Valiant Universe RPG Quick Start Rules Featuring Unity

7/27/2019 Valiant Universe RPG Quick Start Rules Featuring Unity

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/valiant-universe-rpg-quick-start-rules-featuring-unity 1/28

RPG QUICK START RULES

Featuring

jean-marc greffard (order #6096858)



©

&

T M 2

0 1 4 V A L I A N T E N T E R T A I N M E N T I N C .

A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D .




VALIANT UNIVERSE

WHAT ISVALIANT UNIVERSE RPG?

Have you ever sat around with your friends talkingabout comics? About how in issue X your favorite hero or

heroine did Y and sure, that was cool, but if it’d been you,

you’d have done Z!? Or always wondered why if your hero

can do X, Y and Z with his or her powers, why not Triple

Z!? Well now’s your chance to step in, suit up and answer

those questions for yourself!

Valiant Universe: The Roleplaying Game is set in Valiant

Entertainment’s brilliant superhero universe. A setting

spanning millennia, where decisions made at the dawn of

time ripple into the far distant future and today’s heroes can

be tomorrow’s villains when the hard choices are made. A

dark and gritty tapestry of stories that you join and bring

to life at your gaming table!

QUICK-START RULESWe have specifically designed these quick-start rules

(QSR) to drop you straight into the action and adventure of

the Valiant Universe in minutes! Read through these quick-

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

term is introduced, it will be bolded.

DiceValiant Universe uses polyhedral dice: D4, D6, D8,

D10, D12 and D20 (the value representing how many faces

each die has); anytime “D” is used, as in “D12,” it’s shorthand

for “die.”

BEFORE THE GAME BEGINSGameplay in Valiant Universe revolves around two

things: Building The Story and Rolling Dice. Once more

detail is provided on what you need before your game

begins, we’ll dive into explaining both aspects.

THE LEAD NARRATORValiant Universe does not require a gamemaster for

play. Instead, the responsibilities of the Lead Narrator (LN)

rotate from player to player throughout the game. However,

an appointed LN isn’t prohibited either. Ultimately, it’s up

to the player group. If the group performs better with a

dedicated LN, appoint one. But if the group doesn’t require

one, simply use the rules as presented.

CHOOSE A HEROEach Character Dossier (starting on p. 19) consists

of an illustration and all the pertinent information for

characters in Valiant Universe. To make sure you choose a

character you’ll like, you’ll have to understand the different

parts of a Dossier. Let’s take a look at the Dossier for Toyo

Harada (see p. 19).

Stats and Stat DiceBeginning at the top of the Dossier, you’ll see the

different stats for Harada and the different dice that

represent those stats (Stat Dice).

Might: This represents the physical build of the

character, whether endurance, brute strength, sheerstamina, and so on.

Intellect: This corresponds to the mental faculties of

a character, whether street smarts, learned science or just

plain inherent brilliance.

Charisma: The ability of a character to lead or to

talk his way out of a situation is based on charisma; a

character’s presence as he walks into a room.

Action: How good a person is in combat—whether

ranged, close quarters, hand-to-hand or even vehicle-

to-vehicle—is covered by this stat. Basically any “action”

oriented maneuver a character wants to try that doesn’t

use his or her Powers.

Luck: Luck is a very special number for each

character. It’s not a Stat Die, but instead a static number

that represents the capriciousness of fate. If any Stat,

Action or Power Dice result on any roll should ever match

the character's Luck Stat, the roll is a success, no matter

what. When rolling two Dice for a Power, check the Luck

Stat against both dice before discarding the lower value.

PowersEach 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 PowerDie is rolled with is based upon the type of Power: if it's a

weapon-oriented Power, roll it along with the Action Die;

if it is a non-weapon-oriented Power, roll it alongside the

appropriate Stat Die. In both instances, the lowest value

result is then discarded. (The rolling of Powers in the full

rules occurs in a variety of ways that create tons of additional

fun as player's explore their abilities, but here we've kept it

straightforward to ease players into these quick-start rules.)

Powers are not just superhuman in nature. Instead,

Powers represent the unique capabilities and/or qualities

of a given hero (or villain) and what they excel at, whether

that’s Livewire’s psionic ability to talk to machines, theendless years of training and drive that allows Ninjak to

move silently through the shadows or Zephyr's Pop Culture

Knowledge that weaves with her Optimism to act as the

glue keeping the Renegades together no matter how dark

it gets. During the game players may quickly find that some

of the most memorable moments come when using "non-

Power" Powers to save the day.

If a Power has a direct translation as armor, a weapon,

or some other aspect that applies to the rest of the character

sheet, either the Power, or that portion of the sheet will

include a name in parenthesis. In other words, thoroughly

review your sheet to ensure you know where all the

elements that make up a Power are located. The varioussections, then, provide all the details a player needs to

appropriately explore what he or she can accomplish with

their abilities during a game.

The name of each Power provides a guideline for

what the power does, but ultimately it’ll be up to the

player, the Lead Narrator (LN) and the roleplaying group

to determine what a character can and can’t do with each

Power. For example, a player may want a given Power to do

two relatively different things in a given gaming session.

The LN may allow both, or he may allow the second only

1QUICK START RULES jean-marc greffard (order #6096858)



VALIANT UNIVERSE

after the use of a Plot Point, or after lowering the Power

Die value. In the end, as with all the great comic books, a

character is as strong—or as weak—as a plot needs him

or her to be and your stories will need the same flexibility.

CuesIn the center-right of the Dossier are the character’s

Cues. Cues are statements or quotes that help define

the character—whether it’s attitude, capabilities or

personality. Each Cue helps form the basis of a Narration

(see p. 4). Additionally, they are split into “Cues” and

“Action Cues.” While they are interchangeable as the

situation dictates, generally Cues are more oriented

toward the character in their hidden identity and Action

Cues for when they’re storming the heavily secured

facility in all their superhero majesty.

Armor The Armor track gives the number of Armor pips

the character has; this is a generic term that covers

everything from an armored jacket, military-grade

body armor, superhero thick skin, to extreme agility that

keeps a person from being hit, and beyond. Toyo Harada

is a businessman and so if surprised he’s got very little

armor; but he’s almost never caught unaware and his

Psionic Shield Power acts as armor; note the notation on

Psionic Shield in the Power’s section pointing toward the

corresponding Armor portion of the character Dossier.

Armor helps deflect damage during combat (see p. 7).

Health The Health track defines the character’s Health

status. Once a character’s Armor (or any Power acting

as Armor) has been depleted from damage, he begins

to take damage to his Health track. As injuries pile up,

a character will start to suffer negative performance

effects (see p. 8).

WeaponsIn a dangerous universe, most characters carry

one or two weapons. The weapons column lists those

weapons and the damage they inflict on a successful

hit, as well as their range. In some instances, additional

rules might be included for the effects of the weapon.

Remember that Powers that act as weapons can

have additional stats here. Since Harada’s Atomize Power

is a weapon, it has “(Weapon)” next to the name in the

Powers portion of the Character Dossier, which directs

the player to the Atomize stats in the Weapon section.

These two sections combine to provide all the details

a player needs to use this attack. In the case of Harada,

the player rolls a D12 (alongside the appropriate Stat

Die as determined by the LN, and discard the lowest

value result) when attacking with Atomize (as noted in

the Powers section), and the Power can be used at any

range. If an attack is successful, the player rolls a D8 to

determine damage (as noted in the Weapons section).

Chris is playing Livewire as thecharacters are trying to exfiltrate from a P.R.S. facility with crucialstolen data. Time for Livewire to

step up, especially as Ninjak just finished taking care of some security personnel at their station.

One of her Powers is “Manipulate Electronic Devices.” Obviously this iswide open, and so Chris knows he’s got a lot of latitude. Chris provides the following Narration: “Livewiresprints to the station and touches the computer screen. ‘This will only take a moment.’ She then taps into the building’s security feeds to findout where the bad guys are anddevise a path out.”

The LN doesn’t have any issueswith this use of her Power, and soChris makes a standard Challengedice roll (see p. 6).

In a subsequent turn, Livewire’s team is nearing the outer wall of the facility, but are out of explosives and the door access is crawling with ever- increasing numbers of P.R.S. security.

The LN sets the stage of thecurrent turn: “The characters find themselves in a small, fully- automated assembly hub. A myriad

of loud sounds, whirring wheels and rotating robotic arms doesn’t mask the shouting of guards as they seal the two doors and begin sweeping into the cluttered space searching for you with deadly intent . Chris , you’re up.”

Chris thinks for a moment, thensnaps his fingers and smiles at a new idea and begins: “Livewire notices a large flywheel spinning at high RPM near the outer wall. ‘Cover me.’ Shecrabs over to a terminal, plugs into

the machine with a touch, overrides the safety protocols and revs the RPM as high as the machine wil l go, and then drops the brake. The machine vibrates wildly as the howlspikes up to a screeching pitch, then the flywheel breaks free and slams into the wall, shattering open a hole.”

The LN slowly closes his mouth as he thinks it over then determines thatseems a bit much for the Power as is. As such the LN tells Chris that itcan happen like this, but instead of

Livewire's usual D10 Power Die, she must use a D8— rolling it with the Intellect Die— for the Challenge andChris needs to spend a Plot Point toshow the flywheel casing had a hairlinecrack from lack of proper maintenance to allow the catastrophic event.

