TEXT: A New Take on Superhero Role-Playing!
  A New Take on Superhero Role-Playing!
  Core Rulebook
  Core Rulebook
  
  Writing and Design
  Barak Blackburn
  Additional WritinG: Ellie Hillis, Norbert Franz, Brent Sprecher
  Editing: Norbert Franz, Cynthia Celeste Miller
  Cover Art: Brent Sprecher
  Interior Art: Brent Sprecher, Bill Williams, Scott Brewer, Tom 
  Martin, Derek Hand 
  Graphic Design: Cynthia Celeste Miller
  Playtesting: Tim Kirk, Norbert Franz, Bryan Beyer, Wolf Bau-
  mann, Tobias Apgar, Gregor Shdanow, Stephan Seybold, Michael Jung-
  nickl, Sabine Bengl-Lober, Peter Meuer, and Verena Pschorn, Ellie Hillis, 
  Jen Eastman-Lawrence, Amy Tayloe, Kate zdepski, Lynx Marks, Ryan 
  Denison, Luka Milekic, and the gamers at the following conventions: 
  ConBust, Cat-Con (September 2010 & March 2011), FeenCon (2010 
  and 2011), Fan Con (September 2010 & November 2011), Dreieich 
  Con (2010), Fantasy Festival (2011), ReuCon XV (2011), and Teck-Con 
  (2012)
  Please visit www.tommartinart.com, www.brentjs.deviantart.com, 
  www.tensen01.deviantart.com, www.graphicsmash.com/comics/
  sidechicks.php 
  www.spectrum-games.com
  2807 Grand Ave., Parsons, Kansas 67357
  Copyright © 2012 Spectrum Games. All Rights Reserved. AMERICANA, APOLLO, ARTEMIS, 
  BREAKER, DEATHSTALKER, DEATH STAR, GORALKA, LILLITH, MOON GIRL, PAN-
  TERA, SLAVEDRIVER, STONEHENGE, THE CELESTIAL, VECTOR and the distinctive like-
  nesses thereof are Copyright © 2007-2012 Brent Sprecher. SUICIDE JACK Copyright © 2010-2012 
  Al Sprecher. ABESSA, TOMBOY, HIGHBROW and all other characters illustrated by Bill Wil-
  liams are Copyright © 2012 Bill Williams. DR. MOONLIGHT is Copyright © 2012 Tom Martin. 
  SLIPSTREAM and BACKBLAST are Copyright © 2012 Derek Hand. All characters not owned by 
  Spectrum Games are used withpermission. The material herein (art, logos, illustrations, character 
  concepts, text and game mechanics) is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of Amer-
  ica. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited 
  without the express written consent of Spectrum Games (or in the cases of the above mentioned art 
  and characters, the respective owners), except for the purposes of reviews and for the blank sheets 
  / cheat sheets, which may be reproduced for personal use only. Any infraction of this may result in 
  legal action or an unpleasant visit from Dr. Moonlight and Roundie. The reference to any companies 
  or products in this book is not meant to challenge the trademarks or copyrights concerned. 
  
  Table of Contents
  Chapter 0: Introduction................ 5
   
  The Nuts and Bolts of it All............................................ 6
  Chapter 1: Character Design....... 9
   
  The Stuff That (Super) Heroes Are Made of..................... 9
   
  Traits............................................................................... 10
  	
  Modifiers.........................................................................	11
   
  Editorial Control.............................................................. 27
   
  Complications................................................................. 32
   
  Factoids.......................................................................... 36
   
  Sample Character Design................................................ 38
   
  Heroes and Villains......................................................... 47
  Chapter 2: The System................... 72
   
  CC&VF in Action.............................................................. 72
   
  Grab Those Dice.............................................................. 72
   
  Die-Rolling Essentials...................................................... 72
   
  Performing Actions.......................................................... 74
   
  Setback Tokens, Big Hits and Threshold.......................... 76
   
  Scenes from a Comicbook............................................... 77
   
  Initiative......................................................................... 80
  	
  Assigning	Difficulties	and	Penalties................................	 83
   
  Staples of the Genre........................................................ 86
  Chapter 3: Villains.......................... 92
   
  Villains Foul.................................................................... 92
   
  Villainous Threats (and Other People of the World)........ 92
   
  Villainous Editorial Control.............................................. 93
   
  Bring On the C-Listers..................................................... 96
   
  Villainy Conclusion.......................................................... 97
  Chapter 4: Options.......................... 98
   
  To Link or Not to Link...................................................... 98
   
  EC As Reward.................................................................. 98
   
  Zero-Level Traits............................................................. 99
   
  Editorial Dice Rolling....................................................... 99
   
  Fleeing the Scene............................................................ 99
   
  Auto-Defend.................................................................... 100
   
  Special Guest Stars, Team-Ups and Crossovers............... 100
   
  Heroes in Training........................................................... 102
   
  Long-Term Injuries......................................................... 103
   
  Killing Damage................................................................ 104
   
  Live Action Superheroes.................................................. 105
   
  Static Attacks.................................................................. 108
   
  Too Many Dice................................................................. 109
   
  Experience Points, Character Advancement/Changes..... 109 
  Chapter 5: Example of Play.......... 114
   
  The	Magnificent	Muse	in..................................................	114
   
  The Issue, as Plotted by the Editor.................................. 114
   
  Following Along............................................................... 116
   
  The Example.................................................................... 116
  Chapter 6: Issues........................... 140
   
  Creating Issues............................................................... 140
   
  Introductory Issue.......................................................... 143
   
  Introductory Issue 2....................................................... 146
  Appendix............................................ 152
   
  Afterword........................................................................ 152
   
  Glossary.......................................................................... 153
   
  Cheat Sheets................................................................... 155
   
  Character Sheet.............................................................. 158
   
  Usage Sheet.................................................................... 159
  
  Bill Williams
  
  Introduction
  Chapter 0
  Introduction
  Chapter 0
  5
  Introduction
  Chapter 0
  Skin-tight costumes, often in loud 
  or gaudy colors.
  Characters who break the “fourth 
  wall”, sometimes to the point of 
  shattering it. 
  A secret lair that boasts dozens of 
  specialized armored battlesuits. 
  The master villain who, with no 
  superpowers to call his own, is 
  able to be a worthy adversary for 
  the most powerful superheroes on 
  the planet. 
  A utility belt full of gadgets, with 
  the most appropriate one always 
  at the ready. 
  The non-powered caped crusader 
  standing side by side -- as an equal 
  -- with a hero who can withstand a 
  nuclear blast at ground zero fi ghting 
  a villain who has the ability to snuff 
  out the sun and shatter the moon 
  with one punch. 
  These are but a few of the many 
  reasons why comicbooks are 
  awesome, reasons that kids (or 
  kids at heart) have dreamed of 
  being superheroes since their 
  inception, and reasons that 
  role-playing games have been 
  trying to recreate their bam-pow 
  excitement for decades. But with 
  the latter, there have always been 
  certain hurdles that stand in the 
  way, the differences between two 
  very different mediums.       
  This is best exemplifi ed by when 
  a new writer comes onto a 
  comicbook series. Upon doing so, 
  he will fi nd that the powers and 
  abilities of a specifi c character 
  are already predetermined by 
  precedent, all the issues and 
  appearances that have come 
  before. But the interpretation 
  of it all is very much up to the 
  writer. That is, he doesn’t have a 
  detailed character sheet to work 
  off of; nothing that limits what he 
  can have the character do. Sure, 
  if he steps too far beyond the 
  scope of the canon, the editor will 
  certainly rein him back in and tell 
  him to try again, but the freedom 
  to explore the boundaries is still 
  intact. 
  In the world of comicbooks, 
  physics and logic often take 
  a backseat to drama and 
  excitement. A character who 
  can pick up a battleship doesn’t 
  vaporize a normal person when 
  he hits him? A character who is 
  supposedly just a highly trained 
  normal human can dodge swaths 
  of bullets without breaking a 
  sweat? A character gets killed, 
  only to show back up at a 
  later time, armed with some 
  half-cocked excuse for why he 
  didn’t actually die? These are 
  all things that happen regularly 
  in comicbooks, despite the 
  fact that they couldn’t possibly 
  happen in our own reality. But we 
  suspend our disbelief in favor of 
  entertainment.      
  All this forms the very basis of 
  what Capes, Cowls and Villains 
  Foul is designed to do. It’s not 
  a game about placing artifi cial 
  limitations on characters... 
  it’s about telling an exciting 
  superhero story with your 
  
  Introduction
  6
  friends. The game itself acts as a 
  launching pad for that. It allows 
  one person (the Editor) and his 
  or her friends (the players) to 
  capture all the fun, excitement, 
  drama and, yes, inherent silliness 
  found in superhero comics. Within 
  these pages are the tools that 
  enable you to craft your own 
  comicbook heroes and villains, 
  and have them interact with the 
  world in the way they might in a 
  comicbook. The game system will 
  not quantify exactly how much a 
  character can lift or require you 
  to crunch numbers for hours in 
  an effort to stat up multiple suits 
  of battle armor. Instead, it gives 
  the players and Editor a chance to 
  focus more on embracing all the 
  fun and action of the superhero 
  genre. 
  The sky really is the limit... so 
  why not soar through it like the 
  hero you’ve always longed to be?
  The Nuts and Bolts 
  of it All!
  The classic question remains: 
  Which came fi rst, the chicken or 
  the egg? 
  When writing a roleplaying game, 
  the question of which should 
  come fi rst, character creation or 
  the rules, is very much a “chicken 
  and egg.” So, what to do? We’re 
  going to give you the nuts and 
  bolts of the system: How it works 
  on a pretty broad level, then 
  jump into character creation, and 
  then break down the full system, 
  from investigations on rain 
  soaked streets, who goes fi rst in 
  initiative, how villains are created, 
  and all that fun stuff.
  Capes, Cowls and Villains 
  Foul uses only twelve-sided dice 
  (d12s), the red-headed step-
  child of the gaming industry. Each 
  player should have fi ve or more 
  d12s, along with a character 
  sheet, a pencil, and some scratch 
  paper.
  Capes, Cowls and Villains 
  Foul is a resource-based game. 
  Players will fi nd that their Traits 
  will generally diminish over time, 
  but this is true for both Heroes 
  and Villains (although those 
  Villains do have some tricks up 
  their sleeves). Combats will likely 
  be quick, both in actual play time, 
  and in the number of rounds it 
  takes to resolve them. This is 
  intentional. Most comic book 
  combats are not long and drawn-
  out. Characters have Traits. Traits 
  are very open-ended, and can be 
  used for anything a Trait with that 
  name could be conceivably used 
  for. 
  In action, a character declares 
  an action with an appropriate 
  Trait, and may Link several other 
  appropriate Traits to this Primary 
  Trait for a higher value before 
  rolling any dice. After rolling 
  and getting a fi nal result, they 
  announce this to the Editor, and if 
  the action is being taken against 
  another character, that character 
  has a chance to defend against 
  First!
  
  7
  the action. They will attempt to 
  tie or beat the number declared 
  by the attacker, by declaring a 
  Primary Trait and any Linked 
  Traits and rolling a die or dice.
  If the attacker wins, the defender 
  takes a Setback Token.
  When a character uses a Trait 
  (either as a Primary Trait or 
  Secondary Trait), they record this 
  Usage either on their character 
  sheet or scratch paper. In general, 
  the more a Trait is Used, the less 
  effective it gets.
  Why is this fun, and why Linking? 
  Instead of characters having a set 
  attack bonus, and using the same 
  attacks ad infi nitum, this system 
  allows each action to be unique 
  and descriptive and fun, and 
  allows for a combination such as 
  (Traits are bolded):
  “Using my HYPERSONIC 
  FLIGHT(p) I fl y at the Sinister 
  Dr. Mind full speed with my 
  fi sts out, using my COMBAT 
  TRAINING(s) to deliver a 
  crushing blow to his chest and 
  slamming him into the wall, away 
  from the innocent civilians. My 
  ENGINEERING(s) knowledge 
  means I won’t collapse the 
  building, instead slamming into 
  one of the support girders, and 
  for good measure I discharge 
  some of my ENERGY FIELD(s) 
  to give him a bit of my patented 
  Snap, Crackle and Pop!”
  NOTE!
  The terms “attacker” and 
  “defender” do not necessarily 
  imply only punches and power 
  blasts, but could also be the 
  insane character fast-talking 
  the dimwitted character into a 
  tizzy.
  Bill Williams
  
  Introduction
  8
  That is four Traits being used, 
  but it is likely to be a pretty 
  devastating blow! Characters 
  will likely have between 5-12 
  Traits, and are encouraged to 
  be creative, and both broad and 
  specifi c with them.
  Traits will be used in three 
  types of Scenes: Action Scenes, 
  of which there will likely be 
  several in a single Issue (gaming 
  session), Extended Scenes (of 
  which there is likely to be only 
  one per Issue), and Contested 
  Scenes. The Extended Scene of 
  each Issue is all the non-action 
  stuff that happens between the 
  Action Scenes. Contested Scenes 
  can happen any time, and are 
  generally one-on-one contests 
  between two characters, whether 
  an arm-wrestling match or one 
  character trying to fl y away from 
  another to escape. Each Scene 
  will Refresh all Traits, and remove 
  all Setback Tokens. Thus, the 
  Extended Scene that happens 
  between the Action Scenes 
  (most commonly called fi ghts or 
  combats) will count as one scene, 
  and characters will use their Traits 
  to try and fi gure out a mystery, 
  gather information, break into 
  a villainous fortress… and each 
  Action Scene will see characters 
  refreshed no matter how much 
  they got beat up in the previous 
  scene(s). 
  There are no hit points, or any 
  such resource that players have 
  to determine “how much damage 
  they can take.” 
  Instead, Capes, Cowls and 
  Villains Foul uses Setback 
  Tokens, and what is neat about 
  them is that they represent 
  taking a girder to the chin and 
  this making your character wince 
  in pain but also represent a 
  character who gets so frustrated 
  in a given situation that they 
  storm off in anger, or just give up. 
  They are fatigue, and hit points, 
  and exhaustion, and mental 
  strain, and frustration, and even, 
  in the case of some characters, 
  their disinterest in being part of 
  the current scene.
  Second!
  Derek Hand
  
  9
  Character Design
  Chapter 1
  The Stuff That 
  (Super)Heroes Are 
  Made Of
  There are four game related 
  steps to creating your very own 
  superhero, in addition, players will 
  of course want to come up with 
  their hero’s name, secret identity, 
  and costume.
  Traits are the nuts and bolts of 
  the character, how and what they 
  are able to do.
  Complications are the elements 
  of a character that make them 
  fl awed: their love for their 
  grandmother, a weakness to a 
  rare element, a tendency to shoot 
  fi rst and ask questions later, a 
  berserker rage…
  Editorial Control is another 
  resource that players have, and 
  some characters will have greater 
  access to this, but in doing 
  so, they will not have as much 
  available to them in the form of 
  Traits.
  Factoids are the small nuggets of 
  information about the character, 
  kind of like a detailed backstory, 
  but distilled down to quick and 
  easy digestible bites.
  Allowing players to alter their 
  factoids and complications as 
  their characters interact with 
  the universe and develop should 
  be strongly encouraged, after 
  all, although superheroes rarely 
  change, in terms of their powers 
  and abilities, they frequently 
  experience high drama and evolve 
  in their alter ego.
  When creating your character, 
  your Editor will determine how 
  many Design Points you have 
  Ed. NOTE: CHARACTER DESIGN
  One way to help you begin to create your character is to write down all the Traits 
  they might have- skills, powers, equipment… Write everything down in a big list. 
  Now, try to consolidate many of these Traits. ATHLETIC covers the ability to jump, 
  run, catch… Instead of 4 different one-shot pieces of equipment, what about a 
  GADGET Trait? If you imagine your character leaping miles at a time, is this a 
  separate Trait, or could it be folded into SUPER-STRENGTH?  
  It is recommended you narrow this list down to 5-12 Traits, now begin to think 
  about how frequently you might use each of them. Those that you will be using 
  most frequently will be Signature Traits: defi ning characteristics of your character 
  (SUPER-STRENGTH is often a great example of this) and Versatile Traits are open-
  ended Traits that might be used several different ways in the course of an Issue. 
  Start assigning levels, keeping in mind that the cost to raise Editorial Control is 
  directly proportionate to the rank of your highest Trait.
  
  10
  Character Design
  access to. Design Points are used 
  to identify your character’s Traits 
  as well as potentially increasing 
  their base Editorial Control.
  There are three suggested 
  starting amounts of Design 
  Points:
  Of course, the Editor can use 
  however many points they want 
  when creating Villains.
  Traits
  Capes, Cowls, & Villains Foul 
  character design is meant to 
  encourage players to think of their 
  characters in terms of what they 
  can do, what they are good at, and 
  is not concerned with those areas 
  the character does not excel in. 
  Traits are a character’s powers, 
  skills, special attacks, animal 
  companions, equipment, and 
  specializations. Unless it is 
  signifi cant to the character 
  that they are not agile (see 
  Complications), CC&VF character 
  design doesn’t focus on such 
  things. It is far more fun to look 
  at all the cool things a character 
  can do, as opposed to what 
  they cannot do. Traits allow 
  characters who might be similar 
  on paper in other superheroic 
  roleplaying games to be defi ned 
  very individually. One character’s 
  RAPID CELLULAR REGENERATION 
  might be another character’s 
  REFUSAL TO DIE. You do not 
  have to defi ne and fi gure out 
  what skills, mystical powers, 
  and contacts a characters’ Ninja 
  Training would give them access 
  to. Instead you have the Trait: 
  NINJA TRAINING. Can your Ninja 
  Trained character walk through 
  walls? Why not?
  A TAI-CHI GRANDMASTER 
  implies certain skills, training, 
  and fl avor, as does TRAINED BY 
  EASTERN MONKS. Both would 
  allow a character to whip out 
  some martial arts, but the latter 
  might also allow a character to 
  slow their heart rate through 
  meditation exercises.
  WINGS allow a character to fl y, 
  but could also be used to shield a 
  character from a POWER BLAST. 
  HYPER-FLIGHT also allows a 
  character to fl y, but might also 
  give the character some immunity 
  to the effects of high g-forces.
  Traits are resources. They are 
  what your character uses to 
  perform actions, whether it is 
  investigating a crime scene, 
  throwing a punch, or trying to 
  stop the bridge from collapsing. 
  The effectiveness of Traits will 
  generally diminish during a Scene, 
  thus characters will likely have 
  to use several Traits in a given 
  Scene. A non-signature Trait can 
  100: for street level, 
  inexperienced, young, and/or 
  rookie heroes.
  150: the default: competent, 
  powerful characters
  200: the Big Guns, the movers 
  and shakers.
  
  11
  be Used once before accumulating 
  Detriment Dice. If the totally 
  white canvas of character creation 
  seems a bit daunting, start by 
  coming up with 5 to 12 Traits. 
  If a character has a Trait, they are 
  more competent than someone 
  who does not have that Trait. 
  Your Editor will determine how 
  many Design Points you have for 
  creation of your superhero. You 
  will spend these points on two 
  things: Traits and Editorial Control 
  (see page 27). 
  There are three Tiers of ranks. 
  Human: Generally, Traits that can 
  be possessed by any character 
  (STRONG,  SMART, LIBRARIAN, 
  MERCENARY, etc.) -- powered 
  or non-powered -- will be in the 
  Human range of 1-4. A rank of 
  1 in SMART might be equivalent 
  to a high-school scholar, rank 
  2 in SMART would be a college 
  professor, rank 3 might be a 
  Nobel Prize winner in a specific 
  field, rank 4 would be one of the 
  world’s top experts in a field. But, 
  what about someone who is heads 
  and shoulders above their peers?
  Superhuman: This Tier is 
  reserved for Traits ranked from 
  5-8. In our real world, there 
  might be one or two people with a 
  specific Trait at rank 5 -- Stephen 
  Hawking, Michael Jordan, etc. In 
  comicbooks, it is more common 
  for “non-powered” superheroes 
  to have a Trait at rank 5. This 
  will usually be the highest Tier 
  that non-powered characters will 
  possess, as it occupies that rather 
  blurry area between normal and 
  not-so-normal. Ranks 6-8 are 
  generally for super-powered 
  individuals-- a character with the 
  ability to pick up a delivery truck 
  would have SUPER-STRENGTH, 
  and a character who solved the 
  seven Millennium Prize Problems 
  by age 8 might well have SUPER-
  INTELLIGENCE.
  Cosmic:  Now, we’re in the big 
  leagues, dealing with abilities 
  that extend even further than 
  most superhumans. It covers 
  Traits ranks 9-12 or even higher. 
  Characters with Traits ranked this 
  high can literally do things that 
  defy any and all explanation. The 
  ability to fly into the sun, altering 
  the orbit of the moon, relocating 
  the island of Manhattan all fall 
  into this category.
  Trait Cost
  The basic cost for purchasing a 
  Trait is below. These costs might 
  well be adjusted by Modifiers 
  (see the Trait Cost Table on the 
  following page).
  It is important for a character to 
  know what Tier and Rank their 
  highest Trait is, see Editorial 
  Control page 27.
  Modifiers
  A player can easily create a fun-
  to-play, dynamic, interesting 
  character just by purchasing 
  Traits. But some players might 
  find the following Modifiers 
  (both Bonuses and Restrictions) 
  allow them to better create the 
  
  12
  Character Design
  character they want to play. Each 
  Modifi er will be described with 
  the cost listed. Costs will likely be 
  a one-time point-cost, but they 
  might be modifi ed by the rank 
  of the Trait. If a cost is listed as 
  X/Y/z, X is the cost for a Human-
  Tier Trait, Y is the cost for a 
  Super-Human-Tier Trait, z is the 
  cost for a Cosmic-Tier Trait.
  Bonuses
  Auto-Defend 
  Once per Issue, a 
  character may use this 
  Trait to automatically 
  defend against an 
  attack. 
  Activating this does not 
  count as a Usage of the 
  Trait and this Modifi er 
  can only be purchased 
  for Superhuman or 
  Cosmic-Tier Traits. 
  Auto-Defend must be 
  declared before the 
  attack check has been 
  made. This Modifi er can 
  only be purchased once 
  for each character.
  Cost: 3
  May only be taken once.
  Diminishing Signature
  A Diminishing Signature is front-
  loaded. Each Signature purchased 
  gives a character an additional 
  (Benefi t) Die to their roll. But, 
  Detriment Dice being what they 
  are, this benefi t is strongest with 
  the fi rst Usage. 
  Trait Cost Table
  Tier:
  Rank:
  Cumulative 
  Cost:
  Human
  1
  1
  2
  2
  3
  3
  4
  4
  Superhuman
  5
  6
  6
  8
  7
  10
  8
  12
  Cosmic
  9
  16
  10
  20
  11
  24
  12
  28
  13+
  Each additional 
  rank will cost 
  an additional 5 
  points.
  Ed. NOTE: The Character Sheet
  On a Character Sheet, I have found it easiest to just record the number of 
  Usages a Trait has before accumulating Detriment Dice, so, a Trait with one 
  Usage would be written as TRAIT (1), a Diminishing Signature Trait X2 would be 
  TRAIT (3/2/1), and so on. Additionally, Situational Setbacks and Boosts will 
  simply be recorded as +2 or -2 with their specifi c Situation.
  
  13
  Example: A character with 
  WINGS, Diminishing X1 would 
  roll 2 dice for their first Usage, 
  and keep the best one. For their 
  second Usage, they would roll one 
  die. X2 would give three dice for 
  the first Usage, keeping the best; 
  two dice for the second Usage, 
  keeping the best; and one die for 
  the third Usage.
  Cost: 3/6/9 (A character can 
  purchase only two Signatures 
  for each Trait, and they can only 
  choose one type. Signatures 
  should be recorded as X1 or X2.)
  May be purchased twice per Trait.
  Hint (optional, see text)
  Mysteries are frequently one of 
  the common downfalls of any 
  roleplaying game. How to run a 
  mystery, how to deliver clues, 
  how to keep the players on the 
  right path? If you want your 
  character to be the type who is 
  able to find clues at the crime 
  scene, or who can best determine 
  where the villain might strike 
  next, consider the Hint Bonus. 
  A character may have only one 
  Trait with Hint attached to it. 
  What makes the Hint Bonus 
  unique is that it will likely be the 
  Editor who activates a Usage of 
  it, giving the player some clue 
  about something their character 
  may very well have uncovered. 
  This is not to say that a character 
  cannot attempt to activate the 
  Hint Bonus, but doing so will likely 
  require a roll. If the Editor calls 
  for the Hint, he will not require a 
  roll, but one Usage will be marked 
  off for the Trait (and any Traits 
  he feels would be Linked to that 
  Usage as well).
  Some Editors and their players 
  may find Hints not in line with 
  what they want to accomplish at 
  the gaming table. If that is the 
  case, might I suggest that the 
  Editor may still want to use it 
  from time to time, lest players 
  miss a vital clue? Or if it is 
  something their characters might 
  instinctively pick up.
  “Okay, make a roll for your 
  SUPER-SENSES.”
  Player makes a roll, activating a 
  Usage.
  “You pick up the smell of blood, 
  but it is not human blood, rather 
  it smells like the blood of the 
  alien Q’Tori race you encountered 
  several months ago.”
  Some Editors and players may 
  want their choices to dictate the 
  outcome of all situations, without 
  Editor influence, and this is 
  absolutely fine. 
  The Hint Bonus was included for 
  those players who have a concept 
  in mind, but might not be the 
  detectives that their characters 
  are. There are many different 
  styles of running a game and 
  playing a game.
  Cost: 3
  
  14
  Character Design
  Incapacitate
  This Bonus represents a Trait that 
  can immobilize a target character 
  if successful. 
  Usage of the Trait is a standard 
  roll opposed by another character. 
  If the Incapacitating character 
  wins the roll, there is no Setback 
  Token; instead, the opposing 
  character is Incapacitated. The 
  Incapacitating character should 
  note the result of their roll. An 
  Incapacitated character can do 
  nothing but try to escape in some 
  way on their turn. However, an 
  escape attempt does not activate 
  a Usage of a Trait, if the same 
  Traits that were Used in the initial 
  roll are being Used again. If a 
  character wants to try to get free 
  of their Incapacitation using other 
  Traits, they may willingly activate 
  Usages (or even if it is the same 
  Trait, but perhaps they have a 
  Power-Up Signature). 
  Each round the Incapacitation is 
  held, the opposing character gets 
  a cumulative +1 to their escape 
  attempt, unless the Incapacitating 
  character wishes to activate 
  another Usage (This must be done 
  before the Incapacitated character 
  breaks free). They have to roll 
  as normal, but instead of being 
  opposed, they are just rolling to 
  get a new number and reset the 
  Incapacitation.
  Cost: 2
  May only be purchased once per 
  Trait.
  Link
  A Linked Trait is one that can be 
  used to make another trait more 
  effective. 
  One example might be SUPER-
  STRENGTH that a character uses 
  with their BOXING Trait, or this 
  might also be used for Traits that 
  are weapons or equipment such 
  as BIG GUN, THE GLASS BLADE, 
  or THE GREEN KNIGHT’S ARMOR. 
  A Linked Trait will add to the 
  Usage roll of another Trait, 
  modifying it based on the Tier of 
  the Trait: Human-Tier Traits add 
  1, Superhuman-Tier Traits add 
  3, and Cosmic-Tier Traits add 5. 
  However, each time a Linked Trait 
  is used in this way, it does count 
  as a Usage of that Trait, and 
  if the Linked Trait is subject to 
  Detriment Dice, the same number 
  of Detriment Dice are added to 
  the roll. 
  Characters with multiple Linked 
  Traits might fi nd themselves 
  wanting to use several in one 
  action for maximum effect. 
  A character might have 
  SKILLED BRAWLER with SUPER-
  STRENGTH(s) Linked, as well 
  as their GOLDEN CESTUS(s) 
  Linked. This is a great way to 
  represent that One Big Attack that 
  characters sometimes pull off.
  Cost: 2/ 4/ 6
  May only be purchased once per 
  Trait.
  
  15
  Power-Up Signature
  A Signature Trait is one 
  that the character is well 
  known for having. It is 
  also likely to be a Trait that 
  they use frequently and 
  that does not immediately 
  suffer from ineffectiveness 
  after a Usage. 
  A Power-Up Signature is 
  one that gets better (for a 
  time). It is the opposite of 
  a Diminishing Signature. 
  For the first Usage of 
  a Trait, just one die is 
  rolled, but each Signature 
  purchased gives a 
  character an additional 
  Usage with a Benefit Die 
  added, before Detriment 
  Dice are added. 
  For example, LASER BLAST 
  Power-Up X1 would utilize 
  one die for their first 
  Usage, two dice for the 
  second Usage (keeping the 
  best). X2 would give 1 die 
  for first Usage, two dice for 
  second Usage (keeping the 
  best), and three (!) dice for 
  their third Usage (keeping 
  the best).
  Cost: 3/6/9 (A character 
  can purchase only two 
  Signatures for each Trait, 
  and they can only choose 
  one type. Signatures 
  should be recorded as X1 
  or X2.)
  May only be purchased 
  twice per Trait.
  Ed. NOTE: Linking
  Linking is one of the aspects of CC&VF 
  that allows characters to really shine, and 
  allows players the freedom to exercise their 
  creative muscles as co-creators of the story 
  told in a particular Issue.
  Linking allows a character to use one 
  Trait as the Primary Trait, getting the full 
  bonuses and effects of that Trait, as well 
  as adding the Link value of one or more 
  Secondary Traits.
  In this rulebook, Secondary Traits will be 
  noted with an (s) next to them to indicate 
  their Secondary status in any example 
  of play. A character Using MARTIAL ARTS 
  Linked with SUPER-STRENGTH would 
  be written as: MARTIAL ARTS + SUPER-
  STRENGTH(s).
  But what if a Linked Trait has Benefit or 
  Detriment Dice?
  The Primary Trait determines initially how 
  many dice are rolled. A Secondary Trait that 
  has one or more Benefit Dice would add +2 
  to the roll for each Benefit Die (unless the 
  Benefit Dice are being offset by Detriment 
  Dice, in which case, they cancel each other 
  out, on a one-to-one basis. Remaining 
  Benefit Dice add the +2 Bonus). However, if 
  a Secondary Trait has accumulated one or 
  more Detriment Dice, they are added to the 
  roll as Detriment Dice. Yeah, it kind of sucks, 
  it would be much cooler if they only added 
  a -2 to the roll. Oh well. This allows a player 
  the chance to still be lucky with a Linked roll.
  Secondary Traits do not get to apply any of 
  their Modifiers. For example, if a Secondary 
  Trait is Incapacitating, or has a Situational 
  Boost, it is not applicable to the Primary 
  Trait.
  
  16
  Character Design
  Regulated Signature
  A Signature Trait is one that 
  the character is well known for 
  having. It is also likely to be a 
  Trait that they use frequently 
  and that does not immediately 
  suffer from ineffectiveness after a 
  Usage. 
  A Regulated Signature allows 
  a character to use a Trait more 
  frequently without penalty. Each 
  Signature purchased gives a 
  character an additional Usage 
  before Detriment dice might take 
  effect. 
  For example, a character with 
  SUPER-DEXTERITY Regulated X1 
  can use their SUPER-DEXTERITY 
  twice before having to add 
  Detriment Dice to their roll. X2 
  would give the character three 
  Usages before Detriment Dice.
  Cost: 2/4/6 (A character can 
  purchase only two Signatures 
  for each Trait, and they can only 
  choose one type. Signatures 
  should be recorded as X1 or X2.)
  May only be purchased twice per 
  Trait.
  Situational Boost
  This Trait’s rating is 
  increased by 2 under 
  certain circumstances. 
  Upon selecting this 
  Bonus, you must choose 
  what the circumstance 
  is and write it down 
  next to the Bonus. An 
  Editor might veto any 
  Situational Boost if it 
  seems far too potent. 
  Some examples include 
  “when used against fi re 
  based characters,” or “+ 
  2 when standing on a 
  natural surface.” 
  Characters might also 
  fi nd using a Situational 
  Boost with a Linked Trait 
  is a good way to emulate 
  characters with specifi c 
  skills and equipment: 
  MARTIAL ARTIST with 
  the Situational Boost,+ 
  2 when using Bo-Sticks, 
  with BO-STICKS(s) being 
  a Linked Trait. In this 
  Bill Williams
  
  17
  case, the Situational Boost would 
  only be relevant when activating a 
  Usage of the Linked Trait. 
  Cost: 2
  May be purchased multiple times 
  per Trait, each time indicating a 
  different situation.
  Multiple Situational Boosts can 
  apply at once.
  Versatile
  This Trait represents a power 
  or device that can be applied in 
  diverse ways, effectively acting 
  as a collection of separate powers 
  along with open “slots” that can 
  be filled with other powers during 
  the game. 
  The Editor is the final arbiter as 
  to what is allowed to be taken 
  as a Versatile Trait, but the 
  general rule of thumb is that if 
  the Trait is capable of being used 
  for drastically different tasks, it 
  should be eligible for this bonus. 
  For example, SUPER-SPEED would 
  likely not be eligible because all 
  of its effects are derived from 
  extremely fast movement. POWER 
  ARMOR would be applicable, 
  though, if you wanted to add 
  guns, flight, super-strength and 
  so on. Other possible Versatile 
  Traits might include MAGIC 
  SPELLS,  ENCHANTED WEAPON, 
  and CONTROL OVER [insert 
  specific energy/ substance], and 
  the classic, GADGETS.  
  A Versatile Trait will have a certain 
  number of Defined and Undefined 
  Aspects associated with it: the 
  Defined ones are the standard 
  Usage(s), while the Undefined 
  ones are more Issue-specific. 
  For every time this modifier is 
  applied (up to three times), the 
  Trait gets one Defined Aspect 
  and one Undefined Aspect. 
  Defined Aspects are the effects 
  that the Trait can always have 
  (Protect, Blast, Teleport), while 
  the Undefined Aspects are the on-
  the-fly effects that change from 
  issue to issue. Once an Undefined 
  Aspect is defined, it is defined for 
  the duration of the entire issue. 
  For example, a character with one 
  or more suits of HI-TECH ARMOR, 
  who purchased 3 Defined Aspects, 
  might have Protect, Pulse Blast, 
  Flight, and depending on the 
  story’s needs, might try out 
  Stealth, Super-Strength, Aquatic 
  Mode, Computer Uplink, etc.
  Cost: 3
  May be purchased three times per 
  Trait.
   
  Restrictions
  Adding a restriction to a Trait 
  returns points to a character. The 
  cost will be listed as a negative 
  number, indicating how many 
  points are returned. The cost of a 
  Trait can never drop below 1.
  Disadvantage
  A Disadvantage is a miscellaneous 
  flaw that impedes the Trait’s 
  effectiveness in some way. 
  Upon selecting this Restriction, 
  you must choose what the 
  Disadvantage is. Your Editor 
  might veto the Disadvantage 
  if it seems too minor to hinder 
  
  18
  Character Design
  the character (and since not all 
  Editors are adversarial jerks, 
  they might also let you know if it 
  seems too crippling). 
  Examples include only works at 
  night and has a very noticeable 
  effect (sight, smell, sound…).
  Cost: -2
  May be purchased multiple times 
  per trait
  Editorial Choice
  This Trait must be activated by 
  spending a point of Editorial Control 
  each time you to activate a Usage. 
  This restriction can be taken 
  multiple times, with each time 
  requiring an additional point of 
  Editorial Control.
  Cost: -1/ -2/ -4
  May be purchased multiple times 
  per Trait.
  Fickle
  This Trait is unreliable and cannot 
  always be counted on to function. 
  After declaring a Usage of the 
  Trait, but before making your 
  Usage roll, you must roll a d12. A 
  natural result of 1-2 indicates the 
  Trait doesn’t work. 
  You may activate a Usage of 
  a different Trait for this same 
  action, but that roll will suffer a -2 
  penalty.
  Cost: -2/ -4/ -8
  May only be purchased once per 
  Trait
  Not-A-Finisher
  This Trait is one that is not likely 
  to win any fi ghts. It can be used 
  normally, except that it will 
  not activate a Knockout, either 
  by rolling a critical hit or by 
  delivering the fi nal blow needed to 
  KO an opponent. 
  Possible examples of this Restriction 
  are SUPER-SENSES (great for 
  seeing a hole in the defenses of a 
  foe) and STUN-ATTACK (stun does 
  not equal KO) as well as WITTY 
  BANTER (the puns are frustrating, 
  but not enough to take an opponent 
  out of the combat!).
  Ed. NOTE: DISADVANTAGES vs. SITUATIONAL SETBACKS (vs. 
  COMPLICATIONS)
  What is the difference? After all, Disadvantages and Situational Setbacks 
  cost the same. It is all about the fl avor. Sometimes a superpower might have 
  decreased effectiveness in a certain situation, sometimes it will be wholly 
  ineffective, and in the case of a Complication, might be worth some Editorial 
  Control. A Disadvantage might seem to be far more crippling, but isn’t it 
  all about creating the character you want to create? Who are we to stop 
  you? Additionally, the introduction of a certain situation might be more of a 
  Complication, crippling your character, but getting them ready for the bigger 
  fi ght later on (in the same Issue).
  
  19
  Cost: -1
  May only be purchased once per 
  Trait.
  One-Shot
  You may only activate a Usage for 
  this Trait once per Issue.
  Cost: -3
  May only be purchased once per 
  Trait.
  Only When the Chips Are Down
  The Trait can only used when the 
  character has 2 or more Setback 
  Tokens. If the character has less 
  than 2 Setback Tokens, this Trait 
  cannot be used.
  Cost: -2/ -4/ -8
  May only be purchased once per 
  Trait.
  Situational Setback
  The Trait’s rating is decreased by 
  2 under specific circumstances. 
  Upon selecting this Restriction, 
  you must choose what the 
  circumstance is and write it 
  down next to the Restriction. An 
  Editor might veto any Situational 
  Setback if it seems far too minor 
  (or perhaps if it seems far too 
  crippling). 
  Some examples include when used 
  against fire-based characters, 
  or when not in contact with the 
  Earth.
  Cost: -2
  May be purchased multiple times 
  per Trait.
  Miscellaneous
  Definitive
  A Definitive Trait is one that has a 
  very clearly stated, always-active 
  effect. 
  This Trait has no rank, except for 
  a Tier Identification. But it always 
  works in the way that it should. 
  Be forewarned: This is, in many 
  ways, the Monkey’s Paw. Editors 
  and players should be careful with 
  Definitive Traits (and recall that 
  NPCs as well as PCs can have 
  them). Definitive Traits should 
  best be used when something is 
  so very clearly needed. Setback 
  Tokens are not strictly damage; 
  they are also fatigue, boredom, 
  frustration, exhaustion, etc. A 
  character who has the ability to 
  ignore bullets and anything less 
  powerful could be well served with 
  IMMUNE TO BULLETS 8 as a Trait, 
  and when a stray attack gets 
  through, it could be described as 
  anger.
  First, the Editor and Player need 
  to determine what the Definitive 
  Trait does. What does it always 
  do? 
  After figuring out what it 
  always does, then, what are the 
  drawbacks of this benefit? 
  BULLETPROOF SKIN-Human is 
  one example, as is LIVES IN THE 
  SUN-Cosmic. 
  After you determine what it 
  does, you must determine what 
  Tier it ignores: BULLETPROOF 
  SKIN would ignore Human Tier 
  
  20
  Character Design
  standard weapons, whereas LIVES 
  IN THE SUN would ignore Cosmic 
  Tier damage from Fire, Heat, etc. 
  Once this is determined, the cost 
  is set. But there is always one or 
  more catches:
  1) A character may have only one 
  Defi nitive Trait.
  2) Every Defi nitive Trait has to 
  have a suitable Complication 
  attached to it. This Complication 
  is the drawback of the benefi t. 
  BULLETPROOF SKIN- Superhuman 
  might dull the character’s sense 
  of touch to such a degree that he 
  tends to break things. A doctor 
  would not be able to operate on 
  the character? Perhaps his tactile 
  senses are dulled?
  3) Opposing characters will have 
  the option of trying to determine 
  how the Defi nitive Trait might be 
  avoided. They will do this based 
  on a diffi culty determined by the 
  Tier (and might want to consider 
  an appropriate Trait Usage) as 
  follows: Human 10, Superhuman 
  12, Cosmic 15.
  Defi nitive Traits should be 
  noted as: TRAIT NAME-Human/ 
  Superhuman/ Cosmic. There is no 
  rank.
  Cost: 15/ 30/ 45
  Shared Trait
  A Shared Trait is one that is 
  purchased by several characters. 
  The cost is split evenly by all the 
  characters, with all fractions being 
  rounded up. And any character 
  Using the Trait will activate a 
  Usage. Thus, record-keeping of a 
  Shared Trait should be maintained 
  by just one person. Shared Traits 
  are frequently TEAM HQ or other 
  such team-based items and 
  equipment.
  Optional (Editor’s choice): 
  If not all the characters who 
  purchased the Trait are present, 
  the rank of the Trait might drop. 
  For bookkeeping purposes, 
  these different ranks should be 
  recorded as well. For example, if 
  6 characters purchase a Secret 
  HQ- 5 for 6 points, each would 
  pay only 1 point. If one (or two) 
  characters were missing, the base 
  would drop to rank 4. If three 
  Ed. NOTE: SHARED TRAITS VIA EDITORIAL FIAT
  If an Editor fi nds him or herself with a disparate group of heroes at the start 
  of a series who eventually become a team, one fun extra that could be handed 
  out would be a Shared Trait without the players having to spend their own 
  Character Design Points. Having a Shared Trait is cool. The Trait MEMBER OF 
  THE SUPER FIVE could mean any number of things- a supercomputer; clout 
  dealing with NPCs; contacts within government and law enforcement; or a hi-
  tech lab for data analysis.
  
