Valkyrie

HERO NAME Valkyrie PLAYBOOK The Star REAL NAME Alexandra "Sacha" Trần LOOK Woman, French-Vietnamese, teasing smile, designer clothing, stylish costume ABILITIES Light control 1138 LABELS DANGER -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 FREAK -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 SAVIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 SUPERIOR -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 MUNDANE -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 1138 CONDITIONS ❑ Afraid (-2 to directly engage a threat) ⬛ Angry (-2 to comfort or support or pierce the mask) ❑ Guilty (-2 to provoke someone or assess the situation) ❑ Hopeless (-2 to unleash your powers) ❑ Insecure (-2 to defend someone or reject others' influence) POTENTIAL 12 ❑❑❑❑❑ »improve MOMENT OF TRUTH Sometimes it can be hard to tell where the show stops and where you begin—but not today. Not now. Because right now, there is no show. Right now, you are the thing you pretend to be—bold and bright and beautiful and amazing and powerful and confident. Right now, you draw strength from your audience, comfort from their belief in you, and you can do anything they think you can. Of course, after such an impassioned performance, your audience will just have even more demands… 1138 TEAM MOVES When you share a triumphant celebration with someone, say whether it’s part of the show or not. If it is, then you can shift your Labels as you choose. If it is not, then they shift your Labels, and you can clear a condition or mark potential. When you share a vulnerability or weakness with someone, ask them if they will tell anyone the truth about you. If they agree to keep it a secret, clear a condition or mark potential. If they don’t agree, the GM shifts your Labels. RELATIONSHIPS Arcane might wind up being more of a star than me some day Pop☆Pop☆Powerbomb-chan would be a great sidekick; I try to keep them around. 1138 INFLUENCE Arcane, PhantomPop☆Pop☆Powerbomb-chan

Moves

Cold and Cruel: When you shut someone down, roll + Superior. On a 10+, you either inflict a condition on them, make them lose Influence over you, or take Influence over them, your choice. On a 7-9, you either each inflict a condition on the other, or both lose Influence over each other, your choice. On a miss, they gain Influence over you.

Stage Fighting: When you directly engage a threat with an audience watching, mark a condition to roll + Superior instead of Danger.

Specials

AUDIENCE

You are a celebrity in the city. By default, your audience is a limited group of interested fans, and you speak to them through after-action interviews and infrequent press conferences. Why does your audience love you? Mark all that apply.
☐ You're just like them
☐ You're a dangerous person, a bad seed
☑ You're a noble warrior for justice
☑ You're stunning, unique, and beautiful
☑ You're charming, well-spoken, and smart
☑ You're a firebrand, a rabble rouser

ADVANTAGES

• You have a PR agent to handle your audience
• You earn a lot of money from their interest

DEMANDS

• They require major acts of heroism
• They require novelty and brand new action

When you accept what your audience tells you about yourself, clear a condition. When you reject what your audience tells you about yourself, on a hit mark potential and expect retribution.

When you seek help from your audience, roll + Superior. On a hit, someone in your audience can hook you up. On a 10+, they only make a small demand. On a 7-9, their demands are a lot higher. On a miss, you’ve made a mistake, and your audience won’t help you until you’ve redeemed yourself in their eyes.

Add More Specials

Advancement

❑ Take another move from your playbook ❑ Take another move from your playbook ❑ Take a move from another playbook ❑ Take a move from another playbook ❑ Someone permanently loses influence over you; add +1 to a Label ❑ Rearrange your Labels as you choose, and add +1 to a Label ❑ Unlock your Moment of Truth ❑ Become part of a larger superhero tradition and take a legacy (from the Legacy playbook)

❑ Unlock your Moment of Truth after it's been used once ❑ Change playbooks ❑ Take an adult move ❑ Take an adult move ❑ Lock a Label, and add a +1 to a Label of your choice ❑ Retire from the life or become a paragon of the city ❑

BACKSTORY

BACKSTORY

It's been six months since Halcyon City's newest Siren made her debut. It's time to learn a little more about Valkyrie, the biggest new sensation in the super idol world.

As a young girl, Alexandra Trần watched the daring exploits of Erinyes first hand, and devoured the stories and albums of her predecessors, from Archangel to Rusalka to the original Siren herself. She dreamed of being one herself one day. But she didn't just dream - she prepared. Sacha excelled in academics and sports at the elite Mirror Lake Academy, as well as taking dancing, singing, and shooting lessons. When NORN Project held auditions for a new Siren, Sacha was ready! She earned high scores at the tryout, handily earning one of the three finalist positions. And when she got the best synchronization scores with NORN's newest Angel Catalyst, she became Valkyrie!

That's when Victoria Kwan, NORN Project's wiz-kid marketer, came into the picture as Valkyrie's manager. Cutting against common wisdom, Kwan kept Valkyrie under wraps for almost a year while they perfected her act and abilities. Kwan took a lot of heat for the move, but it paid off with Valkyrie's astonishing introduction. With many top heroes away on other matters, the sudden re-appearance of Onslaught caught the city off guard and lead a near panic. But Valkyrie shocked the world, appearing out of nowhere to take down the veteran super villain in dramatic fashion. A chart topping single followed soon after.