Chris happily tosses in the Plot Point and grabs dice to make the roll!

2 QUICK START RULES jean-marc greffard (order #6096858)



VALIANT UNIVERSE

Don’t forget, though, that even while the Power is

noted as primarily a weapon, the Power can be used in a

variety of ways only limited by the imagination. What if

a player wants to simply heat up a gun at 100 meters by

using Harada’s Atomize to force the atoms to move rapidly,

without a big “disintegration” giving away their location?

Make the Narration and see if your LN likes where you’retaking it!

EquipmentWhile the characters trust their abilities, they also

carry various tools and supplies, as shown on their

Equipment column of their Dossiers. Unlike weapons,

equipment in Valiant Universe has no set stats. Take a

look at Harada’s Dossier, under Equipment. Exactly what

does the Digital Assistant do, and how does it work?

What if in a previous game the player determines it’s

actually a “predictive AI named Cassandra,” and duringthe current game the LN decides Cassandra has moved

up in the world of “AIs” and become sentient enough

to try and seizing control of a Harada Conglomerate

facility…what might happen? The player may have to

answer those questions during gameplay with a clever

Narration (see p. 4).

NPC DossiersFinally, there are two types of Dossiers—those

for fleshed-out characters like the heroes players will

become, or particularly important enemies, and those for

less-important characters like henchmen or supportingcharacters. These non-player character (NPC) Dossiers

are a third the size of normal Dossiers and contain much

less information. Lead Narrators can modify the NPCs in

this QSR (see p. 23) to expand the number of enemies for

a given Event; they can also visit www.catalyst.com/valiant

to download a blank NPC Dossier.

It's important to remember that the nature of these

simplified rules, alongside most NPCs as "disposable"

villains, means the characters you run up against in

these Events do not reflect their full nature. Obviously

Anchor and the Eggbreaker have more Powers at their

disposal (while their Stat Dice may seem a little "light").And the LN can certainly tweak up a Stat Die and/or add

additional Powers if he or she feels they are necessary

to create a bigger challenge. But they are meant to be

more minor characters, with X-O Manowar acting as the

star NPC, hence why he has more details (though even

X-O Manowar's stats are truncated due to his NPC nature

here). Playing as those actual characters in the various QSR

Supplementals (see inside back cover) will provide a much

more robust experience showcasing a wider range of what

each can offer.

THE EVENT BRIEF The four-part Unity Event Briefs (see p. 11) supply

all the information you’ll need to start a gameplay session

with little effort required on the part of the players.

z Intro: A short overview of what the Event will

be about, what the objective will be and what

opposition the characters can expect to find. This

will be presented as “sourcebook fiction,” as though

the reader was a character transplanted into

the game universe, reading military documents,

historical texts, security briefs, intercepted personalcommunications, local newspapers and so on.

z Event Objectives: The Objectives list a set of events

or accomplishments that characters are expected

to do in order to complete the Event successfully,

though they aren’t mandatory.

z Event Cues: The Event’s Cues function the same as

the Cues on a Character Dossier. Each Cue can be

the basis for a Narration as well as a description of

the Event itself.

z Event Tags: Tags give short descriptions of the Event

in order to give players the gist of the adventure or

to aid the creation of a campaign. z The Setting: Below that is the Setting—a description

of the area where the characters find themselves at

the beginning of the Event.

z Enemies and Obstacles: Finally, an Enemies/

Obstacles list gives the opponents and obstacles

that the characters may have to defeat or

overcome to successfully complete the Event, with

each considered a Scene, or section, of the overall

Event Brief.

BUILDING THE STORY:PLAYING VALIANT UNIVERSEOnce each player has a set of dice, the appropriate

Character Dossier at hand, an Event Brief selected, and an

LN chosen, your group is ready to get started.

Valiant Universe play is divided into a series of

segments that build on each other: Turns & Narrations,

Scenes, Event Briefs and Campaigns.

TURNS AND NARRATIONSValiant Universe gameplay is divided into a series of

turns. Each turn, every player will have a chance to play

out and describe his character’s actions. These descriptions

are called Narrations, and as the game progresses these

Narrations will build on each other and form the story of

the game.

Lead NarratorEach turn begins with the LN and continues with the

player on the LN’s left until all players have had a turn at

Narration. The LN begins the turn by giving a narrative of the

current situation and advancing the plot, as described

under Event Briefs (see p. 11). The LN also makes any

actions or die rolls for enemies the characters may

encounter. Though the LN begins the turn, he is the last

to act with his character.

Once all players have had a chance to narrate their

character’s actions, the turn ends and a new turn begins.

3QUICK START RULES jean-marc greffard (order #6096858)



VALIANT UNIVERSE

SCENESA Scene is defined as the start and finish of a given

section of time within an Event Brief. A Scene will contain

a number of turns, which will vary depending upon what’s

occurring within a given Scene.

For example, take a look at Unity (see p. 11). Each ofthe three descriptions of the Enemies/Obstacles found in

that Event Brief is a Scene. There is no hard and fast rule

on how many turns are in a Scene. Instead, that will be

based on how many players are involved, their style of

play and their Narrations, which ultimately leads to how

quickly (or slowly) they’re able to accomplish the goals of

a given Scene.

Scenes and the LN The LN starts a Scene and is the LN for every turn

until a Scene is accomplished. Once a Scene is finished,the player to the right of the current LN becomes the new

LN. The new LN starts the first turn of the new Scene by

providing a narrative of the current situation, and so on,

as described above.

EVENT BRIEFAn Event Brief usually constitutes a single game

session and is finished when all of the Scenes within

an Event Brief are accomplished. How many Scenes are

required to finish an Event Brief is detailed in each Event

Brief, but can be modified by the player group.

CAMPAIGN The four-par t Unity Event Briefs are designed

to stitch together a larger story that will span many

gaming sessions.

BUILDING THE STORY:NARRATION AND FLOW

Giving a Narration is quite easy. All a player has to do

is describe what his or her character is doing: whether it’s

engaging in combat, exploring a room, using a Power, or

repairing a device.

If any action has a chance of failure, then a dice roll is

made to determine whether the action succeeds or fails.

Many Narrations are based on Cues provided on

Character Dossiers or Event Briefs.

CUESCues are building blocks players can use as a basis

for Narrations. Cues are both suggestions and descriptions.

Cues can be positive and negative and never have to be

narrated the same way twice. If a player draws a blank or

wants to make sure he’s staying on-topic, he can take a

look at a list of Cues and choose an appropriate one to

base a Narration around.

MOVING THE STORY FORWARDCollaborative Narration is about creating a story

and moving it forward. Valiant Universe is about making

impossible choices, facing terrifying challenges andovercoming them in fantastic and fun ways. It is all about

saying “yes” to fun, not “no” to something unexpected.

So when you are faced with the impossible, you

smile and say, “Yes, and…” Then you make it up! There is no

wrong way in Valiant Universe. Want to have the characters

swallowed by a timearc into the Faraway that just appeared

in San Francisco’s Chinatown and took half a building and

a taxi with you? Then do it! But be ready for the LN to have

a Generation Zero psiot step out of that taxi for some butt-

kicking on you. After all, the rule is “Yes, and...”

For example, the players are all gathered around

the table for the night’s adventure (Event Brief) and arealready in the thick of the action. In the previous turn,

Brandie, the current LN, revealed that after being swept

into the Faraway by a timearc and being hunted by a large

warband of what appears to be Mesoamericans, one of

the walls of the cave they’ve been backed into suddenly

appears to be acting funny.

PLOT POINTSPlots create twists you never saw coming—a HALO

drop of H.A.R.D. Corps troopers right in the middle of your

firefight, that hidden button that does something, an alienbeast suddenly rampaging out of a timearc. Plot Points can

make all these happen!

In gameplay, Plot Points may be used in many

ways. They are used to interrupt or alter another player’s

Narration—a method of adding a twist to the game. But

they can also be used to change player turn order, alter a die

roll or gain back a point of Health. The ways players utilize

Plot Points are only limited by how creative they want to be.

Phil — playing as Toyo Harada — f inds himself in peri louscircumstances. He’s the first player to make a Narration this turn and

the situation isn’t good: the players are trapped in an alien spaceship that’s crashed and is heading toward the bottom of the ocean. Phil takes a quick look at Harada’s Dossier andsees the Cue “We have very little time.” That couldn’t possibly fit thesituation more perfectly. What’s more, from reading the comics, Phil knows that Harada is a dominant leader. He also knows that with such a charismatic character there needs to be some gravitas, even as death looms immediate and large.

“‘Attend!’ Harada commands. He forceful ly sweeps his arms to include his team. ‘We havevery little time. Give me status updates immediately and your recommendations for action.’”




VALIANT UNIVERSE

Players will be earning and spending Plot Points

throughout the game, and using some type of tokens(such as poker chips) is the best method to track them.

However, players are free to use whatever system works

best, whether it’s chips, dice, noting them down on a piece

of paper/table/smartphone, and so on.

Earning Plot Points: PlayersPlayers begin the game with three Plot Points each

and may be awarded more points by the LN for particularly

good Narrations. Players may have a maximum of five Plot

Points at any time and only one point may be awarded to

a player at a time.

