark magic or epic
villain. When a clear antagonist with a diabolical plan for the perfect threats. Plot out each step of the plan; you want to have between three
crime or world domination stands at the center of your issue, the and five distinct steps, if possible. Each of these becomes an entry
heroes’ general course of action is clear: stop the villain. In other in the “The Villain’s Plan” section of your scenario. Next to the header
cases, the threat might not be as clear to the heroes, nor is how to for each entry, write one to three check boxes (), representing how
proceed. When creating your own issues, your job is to come up long this step takes; longer steps should take more check boxes.
with a core struggle that the heroes can react to, creatively pursue, The first step of the plan can serve as the basis of the opening
and use their powers, skills, bravery and intellect to overcome. scene. Or, if you don’t want to put your villain in danger right away,
Some examples of the most common core struggles include: the opening scene could be a distraction, or some auxiliary goal
)) Stopping a villain from enacting a dastardly plan of the villain’s, that makes the heroes aware of the danger.
)) Hunt down a villain before they can strike again What are at least three physical locations where the heroes
)) Stop a disaster (natural or otherwise) from harming the city could attempt to foil that plan? These locations will become the
)) Investigate a mystery surrounding a hidden threat possible locations for the opening scene of the issue, and for the final
)) Defend a person, place, or object against those that would harm it showdowns with the villain. When coming up with these locations,
)) Rescue someone or retrieve a stolen object think about locations that have lots of opportunity for heroes to use the
)) Escape a dangerous situation and get back to safety environment in creative ways, and locations that are filled with potential
Figuring out the core struggle of your issue is often the most complications the heroes need to deal with. Featureless deserts and
challenging part of creating an issue; once you have that, the details empty parking lots aren’t usually very compelling sites for a showdown,
will fall into place. It is often best to put the heroes entirely out of your so look for places with inherent fragility or danger: atop a skyscraper, on a
mind when coming up with your core struggle, and instead focus on towering bridge over a river, or in the heart of a hydroelectric power plant.
the bad things that could happen if the heroes don’t intervene. For each of the steps in the villain’s plan (which you should
There are two primary ways for you to represent this struggle: have already detailed, per the steps above), assign one of these
the villain’s plan, or a sequence of events. In each case, you are locations to that step, so you know where the clash will occur
plotting out a series of narrative beats that represent what is should the heroes intervene at that point in the issue’s progress.
happening behind the scenes, invisible to the heroes but still
moving forward whether the heroes interact with them or not.

52
THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
If the core struggle for your issue is a sequence of events,
DESIGNING CONFLICT SCENES
This section provides guidance for creating conflict scenes for your
you can answer the following questions to provide
issues with the same level of detail as those presented in the series.
inspiration for filling out the details of the issue.
Who or what is driving the events forward? Without a villain
taking action, heedless of the heroes’ intervention, your core conflict
Enemies
Below are some guidelines for how many and what types of enemies to
needs some means of moving forward. Typically, plots involving
include in a typical conflict scene. These are only general guidelines, and
a sequence of events as the core struggle progress either due to
many of the conflict scenes in the series included with Spectaculars do
the heroes’ actions, or simply through the passage of time.
not adhere to these configurations. The best way to know if you have the
Usually, situations where the heroes’ actions are what causes the
right configuration of enemies for the challenge and duration that you want
struggle to progress involve obstacles that are placed before the
for the scene is to playtest it a few times and see if it meets your goals.
heroes that they then need to overcome. For example, the heroes
The most common configurations of enemies in conflict scenes include:
might be crossing a dangerous landscape littered with hazards
)) For a short and low-challenge conflict scene featuring only
before reaching their final destination, or searching for clues to
minions, include a single squad of minions of a size equal to 2 × the
a mystery that only unravels once they have all the pieces of the
number of heroes.
puzzle on-hand. In these kinds of issues, the heroes may or may
)) For a conflict scene of moderate length and difficulty, the most
not be racing against the clock to overcome these obstacles.
common combinations are:
In other situations, the progressions of the sequence of events might
** A single squad of minions of a size equal to 2 × the number of
be totally outside of the heroes’ control. For example, a natural disaster,
heroes, plus two minor villains with a single initiative card per
once set in motion, will inevitably come to its destructive conclusion, and
villain and 100 resistance each. If you are including a minor villain
the only question is at what point do the heroes attempt to intervene.
who does not have their own villain sheet (such as minor villains
These kinds of struggles are usually best when there is some force of
who are more powerful, but still faceless, henchmen), also be sure
nature, unnatural hazard, or other uncontrolled threat on an inevitable
to include information on their attacks and chances of success.
collision course with people or places the heroes care about.
