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CRedits 1 Authors: Pedro Barrenechea, Walt Ciechanowski, Henry Lopez Cover Artist: Rudy Nurdiawan Interior Artists: Anderson Cabral, Tyler Champion, Lorenzo Fiorini, Katherine Guevera, Sean Izaakse, Pat Loboyko, and Andre’ Siregar. Cartography: Keith Curtis Layout: Ruben Smith-Zempel Art Director: James Beck and Henry Lopez Editors: James Auwaerter, Tony Nijssen, and Eric Wiener Additional Material: Tony Kenealy Rotted Capes Created by: Henry Lopez Team Paradigm: Pedro Barrenechea, Jimmy Beck, Henry Lopez, Nelson Rodriguez, Eric Wiener, and James Zwiers Playtesters: The Miami Playtest Crew, Ruben Veiga, Nice Lopez Gutierrez, Edward Sweeting II, Rob Enyart, Jose Gonzalez All portions of this book are © 2012 - 2013 Paradigm Concepts Publishing, LLC All rights reserved. Rotted Capes, the Rotted Capes logo, and all related marks and images are © 2000 - 2013 Paradigm Concepts Publishing. The mention of, use of or reference to any company, trademark or product in this book is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright in question. Proudly Printed in the U.S.A

Table of Contents 2 Prologue.............................................4 Introduction......................................9 What You Need to Play ............................................... 11 A Glossary of Terms.................................................... 12 The Basics...................................................................... 13 Book One...........................................17 Hero Creation: Making a B-Lister............................. 17 Power Sources .............................................................. 18 Archetypes ................................................................... 20 Hero Advancement...................................................... 21 Disadvantages .............................................................. 21 Personality Flaws ......................................................... 24 Taglines.......................................................................... 27 Attributes ...................................................................... 28 Derived Attributes....................................................... 29 Passive Values............................................................... 30 Burnout Threshold....................................................... 30 The Master Values Table ............................................. 31 Data Points.................................................................... 32 Supporting Cast ........................................................... 32 Skills............................................................................... 33 Skill Sets .................................................................... 34 Starting languages.................................................... 35 Skills in a Fight ........................................................ 37 Social Encounters..................................................... 37 Skill Descriptions ..................................................... 38 Advantages.................................................................... 44 Powers ........................................................................... 51 Power Descriptions...................................................... 55 Power Modifications (Flaws and Perks).................... 70 Gear ............................................................................... 73 Starter Packs.............................................................. 74 Weapons.................................................................... 75 Armor ....................................................................... 78 Tactical Accessories and Sights ............................. 79 First Aid Kits............................................................. 79 Other Equipment .................................................... 80 Vehicles...................................................................... 81 Book Two..........................................83 Combat.......................................................................... 84 Combat Characteristics........................................... 86 Movement ................................................................. 87 Creature Size ............................................................. 89 Actions in Combat................................................... 89 Movement Actions................................................... 90 Attack Actions .......................................................... 90 Other Actions ........................................................... 94 Injury and Death ...................................................... 95 How to injure Zombies............................................ 97 Limiting Conditions ................................................ 98 Vehicles and Mounts ............................................... 99 Attacking and Destroying Objects....................... 101 Running a Rotted Capes Game................................ 102 Sample Diseases...................................................... 104 Encumbrance.......................................................... 104 Falling ...................................................................... 105 Light and Darkness................................................ 105 Hunger and Thirst.................................................. 