5QUICK START RULES

After the rest of the players make their Narrations in an effort todetermine what’s going on, Brandie’scharacter (as the LN, her character

is the last to act in a turn), says, “I use my scanner to see if the wal l’s becoming unstable at a macro or micro atomic level ,” hoping that’ ll providesome data on the strange-acting wall.

It is now the beginning of the next turn, and Brandie, sti ll the LN, sets the stage for the start of this turn’sevents. She takes a moment to gather her thoughts, based upon what’s just transpired from the previous turn, and says, “Unfortunately, that didn’t bring up any data as whatever isoccurring appears to be beyond thescanners’ abilities. A new row of loud but unintelligible shouting comes from the Mesoamericans outside, and another fusil lade of arrows arcs into the partially blockaded cave, narrowly missing one of you. Additionally, thecave wall now appears to be going transparent in a beating rhythm. Andeach time it goes transparent, you appear to see someone shouting at you from within, or without — you can’t tell.” The LN, wanting to have a little fun, then places a Plot Point into the

pool and says, “Ninjak, you recognize the man from your young school days. Despite his exotic uniform, built fromwhat appears to be crystal pellets, it’sColonel Percy Fawcett, the explorerwho disappeared close to a hundred years ago in South America. Ninjak, you’re up.”

Joshua — playing as Ninjak— to Brandie’s right gapes at the surprise twist but quickly smiles and says, “Yes, and on seeing Percy Fawcett duringone of the wall’s phasing moments,

I yell ‘Harada, I think a timearc is tunne ling between parts of theFaraway. This might be an escape that doesn’t involve several hundredwarriors. Use your AI and see if shecan’t establish a quantum field that’llstabilize the singularity enough for us to escape. I’ll keep the warriors at bay.’ Ninjak moves carefully back to

the cave mouth, preparing to unleash a storm of knives and throwing starsshould the warriors try and rush the cave.”

Collin, Harada’s player, mouths to himself, “quantum field?” With a shrug and a smile he picks up the thread of the adventure. With his best gravitas-style impression of a man like Harada he responds, “You confirm my ownsuspicions, Ninjak.” Collin drops oneof his Plot Point tokens on the table.“I’ll invert my Psionic Shield to act as a conduit for my digital assistant to infi ltrate the singularity and stabilize it with the introduction of a quantum field.” Out-of-character Coll in thensays to the LN, "I'll use the Plot Point to support this." Coll in rolls a D12 for the Challenge (see p. 6) with a result of 8; then rolls a D10 for his Power Die and a D10 for his Intellect(after the LN agrees the Intellect is the appropriate choice), gett ing a result of 5 and 6 (after checking tosee he didn't roll his Luck Stat, hediscards the 5 and selects the 6); the LN decides there are no modifiersso the total is 14. Brandie, as the LN, rolls the opposing D20, rolling a 17(no modifiers are added). Looking at

the result, Brandie shakes her head.“It appears your AI did its job toowell. Yes, the cave wall is holding and now you can also hear Percy Fawcett yel ling ‘Hurry it up, chaps, or those natives will be chopping you but quick.’ However, the instability of the timearc tunneling has breached Cassandra’squantum field and is starting toconsume the rest of the cave. If the instabil ity reaches critical, it’ll bring the whole mountain down on you.” Brandie turns to Bo, nodding to him

that it is his turn now. Bo stays in character and panto- mimes sheathing a blade and affects his best Gilad Anni-Padda voice, saying,“’Even the Eternal Warrior knows when it is time for a strategic withdrawal,especially as we appear to have unexpected allies.’ Gilad quickly leaps through the opening.”




VALIANT UNIVERSE

Players with no Plot Points are automatically given

one at the beginning of their turn.

The LN is the only person who may award Plot Points.

Earning Plot Points: Lead Narrator The LN also receives Plot Points into a Plot Pool. The

LN starts an Event Brief with one Plot Point and every time

a player spends a Plot Point (see below), the LN receives

a Plot Point.

Unlike the players, the LN’s Plot Pool has no size limit.

The Plot Pool transfers between LNs in between

Scenes. If the Plot Pool is empty at the start of a new Scene,

the new LN receives 1 Plot Point.

Spending Plot Points: PlayersNo matter what effect you want to cause, the cost is

one Plot Point and the change is immediately made to thegame. Players may not spend more than one point at a time

in an attempt to maximize the twist, though they can spend

multiple Plot Points during any player’s Narration (whether

their own, or another player’s).

Just remember, Plot Point use doesn’t always mean a

positive change. Often plot twists are a negative event—something goes wrong that must be fixed or adapted to

by the characters.

Spending Plot Points: Lead NarratorLike players, the LN can spend Plot Points in any

fashion he chooses, with the following caveats:

z Plot Points can only be spent to aid NPCs or create

plot twists; they cannot be spent to directly aid or

hinder a player.

z The LN can only spend one Plot Point per turn, unlike

the players who can spend more than one per turn.

ROLLING DICENo matter how well your storytelling is unfolding,

there will come a time when the dice need to come out

to help resolve a given situation.

THE CORE MECHANICAs a story-driven role-playing game, Valiant Universe

uses a simple, cinematic dice-rolling mechanic to resolve

Challenges, Tests and Combat.

The Basic Mechanic for Challenges and TestsA D12 is the Base Die, and forms the foundation

that all players’ rolls are based upon. The result of this

roll is modified by the appropriate Stat Die and any

additional Modifiers. The basic dice rolling mechanic forall Challenges and Tests is:

D12 + Stat Die (D4, D6, D8, D10, D12) + Modifiers

vs. D20

A Challenge is any action taken against an inanimate

object, while a Test is any action taken against another

character or any NPC that is non-combat related.

Which Stat Die To Use: The appropriate Stat Die

to use will usually be very easy to determine: trying to

lift something heavy? Might. Trying to outsmart an

opponent? Intellect, and so on. Ultimately, however, ifthe situation is too muddy, the LN makes the decision on

which Stat Die to use (see p. 1).

Modifiers: Modifiers represent good or bad

situational circumstances that take an ordinary situation

and make it extraordinary. For example, while trying

to work on X, the player is: being attacked (a negative

modifier); he’s wounded (a negative modifier); there’s no

gravity (depending upon what he is trying to accomplish,

it could be a positive or negative modifier); the player is

getting additional help (this also could be a positive or

negative modifier depending upon the Stat Die of the

player trying to help); the device he’s working on is extra

difficult (a negative modifier) or extra easy (a positive

modifier)—the sky’s the limit on what might happen. The

decision on what modifiers are applied to any die roll, if

any, and whether they are positive or negative, is always

made by the LN.

Powers: If the character is attempting a Challenge

or Test covered by a Power, roll the Power Die with the

appropriate Stat Die (as determined by the LN) and

discard the lowest value result; adding it to the result

of the D12 plus modifiers to compare against the D20.

D12 + (Stat Die (D4, D6, D8, D10, D12) + Power Die

(D4, D6, D8, D10, D12) [discard lowest result]) + Modifiersvs. D20

A new turn of Valiant Universe has started and Jason’s character is injured. At the beginning of his turn, Jason spends one Plot Point to regain a point of Health.

He deposits his Plot Point token into the Plot Pool and restoresone of the Health pips on hischaracter’s Dossier. He then makes a quick Narration:

“Gilad Anni-Padda, still bleeding after he tangled with X-O Manowar, injects a medstim.”




VALIANT UNIVERSE

Luck StatAlways remember that regardless of the overall

result, if a Stat Die (or Power Die, if used; check both dice

rolled before discarding the lower value) result equals

the character’s Luck Stat, that character automatically

succeeds at his action (see p. 1).

COMBATCombat is a variation on the basic dice rolling

mechanic for Challenges and Tests. The Action Die forms

the foundation of all combat rolls, instead of the usual D12

Base Die. The result of this roll is altered by any applicable

modifiers. The basic dice rolling mechanic for all combat is:

Action Die + Modifiers vs. Action Die + Modifiers

As shown, combat is a straightforward contest between

combatants’ Action Dice, plus any applicable modifiers.

ModifiersAs with Challenge and Test rolls, combat can have

a variety of situational modifiers added, all of which are

decided upon by the LN.

RangesAll weapons (and any Powers that act as weapons)

fall into three range brackets for combat (the range of each

weapon/Power is noted on the Character Dossier).

z Close (Melee) z Near (Pistols)

z Far (Rifles)

If a weapon (or Power) is used in a range bracket

one higher than its noted bracket, apply a –3 modifier.

A weapon cannot be used in a range bracket two higher

than its listed bracket, though it can always be used in a

closer bracket. For example, Shadowman’s sickle is a Close

(Melee) weapon: if it’s used at Near range the player would

apply a –3 modifier; it cannot be used at Far range. Any

rifle, however, which all have Far range, can be used at

Near or Close without any issues.

It’s important to note, though that a specific Dossier

may change these values based upon a specific weapon.

So if you see different values than the norm, those are

not “in addition” to the standard above, but instead fully

replace the above modifiers.

Power DieAs with non-combat situations, if the character has

a Power Die that is combat-related and appropriate to the

current situation (as determined by the LN ), the player

will roll the Power Die with the Action Die and discard the

lowest value result.