** A group of minor villains, with initiative cards
What are three locations that would be threatened by the events?
equal to the number of heroes.
Determine the order in which those locations would be threatened.
** A single villain, with initiative cards equal to the number of heroes.
The first location becomes the opening scene. If the heroes are racing
)) For a conflict scene of greater length and difficulty (typically a
against the clock, the remaining steps each become an entry in the “The
climactic scene of a multi-issue story arc), the most common
Sequence of Events” section of your scenario. Next to the header for each
combinations are:
entry, write one to three check boxes (), representing how long this step
** A single villain, with initiative cards equal to the
takes; longer steps should take more check boxes. If there are simply
number of heroes, plus two squads of minions each
some number of obstacles the heroes need to overcome before reaching
of a size equal to 2 × the number of heroes.
the issue’s concluding scene, you do not need to track the passage of
** A group of minor villains, with initiative cards equal
time; the heroes will always progress toward a fixed climactic scene.
to the number of heroes, plus two squads of minions
THE OPENING SCENE of a size equal to 2 × the number of heroes.
Each issue begins with a suggestion for an opening scene, which is usually ** A single major villain, with initiative cards
a conflict scene. For your opening scene, keep in mind these goals: equal to the number of heroes.
)) The scene should lead the heroes to the core struggle.
HOW DOES THE SCENE END?
)) The scene should introduce the villain(s), even if they are not present
The most common way for the scene to end is with the defeat of all
in the scene (though their henchmen might be).
enemies. However, if you include an objective in the scene, the scene
)) The scene should leave the heroes with some obvious questions and
might end when the objective is completed. Be sure to describe how
a sense of urgency that drives them to act.
the scene ends, as a reminder of when to draw things to a conclusion.
)) The scene should give the heroes a chance to use their powers.
Objectives Scene Details
Objectives provide an alternative conclusion or escalation point Most opening scenes include an entry for scene details. This is a place
for the scene. Instead of a scene ending or changing when all the where you can list a small number of details, described such that the
heroes or villains are defeated, an objective lets you create end or Narrator can pepper them throughout their description of the scene. In
escalation conditions that rely on players or villains taking specific general, when creating these details, focus on two main types of details:
actions. Add an objective to a scene under the following conditions: )) Details that provide the Narrator with atmospheric elements
)) There is something the villain wants to accomplish, or the heroes designed to help immerse the players in the scene.
need to accomplish, in order for the scene to reach a conclusion or )) Details that describe environmental elements and objects
for the scene to change in some significant way. that the heroes can use when improvising creative attacks
)) That thing requires multiple actions across multiple using their powers.
turns to accomplish.
)) That thing is involved enough that a character needs to devote Escalation
their full attention (i.e. action) on their turn in order to move Each scene can optionally include an escalation entry, which raises
closer to completion. the stakes in the scene while fundamentally transforming it in some
If the objective is for the bad guys only, it is an enemy way. Usually, an escalation entry describes what happens if the heroes
complication. If the objective could be progressed by both fail to stop the villains from completing an objective, but the scene
the heroes and their enemies, and the two sides are racing to continues. The stakes get raised, the situation gets more dangerous, and
complete the objective first, it is an opposed objective. something momentous, cinematic, or catastrophic happens. Escalation
The number of successful actions require to complete the objective entries can introduce new objectives, enemies, or complications,
varies, depending on how important the scene should be. For opening and may also change the conditions under which the scene ends.