Not everyone was happy about Valkyrie's success. Haruka Li, the renegade scion of Li Heavy Industries and would-be revolutionary under the name Red Banner, denounced Valkyrie as "the avatar of capitalist imperialism and enemy of the people." The two have tangled a handful of times since, with Valkyrie mostly getting the upper hand, but the darkly brilliant Li has managed to slip away every time.

With her debut and her rival in place, Valkyrie recently took the next step in her career: joining a super team! Though clearly a natural business decision, it's hard to imagine the headstrong Valkyrie sharing the spotlight for anything other than her commitment to fighting for justice!

WHEN OUR TEAM FIRST CAME TOGETHER…

EXCELSIOR is a new player on the media scence, but one with a lot of talent. Vice set up the news/internet media site six months ago by scooping up talent from other companies and defunct sites and were looking to make a splash. Our fight against Komodra happened to be a block away from one of their editor's apartment, so he live streamed the whole thing. A media outlet coming in on the ground floor of a new super team is a big get, especially when when they found one pretty onbrand for the modern internet. So they've put a lot of their resources into following us. If we do well, they'll do well.

OTHER NOTES

Basic Moves

Basic Moves

Assess the Situation When you assess the situation, roll + Superior. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one. Take +1 while acting on the answers.

• what here can I use to…?
• what here is the biggest threat?
• what here is in the greatest danger?
• who here is most vulnerable to me?
• how could we best end this quickly?

Take a Powerful Blow When you take a powerful blow, roll + conditions marked. On a 10+, choose one.

• you must remove yourself from the situation: flee, pass out, etc.
• you lose control of yourself or your powers in a terrible way
• two options from the 7-9 list

On a 7-9, choose one.

• you lash out verbally: provoke a teammate to foolhardy action or take advantage of your Influence to inflict a condition
• you give ground; your opposition gets an opportunity
• you struggle past the pain; mark two conditions

On a miss, you stand strong. Mark potential as normal, and say how you weather the blow.

Comfort or Support When you comfort or support someone, roll + Mundane. On a hit, they hear you: they mark potential, clear a condition, or shift Labels if they open up to you. On a 10+, you can also add a Team to the pool or clear a condition yourself.

Defend When you defend someone or something from an immediate threat, roll + Savior. For NPC threats: on a hit, you keep them safe and choose one. On a 7-9, it costs you: expose yourself to danger or escalate the situation.

• add a Team to the pool
• take Influence over someone you protect
• clear a condition

For PC threats: on a hit, give them -2 to their roll. On a 7-9, you expose yourself to cost, retribution, or judgment.

Directly Engage a Threat When you directly engage a threat, roll + Danger. On a hit, trade blows. On a 10+, pick two. On a 7-9, pick one.

• resist or avoid their blows
• take something from them
• create an opportunity for your allies
• impress, surprise, or frighten the opposition

Pierce When you pierce someone’s mask to see the person beneath, roll + Mundane. On a 10+, ask three. On a 7-9, ask one.

• what are you really planning?
• what do you want me to do?
• what do you intend to do?
• how could I get your character to…?
• how could I gain Influence over you?

Provoke Someone When you provoke someone susceptible to your words, say what you’re trying to get them to do and roll + Superior. For NPCs: on a 10+, they rise to the bait and do what you want. On a 7-9, they can instead choose one.

• they stumble: you take +1 forward against them
• they err: you gain a critical opportunity
• they overreact: you gain Influence over them

For PCs: On a 10+, both. On a 7-9, choose one.

• if they do it, add a Team to the pool
• if they don’t do it, they mark a condition

Unleash Your Powers When you unleash your powers to overcome an obstacle, reshape your environment, or extend your senses, roll + Freak. On a hit, you do it. On a 7-9, mark a condition or the GM will tell you how the effect is unstable or temporary.

Adult Moves

Empathize When you openly empathize with someone, roll + Mundane. On a hit, they must reveal a vulnerability or mark a condition. On a 10+, take Influence over them as well.

Overwhelm a Vulnerable Foe When you overwhelm a vulnerable foe, roll + Danger. On a hit, the fight’s over. They’re done. On a 10+, choose one. On a 7-9, choose two.

• you take a powerful blow in turn
• you hurt your foe more than you intended
• you cause serious collateral damage

Persuade With Best Interests When you persuade someone with their best interests, roll + Superior. If they’re an NPC, on a 10+, they buy it and act accordingly. On a 7-9, they need concrete assurance, right now.

If they’re a PC, on a hit, they can mark potential or shift their own Labels if they do what you want. On a 10+, take Influence over them as well.

Stand Up For Something When you stand up for something, roll + Savior. On a 10+, choose two. On a 7-9, choose one.

• listeners can’t keep doing what they’re doing
• listeners can’t flee without addressing you
• listeners can’t attack you without losing status or position

Wield Your Powers When you wield your powers with precision or grace, roll + Freak. On a hit, choose one. On a 10+, choose two.