(Action Die + Power Die [discard lowest result])

+ Modifiers vs. Action Die + Modifiers

Or, if two characters are fighting Power vs. Power the

dice would look like the following:

(Action Die + Power Die [discard lowest result])

+ Modifiers vs. (Action Die + Power Die [discard lowest

result]) + Modifiers

Luck StatAlways remember that regardless of the overall

result, if an Action Die (or Power Die, if used; check both

dice rolled before discarding the lower value) result equals

the character’s Luck Stat, that character automatically wins

(see p. 1).

Unusual CircumstancesAny time an unusual circumstance arises not directly

covered by the rules, the LN modifies the situation on the

fly. For example, if two combatants are at a significant

range from one another and the LN decides the “winner”of a combat roll couldn’t possibly damage the “loser,”

he simply doesn’t apply damage and moves on; in this

instance “winning” was simply an avoidance of damage

on the winner’s part.

7QUICK START RULES

On a mission for MI6 to infi ltrate a potent ia l HarbingerFoundation facility in Africa, Ninjak comes up against a lockeddoor. And he needs to get past it. Charlie, playing as Ninjak, knows this is what Ninjak is famous for, and so has an excellent chance of bypassing the security on the door

to gain access. Breaking a complicated lock is definitely a Challenge as it’s against an inanimate object. Charliedecides this is a test of Intellect(which the LN agrees with), which again is perfect for Ninjak, who has a D10 in that category. Charlie rol ls for the Challenge, rolling a D12 (Base Die) and a D10 (Intellect Die). The LN rolls a D20 for the lock; the LN decides there are nospecial circumstances requiring any additional modifiers. The result is:

4 (D12) + 9 (D10) + 0 (no modifiers) = 13 vs. 6 (D20)

A big success! With little effort, Ninjak bypasses the secur ity . However, the whole thing leavesCharlie nervous. It looked like a much more difficult door to bypass regardless of Ninjak’s specialty.Charlie knows this is either a trap,or something else strange is goingon … time to find out.




VALIANT UNIVERSE

Vehicle Combat There is no separate system for combat between

vehicles. Instead, the focus is kept where it should be,

on the action of the characters, with the LN deciding

what Challenges/Tests/Combat should occur under any

given situation.

Damage, Armor and HealthWhenever a fight occurs, or a dangerous situation is

encountered, there’s a chance a character could take damage.

Damage: On every Character Dossier, there’s aWeapons column that lists the weapon (or Powers) the

character started the game with and its Damage Value.

Whenever a character takes damage, the damage is first

applied to the Armor column of the Dossier. Once all

Armor pips are marked off, damage then begins to apply

to the Health column. If that happens, it’s time for some

serious heroics!

Health Flow Chart: The Health column of the

character Dossier takes the form of a flowchart. Players

start at the top, left-hand pip and move to the right until

the first row is marked off, then move to the top, left-hand

pip of the second row and move to the right until thesecond row is marked off, and so on.

z First X: When the first “X” (on the second row) is

reached, the character immediately applies a –1

penalty to all future Might Die rolls.

z Second X: When the second “X” (on the third row) is

reached, a –1 to all future Might and Action rolls is

immediately applied.

z Staggered: When the first “Staggered” pip is crossed

out, the character simply cannot give anymore and

may take no actions (he does not give any more

Narrations until he’s healed, nor can he spend anyPlot Points). (There are instances in which a Power

could still work even if the character is Staggered,

such as X-O Manowar's Armor Regeneration; the

final call on whether a Power is still active while a

character is Staggered is up to the LN.)

z Knocked Out: The character is wounded so badly

he or she has slipped fully into unconsciousness

and is completely out of the action for the rest of

the Event. (This is NOT the same as a dead character;

the character will fully heal before the next Event.

Really "killing off" a character should be reserved for

truly epic moments of storytelling where the playerswill be recounting stories about the game for years

to come.)

Secondary Effects: Generally speaking,Valiant

Universe doesn’t assume weapons have any other effects

beyond straight-up damage as noted on the various

Dossiers. However, like the equipment also noted on

the Dossiers, players and LNs are free to come up with

additional fantastical effects from a weapon.

Regaining Armor/Health: Fortunately, there are

many ways to regain Health or repair Armor. A player could

spend a Plot Point to regain a pip of Health or Armor. Some

characters carry first aid kits as equipment, which canrestore Health. Additionally, some characters are doctors

or engineers or even have the Power of healing and can

use a Narration to fix Armor or help heal a teammate; in

this instance how much they repair the Armor and/or

the Health of a character could largely depend upon the

quality/uniqueness of their Narration, with the LN fixing

two or even more pips for a particularly superb recitation.

WeaponsWeapons come in all shapes, types and sizes. You

name it, and it probably comes in a variety of colorsand styles as well. Valiant Universe characters start each

Event with a default set of weapons. These are listed on

the Character Dossier along with the amount of damage

they do when used successfully against a target, and their

range bracket.

EquipmentBesides weapons, many characters also carry a

variety of equipment to use during Events. The uses of

many of the different items may be obvious: a first aid kit

would help treat a character who’s been injured or a tool

kit could be used to repair Armor or other devices. The

intended application of other equipment may be obscure

or even totally unknown. In many cases, this is intentional

and gives the players a chance to decide exactly what that

equipment does, based on the name.

8 QUICK START RULES

Aaron’s character, Bloodshot, is facing off with a Harada GlobalConglomerates security agent. Bloodshot is using a rifle he secured

earlier in the game. Unfortunately the security agent was previouslydisarmed — though he managed toescape— and so only has a crowbar and is on the other side of a largeopen area.

Aaron rolls a D8 (Bloodshot’s Action Die) and the LN rolls a D6(the security agent’s Action Die). Because Bloodshot can attack from a distance and the security agentcan’t, the LN awards a +1 modifier to Bloodshot’s roll. Aaron rolls a 7 and adds the +1 bonus for a final result of 8. The security agent rolls a 3; with the –3 modifier for trying to attack with a weapon into a larger range bracket, the result is 0. The security agent loses and gets shot.

There are numerous ways theencounter could play out. Just remember to roll with the dice and the Plot Points — anything can happen!




VALIANT UNIVERSE

9UNITY MISSION BRIEFS

402 AD TO PRESENT DAY: THE JOURNEY TO UNITY

Aric of Dacia, a fifth-century heir to

the Visigoth throne, came of ageunder the oppressive thumb of theRoman Empire.

Hoping to ambush a Roman battalion,Aric and his men instead encountereda hostile alien race disguised aslegionnaires. The creatures — knownas the Vine — abducted the Visigoths.

After years of torture aboard a Vinecolony ship, he and his fellowprisoners rebelled, and made their wayto the alien armory . . . which was, infact a temple holding the Vine’s mostsacred relic, the X-O Manowar armor.

Bonding with it, Aric escaped theship and returned to Earth, only tofind that 1,600 years had passed.Furious, Aric left Earth and traveledto the alien homeworld . . .

. . . and discovered that the Vine’sslaves were descendants of theVisigoths. Aric freed his people andbrought them to Earth, where hedeclared their ancestral homeland ofDacia — now Romania — his kingdom.

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

1 2 3

4 5 6

ROMANIA

PLAYER WARNING: Players should remember these are the quick-start rules. Every effort has been made to ensure an enjoyable

and immersive experience at your gaming table. However, this is just a taste of all the action from the full rulebook. Due to the

limited nature of these rules, there may be some disconnect between the game stats shown and what a player might expect

from reading the comics. Rest assured that the full rules, including the two-page characters sheets (as opposed to the one-page

character sheets for these quick-start rules) will more fully reflect a player's expectations surrounding their favorite characters.




THE RENEGADES, PART 1: ON THE RUN

UNITY

10 UNITY MISSION BRIEFS

CATALYST GAME LABS Cue System Game Design Matt Heerdt

Additional Game Design Randall N. Bills

Project Development Randall N. Bills

Writing Randall N. BillsPhilip A. Lee

Editing Jason Schmetzer

Cover Artwork Tom Raney

Graphic Design & Layout Ray Arrastia

Artwork Lee Garbett

Doug Braithwaite

Khari Evans

©2014 All Rights Reserved. All characters, their distinctive likenesses and related indicia featured in this publication are trademarks of

Valiant Entertainment, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Catalyst Game Labs, the Catalyst Game Labs logo

and Cues System are trademarks or registered trademarks of InMediaRes Productions, LLC. Printed in the USA.

VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT Chairman Peter Cuneo

CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani

CFO & Head of Strategic Gavin CuneoDevelopment

Publisher Fred Pierce

VP Executive Editor Warren Simons

VP Operations Walter Black

Director of Marketing, Hunter Gorinson Communications & Digital Media

Sales Manager Atom! Freeman

Production & Design Manager Travis Escarfullery

Associate Editor Alejandro Arbona

Assistant Editor Josh Johns

Logo & Trade Dress Design Rian Hughes

Operations Manager Peter Stern

Operations Coordinator Robert Meyers

President, Consumer Products, Russ Brown

Promotions & Ad Sales Vice Chairman Jason Kothari

<<<BEGIN ENCRYPTED FILE: HARADA14738-G>>>

[Translated from Japanese:] Cassandra tells me the Russians are going to launch

a nuke. If it were anyone else making such a claim, I would just laugh it off.

No normal human could know how the Romania situation is going to play out. ButCassandra—the AI's predictions are nearly always right. Would that I could chalk

this projection to a glitch in her predictive subroutines. Not even my power and

influence on the global stage can stop mankind's most horrific weapon.