105 Rest........................................................................... 105 Suffocation and Drowning.................................... 106 Overland Travel...................................................... 106 The Cast................................................................... 106 Threats .................................................................... 107 Animals ................................................................... 108 Zombies................................................................... 110 The Anatomy of a Super Zombie...................... 114 The Psychology of a Super Zombie .................. 114 The Ultra Z’d and its Territorial Nature .......... 116 Book Three......................................120 The World of Rotted Capes....................................... 121 A-Listers and B-Listers.............................................. 122 The Series City............................................................ 122 Glory Days in the City............................................... 125 Paradigm City’s A-Listers...................................... 125 Paradigm B-Listers................................................. 128 Law Enforcement....................................................... 129 The Neighborhood..................................................... 130 City of the Dead ......................................................... 132 Legends and Artifacts................................................ 133 Building Issues ........................................................... 136 Tipping the Balance?................................................. 137 Camp ........................................................................... 138 Gritty ........................................................................... 139 Rotted Capes Tropes.................................................. 140 Superhero Tropes ................................................... 142 Zombie Horror Tropes.......................................... 143 The Real Villains ........................................................ 144 Enclaves....................................................................... 145 Enclave Size............................................................. 146 Government............................................................ 148 Types of Government ............................................ 150 The Laws of the Enclave ........................................ 151 Entertainment......................................................... 152 Drama.......................................................................... 153 Relationships .............................................................. 154 Issues............................................................................ 156 Heroes and Villains........................161 Table of Contents

INtroduction 4 Monday, Vancouver, Canada: Mike’s reactions were too slow; the sound of the door closing behind him and the click of the latch reached him a second before he reached the door. “Hell!” His voice echoed around the alley. “How many times do I need to tell them to fix that damn door?” He threw the trash bag he was carrying at the dumpster in disgust. Now he was going to have to walk around to the front to get back into the bar. Picking up the discarded trash bag, he lifted the lid of the dumpster just as something moving caught the corner of his eye. “Come on man, how many times have we told you that you can’t sleep here?” Mike walked round the dumpster, sure that he would find one of the homeless guys who regularly slept in the alley. What he saw was certainly not what he expected. There was a body lying on the ground and a figure was kneeling beside it; his head was moving feverishly from side to side across the torso beneath him, gouging at the flesh with his teeth. As Mike approached, the frenzy ceased and the figure swung around. At the terrifying sight that was now before him, Mike stopped abruptly and took a step back. “My God - what the hell..!” Sores potholed the entire surface of what was just recognizable as a face; the skin ripped and peeling, the eyes red and hollow. But it was the mouth that brought bile to his throat, the mouth and those teeth, dripping with blood and chunks of … Mike took a deep breath as he struggled with the waves of nausea. The figure staggered upright and began to move with an awkward shambling movement, its arms and body swaying. Mike took another step backwards and crashed into the side of the dumpster, losing his footing and falling heavily to the ground. Gasping for breath, he scrambled backwards, as the nightmare stumbled onwards getting closer and closer. Suddenly, something flew over Mike and hit the creature full in the chest. It slammed backwards and crumpled against the wall as a figure, clothed in black body armor, pirouetted in mid-air and landed, feet first in front of a startled Mike. As the new arrival turned to face him, over his shoulder Mike could see the thing starting to regain its feet. “RUN, NOW!” Mike scrambled to his feet and ran. ◆ ◆ ◆ “This is WNBS News at 10 pm: A man is in police custody in Vancouver tonight after the discovery of the body of a homeless person. Unconfirmed reports suggest the victim showed signs of multiple bite marks on his body. The names of neither the suspect nor the victim have been released and no other witnesses have come forward at this time.” ◆ ◆ ◆ Thursday, Atlanta, North America “Honey, mute the TV, I heard something.” Carrie-Anne threw a cushion at Martin who was slumped in his favorite chair, eyes shut, supposedly watching TV. “What? What’s the matter…?” Martin pressed the mute button on the remote. “I heard something, sounds like next door.” “It’s probably just Jacob dropping something in the kitchen.” “He could have fallen over. We ought to take a look. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen him since the day before yesterday. I hope he’s alright, maybe he’s hurt or something?” Carrie-Anne was already at the door of their apartment. “I’ll come with you.” said Martin, reluctantly getting up off the couch. As they approached the door to Jacob’s apartment, Martin in the lead with Carrie-Anne following close behind, they heard a loud crash come from inside. “My God, he could be hurt,” cried Carrie-Anne as she pushed past Martin to reach the door first, grabbing the key from his hand. Jacob had given them his spare key in case of emergencies - an 82-year old living alone and not very steady on his feet could never be too careful. Carrie-Anne opened the door. “Jacob. It’s Carrie-Anne and Martin from next door. Are you okay?” The vile smell that assaulted her nostrils almost choked her as she gasped to catch her breath, putting her hands to her mouth to try and block out the obnoxious stench. “Wow, what’s that awful smell? Did something die in here?” Martin stopped in the doorway, his hand over his nose and mouth. The room was almost in darkness with just a faint light from the half-open bedroom door adding to the glow from the city outside as it crept between the blinds on the windows. The room was a mess with stuff everywhere. Carrie-Anne Prologue

Introduction 5 stepped carefully over a small over-turned table just inside the front door. At that moment, the bedroom door swung open and Jacob staggered into the room: arms outstretched, hands clawing the air as he reached toward the startled couple standing there. For a split second, Martin froze, not believing what he saw. Then he turned to run, tripped and lay sprawled on the floor. In an instant, Jacob threw himself on him, his teeth ripping at the skin of his throat. Carrie-Anne was rooted to the spot in fear for what seemed like hours, a silent scream caught in her throat, as Jacob turned toward her, already in search of fresh meat… ◆ ◆ ◆ Monday, Paradigm City, North America The elevator bumped to a stop when it reached the basement level of the Paradigm Metropolitan Hospital. The doors slowly opened and the cold air rushed in, sending shivers across the skin of the two security guards inside. They looked nervously into the dark corridor of the hospital morgue where only the red glow of the emergency lights cast their red hue. The crackle of a radio broke through the silence. “Hey Charlie, can you see anything down there? Something must have spooked that porter.” “Keep it down. You scared the crap out of us,” Charlie whispered, for some reason feeling that he had to keep his voice low. “I’m sure there’s nothing down here, nothing living anyway. Just an over-active imagination got the better of him.” A metallic creak came from beyond the double doors at the end of the corridor. Grabbing their guns, they held them out in front of them, and reluctantly stepped into the shadowed corridor. The lights were on motion sensors and came on one by one as they moved down the corridor. At the end, there were double doors with frosted windows. As they got nearer, there was the sound of crashing metal from beyond the doors. The two men looked at each other. More sounds, like finger-nails raking down a chalkboard and suddenly, the doors swung open and something streaked down the corridor toward them. Charlie instinctively fired. Ralph was not as quick and found himself struck in the chest, lifted off the floor and propelled down the corridor. His body crashed into the elevator doors where he slumped to the floor clutching his stomach. Four long slashes had appeared on his abdomen and blood was spilling out through his clasped hands. Even in his state of fear, Charlie could still notice the terrible stench that now filled the air. As the streak flashed toward him, it coalesced into the form of a man, a man dressed in a blue and yellow costume. But this was no normal man as Charlie looked at it in horror. Its face was covered in rotting cuts and sores and the strange costume was ripped and torn exposing scratches underneath on putrid, rotting skin. And its eyes… deep pools of blood red that drew Charlie in, so compelling that he could not turn away. “Charlie, what’s going on down there? Charlie. Speak to me...” A blue booted foot stamped down on the walkie-talkie. ◆ ◆ ◆ “This is WNBS News at 7 am. For the second time Paradigm City must mourn the loss of the costumed hero, the Blue Bolt. Less than twenty-four hours after the speedster was brutally killed by what witnesses have described as an angry mob, his body mysteriously disappeared in the early hours of the night from the Paradigm Metropolitan Hospital Morgue. Unconfirmed reports say that two security guards were killed when they stumbled on the body snatchers after an alarm was triggered. In recent days, there has been an alarming increase in the reports of bodies disappearing from funeral homes and morgues across the city and, some sources say, this may be linked to an international gang of body snatchers. As yet there is no official announcement on these incidents. ◆ ◆ ◆ Sunday, Atlanta, Georgia, North America “It’s that speedster – it has to be,” announced Dr. Clarkston to the assembled dignitaries