  21
  characters were missing, the base 
  would drop to rank 3 and so forth.
  Cost: Total Cost of Trait divided 
  by the number of characters 
  purchasing the Trait.
  Undefi ned
  An Undefi ned Trait is one with 
  incredible fl exibility, often allowing 
  a character to fi nd just the right 
  Trait for a specifi c task. 
  An Undefi ned Trait has an 
  additional cost of 5. However, any 
  additional points put into the Trait 
  are put into an Undefi ned Pool. 
  A character must spend at least 
  one round in an Action Scene 
  doing nothing with their action 
  but activating the Undefi ned Trait, 
  but after activating it, they may 
  spend this Pool of points however 
  they choose, defi ning the Trait (or 
  Traits) for that scene. 
  A character may decide to put 
  20 additional points into an 
  Undefi ned Trait, and choose to 
  make it a Trait at rank 10, or 
  a Linked Trait at rank 8, with a 
  Situational Boost, or even a Trait 
  Ed. NOTE: UNDEFINED TRAITS IN NON-ACTION SCENES
  In a Contested Scene, if the Undefined Trait was Defined prior to the start 
  of the Contested Scene, it will remain Defined. 
  In an Extended Scene, the Editor and Player should work together to 
  narratively describe how it is applied, lest it become far too powerful. We 
  will not present a hard and fast rule here, but embrace the spirit of it. 
  Perhaps allow a player to Define the Trait only once per Extended Scene, 
  unless they spend Editorial Control.
  Derek Hand
  
  22
  Character Design
  at rank 5 with Power-Up Signature 
  x2 and Incapacitate, or possibly 
  even Two Traits at rank 7. 
  A character can switch their points 
  around by spending an extra round 
  and redefi ning this pool of points.
  Cost: 5 
  Trait Cost Cheat Sheet
  Below is a cheat sheet for the 
  cost of Traits with frequently used 
  modifi ers, as well as the list of 
  modifi ers with costs.
  Bonuses:
  Auto-Defend: 3
  Hint: 3
  Incapacitate: 2
  Situational Boost: 2
  Versatile: 3/ Defi ned Aspect
  Restrictions:
  Disadvantage: -2
  Editorial Choice: -1/ -2/ -4
  Fickle: -2/ -4/ -8
  Not-A-Finisher: -1
  One-Shot: -3
  Only When the Chips Are Down: 
  -2/ -4/ -8
  Situational Setback: -2
  A Quick Reference Chart for Some Standard Trait Costs
  Trait 
  Rating:
  Signature 
  x1:
  Signature 
  x2:
  Power-up or 
  Diminishing 
  Signature x1:
  Power-up or 
  Diminishing 
  Signature x2:
  Linked:
  1
  3
  5
  4
  7
  +2
  2
  4
  6
  5
  8
  +2
  3
  5
  7
  6
  9
  +2
  4
  6
  8
  7
  10
  +2
  5
  10
  14
  12
  18
  +4
  6
  12
  16
  14
  20
  +4
  7
  14
  18
  16
  22
  +4
  8
  16
  20
  18
  24
  +4
  9
  22
  28
  25
  34
  +6
  10
  26
  32
  29
  38
  +6
  11
  30
  36
  33
  42
  +6
  12
  34
  40
  37
  46
  +6
  13
  39
  45
  42
  51
  +6
  14
  44
  50
  47
  56
  +6
  15
  49
  55
  52
  61
  +6
  16
  54
  60
  57
  66
  +6
  17
  59
  65
  62
  71
  +6
  18
  64
  70
  67
  76
  +6
  
  23
  There is none. You defi ne what Traits 
  you want your character to have.
  A super-powered engineer character 
  might have a Trait named BATTLE 
  ARMOR 6 and instead of having to build 
  14 (or more?) different suits of armor, 
  each one for a specifi c purpose, the 
  character can narrate the character 
  choosing a specifi c set of armor and 
  defi ning what it does during play. Each 
  use will be a Usage. It is irrelevant if it 
  is “Stealth Armor, Mark VIII” and the 
  character wants to activate the stealth 
  mode, adding 6 to any stealth roll for 
  an action by spending a Usage, or if 
  it is “Neptune Underwater Armor 3.1” 
  and the character needs to fi nd the 
  submarine base of his archenemy using 
  sonar.
  SUPER-STRENGTH does what “Super-
  Strength” can ordinarily do… in the 
  comics, that is.
  But wait, you Editors might ask, 
  what if a character wants to use an 
  inappropriate Trait for a specifi c action? 
  (This might be done by a character 
  wanting to use their best Trait.) If it is 
  appropriate, let it happen. Make the 
  character work for it. How are they 
  using their claws to keep the car from 
  falling off the edge of the parking 
  garage? However, there may be times 
  when it is just not very appropriate. You 
  can either say “no” or you can apply 
  a diffi culty modifi er to the task. Many 
  players are not fans of “no”, so, apply a 
  modifi er. If it is an opposed check, add 
  to the opposition’s result.
  For inspiration, fl ip the page over 
  for our totally non-exhaustive list of 
  Traits, broadly grouped into somewhat 
  arbitrary categories. If you are having 
  trouble thinking of Traits and how to 
  approach the design of your character, 
  take a look at these.
  Another Hint
  You can even pick ANY of the Trait 
  names from the lists below and 
  combine them with ANY of the pre-
  made “Plug-n-Play” templates we 
  have provided for player-characters 
  (see pages. 42-45). This is as easy 
  as 1-2-3… It can work wonders for a 
  super-fast character creation. Hey, we 
  know that sometimes the Editor and 
  players get together spontaneously for 
  a pick-up game, or haven’t had time to 
  go through the full character generation 
  process ahead of time. This is more 
  common in gaming groups than you 
  might think. 
  You simply pick a Trait off the list on the 
  fl ip-side of this page and fi ll its name 
  in any of the “blank” spots on the Plug-
  n-Play character template. Since there 
  are several different templates given 
  there, for the three main power levels 
  (Street Level, Standard, and Cosmic 
  Heroes), this opens up a great variety 
  of combinations and versions of the 
  Traits. Since you can add modifi ers like 
  “Incapacitate” and “Auto-Defend” to 
  any Trait imaginable, this will allow you 
  to customize a quickly made character’s 
  Traits even further.
  The possibilities are countless, and can 
  be used to create many unconventional 
  and humorous comicbook abilities. Just 
  a few examples from the playtesters:
  If you happened to pick REVEALING 
  COSTUME from the Unusual Genre 
  Traits examples, you could fi ll it into a 
  slot and also assign the “Incapacitate” 
  bonus to it. What does that do? 
  Use your imagination… REVEALING 
  COSTUME along with Incapacitate 
  could mean that your Hero (or rather, 
  Heroine) can cause an opponent to stop 
  dead in their tracks simply by appearing 
  in their sexy action-wear, or immobilize 
  foes by having them marvel at or 
  drool over the character for a moment, 
  forgetting what they were actually 
  going to do. This is indeed a system 
  that makes it easily possible to use 
  BEAUTY, GOOD LOOKS, or STRIKINGLY 
  GOOD-LOOKING IN HER COSTUME as a 
  form of entangling or stunning.
  In another playtest group, one Hero 
  had a very cute and talented TRAINED 
  DOG as a Trait. So, apart from the 
  Where is the long list of 
  Powers and skills and... ?
  So, you ask...
  Trait Guidelines
  
  24
  various “doggy” things the dog could 
  do on its own (simply using the Trait 
  rank), combined with “Auto-Defend” 
  the TRAINED DOG could be used 
  once per Issue to distract or scare an 
  opponent so much that the Villain could 
  not get their intended attack to work 
  on the dog-owning Hero. Something 
  like a trained super-pet could even be 
  enhanced with Signatures, Linking, 
  Auto-Defend, as well as Incapacitate, 
  creating a very powerful companion! 
  TRAINED DOG along with Incapacitate 
  could mean the dog leaps onto a bad 
  guy, pinning them to the ground, or 
  scaring them into submission. The 
  system allows it all, and that sort of 
  thing certainly happens in comicbooks, 
  too.
  ENGINEER, DETECTIVE, MEDICAL DOCTOR, GREEN 
  BERET, INVESTIGATOR, PHOTOJOURNALIST, FEISTY 
  REPORTER, HOME ECONOMICS TEACHER
  Professional Traits
  TELEPORTATION,REGENERATION, 
  OPTIC BLASTS, WINGS, FLIGHT, 
  SUPER-STRENGTH, SKIN THAT 
  TURNS TO STEEL, TELEKINESIS
  Super Power Traits
  Along with possible Defined Aspects.
  FLEET OF VARIANT BATTLE ARMORS (Flight, 
  Protection, Photon Blast), MAGIC (Shield of Sutari, 
  Bahamut’s Blast), GADGETS (Net, Smoke Bombs),
  RHODES SCHOLAR (Academic Knowledge, 
  Intelligent), NIGHTFORCE CONTROL (Blinding, 
  Flight), ROBOTIC BODY (Super-Strength, Super-
  Toughness), ATLANTEAN PHYSIOLOGY (Super-
  Strength, No Need to Breathe, Super-Swimming), 
  WEASEL POWERS (Crafty, Speedy)
  Versatile Traits
  REVEALING COSTUME, BREAKS 
  THE FOURTH WALL, WITTY 
  BANTER, POST-MODERN, NEVER 
  TAKEN SERIOUSLY, SIDEKICK, FAN 
  FAVORITE, BAD REP
  Unusual Genre Traits
  BIG GUN, CRYSTAL SWORD, 
  ROCKET PACK, BO-STICKS, 
  ROLLER SKATES, SHIELD, FLYING 
  CAR, TRAINED TIGER
  Equipment/Gear/Etc. 
  Each of these requires the Incapacitate modifier.
  NET, SNARE, MIND BLANK, STUN, TURN TO STONE
  Incapacitating Traits
  SECRET BASE, SENTIENT SUPER 
  COMPUTER, LAW ENFORCEMENT 
  CONTACTS, SUPPORT OF THE 
  PUBLIC, INVENTOR ON STAFF, 
  SPACE SHIP, PSIONIC LINK, 
  GESTALT FORM
  Shared Traits
  Something any normal human might have, but not necessarily a Trait that can have 
  a Superhuman or even Cosmic rank.
  STRONG, SMART, TOUGH, ATHLETIC, SCIENCE-WIz, WISE, TACTICIAN, NATURAL LEADER, 
  MARTIAL ARTIST, STEALTHY, MARKSMAN, ACROBATIC
  Standard Traits
  With some brief info and possible Complication.
  BLIND- Human: Immune to any Visually Based Attacks (Susceptible to Sound Based Attacks)
  LIVES IN THE SUN-Cosmic: Immune to Fire and Heat (Requires Massive Amounts of Energy on 
  a Regular Basis to Survive)
  EARTH BONDED-Superhuman: Cannot be moved while in contact with the Earth (If the Earth is 
  moved, so is he)
  GHOST-Superhuman: Immune to Ordinary Physical Damage (Unable to interact with Physical 
  World, susceptible to sunlight and many other energy effects)
  BULLET PROOF SKIN-Human: Immune to Damage from Normal Caliber Firearms (Susceptible to 
  Bludgeoning Damage, Overconfident)
  CAN CREATE ANYTHING FOUND IN NATURE-Cosmic (Has an incredibly difficult time staying 
  focused)
  Definitive	Traits
  TRAINED BY EASTERN MONKS, RULER OF A SMALL 
  EUROPEAN COUNTRY, BILLIONAIRE PLAYBOY, 
  NEW YORK CITY NATIVE, NERDY HIGH SCHOOL 
  STUDENT, SUPERMODEL
  Background Traits
  
  25
  Given the very open-ended nature of 
  character creation, and the way the 
  CC&VF system works, some superpowers 
  might seem diffi cult to create. 
  In this section I will describe some 
  examples of powers seen in other 
  systems, show how I would create 
  them for use in CC&FV, and explain the 
  reasoning behind the design choices.
  Healing
  This is a power not seen too often in 
  comics, and because the system is very 
  abstract in the damage system, it might 
  seem unnecessary, or even, impossible. 
  Nay, I say. 
  How would it work? Healing would most 
  frequently be used to Assist Another. 
  Another member of your team is getting 
  beat up pretty badly, use your healing 
  to essentially make their defense, or 
  even their attack that much higher. 
  It is all in the description anyway. 
  “Seeing my ally close to defeat at the 
  hands of his archenemy, I reach out 
  and send healing magicks his way, 
  empowering him for hopefully what will 
  be his fi nal fl urry of blows.” Or “just 
  before the villain’s death-ray strikes 
  my companion, I heal him, holding off 
  death for just a moment longer.”
  It is true that one character cannot 
  “heal” another, i.e. take away their 
  Setback Tokens, but you can help them 
  out, and simulate what the end result of 
  healing is, making someone better.
  HEALING
  Situational Boost: +2 when assisting 
  another 
  Link
  Clones/Duplicates
  Some characters have the ability to split 
  themselves into one or more copies of 
  themselves. 
  I would suggest having this ability be 
  represented by multiple traits. As for 
  implementation and interpretation of 
  how it would work: If a character is 
  having all their duplicates do the same 
  thing (attack one character), they all 
  Link together. If a character is doing 
  multiple things, well, treat it as though 
  they are attacking multiple opponents 
  (see page 88), not all the attacks may 
  be attacks, but they are all actions: 
  attacking one character, trying to open 
  a door, etc use all the Traits, Link them 
  together, apply the attacking multiples 
  modifi er, and roll, each roll opposed. 
  One roll, many things done all at once.
  MAKE DUPLICATE COPIES OF SELF
  Link
  +2 if Linked with Duplicate Body(ies)
  FIRST DUPLICATE BODY
  Can only be used after Make Duplicate 
  Copies of Self Link
  SECOND DUPLICATE BODY
  Can only be used after Make Duplicate 
  Copies of Self
  Link
  THIRD DUPLICATE BODY
  Can only be used after Make Duplicate 
  Copies of Self
  Link
  Fickle
  Mind Control
  This is potentially the game killer. Yes, 
  there are characters with the ability 
  in comics, and implementation of it is 
  always, always diffi cult in a game 
  without it being overpowered or 
  underpowered. Mind Control would 
  either Incapacitate a foe or give them a 
  Setback Token. Here are some different 
  ways it could be handled:
  MIND CONTROL
  Incapacitate
  Link
  But what about using that Mind 
  Controlled character to do something to 
  someone else?
  MIND-CONTROLLED POWER
  Can only be used with or after Mind 
  Control
  +2 if Trait being used is higher Rank
  -2 if Trait being used is lower Rank
  Link
  How Do I Create “X” Power?
  And While we’re at it...
  Trait Guidelines
  
  26
  Just as with the Duplicates example 
  above, a character could have this 
  similar Trait multiple times.
  SECONDARY MIND CONTROLLED 
  POWER
  Can only be used with or after Mind 
  Control 
  +2 if Trait being used is higher Rank
  -2 if Trait being used is lower Rank
  Link
  One of these Traits might even have 
  Auto-Defend. But think in terms of 
  narrative. Round 1, the villain Mind 
  Controls your ally (because, come 
  on, no Heroes would ever use MIND 
  CONTROL!), your ally either gets a 
  Setback Token (is fighting it off, has 
  partial control) or is Incapacitated 
  (totally under the power of the Mind 
  Control). After the Mind Control 
  is active, the villain may use the 
  Mind Controlled character to act. 
  “The Sinister Dr. Mind has your ally, 
  Superball, run in the way of your 
  attack, using his SUPERSPEED to 
  intercept your blow.”
  Or some Mind-Controlling characters 
  are far more effective, and might have 
  a MIND-CONTROL Trait to deliver 
  Setback Tokens to their opponents, 
  but can also effectively use the Mind-
  Controlled character to attack and 
  defend themselves.
  MIND-CONTROLLED CHARACTER
  Undefined
  Copying a Power
  Characters in comics who copy Traits 
  from another are often limited by 
  how effective their copied power is 
  compared to the original. 
  MIMIC POWER
  +2 if Trait being used is higher Rank
  -2 if Trait being used is lower Rank
  Link
  SECONDARY MIMICKED POWER
  +2 if Trait being used is higher Rank
  -2 if Trait being used is lower Rank
  Link
  One could have more similar Traits, or 
  maybe the character mimicking the 
  powers has trouble using all their new 
  powers at once.
  The Situational Boosts and Setbacks 
  are to emulate the possibility of a Trait 
  being higher or lower than the Trait 
  being mimicked.
  Translating powers, skills, and abilities 
  into Traits requires you to think about 
  the overall outcome and effect of what 
  you want your Trait to do, and then 
  think about how to explain it during 
  Character Design.
  Or as with MIND-CONTROLLED 
  POWERS above, a character could use 
  an Undefined Trait to great effect here, 
  and have the full complement of a 
  character’s Traits available to them.
  Sidekick
  This brings a smile to my face, long 
  ago were the days of heroes having 
  a sidekick, or companion animal. In 
  CC&VF such things are relatively easily 
  handled. Create several Traits that are 
  the SIDEKICK, and have the character’s 
  standard Traits have a Situational Boost 
  +2 when Linked with Sidekick. Does 
  your sidekick have her own personality? 
  Sure. Maybe the sidekick’s WITTY PUNS 
  annoy the Villains. Sidekicks are a great 
  opportunity for players who really want 
  a roleplaying experience different from 
  their peers.
  Equipment
  Your character has a super-cool 
  motorcycle. Great. Does he use it in 
  combat, or does it just get him from 
  Point A to Point B? If the latter, if the 
  Motorcycle doesn’t really have an effect 
  in the game, it likely isn’t worthy of 
  being a Trait. Traits are those things 
  that your character will use in a Scene. 
  CC&VF was designed with equipment 
  and skill-based characters in mind, 
  think of the bold archer standing back-
  to-back with the demigod as they 
  face their enemies. Equipment and 
  skills should absolutely have lots of 
  Links and Situational Boosts, allowing 
  a character to get incredible results 
  when needed, but also proving effective 
  against less powered opponents and 
  minions. But, know that your Archer 
  will not be relegated to jumping around 
  acrobatically from panel to panel 
  and taking out minions, he can jump 
  right in and take on the awesomely 
  overpowered aliens as the heroes 
  attempt to stop this invasion.
  
  27
  Editorial Control
  Editorial Control is what allows 
  the Editor and players the chance 
  to control the direction of the 
  story in more concrete ways than 
  with the random roll of a die.
  All player characters have some 
  degree of Editorial Control, and 
  might wish to purchase more 
  during Character Design. 
  Characters will start each Issue 
  with this set amount of Editorial 
  Control, but this number may 
  increase before or during the 
  course of an Issue through 
  several different means.
  • Having a Complication activated.
  • Awarded by the Editor if they 
  feel that they have hindered 
  a character in some way (for 
  instance,  “deactivated a power 
  for several issues”)
  • Given to a lower powered 
  character when adventuring with 
  higher powered characters
  Starting Editorial Control
  A player character starts with 2 
  points of Editorial Control. 
  A player may purchase more for 
  their character at the cost of the 
  value of their highest ranked Trait 
  plus 3. For example, if a character 
  with FLIGHT 9 as their highest 
  Trait would pay 12 points for each 
  additional point of Editorial Control. 
  The maximum a character may 
  have during Character Design is 5 
  points of Editorial Control.
  Exception: A character built on 
  fewer points who is adventuring 
  with a higher point total character 
  may use the difference in points 
  to purchase additional Editorial 
  Control. Think of this as the hero 
  and sidekick rule (See page 100).
  What About Villains? 
  The Editor has a number of points 
  of Editorial Control equal to the 
  number of players at the table 
  plus 6. So, an Editor sits down 
  with 5 players, the Editor has 11 
  points of EC as a pool to spend for 
  Villains, henchmen, and NPCs.
  Exception: Some Villains might 
  be created with extra EC, just as 
  Heroes are. These extra points 
  are available to the Editor for that 
  Villain and that Villain alone, in 
  addition to the pool of Editorial 
  Control. 
  Threshold
  A character’s Threshold is 
  determined by their base Editorial 
  Control (it is not modified if 
  a lesser-cost character buys 
  additional EC to adventure with 
  a higher-cost character). Most 
  Heroes (and Villains) will have a 
  Threshold of 10. Heroes calculate 
  their Threshold by multiplying 
  their base EC by 2 and adding six 
  (EC*2+6= Threshold).
  Editorial Control Between 
  Issues
  From Issue to Issue, a character’s 
  EC will reset to the base value. 
  A character may, at the Editor’s 
  discretion, start an Issue with 
  one or more additional points of 
  
  28
  Character Design
  Editorial Control, this will most 
  likely occur if the Editor has done 
  something particularly nasty to 
  that player: negated one of their 
  powers, kidnapped and put at risk 
  their true love, imprisoned them 
  (wrongfully, of course).
  Use of Editorial Control
  A player may spend as much EC 
  as they want anytime they are 
  actively rolling dice or have an 
  action. If a player wants to spend 
  all their EC on one roll, who is the 
  Editor to stop them? EC may be 
  spent in the following ways:
  Editorial Control Options
  EC 
  Spent:
  Effect:
  1
  Re-Roll
  1
  Counter-Attack
  1
  Recover
  1
  Save the Innocent!
  2
  Avoid Insta-Defeat
  2
  Editorial Twist
  3
  Creative Control
  Re-Roll (1 point)
  If your character doesn’t like the 
  result of the roll you made, you 
  may spend 1 point of EC to re-roll 
  any result that was not a natural 
  1. The roll is made with the same 
  number of dice as the original roll, 
  with the same diffi culty.
  Counter-Attack (1 point)
  If an attack misses you, you can 
  declare after the attack roll that 
  you are attempting a counter-
  attack. A counter-attack is made 
  using the same Trait(s) Used to 
  defend against the attack, and the 
  original attacker may Use the same 
  Trait(s) for defense, if appropriate, 
  or may Use a different Trait. 
  A counter-attack is unique, 
  because although it requires a 
  Usage of the Trait, it happens so 
  fast, that it doesn’t accumulate 
  immediate Detriment Dice. 
  Mark off this second Usage, 
  but make the attempt with the 
  same amount of dice as with the 
  initial roll. This non-accumulating 
  Detriment Die also applies to 
  the initial attacker’s defense 
  roll, if they are using the same 
  Trait(s) they Used for the attack. 
  However,  a counter-attack cannot 
  cause a Big Hit.
  Recover (1 Point)
  Remove 1 Setback Token from the 
  character anytime you can spend 
  Editorial Control.
  Save the Innocent! (1 Point)
  Sometimes, Villains do very bad 
  things to innocent people. If you 
  are playing in a game that has 
  Villains who like to kill, a hero can 
  keep an NPC alive by tending to 
  them and spending a point of EC. 
  Avoid Insta-Defeat (2 Points)
  If you are the recipient of a Big 
  Hit (see page 77) you may ignore 
  the Big Hit and take just a single 
  Setback Token instead (if you 
  only have one Setback Token 
  remaining, well, you’ll likely be 
  Out Of Commission for awhile and 
  
  29
  might want to save these points 
  of EC).
  Editorial Twist (2 Points)
  Sometimes the most unexpected 
  events happen in comics. Refer 
  to the cover of Superman #125 
  for a classic example. However, 
  unlike Creative Control, where 
  the character spending the EC 
  has some say how it will work, an 
  Editorial Twist is left to the whims 
  of the Editor (insert evil Editorial 
  laugh here)
  Below are some examples of 
  Editorial Twists. Some may be 
  most appropriate for Villains, and 
  as with all creative endeavors, the 
  Editor should feel empowered to 
  come up with their own Twists.
  • Adulation/ Condemnation: 
  The opposing character must 
  spend their next action dealing 
  with over-zealous fans, or enemies. 
  They must make a roll opposed by 
  FANS 4. This might be a henchmen 
  confusing the Big Boss, causing 
  them to yell, it might be a mob 
  attacking the villain, it might be 
  autograph worshipping fans who 
  mob a hero…
  • Break the Fourth Wall: A 
  character is able to get some 
  sort of inside info about what is 
  going on by talking to the Editor 
  and readers. Maybe it will take 
  the form of learning about an 
  opponent’s complication, maybe it 
  will give them a +4 to their next 
  action, maybe it will give them an 
  important clue to a mystery being 
  solved.
  • Clone?!? Robot Body?!? 
  Disappearance?!?: The next 
  blow reveals that the character 
  was not the character, but was 
  instead a clone, or a robot body, 
  or maybe they just vanish!
  • Combatus Interruptus: 
  Something happens that resets 
  the Initiative. Everyone pauses for 
  a moment. The character can act, 
  and the Initiative order will restart.
  • Combo: You may Link one Trait 
  to another, if the Trait is already 
  one that can be Linked, add 2 to 
  the Link value.
  • Distraction: Something 
  happens that distracts the 
  opponent, they subtract 2 from 
  their next roll. Editors and players 
  should work together to make it 
  dramatically appropriate.
  • Editorial Favorite: For the 
  remainder of the Scene, the 
  character gets an additional 
  Setback Token (which for Heroes 
  would give them 5).
  • Extra-Dimensional Pest: 
  An extra-dimensional imp of 
  incredible power shows up 
  for some fun. This being can 
  essentially do anything, having 
  CONTROL OVER REALITY ranked 
  13+. Have him stick around for 
  a while to annoy Heroes and 
  Villains alike. If a hero spent this 
  EC, the pest will help that hero 
  out (initially, and in their own 
  inimitable way).
  
  30
  Character Design
  • Great Shot: The next attack 
  roll you make gets a +3 modifi er.
  • Ignore Complication: the 
  character may ignore an activated 
  Complication for 1 round without 
  any side-effect. If the character 
  does not currently have a 
  Complication active, they may 
  activate one, and act freely for 
  the fi rst round of activation.
  • Mega-Link: The character may 
  Link one Linkable Trait at the full 
  rating value, not the standard 
  Link value.
  • New Power!?!?: Character 
  gets a new Trait. This is a single 
  use Trait, that has a rating equal 
  to the character’s third highest 
  Trait. The GM determines what 
  this new Trait is (perhaps with 
  player input).
  • Opening a Can: Add one 
  Benefi t Die to the next roll made 
  by the character.
  • Power Swap: Your lowest Trait 
  becomes boosted to the same 
  rating as your highest Trait. This 
  will last for one round.
  • Recharge: The character may 
  eliminate one Usage for one Trait.
  • Reconfi guring: The character 
  may spend a Usage for one 
  Trait, and use another Trait. The 
  description and how is up to 
  the player, make it good. This 
  is essentially a way for a lower 
  powered Trait Usage to activate a 
  higher-powered Trait. The Traits 
  must be within 5 of each other.
  • Rotten Luck: The character 
  may force his opponent to re-roll 
  their next roll, keeping the worst 
  roll.
  • Sacrifi ce: If your next action 
  would help someone other than 
  yourself, get +4 to the Trait roll.
  • Spatial Displacement: The 
  character is removed from their 
  location for one round.
  • Spotlight: The character is 
  being highlighted due to their 
  popularity or inclusion in an 
  upcoming Event or Crossover 
  book. The character gets a +3 to 
  the Usage of their next Trait, and 
  this Trait can be one they are not 
  normally eligible to Use, i.e. a 
  Trait that can only be Used When 
  the Chips are Down, or a One-
  Shot Trait.
  • Surprise Appearance: An 
  ally shows up. The time-honored 
  cameo. The cameo should not 
  take away from the spotlight 
  being on the character, but they 
  should give them a quick assist.
  • Surge: Add 2 to the next Trait 
  roll by the player.
  • Take Cover: The next 
  defensive roll the character 
  makes gets a +3 modifi er, as the 
  character has found some degree 
  of defensive advantage.
  • Temporal Hiccup: The last 
  Usage by the character is erased.
  
  31
  Creative Control (3 
  Points)
  Creative Control can be 
  anything that “was not 
  planned” in a specific 
  scene, whether it is 
  a scenic alteration or 
  even an entire scene 
  change. 
  You can attempt to Use 
  a Trait in a very unusual 
  way, or even use a 
  one-shot Trait you have 
  never even had before. 
  In many ways, Creative 
  Control is a chance 
  for the character to 
  make something totally 
  interesting and unusual 
  happen in the scene, as 
  long as it doesn’t derail 
  the plot too much. 
  You can use the list 
  of Editorial Twists as 
  possible results of the 
  Creative Control. 
  Random Editorial Twists
  1st 
  D12:
  2nd 
  D12:
  Editorial Twist:
  1-6
  1
  Adulation/Condemnation
  2
  Break the Fourth Wall
  3
  Clone?!?
  4
  Combatus Interruptus
  5
  Combo
  6
  Distraction
  7
  Editorial Favorite
  8
  Extra-Dimensional Pest
  9
  Great Shot
  10
  Ignore Complication
  11
  Mega-Link
  12
  New Power
  7-12
  1
  Opening a Can
  2
  Power Swap
  3
  Recharge
  4
  Reconfiguring
  5
  Rotten Luck
  6
  Sacrifice
  7
  Spatial Displacement
  8
  Spotlight
  9
  Surprise Appearance
  10
  Surge
  11
  Take Cover
  12
  Temporal Hiccup
  Random Editorial Twists
  Maybe you want the random chaos of a 
  comicbook to be embraced, or maybe you’re 
  just not inspired to come up with your own 
  Editorial Twist. If that happens, do what Mr. 
  Gygax (co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons) 
  always told us to do in such situations: Roll 
  the Dice! I can say with some degree of 
  certainty that your Issues will be memorable! 
  Figuring out the how and why is part of the 
  fun after all.
  
  32
  Character Design
  Complications
  “Whenever I get to take a 
  character away from a player for 
  awhile, explain that they’ve been 
  unconscious and then have them 
  wake up with blood on their hands 
  is a chance to have some real 
  fun.” -- John Wick, Play Dirty
  Complications are the things that 
  really mess up your character’s 
  day:
   
  • a crippling weakness brought on 
  a by a specifi c element
  • a loved one
  • the berserker rage that 
  lies within you, waiting to be 
  unleashed
  • you are a bit crazy, and do 
  things that confound others, often 
  at inopportune times
  • the archenemy who always 
  shows up at just the wrong time. 
  But Complications are what makes 
  your character interesting. They 
  are the things make your character 
  “human”; they are what makes 
  readers care about your character; 
  and they are what makes your 
  character fl awed. They are also 
  how your character is able to keep 
  going, no matter what, how they 
  are able to get back up again, and 
  how they are able to fi nd their 
  inner reserve and continue fi ghting 
  the good fi ght.
  Complications are likely to be an 
  intrinsic part of your character. 
  Each character has the option 
  of choosing one or more 
  complications. 
  How many? As many as you want. 
  How do they work? Here is the 
  really cool part: They can be 
  activated by the Editor or the 
  player. 
  What do they do? They take your 
  character actively out of a Scene 
  for awhile; they make you focus 
  on something else; they make 
  your life diffi cult. 
  There might be a mechanical effect: 
  exposure to a rare mineral gives 
  your character a Setback Token 
  and takes them out of the battle for 
  several rounds. Or the effect might 
  be strictly narrative and controlled 
  by the Editor: for example, the 
  crazy character who busts out a 
  breakdancing routine in the middle 
  of a combat because he heard a 
  really good song on the radio, all 
  around him his allies and enemies 
  are duking it out, innocent civilians 
  are being threatened, and he has 
  no choice but to dance! There 
  might be a roleplaying effect, your 
  girlfriend happens to be driving 
  her car right into the part of the 
  city that is being attacked by the 
  alien invasion. They may actually 
  give one or more Setback Tokens 
  to the character. Whatever it is, 
  it will likely not be good for your 
  character. 
  Why have them? Because when 
  a Complication is activated, it will 
  give your character at least one 
  point of Editorial Control. 
  
  33
  In addition to the Complications 
  that characters take, an Editor 
  might find that some situations 
  warrant rewarding characters with 
  a point of Editorial Control: Maybe 
  you have taken away one of the 
  character’s Traits, maybe there is 
  something going to happen this 
  issue that is particularly damaging 
  to that character. One might call 
  this an Editorial Complication.
  What if a player perpetually 
  activates Complications to the 
  detriment of the story? As the 
  joke goes: “Hit me, hit me,” 
  said the masochist. “No,” said 
  the sadist. Don’t allow it to be 
  activated. The CC&VF experience 
  is meant to be fun for everyone. 
  Talk to the player, try and work 
  it out; give the player a spotlight 
  issue that focuses on that 
  Complication; or if the player is 
  just too stubborn to appreciate 
  how they are kind of bringing 
  everyone down, just take them 
  out of every Scene.
  What about Complications for 
  NPCs? NPCs are likely to have 
  Complications as well. If they do, 
  a player character may attempt 
  to activate this Complication. 
  How? Well, there are enemies that 
  are fought time and again, and 
  their Complications might be well 
  known to the players (Bull-Man 
  is Very Clumsy, I activate that 
  to get away and help save those 
  people by leading him through 
  the alleys on a chase, knowing 
  he will be unable to keep up). 
  There are also new enemies, and 
  players might attempt to discover 
  their Complications through 
  any appropriate method, but 
  Editors will most likely want to 
  call for some sort of appropriate 
  Trait Usage (PERCEPTIVE to 
  discern an enemy’s weak point 
  or how the villain is favoring one 
  leg over the other, or maybe 
  ACADEMIC SCHOLAR to recall that 
  Celtic Sprites are known to be 
  Weakened by Cold Iron.) An NPC 
  Complication will give the Editor 
  another point of Editorial Control 
  for that specific character.
  Complications are not positive; 
  they are complications. A 
  Berserker Rage doesn’t help 
  when overwhelmed by Villains, a 
  Berserker Rage might mean that 
  you kill every last living thing, and 
  keep on going. The Editor might 
  very well say “Okay, please hand 
  me your character,” and the next 
  scene you find yourself in would 
  be one where you have Villains 
  and Heroes lying all around you 
  (Are they dead?) and the wail of 
  police sirens is very close. 
  Now, no one is suggesting that 
  an Editor try to make a game 
  less than enjoyable for players, 
  but players should have to earn 
  their Editorial Control. They 
  should fear their Complications. 
  That is not to say that maybe a 
  Berserker Rage activated by the 
  Editor will not help you against a 
  horde of Villains, but maybe you 
  ended up destroying the object 
  you were sent to save as well. As 
  with anything, know your players, 
  know their tolerances, and work 
  together at making the experience 
  fun for everyone.
  
  34
  Character Design
  A Complication should produce 
  memorable and unexpected 
  results, often it will take a 
  character out of action for awhile. 
  While out of action, a character 
  can perform no actions, except 
  perhaps from defending against 
  an attack. However, some 
  Complications are a bit nastier.
  If a Complication takes a 
  character out of a scene, be 
  sure to continue to include that 
  character, describe what they are 
  doing, perhaps a frantic search 
  through rubble to save children, 
  or maybe a character who must 
  perform a kata when facing 
  their archenemy. Taking a player 
  entirely out of a scene is no fun. 
  Complications should be fun.
  Some example Complications, and 
  their possible effects:
  Archenemy
  Many Heroes have an archenemy, 
  someone whose primary 
  motivation is elimination 
  of the hero. Activating the 
  Complication might involve a 
  surprise appearance by their 
  archenemy, or perhaps off-panel, 
  the archenemy has put into play 
  something that will make life 
  miserable for the hero.
  Mental Hang-Up
  The character has some kind of 
  mental or emotional problem. 
  There is no end to the possible 
  variations- berserker rage, 
  phobia, disorder, compulsion, 
  hatred, obsession, or maybe the 
  character is just a bit crazy (see 
  the unfortunate breakdancing 
  example above). You must choose 
  what the specifi c hang-up is, and 
  what your reaction might be when 
  confronted with it.
  Susceptible/ Weakness
  The character either suffers an 
  adverse reaction to an item, 
  material, or substance that is 
  harmless to others, or exposure 
  is devastating and damaging 
  to the character. A susceptible 
  character might be taken Out of 
  Commission for part of a scene, 
  Bill Williams
  
  35
  Ed. NOTE: TRAITS AS COMPLICATIONS (OPTIONAL)
  Collateral Damage! It is a given in comicbooks. Heck, there was even a comicbook 
  that dealt with the aftereffects of all these super-powered combats taking place, 
  and dealing with who had to clean up. That is neither here nor there.
  Collateral damage, not being quite in control of one’s powers, pushing one’s self too 
  far.  These things happen in comicbooks, so they can happen in your game.
  If a character wants to use a Trait as a Complication, they have to use that Trait in 
  some way, and declare they are using it as a Complication. As with any Complication, 
  this is up to the Editor, and might possibly escalate the collateral damage in your 
  games, but sometimes that is just what the doctor ordered! If the Editor approves 
  it, and part of this might be up to the player to describe what they think might 
  happen, the Editor describes the outcome and what effect they might have on the 
  player. And maybe the player won’t even be out of the Scene for awhile, but their 
  good name will be dragged through the mud.
  Imagine, if you will, two characters duking it out over New York Harbor. The Hero 
  with SUPER-STRENGTH really needs that extra point of Editorial Control and 
  activates his SUPER-STRENGTH as a Complication. The Editor thinks for a moment 
  and nods. “Ok, you pull back and punch your archnemesis with everything you have, 
  the energy that gave you your powers, making your blood glow a bright blue as it 
  courses through your body. Your slam your enemy through the air, and he smashes 
  into the Statue of Liberty, the clang is deafening, the statue buckles, tourists are 
  screaming, the foundation of the statue shatters, is it going to fall over.”
  Now, that player has an extra point of Editorial Control, and the Editor is not 
  interrupting the combat at all, but the Statue of Liberty is likely going to fall over, 
  there are tourists and ships everywhere, as well as news helicopters. This will be 
  front page material, no doubt, and the editor of that newspaper will have a field day. 
  If you and your players decide you like this concept, consider using it. Maybe not all 
  the time, maybe it doesn’t happen for a long time, but then, in issue #14, a player 
  requests activating their SUPER-STRENGTH as a Complication. The Editor taps his 
  chin, and likes the idea.
  Ed. NOTE: WHEN IS A COMPLICATION NOT WORTH EDITORIAL CONTROL?
  Sometimes, the activation of a Complication takes a Hero or Villain out 
  of a Scene for a while. However, sometimes the threat of a Complication 
  can be just as memorable. A Villain threatening a Hero with exposure to 
  the mysterious element that negates all their powers can be even more 
  devastating than actual exposure to the element, because it would require 
  the hero to stand aside while the Villain escaped, unwilling or unable to do 
  anything to stop them. Imagine if that Villain didn’t even have the element! 
  
  36
  Character Design
  an entire scene, or multiple 
  scenes. Maybe just their physical 
  Traits are affected. Maybe they 
  will be taken Out of Commission 
  and suffer one or more Setback 
  Tokens. Reward Editorial Control 
  based on how devastating the 
  effect is. 
  Code of Honor
  A character has an internal Code 
  of Honor that they will always 
  try and live up to. Maybe they 
  refuse to let innocent people be 
  hurt, perhaps they will never hit a 
  woman. This is a prime example 
  of a Complication that takes a 
  character out of a scene for some 
  time.
  Complications can take a 
  character out of scene, damage 
  them, tire them out, or actually 
  allow the Editor to take over 
  control of a player’s character for 
  a time. As long as it is fun (from a 
  narrative standpoint), memorable, 
  and further defi nes the character, 
  a Complication will be embraced 
  by players and Editors.
  Factoids
  So, your character has Traits, 
  which are used in Scenes. But 
  are these the only qualities that 
  defi ne a Hero or Villain? 
  Not at all. Factoids round out 
  your character, identifying their 
  interests, hobbies, employment, 
  and even personality. Factoids do 
  not have in-game effect, but until 
  dice start getting rolled, Factoids 
  help your character navigate 
  the world around them. One 
  character might have the Trait 
  POLYLINGUIST which would allow 
  them an opportunity to translate 
  any text that needs translating in 
  a Scene. 
  Another character might have a 
  Factoid: Speaks Many Languages, 
  which from a roleplaying 
  standpoint allows the character 
  the chance to communicate with 
  NPCs that they come across, 
  unless such communication would 
  prove to be problematic (i.e. 
  something that would require a 
  roll of the dice). 
  Factoids allow someone to look 
  at a character sheet and quickly 
  identify some of the subtleties of 
  a character, and allows players 
  the chance to fl esh out their 
  character without having to worry 
  about Character Design Points. 
  A character with Trained to Fly 
  Jets would be able to fl y the team 
  jet, getting from Point A to Point 
  B. But if, all of a sudden, several 
  alien ships burst out of the sky 
  and begin attacking, well, maybe 
  that character never had any 
  sort of combat training, and thus 
  might not be the best person to 
  be piloting. 
  If you are playing a game with 
  Experience Points, or even if you 
  want to redesign your character 
  at some point (see page 109), 
  consider transforming Factoids 
  into full-fl edged Traits.
  Factoids should be short, 
  informative, and give a good 
  picture of a character.
  