Whatever the cost, I cannot allow this to happen. I will not let Bucharest

become the next Hiroshima.

Gilad tells me his meeting with his old friend Aric of Dacia, wielder of the

X-O Manowar armor, did not go well. He had hoped to convince Aric to take his alien

ship and leave Romania peaceably, but Aric does not understand "peace." The so-

called Eternal Warrior may be effectively immortal, but today I learned he bleeds

just as well as the rest of us do. Aric broke Gilad's arm in the confrontation; he

will heal in due time, but that is not fast enough. A warrior with only one good

arm is only half as good to me.Ninjak is still under MI6's thumb, but he won't turn down a lucrative contract.

He has worked for me in the past; he will work for me again. His one-of-a-kind skills

are necessary if we are to neutralize the threat before it goes critical. But his

go-it-alone strategy may prove problematic when integrating him into this team…

And Livewire—my dear Amanda—I believe she has learned her lesson by now. She

may not be wholly loyal to me anymore, but if I can convince her what is at stake,

she will use her abilities to help me. Her rapport with machines may very well be

the key to counteracting the Manowar armor.

Where an army will falter, we four can put an end to this nonsense in Romania.

But if we fail…the world may never forgive us.

<<<END OF FILE>>>





OBJECTIVES

z Infiltrate the Visigoth perimeter

z Reach the hotel penthouse

z Find and defeat Aric of Dacia, the X-O Manowar

CUES

z team of conveniencez no time to prepare z primitive Visigoth weaponry

z out of the armor z element of surprisez virtual thoughtscape

TAGS

z Bucharestz plowed fieldz infiltrationz Visigoths

z X-O Manowarz hotelz balconyz training

UNITY, PART 1: TIME TRIAL

UNKNOWN VESSEL LANDS IN BUCHAREST Today at 1403 GMT, a craft of unknown origin descended from the sky and landed in Bucharest,

Romania. Neither the craft nor its as-yet-undisclosed inhabitants have made any hostile overtures, but

the chaos caused by the vessel’s descent and landing has unleashed a wave of looting and other crimes

of opportunity in the Romanian capital.

Some Romanians are hailing the vessel’s arrival as definitive proof that we are not alone in the

universe. Others claim the vessel itself is a classified weapons program being developed by the Russian

military. Investigations have yet to determine the origin of the vessel itself.

Further reports indicate that the armored, blue-and-gold individual involved in the recent at the

Colosseum in Rome has been spotted near the craft. Whether this unidentified person of interest is

responsible for the vessel’s presence remains to be seen.

Rather than deny or confirm responsibility for the craft, the Russian leadership responded with a

declaration of military force. In a public address given at 1455 GMT, Russian Premier Sergeyevich declared

the vessel and the armored individual a threat to national security and vowed to mobilize against the vessel. Incoming alert from Cassandra:

Harada-sama, the latest footage of the Bucharest incident confirms that the armored individual —codename X-O Manowar, AKA Aric of Dacia — is indeed involved with the craft. He appears to be protecting the ship and the people that emerged from it. The ship itself matches no known configuration or design.

Conclusion: Vessel is of extraterrestrial origin.Conjecture [93.8% certainty]: The Manowar brought the ship to Earth from

some unknown location.Taking previous observation of the Manowar into account, predictive

extrapolation indicates he will defend the ship to his last breath, destroying any and all who stand in his way with his array of offensive and defensive powers.With the Russians threatening to send in military force, I predict a nuclearsolution will be pursued.

Conclusion: Neutralizing the Manowar situation will forestall a nuclear solution.

11UNITY MISSION BRIEFS jean-marc greffard (order #6096858)



UNITY, PART 1: TIME TRIAL

THE SETTINGIn the night, the parked alien ship looms

overhead—a dark shadow, quiet and unyielding.

Beyond the vessel lies a grassy field that looksrecently plowed, and campfires dot the field. Past

the field sits an eight-story Romanian hotel building.

ENEMIES/OBSTACLESScene 1: Initial surveillance places X-O

Manowar in the penthouse suite of the hotel. Once

Aric gets into his armor, he’ll be all that much harder

to take down, so a bit of stealth will be required. To

reach him the team will first need to infiltrate the

perimeter of the field where the alien ship landed.Visigoths—descendants of Aric’s countrymen from

the seventh century—are wandering about the

encampment, but they are not expecting an attack.

The team must try to sneak past the Visigoths. If

any are alerted to the team’s presence, they must

be dispatched quickly before they can raise an

alarm and give Aric a chance to don the Armor of

Shanhara.

Scene 2: Once the team reaches the hotel,

they will need to reach the penthouse before

Aric can realize anything is wrong. Aric, confident

in his mastery of the Armor of Shanhara, doesn’t

have any personal guards watching over his suite,

but a number of Visigoth warriors have taken up

residence on the lower floors and will attack the

team when discovered.

Scene 3: When the team reaches Aric, assuming

they have managed to keep a low profile to this

point, Aric will still be unarmored, and it will take

him 1 full Narration to summon and don the Armor

of Shanhara. Aric fights alone, as the team will have

already dispatched or avoided all nearby Visigoths.

When using the NPC Dossier for X-O Manowar, ignore

the character’s Powers for this scene.

Once Aric has been incapacitated, the

surroundings dissolve away, and the team finds itself

sitting in chairs in Harada’s Harbinger Foundationoffice in Pittsburgh. Stronghold, one of Harada’s

nearby Eggbreakers—Harada’s personal entourage

of powerful psiots—congratulates the team.

“Harada-sama,” Stronghold says, “it appears your

thoughtscape training experiment was a success.

This team is fully capable of working together and

accomplishing our goals in Romania. I suggest you

get underway before we’re out of time.”

The mission to defeat Aric, it turns out, was

a shared hallucination that occurred in Harada’s

personal thoughtscape, as his way of ensuring that

the mission to come would not be a disastrous failure.

12 UNITY MISSION BRIEFS jean-marc greffard (order #6096858)




OBJECTIVES

z Infiltrate the alien spaceship

z Escape capture (optional)

z Reach the bridge

z Defeat X-O Manowar OR plant computer virus in ship’s computer

CUESz This time it’s real z corpses of eliminated Unity team

z high alert z breaking for orbit z virtual swordfight

TAGS

z Vine battleshipz infiltrationz capturedz liftoffz space

z ship’s bridgez Visigothsz Wolf Class Armorz Aric of Dacia

UNITY, PART 2: GRAB THE WHEEL

RUSSIAN TANK BATTALION LOST NEAR BUCHARESTEarly today, the Russian Federation sent a tank battalion into Romania, and hours later the entire

formation was declared lost to enemy action. According to statements from the Russian government,

a battalion of the Fourth Guards Tank Brigade crossed the Romanian border this morning intent on

approaching the mysterious vessel that landed in Bucharest. The Russian military reported losing contact

with the battalion when it reached the Berceni district. No explanations for the loss were made public.

The Romanian government is denying any and all involvement in the incident and have threatened

retaliation if the Russians do not withdraw from their border. Russian Premier Sergeyevich claimed the

military movement was in proactive self-defense of Russian national security, and he blames the Romanian

government for the battalion’s loss. The United Nations has called an emergency Security Council session

to attempt resolving this dispute before it escalates into open conflict.

One possible explanation for the Russians’ loss comes from amateur photographer Renee

Rousseaux, who states she was on the scene during the Berceni attack. Her blurry photos show tanks

encountering a blue-and-gold blur that many believe is the unidentified perpetrator of the Colosseum

incident in Rome. Rousseaux claims this individual destroyed the Russian tanks with never-before-seenweapons, but the subpar quality of the photographs only leads to further speculation.

Incoming Alert from Cassandra: Harada-sama, the situation has escalated as previously predicted.

Unfortunately, the Manowar is more of a variable than anticipated. Hisdestruction of the Russian tank convoy has driven the Russian Federationone step closer to a nuclear solution, either to eliminate the Manowar and/or to destroy the vessel and the people he is protecting. Predictive extrapolation indicates that the Russians will resort to firing a tactical nuclear warhead unless you directly intervene.

The Unity advance team you sent to confront the Manowar —codenames theCaptain, Mirror, Bomb, and Ether — is currently underway, but I predict theircurrent success rate at less than three percent..

…

…

Warning: Unity advance team eliminated. Primary and secondary mission failures. Updating my predictive matrices …

Conjecture [97.1% certainty]: Attacking the Manowar directly will havedisastrous results.

Conclusion: Removing the Manowar’s vessel from the equation will leave the Russians and Romanians nothing to fight over.




UNITY, PART 2: GRAB THE WHEEL

THE SETTING The area around the alien ship is positively

crawling with Visigoths this time of night, and the

hotel lies in the distance. The area looks hauntingly

familiar to the recent thoughtscape training, but

this time the goals have changed. And this time

it’s real.

ENEMIES/OBSTACLESScene 1: Ninjak arrives at the Vine ship first and

is encouraged to infiltrate the ship alone, in order

to get the lay of the land so the rest of the team

isn’t blindsided when they arrive. [While it’s true to

the comics to always have Ninjak be the advance

scout, LNs should feel free to mix this up if they wish

for more flexibility and variety, allowing another

player to go in first.] The Visigoths are on high alert

after the Russian tank attack, so Ninjak will need to

slip past some Visigoth guards and take out a loneVisigoth warrior patrolling the ship. Once inside the

ship, X-O Manowar discovers Ninjak’s presence and

confronts him. If X-O Manowar makes one successful

Action roll against Ninjak, Ninjak will be temporarily

incapacitated and captured. This scene should move

at a fast pace so the rest of the characters can get in

on the action as soon as possible.