scenes or scenes of lesser consequence, three successful actions Escalation entries are also a good way to give the heroes a second
should be enough to complete the objective. For climactic scenes, chance, which can be especially useful in scenes with objectives that
five successful actions should be enough to complete the objective. only require three successes to complete. A bad turn of the initiative
If you want more than one hero working toward that objective at cards could put success out of the heroes’ reach, and an escalation
a time, add two more to the number of required successes. moment allows them to recover and rally to pull victory from the jaws
of defeat. They also serve as a great place to introduce awe-inspiring
Complications spectacles or fundamental changes to the scene or even the setting as
Complications help ensure that your conflict scenes aren’t just wall- a whole: the collapse of a major landmark, the destruction of the heroes’
to-wall slugfests with the heroes repeatedly attacking the villains vehicle or home base, or the kidnapping of a major nonhero character.
and vice-versa. You can either make up your own complications,
or draw cards from the Deck of Complications until you find one Rounding out the scene
or more complications that suits your scene. Usually, you should Beyond the above suggestions, here are a few things you can include to
consider adding one to two complications to any given scene, since better tie your issue into a larger series or campaign, and to help players
they are a critical source of hero points during conflict scenes. feel like the issue is a seamless part of their heroes’ ongoing stories.
If the complication is such that destruction or death is inevitable
without the heroes’ intervention, make it a critical complication. REFERENCE TEAM REPUTATION
Since a team’s reputation tracks fluctuate based on hero actions,
HAZARDS AND EVENTS try to find one or more places where one of those reputation tracks
If there is something in the scene that happens with some regularity can affect the scenario, either positively or negatively. This helps
but is not within the control of either the heroes or the villains, reinforce that the heroes’ actions have long-term consequences.
consider adding a hazard or an event to the scene. If the thing that
keeps happening is dangerous to the heroes, treat it as a hazard. If REFERENCE LASTING REPERCUSSIONS
it merely changes some aspect of the scene, treat it as an event. If there is a good place to do so, consider having a lasting repercussion
affect the scenario in some way. If a hero participating in that scenario
should benefit, or be harmed by, the effects of a lasting repercussion, or if
the presence of a hero with a certain lasting repercussion would affect a
scene or a villain in some way, reference that lasting repercussion here. WRAPPING UP
For an issue intended for play by a more experienced group, In the “Wrapping Up” section at the conclusion of the
especially one that has played through some number of issues from adventure, consider including the following elements to help
more than one series, consider referencing a lasting repercussion weave your issue into the larger setting and series.
from another series entirely. This reinforces the interconnectedness )) If some event in the issue should leave its mark on a hero, and this
of the various series and helps make your comic book universe mark is something that could affect the hero in a future issue, have
seem more like those found in real comic book imprints. the issue grant a lasting repercussion. You can make up one of your
own or use one you find in another issue.
INTERLUDE SCENES )) If there are any issue-wide goals or actions that could affect how
the heroes are perceived by the public, by the government, or by the
After the opening scene, usually the heroes have an opportunity to
engage in interlude scenes, which gives them some agency over media, include an adjustment to the relevant reputation track here.
how to address the villain’s plan or impending disaster. Having set the )) If there is a setting element that it would be appropriate to introduce
heroes on the track toward the issue’s struggle, now is the time when at the conclusion of the issue, you can reference it in this section; if
you should pull back and give the heroes the freedom to choose how the players have not yet described that setting element, they will do
they proceed. You can still offer suggestions for avenues the heroes so once they finish playing through the issue.
might pursue, in the “What the Heroes Can Learn or Do” section.
Point toward the danger. Ultimately, these interlude scenes should IMPROVISING AN ISSUE
point the heroes toward the core struggle at the heart of the issue. While the preceding guidelines will help you create an issue in the
Offer suggested avenues of investigation that can lead the heroes to same fashion as those included in the series pads, if you don’t have
one of the steps in “The Villain’s Plan” or “The Sequence of Events.” any chance to prepare in advance you can always run an issue where
Clever players who hit upon one of these topics should feel good about you improvise the plot and scenes as you go along. Here’s a brief
discovering a clue that leads them directly to the confrontation with the step-by-step method you can use to create the skeleton of an issue
villain, so it’s perfectly acceptable for one of these suggested interlude in just a few moments, which you can flesh out more as you play.
scenes to lead the heroes directly to the villain. Even if this is the first
STEP 1: PICK A VILLAIN
avenue the heroes pursue, they may hold off on chasing down the
Choose a villain from your existing roster of villains to be the source
villain or intervening in the hazard until they have more information.