  37
  Some sample Factoids:
  • Sharp Dresser
  • Trained Dancer
  • Pilot
  • Sarcastic
  • Classical Education
  • Poet
  • Pop-Culture Junkie
  • Watches Too Much TV
  • Collector of Vinyl
  • Grease Monkey
  • Tinkerer
  • Pack-rat
  • Vain
  • Political Junkie
  • Has Two Children
  • Orphan
  • Pessimist
  • Video-Game Junkie
  • Frat-Boy
  Ed. NOTE: INDEX CARDS
  For this game, you will need paper, pencil, some 
  d12s, and I strongly recommend 4x6 index cards.
  Players can use the Index Cards for their 
  characters, to track Usages, Setback Tokens, 
  and Editorial Control. Record all the Traits from 
  the character sheet, with annotations for the 
  number of dice rolled for each Usage. Trait Usage 
  can be tracked on the index card, which can leave 
  your character sheet clean and pristine, and you 
  can avoid the problems of writing and erasing in 
  the same pot again and again, which will lead to 
  unsightly small holes in your character sheet.
  The Editor can use the cards for Villains and 
  NPCs in much the same way, but should also 
  make an index card for each Hero as well for 
  Initiative purposes.
  Summary of Character Design
  Step Three!
  Figure Up Editorial Control
  pgs.
  27-31
  Step Four!
  Determine Threshold
  pg.
  27
  Step Five!
  Create Complications
  pgs.
  32-36
  Step Six!
  Create Factoids
  pgs.
  36-37
  Step Two!
  Create/Purchase Traits and Modifiers
  pgs.
  10-26
  Step One!
  Determine Number of Design Points
  pgs.
  9-10
  
  38
  Character Design
  Sample Character 
  Design
  In order to help players see 
  how a character can be created 
  with CC&VF, here is a sample 
  character with the steps used to 
  design him.
  I will be creating a 150-point 
  character, tough enough for 
  most types of adventures. He’ll 
  be a fl ying blaster, a classic 
  comic archetype. But what is his 
  angle? What makes him cool? 
  It is my opinion, that much 
  of the initial perception of a 
  character is formed when he is 
  fi rst seen in costume, so I think 
  about a costume. What about 
  something with really cool boots 
  and gauntlets, and a somewhat 
  minimal bodysuit, which serves to 
  highlight these cool features?
  I also think about his personality, 
  his skills, and the type of 
  character I like to play. I think 
  I am going to make him a 
  somewhat stoic leader type, but 
  also with some intelligence, a guy 
  who can help solve problems, 
  not just by rallying his troops. 
  He is not a person I see having 
  actual “powers”, instead being 
  more tech-based. But not the 
  standard suit of armor and/ or 
  tech supplied by a benevolent 
  organization, and I don’t see him 
  being an inventor.
  An astronaut. Modern astronauts 
  are usually Renaissance men, 
  with multiple doctorates, in tiptop 
  shape, and often with some 
  technical skills as well. So, this 
  character will be an astronaut.
  I jot down ASTRONAUT as a 
  trait on my piece of scrap paper. 
  ASTRONAUT can mean lots of 
  things, so, I make it Versatile: 
  Medical Doctor; PhD in 
  Astrophysics; Former Air 
  Force Hot Shot. With 3 Defi ned 
  aspects of the Trait, he also has 
  3 Undefi ned aspects, which gives 
  me some wiggle room to have 
  some fun. But as of right now, 
  he has a military background, 
  skill with medicine and science, 
  and is able to fl y various air and 
  spacecrafts. What else might 
  ASTRONAUT be able to do in 
  each issue? Intensive endurance 
  training? Some level of star power 
  and fame? Knowledge of space, 
  and maybe even alien life forms? 
  There is some potential there.
  Thinking also about him, and 
  depending on how the points work 
  out, he might also be SMART, 
  PHYSICALLY FIT... I jot these 
  Traits down as Traits to consider.
  On to his powers, he is a fl ying 
  blaster. Why? It’s not because 
  he has a government suit. 
  Seen that before. He was an 
  astronaut, on the fi rst manned 
  mission to Mars. His ship was 
  destroyed upon landing. All 
  alone on Mars, what was he to 
  do? He salvaged what he could 
  from the ship, supplies, oxygen, 
  communication equipment. He 
  tried to communicate with his 
  colleagues on Earth. No luck. 
  But as he began adjusting the 
  frequency, hoping to pick up 
  something, anything, some way 
  
  39
  to communicate with Houston, 
  something else came through. 
  Something alien. He was able 
  to isolate the frequency, and 
  modified some onboard sensors 
  to attempt to pinpoint it. Was he 
  in danger? With no help coming 
  anytime soon, he began moving 
  towards the source of the alien 
  sound. Several days across the 
  surface of the Red Planet, he 
  finally came across a sleek, silver 
  craft, obviously alien tech, and 
  it looks like they were as lucky 
  landing on the surface as he was. 
  He approached with caution. 
  As he got closer, this did not 
  seem to be a manned mission, 
  there were no signs of life, or 
  capsule entry. However, when he 
  touched the surface of the ship, 
  the alien metal responded. He 
  spent several days investigating 
  this alien craft made with 
  elements and technology unlike 
  anything he had ever seen. He 
  had a background in mechanical 
  engineering (see that Versatile 
  ASTRONAUT Trait) and realized, 
  that combined with the wreckage 
  of his own ship, there was enough 
  salvageable material to make 
  something. The alien propulsion 
  system used a self-contained fuel 
  system, and had faster-than-light 
  capability. The metal of the ship, 
  with some work, was malleable, 
  and as his air supply was running 
  out, he discovered that it could 
  be formed and reformed. He 
  crafted a suit. It might be his 
  only chance. Using the alien 
  propulsion system, combined with 
  some parts from his own ship, 
  he was able to piece together 
  a makeshift, last ditch effort. 
  Boots and gauntlets to control his 
  direction, and a jetpack to get 
  him back to Earth. And it worked. 
  Not only did the alien propellant 
  provide propulsion, but it could 
  be focused and directed. He was 
  going home.
  Ok, so I have an idea about his 
  costume and his tech, now, how 
  about those Traits?
  ALIEN TECH SUIT
  PROPULSION BOOTS
  JETPACK
  GAUNTLETS
  Let’s start assigning numbers 
  and thinking about them and see 
  where we are.
  ALIEN TECH SUIT- the suit gives 
  him oxygen and sustains him in 
  harsh environments, allows for 
  travel through space, has onboard 
  sensors and communications, 
  maybe some level of protection. 
  Overall, I don’t see too much here 
  that is outside of the generally 
  accepted concept of what a suit of 
  tech-armor would be, so likely no 
  need for Versatile.
  I assign a 7 rating to it, with 2 
  Regulated Signatures, and a 
  Link: 22 points. Oh, add in Auto-
  Defend. 
  25 points initially.
  PROPULSION BOOTS- These 
  give him some flight ability, how 
  he maneuvers. I’m not really 
  sure what they might be, so I will 
  come back to them.
  JETPACK- This is how he flies, 
  obviously. Alien tech, does it have 
  
  40
  Character Design
  other applications? I don’t think 
  so. Since it allows for some pretty 
  impressive speed, I am assigning 
  it a 9, and his ability to break out 
  of the atmosphere, I will be giving 
  it a Diminishing Signaturex2, 
  and a Link: 40 points, for a total 
  of 65.
  GAUNTLETS- This will be his 
  primary attack, and helps him 
  fl y, and maneuver. Similar to the 
  Jetpack, it is pretty powerful. A 
  rating of 8, with 2 Regulated 
  Signatures, and a Link would be 
  24 points, for a total of 89.
  We should clarify the 
  ASTRONAUT Trait. It has 3 
  Defi ned aspects of Versatile, that 
  is 9 points. I consider the use of 
  it outside of combat as probably 
  being a bit more practical, and 
  apply a Situational Boost: +2 
  Outside of Combat to it, I also like 
  the idea that he is a military man, 
  and can rally his allies, so I apply 
  a Situational Boost: +2 When 
  Assisting Others. Both Situational 
  Boosts together cost 4, so far 13 
  points spent. I look at this Trait 
  as being impressive, but not 
  overly so, so I assign it a 7, with 
  2 Regulated Signatures, which is 
  18 points, plus this 13, is a total 
  of 31 for this Trait, and a grand 
  running total of 120.
  With 30 Points left, we might 
  scrap the Boots, because I had 
  an idea. Here is a character able 
  to fl y FTL, what if he could push 
  his alien propulsion system, to 
  get up to that speed, and also, 
  seemingly, use it as an attack? 
  I like to think it is as something 
  he could use as he diminished 
  his other resources. It should be 
  powerful, 9, with 2 Power-Up 
  Signatures and a Link, for a 
  total of 40 points, but applying 
  Only When the Chips Are 
  Down, brings the total to 32 
  points, we are at 152 points, over 
  by 2 points. 
  Looking at the point values 
  quickly, I decide to lower the 
  GAUNTLETS by 1, which will 
  shave those 2 points.
  I call this Trait AFTERBURN, 
  which actually sounds kind of cool 
  for his name.
  Obviously, he doesn’t have any 
  extra Design Points to increase his 
  Editorial Control.
  I think about some Factoids and 
  Complications.
  Factoids:
  • Was a Quarterback at the Air 
  • Force Academy
  • Rhodes Scholar
  • Star Trek fan (dislikes Star 
  Wars)
  Complications:
  • Can be too single-task focused
  • Arrogant
  • Willing to let allies fall, if it is for 
  the betterment of the team
  
  Trait:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Afterburn
  Background
  Dexter Michaels was boldly going where no man 
  had gone before, on the fi rst manned mission 
  to Mars. As happens in these stories, something 
  went wrong. His ship, Bradbury III crashed on 
  impact, taking the lives of the other crewmem-
  bers. He salvaged what he could from the ship, 
  but as he was trying to initiate contact with 
  Earth with the broken communication equip-
  ment, he picked up an unknown signal. Isolat-
  ing the signal, and jury-rigging what equipment 
  he had, we was able to isolate the origin. With 
  help unlikely to arrive, he set out across the 
  Red Planet, and after days, fi nally came across 
  a sleek, silver, presumably alien craft, one that 
  had also unfortunately crashed. His supplies 
  were running dangerously low, and he had little 
  in the way of options, he approached. The metal 
  of the ship responded to his touch. He entered 
  the ship, exploring some of the alien tech, as 
  well as this responsive metal. Unless he wished 
  to die here on Mars, he knew he had to come up 
  with a plan. He was able to craft and mold the alien metal, and using some of the 
  presumably FTL propulsion systems of the ship, as well as what he could salvage 
  from his own ship, was able to craft a suit worthy of a paperback science-fi ction 
  novel. He fi red up the suit and took to the sky.
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Can be too single-task 
  focused
  • Arrogant
  • Willing to let allies fall, if 
  for the betterment of the 
  team
  • Quarterback at Air Force 
  Academy
  • Rhodes Scholar
  • Star Trek fan (dislikes 
  Star Wars)
  2
  10
  150
  JETPACK (3/2/1)
  40
  9
  +5
  AFTERBURN (1/2/3)
  9
  +5
  7
  +3
  7
  +3
  7
  +3
  Only when the chips are down
  Auto-Defend
  ALIEN TECH SUIT (1/1/1)
  GAUNTLETS (1/1/1)
  ASTRONAUT
  Modifiers: +2 Outside of Combat, +2 When Assisting 
  Others, Versatile (Medical Doctor, PhD in Astrophysics, 
  Former Air Force Hot Shot, ___, ___, ___)
  32
  25
  22
  31
  Scott Brewer
  
  42
  Plug and Play Templates
  LESS READING, MORE PUNCHING
  So, maybe you are a player, and you just want to get started playing, 
  without all that math getting in the way. We want to help you do just 
  that. We have crafted some Plug and Play Templates, with all the math 
  already figured out, all you have to do is figure out what Traits you 
  want your Hero to have (and their Complications, and Factoids, and 
  name, and costume.) Okay, maybe we should have said, all you have 
  to do from a math perspective is figure out what Traits you want your 
  Hero to have.
  Unless noted, all Templates have 2 Points of Editorial Control and a 
  Threshold of 10.
  Additionally, Editors might find these Templates useful when crafting 
  Villains.
  100 POINT TEMPLATE
  This Template might best be used for 
  an inexperienced character just learning 
  to use their powers, or perhaps for a 
  Street-Level Hero, who always finds that 
  extra something when they get their 
  second-wind. 
  • Allocate Auto-Defend to any Trait. (3 
  points)
  Trait ____________________ 8 (1/2/3)
  • Only When the Chips are Down
   
   
  (20 points)
  Trait ____________________ 6 (3/2/1)
  • Link +3 
  (24 points)
  Trait ____________________ 6 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (20 points)
  Trait ____________________ 4 (1/2/3)
  • Link +1 
  (12 points)
  Trait ____________________ 4 (3/2/1)
  • Link +1 
  (12 points)
  Trait ____________________ 3 (1/1/1)
  • Link +1 
  (9 points)
  100 POINT TEMPLATE
  This Template could be a character with 
  one primary superpower, and they are 
  just learning to apply it in interesting 
  ways. 
  • Allocate Auto-Defend to any Trait. (3 
  Points)
  • Allocate Incapacitate to any Trait. (2 
  points)
  Trait ____________________ 9 (1/2/3)
  • Only When the Chips are Down
  • Fickle
  • Link +5 
  (24 Points)
  Trait ____________________ 8 (3/2/1)
  • Link +3 
  (28 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (1/2/3)
  • Link +3 
  (22 points)
  Trait ____________________ 4 (1/2/3)
  • Link +1 
  (12 points)
  Trait ____________________ 3 (1/1/1)
  • Link +1 
  (9 points)
  
  43
  Plug and Play Templates
  100 POINT TEMPLATE
  This is a balanced character, could be an 
  experienced Street-Level character, or 
  an inexperienced character with several 
  different superpowers. 
  • Allocate Auto-Defend to any Trait. (3 
  points)
  Trait ____________________ 7 (1/2/3)
  • Link +3  
  (26 points)
  Trait ____________________ 6 (3/2/1)
  • Link +3  
  (24 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (18 points)
  Trait ____________________ 4 (1/1/1)
  • Link +1 
  (10 points)
  Trait ____________________ 4 (1/1/1)
  • Link +1 
  (10 points)
  Trait ____________________ 3 (1/1/1)
  • Link +1 
  (9 points)
  150 POINT TEMPLATE
  A balanced character, who is able to bust 
  out some extra juice just as the Villains 
  think they have gained the upper hand.
  • Allocate Auto-Defend to any Trait. (3 
  points)
  • Allocate Incapacitate to any Trait. (2 
  points)
  • Allocate 3 Versatile Slots. (9 points)
  • Allocate 2 Situational Boosts. (4 points)
  Trait ____________________ 10 (1/1/1)
   
   
  (32 points)
  Trait ____________________ 7 (1/2/3)
  • Link +3  
  (26 points) 
  Trait ____________________ 6 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (20 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (18 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (3/2/1)
  • Only When the Chips are Down
  • Link +3 
  (18 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (18 points)
  150 POINT TEMPLATE
  This is likely a very focused character, 
  with one or two; possibly an experienced 
  superhero/ scientist?
  • Allocate Auto-Defend to any Trait. (3 
  points)
  Trait ____________________ 9 (1/2/3)
   
  (34 points)
   
  Trait ____________________ 9 (1/1/1)
  • Link +5  
  (34 points)
  Trait ____________________ 8 (1)
  • +2 Outside of Combat
  • Not-A-Finisher (13 points)
  Trait ____________________ 7 (3/2/1)
  • Link +3 
  (26 points)
  Trait ____________________ 7 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (22 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3  
  (18 points)
  150 POINT TEMPLATE
  A character with one major power, 
  a very, very powerful one that isn’t 
  very reliable. Or maybe a tech-based 
  character, whose tech is a bit unreliable, 
  and takes a while to get warmed up. 
  • Allocate Auto-Defend to any Trait. (3 
  points)
  • Allocate Incapacitate to any Trait. (2 
  points)
  Trait ____________________ 17 (1/2/3)
  • Only When the Chips are Down
   
   
  (63 points)
  Trait ____________________ 9 (1/2/3)
  • Link +5
  • Fickle  
  (32 points)
  Trait ____________________ 7 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (22 poins)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (18 points)
  Trait ____________________ 4 (1/1/1)
  • Link +1 
  (10 points)
  
  44
  150 POINT TEMPLATE
  Do not back this character into a corner. 
  Or maybe this character has a piece of 
  tech that distracts them but once it gets 
  running.
  • Allocate Auto-Defend to any Trait. (3 
  points)
  Trait ____________________ 11 (1/2/3)
  • Only When the Chips are Down
  • +2 w/ 3 Setback Tokens
  • +2 when Pushing 
   
   
  (38 points)
  Trait ____________________ 9 (1/2/3)
  • Link +5
   
   
  (40 points)
  Trait ____________________ 8 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (24 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (3/2/1)
  • Link +3 
  (22 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (18 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (1)
  • Link +3
  • Fickle
  • Not-A-Finisher (5 points)
  150 POINT TEMPLATE
  Balanced character, perhaps has 
  numerous superpowers, and when the 
  going gets rough, is able to find their 
  inner reserve, or maybe is like Bruce 
  Lee and needs to taste their own blood 
  before unleashing the real hurt. 
  • Allocate Auto-Defend to any Trait. (3 
  points)
  Trait ____________________ 11 (1/2/3)
  • Only When the Chips are Down
  • Link +5 
  (40 points)
  Trait ____________________ 9 (1/1/1)
  • Link +5 
  (34 points)
  Trait ____________________ 7 (1/2/3)
  • Link +3 
  (26 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (18 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (18 points)
  Trait ____________________ 3 (3/2/1)
  • Link +1 
  (11 points)
  150 POINT TEMPLATE
  A normal human, with world-class 
  abilities of equipment, or an experienced 
  character whose powers themselves are 
  not earth-shattering, but has been around 
  long enough to be able to use them in an 
  interesting and efficient ways. 
  • Allocate Auto-Defend to any Trait. (3 points)
  • Allocate Incapacitate to any Trait. (2 points)
  • Allocate 3 Versatile Slots. (9 points)
  • Allocate 2 Situational Boosts. (4 points)
  Trait ____________________ 7 (3/2/1)
  • Link +3 
  (26 points)
  Trait ____________________ 7 (1/2/3)
  • Link+3  
  (26 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (1/2/3)
  • Link +3 
  (22 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (18 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (18 points)
  Trait ____________________ 4 (1/1/1)
  • Link +1 
  (10 points)
  Trait ____________________ 4 (3/2/1)
  • Link +1 
  (12 points)
  200 POINT TEMPLATE
  Balanced character, numerous superpowers 
  and training. 
  • Allocate Auto-Defend to any Trait. (3 points)
  • Allocate 1 Versatile Slot. (3 points)
  • Allocate Incapacitate to any Trait. (2 points)
  • Add 1 Situational Boost. (2 points)
  Trait ____________________ 12 (1/1/1)
   
   
  (40 points)
  Trait ____________________ 9 (1/2/3)
  • Link +5 
  (40 points)
  Trait ____________________ 9 (1/1/1)
  • Link +5 
  (34 points)
  Trait ____________________ 7 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (22 points)
  Trait ____________________ 7 (1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (18 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (18 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (18 points)
  
  45
  200 POINT TEMPLATE
  Another balanced character, this one might 
  have an edge as combat continues, or 
  maybe they have a power that needs to be 
  activated.
  • Allocate Auto-Defend to any Trait. (3 
  points)
  Trait ____________________ 13 (1/2/3)
  • Only When the Chips are Down
  • Link +5 
  (49 points)
  Trait ____________________ 11 (3/2/1)
  • Link +5 
  (48 points)
  Trait ____________________ 9 (1/2/3)
  • Link +5 
  (40 points)
  Trait ____________________ 8 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (24 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (18 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (18 points)
  200 POINT TEMPLATE
  You know how those archer characters or 
  sidekick characters are always right there 
  fi ghting the good fi ght right alongside the 
  Heavy Hitters? Or how the character whose 
  powers are not that impressive, compared 
  to the other Heroes who are able to survive 
  a nuclear blast, are able to stand back to 
  back with them against the Villain who just 
  crushed the moon with one Ionic blast. 
  This is that character.
  • Allocate Auto-Defend to any Trait. (3 points)
  • 5 Points of Editorial Control. (30 points)
  • Allocate Incapacitate to any Trait. (2 points)
  • Allocate 3 Versatile Slots. (9 points)
  • Allocate 2 Situational Boosts. (4 points)
  • Threshold: 16
  Trait ____________________ 7 (1/2/3)
  • Link +3 
  (26 points)
  Trait ____________________ 7 (1/1/1)
  • Link+3  
  (22 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (1/2/3)
  • Link +3 
  (22 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (3/2/1)
  • Link +3 
  (22 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (18 points)
  Trait ____________________ 5 (1/1/1)
  • Link +3 
  (18 points)
  Trait ____________________ 4 (1/2/3)
  • Link +1 
  (12 points)
  Trait ____________________ 4 (1/2/3)
  • Link +1 
  (12 points)
  Bill Williams
  
  46
  Character Design
  Ed. NOTE: The Usage Sheet
  You will notice that there are two types of character sheets in CC&VF: one is the fancy 
  schmancy Character Sheet, where you can record all the pertinent information about 
  your character, including a picture of them in costume; the other is a Usage Sheet, which 
  I designed for use in actual play.
  Hunh?
  The Character Sheet will have all your Traits, Complications, base Editorial Control, etc. 
  It is a designed as a permanent record of your character (as permanent as a superhero 
  can ever be, as their Complications may change, their powers might evolve, etc). You’re 
  going to put in a lot of work to fi t all that information in their.
  The Usage Sheet is designed for an Issue, to track your Usages, Setback Tokens, keep a 
  running tally of your Editorial Control.
  Way back when, TSR released fancy character sheets on bright yellow-orange paper, 
  it was awesome. The sheets had spaces for all sorts of interesting stuff, equipment, 
  treasure, exploits.
  The problem was, after a month or so of playing, the sheet was fi lled with eraser smudge 
  marks, and didn’t look quite as pretty.
  So, we are trying to help you avoid that problem.
  One sheet you can put in a swanky plastic sleeve and protect it from coffee, Mountain 
  Dew, Dorito cheese dust.
  The other is meant to used and written on, erased, on, and when the paper starts 
  wearing thin, print a new one out.
  It allows you to track Usages for the three types of scenes (you will have to erase the 
  Action Scene Usage marks after each scene, and what if you have more than six Usages 
  in a single Scene? We will leave it to you to fi gure out how to record that).
  You can track the Setback Tokens you take in each Scene, erasing the Action Scene 
  marks after each Scene concludes.
  You can track your Editorial Control, as it goes up and down during the course of an 
  Issue.
  
  Brent Sprecher
  Heroes and Villains
  Before we zoom on to the next chapter, allow us to present you 
  with a selection of heroes and villains for you use in your games 
  or to simply serve as examples of how characters are designed. 
  Furthermore, many of these characters are used in the example of 
  play and in the short Issues found later in the book.
  In the write-ups, the heroes’ names are in blue, while the villains’ 
  names are in red.
  
  Trait:
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait:
   
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Americana
  Background
  “Americana” is the public persona of KD-319, the only suc-
  cessfully created clone of Katherine Connolly, daughter of 
  Four-Star General Killian “Kill ‘em All” Connolly. Secretly 
  commissioned as a side project of the United States Army’s 
  RE: Soldier Initiative by her father, KD-319 survived and 
  flourished when all previous attempts to clone Katherine 
  Connolly failed. Gen. Connolly instructed the genetic engi-
  neers behind the program to combine his daughter’s DNA 
  with a unique combination of meta-human soldier DNA, 
  which resulted in KD-319 not only surviving, but growing at 
  an accelerated rate and developing a metahuman constitu-
  tion, as well. 
  KD-319 is faster, stronger and more agile than any world-class athlete, and she has been instructed 
  in the art of hand-to-hand combat since she was four years old. Her metabolism is higher than an 
  average human’s, which is her only real weakness; she overheats very rapidly, which causes violent 
  mood swings and irrational behavior. She is equipped with a shield forged from AISI 4130, a low al-
  loy steel used in the aerospace industry that is lightweight and impact and heat resistant. She also 
  wields a mace, which contains several offensive and defensive weapons, including a 1,000,000 volt 
  stun charge, a corrosive acid spray, and an immobilizing foam spray. KD-319 is unaware that she is 
  a clone.
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Unaware she is a clone
  • Overheats which leads to 
  violent mood swings and ir-
  rational behavior
  • Military Brat
  • Rebellious streak
  2
  10
  150
  SHIELD (1/1/1)
  Auto-Defend
  25
  7
  +3
  PROGRAMMED ATHLETE (1/1/1)
  7
  +3
  7
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  May not be used more than once in any 
  round.
  Only When the Chips Are Down
  VICIOUS COMBATANT (1/2/3)
               SINCE 4 YEARS OLD(1/1/1)
  Hi-TECH BATTLE MACE (1/1/1)
  SUPER-HUMAN CONSTITUTION (3/2/1)
  SUPER-HUMAN STRENGTH (1/1/1)
  Incapacitate, Versatile (Stun Charge, Acid 
  Spray, Foam Spray, ___, ___, ___)
  May not be used more than once in any 
  round
  May not be use more than once in any 
  round
  20
  22
  18
  29
  20
  16
  TRAINED IN MARTIAL ARTS
  Brent Sprecher
  48
  
  Trait:
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Rank
  Link
  Boy Frog
  Background
  The origin of  Boy Frog is tied to Terrapin Man. 
  Without the goading of his co-worker, Brock Se-
  bastian would likely have been just as happy 
  going about his day, cleaning pools, biding his 
  time, but when Steve suggested the two of 
  them go out and make the world better, Brock 
  shrugged his shoulders and said “Why not?” 
  Months of training, practicing katas by the pool-
  sides as they cleaned the swimming pools of the 
  rich and famous, time spent in the shop coming 
  up with equipment, the two of them roam the 
  streets fi ghting crime and trying to make the 
  world better.
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Inexperienced
  • Would rather not fi ght
  • Sarcastic
  • Enthusiastic
  2
  10
  100
  LEAPING (1/2/3)
  Auto-Defend
  25
  5
  +3
  FROG STYLE MARTIAL ARTS (3/2/1)
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  1
  +1
  +2 vs any other Fighting Style, +2 
  Linked with STAFF
  STAFF (1/1/1)
  AMPHIBIOUS (1)
  GADGETS (1)
  SUCTION CUP GLOVES (1/1/1)
  Not-A-Finisher
  Versatile (Net, ___), Incapacitate
  26
  18
  9
  15
  Points: 7
  Scott Brewer
  49
  
  Breaker
  Background
  Young Kelley Stacey should have had an idyllic life. She 
  grew up in Mission Beach, California, in a house off of a 
  narrow sidewalk between the ocean and the bay. However, 
  when her mother died in a surfing accident, Kelley’s father 
  slipped into a deep depression. He became prone to violent 
  alcohol-fueled rages, and began to abuse Kelley both men-
  tally and physically. After one particularly violent encounter, 
  Kelley’s fragile teen psyche snapped and she unleashed a 
  violent psychokinetic attack. Electricity erupted from her 
  body, killing her father instantly and burning down her fam-
  ily home.
  Still a minor, Kelley was sent to live with her aunt, Jennifer 
  Fisher. Kelley recovered and excelled under the care of her Aunt Jenny. She graduated from high 
  school near the top of her class and joined the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). She quickly 
  racked up an impressive arrest record, becoming one of the youngest female detectives in the history 
  of the LAPD. Kelley pursues the sexual predators the most ferociously and, when she is unable to find 
  a legal way to bring a perpetrator to justice, she dons the costume of “Breaker” and seeks out street 
  justice. Ironically, Breaker is one of the LAPD’s most wanted criminals.
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Wanted by LAPD
  • Orphaned
  • Very driven
  • Emotionally distant
  • Sports fan (Dodgers, Lak-
  ers)
  2
  10
  150
  Trait:
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  ENERGY PROJECTION (3/2/1)
  Auto-Defend, +2 if Linked with VICIOUS
  45
  9
  +5
  Trait: 
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  MAGNETIC ENERGY FIELD (1/1/1)
  9
  +5
  34
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  8
  +3
  +2 vs Sexual Predators
  VICIOUS (1/2/3)
  30
  Trait: 
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  4
  +1
  LAPD DETECTIVE (1/1/1)
  10
  Trait: 
  Rank
  Link
  4
  +1
  MARTIAL ARTIST (1/1/1)
  Points: 10
  Trait: 
  Rank
  Link
  4
  +1
  FEARLESS (1/2)
  Points: 9
  Trait: 
  Rank
  Link
  4
  +1
  VERY SMART (1/1/1)
  Points: 10
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  SURFER (1)
  3
  +1
  One-Shot
  2
  Brent Sprecher
  50
  
  51
  Trait:
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Deadeye
  Background
  A highly decorated military veteran, discharged 
  after shrapnel took out his eye, the man who 
  would become known as Deadeye was mad. He 
  was still a marksman without peer, but the gov-
  ernment he fought for, the government who he 
  lost his eye for, now saw fi t to relieve him of 
  his services. As much as the commercials might 
  explain that a military background makes one 
  an attractive candidate when trying to secure a 
  career post-service, where were the classifi ed 
  ads for licensed killer? Knowing he could bide 
  his time as a mercenary, guarding fi elds of can-
  nabis and poppies, this seemed like an incredible 
  waste of his talents. 
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Flashbacks
  • Still has a sense of honor 
  from his military service 
  (however twisted)
  • Annoyingly cocky
  • Loves American cuisine
  • Knowledgeable about do-
  mestic and foreign policy, his-
  tory, and government
  • Considers himself a charmer
  +0
  10
  150
  SNIPER (1)
  +2 if a full round spent activating this 
  Trait, +2 is ARSENAL Linked to this 
  Trait, One Shot
  17
  9
  NA
  PORTABLE ARSENAL (1/1/1)
  9
  +5
  7
  +3
  7
  +3
  7
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  NA
  +2 if ARSENAL is Linked to Trait
  UNAFRAID TO KILL (3/2/1)
  TRAINED ASSASSIN (1/1/1)
  PERCEPTIVE (1/1)
  FORMER SPECIAL FORCES (1/1/1)
  RESILIENT (1)
  +2 if ARSENAL is Linked to Trait
  +2 if ARSENAL is Linked to Trait, Auto-
  Defend
  34
  28
  24
  18
  23
  6
  Scott Brewer
  
  Trait:
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait:
   
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Deathstalker
  Background
  Since he was born, Dane Magnussen has had the 
  ability to see and communicate with beings from oth-
  er dimensions. At first, only deceased humans were 
  visible to him, but over time his abilities grew to the 
  point where he was able to interact with “ascendant” 
  and “descendant” spirits, commonly called “angels” 
  and “demons,” as well as the “faerie folk” who reside 
  in a magical pocket dimension known as Wayland.
  Dane was orphaned at a very early age, and all re-
  cords of his biological parents have been erased, if 
  they ever existed at all. Picked on and called a “freak” 
  by classmates and family members who couldn’t un-
  derstand the strange visions the boy was having, 
  Dane grew up a very reclusive and depressed child. 
  He was institutionalized in his early teens and spent 
  many years in a drug-induced fugue.
  After another patient at the mental health facility 
  where Dane was being cared for started stealing 
  Dane’s medication, his abilities slowly returned and 
  he realized that he was not crazy and he did not be-
  long there. He escaped and immediately set out upon a quest to discover how to not only 
  communicate with the other dimensions, but also cross over into the other dimensions. 
  Dane has spent years training his mind, body and spirit to combat the negative entities 
  he encounters on his journeys between dimensions. He has studied martial arts and is a 
  novice magic user.
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Uncertain
  • Inexperienced
  • Prone to depression
  • Nerdy
  • Socially awkward
  2
  10
  100
  TRAVEL TO SPIRIT DIMENSIONS (1/1)
  Auto-Defend, Versatile (intangibility, 
  dimensional travel, ___, ___)
  29
  8
  +3
  COMMUNICATE WITH SPIRITS (1/1/1) 
  8
  +3
  5
  +3
  4
  +1
  4
  +1
  3
  +1
                  SPIRIT REALMS (1/1)
  NOVICE MAGIC USER (1/1/1)
  MARTIAL ARTIST (1/1/1)
  SMART (1/1)
  Modifiers: +2 Linked with COMMUNICATE, +2 
  Linked with KNOWLEDGE, Incapacitate
  24
  14
  16
  10
  7
  KNOWLEDGE OF THE
  Brent Sprecher
  52
  
  Trait:
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Death Star
  Background
  Guan Yu was a simple merchant living in Beijing dur-
  ing the latter days of the Qing Dynasty. When he 
  refused to pay tribute to the local Triad (gang), his 
  business was set ablaze, resulting in the deaths of his 
  wife and two young children. Blind with rage, Guan Yu 
  confronted the leader of the Triad, but he was beaten 
  mercilessly and left for dead. With his last breath, 
  Guan Yu cursed the Triad, entreating Yan Wang, the 
  god of death, to punish the murderers.
  Yan Wang heard Guan Yu’s pleas and sent an aspect 
  of the demon Chu Jiang, king of the second level of 
  hell and persecutor of thieves and murderers, into 
  Guan Yu’s body at the moment of his death. Empow-
  ered by Chu Jiang, Guan Yu exacted revenge upon 
  the Triad, slaughtering nearly 200 of its members be-
  fore it was satisfied that its task was complete. But, 
  once unleashed on the world of the living, Chu Jiang’s 
  aspect became an autonomous entity, separate from 
  Chu Jiang, and refused to return to Di Yu (hell). Chu 
  Jiang tried to retrieve his aspect, now calling itself Sha 
  Xing, or Death Star, but Sha Xing had already made a 
  deal with Yan Wang in which the god of death allowed 
  Sha Xing to remain on Earth as long as he delivered 
  a tribute of souls on a daily basis. Sha Xing has been 
  roaming the world in search of souls ever since. As a 
  demonic entity, Sha Xing is immortal in the conven-
  tional sense of the word, but he is susceptible to magic and could effectively be terminated 
  by being separated or exorcised from his host, Guan Yu. Sha Xing is impervious to material 
  injury and possesses superhuman strength and reflexes. He wields three magical “dragon 
  blades,” which absorb and collect the souls of those he kills for
  transference as “spiritual currency” to his master, Yan Wang.
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Must deliver a daily tribute 
  of souls
  • Susceptible to magic
  • Could be exorcised
  • Immortal
  +0
  10
  200
  IMPERVIOUS TO HARM (3/2/1)
  -2 vs magic of any kind, Auto-Defend
  78
  17
  NA
  SUPER-STRENGTH (1/2/3)
  12
  +5
  9
  +5
  9
  +5
  +2 Linked with DRAGON BLADES
  Only when the chips are down
  VENGEFUL WARRIOR SPIRIT (1/2/3)
  DRAGON BLADES (1/1/1)
  +2 vs multiple opponents
  54
  32
  36
  Brent Sprecher
  53
  
  Trait:
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Rank
  Link
  Doctor Moonlight
  Background
  By day, Frances Wurmer is a voluntary patient at 
  a local mental hospital. At night, he dons a cos-
  tume, and wields a rapier, prowling the streets 
  as Dr. Moonlight. In combat, he will frequently 
  target one non-villainous NPC as his imaginary 
  sidekick named Roundie, and use this individual 
  as a setpiece in his acrobatic attacks on crimi-
  nals. He carries beef jerky which he always gives 
  to Roundie after a fight “Jerky for Roundie!” As 
  ridiculous as his madness-inspired method is, he 
  is an effective crimefighter, frequently starting 
  each combat with a cry of “For Justice!” He has 
  a penchant for cats, and any strays he comes 
  across he adopts and names “Puddinhead.” The 
  employees at the hospital might even be aware 
  of Wurmer’s activities, certainly his psychiatrist, Dr. Licht is aware, but since Wur-
  mer is a voluntary day-patient, there is not much they can do to stop him.
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Certifiably Insane
  • Easily Flustered
  • Soft-Hearted
  • Delusional
  • Mental Patient
  2
  10
  100
  BATTLE CRY “For Justice” (1)
  Usable only once per Scene,
  -2 in an Extended Scene
  18
  9
  +5
  SWASHBUCKLER (3/2/1)
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  1
  +1
  1
  +1
  1
  +1
  1
  +1
  +2 Linked with RAPIER,
  +2 Linked with DERRING-DO
  Auto-Defend
  DERRING-DO (1/2/3)
  RAPIER (1/1/1)
  ROUNDIE (3/2/1)
  LIKES TO JUMP AROUND (1/2)
  REPARTEE (1/2/3)
  26
  25
  Points: 7
  Points: 9
  Points: 6
  Points: 9
  Tom Martin
  54
  
  55
  Trait:
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  G33k Grrl
  Background
  Aria Cadenski was barely three years old when 
  she took apart the remote control (her dad was 
  pissed) and her GameBoy, and hacked together 
  something that might very well have been the 
  fi rst tablet computer. She’s always had a way 
  with technology, experts like to think it is due 
  to some sort of “superpower,” she just brushes 
  them off with a wave of her hand “nah, I’m just 
  smart,” which she is as well. And, like many 
  smart kids in school, she was very prone to 
  boredom and getting in trouble. Unfortunately 
  for the juvenile court system, her BFF was none 
  other that Katie Storm, AKA Muse, who kept 
  her out of serious trouble. When Katie decided 
  to become a superhero, Ari followed suit, but 
  often fi nds herself setting up schemes that approach villainy. So, why, you ask, 
  does this brainy technohacker type character have Gun-Fu, and travel around 
  with a .45? “Because Gun-Fu is awesome!”
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Not overly enthusiastic 
  about putting herself in 
  harm’s way
  • Reformed villain
  • Arrogant
  • Prone to get “in trouble”
  • Sassy
  • Pop-culture addict
  • Cocky
  • Over-sexed
  • Flirty
  • Always positive
  3
  12
  150
                       WEAKNESS (1/1/1)
  +2 if a full round spent activating this 
  Trait, Auto-Defend
  39
  9
  +5
               AND HACK TECH (1/1/1)
  8
  +3
  7
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  4
  +1
  3
  +1
  +2 using technology in any way
  VERY SMART (1/1/1)
  GUN-FU (1/1/1)
                  IN COMBAT (1/1)
  AGILE (1/1)
  .45 CALIBER PISTOLS (1/1/1)
  +2 if .45 is Linked to this Trait
  24
  24
  20
  14
  6
  Points: 9
  ABLE TO FIND OUT ANYBODY’S
  UNCANNY ABILITY TO USE
  DECEPTIVELY COMPETENT
  Scott Brewer
  
  Trait:
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  Lillith
  Background
  Little is known about the super-serial killer known as 
  Lillith. Linked to over one hundred brutal homicides 
  since her debut in Los Angeles less than a year ago,
  Lillith targets men, particularly those who use or 
  abuse women, but she does not discriminate — any-
  one who gets in her way is a potential victim. Having 
  never been photographed, and leaving no physical 
  evidence behind to link her to any of the murders, 
  many question whether Lillith is real or myth, but the 
  mountain of ashes left behind by her victims is a tes-
  tament to her existence. An entire division of the Los 
  Angeles Police Department has been devoted to her
  capture, but so far she has eluded all attempts to 
  track her down.
  Lillith is a powerful pyrokinetic with the ability to create and control fire by using her mind 
  to excite the atoms of any object in her presence, including air particles. She often covers 
  her body in a halo of fire to frighten her victims, but it also serves as both an offensive and 
  defensive weapon. Lillith is also able to prevent the heat from the fires she creates and 
  controls from harming her, even when she appears to ingest the flames. In addition to her 
  pyrokinetic abilities, Lillith is an accomplished hand-to-hand combatant, trained in several 
  forms of martial arts including Kung Fu, Aikido, Capoeira and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Lillith has 
  also been known to bite her victims and even drink their blood before killing them, which 
  have led to rumors that she is a vampire. She has left message scrawled in blood at sev-
  eral crime scenes in which she claims to be an immortal “angel of death” sent to punish 
  the “wicked curse of man,” and she often leaves an inverted cross-shaped burn mark on 
  what little remains of her victims’ bodies.
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Blinded by desire for 
  revenge
  • Hatred of men
  • Protective of women
  Ed. Note: as a Villain, factoids 
  are not as significant as they 
  are for Heroes. Because little 
  is known about Lillith, now is 
  your chance to flex your cre-
  ative muscles.
  2 (+0 as an NPC)
  10
  150
  PYROKINESIS (1/1/1)
  +2 vs males
  40
  10
  +5
  IMMOLATION (1/2/3)
  9
  +5
  7
  +3
  7
  +3
  4
  +1
  +2 vs males
  Modifiers: Auto-Defend, +2 vs males, Versatile (never 
  photographed, vampiric, angel of death, 
  ___, ___, ___)
  URBAN LEGEND (1/1/1)
  VENGEFUL (1/1)
  ACCOMPLISHED MARTIAL ARTIST (1/1/1)
  +2 vs males
  +2 vs males
  42
  36
  20
  12
  Brent Sprecher
  56
  
  57
  Trait:
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  The Mathemagician
  Background
  zero. That is how many questions the Mathe-
  magician has ever gotten wrong on any sort of 
  Mathematical aptitude test. 
  zero. The number of chess matches he has lost. 
  zero. His bank balance before deciding to apply 
  his signifi cant gifts to endeavors more worthy of 
  his superior intellect and greatness.
  His shirt and pants are specially treated fabric, 
  allowing him to jot down equations with his ever 
  present sticks of chalk. One day, he hopes to 
  head up his own team -- superior intellects able 
  to stay wealthy by beating the system, less fo-
  cus on the punching and getting punched. How-
  ever, until that day arrives, he is happy to take 
  part in the exploits of the Masters of Mayhem, 
  knowing the team has plenty of fools who don’t 
  mind getting their hands dirty.
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Would really prefer not 
  to engage in any sort of 
  combat, where he might 
  get hurt.
  • Obsessed with numbers
  • Longs to be an artist, but has no 
  talent
  • Wants to be more culturally savvy
  • Dislikes the media opinion of nerds
  • Flamboyant 
  • Avid boardgamer
  +3
  16
  150
  SEES ALL THE ODDS (1/2/3)
  28
  8
  +3
  MASTER TACTICIAN (1/1/1)
  8
  +3
  7
  +3
  7
  +3
  5
  +3
  Auto-Defend
  DETERMINE ALL PROBABILITIES (1/1/1)
  TECH-SAVVY (1/1/1)
  HYPER-INTELLIGENT (1/1/1)
  +2 outside of combat, Not-a-fi nisher
  Not-a-fi nisher
  27
  22
  23
  17
  Scott Brewer
  
  58
  Trait:
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  Background
  Someone could write a book on Mime. Psychiatric 
  studies could spend years trying to understand her. A 
  child prodigy, she earned he fi rst doctorate at the age 
  of 16, her medical license at 20, and continued her 
  studies all the while continuing her research in mul-
  tiple fi elds. Was it because she was denied an actual 
  childhood, or was she just, to use a layman’s term, 
  crazy? Invited to a Halloween party, she decided she 
  would don the scariest costume one could think of - a 
  mime. She liked the silence. Long after the party was 
  over, she would go out in her makeup. She liked the 
  complete dichotomy of attention and revulsion. Around this time, her studies into advanced 
  gene therapy introduced to her system changes: She became faster, stronger. And maybe 
  even crazier. Her identity is a secret, perhaps even to her. She continues her research when 
  not in the greasepaint, but when she dons the greasepaint, her personality takes on many 
  new aspects. Mime knows she is crazy, and she embraces it. Mime knows she is intelligent 
  and knowledgeable. She does not embrace this. She rarely if ever makes a sound as Mime, 
  except for when she fi res her almost-toy-like in appearance custom gun. 
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Way too obssessed w/ 
  Prof. Prestige
  • Way too fl irty
  • Loses focus
  • Trained MBA
  • Child prodigy
  • In it for the fun of it all
  • Likes to doodle in a manga 
  style, mainly pictures of her 
  and Prestige
  +0
  10
  150
  PSYCHOPATHIC (1/2/3)
  Only when the chips are down
  32
  9
  +5
  UNSETTLING  (3/2/1)
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  Link (+3)
  SILENT (1/1/1)
  SUPER-STRENGTH (1/1/1)
  ENHANCED ENDURANCE (1/1)
  HEIGHTENED AGILITY (1/2/3)
  UNIQUE GUN (1/1)
  Auto-Defend
  22
  18
  18
  17
  22
  14
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  5
  +3
  FLIRTY AND SEXY (1)
  -2 vs. those not attracted to females, 
  Not-a-fi nisher
  7
  Scott Brewer
  Mime
  58
  
  59
  Trait:
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  Monolith
  Background
  Bill Allen made something of himself, going off to col-
  lege, and continuing his studies, earning a doctorate 
  in science, as well as a master’s degree in teaching. 
  He never intended to do anything other than teach, 
  to give back to his community. On a class fi eld trip, 
  Dr. Allen and his class came across a mysterious rock. 
  Knowing they had found something signifi cant, they 
  packed up the rock into the back of the school bus. 
  Allen spent many years analyzing the rock, unable 
  to determine what it was, except to make a broad 
  statement that it was not of this earth. His prolonged 
  exposure to this alien artifact changed Allen, and he 
  developed a symbiotic relationship with it, able to fuse himself with the mysterious proper-
  ties of this space rock, he was able to grow to incredible heights, and alter his own density as 
  well. His tireless work in the Bronx, serving as the protector of the borough, has made him 
  well known to the locals, and brought him to the attention of the hero community at large.
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Uncertainty of self
  • Honorable
  • Local Hero (the Bronx)
  • Fan of Motown
  • Science nerd
  3
  12
  200
  GROWTH (1/1/1)
  38
  10
  +5
  SUPER-STRENGTH (1/2/3)
  9
  +5
  8
  +3
  8
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  Can only be Used after GROWTH Usage, 
  +2 linked with GROWTH
  Can only be Used after GROWTH Usage, 
  +2 linked with GROWTH
  SUPER-DURABLE (3/2/1)
  MASS MANIPULATION (1/2/3)
  SMART 5 (1/1)
  SCIENTIST (1/1)
  VETERAN HERO (1/1/1)
  +2 Outside of Combat
  +2 Outside of Combat
  Auto-Defend
  40
  28
  28
  16
  16
  21
  Scott Brewer
  
  Trait:
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  Moon Girl
  Background
  The origin of Moon Girl is difficult to unravel. Moon 
  Girl claims that she is Selene X, tenth daughter of 
  Theia, immortal Titan Master of the Dawn, created 
  out of moon dust and magic over five hundred years 
  ago. However, retired superhero Lady Luna claims 
  that Moon Girl is actually her daughter, Sigrid Brek-
  ken, who inherited her powers but also the mental 
  illness that eventually took Luna out of the game.
  What is known is that Moon Girl has incredible pow-
  ers, seemingly stemming from the moon stone on 
  her ring and on the broach that holds her cape in 
  place. Moon Girl can fly and project a limited atmo-
  spheric force field around herself. She has incredible resilience and strength, and an em-
  pathic ability that can induce people to fall in love or to act like lunatics. Moon Girl also 
  claims to be incapable of suffering mortal injury as long as the moon maintains its orbit 
  about the Earth, but that claim has never been verified. Her abilities seem to wax and 
  wane with the moon’s cycle.
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Delusional
  • Daughter of retired su-
  perhero Lady Luna
  • Knowledge of Magic and 
  Mythology
  2
  10
  200
  SUPER-TOUGHNESS (1/1/1)
  Auto-Defend
  45
  11
  +5
  SUPER-STRENGTH (1/1/1)
  10
  +5
  9
  +5
  9
  +5
  6
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  Modifiers: Fickle, This Trait can only be used to Link to 
  other Traits, If the fickle roll fails in an Action Scene, this 
  Trait cannot be used for that scene
  POWERS (1/1/1)
  FLIGHT (1/2/3)
  MANIPULATION (1/1/1)
  LOOKS IN A SKINTIGHT COSTUME (1/1)
  FORCE FIELD (3/2/1)
  Fickle
  +2 vs. anyone who finds females at-
  tractive), Not-a-finisher
  +2 to protect others
  38
  22
  40
  16
  15
  24
  LUNAR CYCLE DEPENDENT
  LUNAR EMOTION
  UNAWARE OF HOW HOT SHE
  Brent Sprecher
  60
  