• take hold of something vulnerable to you
• create something useful from your environment
• neutralize an opponent or threat, at least for now

Peripheral Moves

Advancements When someone permanently loses Influence over you, it means that character can never hold Influence over you again. This is almost always best used on an NPC, to indicate that you have moved past them and won’t be affected by what you think of them again.

When you retire from the life, it means you’re not part of the superpowered world anymore, and that character should be considered safe and off-limits to the GM’s moves.

When you lock a Label, it means that Label can never shift up or down again—that part of yourself is set in stone.

When you become a paragon of the city, it means you’re no longer a “young” hero—you’re a peer of the biggest heroes in the city, and you aren’t a Masks character anymore. The GM should treat your character as one of the biggest heroes in the city, but play them as an NPC.

Clearing Conditions You can always clear a condition by taking a certain action. At the end of any scene in which you take the corresponding action, clear that condition.

• To clear Angry, hurt someone or break something important.•To clear Afraid, run from something difficult.
• To clear Guilty, make a sacrifice to absolve your guilt.
• To clear Hopeless, fling yourself into easy relief.
• To clear Insecure, take foolhardy action without talking to your team.

You can also clear a condition when someone else comforts or supports you, or when you defend someone.

Conditions When a move tells you to mark a condition, mark any condition you choose. Sometimes the GM may tell you a specific condition to mark, especially after a hard move.

If you need to mark a condition and have no more conditions to mark, you are taken out. You lose consciousness or flee. The GM will tell you when you come back into another scene. You may clear one condition.

Once a condition is marked, take -2 to certain moves (max -3).

• If you’re Angry, take -2 to comfort or support someone or pierce the mask.
• If you’re Afraid, take -2 to directly engage.
• If you’re Guilty, take -2 to provoke someone or assess the situation.
• If you’re Hopeless, take -2 to unleash your powers.
• If you’re Insecure, take -2 to stand in defense or reject what others say about you or the world.

End of Session At the end of every session, choose one:

• Grow closer to the team. Explain who made you feel welcome; give Influence to that character and clear a condition or mark potential.
• Grow into your own image of yourself. Explain how you see yourself and why; shift one Label up and another down.
• Grow away from the team. Explain why you feel detached. Take Influence over you away from another character.

Influence When someone has Influence over you, it means you care about what they do, say, or think. At any time you can give Influence to any character who doesn’t have Influence over you. All adults have Influence over you when first introduced.

When you have Influence over someone, take +1 to all moves targeting them, including rejecting their Influence.

When you take advantage of your Influence over someone, surrender the Influence you hold over them to choose one:

• give them -2 on a move they just made (after the roll)
• inflict a condition on them
• take an additional +1 on a move targeting them (after the roll)

When someone with Influence over you tells you who you are or how the world works, accept what they say or reject their Influence. If you accept what they say, the GM will adjust your Labels accordingly; if you want to keep your Labels as they are, you must reject their Influence.

When you reject someone’s Influence, roll. On a hit, you successfully hold to yourself and tune them out. On a 10+, choose two. On a 7-9, choose one.

• clear a condition or mark potential by immediately acting to prove them wrong
• shift one Label up and one Label down, your choice
• cancel their Influence and take +1 forward against them

On a miss, their words hit you hard. Mark a condition, and the GM will adjust your Labels.

If you have Influence over a teammate and you would gain Influence over them again, immediately shift one of their Labels up and one of their Labels down, your choice.

If you have Influence over an NPC and you would gain Influence over them again, take +1 forward against them.

Moment of Truth When you unlock your Moment of Truth, you can activate it at any time: read your Moment of Truth out loud from the back of your playbook and follow that script. In essence, you (the player) take full control of the narrative in this moment. The GM will let you know what consequences arise…

After you use your Moment of Truth, permanently lock one Label. You have changed, and some part of you has become set in stone. You can unlock your Moment of Truth a second time through advancements.

Shifting Labels When you shift a Label, it means that your view of yourself is changing. You see yourself more as the Label you shift up, less as the Label you shift down. If you ever need to shift a Label above +3 or below -2 mark a condition instead, GM’s choice.

Start of Session At the start of every session, the GM adds a Team to the pool.

Team Mechanics When you enter battle against a dangerous foe as a team, add two to the Team pool. * If the leader has Influence over every teammate, add another Team.

• If everyone has the same purpose in the fight, add another Team.
• If any team member mistrusts the leader or the team, remove a Team.
• If your team is ill-prepared or off-balance, remove a Team.

The leader of the team can mark a condition to avoid removing a Team from the pool.

Anyone working with the team can spend Team one for one to help a teammate; give them +1 to their roll.

Team members can also spend Team to act selfishly. When you act selfishly, say how your actions ignore or insult your teammates, remove one Team from the pool, and shift one Label up and one Label down, your choice. You can use this option after rolling to alter the Label you’re rolling with.

Whenever time passes, the GM will empty the Team pool and restore it to one Team.