and military officers in the underground chamber, “there’s no other explanation as to how the infection is spreading at over ten times the rate we projected.” “It makes sense,” Senator. “The Blue Bolt’s metabolism needs food, and lots of it, to enable him to achieve the high rates of speed he can travel at. With the infection already having run its course through his body, turning him into some sort of ‘zombie’, he has only two overriding imperatives in his mind – run and feed.” General Morgan slammed his fist onto the table around which some of the brightest physicians and epidemiologists the CDC had at its disposal sat. “I always said that these socalled ‘super-humans’ would be nothing but trouble, but that spineless president of ours handed them medals instead of manacles. Now it looks like they’re about to signal the end of humanity.” “With all due respect, general,” Senator Brock bristled, “these super heroes may be our only hope in staving off extinction. Titan and the Chimera have been sent to stop the Blue Bolt and end his rampage across Amer…”

INtroduction 6 Sirens cut off the Senator as the entire chamber was plunged into darkness only to be illuminated in the harsh red glow of emergency lighting. “This is Morgan,” the general yelled into the room’s communicator. “What is going on up there? Report, mister!” “Sir,” came a trembling voice over the sound of machine gun fire. “The perimeter has been breached. Sir – there’s hundreds of them pouring in fast!” “How the hell did they break through the reinforced steel doors? They may dead but they’re only human!” “Sir – there are Supers with them. Dead Supers!” ◆ ◆ ◆ Monday, Paradigm City, North America We interrupt this program to bring you this news bulletin: The Mayor’s Office has just declared a state of emergency throughout Paradigm City due to civil unrest on the streets caused by … is this correct … I can’t report this…no, sir… yes sir…excuse me, ladies and gentlemen…civil unrest on the streets caused mobs of dead people roaming the streets! Could somebody check this information…! I’m sorry… they… they recommend that you stay in your homes. Do not, I repeat do not go outside. Lock your doors and await further instructions. Do not attempt to approach these people. Units from Guidry National Guard Base have been called in to help contain the situation and members of the superhero community are assisting.” ◆ ◆ ◆ Sunday, Central Square, Paradigm City, North America Police cars and National Guard vehicles filled the area around Centennial Park, once a haven for families on hot summer days but now a place of chaos. This was a staging area for Paradigm City’s action against the increasing number of undead incursions. The command post hastily set up in the park dominated by a statue of Sentinel was buzzing with activity. Frantic commands were given, rescinded and given again as city officials and National Guard commanders tried to come to grips with the situation. Sentinel, The Shield, Night Wolf, Nuada, Lady Liberty as well as their side-kicks, Balor and Torch, swept into the command post, a welcome sight in this time of dire need. “Who is in charge here?” Sentinel’s voice cut through the clamor. The small man who turned to face them, the stress in his eyes was palpable, was immediately recognizable to the Heroes. “Mayor Stevens, we are here to help.” “Thank God, Sentinel.” The mayor reached out and grasped Sentinel’s hand, visibly relieved that the costumed heroes were here. “We have patrols of police and National Guard throughout the city, but as soon as we deal with one group, more spring up elsewhere.” A uniformed police officer hurried up to them. “Sir, sir, there are people trapped in Vesper Hall; zombies are trying to get in and nobody can get out. “Mayor, leave this to us.” Sentinel turned to the rest of the group. “Bad time for you and Balor to have come and visited the States, Nuada, but we appreciate the help! Shall we?” “Of course,” answered Nuada and as one, the Protectors moved out of the command post and headed south toward Vesper Hall. ◆ ◆ ◆ Sunday, Vesper Hall, Paradigm City, North America The steps leading up to the front doors of Vesper Hall swarmed with the undead. A National Guard unit was attempting to break through the crowd, swinging rifles like clubs when the undead got too close, but it was a losing battle as there was just too many of them. Sentinel, Nuada and Lady Liberty swooped in; bolts of energy cut a swath through the undead and burnt zombie bodies crumpled and fell under the energy blasts. Night Wolf, in wolf-man form, charged into the throng and let loose; each clawed hand slashing with such force that most were either decapitated or disemboweled. The Shield joined the fight, pushing her force field to its maximum, driving through the throng and pushing zombies aside like a snow plough through freshly fallen snow. Torch, sheathed in fire, targeted zombies with bolts of flame, picking off individual targets. Lastly, Balor’s eye beams shot at the undead horde with pinpoint accuracy and though he lacked his mentor’s raw power, he compensated for it by picking his targets with the skill of a born strategist. The National Guard and the police concentrated their shots on the nearby subway entrance, trying to stem the tide of reinforcements. For a few moments the battle seemed to be turning in favor of the living, but a sudden swing of the crowd seemed to engulf the Protectors as they battled their way toward those trapped inside. Night Wolf went down as a wave of zombies swarmed over him, biting and scratching at his toughened skin. He braced himself on the ground, straining muscles beyond human limits and pushed upwards, scattering zombies in all directions. “Let’s get to the entrance,” yelled Sentinel. Sentinel, Nuada and Lady Liberty flew down to the front of Vesper Hall, blasting undead in a burst of combined energy. Relieved of the pressure of the zombies holding them