  61
  Muse
  Background
  Okay, so she wasn’t found in a basket fl oating down 
  the river, and her rocket didn’t crash-land on earth, 
  but Muse was found as an infant. Her “parents” were 
  academics on a trip to Greece, when they came 
  across her in a forest on a hike. She was happy as 
  could be, over a year old, dressed in a simple ancient 
  style tunic, and swaddled in a linen blanket. They 
  spent the next week trying desperately to fi nd the 
  parents, local authorities were no help whatsoever, 
  and after consulting with the embassies, they were 
  able to adopt her and take her home. Katie’s dad, in addition to his background in Econom-
  ics, is a research nerd, and has spent many years trying to come up with a theory after 
  Katie manifested her powers. His current theory is that she is a demigoddess, cousin to 
  Hercules and Perseus and the like, perhaps something wind-related, due to her powers of 
  fl ight and non-corporealness. 
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Klutzy
  • Hyper-Competitive (hates 
  to lose)
  • Overly romantic
  • Can be self-conscious
  • Trained dancer
  • Oxford educated
  • Loves to eat (bacon, especially)
  • Delusional
  • Awkward in some social situations
  2
  10
  150
  Trait:
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  NON-CORPOREALNESS (1/1/1)
  Auto-Defend
  27
  8
  +3
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  REVEALING COSTUME (1)
  8
  NA
  One-Shot, Not-a-fi nisher, -2 vs women
  6
  Trait: 
  Rank
  Link
  8
  +3
  SUPER-STRENGTH (1/2/3)
  Points: 28
  Trait: 
  Rank
  Link
  6
  +3
  SUPER-TOUGH (3/2/1)
  Points: 24
  Trait: 
  Rank
  Link
  6
  +3
  FLIGHT (1/1/1)
  Points: 20
  Trait: 
  Rank
  Link
  5
  +3
  COMPUTER STUFF (1/1)
  Points: 16
  Trait: 
  Rank
  Link
  4
  +1
  MARTIAL ARTS (1/1/1)
  Points: 10
  Trait: 
  Rank
  Link
  4
  +1
  SMART (1/1/1)
  Points: 10
  Trait: 
  Rank
  Link
  4
  +1
  DETERMINED (1/2)
  Points: 9
  Scott Brewer
  
  Trait:
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  Professor Prestige
  Background
  Trained as a stage magician, Professor Prestige, 
  through diligent research, also discovered some 
  of the secrets of actual magic. Although magic 
  can make the impossible possible, his interest 
  was not enough to consider full-time study of 
  these arts, rather, he saw this new knowledge 
  as something to be included and supplement-
  ing his on-stage persona and repertoire. Work-
  ing for months on a new trick only to perform it 
  for a room full of people had begun to lose some 
  luster. He wanted a bigger audience, but did not 
  want to go the route of television magicians, be-
  cause of the cameras, there were always doubts 
  about the magician’s skill versus camera tricks. 
  He wanted an audience, he wanted to be remembered, and what better application 
  of his training than taking the world stage, letting his work speak for itself, embrac-
  ing the criminal charlatan aspects of his profession from long-ago practitioners.
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Always has to put on a good 
  show
  • Crazy
  • Not always committed to 
  killing 
  • Always wants to get away
  • Soft spot for children
  • Classically educated
  • Longs for old-fashioned en-
  tertainment
  • Sadistic, yet surprisingly 
  noble
  • Loves a challenge
  • A gentleman
  +0
  10
  200
  CRAzY (1/1)
  45
  13
  +5
  The BIG REVEAL (2/1)
  11
  +5
  9
  +5
  7
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  Only when the chips are down, +2 if 
  Prof. Prestige has 3 Setback Tokens, +2 
  Linked with MAGIC TRICKS
  CRIMINAL GENIUS (1/2/3)
  MAGIC TRICKS (1/2/3)
  CHARISMATIC (1/1)
  ALWAYS HAS A PLAN (1/2)
  MAKING A GRAND SPECTACLE (1/2)
  Auto-Defend, Versatile (armor, teleport, 
  ___, ___) 
  Not-a-fi nisher
  35
  40
  35
  13
  16
  16
  Scott Brewer
  62
  
  63
  Trait:
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  The Rat King
  Background
  The Rat King is a humanoid rat-human hybrid, 
  the necklace has embedded itself into his skin. 
  If he is defeated, and brought to a superpower 
  containment facility, they will be able to remove 
  the necklace, returning him to normal.
  As a solo villain (with rat swarm minions), the 
  Rat King should prove to be an interesting foe 
  for the player characters. He is not above teaming up with one or more rat swarms 
  to attack a character, and has the entire pool of EC (6+1 per player) available to 
  him to ensure his longevity in the fi ght, and perhaps even his escape at a dramatic 
  moment.
  Complications:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  • Vestige of Humanity
  Base Editorial Control
  +0
  10
  150
  COMMAND & CONTROL VERMIN (1)
  22
  9
  +5
  CUNNING (1/1/1)
  8
  +3
  8
  +3
  6
  +3
  6
  +3
  5
  +3
  4
  +1
  Auto-Defend
  Incapacitate, +2 Linked with VICIOUS
  INFECTIOUS BITE (1/2/3)
  CLAWS (1/1/1)
  FAST (1/1/1)
  VICIOUS (1/1/1)
  STRONG (2/1)
  +2 if used to attack with multiple allies
  27
  32
  20
  20
  20
  9
  Rat Swarm (100 Design Points; 2 Setback Tokens)
  • SWARM ATTACK 8 (3/2/1); +2 if attacking with multiple allies; Link (+3); (30 points)
  • RABID BITE 6 (1/2/3); Incapacitate; Link (+3); (26 points)
  • BITING ATTACK 5 (1/2/3); Link (+3); (22 points)
  • CLAW ATTACK 5 (1/2/3); Link (+3); (22 points)
  EDITORIAL CONTROL: 0
  THRESHOLD: 10
  Scott Brewer
  
  Trait:
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  Red Phoenix
  Background
  Some kids dream of growing up to be a fi re-
  man, or racecar driver. Jason Robbins dreamed 
  of being a superhero, and has worked tirelessly 
  towards that goal. Not blessed with any sort of 
  superpowers, he dedicated himself to being the 
  best he could be, knowing that what might very 
  well set him apart is his willingness to go farther 
  than anyone else. He has studied superheroes, 
  supervillains, classic literature, history, military 
  tactics, anything he could get his hands on. At 
  the age of 16 he fi rst ventured out in his Red Phoenix costume, and ever since then 
  has been fi ghting the good fi ght, and getting his hands dirty!
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Protector of children
  • Foolhardy/ Overconfi dent
  • Code of Honor (Samurai)
  • Unafraid to do what other 
  heroes might be reluctant to
  • Not well liked by the capes 
  community
  • Very smart
  • Self-educated
  • Well read
  • Dry sense of humor
  • Used to work for the Triad
  2
  10
  150
  AND SITUATIONS (1/2/3)
  +2 Outside of Combat, +2 if a full round 
  is spent activating this Trait
  44
  9
  +5
  FEARLESS (2/1)
  6
  +3
  6
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  Only when the chips are down, +2 against 
  opponents with more Design Points
  +2 when NAGINATA is Linked to the 
  Trait, Auto-Defend
  NINJA TRAINING (1/1/1)
  NAGINATA (1/1/1)
  LATERAL THINKER (1/1/1)
  BRUTALLY EFFICIENT (1/2)
  Only when the chips are down
  14
  25
  18
  18
  12
  Trait: 
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  4
  +1
  ATHLETIC (1/1/1)
  10
  GOOD AT READING PEOPLE
  Trait: 
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  3
  +1
  BODY ARMOR (1/1/1)
  9
  Scott Brewer
  64
  
  Trait:
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait:
   
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  The Scarab
  Background
  He always wanted to look good in the beat up old 
  fedora, but was never able to make it work. But 
  during one of his archeological digs in Egypt, the 
  man who would become Scarab found an artifact 
  unlike any recorded or unearthed before. 
  The artifact called to him, promising him great 
  power, power of the forgotten gods, power to 
  rule. He was not interested so much in ruling, 
  but power was always good. Scarab got his su-
  pervillain start robbing museums, relieving them 
  of their antiquities, which he knew full well they 
  were not respecting enough.
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Greedy
  • Flees if he feels things 
  aren’t going well
  • Academic
  • Upset at how little respect is 
  given to education and educators
  • Wants to be a writer
  • Speaks many obscure and an-
  cient languages
  • Huge Indiana Jones fan
  +2
  14
  150
  POISON (1/2/3)
  Incapacitate
  42
  9
  +5
  SCARAB AMULET (1/1/1)
  7
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  Versatile (magical blast, armor, ___, 
  ___), Auto-Defend
                     STRENGTH (3/2/1)
  FLIGHT (1/1/1)
  EDUCATED (1/1)
  Not-a-fi nisher
  31
  22
  18
  13
  MAGICALLY ENHANCED
  Scott Brewer
  65
  
  Trait:
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Points:
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  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
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  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
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  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
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  Slavedriver
  Background
  Slavedriver is the current corporeal incarnation of the malevolent Djinn Talhazar, an ancient spirit whose 
  existence predates humanity. Talhazar’s primary form is that of fire, smoke and electricity, a state in 
  which it “lived” for untold years before the arrival of man.  In its elemental state, Talhazar is virtually 
  indestructible, susceptible to only the most powerful of magics, but the Djinn frequently takes posses-
  sion of the bodies of animals and humans so that it can experience the pleasures of the flesh and exact 
  its will upon the material world.
  Though the Djinn’s energy makes any body that it possesses far stronger and more durable than that of 
  an average human, the hijacked bodies are still susceptible to injury and destruction.  After finding and 
  losing several bodies in quick succession, Talhazar grew annoyed with the perpetual quest for hosts and 
  sought out a stronger host body, finding it in Clive Warburton, aka Slavedriver, a low-level meta-human 
  working as an enforcer for the mob in the 1930s.  Talhazar took possession of Slavedriver’s body and 
  amplified the meta-human’s own powers and abilities, making him far stronger and more resistant to 
  injury and magic.   
  Slavedriver’s unique physical makeup also allows Talhazar to channel its own energy through the host 
  body as offensive weapons.  It is capable of projecting powerful energy blasts from its eyes and can 
  create weapons out of its own energy, typically manifesting as a whip, the weapon of choice of Slave-
  driver before he was corrupted by Talhazar. When Talhazar strikes or lashes its victims with its energy 
  weapons, it is capable of siphoning off and consuming the target’s very life essence, adding it to its own. 
  By doing this, Talhazar can “feed” its elemental essence and regenerate its host body at the same time. 
  This has allowed Talhazar, as Slavedriver, to remain virtually unchanged throughout the decades.  
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  • Can be driven from host 
  body
  • Immortal
  Base Editorial Control
  +0
  10
  ELEMENTAL DJINN (1/1/1)
  Only when the chips are down
  26
  9
  +5
  SUPER-STRENGTH (1/1/1)
  9
  +5
  9
  +5
  9
  +5
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  Can only be Used after DJINN is Used
  Can only be Used after DJINN is Used, 
  Auto-Defend
  INVULNERABILITY (3/2/1)
                MANIPULATION (1/2/3)
  STRONG (1/1/1)
  TOUGH (1/1/1)
  BRUTAL MOB ENFORCER (1/2/3)
  Modifiers: Can only be Used after DJINN is Used, 
  Versatile (energy weapons, energy projection, soul 
  drain, ___, ___, ___), Incapacitate
  Cannot be Used after DJINN is Used
  Cannot be Used after DJINN is Used
  Cannot be Used after DJINN is Used
  32
  41
  49
  16
  16
  20
  MYSTICAL ENERGY
  Brent Sprecher
  66
  Unspent
  Total
  200
  
  Trait:
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Points:
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  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
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  Modifiers:
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  Points:
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  Link
  Superball
  Background
  What do you do when you can run faster that 
  the speed of sound? You run. What do you do 
  when you are essentially invulnerable to damage 
  when you crash? You run faster. Allen Roberts 
  rarely crashed, but sometimes, he was think-
  ing about a road sign four miles back, “World’s 
  Best French Fries” mmmm, French Fries would 
  be tasty right now. CRASH. Bounce! Enthusias-
  tic and eager, excited to be a superhero, Allen 
  Roberts fi ghts crime as Superball!
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Easily distracted
  • Not taken seriously
  • Loves video games
  • Fast food junkie
  • Knows a lot of information, has 
  trouble using that knowledge
  • Fidgety
  • Surprisingly serious at times
  2
  10
  150
  SUPER-BOUNCE ATTACK (1/2/3)
  Only when the chips are down, +2 vs 
  multiple opponents
  34
  9
  +5
  SUPER-SPEED (1/2/3)
  8
  +3
  7
  +3
  7
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  Auto-Defend, +2 vs multiple opponents
  BOUNCE ATTACK (3/2/1)
          ENCYCLOPEDIA, LIBRARY, ETC. (1)
  BOUNCING (1/1/1)
  MULTI-TASKING (1/1/1)
  IN SLOW MOTION (1)
  Fickle
  Fickle
  33
  26
  10
  Points: 18
  14
  10
  Trait: 
  Rank
  Link
  3
  +1
  POP-CULTURE KNOWLEDGE (1)
  Points: 5
  HAS READ THE ENTIRE
  EVERYONE ELSE IS MOVING
  Scott Brewer
  67
  
  Trait:
  Points:
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  Modifiers:
  Points:
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  Modifiers:
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  Link
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  Modifiers:
  Points:
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  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Supermodel
  Background
  Oh, to be young, rich, beautiful, on the cover 
  of all the magazines, and to have superpowers! 
  Why not? What can one do to keep from being 
  bored all the time? Why not a life of crime? It is 
  the easiest answer. Being a Hero is hard work. 
  Villains have it much easier. 
  Although frequently wanted by most interna-
  tional agencies, her allure as a model is so great 
  that her agent is still able to secure her mod-
  elling gigs, and her lack of availability at times 
  only adds to her appeal. One day she knows she 
  won’t be as wanted, and she is planning for that 
  future, using her other assets to keep herself in 
  the lifestyle she has grown accustomed to.
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Overly obsessed with her 
  looks/ appearance
  • Doesn’t like losing to women
  • Not entirely convinced the 
  criminal life is for her
  • Confi dent, yet also self-
  conscious
  • Speaks several European 
  languages
  • Likes the high life
  • Fashionable
  • Bi-sexual
  +0
  10
  150
  SUPER-STRENGTH (3/2/1)
  44
  10
  +5
  SUPER-TOUGH (1/1/1)
  10
  +5
  8
  +3
  7
  +3
  5
  +3
  Auto-Defend, +2 vs males
  +2 vs males
  INCREDIBLY ATTRACTIVE (1/1/1)
  BRAWLER (1/2/3)
  SUPERMODEL (1)
  +2 vs males
  Not-a-fi nisher
  43
  26
  28
  9
  Scott Brewer
  68
  
  69
  Trait:
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
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  Link
  Trait: 
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Terrapin Man
  Background
  Movie stars, captains of business, artists, Steve 
  Schmidt and his co-worker took care of all 
  their pools. But one day, as he skimmed leaves 
  and scrubbed the scumline, the owner and his 
  guests milled around the deck, talking business, 
  but this was not a standard business meeting. 
  Steve had known this customer for some time, 
  Smith was the name of course, and he was al-
  ways pleasant enough, offering a cold drink on 
  a hot day, but today, the owner was in  his work 
  attire. He and his cohorts, supervillains all, were 
  plotting their next nefarious scheme. Steve and 
  his co-worker would have to do something! The 
  villains were planning ahead, they had time, so 
  he pitched the idea to Brock, and of course he 
  accepted, who wouldn’t want to be a sidekick to 
  a famous superhero?
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Fear of fi re
  • Absent-minded
  • Intelligent
  • Engineering background
  • A dreamer
  2
  10
  100
  TERRAPIN-SHELL CAPE (2/1)
  Auto-Defend
  34
  9
  +5
  GADGETS (1/1)
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  1
  +1
  Versatile (net, grappling hook, ___, 
  ___), Incapacitate
  TOUGH (1/1/1)
  EARNEST (1/2/3)
  AMPHIBIOUS (1/1)
  Not-A-Finisher
  22
  Points: 18
  Points: 22
  4
  Scott Brewer
  
  Trait:
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  Tiger Lord
  Background
  The child of two Columbia professors, Jacob 
  split his youth between Brooklyn and China, his 
  father deep in research, his mother still at Co-
  lumbia. Accompanying his father on a trip into 
  the mountains, they came upon a monastery 
  lost to time. Embraced by the monks, Jacob and 
  his father had discovered something well worth 
  investigating. The monks took Jacob in, as his 
  father spent most of his time in the library of 
  the monastery. Months passed, and they fi -
  nally returned to Brooklyn, but Jacob contin-
  ued his studies in private. This continued for 
  many years, until at the age of 16, Jacob fi nally 
  asked if he could stay with the monks. Six years 
  passed, and when his mother died unexpect-
  edly while delivering a lecture on Native Son, 
  Jacob returned home. Before he left, he challenged for the right to be the Tiger 
  Lord, knowing that if he was to win, he would have to accept the title and the 
  responsibility that went along with it.
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Will not refuse a chal-
  lenge
  • Honorable
  • Brooklynite
  • Child of academics
  2
  10
  100
  TIGER-CLAW ATTACK (1/2/3)
  Only when the chips are down, +2 Linked 
  with TIGER MARTIAL ARTS
  34
  9
  +5
  TIGER STYLE KUNG FU (1/2/3)
  7
  +3
  5
  +3
  5
  +3
  1
  +1
  Auto-Defend
  ACROBATIC (1/1/1)
  TRAINED BY MONKS (1)
  ATHLETIC (3/2/1)
  26
  21
  10
  9
  Scott Brewer
  70
  
  71
  Trait:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
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  Link
  Trait: 
  Rank
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  Points:
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  Modifiers:
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  Vector
  Background
  Nara Valdarian grew up in a fantastically advanced 
  off-world colony of Earth called Clear in the late 26th 
  Century. The colony was founded by scientists and 
  intellectuals in the early 23rd Century who wished 
  to escape the 1-World military dictatorship that took 
  control of the planet following the 90 Second War 
  that nearly ended all biological life on Earth. After 
  hundreds of years of isolation and peace, Clear has 
  become a scientific utopia where hunger, disease and 
  war are foreign concepts and death itself has nearly 
  been eradicated.
  However, while most denizens of Clear consider the 
  colony to be a near perfect paradise, Nara was…
  bored. She spent countless hours reliving the ex-
  ploits of Earth’s super-powered heroes of the 21st 
  Century in the holomnasium. Eventually, however, 
  the holo programs were no longer sufficiently stimu-
  lating to her. Nara used the advanced technology in 
  her gene donor’s lab to fashion a high-tech “super-suit” and slipped through a recreational 
  wormhole, traveling into the past in an attempt to meet one of the heroes she idolized. 
  However, her arrival in the 21st Century happened to coincide with a pivotal battle in her 
  hero’s career and, alerted by her presence, the hero was distracted long enough for his 
  enemy to deliver a killing blow. Guilt-ridden over having caused the death of her hero, and 
  stranded in the past because his death ruptured the time stream, Nara uses her supersuit 
  to fight crime and injustice as the hero “Vector!”
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  • Guilt-ridden
  • Not a native of 20th/21st 
  century
  • Superhero (and even Vil-
  lain) worship
  • Immature
  • Socially awkward
  2
  10
  200
  FLIGHT (1/1/1)
  Points: 38
  10
  +5
  26th CENTURY SUPER-SUIT (1/1/1)
  10
  +5
  10
  +5
  10
  +5
  8
  +3
  5
  +3
  Auto-Defend, Versatile (armor, ___)
  Incapacitate
  GRAVITY CONTROL (1/1/1)
  ENERGY PROJECTION (1/1/1)
  SUPER-STRENGTH (1/1/1)
  CENTURY HEROES & VILLAINS (1/1)
  +2 to discover Complications
  44
  40
  Points: 38
  24
  16
  KNOWLEDGE OF 20TH & 21ST
  Brent Sprecher
  
  72
  The System
  Chapter 2
  72
  CC&VF in Action
  CC&VF uses twelve-sided dice 
  (d12s) exclusively. The d12 just 
  does not get enough love.
  Overall, we think we have 
  come up with a relatively 
  simple, intuitive, fun, creative, 
  narrative system for everyone 
  to create their own Issues 
  telling superheroic tales.
  Some terminology:
  •	Issue: an evening playing 
  CC&VF
  •	Editor: the Game Master, the 
  person responsible for coming 
  up with the framework of the 
  Issue, and creating memorable 
  and challenging NPCs, Villains, 
  encounters and problems for the 
  Heroes to overcome.
  In this section, we will cover the 
  types of Scenes in an Issue of 
  CC&VF. We’ll also discuss how 
  to roll the dice -- okay, not how 
  to roll them (gamers can be 
  very particular about how they 
  physically roll their dice), but 
  rather, how to use the dice and 
  interpret their results. In addition, 
  we’ll deal with Setback Tokens, 
  Initiative, Special Actions, and 
  Assigning Diffi culties to actions.
  Grab Those Dice!
  There is no truth to the rumor 
  that the creators of Capes, Cowls 
  and Villains Foul have any 
  relationship to the manufacturers 
  of twelve-sided dice. In no 
  way are we getting fi nancially 
  compensated for increased use 
  and production of d12s. 
  With that out of the way, players 
  and Editors will want to have a 
  small handful of d12s available 
  to them for an Issue of CC&VF. 
  Between 5 and 10 should be 
  plenty, but if you are one of 
  those players who doesn’t ever 
  want anyone else touching their 
  dice, consider having 10 just for 
  yourself. However, it is uncommon 
  to roll more than 5 dice at a time.
  In addition, players will want a 
  pencil with an eraser, some scrap 
  paper, and their character sheet.
  Die-Rolling Essentials
  The basic die rolling mechanic is 
  simple. In order to attempt any 
  sort of action, a player will roll a 
  twelve-sided die (d12) and add 
  the value of a Trait, comparing 
  this result to the opposed Trait roll 
  result or diffi culty. 
  Most often, this roll will be 
  opposed by another character, 
  whether it is one character 
  wanting to punch another or a 
  character attempting to convince 
  another to tell them where the 
  hidden nuclear warheads are. 
  Of course, there are some additional 
  rules, but the core mechanic doesn’t 
  change: roll and add.
  Each time you use a Trait, you 
  must mark it off as having been 
  Used (throughout the game, this 
  is referred to as a Usage of a 
  Trait). We have provided you with 
  
  73
  a Usage Sheet for tracking Usages 
  and other such information (see 
  pages 73 and 159). 
  Each Usage of a Trait, whether as 
  a Primary Trait or Secondary Trait, 
  expends a Usage of that Trait.
  Linked Traits
  Some Traits can be Linked, meaning 
  they can have a value added to 
  another Trait. This will allow you 
  to get higher results on your roll, 
  but at the cost of exerting yourself. 
  There is no limit to the number of 
  Traits you can Link in any roll, but 
  spending all your resources early 
  will mean that you are tired later, 
  and much more likely to go down 
  at the hand of a nefarious villain. 
  Linked Traits should make sense 
  Linking together, this is very much 
  up to the Editor.
  NOTE: You do not have to Link 
  Traits for any specific action; you 
  can, of course, perform an action 
  with just one Trait.
  The Trait being Used is called the 
  Primary Trait, while any Traits 
  Linked to the Trait are called 
  Secondary (or Linked) Traits.
  Each Usage of a Trait in a 
  particular Scene must be noted on 
  the Usage Sheet. The more a Trait 
  is Used, the less effective it gets. 
  Although, some Traits actually 
  can be used several times before 
  losing effectiveness (Signature 
  Traits), at some point, any trait 
  used often in a particular scene 
  will accumulate Detriment Dice. 
  Benefit	Dice	and	
  Detriment Dice
  Continued Use of a Trait makes 
  the Trait less effective, but luck 
  can still work in the favor of any 
  individual. When Detriment Dice 
  accumulate, a player will roll 
  multiple dice, and keep the result 
  of the lowest die. Detriment Dice 
  add a die or dice to a roll, and the 
  player will keep the lowest of the 
  results rolled.
  Some Signature Traits and various 
  actions allow a player to accumulate 
  Benefit Dice. Benefit Dice add dice 
  to a roll, and a character will keep 
  the highest result.
  Benefit Dice and Detriment Dice 
  cancel each other out on a one-
  for-one basis, if a player is in a 
  situation where they have both.
  As you Use a Trait more, it 
  generally becomes less effective. 
  Many Traits can be used multiple 
  times before becoming ineffective, 
  and some Traits start out 
  incredibly effective, and others 
  Power-Up. This is recorded on the 
  character sheets by listing how 
  many dice are rolled:
  1/ 2/ 3/ -1/ -2/ -3  etc.
  • 1 means one d12 is rolled and 
  adding to the Trait and any Links.
  • 2 means that two d12s are 
  rolled, the higher of which is kept, 
  and added to the Trait and any 
  Links.
  • 3 means that three d12s are 
  
  74
  The System
  rolled, the highest of which is 
  kept, and added to the Trait and 
  any Links.
  Negative numbers mean that an 
  additional number of dice equal 
  to the negative number are 
  rolled, and the lowest is kept. 
  This is called the Detriment Dice 
  mechanic, and it does not stop at 
  -3, Detriment Dice will continue 
  to accumulate as long as a scene 
  goes on.
  If a Linked Trait is in the negative, 
  an additional die (or dice) equal to 
  the negative number is added to 
  the pool, and the lowest number 
  is kept
  If a Linked Trait gives Benefi t Dice 
  (and they are not cancelled out by 
  any Detriment Dice), each Benefi t 
  Die adds +2 to the result.
  Performing Actions
  So, now you should know how to 
  roll dice: Roll dice, keep only one 
  (okay, there is an exception to 
  this, the optional Pushing rules, 
  which actually give Bonus Dice) 
  and add to your Trait.
  But what about performing an 
  action?
  These are superhero comics, so 
  let us start with combat (and 
  Action Scenes).
  For the purposes of the rules, 
  any action against another will 
  be called an attack, but because 
  of the very fl exible nature of the 
  system, an attack does not have 
  to be a punch, laser blast, or 
  anything one might traditionally 
  think of as an attack, an attack is 
  Bill Williams
  
  75
  merely an action against another 
  character (or characters) designed 
  to wear them down.
  To Attack, a player declares their 
  action, and the Trait and possible 
  Links they are using. 
  Many characters have one Trait 
  with Auto-Defend attached to it. 
  Once per Issue, after an Attack 
  is declared, but before a result 
  is declared, they may use their 
  Auto-Defend. The attacker’s Traits 
  are still used, but the attack 
  misses.
  They roll the appropriate dice and 
  add everything together.
  The Attacker declares their total, 
  the Defender then must state the 
  Trait and Links they are using and 
  try to tie or beat that number.
  Characters should use appropriate 
  Traits to attack and defend. Some 
  Traits lend themselves to being 
  used primarily for one or the 
  other, but nothing is set in stone.
  Ed. NOTE: TIE GOES TO...
  What about ties? What if a defender 
  and attacker tie? What if the 
  difficulty for an action is matched? 
  My personal rule on ties: Always give 
  the players the advantage. You may 
  want to declare that a defender 
  always gets the advantage, i.e. 
  they met the number, thus they are 
  successful. You may want to say that 
  a defender needs to beat the number. 
  It is your call.
  Ed. NOTE: TRAITS, USAGES, AND LINKING
  A very quick example, using characters from Chapter one, see pages 58 and 61:
  Muse is attacking Supermodel. Muse has never fought Supermodel before, so 
  she wants to test the waters. Muse gives her a big old punch using SUPER-
  STRENGTH 8. The result of the die roll is a 7, giving Muse a 15 for the attack. 
  Supermodel defends with just SUPER-TOUGHNESS 10. A roll of 6 gives 
  Supermodel a 16, absorbing the attack. Muse now knows that she will doesn’t 
  need to pull her punches. But will it be too little, too late?
  Supermodel winds up, and uses SUPER-STRENGTH 10 Linked with BRAWLER 
  7(s). Muse isn’t too worried, so she doesn’t Auto-Defend. The Editor rolls 
  3 dice for Supermodel, (3, 8, 11). The Editor will keep the 11, adding 10 for the 
  SUPERSTRENGTH and the Linked value of 3 for BRAWLER(s). Final Result: 24!
  Muse is a little worried now. Muse will use NON-CORPOREALNESS 8, Linked with 
  SUPER-TOUGH(s). Because SUPER-TOUGH is a Diminishing Signature with 3 dice 
  available, Muse will add an additional +4 to her result. The result of the die roll is 
  5. 5+8+Linked value of 3+4= 20. 
  Ouch! Muse takes a hit, and gets a Setback Token. Supermodel is tougher than 
  she looks.
  
  76
  The System
  Non-Combat Scenes
  Shhh…. Here is a secret: 
  Actions pretty much work the 
  same way, no matter what. A 
  character wanting to sneak past 
  the security measures of the 
  top-secret government facility 
  in an Extended Scene? Still 
  an action. A character trying 
  to use subtle manipulation to 
  obtain information from another 
  character? Still an action. A 
  character attempting to leap to 
  disarm a bomb before it goes 
  “ka-blooey”? Yep, still an action.  
  Declare Traits, roll dice, declare 
  result, and compare to either an 
  opposed roll, or a Diffi culty.
  Fumbles & Critical Hits
  If the result of your die roll is a 
  1, you fail. This is a Fumble. You 
  must still fi gure out your total, 
  because you may or may not be 
  subject to a Big Hit.
  If the result of your die roll is a 
  12, you do not automatically hit, 
  however, you get to double the 
  value of the Primary Trait before 
  adding it to the die result. This is 
  a Critical Hit. 
  Setback Tokens, Big 
  Hits, and Threshold
  Capes, Cowls and Villains 
  Foul uses a very abstract system 
  to represent damage, but this 
  system represents not only 
  damage, but possibly fatigue, 
  frustration, disinterest, and 
  resources. 
  In an Extended Scene, a Setback 
  Token might represent a dead-
  end when researching something, 
  hours spent that led to nothing, 
  exhaustion of resources, maybe an 
  overheated computer, red herring 
  clues or uncooperative NPCs. 
  In combat, a Setback Token could 
  represent a LASER BLAST to the 
  chest, the fi st of a being able to 
  smash planets connecting with 
  your jaw, etc. 
  But, in an Action Scene, Setback 
  Tokens might also represent 
  boredom for the nigh-invulnerable 
  character (although he is not 
  harmed, he tires of all the lesser 
  beings attacking him), frustration 
  (maybe all the WITTY BANTER 
  is just too much) or fi ghting off 
  psionic control.
  Combat Synopsis
  1) Attacker declares their attack, and marks off Usages.
  2) Defender has a chance to Auto-Defend.
  3) Attacker rolls, and declares their result.
  4) Defender, knowing the result total, declares their Defense, marks 
  off Usages, and rolls. 
  5) If attacker’s roll beats defender’s, defender takes a Setback Token.
  
  77
  All of these examples mean the 
  same thing: a character is moving 
  closer to no longer being an active 
  member of a particular scene (or 
  Out Of Commission). 
  Every player character will have a 
  pool of 4 Setback Tokens available 
  to them for each Scene. Four. That’s 
  it. Same for all player characters. 
  In an Action Scene, a character 
  acquires a Setback Token when 
  their opponent attacks them 
  in some way, and beats their 
  defensive roll.
  In an Extended Scene, each failed 
  roll by a player character (likely) 
  uses up one of their Setback 
  Tokens.
  In a Contested Scene, each roll is 
  opposed, and the loser of the roll 
  acquires a Setback Token.
  However, some hits hurt more 
  than others, some knowledge 
  man was not meant to know, 
  and sometimes, bringing a 
  3-year old’s tricycle to a NASCAR 
  race is just not going to cut it. 
  Sometimes, a character can take 
  one hit and find themselves out of 
  a scene. This is called a Big Hit. 
  A Big Hit occurs when a character 
  fails a roll by more than their 
  Threshold (see page 27). A Big 
  Hit instantly takes a character 
  Out Of Commission. That’s it, 
  they are done. Unless they want 
  to use some of their Editorial 
  Control to offset this Big Hit. 
  Scenes From a 
  Comicbook
  An Issue of CC&VF should be 
  memorable, exciting, dramatic, 
  humorous (if that is what you 
  like in comics, some folks do not, 
  Ian, I am looking at you!), and 
  the system and mechanics of the 
  system will hopefully encourage 
  and enable this.
  There are only three types of 
  Scenes in an Issue of CC&VF. 
  An Issue might not contain each 
  type of Scene, but each has their 
  place.
  Action Scenes
  The first, and most frequently 
  associated with comicbooks is the 
  Action Scene. An Action Scene 
  will likely be some sort of brawl 
  Ed. NOTE: SETBACK TOKENS AND 
  EXTENDED SCENES
  Sometimes, an Editor may decide to 
  not give a player a Setback Token for 
  a failed roll in an Extended Scene. 
  Why? Because maybe the Editor 
  doesn’t want the player to know they 
  failed. Or maybe the player was so 
  off base in what they were trying to 
  do. See page 83 for more information 
  on establishing Difficulties.
  Ed NOTE: TAKING THE HIT
  Fighting powerful foes, or defending 
  against really high numbers, players 
  may often try to ensure they can 
  easily get to within their Threshold, 
  and not worry so much about taking 
  a single Setback Token.
  
  78
  The System
  between the good guys and the 
  bad guys, or maybe the good 
  guys, and another team of good 
  guys with whom they are not 
  seeing eye to eye. 
  An Issue will likely contain more 
  than one Action Scene, and 
  frequently, most characters are 
  created with an eye toward Action 
  Scenes. Although a Watchmen 
  story could be told with CC&VF, it 
  was more designed with good old-
  fashioned pre-deconstructionist 
  superheroics in mind. 
  In each Action Scene, a Hero 
  starts with zero Setback Tokens 
  (see the Setback Token section 
  of this chapter for more details), 
  and all their Usages are Refreshed 
  and ready to use. Villains also 
  start with no Setback Tokens (see 
  the Chapter on Villainy for more 
  information about this intriguing 
  verbiage… not all Villains have 
  4 Setback Tokens) and all their 
  Usages are also Refreshed. 
  If a Hero (or Villain) loses all their 
  Setback Tokens, they are out of 
  the Scene. Simple. Each Action 
  Scene all of a character’s Setback 
  Tokens and Traits Refresh.
  Extended Scenes
  The second type of Scene is the 
  Extended Scene. Look at the 
  Extended Scene as one long 
  Scene that takes place in the 
  Issue between all the action. 
  There is one Extended Scene per 
  Issue, and it is broken up by the 
  Action Scenes. Extended Scenes 
  are the Scenes that occur outside 
  of “combat”, most likely involving 
  the heroes trying to solve a 
  mystery, gather clues, fi nd the 
  villains, determine where they will 
  strike next, and so on. 
  For the Extended Scene, a 
  character will Use their Traits 
  when appropriate, and may well 
  suffer Setback Tokens. In this 
  case, Setback Tokens are likely 
  not damage at all, but could be 
  viewed as frustration, a dead end 
  to a line of thinking, exhaustion of 
  ideas, etc. 
  Also, unlike in an Action Scene, in 
  an Extended Scene, failure means 
  getting a Setback Token. So, if 
  a character is trying to gather 
  clues at a crime scene using 
  DETECTIVE, and they fail the roll, 
  not matching or exceeding the 
  Diffi culty set by the Editor, they 
  will take a Setback Token. 
  Most actions in an Extended 
  Scene will be opposed by a 
  Diffi culty set by the Editor, but 
  some might be opposed by 
  another character in some way. 
  Once a character has four Setback 
  Tokens they can no longer Use 
  Traits in the Extended Scene.
  However, the Extended Scene 
  is unique in that a player can 
  spend EC to remove a Setback 
  Token anytime after they have 
  taken their fourth Setback Token. 
  This allows a character to still 
  participate as a player, and if they 
  decide that they need to take an 
  active role in the Extended Scene, 
  they can do so.
  
  79
  Contested Scenes
  The third type of Scene is one 
  that might not come up too often, 
  and is essentially a sub-scene, 
  occurring within an Extended 
  Scene or an Action Scene. The 
  Contested Scene is very specifi c 
  and occurs when more than one 
  character is attempting essentially 
  the same action against another 
  character (or object), both 
  utilizing similar Traits. 
  It could be two characters arm 
  wrestling, using STRENGTH or 
  whatever is appropriate, it might 
  be one character chasing another 
  who is fl ying away, attempting to 
  escape with a vital clue. 
  Each round, the two characters 
  will use those Traits appropriate 
  to the Scene (it is important to 
  note that creativity can still be 
  exercised here, but the Editor 
  should feel free to veto any Trait 
  Usage that is not appropriate) and 
  roll as normal. The character with 
  the lower roll takes a Setback 
  Token. Ties continue the scene 
  with no effect, thus requiring even 
  more Usages. 
  No matter what condition a 
  character was in before the 
  Contested Scene, all their Traits 
  are Refreshed for this Contested 
  Scene, and they have zero 
  Setback Tokens for this Scene. 
  Players should not clear all 
  Usages and Setback Tokens from 
  the Scene the Contested Scene 
  grew out of, they may very well 
  end up back in that Scene. Once 
  a character has taken all their 
  Setback Tokens, they have lost 
  the Contest. Likely, one character 
  (or possibly both characters) will 
  return to the Scene they left, 
  which has still been 
  going on! Obviously if 
  one character was trying 
  to escape, and won 
  the contest, they will 
  not likely be returning 
  to the Scene, and the 
  pursuing character may 
  not return right away, 
  depending on how many 
  rounds the Contest took. 
  But, don’t leave the 
  player out of the scene 
  for too long. Bored 
  players are prone 
  to start reading a 
  book, taking a nap, 
  checking their email, or 
  browsing the host’s DVD 
  collection.
  Bill Williams
  
  80
  The System
  Initiative
  (or the Big Beatdown and How 
  to Get It Started)
  A good artist doing a two-page 
  spread is a wonderful thing to 
  behold in a comicbook, especially 
  if those two pages are the start of 
  a big battle between the heroes 
  and the villains. Initiative, the 
  start of combat should have that 
  same sense of cool. Everyone 
  should want to take a moment to 
  see who is involved, what they 
  are doing, and how this is going 
  to shake down.
  Action in CC&VF has been 
  designed to emulate comicbooks, 
  and initiative is certainly a part 
  of action. An Action Scene starts, 
  somebody has to go fi rst, right? 
  A lot of times this is the Heroes, 
  if they are getting the jump on 
  the Villains. Villains tend to be 
  the sort of are either causing 
  mayhem, or who are holed up in 
  the dank secret lair, just waiting 
  to be caught. My bias towards 
  Heroes aside, how does it work?
  The Editor needs to inform 
  the players all the characters 
  participating in the combat (see 
  Ed. Note on Surprise for one 
  exception). The Editor determines 
  which side acts fi rst. Someone 
  from that side has to be the fi rst 
  to act. If it is the players’ side, 
  they can decide who acts fi rst. 
  The player who acted then gets 
  to determine who goes next, 
  it could be someone from their 
  side, or from the Villains’ side. 
  This continues until everyone 
  Bill Williams
  
  81
  Ed. NOTE: DEFENDING Others
  What if one character wants to defend another character or characters? Well, 
  we have rules for this (see page 87 for details on how this works), but we will 
  mention it here, as it does relate to Initiative.
  A character will selflessly throw themselves in harm’s way to protect someone 
  else, this is good stuff! This is heroic. This should be encouraged.
  Okay, enough of my bias. How does it affect Initiative?
  Villain 4 is going to unleash his MEGA-BLAST to the bus-load of tourists. Hey, 
  it is what Villains do. Hero C doesn’t like this. Hero C wants to take the full Blast 
  himself. Hero C declares this intention, and gives up his next action, whether it 
  would be in this round, or the next, to do just that.
  Simple. 
  So, the Villain has essentially wasted Hero C’s action, possibly damaged Hero 
  C, and denied Hero C a chance to take part in the declaration of Initiative. Wow, 
  maybe Villains do know what they are doing.
  IF (all caps = big if), for some reason a Hero needs to do this multiple times in 
  a row, they can, taking a debit on their actions.  The cost for this debit is that 
  their rolls are a cumulative –2, until they are no longer in debit. Now would be a 
  good time for that Hero to consider calling in some backup, or hoping for some 
  assistance in some way. Isn’t it a good thing there is Editorial Control?
  Ed. NOTE: SURPRISE!
  (or SHHHHHH… we’re hunting Heroes)
  Villains sometimes have tricks up their sleeves. Sometimes there is a bomb they 
  do not want the Heroes to know about. Sometimes there is a Villain lying in the 
  shadows, waiting to strike. Or maybe sometimes, one member of the Villainous 
  team did not get the memo and missed the bus, and is late to the scene.
  Surprises are part of the fun of comicbooks.
  In this case, the Editor does not have to declare who all the participants are in a 
  combat, and can spring this surprise on the Heroes at the appropriate time. This 
  is best handled, when a Villain declares the next character to act, and announces, 
  rather boldly, that a heretofore unannounced Villain will act!
  Bum bum BUMMMMM!
  And the Players will cry foul.
  Oh, well. No one said being a Hero was easy.
  
  82
  The System
  has gone at least once, and the 
  last character to act in a round, 
  determines who acts fi rst at the 
  start of the second round. 
  The Editor needs to track each 
  character, whether it is with index 
  cards, that they fl ip over when a 
  character acts, or scratch paper 
  with every character’s name, and 
  they check off when a character 
  has acted.
  We are using “rounds” here, but 
  you will fi nd that the traditional 
  RPG defi nition of “round” loses 
  some signifi cance, as combat 
  becomes an ever-changing 
  fi eld of chaos. Maybe the Editor 
  determines that the Heroes do go 
  fi rst, and all the Heroes decide 
  to act before the Villains? Well, 
  then all the Villains will get to act, 
  potentially twice!
  The side that goes fi rst is very 
  much up to the Editor. If the Heroes 
  are interrupting the Villains, the 
  Heroes will likely go fi rst.
  A Quick and Dirty Example
  There are 3 Heroes and 4 Villains. The Editor has determined that the 
  Villains, engaged in villainy, as they are wont to do, are busy causing 
  mayhem, and when the Heroes arrive on the scene, they get to declare 
  fi rst. The Heroes chat quickly, and decide that:
  Hero A will act fi rst. Hero A acts, attacking his archenemy. Being heroic, 
  and a good sport, Hero A next lets Villain 1 act, as Villain 1 is his 
  archenemy, after all.
  Villain 1 acts, and the Villains have a numbers advantage, so Villain 1, who 
  really doesn’t like Hero A, decides that Villain 2 will act.
  Villain 2 acts. Villain 2 just attacked Hero A, and Villain 2 decides that they 
  like this numbers advantage thing, and they are villainous, and villains are 
  way too often short-sighted, so Villain 3 will act.
  Villain 3 acts, and determines that Hero B should next act.
  Hero B acts, and thinks hard, should it be Hero C, or Villain 4. Hero B 
  decides to let the Villains bring their best, and Villain 4 will act.
  Villain 4 acts, which leaves only Hero C.
  Hero C acts. The round is over (not that anyone cares, but everyone has 
  acted). Hero C decides they need to keep hitting and keep hitting hard, 
  and decides Hero A should act again.
  ROUND 2
  Hero A acts, and decides…
  And so on.
  
  83
  Assigning Difficulties 
  and Penalties
  Because of the nature of the 
  CC&VF system, which does not 
  seek to quantify what a specific 
  Trait means in real world terms 
  (that means, there is no chart 
  indicating that SUPERSPEED 7 
  indicates that a character can 
  run 723.65 mph) and because of 
  the power of Linking, assigning 
  Difficulties to tasks not opposed 
  by another character is very much 
  up to the Editor. With that said, 
  we will do our best to describe the 
  process and give some examples.
  Difficulties
  How hard is it for a character with 
  SUPER-STRENGTH to knock down 
  a 12-story building? How hard is it 
  to hold that building up? 
  Situations like this occur in 
  comicbooks all the time, so an 
  Editor should have the power 
  to quickly and easily make a 
  determination. 
  Imagine an opposed task having 
  TRAITS and assume that those 
  traits are linked. A 12-story 
  building might have VERY LARGE 
  8 as well as HEAVY(s) 8 and 
  possibly AWKWARD TO HOLD(s) 
  8. Those three Traits linked 
  together come up with a base 
  number of 14 before rolling. 
  Should an Editor than have 
  to roll? No. Add 6 to any base 
  number to arrive at the difficulty. 
  So, a character attempting to 
  hold up this building would need 
  to beat a DIFFICULTY of 20. A 
  Formula One racecar might have 
  FAST 5, so a character attempting 
  to catch one would need to 
  beat a difficulty of 11. An Alien 
  Battle Cruiser would be HUGE 
  14 and VERY HEAVY(s) 14 and 
  CAPABLE OF FTL TRAVEL(s) 12, 
  so attempting to stop one from 
  crashing into the Earth would 
  require overcoming a difficulty of 
  30. Want to catch a bullet? Bullets 
  are VERY FAST 7, VERY SMALL(s) 
  5, and DEADLY(s) 4, thus a player 
  should hope they can beat 17. 
  EDITOR’S NOTE: BUT I’M REALLY, REALLY, REALLY FAST!
  Sometimes a player may want their Hero to act before the Villains, and maybe 
  the Editor has declared that the Villains really do have the jump on them. Maybe 
  that Hero is a speedster, or has precognitive powers, or some sort of temporal 
  control, or breaks the fourth wall, or is just really, really, really lucky.
  The Hero has to make their case, and if the Editor begrudgingly agrees, can let 
  that Hero act before the Villains; BUT, they have to expend a Usage of the Trait 
  (or Traits, depending on if multiple Traits were Linked, which could be part of 
  the negotiation) that is enabling them to beat the odds. No dice are rolled, but 
  Traits are Used.
  In addition, after that Hero acts, the Editor determines who will act next in the 
  Initiative order.
  