of the issue’s core struggle. If you are improvising an issue, it’s
Let the heroes learn about the scenario. There are a lot of
easier to use a familiar villain instead of trying to create a new one.
details that, while described in the issue itself, become invisible to
Try to pick a villain with obvious or associated henchmen.
the heroes in the heat of the conflict. Give opportunities for heroes
to learn more about the history and nature of people, places, events, STEP 2: PUT SOMEONE, SOMETHING, OR SOME PLACE IN DANGER
and other major elements of the plot. This is also a great way to let the To create your opening scene, pick a place, a person, or a valuable
heroes learn more about villains, their capabilities, and their histories, object in danger from the villain’s henchmen. Pick an interesting
which are difficult to integrate into fast-moving conflict scenes. location with lots of bystanders and fun things for the heroes to
Draw upon setting elements. Though you need not go overboard with use in a fight. Decide why the villain’s henchmen attack this site:
them, references to the setting elements from the Setting Book provide as a distraction; as a test of their technology, their magic, or their
mid-session opportunities to use, or even define, major parts of the setting. plan; as a means of taking out an obstacle to the villain’s plan; or
as a means of obtaining something necessary for their plan.
Multi-issue story arcs
Though most issues are designed to stand alone, you can design multi-
STEP 3: SKETCH OUT A THREE-STEP PLAN
issue story arcs using most of the same techniques you would use for a
Figure out what the villain wants: ransom, destruction, loot, some
single-issue story. When creating issues that are part of a larger arc:
object of power, a person’s death, fame, or changing the landscape
)) Your “Wrapping Up” section(s) can point to the next issue in the arc, if one exists. in some way. Sketch out three basic steps the villain will take to
)) You should make the heroes aware of the arc’s ultimate villain before the final issue. achieve that goal, each one dependent on the previous step.
)) Try to provide more opportunities for player-led interlude scenes across all issues.
 CREATING YOUR OWN SERIES
Just as you might wish to create your own individual issues, you can
create entire series for your own Spectaculars game, or to share with PLOT OUT THE ISSUES
other people. Once you know how to create your own issues, creating a Once you know what the major themes and elements of your series
series is relatively easy. For the most part, the story of a series plays out will be, it’s time to start plotting out the issues themselves. Usually, you
over the course of about a dozen issues, so most of your work involves approach this just like you would if you were plotting out a comic series
charting out the flow of the series’s story, where major plot beats will occur, with a dozen issues. You want your series to build to an exciting climax
and how the events of that series will impact your setting as a whole. that rests on top of story beats you introduced earlier in the series, and
The first step to creating a series is to figure out what it is going to be you want the series’s story to unravel slowly over its full course, so that
about. This could be something as simple as picking a genre of superhero the heroes don’t get overwhelmed by the intensity of the story.
comics to emulate, or it could be your personal take on a comic book story If it’s likely that the players who will be playing through this series will be
arc that you are particularly fond of. Each of the series included with the making entirely new heroes, it’s usually a good idea to start off the series
Spectaculars game takes the genre-emulating route, but your series could with one or two one-off issues designed to give players a chance to get
be a riff on a classic comic book event or series: the death and return of a a handle on their heroes or get more comfortable with the game as a
beloved hero, the struggle against a major villain who wants to reshape all whole. These one-offs will often include the seeds of later plot-advancing
reality with a snap of the fingers, or an ideological war between two groups issues and are also a good place to introduce the players to some of the
of superheroes. Your goal is to come up with a short statement that clearly setting elements that are going to be important throughout the series.
defines what your series is going to be about, which will help you establish Next, you should figure out roughly four major beats for the larger plot
the tone and start identifying important tropes that you’ll want to include. of the series. Usually these beats involve: the introduction of the core
Next, go through the Setting Book and identify any setting elements and conflict of the series, a chance for the heroes to make their impact on
major characters that you think should be important to the story of your that conflict, something that raises the stakes, and a climactic resolution.
series, and jot those down. Later, when you are plotting out your series Each of these story beats should be told through a plot-advancing issue
or crafting the individual issues, you can refer back to this list. You don’t or a major story arc; the climactic resolution should be a major story
necessarily want to include every setting element in your series, but instead arc that encompasses the final two or three issues of the series.
bring the players’ focus onto a small number of them, allowing those setting Between those major story beats, sprinkle in a few one-off issues.
elements to be major influences on the way that your heroes perceive These issues give a chance for the heroes to be heroes without
the story of the series. To put it another way, just as some heroes take feeling like their every action is being judged on the scale of the
the spotlight from time to time, a series is a good opportunity for a small entire series, and keep the series from feeling too plot-heavy.
number of your setting elements to take the spotlight in your setting.