Introduction 7 shut, the doors of the concert hall swung open and terrified concertgoers flooded outside. “Stay back. Wait until we have made it safe!” Sentinel screamed at the crowd. Lady Liberty tried frantically to gain control of the stampeding mass, to no avail as she leapt into the air to avoid being trampled. Shield fought her way inside as the last of the stampede cleared. Looking around at the chaos in the lobby, she could hear screams from inside the theatre. Sentinel landed before the doors and stopped the two sidekicks. “Listen to me. I know you both want to rush in there and help, but the rest of us can handle what’s in there. I need you two to coordinate with the police and get as many of these innocents to safety.” Seeing the two young heroes stare incredulously at Sentinel, Nuada smiled and said. “Remember – our first priority must always be in saving the lives of the bystanders! That’s even more important than battling the bad guys!” Crestfallen, but already helping the injured towards the police, Torch mumbled, “Yeah, but not as much fun.” Screams erupted from within Vesper Hall. “There are people still inside,” the Shield yelled as she ran toward the auditorium. The sight that greeted her would haunt her forever. All around the theater, everywhere was littered with bodies; people in evening dress and tuxedos torn to pieces, others untouched, but still deathly still. Looking toward the stage, Shield saw a gaping hole in the back wall through which zombies staggered and crawled, swaying and stumbling their way onto the stage. While the Protectors had been outside trying to clear a path through the horde, the undead had been breaking through from the rear. Screams could be heard high up in the balcony area; human screams, crying out for help. Sentinel swooped into the hall and flew straight up toward the sound. At the back of the balcony, a group of people were cowering in the glass fronted lighting control room. Some were fighting to keep the door closed as zombies clamored to get inside. The low roof was limiting maneuverability, but Sentinel shot forward blasting as he went. He tore up a row of seats, crushing zombies as he swung them like a club. Zombies clawed for the costumed hero as he valiantly fought to get through to those trapped. Below, on the main floor, Shield and the rest of the Protectors battled the zombies coming through the back wall, but for every zombie taken down, three others scrambled through to take their place. In a last ditch attempt to stem the tide, Lady Liberty blasted the wall, bringing down piles of bricks and masonry to block the hole while Shield and Night Wolf pushed anything they could find onto the pile of rubble, hoping for a brief respite. Acting like a lightning rod, Nuada stood in a clear area of the theater and let the Risen Dead come to him; within moments he was under a pile of undead desperately trying to claw, scratch and bite their way through the Irish hero’s force field. Battering them away, Nuada stood for a moment assessing the battlefield and in doing so failed to notice a faint mist pooling around his legs, thickening by the second. Up above, Sentinel gave one last push to clear the way to the lighting control room and free the trapped people. “Move, move! Go down the stairs!” There was no time for pleasantries as Sentinel herded the people out of the small room to the stairs leading to the lobby. Looking toward the stage, he could see the fight to stem the tide of undead was over, for now. But a sound behind him caused him to swing round ready to strike again. “I have waited a long time for this; to wipe that smug look off your face!” The voice came from a large form that had dropped down in front of him; swinging an enormous fist. Sentinel dodged the swing, and swung his own punch, smashing into the face of his attacker with the strength of a locomotive. But this was no ordinary zombie; here there was almost superhuman strength. Covered in blood and scratches, his cape in tatters, Sentinel could make out a costume underneath. “Titan!” he cried out, as he felt the crunch of a stone fist hit his face, finally recognizing his attacker. “So you recognize me now. I wasn’t hero enough for your precious group, but now I am even stronger than ever.” As Titan moved in for the kill, Sentinel kicked out and his booted foot connected with the former hero’s chin, sending the super zombie crashing into the wall. Blood trickled out the corner of Sentinel’s mouth as he blasted Titan out through the wall to the street below. Before he could get to his feet, the chilling screams of the undead surrounded him as zombies swarmed onto the balcony. They were everywhere and Sentinel went down in a barrage of rotting corpses. Lady Liberty and Night Wolf, both scratched and bleeding, leapt up to the balcony. As they saw Sentinel go down, they rushed forward to attack the crowd of frenzied zombies as they piled onto their friend. ◆ ◆ ◆ Sunday, Business District, Paradigm City, North America The National Guard had brought in reinforcements, and cops in riot gear were helping to take out the undead.