  84
  The System
  As with any Trait Usage, the Traits 
  must be appropriate. If they are 
  not, the Editor might also assign a 
  Penalty.
  For example, the hero wants 
  to break down a door. A sturdy 
  wooden door would be in the 
  Human range, so might have a 
  Trait of 2, thus a character would 
  need an 8. A heavy safe door 
  might be superhuman and have 
  a Trait of 8, thus requiring a 14. 
  Superheroes smash open doors all 
  the time! Make it quick and easy.
  More diffi cult tasks might require 
  the Editor to fi gure out several of 
  the Traits of the object or task in 
  question. After playing the game 
  for a bit, this will get easier. 
  Extended Scenes and 
  Villainy
  So, in an Extended Scene, a 
  character may well be up against 
  the machinations of a supervillain. 
  Supervillains love to leave clues to 
  their crimes. Fact. So, how does 
  an Editor help the players along 
  as they attempt to solve these 
  mysteries?
  Running mysteries and gathering 
  clues have long been a part of a 
  roleplaying game, and there have 
  been whole games designed to 
  help make this process fun, and 
  not rely on dice rolls, yet also 
  not rely entirely on the deductive 
  clues of the players, because, 
  their characters might well be 
  smarter than they are.
  My advice and mechanics to 
  support my advice are as follows:
  Indie game design superstar 
  Jared Sorenson has a comment 
  about a locked door in an old-
  school dungeon crawl type game. 
  What I took away from it: if your 
  game hinges on the ability of one 
  character to make a roll and they 
  fail that roll, your game is not 
  much fun. You need to give the 
  players options. To bring Raymond 
  Chandler into the discussion, have 
  a man with a gun break down the 
  door.
  When I run scenarios that rely on 
  the characters gathering clues, 
  I try and help them along, and 
  debrief them at the end, as it will 
  help them in the future.
  But, they also need to look down 
  Ed. NOTE: SETTING DIFFICULTIES FOR A CONTESTED SCENE
  The nuke has been launched, and the Heroes must stop it. Well, they have to 
  catch it fi rst. In a Contested Scene like this, the Editor can handle it one of two 
  ways, neither different from the standard Contested Scene rules. The Editor 
  can determine the rating, and add 6, thus the Hero has to beat a static number. 
  Losses accumulate as usual. Or, to increase the dramatic tension, the Editor 
  can have the rating and roll a die, with standard die rolling rules applying (rolling 
  a 1 or a 12). The Editor might even decide to roll two dice for each Contested Roll, 
  keeping the better of the two!
  
  85
  the right paths and use the right 
  Traits, some are more appropriate 
  than others, but due to the very 
  open-ended nature of Traits, the 
  Editor has a ton of flexibility.
  Ultimately, I will likely get the 
  characters to the finale of the 
  villainous plans. It is not much 
  fun if the players and their 
  characters are just not in synch 
  with the Editor. So tease them, 
  give them some breadcrumbs. 
  Comicbooks are filled with villains 
  who choreograph every phase of 
  their plans. Use that.
  Now, how to set the Difficulties? 
  Much of this can be done 
  beforehand. If the Villain has 
  Traits appropriate to plotting a 
  grand scheme, use those Traits. 
  Take a look at Professor Prestige 
  (see page 62). He might use 
  THE BIG REVEAL and CRIMINAL 
  GENIUS(s) which is 13+3+6= 22.
  So, characters trying to follow the 
  trail of breadcrumbs Prestige is 
  leaving might well have to beat a 
  22. Characters need to use Traits 
  appropriate to what is going on, 
  as well as a description of what 
  they are doing, and they may be 
  really off base.
  What if they don’t? 
  The rules say that they likely get 
  a Setback Token for the Extended 
  Scene. But maybe the Editor 
  wants the players to flounder a 
  bit. 
  My rule of thumb is that if they 
  beat the base number (in this 
  case 16: the number before 
  adding the 6), but fail to beat 
  the Difficulty, they do not get a 
  Setback Token, but they also do 
  not get any useful information. 
  This is a way I can encourage 
  them to try another tactic, maybe 
  they are looking in the wrong way 
  and in the wrong location.
  It truly depends on how long you 
  want the Extended Scene to be.
  I tend to approach failure (i.e. 
  Setback Tokens) as when a 
  character is on the right path, but 
  doesn’t make the roll. But, if you 
  want your Extended Scenes to 
  be lean and mean, failure means 
  Setback Token. That’ll learn the 
  Heroes!
  Remember though - the Heroes 
  live in the world. They have 
  Traits. The player might not best 
  know how to use those Traits, 
  but the Hero does. A player 
  using a DETECTIVE Trait might 
  not have the mental capacity to 
  break down exactly how they 
  are looking for clues, but their 
  character knows how. Let the 
  characters shine. This will make 
  your players happy.
  Penalties
  Sometimes, a Trait is very 
  appropriate: “I use my SUPER-
  STRENGTH to defend against the 
  blow from the STAR SWORD by 
  catching it in my hands.” 
  Sure. It sounds cool. It looks 
  cool. Go for it. “I use my SUPER-
  STRENGTH to defend against the 
  
  86
  The System
  LASER EYE BLAST.” Not so much. 
  In cases like this, or trying to 
  use MEGA-ENDURANCE to catch 
  a speeding racecar, an Editor 
  may want to encourage the use 
  of a more appropriate Trait. If 
  a player insists, but is not able 
  to provide a convincing case, 
  assign a penalty to their action. 
  Penalties should be in increments 
  of 2, and the higher the penalty, 
  the less appropriate the Trait(s). 
  Don’t punish players, let them 
  be creative, but sometimes a 
  character just does not have the 
  right tools for the job. It happens. 
  Staples of the Genre
  The “Fastball Special”, Captain 
  America protecting a child behind 
  his shield, an army of soldiers all 
  taking aim at one character, and 
  a character leaping into a room 
  fi lled with villains and attacking 
  many of them at one time. These 
  are all staples of comicbooks, 
  and thus, CC&VF needs a rule to 
  accommodate such actions.
  The basic mechanic is the 
  same for all, using Benefi t 
  and Detriment Dice, and some 
  modifi ers. However, we will offer a 
  detailed explanation for each.
  Ganging Up
  Sometimes groups of (often 
  terrifi ed) soldiers are ordered to 
  take down a foe that their guns 
  individually would do nothing 
  against. Or the master villain 
  sends his lackeys out to dogpile 
  his heroic adversaries en masse.  
  Remember that Setback Tokens 
  are not just indicative of damage, 
  in this case they could represent 
  frustration. So, how do these 
  soldiers, with not a single Trait 
  above 4, attack such a foe? They 
  gang up. 
  First: Characters ganging 
  up must all act as one in the 
  Initiative order. 
  Second: All characters will 
  activate Usages for any Trait 
  they are going to be using. One 
  character will act as the attacking 
  character, and whatever their pre-
  roll number is, all other characters 
  must get their pre-roll numbers 
  within the same Tier. 
  If they do so, activating Usages 
  for each character participating, 
  the attacking character will make 
  their roll with Benefi t Dice and 
  Ganging Up Chart
  No. of Additional 
  Attackers:
  Benefi	t	
  Dice & Roll 
  Modifi	er:
  +1 (2 total)
  +1d12
  +2 (3 total)
  +1d12+1
  +3 (4 total)
  +1d12+2
  +4 (5 total)
  +1d12+3
  +5 (6 total)
  +2d12
  +6 (7 total)
  +2d12+1
  +7 (8 total)
  +2d12+2
  +8 (9 total)
  +2d12+3
  +9 (10 total)
  +3d12
  +10 (11 total)
  +3d12+1
  +11 (12 total)
  +3d12+2
  +12 or more
  +3d12+3
  
  87
  modifiers depending on how many 
  individuals are teaming up (see 
  chart). 
  If five soldiers team up, the 
  attacking character will roll one 
  Benefit Die and add 3 to the roll. 
  If ten soldiers gang up, 3 Benefit 
  Dice would be added to the roll!
  Ganging up also makes life easier 
  for Editors, allowing them to 
  resolve a massive group attacking 
  with just one roll. (Now, it is also 
  possible that these ten soldiers 
  could attack several characters, 
  which would add a Detriment Die 
  and possibly a modifier to the 
  roll, again though, nice and easy 
  rolling for the Editor.)
  Combo Attacks
  A Combo Attack is essentially the 
  same as Ganging Up, but is 
  likely to be used more by 
  named characters. 
  Both characters must 
  act consecutively in the 
  Initiative order, and both 
  activate Usages.
   
  The attacking character 
  declares their Usages, and 
  the supporting character must 
  get their pre-roll value to 
  the same Tier (see page 11) 
  (1-4, 5-8, 9+). Benefit Dice 
  are added to the roll. With 
  higher powered characters, 
  this can be devastating, and 
  more than that is very fun to 
  describe!
  Defending Others
  A villain is going to open fire on 
  a group of innocent civilians. 
  Hopefully, an Editor will give the 
  players some foreshadowing of 
  this, either through villainous 
  chatter, or just in describing the 
  situation. 
  The Defending character must be 
  able to act at the same time in 
  the Initiative order (see Defending 
  Another Ed. Note), and will be 
  using their action to Defend 
  instead of something more 
  offensive in nature. 
  If a character has GENERATE 
  SOLID FORCE as a Trait, they may 
  try and create a Force Field to 
  protect everyone. 
  Bill Williams
  
  88
  The System
  Or a character may choose to 
  throw himself in front of a bullet 
  intended for the grandmother 
  making a deposit at the bank. 
  The basic mechanic is the same. 
  The number of individuals the 
  character is trying to protect 
  determines how many Detriment 
  Dice are added to their roll, and 
  any modifi ers to that roll. 
  If their defensive roll is successful, 
  the attack does not get through. 
  If the attack is successful, the 
  defending character will take 
  the Setback Token. Heroism is 
  rewarded through selfl ess acts. 
  Attacking Multiple 
  Opponents
  Some characters revel in taking on 
  multiple foes at once. Let them. 
  No need to have rules allowing 
  multiple attacks in a round, or 
  some special character extra. 
  Instead, use this same basic 
  mechanic. If a character wants to 
  attack two characters, they will 
  make one roll with a Detriment 
  Die added to the roll, applying 
  the result to both opponents. 
  See the chart for the breakdown 
  of penalties depending on the 
  number of opponents targeted. 
  Ed. NOTE: DEFENDING Others (Again)
  This section is reprinted from the Initiative section and modifi ed slightly to 
  make it fi t here, but we thought you, the reader, might appreciate not having to 
  fl ip back and forth.
  A character will selfl essly throw themselves in harm’s way to protect someone 
  else, this is good stuff! This is heroic. This should be encouraged.
  Okay, enough of my bias. How does it affect Initiative?
  Villain 4 is going to unleash his MEGA-BLAST to the bus-load of tourists. Hey, 
  it is what Villains do. Hero C doesn’t like this. Hero C wants to take the full Blast 
  himself. Hero C declares this intention, and gives up his next action, whether it 
  would be in this round, or the next, to do just that.
  Simple. 
  So, the Villain has essentially wasted Hero C’s action, possibly damaged Hero 
  C, and denied Hero C a chance to take part in the declaration of Initiative. Wow, 
  maybe Villains do know what they are doing.
  IF (all caps = big if), for some reason a Hero needs to do this multiple times in 
  a row, they can, taking a debit on their actions.  The cost for this debit is that 
  their rolls are a cumulative –2, until they are no longer in debit. Now would be a 
  good time for that Hero to consider calling in some backup, or hoping for some 
  assistance in some way. Isn’t it a good thing there is Editorial Control?
  
  89
  In playtesting, one character 
  loved to push and attack multiple 
  foes, essentially negating any 
  penalty for a straight roll. The 
  character happened to have a 
  Power-Up Signature, so was still 
  quite terrifying against many 
  opponents at once. 
  It is up to the Editor’s discretion 
  how many opponents a character 
  can attack with one action. Some 
  characters may use SUPER-SPEED 
  to attack many foes, running 
  from one to the other, another 
  character may dodge enemy fire 
  and acrobatically leap from one 
  foe to the next, and of course, 
  there is the classic, a character 
  smashes the heads of two foes 
  together! Villains can do this, too!
  Assisting an Ally
  The base mechanic is the same as 
  Ganging-Up or a Combo Attack, 
  but is used more for non-combat 
  activities (defusing a bomb, 
  hacking into NORAD). 
  All characters must go on the 
  same Initiative. The acting 
  character declares their Traits and 
  Usages, and assisting characters 
  declare their (appropriate) Traits 
  and Usages. The acting character 
  will get Benefit Dice and possibly 
  a modifier added to their roll.
  The general rule is this: if the 
  numbers are in the favor of the 
  character, they gain Benefit Dice 
  and a positive modifier, if they 
  are in favor of the opponents, the 
  roll gains Detriment Dice and a 
  negative modifier.
  Pushing
  Sometimes characters will have 
  the need to push themselves to a 
  greater chance of success at an 
  action.
  Characters may push themselves 
  by voluntarily taking a Setback 
  Token. One round must pass 
  before a character can Recover 
  from these Setback Tokens using 
  Editorial Control.
  If a character takes their 1st or 
  2nd Setback Token, they can roll 
  one additional die and add it to 
  their result. For a character rolling 
  multiple dice, they add this die to 
  their pool of dice, and can keep 
  two of their highest. This is called 
  a Bonus Die.
  Multiple Opponents Chart
  No. of Additional 
  Opponents / 
  Characters Being 
  Defended:
  Detriment 
  Dice & Roll 
  Modifier:
  +1 (2 total)
  -1d12
  +2 (3 total)
  -1d12-1
  +3 (4 total)
  -1d12-2
  +4 (5 total)
  -1d12-3
  +5 (6 total)
  -2d12
  +6 (7 total)
  -2d12-1
  +7 (8 total)
  -2d12-2
  +8 (9 total)
  -2d12-3
  +9 (10 total)
  -3d12
  +10 (11 total)
  -3d12-1
  +11 (12 total)
  -3d12-2
  +12 or more
  -3d12-3
  
  90
  The System
  If a character is taking their 3rd 
  Setback Token, they add 2 dice to 
  their pool, adding one to their roll, 
  and using the other as a Benefi t 
  die.
  If a character voluntarily accepts 
  their 4th Setback Token - hey, 
  sometimes, the world needs to be 
  saved, no matter what!-  they add 
  3 dice to their pool, keeping one 
  as a Bonus Die with two serving 
  as Benefi t Dice.
  A character can only take one 
  Setback Token at a time.
  Pushing will only grant a character 
  one Bonus Die, but adding an 
  extra die to a roll is a wonderful 
  thing (for Villains too!)
  Bonus Dice are negated by 
  Detriment Dice, the same as 
  Benefi t Dice.
  Targeting a Trait
  Sometimes, the best way to 
  neutralize a character, is to 
  take away one of their Traits. 
  It happens in comicbooks, so it 
  needs to be able to happen in 
  your CC&VF game.
  How?
  First the character attempting to 
  neutralize the Trait needs 
  a viable way to do it. For 
  Traits that are ostensibly 
  gear, this is pretty 
  easy. But, how do you 
  neutralize a character’s 
  SUPER-STRENGTH? Or 
  ARCANE ABILITIES? 
  The player will need to 
  make their pitch to the Editor (or 
  the Editor will need to explain 
  to the player how and why it is 
  happening.)
  If it is a go, i.e., the Editor agrees 
  with the method described, what 
  next?
  The player targeting the Trait will 
  declare that they are attempting 
  to neutralize a Trait, and what 
  Trait(s) they are attempting to 
  do it with. The Trait total of these 
  negating Traits must be in the 
  same Tier (see page 11) or higher 
  than the targeted Trait.
  The targeting character then 
  needs to deliver a Setback Token 
  to the targeted character, in some 
  way appropriate to the method. If 
  a character is neutralizing a gear 
  type Trait, they will need to of 
  Pushing Chart
  Setback 
  Token:
  Die:
  1st or 2nd
  +1 die to result
  3rd
  +2 dice, +1 die to result
  4th
  +3 dice, +1 die to result
  Ed. NOTE: EDITORIAL TRAIT 
  NEGATION
  If the Editor wants to negate or 
  neutralize a Trait, they can follow 
  the rules above, or they can just do 
  so. If they just do so, they of course 
  should reward EC to the player.
  
  91
  course hit the character, or their 
  gear. 
  If they succeed, and deliver the 
  Setback Token, they now will 
  attempt to negate the Trait. (If 
  they fail, they can of course try 
  again.)
  And this is simple.
  The character attempting to 
  negate marks off Usages for the 
  Trait (or Traits) that they are 
  attempting to negate with.
  The defending character will roll 
  as many dice as they would in the 
  roll Using the targeted Trait.
  The targeting character will roll 
  one die.
  If the targeting player wins the 
  roll, the Trait is Negated. It cannot 
  be used for the rest of the Scene.
  Bill Williams
  
  92
  Villains
  Chapter 3
  Villains Foul
  Heroes have a code of conduct; 
  a way of acting that makes them 
  unafraid to put themselves in 
  harm’s way for the greater good. 
  Villains have none of these 
  restrictions and thus have rules 
  designed just for them to carry on 
  in their wicked ways. 
  The Editor is responsible for 
  bringing to life all the non-player 
  characters that Heroes will 
  encounter, and often, the most 
  interesting of these characters are 
  the yin to the Heroes’ yang, their 
  counterparts in the battle between 
  good and evil: Supervillains. 
  Capes, Cowls and Villains Foul 
  is designed so that Villains are 
  more than just Heroes on the 
  wrong side of the law. Although 
  Villains are created in the same 
  way as Heroes, there are also 
  specifi c rules in place to ensure 
  that they can be villainous. 
  Villains have unique applications 
  of Editorial Control available to 
  them; a Villain can prove to be 
  challenging versus a Hero or 
  group of Heroes either solo or 
  teamed up with several other 
  Villains. 
  There is no need to create 
  different versions of a Villain. 
  Villainous cannon fodder (minions, 
  lackeys, red shirts, nameless 
  guards) are designed to tie up 
  heroes, but go down quickly.
  Villainous Threats 
  (and the Other 
  People of the World) 
  Sometimes, Villains team up. 
  Sometimes, they act solo. 
  Sometimes, against the same 
  foe. So, how can a Villain prove 
  a threat for a Hero while acting 
  alone, but also join up with a 
  team of bad guys and prove a 
  threat as well, without becoming 
  an overwhelming challenge? 
  So, how is this done in context of 
  the game?
  Certainly, Editorial Control plays a 
  part. A solo Villain has the entire 
  pool of EC to use for their own 
  well-being.
  There’s also Setback Tokens. As 
  a solo villain, the aforementioned 
  Villain will have 4 Setback Tokens. 
  However, if he and his team are 
  taking on the Hero, each Villain 
  may only have 1 or 2 Setback 
  Tokens. Individually, each Villain 
  is a challenge for the Hero in 
  question, but together, they are 
  almost overwhelming. The Traits 
  of the villains do not change; they 
  just go down in combat a whole 
  lot easier.
  Finding that sweet spot is part of 
  the trial and error process of the 
  Editor. It is possible that in the 
  fi rst Action Scene of an Issue, 
  each Villain might have 2 Setback 
  Tokens, and it is possible they 
  will easily handle and defeat the 
  Hero(es). Perhaps for the big 
  fi nale, downgrade most of them 
  
  93
  to only 1 Setback Token, and 
  perhaps upgrade the main villain 
  to 4 Setback Tokens.
  Minions, Lackeys, 
  Redshirts, Henchmen
  Nameless villainous minions serve 
  one function and one function 
  only -- to tie up Heroes, diminish 
  their resources (Traits), and give 
  a named supervillain support. 
  Frequently, they will team up to 
  attack Heroes (and consequently, 
  Heroes frequently decide to take 
  on more than one at a time). 
  Minions have only one Setback 
  Token and can be made with any 
  number of Design Points. 
  Some villains are known to have 
  very imposing and powerful 
  minions; other times the minions 
  are nothing but street thugs in a 
  slightly less interesting costume 
  than the supervillain. Whatever 
  the case is, some heroes relish 
  the opportunity to take out fi ve 
  minions with one action. 
  Non-Player Characters
  Non-Player Characters (ordinary 
  people) have 1 Setback Token 
  each. They get hit, they go down. 
  Assign them Traits as needed, be 
  they a scientist, beautiful actress, 
  astronaut, or even benevolent 
  world leader.
  Villainous Editorial 
  Control
  While Heroes can tap into their 
  Editorial Control to do heroic 
  things, Villains have some inherent 
  advantages to make them villainous. 
  It isn’t fair, it isn’t balanced, but such 
  is the life of a Hero.
  Bill Williams
  
  94
  Villains
  The Editor will have a pool of 
  Editorial Control available to 
  them for villains and non-player 
  characters equal to 6 plus the 
  number of players. 
  Any villain or NPC can use these 
  points of EC. However, during 
  character creation, some Villains 
  will be created with additional EC, 
  just as Heroes can spend Design 
  Points to increase their pool of 
  available EC. 
  Villains start with zero EC, and a 
  Threshold of 10. Additional points 
  will be noted on their character 
  sheet as +X, with X being the 
  amount of EC they purchased 
  during character creation. These 
  additional points will be available 
  to these individual Villains 
  only, and they can spend their 
  individual points, or points from 
  the EC pool. Increasing individual 
  EC will also increase a Villain’s 
  Threshold.
  You might notice that Villains 
  have a whole lot more EC 
  available to them than Heroes. 
  Life sucks like that for Heroes. 
  This is the story of the Heroes. It 
  is their Complications that make 
  life interesting. Villains want to 
  commit crimes, beat up Heroes,  
  and get away.
  Of course, Villains may gain 
  additional personal EC available 
  by having their Complications 
  activated. No more than 4 EC 
  per Issue can be gained this way. 
  Period.
  And although Villains can spend 
  EC just like a Hero, they also have 
  some options available to them 
  because of their membership in 
  the Villain Club (the dues are 
  expensive and they don’t have 
  much in the way of retirement 
  benefi ts).
  Recharge: By spending 1 point 
  of EC, a Villain may recharge any 
  Trait, essentially eliminating all 
  Usages of that Trait. This EC can 
  be used multiple times.
  Villainous Tricks
  Villains often are able to befuddle 
  their enemies through Villainous 
  Tricks. These are best used by 
  Master Villains, but it is not 
  unheard of for any Villain to use 
  any of these tricks. 
  Activation of any Villainous Trick 
  requires a die roll. A result of 1 or 
  2 indicates that the Trick does not 
  work. Regardless of success or 
  failure, the Editor should describe 
  the Trick. Failure to activate a 
  Trick still requires 2 points of 
  EC, but a Villain can attempt to 
  activate a Trick later in the issue. 
  Each Trick can only be Used once 
  each Issue.
  Villainous Escape
  Villains love to get away and 
  commit acts of villainy another 
  day. 
  Success indicates that the Villain 
  manages to get away, and is no 
  longer in the scene. Nothing the 
  heroes do can stop the villain 
  from escaping (a previously 
  
  95
  unseen jetpack, a secret door, 
  a teleporter, etc). Be creative. 
  Think of the Villain and their 
  modus operandi and Traits. Make 
  it memorable, make it frustrating, 
  make it villainous! 
  Trap
  Villains love traps. Failure to 
  activate the trap indicates that the 
  trap was unsuccessful or that the 
  heroes were able to avoid it. But 
  if the trap is sprung, the Editor 
  can distribute 3 Setback Tokens 
  to the heroes however they like. 
  Whether the trap is activated or 
  avoided, the Editor should relish 
  describing the trap to the players. 
  Some traps are brutally simple 
  in their execution, and some are 
  intricate and elaborate.
  Big Speech
  So many Villains love to hear 
  themselves talk, and love to 
  engage in chitchat with the 
  Heroes. It isn’t always ego or 
  loneliness that makes them so 
  chatty; sometimes a Villain will 
  deliver a Big 
  Speech that 
  can prove so 
  frustrating, 
  disheartening, 
  distracting, or 
  maybe just so 
  long-winded that 
  Heroes lose some 
  of their focus. 
  Success indicates 
  that all Heroes 
  suffer a -3 
  penalty to all 
  their actions for 
  the remainder 
  of the Scene. Failure of course 
  means that the Villain had an 
  unsuccessful audition for a 
  community theater production 
  of Hamlet, and likely gives 
  away a crucial part of their plot, 
  something the Heroes can use to 
  gain an advantage!
  Kaboom!
  Some Villains just like to blow 
  things up! And sometimes, 
  buildings just blow up. 
  Success indicates that the building 
  where the Heroes and Villains are 
  currently battling is getting ready 
  to self-destruct. Often, this is the 
  Villain’s doing, but other times the 
  hand of fate just makes things 
  really complicated for Heroes (and 
  potentially Villains). 
  How long before the building 
  blows? Roll a die: a roll of 1-3 is 3 
  rounds; 4-6 is 4 rounds; 7-9 is 5 
  rounds; 10-12 is 6 rounds. Maybe 
  the Heroes and Villains know 
  how long before the explosion, 
  Bill Williams
  
  96
  Villains
  but often they will not know how 
  long, and may not even know 
  that the building is going to go 
  up at all. Any character still in 
  the structure when it blows up 
  is instantly defeated (i.e. Out Of 
  Commission).
  Clone/ Robotic Double/ 
  Magical Body Transference
  Many Villains always have an 
  ace up their sleeve, whether it 
  is that they have sent a rapidly 
  degrading clone, or a robotic 
  double to do their bidding. 
  Using this EC should be carefully 
  considered, and should only 
  be used by Villains who have 
  established these tricks in their 
  repertoire. In many ways, this is 
  the same as a Villainous Escape, 
  but could be saved for even after 
  the Villain has been captured and 
  incarcerated.
  Bring on the 
  C-Listers 
  More so than Heroes, many 
  Villains are one-trick ponies. 
  They have one gimmick, they 
  can’t punch to save their 
  lives, and “on-paper” they 
  are no match for established 
  superheroes. 
  Solo comics (and team books) 
  are fi lled with this sort of ne’er-
  do-wells. They frequently have 
  some of the greatest costumes, 
  and prove to be more than a 
  thorn in the side for our Heroes. 
  The Harpist (she plays a magical 
  harp that can subdue others 
  with it’s golden tones) doesn’t 
  need to throw a punch to take 
  on an A-list hero. She doesn’t 
  need a fi ghting stat, but she has 
  shown up time and time again, 
  and frequently gets the best of 
  a Hero in the early pages on an 
  Issue. Who cares that the Silver 
  Streak can land 50 punches on 
  her in a matter of seconds?
  CC&VF was designed to 
  accommodate these characters.
  Take a look at the Harpist to see 
  an example of a 150-point Villain.
  Two Traits, one extra point of EC. 
  That’s it. But try this character 
  out, the Traits can be used for 
  Attack or Defense.  In Round 
  1 against the Silver Steak, The 
  Harpist uses SOOTHING HARP 
  TONES with MAGIC HARP(s) 
  Linked (18+5+4+2+2).
  Before any dice are rolled it is a 
  total of 31! Yikes!
  These “C-Listers” might not have 
  staying power, but EC can Refresh 
  The Harpist
  Editorial Control: +1
  Threshold: 12
  SOOTHING HARP TONES 18 (1/2/3)
  +2 vs Multiple Opponents
  +2 Linked with Magic Harp
  +2 vs the Silver Streak
  Incapacitate
  (84 Points)
  MAGIC HARP 9 (3/2/1)
  Auto-Defend
  Link +5
  (45 Points)
  
  97
  their Traits, and likely, a Hero will 
  fi gure out how to beat them by 
  the end of the Issue.
  Have fun!
  Villainy Conclusion
  CC&VF is designed to emulate 
  superheroic comicbooks. The 
  key part of that phrase is heroic. 
  Players who just want to bash 
  things might fi nd another game 
  more to their liking. 
  With that said, Villains do have 
  some distinct advantages over 
  Heroes. Why? Because a Hero is 
  best defi ned only when they have 
  been put through the wringer, 
  and still come out with an air of 
  nobility and heroism. 
  If your players are not interested 
  in this style of play, consider 
  another system. With that said, 
  no matter how evil I might play 
  my Villains, I always want the 
  Heroes to win. I do not make it 
  easy for them, because an easy 
  fi ght is not a memorable fi ght. 
  One of the playtesters asked 
  the question “Well, what if my 
  players just want to blow up the 
  building that the villain is in?” 
  My responses might be: Find 
  another group of players. Maybe 
  the villain has a surefi re escape 
  plan, and instead of his body, it is 
  the feeble grandmother of one of 
  the Heroes in his place; or maybe 
  they do blow up the building and 
  the Villain, but what about their 
  reputations? Being a Hero is hard, 
  remember that.
  Bill Williams
  
  98
  Options
  Chapter 4
  Chapters 1-3 detail a fully thought 
  out and playtested system, ready 
  for you and your friends to have 
  fun with. This chapter deals 
  with options, from Live Action 
  Roleplaying to Experience Points, 
  as well as some advice for Editors 
  and Players.
  To Link or Not to Link
  Linking is cool. Folks usually have 
  most of their Traits be Linkable. 
  One option with Character Design 
  is to have Links be the default, and 
  if a Trait is unable to 
  be Linked, that would 
  be a Trait Restriction, 
  and would give Design 
  Points back to the 
  players, at a cost of 
  -2/-4/-6.
  Editorial 
  Control As 
  Reward
  I have been very 
  fortunate to game with 
  a group of players who 
  love and embrace all 
  the beautiful clichés 
  of comicbooks, being 
  silly when they should 
  be silly, and being 
  serious when things 
  get grim and gritty 
  (note, however, that 
  one can always crack 
  wise when things are 
  grim and gritty. 
  The Editorial Control 
  mechanic as written 
  is designed to reward 
  all the angst and 
  humanity of comics, but there 
  is nothing to say that an Editor 
  cannot also reward players for 
  excellent roleplaying, creating 
  a memorable moment, or even 
  the time-honored-class, of the 
  Gamemaster bribe. 
  Editorial Control is a way to help 
  empower players to empower their 
  Heroes in comicbook appropriate 
  ways, and, sometimes the best 
  way to encourage this play style is 
  with the proverbial carrot. So, as 
  with anything, go for it!
  Bill Williams
  
  99
  Zero-Level Traits
  Sometimes a player may want to 
  use a Trait they do not have. A 
  Trait indicates that a character is 
  better than someone else in that 
  area. 
  zero-Level Traits are Traits that 
  most every person could have, 
  such as INTELLIGENT, QUICK, 
  ATHLETIC, etc. Inappropriate Traits 
  would be FLYING and LASER EYES. 
  If for some reason a player wants 
  their character to use a zero-Level 
  Trait (most often this is when a 
  character doesn’t need to get too 
  high a number on a resisted roll, 
  and doesn’t want to Activate a 
  Usage), they can do this. 
  zero-Level Traits can be used ad 
  infinitum. Roll a die (d12 + 0). 
  That is your result.
  Editorial Dice 
  Rolling
  I’m going to let you in on a little 
  secret: Sometimes, to keep things 
  moving along at a rapid-fire clip, 
  I cheat. 
  I don’t cheat horribly, mind you, 
  and it’s always for the sake of the 
  story, but I do cheat. 
  Instead of all the bookkeeping 
  that goes along with recording 
  Trait Usages, and how many 
  dice to roll for a team of Villains, 
  sometimes I just roll two dice. 
  Early in a scene, I keep the better 
  of the two dice. As the scene goes 
  on, I keep the worst of the two. 
  5 player characters versus a team 
  of 7 villains… each player only has 
  to worry about one character for 
  Usages, the Editor has to worry 
  about 7. 
  The game is supposed to be fun, 
  and no one has to know if you 
  use one of those GM screens to 
  keep your rolls private. Give it a 
  try, see how it goes. And if your 
  players question you, reply with 
  a threat of, “Yeah, we’ve gotten 
  some fan mail and readers don’t 
  really like your character too 
  much; we’re considering dropping 
  them from the series.”
  Fleeing the Scene
  So, the Heroes are fighting the 
  Villains, and sometimes one or 
  more of those Villains just want 
  to get away. Obviously, some 
  Traits lend themselves to this 
  very readily - a Villain who can 
  TELEPORT can likely get away 
  very, very easily. But what if the 
  Heroes want to pursue? Villains 
  can be a cowardly lot, and if they 
  get the jump on the Heroes, they 
  do have a distinct advantage. 
  For their action in a round, a 
  Villain will declare their Traits and 
  make their roll. Write this number 
  down. Any Hero wishing to pursue 
  must have appropriate Traits and 
  has to first overcome this number 
  before the Hero and Villain can 
  engage in a Contested Scene. If 
  the Hero cannot beat this number 
  on their next action, the Villain 
  has escaped. 
  What about that pesky teleporter? 
  
  100
  Options
  Another character with TELEPORT 
  might be able to follow their 
  teleport trace signature, a 
  character with access to magic 
  might be able to cast a spell to 
  determine where they teleported 
  to, etc. Let common sense prevail. 
  It can often be more fun if the 
  Villain does escape, as it can set 
  up a climactic fi nal battle.
  Auto-Defend 
  Because this game has been run 
  by me and played by the same 
  group of players for so long, some 
  things have changed and some 
  have not.
  In my group, I allow characters 
  to Auto-Defend once per Scene 
  (instead of once per Issue).
  Villains get to do the same, so 
  it all evens out in the wash as it 
  were.
  Special Guest 
  Stars, Team-Ups 
  and Crossovers
  So, maybe an Editor is running 
  two separate series with different 
  characters. Maybe an Editor wants 
  to use an NPC to team up with the 
  player-character heroes. Maybe 
  an Editor is running a solo series, 
  and the player likes team-ups. 
  Awesome! 
  But, what if the characters 
  appearing with one another are 
  not built with the same number of 
  Character Design Points? Should 
  one character get to hog the 
  spotlight due to the greater level 
  of power? 
  Nah, that’s no fun. The idea of 
  an inexperienced teen sidekick 
  teaming up with one of the most 
  powerful heroes in the world is 
  great, but should also be fun for 
  both the players. 
  In a situation where characters 
  are designed with a drastically 
  different number of points, the 
  character built with fewer points 
  needs some way to even the 
  playing fi eld (see page 27). 
  The primary way of doing this 
  is bonus points of Editorial 
  Control. The character with fewer 
  Character Design Points will get 
  bonus Editorial Control, as much 
  as they can purchase based on 
  the difference in Design Points. 
  Any leftover points should be used 
  for Traits that will only be used 
  for this Issue: battle armor, a cool 
  gadget, maybe even a special 
  attack taught to them by the 
  more powerful hero. 
  An Editor can also allow the 
  “weaker” character to slightly 
  modify some of their Traits, if 
  appropriate, perhaps adding in a 
  Link, eliminating a Drawback, or a 
  new Situational Boost. In no way 
  should the “weaker” character be 
  able to increase any Trait values. 
  Their character should essentially 
  remain the same, but has a bit 
  more of the kind hand of the Editor 
  making sure they can keep up.
  Obviously, after this team-up is 
  over, the weaker character will 
  
  101
  revert to their standard point 
  value.
  This bonus Editorial Control 
  does not increase a character’s 
  Threshold.
  An Example of Differing 
  Power Levels
  Sparky, the All-American Boy (a 
  150-point character), is going to 
  team up with The American Spirit, 
  a 200-point character.
  Sparky’s highest Trait is PLUCK- 
  8, so the difference between the 
  two characters is 50 points, and 
  each additional point of Editorial 
  Control will cost 11 points (8+3). 
  Adventuring with the American 
  Spirit, Sparky will have a 
  whopping 4 extra points of 
  Editorial Control. And he has 6 
  points left over to modify his 
  existing Traits, or to add a Trait 
  useful only when adventuring 
  alongside the American Spirit.
  Wow! You might be worried that 
  this creates a huge advantage 
  for Sparky. Likely though, Sparky 
  is going to be struggle against 
  whatever 200+ point foes these 
  two will encounter, and those 
  extra points of Editorial Control 
  will be needed for Creative 
  Control or anything else.
  Why should Sparky be ineffective?
  Sparky may not be doing much 
  with his punches against a foe 
  who can shrug off a nuclear 
  warhead, but he will be effective 
  due to his increased EC.
  Bill Williams
  
  102
  Options
  Heroes in Training
  Some series might be about the 
  growth and maturation of a group 
  of Heroes. They might be learning 
  to use their powers, training and 
  learning new skills, and coming 
  into their own. Perhaps a fl ying 
  character has incredible diffi culty 
  slowing down, or maybe all of 
  the Heroes need to work on their 
  combat training. 
  Series like this can be a lot of fun, 
  and CC&VF wants to encourage 
  them if this is the sort of series an 
  Editor and players want. Perhaps 
  the series even revolves around 
  an experienced Hero or Heroes 
  training a younger group of 
  Heroes.
  How to do it? 
  If all the characters are in 
  training, an Editor should work 
  with players as they design their 
  characters. 
  The fi rst version of a character 
  should be designed looking 
  toward the future, with the 
  Traits how the player sees them 
  ending up when their training is 
  done. From there, the Editor will 
  establish how many points the 
  untrained character should be 
  created with. 
  Players will then have to shave 
  points from their character to 
  lower the number of points they 
  are created with. Maybe some 
  Traits are not as effective and 
  have lower values. Maybe they 
  have Situational Setbacks, are 
  Fickle, or have a Disadvantage 
  attached to them. Maybe they are 
  not yet Linked. 
  But here is where it can get 
  interesting. As a character Trains, 
  the player may decide they want 
  to slightly change the direction 
  their character is going. Perhaps 
  they untap a new use of a power, 
  or maybe they even unlock the 
  potential for an entirely new 
  power. 
  As a series progresses, an Editor 
  will hand out Design Points to 
  players to add to their character: 
  Maybe a character’s power is no 
  longer fi ckle. Maybe a character 
  becomes more skilled in MARTIAL 
  ARTS. If a player sees a character 
  developing differently, they should 
  talk about this with their Editor, 
  before points are spent and 
  allocated. For example, a player 
  might have a great idea for a new 
  skill they want to develop, or a 
  new application of their power, or 
  maybe even a special attack. 
  How frequently should an Editor 
  hand out these points? That 
  is very much up to the Editor. 
  Make it dramatic, perhaps after 
  a big fi ght against an archenemy 
  (preferably a crushing defeat of 
  the Heroes), the Editor might 
  hand out some of these points. 
  How many points? Again, this is 
  up to the Editor. The Editor should 
  have a rough idea of what the 
  trained characters look like, and 
  what the characters-in-training 
  look like. It could be 5 points, 
  to allow a player the chance to 
  
  103
  negate a Situational Setback, and 
  increase a Trait a rank or two. It 
  could be 20 points, which signifies 
  significant training and might be a 
  major increase in several traits. 
  If points are not spent, they are 
  held in reserve, perhaps the 
  training the player wants is more 
  expensive, or perhaps they don’t 
  use all their points. Next time, 
  they can use these points. Some 
  characters will have Traits that 
  require more points than other 
  characters.
  If some of the characters are 
  experienced, and some are in 
  training, the characters in training 
  should be made the same way as 
  above. However, the difference 
  in points between the characters 
  should be noted, and the in-
  training characters should be 
  given extra points of Editorial 
  Control based on the cost for their 
  characters. Any unused points are 
  not available to the characters-
  in-training (Wait! That isn’t fair! 
  Well, being a hero-in-training 
  running with the Big Boys can be 
  like that sometimes).  
  In this case, characters may have 
  well over 5 points of Editorial 
  Control, and Editorial Twists and 
  Creative Control become very 
  memorable and exciting: “I’m 
  shooting RAINBOW RAYS from my 
  fingertips! What is going on!?!”
  How long should a training series 
  take? How long before characters 
  improve? This is very much up to 
  the Editor and players, and the 
  type of series they are creating 
  together.
  For example, in a “young heroes” 
  series, the Editor has determined 
  that heroes will grow into their 
  roles as 150-point characters, 
  so players create the Hero they 
  want to be down the road. The 
  Editor and players really want to 
  explore the maturation process, 
  so the Editor determines that the 
  heroes-in-training will be made 
  with only 75 points. Roughly 
  every 6 Issues, the Editor 
  distributes 5 points to the players, 
  and perhaps every 20 Issues, he 
  hands out an additional 10, after 
  some Big Dramatic Issue! 
  Note that Editors and players can 
  have fun, and maybe a player 
  spends their points, but doesn’t 
  want the improved or new Trait 
  to show up until the middle of an 
  Issue. As with anything: go for it!
  Characters should keep track 
  of their total number of Design 
  Points, both those spent and 
  those unspent.
  Long-Term Injuries
  Sometimes, a character will suffer 
  a long-term injury or trauma that 
  doesn’t go away right away. As it 
  stands, the Setback Token system 
  doesn’t really reflect this, but if 
  the Editor and Player agree that a 
  character would have a long term 
  injury, it can be done. 
  Give a character fewer Setback 
  Tokens and compensate that with 
  one extra point of Editorial Control 
  for each Setback Token removed. 
  