The last major thing you’ll want to start thinking about is how your setting will
Plot-advancing Issues
A plot-advancing issue is a single issue that directly ties into the overarching
be changed by this series. Not every change made by the events of this series
plot of the series. Standalone issues that advance the plot are a good place
needs to be world-shaking, but they should be world-shaping. You can use
to introduce a villain, group of minions, setting element, or major Narrator
a series you design to give the players a chance to define a setting element
character for the first time in the series. The focus of the entire issue can be on
they have not yet defined, or to give the heroes more chances to interact with
introducing that important element of the series, giving it the spotlight time it
a major Narrator character. The climactic issues of the series included in the
needs without getting lost in the story of a multi-issue arc. Additionally, plot-
Spectaculars game usually include the possibility that a setting element or
advancing issues are a good place to introduce lasting repercussions that will
major Narrator character could be changed in some way, or even destroyed.
pay off in later issues, or simply a place where you can remind the heroes about
Thinking about how your series is going to leave the setting changed will
something from an earlier issue that will be important in the climactic arc.
help assure that the players feel there are real stakes to be played for.
56
The Notecard Technique
One method you can use for creating a new series is the notecard technique. This
VILLAIN AND MINION SHEETS
If you are creating your series just for your personal use, you can always use
is the technique that the designers of this game used to create the issues included
in its series, and it can make plotting out a series a little easier to manage.
existing minions and villains (either ones you have already created for other
First, you get a stack of notecards or sticky notes, or some other small pieces series, or villain archetypes you have not yet used but will create during the
of paper to write on, along with several different-colored pens or markers. Assign course of playing through this series). For a series meant for other people to
a color to each of the following: setting elements and major Narrator characters, run, you probably want to include some new minion and villain sheets that
villains (either specific villains, or just archetypes of villains), issues (or, more other Narrators can use to create their own villains. If you want to create entirely
accurately, ideas for the core conflicts in an issue), and flourishes (representing new villain or minion types for your series, you can follow these basic steps:
things like new hero archetypes and team rosters). Next, just brainstorm things
)) Come up with a name for this type of villain or minion, usually one or
that you think you would like to see appear in the series. Write those things on your
notecards in the appropriate color, jotting down the ideas as they come to you.
two words that distills the essence of that enemy’s themes, motifs, and
Don’t think too hard about this part, and instead let your instincts and knowledge capabilities down to an easily understandable phrase. Look at the existing
of comic book heroes provide you with inspiration. When you are done, you should villain and minion sheets for some examples of how they are named.
have a stack of cards containing all the elements necessary to create a series. )) Create multiple-choice questions (three for villains, four for minions) and
Spread all those notecards out on a table. Then, start looking for connections. their answers that describe the nature of the enemy. Each question should
Look for villains who would go well with issue ideas. Look for issue ideas that could be something that provokes the Narrator to come up with details about
be grouped together to form multi-issue story arcs. Look for setting elements
the villain’s or minions’ history, motivations, motifs, or capabilities. When
and major Narrator characters that would work well in the context of one of your
issue ideas. Each time you find a good connection, put those notecards together.
crafting the suggested answers, think about the bad guys from popular
Each of those small stacks represents a single issue or a multi-issue story arc. comics that might fit your villain or minion archetype, and create answers
Then, start arranging these smaller stacks into a line, representing the that would be the ones you would choose if you were creating them.
progression through the series. Identify single issues that can be plot-advancing )) Comb through the other villain and minion sheets and pick out perks
issues, and then arrange them and the multi-issue story arcs so that they and weaknesses that would fit this villain or minion type. Again, a good
create a string of story beats culminating in the climactic arc. Any remaining technique is to pick out perks and weaknesses that you would choose
issues can then be scattered between these issues, acting as the one-offs for
if you were trying to create a specific villain or group of bad guys
pacing purposes. When you are done, you should have a timeline of issues that
represents your series, and you can then start fleshing out the individual issues.
using this sheet.

