Sample file © & TM 2014 VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. VALIANT UNIVERSE Stats and Stat Dice WHAT IS Beginning at the top of the Dossier, you’ll see the different stats for Harada and the different dice that VALIANT UNIVERSE RPG? represent those stats (Stat Dice). Might: This represents the physical build of the Have you ever sat around with your friends talking character, whether endurance, brute strength, sheer about comics? About how in issue X your favorite hero or stamina, and so on. heroine did Y and sure, that was cool, but if it’d been you, Intellect: This corresponds to the mental faculties of you’d have done Z!? Or always wondered why if your hero a character, whether street smarts, learned science or just can do X, Y and Z with his or her powers, why not Triple plain inherent brilliance. Z!? Well now’s your chance to step in, suit up and answer Charisma: The ability of a character to lead or to those questions for yourself! talk his way out of a situation is based on charisma; a Valiant Universe: The Roleplaying Game is set in Valiant character’s presence as he walks into a room. Entertainment’s brilliant superhero universe. A setting Action: How good a person is in combat—whether spanning millennia, where decisions made at the dawn of ranged, close quarters, hand-to-hand or even vehicle- time ripple into the far distant future and today’s heroes can to-vehicle—is covered by this stat. Basically any “action” be tomorrow’s villains when the hard choices are made. A oriented maneuver a character wants to try that doesn’t dark and gritty tapestry of stories that you join and bring use his or her Powers. to life at your gaming table! Luck: Luck is a very special number for each character. It’s not a Stat Die, but instead a static number that represents the capriciousness of fate. If any Stat, QUICK-START RULES Action or Power Dice result on any roll should ever match We have specifically designed these quick-start rules the character's Luck Stat, the roll is a success, no matter (QSR) to drop you straight into the action and adventure of what. When rolling two Dice for a Power, check the Luck the Valiant Universe in minutes! Read through these quick- Stat against both dice before discarding the lower value. start rules, including the Unity adventure, once—it won’t take long. Then jump right into playing the Unity Events! For ease of reference, the first time an important Powers term is introduced, it will be bolded. Each character has a unique set of Powers, with a corresponding Power Die. Whenever a player uses that particular Power to accomplish an action, what the Power Dice Die is rolled with is based upon the type of Power: if it's a Valiant Universe uses polyhedral dice: D4, D6, D8, weapon-oriented Power, roll it along with the Action Die; D10, D12 and D20 (the value representing how many faces if it is a non-weapon-oriented Power, roll it alongside the each die has); anytime “D” is used, as in “D12,” it’s shorthand appropriate Stat Die. In both instances, the lowest value for “die.” result is then discarded. (The rolling of Powers in the full rules occurs in a variety of ways that create tons of additional fun as player's explore their abilities, but here we've kept it Samplestraightforward file to ease players into these quick-start rules.) BEFORE THE GAME BEGINS Powers are not just superhuman in nature. Instead, Powers represent the unique capabilities and/or qualities Gameplay in Valiant Universe revolves around two of a given hero (or villain) and what they excel at, whether things: Building The Story and Rolling Dice. Once more that’s Livewire’s psionic ability to talk to machines, the detail is provided on what you need before your game endless years of training and drive that allows Ninjak to begins, we’ll dive into explaining both aspects. move silently through the shadows or Zephyr's Pop Culture Knowledge that weaves with her Optimism to act as the glue keeping the Renegades together no matter how dark THE LEAD NARRATOR it gets. During the game players may quickly find that some Valiant Universe does not require a gamemaster for of the most memorable moments come when using "non- play. Instead, the responsibilities of the Lead Narrator (LN) Power" Powers to save the day. rotate from player to player throughout the game. However, If a Power has a direct translation as armor, a weapon, an appointed LN isn’t prohibited either. Ultimately, it’s up or some other aspect that applies to the rest of the character to the player group. If the group performs better with a sheet, either the Power, or that portion of the sheet will dedicated LN, appoint one. But if the group doesn’t require include a name in parenthesis. In other words, thoroughly one, simply use the rules as presented. review your sheet to ensure you know where all the elements that make up a Power are located. The various sections, then, provide all the details a player needs to CHOOSE A HERO appropriately explore what he or she can accomplish with Each Character Dossier (starting on p. 19) consists their abilities during a game. of an illustration and all the pertinent information for The name of each Power provides a guideline for characters in Valiant Universe. To make sure you choose a what the power does, but ultimately it’ll be up to the character you’ll like, you’ll have to understand the different player, the Lead Narrator (LN) and the roleplaying group parts of a Dossier. Let’s take a look at the Dossier for Toyo to determine what a character can and can’t do with each Harada (see p. 19). Power. For example, a player may want a given Power to do two relatively different things in a given gaming session. The LN may allow both, or he may allow the second only QUICK START RULES 1 VALIANT UNIVERSE after the use of a Plot Point, or after lowering the Power Die value. In the end, as with all the great comic books, a character is as strong—or as weak—as a plot needs him Chris is playing Livewire as the or her to be and your stories will need the same flexibility. characters are trying to exfiltrate from a P.R.S. facility with crucial stolen data. Time for Livewire to Cues step up, especially as Ninjak just finished taking care of some security In the center-right of the Dossier are the character’s personnel at their station. Cues. Cues are statements or quotes that help define One of her Powers is “Manipulate the character—whether it’s attitude, capabilities or Electronic Devices.” Obviously this is personality. Each Cue helps form the basis of a Narration wide open, and so Chris knows he’s (see p. 4). Additionally, they are split into “Cues” and got a lot of latitude. Chris provides “Action Cues.” While they are interchangeable as the the following Narration: “Livewire situation dictates, generally Cues are more oriented sprints to the station and touches toward the character in their hidden identity and Action the computer screen. ‘This will only Cues for when they’re storming the heavily secured take a moment.’ She then taps into facility in all their superhero majesty. the building’s security feeds to find out where the bad guys are and devise a path out.” Armor The LN doesn’t have any issues The Armor track gives the number of Armor pips with this use of her Power, and so the character has; this is a generic term that covers Chris makes a standard Challenge dice roll (see p. 6). everything from an armored jacket, military-grade In a subsequent turn, Livewire’s body armor, superhero thick skin, to extreme agility that team is nearing the outer wall of the keeps a person from being hit, and beyond. Toyo Harada facility, but are out of explosives and is a businessman and so if surprised he’s got very little the door access is crawling with ever- armor; but he’s almost never caught unaware and his increasing numbers of P.R.S. security. Psionic Shield Power acts as armor; note the notation on The LN sets the stage of the Psionic Shield in the Power’s section pointing toward the current turn: “The characters corresponding Armor portion of the character Dossier. find themselves in a small, fully- Armor helps deflect damage during combat (see p. 7). automated assembly hub. A myriad of loud sounds, whirring wheels and rotating robotic arms doesn’t mask Health the shouting of guards as they seal The Health track defines the character’s Health the two doors and begin sweeping status. Once a character’s Armor (or any Power acting into the cluttered space searching as Armor) has been depleted from damage, he begins for you with deadly intent. Chris, you’re up.” to take damage to his Health track. As injuries pile up, Chris thinks for a moment, then a character will start to suffer negative performance Samplesnaps file his fingers and smiles at a new effects (see p. 8). idea and begins: “Livewire notices a large flywheel spinning at high RPM near the outer wall. ‘Cover me.’ She Weapons crabs over to a terminal, plugs into In a dangerous universe, most characters carry the machine with a touch, overrides one or two weapons.