  104
  Options
  So, a character with a minor long-
  term injury would have only 3 
  Setback Tokens before being Out 
  Of Commission, but would get an 
  extra point of Editorial Control 
  each Issue they had the injury. 
  How long will the injury last? An 
  injury isn’t that interesting if it 
  goes away after just one Issue.
  Killing Damage
  Shame on you!
  This is a game designed to 
  emulate Golden, Silver and even 
  Bronze Age comic books. Heroes 
  and Villains wear outlandish 
  costumes and adopt ridiculous 
  nicknames. This isn’t the angsty 
  ‘90s where everyone wore black 
  and had lots of pouches, belts and 
  ridiculously oversized guns with 
  shoulder pads to match.
  Okay, off of my soapbox.
  If you want a game where the 
  threat of death is ever-present, 
  consider the following: Villains can 
  always deal Killing Damage, they 
  are Villains after all. This holds true 
  for any age of comic books you 
  are looking to emulate. The Villain 
  declares they are doing Killing 
  Damage, and it is done.
  Heroes, if you want to call them 
  that in this case, might also want 
  to deliver Killing Damage. If this is 
  the case, they must also declare it.
  But, how does it work? A character 
  gets their normal number of 
  Setback Tokens, before they go 
  down. Now, the Killing starts. 
  Bill Williams
  
  105
  A character gets the same 
  number of additional Setback 
  Tokens (might we call them Death 
  Spiral Tokens?) above and beyond 
  this. If Killing Damage is declared, 
  and a character is down, they can 
  only resist with Traits that are 
  appropriate for a character who is 
  essentially unconscious. 
  So, a FORCE FIELD might still 
  be sputtering, but being AGILE 
  is no good whatsoever. After a 
  character’s Death Spiral Tokens 
  are all gone, they are dead. That 
  is until they come back from the 
  dead. (Hey, it’s a comicbook! 
  Name one character who has 
  stayed dead for a significant 
  amount of time! A certain teen 
  sidekick was once the default 
  answer, but even he has come 
  back in recent years!)
  Anyway, it’s kind of simple, very 
  deadly, and no major changes in 
  rules are necessary. What you will 
  notice is that some characters, 
  such as those who are SUPER-
  TOUGH, etc. will be harder to kill 
  than those whose ability to avoid 
  damage relies on them being 
  conscious. An AGILE character 
  isn’t very AGILE when they are 
  lying down on the ground.
  Live Action 
  Superheroes
  What could be more fun than 
  tying a towel around your neck 
  and pretending to be a superhero? 
  Without too many changes, Capes, 
  Cowls and Villains Foul can be 
  used for Live Action Roleplaying as 
  well as traditional tabletop gaming.
  What You’ll Need
  Let’s gear up!
  • Each player will need a 
  standard deck of playing cards, 
  with the Kings removed.
  • Several index cards (4” x 6” is 
  preferable)
  • A pencil
  • One or more Editors to oversee 
  the whole evening.
  Players will record all their 
  Traits, Complications, Factoids, 
  Threshold and Editorial Control on 
  an index card. This will serve as a 
  character sheet.
  In a Live Action Issue, players 
  will often interact more with each 
  other than the will with the Editor.
  Instead of rolling dice, characters 
  will pick a card from a deck of 
  cards. Whether they draw from 
  their own deck or the deck of 
  another player is entirely up to 
  the Editor. This will be established 
  before the Issue begins.
  Aces will count as one, numbered 
  cards will count as their value, 
  Jacks will count as 11, Queens 
  as 12. Aces are Failures, just like 
  rolling a one, and Queens are 
  Automatic Successes. If a player 
  would normally roll multiple dice, 
  they instead draw multiple cards.
  What about Scenes? 
  Since there is no Editor overseeing 
  every Action, Usages will be reset 
  
  106
  Options
  by the Editor. 
  Frequently, an Editor will set the 
  actual times that all Usages will 
  Refresh for all characters. For 
  a Live-Action Issue going from 
  8pm to midnight, the Editor 
  might determine that Usages will 
  Refresh at 9pm, 10pm, 11pm, 
  and 11:30pm. 
  In addition, if the Issue is taking 
  place in close enough quarters, 
  the Editor also has the option to 
  reset Usages at any point during 
  the Issue, being sure to let all the 
  players know.
  So, as the Issue builds to a 
  climax, the Editor might let 
  everyone know that all Usages 
  are Refreshed, to give everyone a 
  chance to get ready for the fi nal 
  throwdown.
  During the Issue, players will 
  track their Usages as normal on 
  their index card character sheet.
  Editorial Control and 
  Complications
  Characters, of course, start with 
  their standard number of Editorial 
  Control. If they wish to activate 
  a Complication, they have to let 
  another player know, and need to 
  act accordingly.
  This means that a character 
  who activates their “Crazy” 
  Complication may very well 
  decide to run around singing 
  show tunes (not too loudly, 
  please). The player will need to 
  record what time they activated 
  their Complication, and after 
  each minute, they draw one card 
  from their deck. If the value of 
  their draw is equal to or less 
  than the number of minutes 
  they have been affected by their 
  Complication, the Complication 
  ends.
  Editorial Twists
  Due to the lack of an Editor 
  overseeing all Actions, Editorial 
  Twists are still part of the game, 
  but will be totally random.
  Print out the small chart on the 
  following page, which streamlines 
  the Editorial Twists presented in 
  the book, and allows characters 
  to randomly activate them. Once 
  printing it out, tape it to the back 
  of your character sheet for easy 
  reference.
  Out of Commission
  It happens. Heroes go down. If 
  your character goes down, write 
  the time down, Just like with a 
  Complication, draw a card each 
  minute; if the value is equal to 
  or higher than the time elapsed, 
  your character shakes it off and 
  re-enters the game. Usages are 
  not Refreshed, unless a new 
  scene has begun as determined 
  by the Editor.
  Challenges
  An Editor might very well set up 
  challenges for the characters. 
  They can do this by using 
  envelopes and index cards. On 
  the outside of the envelope, an 
  Editor will write down what it is. 
  Inside the envelope, will be a 
  
  107
  static number for the challenge. 
  This number will be modified by 
  a draw from a deck of cards. If 
  a character wishes to overcome 
  this challenge, they need to 
  have another player or Editor 
  present, and activate Usages 
  and overcome the Difficulty of 
  the Challenge. If the player fails 
  to overcome the challenge with 
  their draw, they take a Setback 
  Token. If they give 4 Setback 
  Tokens to the challenge, they 
  have overcome it. Once it is 
  overcome, there will be another 
  envelope in the primary envelope 
  with a description of what 
  happened when the challenge was 
  overcome.
  For Example, an Editor tapes an 
  envelope to the wall that reads 
  “Do Not Enter: Secure Facility.” 
  A character has been informed 
  by the Editor that behind that 
  door lies the MacGuffin he is 
  looking for. The character has 
  SUPER-STRENGTH and wants to 
  know what is behind it. Grabbing 
  another player, he goes to the 
  door and takes out the Index 
  Card which reads: INCREDIBLY 
  SECURE SAFE LIKE DOOR 12 The 
  character has SUPER-STRENGTH 
  11, so this will be difficult, but 
  he has to know. The Hero draws 
  his card(s) and gets a result 
  comparing it to the draw for 
  the door. The character is able 
  to open the door, and removes 
  the envelope inside and opens 
  it. “Once this door is opened, 
  it is removed from play. The 
  information contained within this 
  room is…” 
  It is also possible that a challenge 
  could be multi-tiered. Maybe 
  getting the door open was just 
  the first stage of the challenge, 
  perhaps the envelope inside reads 
  “The room is empty save for an 
  ENCRYPTED COMPUTER 10.” The 
  Card:
  Editorial Twist
  Ace
  New Power
  2
  Surge
  3
  Opening a Can
  4
  Rotten Luck
  5
  Distraction
  6
  Take Cover
  7
  Mega-Link
  8
  Power-Swap
  9
  Sacrifice
  10
  Ignore Complication
  Jack
  Great Shot
  Queen
  Combo
  Cut out and tape to the back of your card!
  
  108
  Options
  Hero now has to run out of the 
  room, and grab their ally, who is a 
  better at tech-related actions. 
  Be sure to be prepared to explain 
  to the Editor how the challenge 
  was overcome, i.e. what Traits 
  were Used.
  All other rules can be used as 
  well, subject to the Editor.
  In Closing
  Running a Live Action Issue is 
  another thing entirely. In many 
  ways, an Editor’s job is concurrently 
  much easier and much more 
  diffi cult. Give characters something 
  to do, create interesting challenges, 
  throw wrinkles into their plans, and 
  be prepared to show up for the big 
  throwdown at the end with your 
  Villains ready to win!
  Done well, a Live Action Issue 
  can be a lot of fun, but requires 
  a good amount of prep work 
  to keep everything running 
  smoothly, combined with a 
  great deal 
  of fl exibility. 
  Because the 
  Editor is not 
  omnipresent to 
  keep things on 
  track, plots will 
  deviate.
  But run around, 
  have fun, cackle 
  maniacally, 
  and have your 
  Villains show up 
  at just the most 
  inopportune 
  times.
  Static Attacks
  The Negatray Bomb is going off, 
  sending forth waves of death 
  charged negative energy every 
  round. How does an Editor handle 
  this? 
  Obviously, the Negatray Bomb 
  should have Traits assigned to it, 
  but sometimes it is fun to have 
  no dice rolling for an inanimate 
  object, instead having it send 
  forth waves of death every round. 
  The neat thing about any RPG 
  system is that rules can always be 
  broken by the Editor. This is a fi ne 
  example. 
  Instead of rolling dice each round, 
  give the object a place in the 
  Initiative Order, usually at the top 
  or the bottom of the order. 
  Now, based on the Traits it has 
  (DEATH WAVES 12, NEGATIVE 
  ENERGY 12, Linked +5, AFFECTS 
  ORGANIC AND INORGANIC 
  MATERIAL 12, Linked +5), get 
  Bill Williams
  
  109
  your base number (22), add 6, 
  and use that number every round. 
  In this example, the Negatray 
  Bomb has a 28 each and every 
  round to attack each and every 
  person nearby. 
  Of course, deactivating/ 
  destroying the Bomb is a different 
  matter entirely. It is POWERED 
  BY ALIEN TECHNOLOGY 12 and 
  DESIGNED TO SELF-DESTRUCT 
  12, Linked +5. 
  So, each round characters can 
  try to disable it, and the bomb 
  could either actively resist (rolling 
  dice) or again, a static number 
  could be assigned. I would 
  suggest doing whichever is more 
  fun, knowing your players and 
  the Traits they have. If they will 
  have an incredible amount of 
  difficulty hitting this static number 
  (17+6=23), roll dice instead (17 
  + die roll). It will create drama, 
  and a bad roll by the Editor for 
  the bomb gives the players a 
  lucky break. 
  Too Many Dice
  As written, CC&VF is guilty of 
  the Death Spiral effect. The 
  longer a battle rages, the less 
  competent an individual will likely 
  get (Heroes and Villains), as 
  characters may well be rolling two 
  or three or even more Detriment 
  Dice.
  Add to this the bookkeeping of 
  tracking all Usages, and you 
  might consider the following 
  option:
  When a Trait is subject to 
  Detriment Dice, it only ever 
  accumulates 1 Detriment Die. 
  Now, of course linking multiple 
  Traits subject to Detriment Dice 
  would accumulate them, but each 
  Trait, on its own, would only ever 
  be subject to 1 Detriment Die. 
  This would apply to Heroes and 
  Villains.
  So, if rolling a fistful of d12s, or all 
  the bookkeeping of having a Trait 
  be subject to 4 Detriment Dice is 
  less than desirable, or if you want 
  characters to be more skilled as a 
  combat rages on, consider using 
  this alternative die-rolling option.
  Experience 
  Points, Character 
  Advancement and 
  Character Changes
  This option deals with advancing 
  or modifying characters.
  Experience Points
  Gamers love them. “How do I get 
  XP?” is a common question after 
  an RPG session. Experience Points 
  allow a player to improve their 
  character, gaining more power the 
  more they are active.
  So, what about Experience Points 
  for Capes, Cowls and Villains 
  Foul?
  Well, the system is meant to 
  embrace comicbooks, thus the 
  default assumption is that there 
  is no Experience Points. Over the 
  course of hundreds of Issues, 
  
  110
  Options
  characters do not necessarily 
  improve or get more powerful.
  So, if you want to embrace the 
  comics and start with experienced 
  heroes, consider not having a 
  system for Experience Points. 
  If you are interested in some 
  character growth, consider using 
  the rules for Heroes-in-Training.
  But, if you’re a gamer and XP is 
  part of the reward of playing, we 
  will do our best to not disappoint.
  In simplest terms, Experience 
  Points would translate 1:1 to 
  Design Points. How frequently, 
  and how many should be 
  distributed? This is very much 
  up to the Editor and players. 
  Maybe award XP at the end of 
  every Issue, maybe after every 
  story-arc, maybe in the middle 
  of a story-arc as characters gear 
  up for the fi nal battle. Whatever 
  works best in your story! 
  Think about what the tone of 
  your game will be and how it will 
  change as characters gain more 
  and more power (and don’t forget 
  to advance Villains similarly!). 
  Characters do not have to spend 
  these XP Character Design Points 
  immediately, and may not be able 
  to, instead saving them up to 
  increase a Trait, or to buy a new 
  one. It is assumed that characters 
  will maintain the spirit of their 
  characters, and any change will 
  be refl ected through play.
  Crunching the Numbers 
  Do not forget to take into account 
  the different costs for some Trait 
  modifi ers depending on their Tier, 
  and the cost of Editorial Control, 
  which is modifi ed by the highest 
  Trait a character has. 
  So, if a character wants to spend 
  XP to increase a Linked Trait from 
  one Tier to another, they will need 
  to pay the cost to increase the 
  Trait, as well as the difference 
  in cost for the Link modifi er. 
  If a character has purchased 
  additional points of Editorial 
  Control and their highest ranked 
  Trait increases, they will need to 
  pay for the increase in the cost of 
  their Editorial Control as well.
  Characters should keep track 
  of their total number of Design 
  Points, both those spent and 
  those unspent.
  Character Changes
  Let’s discuss altering a character.
   
  Costumes
  I love it when heroes and villains 
  wear new costumes. Of course, 
  I don’t always love their new 
  costumes, and sometimes, I really 
  hate when Editors take a classic 
  look for an iconic hero and update 
  them with a “hip” and “relevant” 
  look. 
  Let characters change their 
  costumes if they so desire. Some 
  heroes are known for constant 
  costume changes.Others try new 
  costumes out... only to return to 
  their classic look, perhaps with 
  
  111
  slight modifi cations. 
  New costumes can be lots of fun. 
  You might even want your Hero to 
  assume a new heroic identity.
  Redesign
  In the ever-changing world 
  of comicbooks, characters 
  sometimes change. Their powers 
  change, skills that were a focus in 
  early Issues no longer seem to be 
  applied in any way, shape or form. 
  If a player wants to tweak or 
  redesign their character, or simply 
  reallocate points from one Trait 
  to another, the solution is simple: 
  Let them. 
  Bill Williams
  
  112
  Options
  Talk to them about having the 
  redesign occur through in-game 
  roleplaying or if it happens between 
  Issues, let there be a moment of 
  exposition explaining it. 
  If a character knows for certain they 
  want to do this down the road, and 
  they are not interested in a Hero-
  in-Training, one neat way to make 
  this happen is for a character to 
  purchase extra points of Editorial 
  Control, and swap those out at 
  some point for their Design Points 
  which are redistributed. And, if 
  after changing, a character wants 
  to change back, let them do that as 
  well. 
  Editorial Redesign
  An even more interesting 
  application of the redesign 
  concept is for an Editor to 
  redesign a character and present 
  it to a player. 
  This would most often occur 
  after or during the conclusion of 
  a signifi cant storyline or event. 
  The key is to know what your 
  players like and what they don’t 
  like. Some players will absolutely 
  not be interested in this kind of 
  editorial decision, while other 
  players will embrace it whole-
  heartedly.
  Issue	Specifi	c	Changes	and	
  Upgrades
  Another interesting idea is to 
  award characters a signifi cant 
  sum of Design Points for a specifi c 
  Issue or story-arc. 
  This might represent the 
  characters training as they never 
  have before taking on the Galactic 
  Armada as well as wearing their 
  specially-designed battle suits. Go 
  crazy! Give players 25, 50, heck, 
  even 100 Design Points to add to 
  their character!
  Bill Williams
  
  113
  Letter From the Editor
  Of HEROES AND VILLAINS
  I’ll be honest, I want the Heroes to win. I want them to save the innocent people and 
  stop the Villains. Sometimes it is fun if the Villains win a battle, but the Heroes 
  should win the war. Why bring this up?
  Capes, Cowls and Villains Foul has not been designed to be fair or balanced. If an 
  Editor wants the Villains to beat the Heroes, chances are pretty good that they 
  can.
  Think about the stories you want to tell, and the stories your players want to be a 
  part of. Have the Villains win sometimes, put the Heroes through the wringer, but 
  let the spotlight shine on the Heroes, and let them be rewarded for their Heroism.
  This might seem counter to many RPGs where the GM-Player relationship can be 
  almost adversarial.
  An Editor doesn’t need to use all of a Villain’s Editorial Control. An Editor can 
  decide on the fly to give the Villains only 2 Setback Tokens instead of 4.
  Don’t let your players know that you are pulling for them. Let them think you want 
  to beat them every time. And this is not to say that you shouldn’t beat them 
  sometimes.
  Failure is frustrating. Repeated failure is very frustrating.
  Let the players (and their characters) learn from mistakes, roleplay failures out, 
  create interesting Villains who are less about the maniacal laughter and blowing up 
  the world, and more about moral grayness. Encourage Heroes and Villains to talk 
  to one another.
  You will be rewarded. You will also be surprised.
  Throwaway characters who got lucky will become significant (“Oh no! Not Pencil Man 
  again, we can never seem to beat that guy, we beat everyone else, but he always 
  seems to get away!”).
  The greatest Villains in all of comicdom have committed an endless array of bad 
  deeds, but they have also been known the help the Heroes when the occasion 
  warrants it. This is what makes such Villains interesting.
  However, sometimes, it is also great fun to have a good old-fashioned slugfest. Make 
  some beefy Villains, have them rob a bank, and let the Heroes and Villains go at it.
  
  114
  Example of Play
  Chapter 5
  The Magnificent 
  Muse in... “There’s 
  Something in the 
  Water!” (Guest 
  Starring Dr. 
  Moonlight]
  So, how does it work?
  Glad you asked. Presented here 
  is an Issue of CC&VF, starting 
  with the background of the Issue, 
  and then with how it played out, 
  using characters presented in the 
  CC&VF rulebook.
  The Issue, as 
  Plotted by the Editor
  Professor Prestige (see page 62) 
  is at it again! This time he has 
  his eyes on a stealth airplane. 
  He has a buyer quite interested 
  in procuring such an item, and 
  Professor Prestige loves any sort of 
  challenge, especially one this big.
  He has settled on the Lockheed 
  Martin F-22 Raptor. You can 
  do a Web search for further 
  information if needed.
  As much as he has faith in his 
  Masters of Mayhem, several 
  members of his team are 
  currently incarcerated, and taking 
  on an entire military base seems 
  both foolish and unnecessary.
  So, he has been working on 
  a plan. He has developed a 
  concentrated elixir that has 
  limited hypnotic properties. He 
  is fairly certain it works, but, of 
  course, a trial run is in order. 
  From an Editorial standpoint, this 
  is primarily because it gives the 
  Heroes an Action Scene and sets 
  the stage for the fi nal act.
  So, Professor Prestige will try out 
  his elixir on some of the patients 
  at the psychiatric hospital, 
  the same one that houses 
  both Frances Wurmer (see Dr. 
  Moonlight, page 54) and Mime 
  (see page 58), who is certainly 
  in need of psychiatric care. 
  Contaminating the water supply is 
  a given.
  This will be a team-up issue, 
  with Muse (see page 61) being 
  joined in her solo series by a 
  special guest star, none other 
  than Dr. Moonlight! In true team-
  up fashion, fi rst the characters 
  will have to fi ght one another. 
  And a hypnotic elixir will be just 
  the thing to get things started 
  on the wrong foot. The issue will 
  start in medias res, with Muse 
  encountering the good Dr. on one 
  of her patrols.
  Dr. Moonlight has been affected 
  by the elixir, but given his mental 
  makeup, it affects him slightly 
  differently than it does the other 
  patients. The elixir, once given 
  does have one noticeable effect: 
  the affected individual will have 
  wildly dilated pupils.
  After the Editor manages to bring 
  the team together, they will have 
  some time in the Extended Scene 
  to try and begin to piece the 
  puzzle together.
  
  115
  But then they will have another 
  Action Scene, as the psychiatric 
  hospital is taking some patients 
  out to the local mall for an outing. 
  The patients, led by Mime will 
  begin a flash mob, dancing to 
  Madonna’s “Vogue.” Because of 
  Mime’s involvement, the hospital 
  will request some help of the 
  superheroic variety.
  Two heroes, one Mime, the 
  Action Scene shouldn’t be too 
  difficult. But Mime’s involvement 
  should raise some flags, as she 
  rarely acts without Prestige 
  being involved. And given the 
  connection to Dr. Moonlight, the 
  Heroes should start seeing some 
  of the story develop.
  Professor Prestige will now stage 
  an announcement of his upcoming 
  trick, he will “make an airplane 
  disappear!”
  Now, the Heroes will likely have 
  figured out that Prestige has 
  something planned, but they may 
  have to put it all together.
  True to her name, Mime will say 
  nothing.
  Now, as an Editor, here is one 
  of the most difficult things, and 
  where CC&VF differs from other 
  systems, as it is designed to 
  emulate comicbooks. The Editor 
  doesn’t want the Villains to win. 
  It is imperative that the Heroes 
  show up and have a fight with 
  the Villains. This is why folks read 
  comicbooks. So, in planning this 
  Issue, the Editor must be fully 
  aware, that the Heroes should 
  either figure out what is going to 
  happen, or, they need to be able 
  to show up at the last minute as 
  the heist is taking place.
  What is the final plan? It just so 
  happens that one of the F-22s is 
  located on the bridge of the USS 
  George H.W. Bush, which just 
  happens to be docked in the city. 
  Tourists will be on deck, as the 
  Navy is allowing folks aboard for 
  tours of the ship. Prestige knows 
  this. So, after the successful trial 
  of his elixir, he has a plan in place 
  to contaminate the water supply 
  of the carrier, and after taking 
  over their PA and piping in the 
  song of his choosing (“In the Navy 
  “by the Village People), the entire 
  crew will find themselves unable 
  to not dance, he and Deadeye 
  (see page 51) will waltz in and fly 
  the plane away.
  Now, this special team-up Issue 
  does have a couple conceits (and 
  conceits are the bread and butter 
  of comicbooks anyway), so the 
  Editor confers with the player of 
  Dr. Moonlight, and explains his 
  motivation in the first Scene, 
  and requests that he not use any 
  Editorial Control, or that at least 
  he keep it to a minimum.
  Dr. Moonlight’s notes on the first 
  Scene: Release all the animals, do 
  it with flair, and understand that 
  Muse, as “Roundie”, has turned on 
  you. 
  The Editor has to be sure to 
  mention the “crazed look” in 
  Moonlight’s eyes, and not his 
  usual crazed look.
  
  116
  Example of Play
  The Editor also notes that once 
  Moonlight is delivered his second 
  Setback Token, he will snap out of 
  the thrall of the Elixir.
  Or, if he wins, the Editor is 
  prepared to point Muse to the 
  psychiatric hospital.
  Plan for as many contingencies 
  as possible, but do so with the 
  freewheeling spirit of comicbooks. 
  Know your backstory, and adapt 
  and adjust.
  Following Along
  If you would like to see how 
  this plays out, read on. You will 
  want to reference the following 
  characters: Muse (see page 61), 
  Dr. Moonlight (see page 54), Mime 
  (see page 58), Professor Prestige 
  (see page 62), Deadeye (see page 
  51), and the Mathemagician (see 
  page 57).
  In addition, because Dr. Moonlight 
  is a 100-point character and he 
  will be teaming up with Muse, he 
  will need to be tweaked slightly 
  (see pages 27 and 100). 
  There is a 50-point difference 
  between the two characters, so 
  Moonlight, whose highest Trait is 
  9, will get an additional 4 points 
  of EC (48 points), and with 2 
  points left over, he decides to 
  eliminate the “Usable only once 
  per Scene” from his BATTLE CRY 
  Trait.
  The Editor will have a pool of 8 EC 
  for the Issue (see page 27).
  With characters all set, we are 
  ready to crack open the fi rst 
  page!
  The Example
  Seated at the table are the 
  Editor, Beth, who is playing Muse, 
  and Marty, who is playing Dr. 
  Moonlight. Dialogue by players 
  and characters will be noted here, 
  gameplay mechanics and behind-
  the-curtain Editorial shenanigans 
  will be italics.
  Editor: Okay, Muse, you are 
  out on patrol, when something 
  catches your eye. An alarm is 
  going off on the street below, 
  and there seems to be some 
  sort of break-in happening at a 
  storefront.
  Beth: Well, clearly I should go 
  down there and stop whatever’s 
  happening.
  Editor: Okay, you swoop down, 
  and see that Poppy’s Pets is being 
  broken into, there are cages out 
  on the sidewalk, and animals are 
  taking off into the street. You hear 
  someone shouting inside.
  Dr. Moonlight: For justice, 
  oppressed companions, for 
  justice! Fear not, for Dr. Moonlight 
  is here to free you from these 
  shackles of oppression.
  Editor: Muse, as you are 
  surveying the scene, you see Dr. 
  Moonlight jumping through the 
  broken window, a pet carrier in 
  each arm.
  
  117
  Moonlight: Roundie!
  Beth: Isn’t he a hero? And wasn’t 
  Roundie his sidekick?
  Editor: Dr. Moonlight is indeed 
  well-known as a hero, and the 
  Roundie question, that is one I 
  will leave unanswered for now.
  Muse: Dr. Moonlight, stop! What 
  are you doing?
  Midnight: Roundie, I know that 
  you are in the clutches of some 
  nefarious supervillain, because if 
  not, I know you would be here, 
  helping me spread justice and 
  freedom to these poor caged 
  animals.
  Editor: Muse, you have never 
  met Dr. Moonlight, but something 
  seems a bit off about him.
  Muse: Dr. Moonlight, I’m not 
  Roundie. I’m Muse! You have to 
  put the animals down, they might 
  get hurt or lost if you let them 
  free.
  Editor: Animals are indeed 
  running everywhere, Moonlight 
  has probably released about ten 
  from what you gather.
  Moonlight: Do not stand in the 
  way of justice, Roundie. I know 
  what machinations the forces of 
  evil have brought to you, I am 
  guessing tainted jerky, but you 
  shall not stand in my way! FOR 
  JUSTICE!
  Marty: I am going to let out 
  my BATTLE CRY, Linked with 
  SWASHBUCKLER (s) and attempt 
  to subdue Muse.
  Marty will roll 1 die, add 9 for 
  BATTLE CRY, +3 for the Linked 
  SWASHBUCKLER, +4 for the 
  Benefit Dice of SWASHBUCKLER 
  (see Ed. Note on page 15). Beth, 
  of course, does not know the 
  values of Moonlight’s attack, just 
  that he is using two Traits.
  Editor: Muse, it looks like 
  Moonlight is going to Swashbuckle 
  you, Auto-Defend?
  Beth: No. I think I’ll defend using 
  my SUPER-TOUGH and FLIGHT (s)
  Editor: Ok, roll’ em. And you 
  don’t have to declare your 
  defense until after the attack.
  Marty rolls one d12, and gets a 
  7 to which he adds 9+3+4, for a 
  total of 23! 
  Beth defends, rolling 3 dice (10, 
  4, 4), keeping the 10 to which she 
  adds 6+3: 19!
  Editor: Muse, Moonlight leaps at 
  you, shouting out “For Justice!” 
  and attempts to ‘subdue’ you. You 
  launch yourself into the air, trying 
  to fly out of the way, relying on 
  your SUPER-TOUGHness if he does 
  manage to hit. Moonlight bounces 
  off a couple awnings, and brings 
  the pommel of his rapier squarely 
  down on the back of your head, 
  you fall to the ground. Have you 
  been subdued?
  Beth records one Setback Token 
  for this Action Scene.
  
  118
  Example of Play
  Beth: My turn? 
  Editor: Yup. And you could even 
  go twice if you wanted, which 
  because there are only two of 
  you, would give him that same 
  opportunity (see pages 80-82).
  Beth: Well, to start, I’m going to 
  try to go right through him with 
  NON-CORPOREALNESS and then 
  turn around and hit him with my 
  SUPER-STRENGTH(s).
  Marty: No Auto Defend for me!
  Beth rolls one die (5) and adds 8 
  +3, for a total of 16.
  Marty: I will defend with more 
  SWASHBUCKLing and DERRING-
  DO(s), and of course, I LIKE TO 
  JUMP AROUND.
  Marty rolls 2 dice (9, 1) adding 5 
  +3+1+2: 20!
  Editor: Muse, you zoom through 
  Moonlight, who looks a bit 
  confused, leaps up, springing 
  off the wall, as you bring your 
  fi st down to strike him, he is no 
  longer standing where he was.
  Moonlight: Roundie, you pass 
  through me as if possessed by 
  demon magic!
  Editor: Beth, do you want to go 
  again, or let Moonlight go (see 
  pages 80-82)?
  Beth: He can go.
  At the end of Round 1, 
  Moonlight has Used: BATTLE 
  CRY, SWASHBUCKLER (twice), 
  DERRING-DO, and LIKES TO JUMP 
  AROUND. After each Usage, Marty 
  would record that on his Usage 
  sheet or index card (see pages 46 
  and 159).
  Muse has Used: SUPER-TOUGH, 
  FLIGHT, NON-CORPOREALNESS, 
  and SUPER-STRENGTH, in 
  addition, she has taken one 
  Setback Token in this Action 
  Scene.
  Moonlight: Roundie, you must 
  snap out of this. Fight it!
  Editor: There is really something 
  not right about Dr. Moonlight, 
  Muse. You’ve heard stories, sure, 
  but this goes way beyond what 
  you have heard.
  Marty: I draw my RAPIER and 
  face-off against my former ally. 
  I will be using my BATTLE CRY, 
  REPARTEE(s), RAPIER(s), and 
  DERRING-DO(s).
  Beth: I use my Auto-Defend.
  Marty records the Usages, Beth 
  records the Auto-Defend. No dice 
  are rolled.
  Moonlight: For Justice, Roundie! 
  Fight this infernal hold on you. 
  You are the second greatest hero 
  in the land. 
  Editor: Moonlight draws his 
  rapier up, gives his moving 
  speech to his former sidekick, 
  now turned ghost-like and evil, 
  and lunges at Muse. Muse shakes 
  her head, confused, and turns 
  
  119
  non-corporeal, which means 
  Moonlight goes right through her 
  and stumbles to the ground. Beth, 
  your action.
  Beth: I need to snap him out of 
  this. I’m SMART(s) and I fi gure 
  he won’t think I’m Roundie if I 
  use my REVEALING COSTUME to 
  distract him.
  Marty shakes his head, smiling. 
  He is not using his Auto-Defend.
  Beth rolls one die (8) adding 8+1: 
  17!
  Marty: I will attempt to ignore 
  Roundie’s new, no doubt evil-
  infl uenced form by averting my 
  eyes and (Marty looks over his 
  character sheet, and looks for a 
  Trait that might be appropriate) 
  leaping out of the way, with a 
  half-hearted cry of “For Justice!”
  Marty is using BATTLE CRY (which 
  has two Detriment Dice) and 
  LIKES TO JUMP AROUND (which 
  gives one Benefi t Die)  and rolls 
  2 dice (7, 2), keeping the worst: 
  2+9+1: 12!
  Marty records a Setback Token.
  Editor: Beth, are you letting 
  Moonlight go, or you want to 
  double up and act again?
  Beth: I’m going to do a double 
  action. I’m DETERMINED(s), I know 
  I can do this, SUPER-STRONG(s) 
  and I know MARTIAL ARTS(s). I’m 
  going to knock this out of him. And, 
  I am Pushing (see page 89).
  Beth is acting at the end of a 
  round, and to lead off a round, 
  which means Moonlight will be 
  able to do the same, if he so 
  chooses.
  Marty: For Justice? Marty is not 
  Auto-Defending.
  Scott Brewer
  
  120
  Example of Play
  Beth rolls two dice, for SUPER-
  STRENGTH (11, 9) and one 
  additional die for Pushing (5) 
  keeping the better two of the 
  three (11+ 9), and adding 
  8+1+1: 30!
  And, she takes a Setback Token 
  for Pushing.
  Moonlight: En garde, Roundie!
  Marty: SWASHBUCKLER, with 
  some DERRING-DO(s), and 
  RAPIER(s), I am going to knock 
  away her brutish attack with 
  style and grace!
  SWASHBUCKLER gets +2 Linked 
  with both DERRING-DO(s) and 
  RAPIER(s), and DERRING-DO(s) 
  has 2 Benefi t Dice, which will 
  give his roll an additional+4. 
  So, before any rolling: 
  5+3+3+2+2+4=19 plus 
  whatever Marty rolls, which, 
  sadly, for Dr. Moonlight in 
  this case is a 1. So, his total 
  is 20, which is more than his 
  Threshold (see page 76), so it 
  is lights out for the good doctor, 
  unless he spends some EC.
  Marty: I spend EC, so I don’t 
  go down (see page 28).
  Marty records his second 
  Setback Token, and subtracts 
  the 2 EC from his pool of 6 
  (giving him 4 still).
  Moonlight: Roundie, why do 
  you strike me so? Quickly, we 
  must rescue these animals and 
  get them back into Poppy’s. 
  Puddinhead! Puddinhead!
  Editor: Moonlight no longer seems 
  to have that crazed look in his eyes.
  Marty: Moonlight rushes to get 
  as many of the freed pets as 
  possible, giving them sloppy 
  Tom Martin
  
  121
  smooches, and petting them, a 
  smile on his face the whole time.
  Editor: This is your action, 
  Moonlight?
  Marty: Yes, I go first in the next 
  round, and work at rounding up 
  the animals.
  Moonlight: Roundie, you look 
  as beautiful as ever, now, please, 
  cover yourself, and help out here.
  Beth: Muse still seems a little 
  weirded out, but helps him round 
  up the animals.
  Muse: I’m not Roundie, I’m Muse.
  Marty: Moonlight is silent, leaping 
  around, acrobatically rounding up 
  animals.
  Editor: Okay, after about five 
  minutes, the two of you round 
  up all the animals, secure the 
  storefront, and the police show up.
  Police	Officer: Muse. Dr. 
  Moonlight. What seems to be the 
  problem here?
  Moonlight: Roundie and I were 
  on patrol when we came across 
  this storefront. Someone had 
  broken in and released some of 
  the animals. We quickly went into 
  action rounding them up.
  The Action Scene is over, now we 
  move seamlessly to the Extended 
  Scene, should either character 
  want to Use any Traits.
  Muse: You’ll see all the animals 
  are accounted for, but... have there 
  been any strange activities lately? 
  People ingesting hallucinogens or 
  something like that...?
  Officer: Not that I am aware of.
  Moonlight: What are you 
  thinking, Roundie? Your deductive 
  powers pale to mine, but there 
  are times of course when you 
  strike upon a kernel of an idea.
  Beth: Muse rolls her eyes, a little 
  annoyed.
  Marty: Dr. Moonlight reaches 
  into his tunic and takes out a 
  piece of beef jerky and offers it to 
  Roundie.
  Muse: Well, Dr. Moonlight, where 
  were you before you came here?
  Moonlight: I do not know what 
  you mean. We were on patrol. I 
  came across this situation, and 
  alerted you, and we proceeded to 
  round up these poor defenseless 
  animals.
  Beth: I’m SMART (s)and good 
  at COMPUTER STUFF, could I 
  possibly do a quick search to see 
  if Moonlight was up to anything 
  before I ran into him?
  Beth rolls a die (6) and adds 
  5+2+1, for a total of 14. She 
  records both Usages for the 
  Extended Scene.
  The Editor has determined that 
  Muse is using some Traits, and 
  what she is looking for isn’t too 
  difficult to find, so the Editor will 
  
  122
  Example of Play
  share some info:
  Editor: Ok, Muse, you take out 
  your smartphone and do a quick 
  search. The main thing you 
  discover about Moonlight, is that 
  it is pretty well known amongst 
  the supers population that he is 
  Frances Wurmer, a patient at the 
  psychiatric hospital.
  Moonlight: Perhaps, good offi cer, 
  you can contact Poppy and 
  let him know that his pets are 
  safe and that Dr. Moonlight and 
  Roundie have been here to insure 
  everything is okay.
  Offi	cer: Do you think this was a 
  supervillain, Dr. Moonlight?
  Moonlight: Who knows what 
  evil lurks in the hearts of 
  supervillains? We must be off! 
  Roundie, have you uncovered any 
  more crimes on your Moonlight 
  communicator?
  Muse: Sure, Moonlight, let’s go, I 
  think I’ve got something.
  Moonlight: Farewel, offi cer. Here, 
  have a piece of jerky. I know 
  that it is not quite a jelly donut, 
  but everyone loves jerky. Come, 
  Roundie, let us be off into the 
  darkness of the city, to strike fear 
  into the hearts of supervillains!
  Editor: The Offi cer takes the jerky 
  with a puzzled look on his face.
  Offi	cer: Ok.
  Beth: And once we get away from 
  the offi cer, I will ask if we can 
  head to the hospital that he was 
  at. It seems as good a lead as 
  any.
  Moonlight: What do you mean? 
  A lead? Into the break-in at 
  Poppy’s? Surely, there is villainy 
  out there, should we not leave the 
  patients at the hospital alone? 
  Muse: I think something 
  happened at the hospital.
  Moonlight: I… 
  Marty: I am activating my two 
  Complications (Certifi ably Insane, 
  Easily Flustered) and Moonlight 
  runs off into the darkness.
  Moonlight: For Justice, Roundie!
  Beth: Ugh, I guess I have to go 
  after him.
  Editor: Moonlight takes off into 
  the darkness, you try and follow 
  him, but he is able to elude you.
  By activating a Complication, 
  Marty has added a point of EC to 
  his pool.
  Beth: Then should I go ahead to 
  the hospital?
  Editor: Sure, if that is what you 
  want to do.
  Beth: I will do that.
  Editor: Ok, you take off to the 
  hospital. You just going to walk in 
  the front door?
  Beth: Can I fl y around, look for 
  anything out of the ordinary?
  
  123
  Editor: Sure, Use some Traits, tell 
  me what you are Using, and we’ll 
  see what happens.
  Beth: FLIGHT(s) and SMART, 
  looking for anything usual.
  Beth rolls a die (10), marks off 
  the Usages, and adds 5+2+3: 20!
  The Editor knows that it is 
  the water that has been 
  contaminated. Prestige has done 
  a good job of covering those 
  tracks, he doesn’t want anything 
  to lead back to the psych hospital, 
  he just picked the one where Dr. 
  Moonlight happens to spend his 
  days. Comicbooks have a way or 
  working out like that.
  So, Prestige has THE BIG REVEAL, 
  CRIMINAL GENIUS, and ALWAYS 
  HAS A PLAN, which will make 
  the Difficulty to find out anything 
  about the water: 11+5+3+6= 25.
  Muse did not beat 25, and isn’t 
  really looking in the right way, 
  flying won’t do much for her. So, 
  the Editor decides to not give 
  Muse a Setback Token, but she is 
  still Using her Traits. And, maybe 
  she will find out something about 
  Moonlight, as 20 is a good result.
  Editor: You fly around the 
  hospital, keeping your eyes 
  peeled for anything unusual. As 
  you are up on the rooftop, you 
  see a small satchel hidden away 
  in a corner.
  Beth: I want to check it out.
  Editor: You swoop down to the 
  rooftop, and pick up the satchel. 
  Looking through it, you find 
  nothing more than ordinary street 
  clothes, several packages of beef 
  jerky, and a patient ID bracelet 
  that reads “Frances Wurmer.”
  Beth: Hmmm... Moonlight might 
  want this stuff back. Can I go 
  inside, maybe, and look around?
  Editor: Sure, you could go in 
  the front door, or go intangible, 
  whatever you want to do.
  Beth: Intangible.
  Editor: Mark it off, and make 
  a roll, assuming you are being 
  sneaky and stealthy, if you just 
  want to get inside, no worries.
  Beth: I want to be sneaky, so I’ll 
  use my MARTIAL ARTS(s) too.
  Beth rolls a die (4) and adds 8+1: 
  13.
  Recall, the Difficulty to find out 
  anything about the water is 25, 
  the Editor determines she is on 
  the right path, but her roll is just 
  not very good. She is sneaking 
  around, but not really using her 
  intelligence in any way. Instead 
  of giving her a Setback Token, 
  the Editor just keeps stringing her 
  along, letting her Use her Traits.
  Editor: Very well, grasshopper. 
  You pass through the door and 
  start roaming the halls, silently, 
  hiding in the walls. Are you 
  looking for anything in particular?
  Beth: Are people in their rooms? 
  If not, is there some noise 
  
  124
  Example of Play
  somewhere, or indication of where 
  they are?
  Editor: Patients are in their 
  rooms, nurses, orderlies, and 
  hospital staff are still up.
  Beth: So nothing weird is going 
  on?
  Editor: Well, it is a mental 
  hospital, patients are in their 
  beds, nurses and orderlies are 
  doing their jobs, nothing seems to 
  be out of the ordinary. (to Marty) 
  Marty, Moonlight can re-enter the 
  picture any time you want.
  Marty: Thanks. I have a plan.
  Beth: Well, since I can’t seem 
  to fi nd anything else, I guess I’ll 
  leave.
  Editor: Ok, doing anything else 
  this fi ne evening?
  Beth: I guess I’ll fl y out and go 
  on patrol?
  Editor: You got it. Moonlight?
  Marty: Well, I would deduce that 
  Roundie took my stuff, so I will 
  continue to patrol, keeping to the 
  shadows, and after a couple hours 
  retire for the evening and go 
  about my day.
  Editor: Muse, your evening patrol 
  is relatively uneventful for the 
  rest of the evening. Are you going 
  to try and get some sleep?
  Beth: I guess so.
  The Editor jots down a quick note 
  and passes it to Marty. The note 
  says: “Frances is out enjoying a 
  day trip with the fellow patients 
  at the hospital, a trip to the mall, 
  when, while dining, every patient, 
  and most of the staff break into a 
  very synchronized dance routine. 
  While this is indeed strange, 
  even stranger is that it is led by 
  one of your fellow patients, who 
  has donned the costume of that 
  nefarious villain Mime!”
  Marty: After ducking out and 
  changing into my costume, I will 
  call Roundie on the Moonlight 
  communicator.
  Moonlight: Roundie! Come 
  quickly to the mall. Something 
  villainous is happening. And they 
  are giving away free samples of 
  sesame chicken!
  Editor: Muse, as Katie, you are 
  going about your normal routine, 
  it is around lunchtime when your 
  smartphone rings, the number is 
  not identifi ed.
  Beth: I’ll pick it up.
  Editor: Sorry for stealing your 
  thunder, Moonlight, gotta get the 
  ducks in a row.
  Moonlight: Roundie! The food 
  court at the mall, something 
  villainous is happening, and they 
  are giving away delicious sesame 
  chicken samples. Come quickly! 
  For Justice!
  Muse: Right, for...Justice...
  