Major story arcs FLOURISHES AND DETAILS

Major story arcs are two- or three-issue arcs of connected issues, intended Once you have created the issues and villains for your series, all that remains
to be played back-to-back. Major story arcs are a good place to play out is to fill out the rest of the series with small flourishes and details that can
significant story beats in the series. They give ample time for the story be found in other Spectaculars series. Look for a few places throughout
of that arc to unfold and will help you keep from feeling rushed when your series where you can sprinkle in a few of the following details:
trying to make those issues both impactful and exciting. If you are going )) Including a new hero archetype is a good way to make the series feel like
to introduce a major villain into the series, a major story arc is the place it has a more lasting impact on the setting, since a hero created with that
to do so. Major story arcs are also a good place to introduce new hero archetype can be directly tied to events the players experienced.
archetypes, since the first issues of the arc might debut setting elements )) If it’s likely that the players will create entirely new heroes to play through
that can naturally be represented by the new character archetype. the series, you can include a team roster sheet for a team that fits in with
the themes and tropes of your series.
One-Offs )) If you need to guarantee that a particular issue from another series has
One-offs are single issues that don’t advance the series’s ongoing story in a been played before starting an issue in this one, include a STOP page like
major way. They are usually a chance for the heroes to have adventures that those in the other series included with the game.
are exciting and dangerous, but don’t have much in the way of lasting impact.
These issues are palate cleansers that give the heroes a chance to be heroes Download the digital creator pack
without worrying about how everything ties into the larger series plot. After When you are ready to start creating your own game content, you can visit
each multi-issue story arc, try to include a one-off issue, which will offer the http://scratchpadpublishing.com/spectaculars to download the Spectaculars
heroes a refreshing change of pace before diving back into the series plot. Digital Creator Pack, containing hi-res art, icons, and templates for almost
every element found in the Spectaculars game, available for free.
 OPTIONAL RULES
While Spectaculars is designed to provide you with easy-to-run issues and Using All the Cards at Once
rules and content meant to require little to no effort to prepare for, as you Some players may not like that all possible hero creation options are
become more comfortable with the game you may want to modify the game’s not available to them using the standard character creation methods.
rules to better fit your play style. This is not just okay; it’s encouraged! This Instead of building the Deck of Powers using the Common powers and
section details a number of optional rules you can use to change the way additional powers based on the series you are playing, you can simply
the game works. You should not feel limited to these optional rules, however; combine all the power cards (except for the Basic powers) together,
feel free to make your own rules changes beyond those suggested here. forming a single 85-card deck. You can do the same with the Deck of
Identities, combining all of them together to create an 85-card deck.
HERO CREATION
IF YOU IMPLEMENT THIS OPTIONAL RULE...
Nonrandom Character Creation )) Some powers and identities that hero players choose might not gel tonally
Some players may feel restricted by the randomness of dealing out with the series you are playing through.
cards for powers and identities during hero creation. Instead of dealing )) Larger decks will be harder to shuffle and handle at the table.
out power and identity cards to each player, you can instead let each
player go through the decks of cards to pick out their powers. If you Big Teams
choose to use this method, hand the full Deck of Powers to one player, In comics, some superhero teams are so large that they are divided into
and the Deck of Identities to another. The players can go through the smaller sub-teams, often with their own designations. To emulate this, you
decks and pick out the powers and identities they want for their heroes, can allow players to create larger-than-normal teams. Each time you create
then pass the remaining cards in each deck to the player to their left. a new team of heroes, each player creates two heroes. At the start of an
issue featuring that team, each player chooses one of those heroes to play.
IF YOU IMPLEMENT THIS OPTIONAL RULE...
)) Hero creation will take significantly longer. IF YOU IMPLEMENT THIS OPTIONAL RULE...
)) Some players will sit idle while other players are looking )) Creating a team of heroes will take longer.
through the decks. )) Players may be less attached to individual heroes during a series.