INtroduction 8 Unexpected help came from Coldsnap and the Executioner; Coldsnap sent icy blasts in all directions that froze the zombies where they stood; the walking weapons arsenal that was the Executioner mowed down the undead in swathes of carnage. Lieutenant Carter did not know whether to thank the newcomers or try to arrest them. These super villains had been on the FBI’s most wanted lists for years and now here they were helping them. “What are you waiting for? Don’t just stand there looking surprised - this is our city too!” Coldsnap bellowed as he turned to meet a new wave of attack. But still they came, swarming out of city buildings, subway entrances and darkened alleys. ◆ ◆ ◆ Sunday, Central Square, Paradigm City, North America Carrying the slashed and broken body of Sentinel, Lady Liberty walked into the Command Post, flanked by the surviving members of the Protectors. Nothing could hide the pain in their eyes as they passed between the remnants of the City’s forces. Night Wolf was missing, lost in the fight to get Sentinel’s body out of Vesper Hall. Nuada had disappeared due to the unexpected appearance of the Super-Villain known as the Vapor. Silence descended upon Centennial Park! ◆ ◆ ◆ “This is WNBS News at 10 pm. Shocking news just in, Sentinel has fallen victim to the undead creatures that plague the city. The surviving members of the Protectors have taken his body to an undisclosed location. Mayor Stevens had this to say. “Tonight we have lost a beacon of hope that has burned in this city for many years, but we must not let Sentinel’s sacrifice be for nothing; we must remain strong. Yes, we will mourn this tragic loss in a manner befitting a fallen hero, but not until we have defeated this threat to our city.” He went on to say that a mandatory evacuation has been ordered for the downtown area within a five mile radius of Central Square. With these words, the exodus of Paradigm City began. We too, have to leave our studios. This is Carla Rowen, for WNBS News, signing off. May God help us all.” ◆ ◆ ◆ Monday, National Guard Base, Guidry, North America As the night moved into early morning, a haze of smoke hung over downtown. National Guard squads continued to sweep the evacuation area, helping the last people to leave. The body of Coldsnap was found encased in a block of ice of his own making, surrounded by the bodies of hundreds of undead. It was left where it was found; no resources were available to move the many ton block of ice. Mayor Stevens stood outside the new command post set up at Guidry National Guard Base watching the sun come up over the city skyline. “It’s not over yet.” Mayor Stevens turned at the voice behind him. Lady Liberty stepped out of the shadows, “Those things are in the very fabric of the city now; crawling through the sewers and the subways, through the alleys and the infrastructure of every building.” Her voice cracked as she spoke. “We have lost so much, so many…” “The National Guard commander wants me to order the destruction of the bridges so as to isolate downtown from the rest of the city and then bring down a missile strike on the worst affected areas. What should I do?” the Mayor’s voice was pleading. “You’re the mayor, you decide; we have given enough already!” Lady Liberty immediately regretted her outburst as she saw the Mayor shrink from her response. “Sorry, it’s been a very long sad day. It sounds like a good plan; at least we can contain the threat.” The Mayor felt the rush of air as she flew away. He turned and went inside. “Commander, you have the go ahead, pull your men out now, and blow those bridges.”

