What Is Valiant Universe?…………………………… 4 2
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DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES? SENTIENT, ALIEN ARMOR… NANOTECH SATURATION… MAGICAL ENERGIES… No matter the powers, no matter the choices, the price in body and mind may be more than you’re willing to pay. And your choices will lead to heroics…or to villainy. How will you be remembered? The edge between superhero and villain has never been sharper. In the Valiant Universe RPG, players will immerse themselves in a dark and gritty world where every mission and every battle has deadly consequences. Whether playing X-O Manowar, Bloodshot, Shadowman or even the all-powerful Toyo Harada—or any of dozens of characters—Valiant’s most fearless heroes will unite for the first time in a roleplaying game, allowing you to join their stories and create new ones! Whether you’re a longtime fan or brand new to the Valiant Universe, this is the only source you’ll need to bring Valiant’s leading characters to life in a fantastic superheroes setting! This book includes: z Cue System: The rules-light and easy to learn Cue System allows a novice or uninitiated RPG player to quickly get inside the head of their superhero and plunge into the action. z Title Exposés: Detailed summaries of all the Valiant Universe comic titles allow players to easily determine which part of the universe they want to game in; a perfect companion to the Valiant Universe Handbook. z Character Dossiers & Creation Rules: Along withfor smaller use ready-to-play missions, superhero and villain character Dossiers will have players inSample the thick of the action in no time. Or do you want to create your own superhero orfile villain and add it to the Valiant Universe pantheon? Quick and easy rules give you that freedom! for larger use ©2014 All Rights Reserved. All characters, their distinctive likenesses and related indicia featured in this publication are trademarks of Valiant Entertainment, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Catalyst Game Labs, the Catalyst Game Labs logo and Cue System are trademarks or registered trademarks of InMediaRes Productions, LLC. Printed in the USA. TM THE ROLEPLAYING GAME Sample file VALIANT UNIVERSE TABLE OF CONTENTS Character Creation ……………………………… 60 INTRODUCTION ……………………………………… 4 1. Create a Character Theme …………………… 60 What Is Valiant Universe? ………………………… 4 2. Assigning Stat Dice …………………………… 61 What Is a Roleplaying Game? ……………………… 5 3. Create Powers ………………………………… 63 Trading in Your Gamemaster ……………………… 6 4. Assign Armor …………………………………… 66 What’s Needed to Play …………………………… 6 5. Select Weapons ………………………………… 66 What Do Players Do? ………………………………… 8 6. Select Equipment ……………………………… 66 7. Create Cues and Action Cues ………………… 67 Winning, Losing and Vagueness ………………… 8 8. Create Dispositions …………………………… 67 9. Final Tweaking ………………………………… 68 TITLE EXPOSÉS …………………………………… 10 Non-Player Character Creation ………………… 69 Archer & Armstrong ……………………………… 10 Character Advancement ………………………… 70 Bloodshot (And H.A.R.D. Corps) ………………… 12 Event Brief Creation ……………………………… 71 Eternal Warrior …………………………………… 14 Harbinger ………………………………………… 16 SAMPLE CHARACTERS (TITLE EXPOSÉ) ………… 74 Harbinger Wars …………………………………… 18 ALEXANDER DORIAN (X-O Manowar) …………… 74 Quantum and Woody …………………………… 20 ALYSSA (Shadowman) …………………………… 76 Shadowman ……………………………………… 22 ANIMALIA (Harbinger Wars) ……………………… 78 Unity ………………………………………………… 24 ARCHER (Archer & Armstrong) …………………… 80 X-O Manowar ……………………………………… 26 ARMSTRONG (Archer & Armstrong) ……………… 82 BLOODSHOT (Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps) …… 84 ORGANIZATIONS ………………………………… 28 CRONUS (Harbinger Wars) ………………………… 85 Abettors …………………………………………… 28 DISCIPLE (Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps) ………… 88 The Brethren ……………………………………… 29 DOCTOR MIRAGE (Shadowman) ………………… 90 Edison’s Radical Acquisitions …………………… 30 DOX (Shadowman) ………………………………… 92 FAITH (Harbinger) ………………………………… 94 Geomancers ……………………………………… 31 FLAMINGO (Harbinger) …………………………… 96 The Harbinger Foundation ……………………… 32 GEOMANCER (Archer & Armstrong) ……………… 98 H.A.R.D. Corps …………………………………… 33 GILAD ANNI-PADDA (Eternal Warrior, Unity) …… 100 The Houses ………………………………………… 34 GRANITE (Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps) ………… 102 MERO ……………………………………………… 35 GUNSLINGER (Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps) …… 104 MI-6 ………………………………………………… 36 HARADA (Harbinger) ……………………………… 106 Project Rising Spirit ……………………………… 37 HIGH PRIEST (X-O Manowar) ……………………… 108 The Renegades …………………………………… 38 KARA MURPHY (Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps) … 110 The Sect …………………………………………… 39 KRIS HATHAWAY (Harbinger)……………………… 112 The Vine …………………………………………… 40 LITTLE CASTLE (Harbinger Wars) ………………… 114 LIVEWIRE (Harbinger, Unity) ……………………… 116 GAME RULES ……………………………………… 42 MARY-MARIA (Archer & Armstrong) ……………… 118 Before the Game Begins ………………………… 42 MASTER DARQUE (Shadowman) ………………… 120 The Lead Narrator ……………………………… 42 NINJAK (Unity, X-O Manowar) …………………… 122 Choose a Hero …………………………………… 42 PETER STANCHEK (Harbinger) …………………… 124 Select an Event Brief …………………………… 46 PULSE (Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps) …………… 126 Building the Story: Playing Valiant Universe …… 47 QUANTUM (Quantum and Woody) ……………… 128 Turns and Narrations …………………………… 47 SHADOWMAN (Shadowman) …………………… 130 Scenes …………………………………………… 47 SUPERSTAR (Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps) ……… 132 Event Brief ……………………………………… 47 TIMEWALKER (Archer & Armstrong) ……………… 134 Campaign ………………………………………… 48 TORQUE (Harbinger) ……………………………… 136 Building the Story: Narration and Flow ……… 48 VAGABOND (Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps) ……… 138 Cues ……………………………………………… 48 WOODY (Quantum and Woody) …………………… 140 Moving the Story Forward ……………………… 48 X-O MANOWAR (X-O Manowar, Unity) ………… 142 Plot Points ……………………………………… 50 XARAN (Eternal Warrior) …………………………… 144 Troubleshooting ………………………………… 50 SAMPLE NPCS …………………………………… 146 RollingSample Dice ………………………………………… 51 EVENT BRIEFS ……………………………………… file162 The Core Mechanic ……………………………… 51 Archer & Armstrong Event Briefs ……………… 162 Combat …………………………………………… 52 Bloodshot Event Brief …………………………… 166 Additional Rules ………………………………… 56 H.A.R.D. Corps Event Brief ……………………… 168 Breathing ………………………………………… 56 Eternal Warrior Event Briefs …………………… 170 Environmental Conditions ……………………… 56 Harbinger Event Briefs …………………………… 174 Mind Control …………………………………… 57 Quantum and Woody Event Briefs …………… 178 The Comic Book Story Arc at Your Table ……… 57 Shadowman Event Briefs ………………………… 182 Standard RPG Story Arc ………………………… 57 X-O Manowar Event Briefs ……………………… 186 The Comic Book Story Arc ……………………… 58 A Hunt For the Ages: a 4-Part Campaign ……… 191 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS VALIANT UNIVERSE CATALYST GAME LABS VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT Original Cue System Game Design Chairman Matt Heerdt Peter Cuneo Additional Game Design CEO & Chief Creative Officer Randall N. Bills Dinesh Shamdasani Valiant Cue System Game Design CFO & Head of Strategic Development Randall N. Bills Gavin Cuneo Project Development Publisher Randall N. Bills Fred Pierce Philip A. Lee Editor-in-Chief Production Assistance Warren Simons Bryn K. Bills VP Operations Writing Walter Black Randall N. Bills Joel Bancroft-Connors Director of Marketing, Aaron Cahall Ken’ Horner Communications & Digital Media Kevin Killiany Philip A. Lee Hunter Gorinson Craig Reed Geoff Swift Sales Manager Editing Atom! Freeman Philip A. Lee Production & Design Manager Jason Schmetzer Travis Escarfullery Cover Artwork Associate Editor Tom Raney Alejandro Arbona Cover Art Direction Assistant Editor Brent Evans Josh Johns Graphic Design & Layout Assistant Editor Ray Arrastia Kyle Andrukiewicz Graphic Assistance Logo & Trade Dress Design David Kerber Rian Hughes Artwork Operations Manager Diego Bernard Doug Braithwaite Peter Stern CAFU ChrisCross Operations Coordinator Will Conrad Clayton Crain Robert Meyers Roberto de la Torre Ming Doyle President, Consumer Products, Neil Edwards Khari Evans Promotions & Ad Sales Tom Fowler Lee Garbett Russ Brown Manuel Garcia Stefano Gaudiano Vice Chairman Robert Gill Trevor Hairsine Jason Kothari Clayton Henry J.G. Jones Kano Barry Kitson Thanks Lewis Larosa Arturo Lozzi To Brent Evans for being the right person, at the right Emanuela Lupacchino Álvaro Martínez time, in the right place at New York Comic Con 2013 to Cary Nord Pere Pérez “stumble” into this opportunity…thanks for helping turn Tom Raney Brian Reber me to the dark-side. Esad Ribic Andrew Robinson To Peter Stern, Russ Brown, Robert Meyers, Hunter Bart Sears Ryan Sook Gorinson, Dinesh Shamdasani, and the entire Valiant Mico Suayan Patrick Zircher Entertainment team for leaping on board with us and making this whole experience so fantastic. To our Demo Agent, Richard Brown, and the players Dedication at the Pax East 2014 demo that spawned the idea we used To the various members of my original high school in our example comic gaming group: Jeremy Cheek, Kater Pratt Cheek, Denby To Eric Petersen for bringing a longtime Valiant fan’s Cluff,Sample Scott Crandall, Chad Dean, Amy Lewis, Tony Liddle, eye—crossed with the expertise file of long years of role- Shannon McLean, Jeff Morgan, Manu Sharma, Steve playing—to subtly enhance the rules with comics in mind Pitcher, Cynthia Robinson, and Larry Yanez. I highly doubt and open my own eyes to the myriad possibilities of Powers. I’d have had the chance to create this fantastic book To Philip A. Lee (and Craig Reed) for stepping way without your great and wonderfully geeky friendships beyond the bounds of editing to help me wrangle this over the years. Thank you! book through the final throes of development and layout. ©2014 All Rights Reserved. All characters, their distinctive likenesses and related indicia featured in