)) Players have a much higher degree of control over which powers )) Heroes may progress more slowly due to less frequent appearances.
they have access to and can more easily create powerful
combinations of abilities. CONFLICT SCENES
Dealing with too-powerful heroes Turn-by-turn Initiative card Reveals
With less randomness during hero creation, you are more likely to run into For more uncertainty in how turn order will play out in a given round, the
heroes who have been built for optimal power. Most of the time, this shouldn’t
Narrator lays out the initiative track with initiative cards face-down. Whenever
be a problem, but occasionally you may run into a case where a particular hero’s
the next turn comes up, the Narrator flips the next initiative card face-up,
power level is so high that it becomes disruptive, either by trivializing enemies
or by making it difficult for other players to feel like they are contributing equally. revealing the character or event that will take the turn. When using these
When this happens, you have a few options for how to handle the situation. rules, all other mechanics that refer to face-down initiative cards should be
)) First, try simply speaking with that hero’s player and asking treated instead as pertaining to face-up initiative cards, and vice-versa.
them how they would like to deal with the situation.
)) You can allow the player to immediately choose a revamp reward without having to IF YOU IMPLEMENT THIS OPTIONAL RULE...
earn a story reward, letting them change the hero to reduce their disruptiveness. )) Players will have less ability to plan their actions in advance, which could
)) You can reduce the hero’s Hero Points per Conflict by 1 to slow down individual turns.
compensate for their higher-than-normal power.
)) The heroes will find it more difficult to coordinate their actions tactically.
58
Snake Initiative
For a more predictable turn order method, at the end of each round,
HERO POINTS
instead of shuffling the initiative deck, simply turn all initiative cards face-
Shared Hero Point Pool
up. Then, turn order plays out in the reverse of the previous round, starting
To make heroic moments more of a shared endeavor, you can use this
with the initiative cards closest to the previous round’s end of the initiative
optional rule. Instead of each hero having their own hero points per
track and proceeding toward the previous round’s start of the initiative
conflict, all hero points are shared among all players. Any hero can
track. Continue to alternate the direction of turn order each round.
give any number of their hero points to another hero at any time.
IF YOU IMPLEMENT THIS OPTIONAL RULE...
IF YOU IMPLEMENT THIS OPTIONAL RULE...
)) Each hero and villain gets to act more predictably, with an equitable
)) Players will have more opportunity to tactically coordinate their hero point
distribution of turns across multiple rounds.
usage, making team role cards more potent.
)) Initiative cards closer to the start or end of the track will have longer
)) Players may be less tempted to spend time dealing with noncritical
guaranteed wait times between their turns.
complications, especially if one hero contributes many hero points.
)) Heroes and villains might get to take multiple turns in a row, resulting in
)) The Inspiring Presence story reward should not be chosen.
battles that swing quickly in one side’s favor.
Purely Earned Hero Points
Improvised Power Stunts Instead of assuming that all heroes have hero points at their disposal, this
Many powers have built-in power stunts, but certain descriptions of some
optional rule requires heroes to earn their hero points through heroic actions,
other powers might seem to justify the use of power stunts not found on the
treating those hero points purely as a reward for acting heroically instead
card. As the Narrator, when a player describes a use of a power that seems
of a basic hero resource. When you use this rule, a hero’s Hero Points per
like it would be best resolved by using a power stunt, you can allow that hero’s
Conflict represents the maximum number of hero points they can have at
player to spend 1 hero point ( ) and use the power stunt as though it was
any given time. All heroes start each session with 0 hero points, and they do
on the card. That player should also place time tokens on the power; you
not gain any hero points automatically at the start of a conflict scene. Heroes
can use the number of time tokens usually required by other cards with that
earn hero points only by progressing complications and objectives; however,
power stunt to determine how many time tokens that player should place.
they gain 2 hero points ( ) each time they do so, instead of only 1.
IF YOU IMPLEMENT THIS OPTIONAL RULE...
IF YOU IMPLEMENT THIS OPTIONAL RULE...
)) Players may try to argue to specific power stunt uses more often.
)) Players will have fewer hero points at their disposal, and team role cards
)) The Narrator needs to make more frequent rulings on which power stunt
will be less potent.
should be used to resolve a power.
)) Players may race with each other to progress complications an objectives,
)) Players may feel like choosing an individual power for its power stunts
leaving heroes who act later in the initiative low on hero point options.
matters less, since they are now less restricted.