  125
  Beth: And I will fly there asap.
  Editor: You change into your 
  costume and zoom to the mall. As 
  you approach the food court, you 
  see quite a scene. Patients and 
  staff from the psychiatric hospital 
  are doing a perfectly synchronized 
  dance routine to Madonna’s 
  “Vogue,” which is being piped in 
  through the mall’s PA system, the 
  dance being led by none other 
  than Mime. Moonlight, you see 
  Muse swoop into the mall.
  Moonlight: Roundie, no time for 
  sesame chicken now, we’ll get 
  some later, but we must stop this 
  villainy. I shall, to Mime, attack. 
  I expect you can handle crowd 
  control.
  Marty: And Moonlight will leap 
  into action, now that his faithful 
  sidekick is here. I will start out 
  with my BATTLE CRY, of course, 
  and DERRING-DO. Hopefully, the 
  presence alone of Dr. Moonlight 
  will strike fear into Mime.
  Editor: Mime is not Auto-
  Defending.
  Marty will roll one die (3) and add 
  9+3, for a total of 15!
  Editor: Mime sees Dr. Moonlight 
  leaping at her, and starts miming 
  a protective box around her 
  (UNSETTLING) (SILENT(s)) while 
  giving the very handsome Dr. 
  Moonlight a FLIRTY(s) smile.
  Moonlight: Curses!
  Editor rolls 3 dice (4, 4, 12) 
  keeping the best (12), which will 
  double the Primary Trait (5) so he 
  will add 10+3+3 to his roll of 12: 
  28!
  Editor: Your cry for justice 
  seems to go unheard, as you are 
  charmed by her seductive smile, 
  and unable to break through her 
  mimed box. Who goes next Marty.
  Marty: Roundie, of course.
  Editor: Muse, you’re up.
  Beth: Alright, I’m going to fly in 
  using FLIGHT(s) and sock that no 
  good Mime in the face with my 
  SUPER-STRENGTH and MARTIAL 
  ARTS(s) for good measure. I want 
  SUPER STRENGTH to be my base.
  Editor: No Auto-Defend.
  Beth rolls one die (10) and adds 
  8+3+1: 22!
  Editor: Mime still has her box 
  up to protect her (UNSETTLING, 
  SILENT(s)) and will leap out of 
  the way, taking the box with her 
  (HEIGHTENED AGILITY(s)).
  Editor rolls two dice (5, 6) keeping 
  the 6 and adds 5+3+3: 17! Mime 
  will take a Setback Token. But, 
  her highest Trait is only Usable 
  When the Chips Are Down, so 
  maybe this is her plan? It is now 
  Mime’s turn to go, and she could 
  act twice if she wanted to.
  Editor: Muse flies at Mime, wuxia 
  style, and pulls back delivering 
  a punch strong enough to put a 
  hole in any wall. Mime holds her 
  
  126
  Example of Play
  hands up and falls to the ground 
  elegantly, and slowly stands, 
  miming the action, and wipes the 
  trickle of blood from her mouth, 
  tilts her head and smiles. 
  Beth: Did she get hurt?
  Editor: Yes, you gave her a 
  Setback Token. Mime’s turn to 
  go now. She will Push (see page 
  89), and take out her UNIQUE 
  GUN. She lines up the plastic 
  gun as if taking very careful aim, 
  and counts off with her fi ngers 
  “one, two, three” before making a  
  Saving Private Ryan run for Muse, 
  leaping through the air and taking 
  aim. She is Using HEIGHTENED 
  AGILITY, UNIQUE GUN(s), and 
  SILENT(s). Muse, you already 
  used your Auto-Defend this Issue, 
  so, you’re gonna take this one.
  Editor rolls three dice (2, 4, 11), 
  and will keep the best two (4+11) 
  and adds 5+3+3: 26! Muse will 
  take a 2nd Setback Token at the 
  resolution of this action, and then 
  she will determine who will lead 
  off the action in the next round.
  Beth: I’ll defend with SUPER-
  TOUGH, DETERMINED(s) and 
  NON-CORPOREALNESS(s).
  Beth rolls three dice (7, 7, 12), 
  and will add 6+3+1+6 again (the 
  Primary Trait is doubled): 28. No 
  Setback Token for Muse.
  Editor: Mime is starting to get a 
  bit irritated, and she will lead off 
  this round. Her bullet fl ies right 
  through the ghost-like Muse, and 
  she lands on her feet, and tilts 
  her head to the side, and mimes 
  thinking of an idea by tapping her 
  temple. She lets out a silent roar 
  of anger, and rips up one of the 
  tables, and proceeds to run across 
  the food court, leaping off the 
  big sculpture in the middle and 
  charging at Muse. She is using 
  PSYCHOPATHIC, UNSETTLING(s), 
  Scott Brewer
  
  127
  and SUPER-STRENGTH(s).
  Editor rolls one die (9) and adds: 
  9+3+3: 24!
  Beth: I’ll defend with NON-
  CORPOREALNESS, SUPER-
  STRENGTH(s), and FLIGHT(s).
  Beth rolls one die (7) and adds 
  8+3+3: 21! Muse takes a Setback 
  Token.
  Editor: Muse, you fly straight at 
  Mime as she is coming at you, 
  flying right through the huge 
  hanging sculptural mobile hanging 
  over the food court, hoping to 
  disrupt her attack, you reach up 
  to catch the table as she swings 
  it at you, but you are not quite 
  fast enough, as the table connects 
  squarely with you, knocking you 
  to the ground. Moonlight, it is 
  your turn.
  Moonlight: Roundie, I appreciate 
  you taking on this villain alone, 
  but we must work together. 
  Come, stand-up, and together, we 
  shall share the glory, and will be 
  able to enjoy our sesame chicken 
  in peace. Quickly, eat this jerky!
  Marty: Moonlight is going to swing 
  across the mobile, grabbing Muse 
  up off the ground, and getting her 
  to standing, somersault through 
  the air, unsheathe his rapier and 
  bouncing across three tables, 
  stopping for a quick sip from a fair 
  maiden’s soda along the way, bring 
  his righteous steel down upon this 
  silent nemesis. SWASHBUCKLER, 
  DERRING-DO(s), RAPIER(s), and 
  ROUNDIE(s).
  Editor: Go for it. (The Editor 
  knows that Marty is Linking 
  up a lot of Traits in a very 
  advantageous way, but is not 
  meta-gaming, and therefore not 
  Auto-Defending.)
  Marty rolls two dice (3, 
  8) adding 5+3+1+2+2+4 
  (SWASHBUCKLER-5, DERRING-
  DO Link +3, RAPIER Link +1, 
  Situational Boosts for both +2 
  apiece, and two Benefit Dice for 
  Roundie= +4): 25!
  Editor: Mime will defend 
  with HEIGHTENED AGILITY, 
  ENHANCED-ENDURANCE(s), and 
  FLIRTY(s).
  Editor rolls two dice (3, 9) (3 dice 
  from AGILITY, plus one Detriment 
  Die from FLIRTY) adding 5+3+3: 
  20! Mime takes her 3rd Setback 
  Token.
  Editor: As you swing through 
  the air, Mime blows you a kiss, 
  and she attempts to leap out of 
  the way, your rapier delivers a 
  good blow, cutting her black tunic 
  slightly. She mimes her heart 
  beating, and bats her eyes, and 
  gestures one tear falling down her 
  cheek. She seems genuinely sad 
  that her crush, Dr. Moonlight, has 
  struck her so.
  Moonlight: Nay, foul temptress! 
  Roundie, quickly, you can finish 
  her!
  Editor: I am spending one point 
  of EC to remove a Setback Token, 
  so she is back at two Setback 
  Tokens. Beth?
  
  128
  Example of Play
  Beth: I want to smack her 
  hard, and I know the exact 
  place to hit her, so I want to use 
  SUPER-STRENGTH, SMART(s), 
  DETERMINED(s), and... can I use 
  my COMPUTER STUFF(s) skill to 
  fi gure out the right location to 
  hit her, using the cameras in the 
  mall?
  Editor: Hmmm…How about this, 
  I’ll let you do it if, you give up this 
  action, and, you are at the end 
  of the round, so you could act at 
  the top of the next round if you 
  like. So, from a game perspective, 
  sure, but it is only +3. Your call. 
  I do like the idea, it will just take 
  some time.
  Beth: What about throwing a 
  computer at her? Would that 
  count?
  Editor: Ha! No, that is pretty 
  much some sort of strength-based 
  something. How about… you 
  assist Moonlight with an attack, if 
  he wants, and you can use your 
  computer skillz to help him out?
  Beth: Sure, I’d like to assist 
  Moonlight!
  Editor: I am assuming you will 
  have him start off the next round, 
  so you can assist him. Moonlight, 
  Roundie is looking something up 
  on the Moonlight communicator, 
  and thinks she has found Mime’s 
  weakness.
  Moonlight: We shall dine with 
  jerky and sesame chicken. 
  Excellent work, Roundie!
  Marty: I am using my DERRING-
  DO, SWASHBUCKLER(s), 
  RAPIER(s), ROUNDIE(s) of course, 
  and my BATTLE CRY!
  Editor: Ok, Beth, you need to 
  get a Trait total up to at least 9 to 
  assist. What are you Using (see 
  page 89)?
  Beth: SUPER-STRENGTH, 
  DETERMINED, and COMPUTER 
  STUFF.
  Editor: Muse, you start looking 
  on your smartphone, folks are 
  dancing all around you, still 
  voguing as it were, Mime has 
  to have some weakness. You 
  think you’ve found something. 
  “Moonlight!” you cry out, 
  preparing to launch him into 
  the air for an acrobatic attack. 
  Moonlight bounds across the food 
  court, launched into the air by 
  Muse’s strength, you fl ip, turn, 
  fl ourish.
  Marty is preparing to roll dice, a 
  whole bunch of them, adding in 
  lots of bonuses.
  Editor: And…. Mime Auto-
  Defends. Moonlight slams into 
  her, and she jerks her head back, 
  looking shocked that she was 
  attacked, she dusts herself off, 
  and that is that!
  Marty: Curses!
  Beth: Darn!
  Editor: Marty, you acted fi rst in 
  the round, who is up next?
  
  129
  Marty: Muse, you want this?
  Beth: Let Mime go first.
  Editor: All right. She squints 
  her eyes, rips two tables out of 
  the floor, juggles them once or 
  twice, and tilts her head at each 
  of you, pointing with one hand  
  as she is juggling these two 
  tables, and taps her head, as if 
  she just had a brilliant idea. She 
  is PSYCHOPATHIC and using her 
  SUPER-STRENGTH(s), she is also 
  going to spend one point of EC to 
  refresh UNSETTLING(s), and she 
  is Pushing, which will give her 3 
  Setback Tokens, and she is going 
  to attack both of you with the 
  tables: Moonlight, she will just be 
  slamming one at you, and Muse, 
  she will throw the other from her 
  juggling routine.
  Marty: Uh-oh.
  Editor rolls one three dice and 
  will keep two (1, 3, 10) and adds 
  9+3+3+4: 32!
  Explanation: PSYCHOPATHIC has 
  2 dice, and is 9.
  UNSETTLING is +3 Link value, 
  and has 3 dice, so +4 (see 
  Ed. Note on page 15). SUPER-
  STRENGTH is +3 Link Value.
  Attacking two opponents adds a 
  Detriment Die (see page 88)
  Pushing and taking a 3rd Setback 
  Token gives 2 extra dice to the 
  roll, keeping an extra one for the 
  result.
  So, we would have 2 dice, minus 
  1 die, add 2 dice, and keep the 2 
  highest.
  Ouch.
  Marty: Wow. Um. I’m gonna take 
  the hit, and spend 2 points of EC 
  so I take one Setback Token and 
  avoid an Insta-Defeat.
  Recall, Moonlight is a 100-point 
  character, with extra EC, so this is 
  not a bad call.
  Editor: Beth?
  Beth: Well, I only have one 
  Setback Token, and I think I 
  can make it to my Threshold at 
  least. I’m going to use NON-
  CORPOREALNESS, SUPER 
  TOUGH(s), and FLIGHT(s).
  Beth rolls one die (7) and adds 
  8+3+3+2: 23! Beth takes her 
  Second Setback Token.
  Editor: Beth, you’re up, end of 
  the round also.
  Beth: Ok, she used up her 
  Auto-Defend and has 3 Setback 
  Tokens... I’m going for it! SUPER-
  STRENGTH, FLIGHT(s), MARTIAL 
  ARTS(s), and SMART(s). I know 
  exactly how and where to hit her 
  to make her go down.
  Beth will roll 3 dice (2, 2, 12) and 
  add 8+3+1+1+8 (the Primary 
  Trait doubled): 33!
  Editor: Muse focuses her chi for 
  a moment, thinking about Mime’s 
  weak-spot, and zooms across 
  
  130
  Example of Play
  the food court, and is preparing 
  to use the punch that her sensei 
  taught her long ago. Mime makes 
  an “uh-oh” face, and starts 
  doing the running man moving 
  towards you, and then breaks 
  into a gleeful skip. She is using 
  PSYCHOPATHIC and ENHANCED 
  ENDURANCE(s).
  Editor rolls three dice for Mime 
  (6, 9, 10) and adds 9+3: 22! Not 
  only will Mime take her fourth 
  Setback Token, her total was not 
  enough to meet her Threshold! 
  However, Mime is just here to set 
  the stage, no need to fi ght until 
  the bitter end.
  Editor: You have learned well, 
  grasshopper. Your punch connects 
  with Mime, and she is thrown 
  across the food court.
  Moonlight: Great show, Roundie! 
  Prepare that villain for the 
  authorities, while I secure us 
  some sesame chicken. And we 
  should be sure to look into why 
  all the hospital’s patients saw fi t 
  to do a synchronized dance, don’t 
  you think?
  Marty: And Moonlight pats Muse 
  on the shoulder, handing her a 
  piece of beef jerky, and goes 
  over to the free sesame chicken 
  samples, asking for two.
  Editor: The worker is happy to give 
  you the whole tray, thanking you.
  Marty: I take off my hat and bow 
  deeply.
  Moonlight: You have nothing to 
  fear fair shoppers and diners at 
  this food court, Dr. Moonlight is 
  here, and this sesame chicken is 
  delicious!
  Beth: I’ll make sure Mime is 
  all trussed up properly for the 
  authorities and, we’re out of 
  combat so everything refreshes?  
  I’m good at COMPUTER STUFF 
  and SMART(s), can I fi gure out 
  what was up with the patients?
  Beth rolls a die (8) and adds 5+1: 
  14!
  Editor: It doesn’t refresh, we just 
  continue the Extended Scene. 
  Mime looks very sad as you 
  deliver her to the authorities. 
  Now, Mime is here, which might 
  well mean Professor Prestige is 
  involved. As you are reviewing the 
  mall security tapes, everything 
  seemed very normal, until the 
  patients and hospital staff all 
  jumped up in unison. There is 
  no sound on the security tapes, 
  so you would guess that is when 
  the song started playing, and two 
  fi gures run off, maybe they were 
  both patients. Mime comes back 
  on-screen and starts leading the 
  dance, and…
  Moonlight: Thank you again 
  Roundie. I was deep undercover, 
  as when you mentioned the 
  hospital I knew something must 
  be up. So I gained entrance to 
  the hospital and was able to move 
  about undetected.
  Editor: And Dr. Moonlight enters 
  the scene on the surveillance 
  tape, keeping to the shadows.
  
  131
  Muse: Sure, Dr. Moonlight. I’m 
  glad that you were there to check 
  it out. But I think this is part of a 
  bigger plot.
  Moonlight: Prestige!
  Marty: Moonlight holds up his 
  fist, staring at the sky.
  Muse: Um, exactly right. I think 
  Professor Prestige did something 
  to the patients and staff... maybe 
  last night?
  Editor: Muse, you did notice that 
  the patients had that same crazed 
  look in their eyes that Moonlight 
  did when you encountered him.
  Moonlight: Nefarious! Perhaps 
  the next song will be something 
  more appropriate for dancing 
  Muse, a nice foxtrot perhaps.
  Marty: Moonlight bows and holds 
  his hand out to Muse.
  Beth: She takes his hand very 
  confused.
  Muse: The patients... had a very 
  unusual look in their eyes.
  Marty: Moonlight takes your hand 
  and begins a foxtrot, looking into 
  your eyes.
  Moonlight: As do you beautiful 
  Muse, but that is the look of love, 
  I have seen it many times before.
  Editor: The music playing over 
  the loudspeaker is just piped in 
  muzak right now.
  Muse: Um, no, no, I don’t think 
  it’s love... I have a boyfriend.
  Moonlight: Then perhaps we will 
  just be lovers.
  Beth: She is very red.
  Muse: No. I have a boyfriend. I 
  think we should figure out where 
  Professor Prestige is.
  Moonlight: Yes, our love will 
  have to wait until then. Finish 
  your chicken, and we shall be off. 
  FOR JUSTICE!
  Beth: She covers her face and 
  heads out... but not before eating 
  the chicken.
  Editor: Where to?
  Marty: Hospital? Should we look 
  for anything at the mall?
  Beth: I don’t think so...it seems 
  like the plan was just to create a 
  big distraction maybe?
  Moonlight: I hate mimes. They 
  upset me.
  Muse: Me too. Let’s go to the 
  hospital, then.
  Moonlight: I think it best we split 
  up, Roundie.
  Muse: Um, why is that?
  Moonlight: Because, Dr. 
  Moonlight must stay in the 
  shadows, his ear to the ground, 
  feeling the heartbeat of the city, 
  sniffing for the scent of villainy. 
  
  132
  Example of Play
  The sterile atmosphere of the 
  hospital has already affected my 
  acute senses, if I were to return 
  there I fear I would be giving 
  Prestige an advantage.
  Muse: All right, I guess we can 
  split up.
  Moonlight: Very good, Roundie, 
  your sidekick training is going 
  well. We shall be in contact if we 
  fi nd anything.
  Marty: Moonlight is going to head 
  back into the mall. Can I check 
  out the mall PA system? I don’t 
  really have any appropriate Traits, 
  but maybe there is something 
  obvious. 
  Editor: Muse, what are you 
  doing?
  Beth: Going to the hospital to 
  look around for clues.
  Editor: Tell me what you might 
  want to do, look for, anything like 
  that? Moonlight, you do not fi nd 
  anything too obvious in the PA 
  system, though it does seem like 
  the Madonna song playing was 
  not part of the normal routine.
  Marty: I’ve got it. I am going to 
  use ROUNDIE.
  The Editor cocks his head.
  Moonlight: I know the answer is 
  obvious, but I must think like my 
  dim-witted sidekick-in-training 
  Roundie, how would Prestige fool 
  him here?
  Marty rolls three dice (4,  7,  8) 
  and adds 1: 9!
  Editor determines that the 
  Mathemagician wasn’t too careful 
  about covering his tracks, so 9 
  is certainly enough to get some 
  information.
  Editor: Roundie might notice 
  the chalk dust obviously left by 
  Prestige, no wait, not Prestige, 
  the Mathemagician! That nerd 
  must be involved in this. 
  Moonlight: I hate chalk, like 
  fi ngernails on a chalkboard, that 
  is why I hate chalk, because it 
  reminds me of chalk. I must alert 
  Roundie. After I get some more of 
  that sesame chicken.
  Beth: Well, I have FLIGHT 
  and I’m SMART(s) and 
  DETERMINED(s), I want to fl y 
  around, looking for clues to the 
  whereabouts of Prestige, or 
  what he might have done at the 
  hospital.
  Beth rolls a die (7) and adds 
  6+1+1: 15
  Editor determines that Prestige 
  is keeping his next move secret, 
  but not as secret as the water, so, 
  THE BIG REVEAL 11+6= 17. But, 
  he is leaving an obvious trail of 
  breadcrumbs, on his terms! So, 
  no Setback Token for a failed roll, 
  the Editor smiles inside, knowing 
  that although Muse failed, it is all 
  part of Prestige’s plan, so no need 
  to let her know that she failed.
  
  133
  Editor: You fly around, looking for 
  clues. What you do notice is that 
  the staff is talking about Mime.
  Staff: She seemed to be doing 
  so well? Do you think she was 
  involved or just affected like the 
  rest of us, by whatever it was?
  Editor: Additionally, as you are 
  flying around, something catches 
  your eye. Plastered up all over 
  the city (freshly plastered mind 
  you, judging by the glue that is 
  still damp) are signs announcing 
  Professor Prestige’s next big trick:
  Sign: See Professor Prestige do 
  the impossible, as he makes an 
  airplane disappear!
  Editor: Moonlight, you find 
  similar signs around the city.
  Moonlight: I’ve got to contact 
  Roundie. I’ll use the Moonlight 
  communicator: Roundie, Prestige 
  is at it again. The Mathemagician 
  was at the mall, and now I have 
  come across signs advertising his 
  next trick, he will be making a 
  plane disappear!
  Muse: I saw those signs, too. 
  Let’s get going!
  Moonlight: For Justice!
  Beth: Does it say anything about 
  what kind of plane or where?
  Editor: Nope.
  Moonlight: Prestige wants to put 
  on a show, he wants us to find 
  out, come Roundie, put on your 
  thinking cap!
  Marty: I’m going to Use ROUNDIE 
  again, and push.
  Marty rolls three dice (4, 5, 12) 
  he will keep the best 2 (5+12), 
  and because he rolled a 12, will 
  double ROUNDIE, adding 1+1: 
  19!
  Editor: All right, Moonlight 
  studies the signs, and realizes 
  that the USS George H.W. Bush 
  is docked in the city, and as an 
  aircraft carrier, certainly has 
  aircraft aboard.
  Moonlight: Roundie, Prestige will 
  strike at the aircraft carrier!
  Muse: Ok, let’s go there then!
  Moonlight: For Justice!
  Editor: The two of you make your 
  way to the aircraft carrier, it is 
  teeming with tourists, snapping 
  pictures, sailors going about their 
  business. Even a local TV camera 
  crew is here, probably working 
  on a feel good feature for the 
  evening news. Do you just want 
  to show up in full costume and 
  announce your presence?
  Beth: I can fly us to the aircraft 
  and sneak us in?
  Moonlight: Nay, Roundie. I shall 
  don a disguise and board the 
  craft, on the lookout for any of 
  the Masters of Mayhem. You take 
  to the skies, keeping a lookout!
  Beth: Ok…
  
  134
  Example of Play
  Moonlight: (whispering) For 
  Justice!
  Marty: I will duck into the 
  alleys and dress in street clothes 
  and board the carrier, going 
  anywhere I can without causing a 
  disturbance, keeping a lookout for 
  Mathemagician or Prestige or any 
  of the other Masters of Mayhem.
  Beth: I will fl y around, trying to 
  hide myself, looking for anything 
  out of the ordinary.
  Editor: Muse is circling the 
  carrier, trying to stay out of sight, 
  Moonlight, as you are snaking 
  around the ship, something odd 
  happens. The ship’s PA starts 
  playing a song: “In the Navy” by 
  the Village People.
  Beth: That seems odd.
  Editor: Even odder is the fact 
  that every sailor on board the ship 
  begins dancing to the song.
  Moonlight: Prestige!
  Marty: I head out to the fl ight 
  deck, donning my costume.
  Moonlight: For Justice, villain! 
  Your magic tricks shall not rule 
  this day, this day shall be saved 
  by Dr. Moonlight, and his faithful 
  sidekick Roundie!
  Editor: Well, Dr. Moonlight, you 
  bound onto the fl ight deck, and it 
  is chaotic scene, tourists snapping 
  pictures, news cameras rolling, 
  sailors dancing.
  Marty: I must get a good view, I 
  will climb up as high as I can and 
  see if I can see any villains doing 
  villainous things.
  Beth: I can fl y you higher, if you 
  want?
  Editor: Moonlight easily and 
  quickly climbs the tower, getting 
  to the top of the antenna, looking 
  out. There are over 20 aircraft on 
  the deck of the ship.
  Beth: Which one looks like the 
  one Prestige is going after?
  Editor: No idea, you tell me.
  Moonlight: Roundie, is this song 
  standard naval issue?
  Muse: Not at all, Dr. Moonlight.
  Moonlight: NERDS!
  Beth: Muse rolls her eyes.
  Moonlight: Do you want to beat 
  up the nerd, or wait for Prestige 
  to make his entrance?
  Muse: We should fi gure out 
  where Prestige and the other 
  Masters of Mayhem are. Also, we 
  should try to evacuate the ship, 
  so no one gets hurt.
  Moonlight: Excellent idea, 
  Roundie. Get down there and 
  dance and lead a conga line off 
  the ship. I am going to see if I 
  can fi nd the Mathemagician. I 
  am sure Prestige will make his 
  entrance soon!
  
  135
  Beth: Okay, so I want to lead 
  people off the ship, if possible.
  Editor: Moonlight, you are 
  surveying the scene, Muse, you 
  take off, getting ready to fly down 
  to deck of the ship, and conga or 
  something. Sure enough, as you 
  two are ready to jump into action, 
  you see, breaking away from 
  the tourists and the chaos, one 
  Professor Prestige.
  Beth: Can we corner him?
  Marty: Moonlight is going to leap 
  down to the deck of the ship Errol 
  Flynn style, with his battle cry 
  and attempt to stop Prestige from 
  carrying out his wicked plan!
  Editor: No Auto-Defend.
  Marty rolls three dice (1, 3, 9) for 
  SWASHBUCKLER and adds 5 +5 
  (BATTLE CRY(s)) and +1 (LIKES 
  TO JUMP AROUND(s)): 20!
  Editor: Prestige is a CRIMINAL 
  GENIUS, he knew some sort of 
  Hero would figure out his plan, 
  he ALWAYS HAS A PLAN(s), loves 
  MAKING A GRAND SPECTACLE(s) 
  and is going to Disappear using 
  his MAGIC TRICKS(s) (Prestige is 
  using one of his 2 open slots of 
  Versatile).
  Editor rolls 1 die 9, and adds 
  9+3+3+3: 27!
  Editor: As you leap down with a 
  cry of “For Justice” and stand in 
  his way, he raises his hand:
  Professor Prestige: Ladies and 
  Gentlemen, joining us here today, 
  none other than Dr. Moonlight, 
  accompanied by the always lovely 
  Muse!
  Editor: He vanishes in a puff of 
  smoke.
  Moonlight: Villainy!
  Editor: Ok, Moonlight, who goes 
  next?
  Marty: How about the 
  Mathemagician if he is around?
  The Editor smiles and nods. 
  Because Moonlight had found 
  prior evidence likely pointing 
  to the Mathemagician, he is 
  assuming he is here and might 
  have once again been responsible 
  for taking over the PA system.
  Editor: The Mathemagician does 
  not yet make an appearance. If 
  he is here, I am noting what he is 
  doing.
  The Mathemagician is just holding 
  back right now.
  Editor: Prestige goes next, and 
  he appears out of nowhere, 
  standing on one of the planes.
  Prestige: Ladies and Gentleman, 
  while our fine servicemen and 
  servicewomen are preoccupied, I 
  direct your attention to the flight 
  deck. Today, under the watchful 
  eye of Dr. Moonlight and Muse, 
  I shall indeed make an airplane 
  vanish right before your very 
  eyes. Any good trick requires 
  
  136
  Example of Play
  a lovely assistant, Muse, if you 
  would be so kind.
  Editor: Prestige is so CRAzY that 
  he is going to teleport Muse right 
  down next to him using his MAGIC 
  TRICKS(s).
  Beth: His magic tricks don’t 
  work on me, I’m using my NON-
  CORPOREALNESS and I’m SMART.
  Editor: All I need to know is 
  whether you are Auto-Defending, 
  I will take that as a no. Let me 
  get my result, and then you can 
  Use your Traits.
  Editor rolls 1 die (6) and adds 
  13+3+2 (for the Benefi t Dice 
  from MAGIC TRICKS): 24!
  Beth: Sorry, yeah I will use NON-
  CORPOREALNESS, SMART(s), and 
  DETERMINED(s)
  Beth rolls one die (7) and adds 
  8+1+1: 17! Muse will take a 
  Setback Token.
  Editor: Now that Muse has 
  popped in next to him, looking 
  very dazed and confused, Prestige 
  presents you to his imaginary 
  audience. And he is more than 
  happy to let you go next.
  Note: Deadeye is part of this 
  scene, dressed in a naval uniform 
  (although recognizable, this 
  is comics after all) as is the 
  Mathemagician. The Editor is 
  noting that they do not need 
  to act yet. Deadeye is making 
  his way towards the F-22 
  Raptor, with assistance from the 
  Mathemagician. Ideally, Prestige 
  will keep the Heroes occupied 
  while Deadeye boards the plane 
  and prepares to fl y it off the 
  carrier, perhaps as part of a BIG 
  REVEAL?
  Beth: I’m not a part of anybody’s 
  magic show! I’m hitting him with 
  SUPER STRENGTH and MARTIAL 
  ARTS
  Beth rolls one die (1) and thus 
  misses (see page 76).
  Editor: Muse, still looking dazed 
  and confused, takes a mighty 
  swing at Prestige, who simply 
  steps out of the way.
  Prestige: Looks like we have a 
  live one here!
  Editor: If you’re not doing 
  anything else, who goes next, top 
  of the next round?
  Beth: Moonlight, what do you 
  think?
  Marty: I think we need to fi nd 
  the Mathemagician. I’ll go do that, 
  you keep Prestige busy!
  Beth: Ok, so Mathemagician goes 
  fi rst?
  Marty: No, let me go fi rst, I’ll try 
  to fi nd him.
  Beth: Ok, Moonlight goes fi rst.
  Moonlight: WWRD? What Would 
  Roundie Do?
  
  137
  Marty: Moonlight scratches his 
  head, and as much as he loves 
  magic shows, he thinks hard 
  about the Mathemagician and his 
  hatred of chalk. Moonlight will 
  try and think what that simpleton 
  sidekick would do, where he 
  might suggest the Mathemagician 
  would be, and I will let out a 
  second cry of “For Justice!” as he 
  leaps into action.
  Marty rolls 2 dice (1, 5) Using 
  ROUNDIE and BATTLE CRY(s) 
  and LIKES TO JUMP AROUND(s) 
  adding 1+5+1+2: 14!
  Editor: Moonlight, if the 
  Mathemagician is controlling the 
  PA, and keeping an eye on things, 
  he might be up in the bridge.
  Moonlight: Of course! Right 
  below where I was. I should never 
  have listened to Roundie and gone 
  after Prestige. 
  Editor: You acrobatically leap 
  up, and indeed, you do find the 
  Mathemagician, dressed in a 
  sailor’s uniform, overseeing all the 
  action, headset on, a CD of the 
  Village People’s greatest hits in 
  front of him.
  Marty: I will give this coward a 
  chance to act. 
  Editor: The Mathemagician 
  seems not at all surprised to 
  see you, and smirks when you 
  acknowledge him.
  Mathemagician: About time, Dr. 
  Dimwit. Does the Ph in your PhD 
  stand for Phool?
  Moonlight: Curse you nerd and 
  your chalky ways!
  Scott Brewer
  
  138
  Example of Play
  Editor: Ok, the Mathemagician 
  SEES ALL THE ODDS and is a 
  MASTER TACTICIAN(s) he is 
  going to attempt to distract 
  you by preying on your known 
  weaknesses.
  Mathemagician: Oh, is that a 
  kitten over there? Is that little 
  furball about to get trampled? 
  What ever shall Dr. Moonlight do if 
  Puddinhead gets stepped on?
  Moonlight: Puddinhead?!
  Editor rolls 1 die (9) and adds 
  8+3: 20!
  Marty: Moonlight is going to 
  swing around, quickly scanning 
  below, but not taking his eyes off 
  of the Mathemagician.
  Moonlight: I will not be fooled by 
  your tricky tricks, you trickster. 
  Puddinhead is home, having 
  a saucer of milk. Roundie told 
  me about your devious ways, 
  you must instead take out your 
  sinister chalk, and we shall duel 
  like men!
  Marty: I am using ROUNDIE, 
  DERRING-DO(s) for the swinging 
  around aspect, and REPARTEE(s).
  Marty rolls 2 dice (4, 6) and adds 
  1+3+1: 11! Doctor Moonlight will 
  take his fi rst Setback Token.
  Editor: You want to believe that 
  the Mathemagician is lying, but 
  maybe little Puddinhead followed 
  you here? You are certainly 
  concerned.
  Marty: Muse, you’re up, bring the 
  hurt to Prestige.
  Beth: Ok, let’s try this again. 
  SUPER-STRENGTH, FLIGHT(s) 
  and MARTIAL ARTS(s). I’m fl ying 
  straight into him, knocking him 
  down.
  Beth rolls two dice (8, 11), 
  now taking the lower, and adds 
  8+3+1: 20!
  Editor: Prestige is going to poof 
  away again in a cloud of smoke, 
  using MAGIC TRICKS and ALWAYS 
  HAVING A PLAN(s).
  Prestige: Let’s give them a good 
  show, shall we, Muse? How about 
  you fl y at me as if you are going 
  to hit me, and I shall vanish once 
  again at just the right moment? 
  Not the most original trick, and 
  one you and I have already done, 
  but, sometimes the best tricks are 
  the ones we see most often. Shall 
  we then?
  The Editor rolls 3 dice (3, 7, 10) 
  and adds 7+3+2: 22!
  Editor: The scene plays out 
  pretty much as he announced it 
  would. And Prestige decides that 
  he will act.
  (Note:  The Editor is keeping in 
  mind that Deadeye is making his 
  way to the plane still.)
  Editor: Prestige will use one 
  point of EC to recharge his MAGIC 
  TRICKS (see page 94). 
  
  139
  Prestige: Muse, my dear, didn’t 
  I ask you to come to the stage in 
  your appropriate assistant attire?
  Editor: He leans down to pick 
  you up, and spins you around to 
  the audience. As he does, your 
  costume changes to an even 
  skimpier magician’s assistant 
  costume, though still keeping 
  some of the same motifs of your 
  costume, and the same color 
  schemes.  He is certainly CRAzY 
  and loves his MAGIC TRICKS(s), 
  thus Defining the second Versatile 
  Trait as: Quick Change.
  Beth: And would this potentially 
  hurt me?
  Editor: Sure. Setback Token (see 
  page 76). You’re all out of sorts; 
  frustrated, upset, and distracted 
  by not having your costume.
  Beth: And I used up my Auto-
  Defend?
  Editor: Yup.
  And, what will happen next? Will 
  the Heroes pull out a victory? 
  Moonlight has a good amount of 
  EC at his disposal, and Muse has 
  some as well. Prestige seems to 
  have the upper-hand at present, 
  maybe the Editor, acknowledging 
  the 200-point value of Prestige 
  will give the Mathemagician only 
  one Setback Token, and maybe 
  Deadeye only two? Will Deadeye 
  getting to the plane be part of the 
  BIG REVEAL? 
  The Editor also has a good 
  amount of EC at his disposal, 
  even if Deadeye is stopped and 
  taken out, is Prestige going to 
  vanish in a puff of smoke?
  Enough of this very long Example 
  of Play section! Go create your own 
  Heroes and Issues, make your own 
  fun! Hopefully, this Example of Play 
  gave you an idea of the flexibility 
  and the potential for creative uses 
  and applications of Traits. It should 
  also show how an Issue might be 
  plotted and played out. Now, the 
  dice are in your hands, go forth and 
  save the world!
  
  140
  Issues
  Chapter 6
  Creating Issues
  Plotting a Capes, Cowls and 
  Villains Foul Issue is different 
  from adventures in many other 
  game systems. Many roleplaying 
  game systems are designed with 
  balance in mind, and the GM is 
  able to make certain assumptions 
  based on the player characters, 
  and is therefore able and required 
  to write-up and plot out the Issue 
  in painstaking detail. 
  CC&VF Issues serve more as a 
  framework, providing a situation, 
  an enemy to overcome, and 
  require the Editor to think more 
  in terms of story and background. 
  Players are encouraged to 
  creatively use their Traits and 
  play to the strengths of their 
  characters. However, because of 
  the incredibly open-ended nature 
  of Traits, and their application, not 
  every situation can be accounted 
  for. Instead, an Editor needs to 
  put their effort into developing the 
  story and the details that make 
  the story complete and compelling, 
  understanding the motivations 
  of the Villains and NPCs, and 
  presenting to the players a 
  blanker canvas than many other 
  roleplaying game systems. 
  Think about the pacing of the Issue; 
  think in terms of a comicbook 
  Issue or story arc; imagine your 
  Issue as a three-act play. The fi rst 
  act introduces the situation, the 
  second act ramps up the action 
  and drama, and the third act 
  presents the resolution and fi nale. 
  Everything in these acts is subject 
  to the cooperative storytelling 
  responsibility shared by the Editor 
  Bill Williams
  
  141
  and Players. Players want to do 
  cool things; they want to shine. 
  The system has been designed to 
  let them do this, through creative 
  application of their Traits.
  When I design an Issue, I think 
  about what it is that is going to 
  happen, what are the Villains 
  trying to do? The Villains will 
  make all efforts to move towards 
  their goals. The Heroes will 
  oppose them. But I keep in mind 
  the three-act structure, and the 
  comicbook genre.
  Introduce the situation.
  Present the players with a 
  challenge, and whether or not 
  this challenge is overcome, they 
  should glean enough information 
  to understand more what is 
  happening.
  Move towards the fi nale, and 
  likely inevitable Action Scene. 
  These are superheroes, there 
  there should be an Action Scene! 
  These characters didn’t put on 
  their spandex to not throw some 
  punches around!
  I develop the story, jotting down 
  the pivotal facts about what has 
  come before, and what might 
  happen if the Villains are not 
  opposed. I think about the set-
  pieces for the Action Scenes. 
  And lastly, I think about ways 
  to ensure that the Heroes are 
  involved and included.
  Read that last sentence again. 
  The point of your roleplaying 
  sessions are to involve the Heroes.
  It is no fun if they are uninvolved 
  or powerless.
  The universes of superhero 
  comicbooks are fi lled with hundreds 
  of superheroes (and even more 
  supervillains). And every Issue 
  focuses on one Hero or group of 
  Heroes. Everything happening in 
  the universe revolves around them 
  and their actions. If a team of 
  Villains is attacking Manhattan, the 
  solo Hero in his solo book is going 
  to deal with it. Why? 
  Because, at the end of the day, 
  comicbooks are about focusing 
  on the characters. It is not worth 
  thinking about the fact there are 
  at least ten other superteams in 
  Manhattan as well as innumerable 
  other solo heroes. Each series 
  focuses on the Heroes featured in 
  that series. There are team-ups 
  Bill Williams
  
  142
  Issues
  and guest appearances, but at 
  the end of the day, comicbooks 
  are about Heroes saving the 
  world. Because, for every Hero, 
  there are probably three Villains. 
  Villains are doing villainous things 
  all the time. It is not realistic, 
  in-genre, to eradicate all villainy 
  from the world. 
  You must involve your Heroes.
  If they are having trouble fi guring 
  out where and how the Villains 
  will strike next, well, as Raymond 
  Chandler said “Have a man with a 
  gun kick down the door!” 
  If you, as the Editor, want to have 
  your Villains get away with every 
  crime and never get caught, and 
  leave the Heroes standing around 
  without a clue, you can do this.
  But, it isn’t fun.
  CC&VF is designed to tell your 
  own superheroic comicbook 
  stories cooperatively with your 
  friends. Think about the structure 
  of these stories. Read some 
  comicbooks. This is what you are 
  trying to do.
  This is not to suggest that you 
  railroad your players. Maybe the 
  Villains do need to get away, and 
  maybe the Heroes need to improve 
  their tactics. Absolutely. But, Heroes 
  running around always arriving too 
  late  is just not fun for an extended 
  period of time.
  Maybe you want to tell a long story 
  arc where the Villains do get away, 
  building to something HUGE!
  Awesome! But, mix it up. There 
  are other Villains out there. What 
  happens when they attack an 
  armored car on the Brooklyn Bridge 
  during rush hour? Give the Heroes 
  a chance to do some fun stuff.
  As an Editor you have put many 
  hours into plotting this mega-
  story arc. All the players will 
  know is what they witness, 
  so much of your work will go 
  unappreciated. Or, you could let 
  them know what is going on. 
  Maybe at the conclusion of the 
  arc, you debrief them, revealing 
  everything that happened and 
  why. They may smile, they may 
  shake their heads, but what you 
  are doing is sharing your thought 
  process, which will help them the 
  next time, and make the whole 
  experience that much more 
  rewarding for everybody.
  Enough general gamemastering 
  advice.
  Think up your Issue. Fill it with 
  details. Know the backstory. 
  Design your Villains, and get 
  things started. What is the fi rst 
  act? Introduce the situation. Act 
  two, what will happen to advance 
  the plot? And what will the fi nale 
  be?
  But, be prepared for your players 
  to jump in your sandbox and bring 
  their own toys. The character who 
  is a CEO OF A HI-TECH COMPANY 
  might very well do something you 
  never accounted for or expected. 
  This is the Heroes’ story, let them 
  drive it.
  
  143
  Introductory Issue
  Hey, if you’re going to be a player 
  and not the Editor, don’t read any 
  more. It might ruin any fun that 
  the Issue contains. Seriously, it is 
  kind of uncool.
  Unlike the bombastic comicbook 
  covers of the 70’s, which (as my 
  friend Mike said) “tell you both 
  everything and nothing about 
  what is inside,” giving players the 
  title to this issue might give too 
  much away, but if you want to 
  tell them, the title of this Issue is 
  “Oh, Rats!” 
  Background/Set-Up
  This Issue is set in Los Angeles, 
  but as with anything, feel free to 
  set it in whatever city you want. 
  Several years ago, Russell Marks 
  was scuba diving off the coast 
  of California searching for the 
  Spanish Galleons that sank there 
  almost 500 years ago, reportedly 
  carrying a significant amount of 
  treasure. 
  Russell indeed found one of the 
  galleons, and did come across 
  some interesting treasure. Much 
  of the gold had been found by 
  other treasure-hunters prior to 
  his arrival, but he did unearth a 
  barnacle-encrusted necklace that 
  seemed like it might be of some 
  interest. How little he knew. 
  Enchanted by ancient magics, the 
  necklace was indeed interesting. 
  Spells cast up on it were able to 
  help the problem of vermin on the 
  galleon. But as magics go, there 
  was more to it than just these 
  simple control spells. The wearer 
  of the necklace gained the ability 
  to communicate with vermin and 
  exert some control over them, 
  and because the gem holding 
  the spell had been ravaged and 
  damaged by time and salt water, 
  it now had an unusual side effect.
  As Russell coveted the necklace 
  too much to consider selling it, 
  it slowly exerted influence over 
  his psyche and body. Russell 
  became more and more vermin-
  like in action and appearance, 
  and after several months of 
  trying to maintain an ordinary 
  life in Los Angeles as a waiter-
  writer-actor, he gave into his now 
  animal instincts and took to the 
  underground, to be with his kin.
  Living a life of scavenging and 
  holding court over his kingdom 
  of rats, Russell Marks, who now 
  referred to himself in the third-
  person as the “Rat King”, was 
  more than happy to live in the 
  tunnels beneath Los Angeles, 
  taking to the world above rarely 
  when he sought something that 
  he could not acquire underground.
  In 2010, the city of Los Angeles 
  had scheduled to expand their 
  underground rail system, the 
  Metro Rail. The Expo Line Phase 1 
  will be the initial light-rail route to 
  be used by the Metro Expo Line, 
  from Downtown Los Angeles to 
  Culver City. It just so happens 
  that this proposed line will move 
  through the Rat King’s domain, 
  and he and his subjects are none 
  to happy about it.
  
  144
  Issues
  Although the necklace has 
  changed Russell’s personality 
  signifi cantly, he still retains some 
  human intelligence. He began 
  expressing his dissatisfaction by 
  having his subjects move against 
  those who would destroy their 
  kingdom. A small cave in and 
  sabotage of the equipment left 
  in the tunnels was not enough 
  of a deterrent. Russell sent his 
  subjects aboveground. Packs 
  of wild rats began lashing out 
  at residents of El Lay near the 
  construction site. 
  City offi cials claimed the 
  construction and the rat attacks 
  were totally unrelated, but it did 
  not stop reactionary individuals 
  to take up the cause that the 
  construction of this tunnel was 
  disturbing the ecosystem and 
  home of the rats. 
  But this sabotage did not halt the 
  construction. As the machines 
  infringed more and more upon 
  their kingdom, the Rat King had 
  to protect his subjects. 
  He had to be proactive. Last 
  night, accompanied by several 
  swarms of rats, he attacked and 
  killed the Executive Director of 
  the Los Angeles Metropolitan 
  Transportation Authority, Arthur 
  Leahy. Because of the unusual 
  nature of the attack, the player 
  character heroes are brought into 
  the fold.
  The Issue Begins!
  Local authorities, a team contact, 
  or even a news report alerts the 
  heroes to the death of Arthur 
  Leahy. The coroner’s report 
  indicates that his body is covered 
  in small scratches and rabid bites, 
  as well as larger scratches and 
  bites from a large vermin like 
  mouth (also rabid). 
  Information that might be 
  gathered in the fi rst part of an 
  Extended Scene:
  • How Leahy was killed
  • Unusual happenings around 
  the construction site for the new 
  tunnel (attacks by swarms of rats, 
  sabotage, cave-in)
  • Researching the proposed 
  construction of the tunnel, where 
  it will go
  Depending how the Extended 
  Scene goes, the Rat King will 
  strike again, this time attacking 
  and killing Don Knabe, the chair 
  of the Board of Directors. It is 
  possible that characters will 
  somehow deduce that Knabe 
  might be next, and this might 
  bring with it an Action Scene, 
  as the Rat King and his minions 
  strike. 
  If the heroes deduce Knabe is 
  next, maybe they will just come 
  across his ransacked home, Knabe 
  gone, and the players will have to 
  deal with several rat swarms. If 
  the Heroes secure Knabe, the Rat 
  King will use his subjects to try 
  and fi nd him, using his ability to 
  communicate with rats across the 
  city and beyond.
  