Scene 2: Once Ninjak is captured (or manages

to escape the Manowar), the rest of the team

arrives. Ninjak can free himself by passing both an

Intellect Challenge (to dislocate a thumb) and aMight Challenge (to wriggle out of his restraints).

Otherwise, another team member will need to find

him and loosen his bonds.

Once the whole team is aboard the ship and

freed, the Vine ship breaks for orbit. The team will

need to reach the bridge in order to take control

of the vessel. Acceleration forces make it difficult

to stand or take action. Until the ship reaches orbit

(Lead Narrator’s discretion), team members will

need to pass a Might Challenge in order to keep

their footing and/or make any Action rolls. Team

members may attempt another try at a failed Test

on his or her next Narration.

Scattered throughout the corridors leading to

the bridge, where X-O Manowar is controlling the

ship, are some of Aric’s most dedicated Visigothwarriors and one or more Vine Wolf-class Armor.

Scene 3: On the bridge, Aric is hooked directly

into the ship via his armor. In order to gain control of

the ship, Livewire must connect to the ship as well

(the LN may allow another team member to connect

if Livewire is out of action, but the player will have to

explain “how” they're doing it—i.e., using a prototype

Harada comms system, or some other way in which

they can get around Livewire's abilities). Once

connected, Aric will engage her consciousness in

virtual combat inside the ship’s computer. The rest ofthe team must fend off the Visigoths and Wolf-class

Armor until Livewire can either successfully plant a

computer virus that will kick Aric out of the system

or defeat Aric in virtual combat.

To plant the computer virus, Livewire may

take one Intellect Test on each of her Narrations (in

addition to making Action rolls in combat against

Aric). If she succeeds in three successive Tests, the

virus is planted; if she fails a Test, she must start over

again. Although Aric is fighting Livewire virtually,

he still uses the stats and weapons on his Dossier.While Livewire is trying to take control of the

ship, the rest of the team must protect her from

Visigoths and Wolf-class Armor that will attempt to

enter the bridge.

Once Aric has been defeated or the virus is

successfully planted, the ship begins losing altitude

and plummets from space like a meteor.





UNITY, PART 3: A SINKING FEELING

M.E.R.O. REPORT: BUCHAREST SITUATION UPDATEAt 0315 GMT, the Priority 1 vessel we have been monitoring in Bucharest suddenly took flight and

headed for the upper atmosphere. After settling into a low orbit, the craft remained in place for 37 minutes

before plummeting 60 kilometers back to Earth at 0402 GMT and sinking relatively intact into the Atlantic

Ocean at N 47°22´15˝, W 33°12´19˝.

NASA officials believe the vessel did not survive reentry and broke apart before crashing in the sea, and for

now we are doing nothing to actively discourage this belief. Investigative efforts from the US, Russian, and Chinese

navies are currently underway, but we are certain that the vessel will have already sank before any of these fleets

can arrive on the scene. Fortunately, the pressure at those depths due to the pressure unable to get any agents

in place to steer them away from few hold any hope of finding the wreckage and putting this mystery to rest.

We’re currently attempting to piece together just what happened. Surveillance is no longer seeing

signs of the X-O Manowar at the site, but his primitive associates are still on the scene. Infrared scans of

the area indicate the presence of unknown individuals nearing and entering the ship.

Please advise on our next course of action.

Incoming Alert from Cassandra: Harada-sama, I am reading that Livewire has subverted the X-O Manowar’s

control over the alien vessel. I am also seeing that she has gained control over the Armor of Shanhara itself.

This is an unexpected development. Updating my predictive matrices…The Armor of Shanhara is an article of extraterrestrial technology.Conjecture [95.6% certainty]: Livewire interfacing with the Armor may give

her a greater understanding of how her teletechnopathic abilities work.The following facts are also of immediate importance:

1) Livewire’s previous betrayal resulted in “Omicron” psiot PeterStanchek’s escape.

2) The Armor of Shanhara is one of the most powerful weapons yet seenon this planet.

3) Livewire chose to join your Unity team to neutralize the worldwide threat Aric of Dacia posed, and without the Armor, Aric’s threat has been neutralized.

Conjecture [63.2% certainty]: With the Armor now under Livewire’s control, if she chooses to rebel against you a second time, you will be unable to stop her.

Conclusion: Keep Livewire’s focus on the mission. In the meantime, I am calculating that the ship is currently falling from orbit

and will impact the Pacific Ocean in approximately five, four, three …… two …… one …

15UNITY MISSION BRIEFS

OBJECTIVES

z Escape the sinking ship

z Stop the nuke

z Broker deal with world powers

z Save trapped Visigoths

CUESz Hang onto something!z There has to be a way out of here

z filling up with seawaterz never enough lifeboats…z when world powers collide

TAGS

z free fallz Pacific Oceanz Visigothsz Wolf Class Armorz Aric of Dacia

z the Armor of Shanharaz nuclear solutionz Americans, Russians, and Chinese




UNITY, PART 3: A SINKING FEELING

THE SETTINGWith no one able to directly control the alien

ship, the Earth is rapidly growing larger in the bridge’s

viewport. Flames obscure the view as the spacecraftblazes through Earth’s atmosphere like a meteor.

Once the flames go out, the shining blue carpet of

the Pacific Ocean awaits, just seconds below …

ENEMIES/OBSTACLESScene 1: With Aric defeated and taken

captive, the X-O Manowar suit transfers itself to

Livewire. Due to the rigors of interfacing with alien

technology for the first time, she will be unable to

perform any actions except interface with the Armorfor two Narrations. Once Livewire has bonded with

the Armor of Shanhara, she will immediately regain

all of her lost Armor pips. While wearing the Armor,

she gains an additional +7 Armor pips and the

Armor Regeneration Power (D8, see X-O Manowar

NPC Dossier, p. 23); all of her Stat Dice, Weapons,

and other Powers remain the same.

Aric’s defeat also means the ship is uncontrolled

and plummeting to the Earth. The fall takes D4

Narrations before the ship will hit the ocean, and

any action a team member or NPC wishes to take

during the free fall will require a successful Might

Challenge before the action can be attempted.

When the ship crashes into the ocean, each team

member or NPC who fails a Might Challenge will suffer

2 Health damage (ignoring Armor) from the impact.

The submerged ship quickly takes on water and

begins to sink. The team will need to find a way out

of the ship before being drowned, and before water

pressure crushes the ship like an egg. After navigating

the ship’s maze of flooding bulkheads, the team will

learn there is only one escape pod, and Visigoths and

Wolf-class Armor are standing in the way.

Scene 2: Because the Russians lost a whole tank

battalion to the alien ship’s defenders, they don’t

want anyone getting their hands on whatever is in

the ship. To ensure the vessel’s destruction, a Russian

plane launched a tactical nuke toward the sinking ship.

While adrift on an escape pod or the ship’s wreckage,

the team will need to find some way to destroy or

neutralize this missile before it can explode. There are

a number of creative ways in which the nuke can be

disabled, rerouted or destroyed.

To add some tension to the scene, the LN

can decide that the nuke takes a specific number

of turns to arrive at the ship, which will limit theamount of time the team will have to plan their

strategy. To randomly determine how many rounds

of Narrations the team has, roll a D4.

Any unshielded team members or NPCs

near the nuke’s blast radius when it blows (LN’s

discretion) are immediately Knocked Out for the

remainder of the Event.

Scene 3: After the nuke has been dealt with,

naval fleets from the United States, Russia, and China

converge on the alien ship. The team will need to

collectively meet with the officers from all three fleetsin order to prevent them from attacking each other

or going to war over the sunken ship. Bargaining

chips include such things as salvage rights to the Vine

ship and the X-O Manowar armor. The team must

convince all three powers that the Armor of Shanhara

is a dangerous weapon that remains under guard at

Harada Global Conglomerates.

During the meeting, one or more team

members can venture down to the sunken ship in

an effort to rescue any Visigoths before they drown.





TRAITOR OBJECTIVES

z Steal the Armor of Shanhara from

Harada Global Conglomerates

z Return the Armor of Shanhara to Aric

HARADA OBJECTIVES

z Prevent the Armor of Shanhara from

being stolen OR regain stolen Armor

z Convince traitors to rejoin the cause

OR humble all holdouts

UNITY, PART 4: THE RIGHTFUL OWNER

COLOSSEUM AND BUCHAREST CULPRIT IN CUSTODYINTERPOL officials released a statement declaring that the armored individual witnessed on the scene

of the recent incidents at Rome’s Colosseum and Bucharest, Romania, has been apprehended and taken into

custody. The culprit’s identity has not yet been revealed, but sources claim this international war criminal is

being held at a secure, undisclosed location.

The apprehended individual was responsible for using an unidentified form of self-contained aerial

combat armor to attack several Italian Aeronautica Militare fighters over Rome and cause havoc in Bucharest.

Photographs taken of the Bucharest incident indicate that this man was also responsible for the destruction

of the Russian military convoy in Bucharest’s Berceni district.