Easier Spotlights
PROGRESSION
In long-running campaigns, where you play through multiple issues in a Revamping at any time
series with the same heroes, different heroes should take the spotlight If you want to give players more freedom to modify their heroes as
from time to time, though it won’t be an every-issue occurrence. If, however, they see fit, you can allow players to change their powers and identity
you are playing a single issue with new players, or players who aren’t between issues. This will allow them to adjust their characters to their
likely to play another session soon, you can make it easier for a hero liking, without having to spend a story reward choice on the change.
to take the spotlight, increasing the chances that it will happen during
that session. Instead of requiring a hero to roll 4 boons ( ), you IF YOU IMPLEMENT THIS OPTIONAL RULE...
can require a hero to roll 3 boons ( ) to take the spotlight. )) Revamp rewards will not be appealing to most players.
)) Players might not have as solid a grasp on what other heroes on their
IF YOU IMPLEMENT THIS OPTIONAL RULE... team are capable of due to frequent revamps.
)) Heroes will take the spotlight more often, and will be overall more powerful
than they would be otherwise.
 RULES REFERENCE
CREATING A HERO ON YOUR TURN
Ceate a new hero to play by following these steps: When it is your turn, you do the following:
)) Choose a hero archetype, and answer the multiple-choice questions )) Remove 1 time token ( ) from each of your power cards that has
on the front side of the sheet to start describing your hero. one. (You cannot make attacks or checks with a power that has any
)) Draw 5 cards from the Deck of Powers, and choose between 1 and 3 time tokens on it, or use any of its benefits that requires you to place
of them; at least one power must be your superpower. more time tokens on it.)
)) Draw 3 cards from the Deck of Identities, and choose 1. )) Move and take one action, in any order.
)) Give your hero a name and a superhero moniker.
)) Fill in the “First Appearance” line with the series name and issue Moving
number of the issue you are about to play. When you move, describe how you are moving, and if you are
)) Choose a Team Role card. You can choose a different one each moving closer or father away from a person or object, you move
session, iif you so choose. one distance category closer or farther from them (see below).
Additionally, you determine your Hero Points per Conflict number.
This number is equal to the number of hero point icons ( ) visible DISTANCES
on your power cards or open power card slots, plus 1 (represented by There are three distances between things in a scene:
the hero point icon in the bottom-right box of the archetype sheet). )) Up Close: You can make melee and ranged attacks against
enemies you are up close to. Add 1 advantage die ( ) to all
ROLLING THE DICE melee attack rolls.
)) Near: You can make ranged attacks against enemies that
When the Narrator asks a player to make a roll, follow these rules:
)) The player rolls percentile dice, plus any advantage dice ( ) or you are near to.
challenge dice ( ) the Narrator added to the roll. )) Far Away: You can make ranged attacks against enemies you are far
** Rolled boons ( ) and drawbacks ( ) cancel each other out on away from, adding 1 challenge die ( ) to the roll.
a one-for-one basis.
)) If the player rolls equal to or under the chosen skill or power’s chance Taking Actions
of success, the player succeeds in what they are trying to do. For your action, describe something you want your hero
** If the roll was an attack, the damage the attack deals is to do. Common examples of actions include:
the number rolled. )) Attacking a villain or a squad of minions
)) If the player rolls above the chosen skill’s chance of success, the )) Using a power or skill to progress an objective or complication
roll is a failure. )) Activating a power that requires an action

DAMAGE AND RESISTANCE Spending Hero Points

You can spend hero points ( ) in the following ways:
When a hero or enemy succeeds on an attack, they deal damage
equal to the number rolled on the dice. When you take any amount of )) Heroic Effort: After you roll dice, you can spend any number of hero
damage, you reduce your current resistance by that amount. If you points; increase your chance of success on that roll by 10 and add 1
take damage greater than the amount of resistance you have, reduce challenge die ( ) to the roll for each point spent.
your resistance to 0. When you have 0 resistance, you are typically )) Teamwork Maneuver: You can spend 1 hero point ( ) to perform
knocked out of the scene and unable to participate in it any longer. a teamwork maneuver you describe with another hero, adding 2
At the end of each scene, all heroes regain all their lost resistance. advantage dice ( ) to their roll.
)) Team Role: Use your team role’s benefit.
60