  145
  Assuming that the heroes head 
  down to the construction site, 
  they will certainly provoke an 
  Action Scene as swarms of rat 
  sentries attack.
  Heading deeper into the tunnel 
  and finding the Rat King might 
  prove difficult, and he has set 
  up several areas of the tunnels 
  trapped against intruders.
  Extended Scene continuing in the 
  tunnel:
  • Finding, avoiding, deactivating 
  traps: the traps should have an 
  almost steampunk feel, players 
  not taking precautions might be 
  surprised by a Villainous Trick: 
  Trap (see page 95), if players are 
  taking precautions, allow them 
  to creatively use their Traits to 
  search for and avoid traps.
  • Finding the Rat King - magic 
  detection might determine that 
  magic is indeed involved, due 
  to the coordinated attack of the 
  rats. The Rat King is able to move 
  through the tunnels without 
  leaving much of a trail behind, but 
  let players get creative, and as 
  always, reward creativity.
  • Exploration of the tunnels 
  reveals several tunnels not 
  mapped on blueprints for the 
  tunnel construction. Research 
  into old city plans and blueprints 
  reveal these forgotten and 
  uncharted tunnels, approximately 
  halfway down the proposed route, 
  but below where the construction 
  will occur is a long forgotten room 
  tunneled out years ago during the 
  bureaucratic construction of the 
  Pacific Electric Subway. Far too 
  frequently, multiple construction 
  companies were working, often 
  without approval of the proper 
  powers that be, and often without 
  knowledge of one another.
  Feel free to attack the heroes 
  again with swarms of rats, if they 
  crave action, or if they are not 
  picking up on the clues. Or maybe 
  more rat attacks, this time not 
  as close to the construction site, 
  maybe after one of the swarms 
  breaks up, the players can track 
  the rats, if they can move quickly 
  through the tunnels, conduits 
  and ancient pipes (A shrinking 
  speedster? An incorporeal 
  character?).
  Through tunnels and conduits, 
  some of them vertical, the heroes 
  can find their way to the lair of 
  the Rat King.
  Once there, it will likely be time 
  for the Boss Action Scene.
  The Rat King is a formidable foe 
  made with 150 Design Points, 
  but more importantly, has many 
  swarms of rats to assist him. 
  The rats will attack as individual 
  swarms, in addition to teaming up 
  to gain advantage against more 
  powerful opponents.
  Ed. NOTE: Rat Swarms
  The game stats for rat swarms can 
  be found on the Rat King’s character 
  sheet on page 63.
  
  146
  Issues
  Describe the dripping stagnant 
  water, the buzzing antique light 
  fi xtures, crackling electricity from 
  severed ancient power lines, 
  broken tiles, pools of fetid water, 
  scavenged and salvaged items 
  from aboveground.
  The Rat King doesn’t want to 
  attack anybody, he just wants to 
  be left alone, with his kingdom 
  left intact. Maybe resourceful 
  Heroes will be able to convince a 
  higher-up to delay construction, 
  to alter the course. Maybe they 
  can make an ally of the Rat King… 
  Or maybe there will be a vicious 
  fi ght. If he is defeated, what 
  happens to his necklace?
  Introductory Issue 2
  The price of platinum is over 
  $1.500 an ounce. That would 
  make a pound of platinum worth 
  over $24,000. A cubic foot of 
  platinum weighs 1,330 pounds. 
  One cubic foot of platinum would 
  be worth over $30,000,000. That 
  is a lot of money.
  Asteroid 2012 DA14 is a small 
  asteroid, but one which regularly 
  passes relatively close to Earth, 
  under 30,000 miles. That is one 
  tenth of the distance the moon is 
  from Earth.
  Asteroid 2012 DA 14 has an 
  estimated mass of well over 
  100,000 tons. More importantly, it 
  has a diameter of approximately 
  150 feet. That is a small piece of 
  space rock to be certain. 
  Interesting facts you say.
  Indeed.
  Mining platinum is diffi cult, which, 
  added to the rarity, makes it so 
  valuable. Terrestrial platinum 
  mining has a yield of roughly 10 
  tons of ore to get one ounce of 
  pure platinum. Asteroids are not 
  terrestrial, however.
  When it was reported that many 
  asteroids may very well contain 
  large amounts of platinum, 
  economists had a fi eld day. 
  Asteroid 433 Eros, which is 
  much farther from Earth, likely 
  has trillions of dollars worth of 
  platinum contained within it.
  Not content to be one of the 
  world’s most famous supervillains; 
  not content with the millions 
  Ed. NOTE: Structure
  This Issue does indeed follow 
  a 3-act structure, but one 
  stolen from magic, as opposed 
  to the standard three-act play 
  structure. Stealing from the 
  fi lm The Prestige, the Issue is 
  structured around the pledge, 
  the turn, and the prestige.
  There may or may not be more 
  than one Action Scene in this 
  Issue, very much dependent 
  on the actions of the Heroes. 
  Note that it is not important 
  that Prestige make it to the 
  Final Act. If he is defeated, 
  incarcerated, etc., the shuttle 
  launch will still happen. Heroes 
  may of course fi gure out that 
  aspect of the plan as well.
  
  147
  of dollars hidden away from 
  previous heists; always loving a 
  challenge, and having a flair for 
  the dramatic, Professor Prestige 
  has been working on a plan.
  As much knowledge as he might 
  have access to, more significant 
  is that he knows full well when he 
  doesn’t know enough, and defers 
  to the experts. In this case, 
  economists.
  So, there is platinum in space. 
  How to get it? And, more 
  significantly, once secured, how 
  would it be extracted?
  Building his own personal 
  platinum extraction center has 
  been easy. The process is no 
  secret, and he would think of the 
  cost as an investment.
  Now, how to get one of these 
  space rocks?
  Space!
  Prestige and the Masters of 
  Mayhem have done some pretty 
  incredible things, but what young 
  boy doesn’t dream of one day 
  going into space?
  The US space program publicly 
  lists its launch dates.
  The standard space shuttle 
  payload was 15 feet by 60 feet. 
  Not as large as Prestige might 
  like, but for now, he would have 
  to make do.
  As his plan was coming together, 
  it looked like Prestige himself 
  might not be heading into space, 
  but instead would need to provide 
  some misdirection, additionally, 
  he would have to make sure the 
  right members of his team were 
  on the ground and in the shuttle. 
  But if everything turned out well, 
  what is to say he couldn’t pop 
  in at the last minute and strap 
  himself into the shuttle? Like 
  any good showman asking for a 
  volunteer from the audience, he 
  would have to improvise.
  And, like any good administrator, 
  he started making a list:
  Supermodel: her strength 
  would be needed in space.
  Mathemagician: his intellect 
  would be useful in space. 
  Mathemagician will need to 
  take a covert crash course in 
  space shuttle operations.
  Deadeye: ground support.
  Scarab: space. He’s nerdy 
  enough to appreciate it, and 
  the versatility of his powerset is 
  always a plus.
  And dear old Mime: if ever 
  there was a perfect partner in 
  misdirection, she would be it. 
  Ground.
  Now, what would be a 
  misdirection large enough to 
  distract attention from the shuttle 
  launch?
  He would make the Statue of 
  Liberty disappear!
  
  148
  Issues
  This is the end of the background 
  section, now, onto the Issue 
  proper, and some of the Scenes, 
  and additional background 
  necessary to make this your own.
  Ten days before the scheduled 
  shuttle launch, Prestige will show 
  up at the Statue of Liberty with 
  Mime in tow.
  He is not currently wanted, and 
  is in no way breaking any laws. 
  Mime will be doing her Mime 
  thing, Prestige will just be walking 
  around the Statue, admiring it, 
  deep in thought.
  This will attract some news 
  attention of course.
  A news anchor will likely try to get 
  a sound bite from Prestige, and he 
  will be more than happy to oblige.
  “I am here not just as a tourist, 
  admiring this beautiful lady, but 
  I have come into town to begin 
  working on my next great trick. 
  One that will have people talking 
  for some time.”
  If pressed, he reveals nothing 
  about the trick he has planned at 
  the present moment.
  Deadeye is across the harbor, 
  keeping an eye on Prestige 
  through the scope of his long 
  range sniper rifl e. If an Action 
  Scene is provoked, do not declare 
  him as a combatant, let him jump 
  into Initiative as a Surprise. And 
  if you use his SNIPER trait, you 
  could have him enter the Initiative 
  Order, he declares he is taking 
  aim, describe the refl ection of 
  the sniper sight, let the players 
  try and fi gure out where he is. It 
  should ratchet up the tension. 
  If the Heroes want to engage 
  Prestige, they can. He is more 
  than happy to engage in fi sticuffs. 
  Well, not literally, he is not much 
  of a combatant, but the spectacle 
  of a big superhero vs. supervillain 
  fi ght is always fun!
  But, as mentioned above, he 
  has done nothing wrong, so he 
  might only be held overnight in a 
  jail cell. If somehow the Heroes 
  are able to come up with a way 
  to hold him longer, well, he is a 
  master escape artist as well.
  After this fi rst day, he is again 
  seen around Manhattan.
  A week before the shuttle launch, 
  he makes an announcement.
  “In one week’s time, I shall make 
  the Statue of Liberty disappear, 
  and not just by rotating the stage, 
  thank you, Mister Copperfi eld. To 
  anyone viewing Lady Liberty, she 
  will be there one moment, and 
  gone the next. I will of course 
  return her to her proper place, 
  because without Liberty, none of 
  us are truly free.” If pressed on 
  the issue, Prestige will offer up 
  that what he is doing will indeed 
  be an illusion, not trickery through 
  superpowers or actual magic, but 
  the type of illusion that will have 
  people talking. Craftsmanship, not 
  cheating. (Of course, as you read 
  on, you will discover that Prestige 
  has no plan in place to make the 
  
  149
  Statue of Liberty disappear, but 
  it sure does prove to be quite the 
  spectacle.)
  After this, he will be seen around 
  the statue again regularly, deep in 
  thought, taking pictures, making 
  quite a grand show of things.
  Now, should the Heroes suspect 
  something is up, and they 
  should, here is some additional 
  background information.
  Prestige and Mime are staying in 
  a posh hotel in adjoining suites. 
  Their movements are quite public. 
  However, he is in communication 
  with the rest of the Masters 
  of Mayhem, although these 
  communications are brief and 
  encrypted.
  Deadeye is staying in a hotel 
  across the street, in his secret 
  identity. Deadeye has also been 
  going back to the temporary base 
  of the Masters of Mayhem. Where 
  is this base? An old boarded-up 
  theater perhaps? In the back of a 
  magic shop?
  What Interesting Things 
  Might the Heroes Find 
  Here?
  Cloth. Lots of cloth. Prestige 
  will hide the Statue of Liberty 
  from view, raising the cloth with 
  hundreds of nifty little remote-
  controlled gizmos that will fly 
  up, holding the cloth. Like any 
  magician, however, Prestige has 
  secrets. Hidden away in this 
  base (perhaps the entrance to 
  this secret room is incorporated 
  in a magic trick in some way, a 
  false-bottomed tomb?) is some 
  equipment likely not needed 
  for an illusion this size. Three 
  space suits, and a teleportation 
  device. Although Prestige is able 
  to teleport shorter distances 
  with his MAGIC TRICKS, a long-
  distance teleport is likely beyond 
  his capability, so he had this 
  nifty device brought here. It has 
  not been pre-programmed with 
  a destination, and activating it 
  requires bypassing the security.
  Heroes might also wonder (or 
  you could tell them) that Prestige 
  usually works only with the 
  Masters of Mayhem, and you 
  could give the Heroes brief bios 
  of the other members of the 
  team, and knowing Prestige’s 
  predilection for the dramatic, they 
  may likely wonder what is up.
  What is Prestige’s plan?
  He will show up, with Mime, and 
  begin setting up for his grand 
  illusion.
  Deadeye will be in a boat in the 
  harbor, keeping an eye on this.
  Does Prestige have the right 
  permits, etc.? No? Yes? The point 
  of this is that he needs to create a 
  distraction. 
  Once either the gig is up, or he 
  covers Lady Liberty in cloth, he 
  will step behind the cloth himself 
  with Mime, and teleport away, 
  over to Deadeye, picking him up 
  and making their way to their 
  secret base.
  
  150
  Issues
  From there, they will enter the 
  secret room, don their space 
  suits, and activate the teleporter, 
  heading down to Florida.
  What is Happening in the 
  Sunshine State?
  The Masters of Mayhem who are 
  preparing to board the shuttle 
  have been busy as well. 
  The Mathemagician has been 
  working on an override, which will 
  allow him to override any security 
  protocols in place once they get 
  aboard the shuttle. Scarab and 
  Supermodel have secured the 
  equipment they will need to knock 
  off a chunk of the asteroid to 
  get it aboard the shuttle. They 
  have their space suits. Getting 
  aboard the shuttle itself will not 
  be overly diffi cult, as there are so 
  many people around pre-launch, 
  they will disguise themselves as 
  offi cials of some sort, and when 
  the time is right, they will make 
  their move and board.
  They have set themselves up a 
  short distance from the launch 
  site, their secret base is simply 
  a ranch house, and most of their 
  equipment is in the basement.
  When and if Prestige and 
  company are able to join them, 
  they will teleport to the launch 
  site and Prestige is counting on 
  his actual magical abilities to 
  grant them access.
  What Happens if They are 
  Able to Get Into Space?
  They will divert the shuttle to the 
  asteroid, break a chunk off, load it 
  in the storage bay, and head back 
  to Earth.
  Won’t that make fi nding them 
  easy?
  Yes and no.
  Finding them? Sure. An object 
  entering Earth’s atmosphere will 
  certainly be monitored.
  Will Heroes try and board the 
  shuttle on re-entry? They could. It 
  will be moving very fast, and very 
  hot due to re-entry. There will be 
  lots of G-Forces at play here.
  So the Heroes let them land?
  If the Masters of Mayhem are able 
  to land where they want, they will 
  have an escape plan- a vehicle 
  waiting for them, and are more 
  than happy to fi ght their way to 
  freedom.
  If the shuttle lands elsewhere, 
  Prestige has his magic to fall 
  back on, Scarab’s amulet also 
  can prove to be a wildcard (How 
  do you think the pyramids were 
  built? Moving a big ton of space 
  rock with the power of the amulet 
  should not be an issue!). Again, 
  the Villains will be happy to throw 
  down, and attempt their escape. 
  They might even relish this 
  opportunity.
  
  151
  What could go wrong, and why 
  are some parts of this Issue so 
  vague?
  Make this Issue your own. The 
  background and NPCs are here for 
  you. Read through the Issue, wrap 
  your head around the background, 
  get inside the head of the Villains, 
  and do with it what you will. Maybe 
  you want to use your own Villains? 
  Maybe you want to set it in Paris 
  (the Eiffel Tower disappearing 
  would also be spectacular). Maybe 
  you see a flaw in the Villains plan. 
  You could either fix this hole in the 
  plan, or let the Heroes discover it 
  as well. Maybe you want Prestige’s 
  NYC-based secret hideout far more 
  elaborate. Envision it and describe it. 
  A superhero story is not an 
  exercise in tactical elements. It 
  is not a matter of “They can’t 
  do that because it isn’t in the 
  rulebook.” Heroes and Villains 
  do unexpected things all the 
  time, it is part of the appeal of 
  the genre. Be prepared for this 
  and encourage creativity, let the 
  Heroes drive the story.
  Maybe your Heroes capture 
  Prestige and coax the truth out 
  of him, and head off to Florida. 
  Okay, so it will be a short Issue. 
  That is all right.
  Maybe the Heroes are unable to 
  stop the Villains at all, and their 
  plan goes off without a hitch. This 
  would be a perfect example of the 
  Editor explaining what happened 
  behind the scenes to the players, 
  to let them know how it all went 
  down.
  One thing to keep in mind, in 
  superhero comicbooks: The 
  Heroes do not always beat the 
  Villains into submission in the 
  first act. This runs counter to 
  most other roleplaying games. 
  The stories told in comicbooks are 
  designed to set up the conflict, 
  skirmish first, and prepare for the 
  inevitable final showdown. Killing 
  all the opponents, looting their 
  bodies, and moving on to the 
  next 10x10 room can be a very 
  fun gaming experience. But it is 
  counter to the narrative tradition 
  of comicbooks. 
  But, this is your game, and the 
  story of your Heroes and Villains. 
  Maybe you and your players 
  are shaking up the superhero 
  comicbook status quo. Go for it! 
  Tell the stories you want to tell. 
  
  152
  Appendix
  Afterword 
  Another superhero roleplaying game?
  Yes.
  Why?
  I love superheroes, and I love supers 
  RPGs. I have a bookshelf fi lled with them. 
  Finding people who love and embrace 
  both can be diffi cult. Several years 
  ago, I was fortunate enough to be able 
  to run a supers campaign. When my 
  players started submitting their character 
  concepts, I realized something. None of 
  the games I had really were able to do 
  what I wanted. I have spent many hours 
  playing and running superhero RPGs, and 
  I do indeed have systems I really like, but 
  my goal this time was to run a game that 
  felt like a comicbook. 
  Many of the games seemed to suffer 
  from what I would describe as “square 
  peg, round hole syndrome.” They were 
  great systems, but were not designed 
  to make a roleplaying session feel like a 
  comic book. They were rule-sets that had 
  been designed to create superpowered 
  characters. Combats took too long, 
  were too tactical, and there were too 
  many absolutes. If one character has 
  “Invulnerability 70”, a character with 
  “Attack 50” will be unable to do anything 
  to them. And too often, combats will just 
  break down into an exercise designed to 
  whittle one character down to the point of 
  unconsciousness. Each round of combat 
  was often the same, a character uses their 
  best attack, rolls to hit, and does damage. 
  And what about Superman and Batman? 
  They frequently “adventure” together, and 
  from a statistical standpoint, everyone 
  knows Supes is way more powerful than 
  Bats. Playing the character who is so much 
  weaker is just not fun. So, how to solve 
  this problem?
  I wanted a system that emulated 
  comicbooks. Not a system that presented 
  a character as a collection of stats that one 
  player could compare to another. I wanted 
  to have Hawkeye fi ghting alongside Cap 
  and Thor.
  Capes, Cowls & Villains Foul was designed 
  to emulate comicbooks. It is a toolkit for 
  individuals who are fans of comicbooks 
  fi rst, and happen to already be gamers, or 
  who might want to try out this thing called 
  roleplaying. It will empower both the 
  players and the gamemaster to have all 
  the fun and excitement a comicbook writer 
  has when drafting the latest monthly tale 
  of a spandex-clad crusader for justice.
  I do not think Capes, Cowls and Villains 
  Foul is better than any other supers game, 
  but I think it is a game designed to craft 
  a certain type of interactive experience. 
  For the record, I like Mutants and 
  Masterminds (First Edition holds an edge 
  over later editions), Brave New World, 
  Aberrant, Marvel Saga, and Wild Talents, 
  and have run and played all of them, and 
  will continue to do so. But for my current 
  group, Capes, Cowls and Villains Foul is 
  my game of choice. 
  I hope you fi nd something you like within 
  this pages, and that you give it a try, and 
  maybe it fi nds a place on your bookshelf.
  - Barak Blackburn
  
  153
  Glossary 
  ACTION SCENE (pgs. 77-78)
  A Scene in an Issue, where there 
  is  likely to be some fighting. 
  There will likely be numerous 
  Action Scenes in an Issue.
  AUTO-DEFEND (pgs. 12, 100)
  A bonus to a Trait that allows a 
  character to completely avoid an 
  “attack” without having to roll any 
  dice, or Use any Traits.
  BENEFIT DICE (pgs.12, 15, 73-74)
  Extra dice added to a roll, character 
  will keep the highest die rolled.
  BIG HIT (pg. 77)
  When an “attack” beats the 
  Threshold of the character, 
  the character will be Out Of 
  Commission.
  BONUS DICE (pgs. 89-90)
  Extra dice added to a roll, Bonus 
  Dice allow a player to keep 
  multiple dice and add them 
  together.
  COMPLICATIONS (pgs. 32-35)
  The flaws of a character, the 
  parts of their makeup, physically, 
  mentally, or emotionally, that 
  make their life difficult, and 
  ultimately, memorable and 
  interesting.
  CONTESTED SCENE (pg. 79)
  A Scene where two characters are 
  trying to do the same thing.
  CRITICAL HIT (pg. 76)
  A 12 is rolled on a die, a Critical 
  Hit allows a character to double 
  the Primary Trait and add it to the 
  roll.
  DETRIMENT DICE (pgs. 73-74)
  Dice added to a roll, Detriment 
  Dice require a player to keep the 
  lowest die rolled, usually acquired 
  when a Trait is Used frequently in 
  a Scene.
  EDITOR
  The Gamemaster, the individual 
  responsible for creating the 
  outline of an Issue.
  EDITORIAL CONTROL (pgs. 27-
  31, 93-96, 100-101)
  A resource that allows characters 
  to exert some control over an 
  Issue.
  EXTENDED SCENE (pg. 78)
  The Scene that happens in an 
  Barak’s Acknowledgements
  For my love of comicbooks: My dad, who had a copy of Defenders lying around.
  Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Gerber
  For this game: My gaming group, who happily (I hope) played and helped tweak, playtest, and 
  were patient as the game came together: Amy, Ellie, the Jen, Kate, Lynx, and Jim, even though 
  real-life obligations took him out of the mix, he was still instrumental in my desire to make this 
  game. And also, he Playtesters, with whom as a sounding board many ideas flourished, and 
  many ideas were killed, and all of them refined. Also, ConBust 2010, a room full of players who 
  never played the game got the chance to play in the full, complete version of the adventure that 
  became Mayhem at the Mall, hope you all had as much fun as I did during Dance With the Devil’s 
  Daughter. And lastly, Cynthia, who made the game that gave birth to CC&VF, and her love of 
  comics!
  
  154
  Appendix
  Issue outside of the Action 
  Scenes.
  FACTOIDS (pg.36)
  The background information 
  that helps quickly defi ne a 
  character outside of the Traits and 
  Complications.
  FUMBLE (pg. 76)
  When a natural 1 is rolled, it is 
  always a miss, but a character 
  must still determine their total, 
  to see if they will subject to a Big 
  Hit.
  INCAPACITATE (pg. 14)
  A bonus added to a Trait, 
  allowing a Trait to be used to 
  deal non-lethal damage, as it 
  were, to grapple, ensnare, daze, 
  incapacitate, etc.
  ISSUE
  An evening spent playing Capes, 
  Cowls and Villains Foul.
  LINK (pgs. 14-15, 73)
  A bonus added to a Trait, that 
  allows a Trait to be Used in 
  conjunction with another Trait.
  OUT OF COMMISSION (pg. 77)
  When a character is no longer 
  active in a scene, either by taking 
  4 Setback Tokens (or less, as 
  appropriate, for some Villains), or 
  being subject to a Big Hit.
  REFRESH (pg. 78)
  Every Scene, all of a character’s 
  Usages and Setback Tokens 
  Refresh. 
  (s) (pg. 14-15)
  The notation for a Secondary Trait.
  SECONDARY TRAIT (pgs. 14-15)
  A Trait Used to Link to another 
  Trait in a roll, increasing the 
  overall effectiveness of the Trait 
  and the roll. A Secondary Trait will 
  be noted with (s) following the 
  TRAIT NAME (s).
  SETBACK TOKENS (pgs. 8, 76-
  77, 92-93)
  The “health” of a character 
  in a Scene, player-characters 
  will be able to take 4 Setback 
  Tokens before they are Out Of 
  Commission.
  SIGNATURE TRAIT (pgs. 12, 15, 
  16)
  A Trait that can be Used multiple 
  times before accumulating 
  Detriment Dice.
  THRESHOLD (pgs. 27, 77)
  How easily a character is subject 
  to a Big Hit. 
  TIERS (pg. 11)
  Traits are categorized by their 
  Rank: Human, Superhuman, and 
  Cosmic.
  TRAITS (pgs. 10-11, 11-22)
  The primary building blocks of a 
  character, indicating what they can 
  do, and how well they can do it.
  USAGE (pgs. 72-73)
  When a Trait is Used during a 
  Scene, this Usage is recorded, 
  and the Trait likely becomes less 
  effective. 
  
  155
  A Quick Reference Chart for Some Standard Trait Costs
  Trait 
  Rating:
  Signature 
  x1:
  Signature 
  x2:
  Power-up or 
  Diminishing 
  Signature x1:
  Power-up or 
  Diminishing 
  Signature x2:
  Linked:
  1
  3
  5
  4
  7
  +2
  2
  4
  6
  5
  8
  +2
  3
  5
  7
  6
  9
  +2
  4
  6
  8
  7
  10
  +2
  5
  10
  14
  12
  18
  +4
  6
  12
  16
  14
  20
  +4
  7
  14
  18
  16
  22
  +4
  8
  16
  20
  18
  24
  +4
  9
  22
  28
  25
  34
  +6
  10
  26
  32
  29
  38
  +6
  11
  30
  36
  33
  42
  +6
  12
  34
  40
  37
  46
  +6
  13
  39
  45
  42
  51
  +6
  14
  44
  50
  47
  56
  +6
  15
  49
  55
  52
  61
  +6
  16
  54
  60
  57
  66
  +6
  17
  59
  65
  62
  71
  +6
  18
  64
  70
  67
  76
  +6
  Bonuses:
  Auto-Defend: 3
  Hint: 3
  Incapacitate: 2
  Situational Boost: 2
  Versatile: 3/ Defined Aspect
  Restrictions:
  Disadvantage: -2
  Editorial Choice: -1/ -2/ -4
  Fickle: -2/ -4/ -8
  Not-A-Finisher: -1
  One-Shot: -3
  Only When the Chips Are Down: 
  -2/ -4/ -8
  Situational Setback: -2
  Character Creation Cheat Sheet
  Step One: Determine number of Design Points (pgs. 9-10)
  Step Two: Create/Purchase Traits and Modifiers (pgs. 10-26)
  Step Three: Figure up Editorial Control (pgs. 27-31)
  Step Four: Determine Threshold (pg. 27)
  Step Five: Create Complications (pgs. 32-36) 
  Step Six: Create Factoids (pgs. 36-37)
  
  156
  Appendix
  Editorial Control Cheat Sheet
  Editorial Control Options
  For Heroes
  EC 
  Spent:
  Effect:
  1
  Re-Roll
  1
  Counter-Attack
  1
  Recover
  1
  Save the Innocent!
  2
  Avoid Insta-Defeat
  2
  Editorial Twist
  3
  Creative Control
  Random Editorial Twists
  1st 
  D12:
  2nd 
  D12:
  Editorial Twist:
  1-6
  1
  Adulation/Condemnation
  2
  Break the Fourth Wall
  3
  Clone?!?
  4
  Combatus Interruptus
  5
  Combo
  6
  Distraction
  7
  Editorial Favorite
  8
  Extra-Dimensional Pest
  9
  Great Shot
  10
  Ignore Complication
  11
  Mega-Link
  12
  New Power
  7-12
  1
  Opening a Can
  2
  Power Swap
  3
  Recharge
  4
  Reconfi guring
  5
  Rotten Luck
  6
  Sacrifi ce
  7
  Spatial Displacement
  8
  Spotlight
  9
  Surprise Appearance
  10
  Surge
  11
  Take Cover
  12
  Temporal Hiccup
  Editorial Control Options
  For Villains
  EC 
  Spent:
  Effect:
  1
  Re-Roll
  1
  Counter-Attack
  1
  Recover
  1
  Save the Innocent!
  1
  Recharge
  2
  Avoid Insta-Defeat
  2
  Editorial Twist
  2
  Villainous Trick
  3
  Creative Control
  
  157
  Miscellaneous Cheat Sheet
  Ganging Up Chart
  No. of Additional 
  Attackers:
  Benefit	
  Dice & Roll 
  Modifier:
  +1 (2 total)
  +1d12
  +2 (3 total)
  +1d12+1
  +3 (4 total)
  +1d12+2
  +4 (5 total)
  +1d12+3
  +5 (6 total)
  +2d12
  +6 (7 total)
  +2d12+1
  +7 (8 total)
  +2d12+2
  +8 (9 total)
  +2d12+3
  +9 (10 total)
  +3d12
  +10 (11 total)
  +3d12+1
  +11 (12 total)
  +3d12+2
  +12 or more
  +3d12+3
  Multiple Opponents Chart
  No. of Additional 
  Opponents / 
  Characters Being 
  Defended:
  Detriment 
  Dice & Roll 
  Modifier:
  +1 (2 total)
  -1d12
  +2 (3 total)
  -1d12-1
  +3 (4 total)
  -1d12-2
  +4 (5 total)
  -1d12-3
  +5 (6 total)
  -2d12
  +6 (7 total)
  -2d12-1
  +7 (8 total)
  -2d12-2
  +8 (9 total)
  -2d12-3
  +9 (10 total)
  -3d12
  +10 (11 total)
  -3d12-1
  +11 (12 total)
  -3d12-2
  +12 or more
  -3d12-3
  Pushing Chart
  Setback 
  Token:
  Die:
  1st or 2nd
  +1 die to result
  3rd
  +2 dice, +1 die to result
  4th
  +3 dice, +1 die to result
  
  Trait:
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Trait: 
  Modifiers:
  Points:
  Rank
  Link
  Complications:
  Factoids:
  Threshold
  Design Points
  Background:
  Name:                                                           
  Secret ID:                                                      
  Height:             Weight:             Gender:           
  Affiliation:                                                     
  Player’s Name:                                              
  Unspent
  Total
  Base Editorial Control
  Character Sheet
  Copyright Spectrum Games 2012. Permission granted to reproduce for personal use.
  
  Trait:
  Usage Sheet:
  Action
  Extended
  Contested
  Action
  Extended
  Contested
  Action
  Extended
  Contested
  Action
  Extended
  Contested
  Action
  Extended
  Contested
  Action
  Extended
  Contested
  Action
  Extended
  Contested
  Action
  Extended
  Contested
  A
  C
  E
  A
  C
  E
  A
  C
  E
  A
  C
  E
  Setback Tokens
  Editorial Control:
  Trait:
  Usage Sheet:
  Action
  Extended
  Contested
  Action
  Extended
  Contested
  Action
  Extended
  Contested
  Action
  Extended
  Contested
  Action
  Extended
  Contested
  Action
  Extended
  Contested
  Action
  Extended
  Contested
  Action
  Extended
  Contested
  A
  C
  E
  A
  C
  E
  A
  C
  E
  A
  C
  E
  Setback Tokens
  Editorial Control:
  Character Name:                                                
  Character Name:                                                
  Copyright Spectrum Games 2012. Permission granted to reproduce for personal use.
  
  #-A
  12-Sided Die/Dice  6, 72
  Abilities  see Traits 
  Action Scene  74, 76-78, 80, 146, 153
  Additional Attackers  86, 157
  Adulation/Condemnation  29
  Afterburn  40-41
  Afterword  152 
  Americana  48
  Appendix  152-157
  Archenemy  34
  Assisting an Ally  89 
  Attacker  7, 74-76 
  Attacking  see Attacker, Action Scenes 
  Attacking Multiple Opponents  88-89, 157 
  Auto-Defend  12, 22, 76, 100
  Average  see Human, Zero-Level Traits
  Avoid Insta-Defeat  28-29, 156
  B
  Background Traits  24
  Bad Guys  see Villains
  base  see Shared Trait (headquarters)
  Benefit Dice  12, 13, 73-74 
  Benefit Die  12, 15, 74, 87, 90
  Big Hit  76-77
  Big Speech  95
  Bonus Dice  89-90
  Bonus Die  89-90
  Bonuses  12-17, 22
  Boy Frog  49
  Break the Fourth Wall  29
  Breaker  50
  Brick  see Super-Strength
  C
  Careers  see Background Traits,   
   
     Professional Traits
  Character  9-71 (also see Character       
     Design, Heroes and Villains) 
  Character Creation  see Character Design 
  Character Creation Cheat Sheet  155
  Character Design  9-46  
  Character Generation  see Character Design
  Check(s)  see Trait roll, Die-Rolling Essentials
  C-Listers  96-97
  Clone  96
  Clone?!? Robot Body?!? Disappearance?!? 29
  Clones/Duplicates  25  
  Code of Honor  36
  Combat  see Action Scenes 
  Combatus Interruptus  29
  Combinations  see Link, Linking
  Combo  29
  Combo Attacks  87 
  Combos  see Link, Linking; the “Combo”  
     Editorial Twist is on pg. 29
  Complications  9, 18, 32-36, 40-41 (also  
     see Complications of Heroes and Villains,   
     pgs. 48-71)
  Contested Scene  8, 21, 77, 79 (definition),  
     84, 99
  Copying a Power  26
  Cosmic  11-12, 14, 19-20, 24 (also see  
     Signatures, Links, Tiers)
  Cosmic Ranks  see Tiers
  Counter-Attack  28, 156
  Creative Control  31, 156
  Critical Hit  76
  Crossovers  100-101
  D
  Damage  see Setback Tokens, Out of  
     Commission
  Deadeye  51
  Death Spiral Tokens  105
  Death Star  53
  Deathstalker  52
  Declaration  81, 88 (see also Initiative, 
  Action Scenes)
  Defeat  see Out of Commission, Avoid  
     Insta-Defeat, Setback Tokens
  Defeated  see Out of Commission 
  Defender  7, 75-76
  Defending  76-77, 81, 87-88, 91 
  Defending Others  81, 87-88 
  Defense  76-77
  Defined Aspect  17 
  Definitive  19-20
  Definitive Traits  24
  Design Points  10, 22 (also see Trait Costs)
  Detriment Dice  11-12, 14-16, 73-74, 86,  
     88-89, 109, 157 
  Detriment Die  28, 88, 109
  Dice  6, 72
  Die-Rolling Essentials  72-76 
  Difficulties  83-84
  Difficulty Levels  see Difficulties 
  Difficulty Numbers  see Difficulties 
  Diminishing Signature  12-13
  Disadvantage  17-18, 22
  Distraction  29
  Dr. Moonlight  54, 114-138
  Master Index
  
  E
  EC  27-31
  Ed. Note (Editorial Note)  9, 12, 15, 18,  
     20, 21, 34, 37, 46, 56 (Lillith only), 75,   
     77, 81, 84, 88, 90, 145, 146
  Editor  6, 9-10, 72 (also see Editorial  
     Control, and Chapters 3 and 4 in their  
     entirety)
  Editorial Choice  18, 22, 155
  Editorial Control (EC)  27-31
  Editorial Control As Reward  98
  Editorial Control Options for Heroes  156 
  Editorial Control Options for Villains  156 
  Editorial Dice Rolling  99
  Editorial Favorite  29
  Editorial Twist  29-31
  Enhanced  see Superhuman
  Equipment  24 
  Example of Play  114-139
  Experience Points (XP)  36, 98, 109-110
  Extended Scene  8, 21, 76, 78-79, 84-85
  Extra-Dimensional Pest  29
  F
  Factoids  36-37 (also see the Factoids of 
  Heroes and Villains, 48-71)
  Feats  see Traits, Action Scenes, Usages, Links
  Fickle  18, 22, 155
  Fighting  see Action Scenes, Contested  
     Scenes
  Fights  see Action Scenes, attacking,  
     defending
  Fire  20, 24
  Fleeing the Scene  99
  Fumble  76
  G
  Gadgeteer  see Gadgets
  Gadgets  24, 49, 69 (also see Versatile)
  Game Master  see Editor
  Ganging Up  86-87, 157 
  Gear  24
  Geek Grrrl  55
  Gestalt  see Shared Trait
  Glossary  153-154 
  GM  see Editor
  Good  see Traits, Ranks, Heroes
  Good Guys  see Heroes, PCs
  Great Shot  30
  H
  Headquarters  see Shared Trait  
  Healing  25
  Henchmen  27, 29, 93 
  Hero  5-10, 38-41, 48-50, 52, 54-55,  
     59-61, 64, 67, 69-71 (also see      
     Character Design) 
  Heroes and Villains  48-71
  Heroes in Training  102-103, 110
  Hint  13, 22, 155
  HQ  see Shared Trait
  Human  11-12 (also see Standard Traits) 
  Human Ranks  see Tiers
  I
  Ignore Complication  30
  Immunity  see Definitive, and Definitive  
     Traits 
  Incapacitate  14, 22, 155
  Incapacitated  14, 26 
  Incapacitating Traits  24
  Initiative  80-83, 86-89, 108
  Introduction  5-8 
  Invulnerability  see Definitive, Super- 
     Toughness, 66 (Slavedriver)
  Issue  8, 27, 72, 77-79, and Chapter 6 in  
     its entirety
  K
  Kaboom!  95
  Killing Damage  104-105 
  L
  Lackeys  93
  Leader  see Ganging Up, Team-Ups, Master  
     Villain
  Levels  see Ranks, Tiers 
  Lillith  56
  Link  6-8, 14 (the Link Bonus), 22, 155
  Linked  see Link 
  Linked Trait  see Link
  Linking  14-15, 75, 83, 98 
  Live-Action Issue  105-108 
  Live-Action Superheroes  105-108  
  Long-Term Injuries  103-104 
  M
  Magic  see Versatile, Versatile Traits,  
     Professor Prestige 
  Magical Body Transference  96
  Magician  see Versatile, Professor Prestige,  
     Mathemagician 
  Master Villain  94-96 (also see Professor  
     Prestige)
  Mathemagician, The  57
  Mega-Link  30
  Mental Hang-Up  34
  Mime  58
  Mind Control  25-26 
  Minions  93
  Modifiers  11-22, 155
  
  Monolith  59
  Moon Girl  60
  Multiple Attackers  see Ganging Up
  Multiple Attacks  see Attacking Multiple  
     Opponents, Linking
  Multiple Opponents  88-89 
  Multiple Opponents Chart  89, 157
  Muse  61
  N
  Natural 1  76 
  Natural 12  76
  New Power!?!?  30
  Non-Player Characters  27, 32, 92-94 
  Normal  see Human, Standard Traits,  
     Zero-Level Traits 
  Not-A-Finisher  18-19, 22, 155
  NPC  27, 32, 92-94 (also see Villains,  
     Henchmen, and Editorial Control)
  O
  Occupation  see Factoids, Background  
     Traits, Professional Traits 
  One-Shot  19
  Only When the Chips Are Down  19
  Opening a Can  30
  Opposed Scenes  see Contested Scene
  Opposed Trait rolls  72-76, 78-79
  Options  98-113 
  Out of Commission  28, 34, 36, 77     
     (Definition), 96, 104, 106, 153-154
  P
  PC  see Player-Character
  Penalties  83, 85-86, 88-89
  Player  6, 8 (also see Heroes, Player- 
     Character)
  Player-Character  9-46 (Character       
     Design); also see Editorial Control,   
     Templates
  Plug and Play  see Templates 
  Points  see Design Points, Editorial Control
  Power Swap  30
  Powers  23-26 (also see Traits)
  Power-Up Signature  15
  Pre-deconstructionist superheroics  78  
     (also see Villains, Issues, Introduction)
  Primary Trait  15, 73, 76 (also see      
     Example of Play)
  Professional Traits  24
  Professor Prestige  62
  Pushing  89-90
  Q
  Quick Reference Chart for Some Standard  
     Trait Costs  22, 155
  R
  Random Editorial Twists  31, 156 
  Ranks  11-12
  Rat King, The  63
  Rating  see Rank
  Recharge  30
  Recharge (Villains only)  94 
  Reconfiguring  30
  Recover  28, 156
  Red Phoenix  64
  Redshirts  93
  Regulated Signature  16
  Re-Roll  28, 156
  Restrictions  17-19, 22, 156
  Robotic Double  96 
  Roleplaying  see Complications, Factoids,  
     Options (particularly pg. 98) 
  Roleplaying Game  see System, Issue,  
     Options 
  Rolls  see Die-Rolling Essentials, Opposed  
     Trait rolls, Re-Roll, Fickle
  Rotten Luck  30
  Round  79, 81-82, 88-89, 108-109 (also  
     see Initiative, Example of Play)
  Roundie  54, 115-138
  RPG  see Roleplaying Game
  Running the Game  see Editor, Issue
  S
  Sacrifice  30
  Sample Characters  38-41 (Afterburn), 
     48-71 (Heroes and Villains) 
  Sample Traits  24, 48-71
  Save the Innocent!  28, 156
  Scale  see Tiers
  Scarab, The  65
  Scenes  see Action Scene, Contested 
  Scene, Extended Scene
  Secondary Trait  7, 14-15 (Linking), 73, 154
  Secret ID  9, 158 (Character Sheet) 
  Series  5, 20, 99-103 (also see Example  
     of Play) 
  Session  see Issue, Options
  Setback Tokens  8, 32, 36-37, 46, 76-79  
     (definition), 89 (Pushing)
  Shared Trait  20-21 
  Shared Traits (examples)  24
  Sidekicks  24, 26-27, 54 (Roundie), 100
  Signature Trait  12-13, 15-16, 22, 154-155 
  Signatures  12-13, 15-16, 22
  Situational Boost  16-17, 22, 155
  Situational Setback  18-19, 22, 155
  
  Skills  see Traits, especially Professional  
     Traits and Background Traits
  Slavedriver  66
  Spatial Displacement  30
  Special Guest Stars  100-101 
  Speedster  67 (Superball), 83 (Initiative)
  Spotlight  30
  Standard Traits  24
  Static Attacks  108-109 
  Stats  see Traits, Editorial Control, 
     Threshold
  Story-Arc  see Series, Issue, Options
  Summary of Character Design  37 
  Superball  67
  Superhero  see Hero
  Superhuman  11-12
  Superhuman Ranks  see Tiers 
  Super-Intelligence  11, 57 (Mathemagician) 
  Supermodel  68
  Super Power Traits  24-26
  Superpowers  see Super Power Traits (also  
     see Traits in general)
  Super-Speed  17, 67, 89 
  Super-Strength  9, 11, 15, 17, 23-24, 35,  
     53, 58-61, 66, 68, 71
  Super-Toughness  24, 60, 75, 117 
  Surge  30
  Surprise Appearance 30
  Susceptible/ Weakness  34
  System  6-8, 72-91
  T
  Take Cover  30
  Taking the Hit  77
  Talents  see Traits
  Targeting a Trait  90-91
  Team-Ups  100-101 
  Team HQ  see Shared Trait 
  Teaming up  86-87, 100-101 
  Templates  42-45 
  Temporal Hiccup  30
  Terrapin Man  69
  Threshold  27, 76-77, 94, 101, 154
  Tiers  11-12 (also see Signatures, Links)
  Tiger Lord  70
  Trait Cost Table  12
  Trait Guidelines  23-26 
  Trait rolls  72-76
  Trait Usage  see Usage
  Traits  10-12, 22-26 (also see all the Traits  
     of Heroes and Villains, pgs. 48-71)
  Traits as Complications  35
  Trap  95 
  Tricks  see Villainous Tricks, Editorial Twist
  Turn  see Scenes, Rounds, Initiative
  Twelve-Sided Die/Dice  6, 72
  U
  Undefined aspect  17
  Undefined Trait  21-22
  Untrained Trait  see Zero-Level Traits
  Unusual Genre Traits  24
  Usage  7, 12-20 (Bonuses and Restrictions  
     affecting Usages), 23, 33, 37, 46, 72-76  
     (Die-Rolling Essentials), 78-79, 86-87,  
     99, 105-107, 109, 159 (Usage Sheet)
  Usage of a Trait  see Usage
  Usage roll   see Trait roll
  Usage Sheet  46, 159
  Use (verb)  see Usage
  Using a Trait  see Usage 
  V
  Value  see Rank
  Vector  71
  Vehicles  see Equipment, Gear 
  Versatile  17, 22, 38-41
  Versatile Traits  24
  Villainous Escape  94 
  Villainous Tricks  94-96
  Villains  6, 10, 27, 42-45 (Templates), 51,  
     53, 56-58, 62-63, 65-66, 68, 78 
     (Villains Setback Tokens), 80-83 (Villains  
     and Initiative), 92-97 (Villains chapter)
  Villainy  see Villainous Tricks, Villains
  W
  Weakness  see Susceptible/Weakness
  Weapons  see Traits, Equipment, Links
  X-Z
  XP  see Experience Points
  zero-Level Traits  99
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Capes Cowls and Villains Foul/Capes Cowls And Villains Foul (Updated).pdf