Italy and Romania’s governments have both lobbied for the culprit to be remanded to their respective

custody to stand trial. So far no firm decisions have been reached, and no trial date has been established.

“This is a delicate situation,” said INTERPOL Secretary-General Jean-Baptiste Beaumont. “The individual

in question represents a clear and present threat to global security, so all precautions have been taken to

ensure justice will be meted out accordingly.”

Incoming Alert from Cassandra: Harada-sama, I detect that something is amiss in your house.Though the X-O Manowar armor is now under constant guard in this facility, many

different parties may seek to remove the armor from your protection. Based on previous behavioral and speech patterns, and the performance of your

Unity team, I believe one or more of your associates will betray you:Gilad Anni-Padda: 22.3% loyalty rating. The Eternal Warrior is a longtime friend

of Aric of Dacia and will not take kindly to Aric’s imprisonment. Recommendation: ReleaseGilad’s leash ASAP and cut your losses.

Ninjak: 43.6% loyalty rating. The MI6 operative follows you for financial gain.

Recommendation: Maintain lucrative business relationship. Livewire: 65.7% loyalty rating. Her earlier betrayal of you during the Omicron incident has taught her a valuable and unforgettable lesson; she will only side against you if she believes her cause is just. Recommendation: Provide specific examples to provethe rightness of your goals.

Livewire’s ChallengeWhen I bonded with the Armor, it showed me how to use my powers in ways I

never imagined, so I now know every single plot Harada has put in motion, everysingle person he’s ordered killed. We took the Armor from Aric because it made Harada and his company look good. Aric, on the other hand, just wanted to use the Armor to create a home for his people.

I’ve told Harada countless times that he’s too powerful, that he needs something —or someone— to balance his ego and ensure he doesn’t set himself up as a god among men. I say we should be that balance. Who’s with me?

CUES

z We’re doing the right thingz three against one z I don’t trust him

z breaking the Unityz He’s too powerfulz Guard your thoughts

TAGS

z betrayalz Armor of Shanharaz infiltrationz Harada Global Conglomerates

z Military Extraterrestrial Recon Outpostz Aric of Daciaz Visigoth prisoners




UNITY, PART 4: THE RIGHTFUL OWNER

THE SETTINGHarada Global Conglomerates’ main

headquarters in Pittsburgh is a well-guarded

skyscraper with an extensive underground facility.

Between standard HGC security guards and the

Harbinger Foundation’s army of psiots, anyoneattempting to enter Toyo Harada’s fortress without

permission will be in for a rude awakening.

The Armor of Shanhara is safe from all but the

most superhuman of would-be thieves.

ENEMIES/OBSTACLESAt the beginning of this Event, the players are

split into two groups: Harada in one and all of the

traitors—Eternal Warrior, Ninjak, and Livewire—in

the other. Throughout the course of this Event,the traitors will attempt to complete the Traitor

Objectives, and Harada’s player will attempt to

complete the Harada Objectives. A member of the

Traitors group can defect to Harada’s group either

by doing so voluntarily, by Harada controlling

the character via one of his Powers, being

Knocked Out or Dead, or any other means the LN

deems plausible.

If Harada is ever Staggered or Knocked Out

during this Event, he will reappear in the next

scene with full Health and Armor due to havinggone into a regenerative trance. Any Traitor who

is Staggered or Knocked Out will reappear in the

next scene with full Health and Armor, but will be

on Harada’s team instead.

Scene 1: The Traitors must sneak into Harada

Global Conglomerates building in Pittsburgh,

locate the Armor of Shanhara, and steal it. The

Armor is guarded by a psiot named Anchor and

some of Harada’s Eggbreakers. Any character can

pick up and carry the Armor in its spherical form,but Livewire is the only character who can don the

Armor. See p. 16 for Livewire’s stats when wearing

the Armor. Once the Traitors have stolen the Armor,

they must confront Harada and his Eggbreakers in

order to escape the HGC building.

Harada, on the other hand, must try to

convince the Traitors that the Armor of Shanhara

is too dangerous for anyone to wield. He and two

Eggbreakers will try to retrieve the Armor once it has

been stolen, and he can attempt to convince any of

the Traitors that they are doing the wrong thing.

Scene 2: If the Traitors managed to steal the

Armor, they must then learn where Aric of Dacia

is being held. He and his Visigoths are currently

at Camp Sigma, a military facility run by the

intelligence organization MERO. While the Traitors

are in hiding and attempting to locate Aric, Harada

can track them down and try to steal back the

Armor and/or convince more of the Traitors to

rejoin his cause. Likewise, the Traitors can attempt

to break Harada’s hold on any former Traitors that

are currently under Harada’s influence.

Scene 3: After the Traitors manage to locate

Aric, they must make their way to Camp Sigma,

which is out in the middle of the desert. At thecamp, Harada will have one last chance to try either

stealing back the Armor or coercing the remaining

Traitors to his side. If Aric is given the Armor, he will

immediately suit up and join the Traitors in their

fight against Harada.

AFTERMATH

If the Traitors prevail

Livewire: Harada was right about one thing—the Armor of Shanhara is indeed the most powerful

weapon on Earth. But it doesn’t belong to us. The

Armor told me that it chose Aric of Dacia for a

reason. Watching him in the Armor—he is a natural

with it, and his experience in Romania has forged

him into a better person and a greater leader for

his people. I only hope we made the right decision.

If Harada prevails

Harada: The Armor of Shanhara is the most

powerful weapon on Earth, and I still believe no one

should ever wield it. This petty squabble with Amanda

and my former allies over the Armor has only proven

the rightness of my cause. Had I the nerve, I would

strap that accursed metal orb to a rocket and launch

it into the sun. But I cannot. There may yet come a day

when the Armor will be needed. I only hope that I will

never need to be the one to wear it.




VALIANT UNIVERSE

19CHARACTER DOSSIERS

MIGHT

ARMOR(PSIONIC SHIELD)

HEALTH

EQUIPMENT

INTELLECT

CUES

ACTION CUES

CHARISMA ACTION LUCK

RANGE

DAMAGE Close Near Far

P O W E R S

D8

D10 D10

D10

Atomize (Weapon) Telepathy

Psionic Shield (Armor)

Reduces damage taken by 2Levitation (Flight)

Psionic Projection D12

WEAPONS

The time to act is now.

I can stop this.

Believe me when I tell you, I will not let this happen.

Nuclear weapons will never be used again.

We have very little time.

That was just … intuition.

There’s nowhere for you to run.

Prepare to have the world forget you ever existed.

I am the most powerful psiot on this planet.

HARADAVITAL FACTORSName: Toyo Harada Affiliation: Harbinger Foundation

TAGS Psiot Visionary Controlling Confident “Omega”

Atomize D8 OK OK OK

Mind Wipe 2* OK –3 —

*Target also forfeits its next action

Digital Assistant Expensive Suit

Designer Shoes

3D6 D8D10D12

1 TO MIGHT& ACTION

STAGGERED

KNOCKEDOUT

1 TOMIGHT




VALIANT UNIVERSE

20 CHARACTER DOSSIERS

MIGHT

ARMOR(EARTH’S EMBRACE)

HEALTH

EQUIPMENT

INTELLECT

CUES

ACTION CUES


RANGE


P O W E R S

D8Weapon Mastery(Weapon)

Tactical Genius

Accelerated HealingHeals D4 – 1 pips of Health

Sure ShotAdds +2 to next Action roll result D8D12

D4

WEAPONS

I hate being late.

I’m the oldest living thing in the hemisphere.

Go away. I won’t ask you again.

There’s always a war going on.

You’re never so alive as when you’re killing something.

This won’t end well.

The world is watching. There will be consequences.

My war is eternal.

I was around when war got invented.

ETERNAL WARRIORVITAL FACTORSName:Gilad Anni-Padda Affiliation: The House of Earth

TAGS Immortal Sumerian Patient Fist of the Earth Resilient

Axe 3 OK –2 —

Submachine Gun* 2 OK OK –2

*May target two enemies with the same attack action

Token of the House of Earth Cloak

Medical Cuff for Broken Arm

10D6D8 D10D10

1 TO MIGHT& ACTION

STAGGERED

KNOCKEDOUT

1 TOMIGHT




VALIANT UNIVERSE


MIGHT

ARMOR(HEX-WEAVE FABRIC)

HEALTH

EQUIPMENT

INTELLECT

CUES

ACTION CUES


RANGE


P O W E R S

D8

D8

Smart Gloves/Boots(Climbing)

Ninjutsu Reflexes(Armor)

Reduces damage taken by 2

Explosive Foam

Poison Gas

Adaptive Camouflage Hologram Belt D8

D10

D10

D6

WEAPONS

I’d’a done this job for free.

It’s time.

Blunt-force trauma will suffice.

Alien tech or not, a locked door is a locked door.

Voilà.

Only one chance …

I guess you didn’t get my “It’s a trap” memo?

Go wage your war in the open. I’ll wage mine in the shadows.

You can take away my equipment but not my training.

NINJAKVITAL FACTORSName: Colin King Affiliation: MI-6

TAGS Precise Relentless Skilled Freelancer Super-spy

Katana 4 OK –2 —

Poisoned Shuriken 2* OK OK OK

*Target suffers 1 additional damage over the next D4 rounds

Stealth Drone Vehicle Wing Suit

Pocket Computer

9D10 D10D8 D12

1 TO MIGHT& ACTION

STAGGERED

KNOCKEDOUT

1 TOMIGHT




VALIANT UNIVERSE


MIGHT

ARMOR(DEFLECTION SHIELD)

HEALTH

EQUIPMENT

INTELLECT

CUES

ACTION CUES


RANGE


P O W E R S

D8D8

ManipulateElectronic Devices

Multi-Tool LevitationField (Flight)

Multi-ToolDeflection Shield (Armor)

Reduces damage taken by 1Martial Arts (Weapon)

D10 D6

WEAPONS

I’ve a unique relationship with machines.

You reap what you sow.

Try to be less of a punk, will you?

Forgive me, Master.

It’s nothing like I’ve ever synced with before.

I need you to come with me.

There must be balance.

I don’t much care for weapons. I prefer communication.

I can pull the code and twist it to fit whatever I need.

LIVEWIREVITAL FACTORSName:Amanda McKee Affiliation: Harbinger Foundation

TAGS Psiot Teletechnopath Rebellious Honest Logical

Electrified Multi-Tool Whip D6* OK OK –2

Aerial Drone Cannon 2 OK OK OK

*+1 damage against non-living targets

Multi-Tool Bracelet Harbinger Foundation ID

First Aid Kit

4 D6D6 D8D8

1 TO MIGHT& ACTION

STAGGERED

KNOCKEDOUT

1 TOMIGHT




VALIANT UNIVERSE


MIGHT INTELLECT CHARISMA ACTION

ARMOR(ARMOR OF SHANHARA) HEALTH

EQUIPMENT

RANGE

DAMAGE Close Near FarWEAPONSEnergy Blast 3 OK OK OK

Energy Sword 3 OK –2 —

The Sacred Armor of Shanhara

1 TO MIGHT

& ACTION

1 TO

MIGHT

STAGGERED

KNOCKED

OUT

1 TO MIGHT

& ACTION

1 TO

MIGHT

STAGGERED

KNOCKED

OUT

CUES



D6D6

D8 D8

D8

D8

ARMOR(PSIONIC HARDENING)

HEALTH

EQUIPMENT

RANGE

DAMAGE Close Near FarWEAPONSFist 2 OK –2 —

Fist 2 OK –2 —

Unity Uniform

HGC Passkey Card

ARIC OF DACIA(UNARMORED)

ANCHOR

ARMOR(VISIGOTH TRAINING) HEALTH

EQUIPMENT

RANGE

DAMAGE Close Near FarWEAPONSDagger 2 OK — —

Fist 2 OK –2 —

Visigoth Emblem Prosthetic Hand

Visigoth Clothing

1 TO MIGHT

& ACTION

1 TO

MIGHT

STAGGERED

KNOCKED

OUT

D10

D10

P O W E R S

D10

Armor Regeneration(Armor) Restores 2 Armor

and 2 Health, even if

Staggered or Knocked Out

Anti-gravity(Flight)

D6EnergyWeapons

Wrist RocketsDeals 2 damage to targets

in Close or Near ranges

D8

D8

Dacia belongs to my people!

I am king of the Visigoths!

Don’t tell me what I can and cannot do!

X-O MANOWAR(ARMORED)

D4D12

D12 D12




VALIANT UNIVERSE



ARMOR(VISIGOTH SHIELD) HEALTH

EQUIPMENT

RANGE

DAMAGE Close Near FarWEAPONSSword 2 OK –2 —

Spear 2 OK OK —

Slave Rags Vine Necklace

Visigoth Emblem

1 TO MIGHT

& ACTION

1 TO

MIGHT

STAGGERED

KNOCKED

OUT

1 TO MIGHT

& ACTION

1 TO

MIGHT

STAGGERED

KNOCKED

OUT


ARMOR HEALTH

EQUIPMENT

WEAPONS


D6 D6

ARMOR(PSIONIC SHIELD) HEALTH

EQUIPMENT

RANGE

DAMAGE Close Near FarWEAPONSPsionic Lash 3 OK OK –2

Harbinger Foundation ID Pocket Computer

Harbinger Foundation Uniform

VISIGOTH WARRIOR

D8 D8

D8

D4 D4

D4 D4

EGGBREAKER

RANGE


Energy Cannons 3 –2 OK OK

Rending Claws 2 OK –2 —

Visigoth Warrior Pilot Repair Kit

Spare Parts

WOLF-CLASS ARMOR

1 TO MIGHT

& ACTION

1 TO

MIGHT

STAGGERED

KNOCKED

OUT

D10

D10 D10




A STORM IS COMING…BE A PART OF THE ACTION TheValiant Universe RPG Digital Initiative rolls out a firestorm of heroic action onto your gaming table.

Starting on Free Comic Book Day with the Quick-Start Rules, a free PDF will release every other week to keep

the action pumping until the Valiant Universe RPG hits your local comics/game store shelves in August.

Free PDF Available May 3rd (Free Comic Book Day)It all starts here: Rules designed to throw you into the action of the Valiant Universe in

minutes, with Events and characters from the Unity series (such as Harada, Ninjak and more) for

several evenings of action-packed adventure.

Free PDF Available May 17th

Love the rules but want to tackle another part of the Valiant

Universe? This supplemental focuses on Bloodshot and is the first salvo

of several PDFs that cover the hit crossover series Harbinger Wars. Players

can tackle Bloodshot, Headspace and others at their gaming table.

Free PDF Available May 31st

Another chapter in the Harbinger Wars supplementals, experience

the life of the first psiots. Held in isolation and experimented upon by

Project Rising Spirit, the psiots Cronus, the Telic and others are now free.

What will you unleash upon the world?

Free PDF Available June 14th

Play the ultra-powerful Toyo Harada—the mastermind orchestrating

the Harbinger Wars—or one of his Harbinger Foundation Eggbreakers, and

manipulate events behind the scenes. Via characters and Event Briefs, adifferent chapter of this epic crossover event unfolds for you and your friends.

Free Print Book Available June 21st (Free RPG Day) Think you know everything about the Harbinger Wars? Think again!

The Renegades unleashes Peter Stanchek, Zephyr and more onto your

gaming table. Visit your local hobby shop on Free RPG Day to grab this

print version that also includes the full Quick-Start Rules.

Print Pre-Orders and PDF available July 5th

What you’ve all been waiting for since you grabbed that first PDF and

tossed some dice in the epic Valiant Universe! Print book will be available

on bookstore shelves in August.

Free PDF Available July 19th

The final chapter in the Valiant Universe RPG Quick-Start Rules

supplementals allows players to tackle Major Palmer, Shakespeare and

others as they come out of retirement and are thrown into the brutal fray.

Las Vegas is caught in the grip of superheroes, villains, megacorps and

secret government organizations vying for dominance. Will you survive?

Free PDF Available August 2nd

Unable to grab the Valiant Universe RPG Quick-Start Rules: Harbinger Wars (Renegades

Supplemental) booklet during the Free RPG Day event? Here’s when you can snag the free PDF.

©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 Statesand/or other countries. Catalyst Game Labs, the Catalyst Game Labs logo, Cue System are trademarks or registered trademarks of InMediaRes Productions, LLC. Printed in the USA.

Available exclusively at

CatalystGameLabs.com/shop and DriveThruRPG.com.


Featuring

RPG QSR SUPPLEMENTAL

BLOODSHOT:


THE HARBINGER

FOUNDATION:

, …

, , .… . ?

. li i ,

. , ,

,

li i ,

1 l l i h t r v . l l h r t r , th i r i t in t iv l i n n r l t i n i i t u ri nt hi u l i t i n r tr r l i nt En t rt i n n t, In . in th Un it t t n r t h r

untri . t ly tG L , th t ly tG L l n u y t r tr r r r i t r t r r In i r u t i n, LL . rint i nth U .

for sma lle r use

for la rge r use

l l i l ll i i i i l i l i ii l i i .

i l i ll r i i l ll l il i ii i ; i li i ’ .

l i l i i , ill i i illl i i i i i . ill i i

r i l i !

…

…

THE ROLEPLAYING GAME

vr m .in // : :


GENERATIONZERO

:


Experience the


H.A.R.D.CORPS

:

:




r llr u

r lr r u

THE ROLEPLA YIN

G GAME

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-powerfulToyo 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!

The Valiant Universe RPG includes:

• Cue System: The rules-light and easy to learn Cue

System allows a novice or un-initiated RPG player to

quickly get inside the head of their superhero and

plunge into the action.

• 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 Valiant Entertainment’s FCBD

2014 Valiant Universe Handbook of characters.

• Character Dossiers & Creation Rules: Along with

ready-to-play missions, superhero and villain character

dossiers will have players in the thick of the action in

no time. Or do you want to create your own superhero

or villain and add it to the Valiant Universe pantheon?Quick and easy rules give you that freedom!.

Additional Material Available Online!

The roleplaying game is coming this fall, but you candownload the additional free quick-start rules PDF

content and start gaming now; just use the url below!

Catalyst Game Labs publishes exciting, story-driven role-

playing games, tabletop miniatures games, board games,

card games and more. The Valiant Universe RPG is the first

of several games planned to cover the gamut of non-stop

superhero action found within the Valiant Universe.

DO YOU HAVE

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

Valiant Universe RPG Quick Start Rules Featuring Unity

Documents

Transcript of Valiant Universe RPG Quick Start Rules Featuring Unity