Introduction 9 Welcome to Hell. Okay, it’s not Hell, per se, if you’re expecting angels and demons, unless your angels and demons tend to wear capes and spandex. Oh, and you can still die, but only if you’re lucky. This is the world after Z-Day, where the dead started walking and eating everyone in sight. You see, our world was pretty normal once. Those were the Glory Days. We had cities with gleaming skyscrapers, suburban sprawls, the internet, mobile phones, fast food, television channels for every niche, the works. We also had superheroes. You know the type, they patrolled the city streets to keep them free from crime and, more importantly, kept the world safe from supervillains. For the most part, the caped types tended to balance each other out; yin and yang, that sort of thing. At the time, I was just a sidekick. My handle was Torch, and I used to pal around with Lady Liberty, if by “pal around” you mean get captured a lot and basically bask in her glory. I could handle myself against the more mundane criminals and, after a while, most of us low-powered types, whether sidekick, evil minion, or street-level superhero, coined ourselves the B-Listers. The A-Listers got headlines, special reports, and the occasional mini-series. We B-Listers were lucky to get more than a passing mention. And then Z-Day hit. No one knows if it was a bomb, virus, alien influence, or what. All we know for sure is that one day, everyone in the city started turning into zombies. I don’t know if it was local or global at first; Lady Liberty ordered me to protect some bystanders as she joined the other A-Listers, superhero and super-villain alike, to stop it. Unfortunately, most of the A-Listers were destroyed or, worse, turned into what we call “Super Zombies.” Since then, it’s been a struggle to survive and we B-Listers are left to carry the heavy load; I can’t remember the last time I saw an A-Lister that didn’t want to eat my face. Most bystanders now live in enclaves, small fortified communities where they hope to keep out the zombies while praying that a Super Zombie doesn’t find them. Now before you sign up for duty, let me warn you about one more thing. There’s a reason why we still wear the masks and costumes. It’s more than just a fashion statement. If Lady Liberty were still here she’d tell you that our costumes are symbols for the bystanders to rally behind; our words and deeds carry more weight in them than out of them. Also, our costumes act as a beacon for Super Zombies. As much as we hate to face them, we’re better equipped to deal with them than the average bystander. Of course, for those of us who’ve left idealism behind, there’s a more practical purpose to keeping on the costume. Whenever a zombie bites or scratches us, there’s a chance that we may be infected. There are only two known cures. One is amputation, which, as you might expect, is a pretty big disadvantage in this world. The second is burning; if we burn the infected area then there’s a chance we can escape becoming one of the flesh-eaters. The costume hides the burns. So that’s the basic rundown; what do you say? Do you want to stand with us and hold back the darkness for one more day, or are you just out for yourself? In either case, this book contains everything you need to step into the world of life after Z-Day. Zombie Code Authority Throughout this book you’ll see quotations from the ZCA, or Zombie Code Authority. This is practical advice for surviving in the zombie aftermath shared amongst B-Listers. They coined the “ZCA” as an homage to the Comics Code Authority, a self-censoring body that promoted certain standards in comic books. Feel free to ignore the ZCA advice at your peril. What is Rotted Capes? At its core, Rotted Capes is a roleplaying game of postapocalyptic survival in a world overrun by zombies with a particular twist; this event has taken place in a typical superhero comic book world and the players take on the roles of superheroes struggling to protect what’s left of humanity. The players aren’t portraying just any superheroes. Most of the greatest heroes, the “A-Listers,” were consumed during the initial zombie outbreak (called “Z-Day”), leaving their sidekicks, minions, and “street level” costumed heroes to carry the heavy lifting protecting the survivors. Today, these “B-Listers” are the only heroes that humanity has left. As a B-Lister, you are normally expected to protect an enclave, a small group of humanity, from falling prey to the wandering zombie hordes. Other B-Listers serve with you as the enclave’s local superteam, as well as the Deathwatch, normal people who’ve taken up arms to protect the enclave. In addition to keeping the “Bystanders” safe you also participate in “loot teams” to find supplies that the enclave so desperately needs. Introduction

INtroduction 10 The threats in this zombie apocalypse are many. In addition to the zombies, which always carry the risk of infection with them, there are super zombies, former superheroes that are now little more than psychopaths with a taste for human, and particularly superhero, flesh. Most of these creatures were formerly A-Listers, making them a potent, perhaps even an impossible, challenge for B-Lister teams. Catching sight of a super zombie usually means that it’s time to run, not step up and fight. There are also threats that are all too human. Enclaves struggle with each other over diminishing resources. Powerful leaders impose their will on a frightened populace. B-Listers find themselves at odds with romantic rivals or unsettled accounts from the Glory Days. There’s a lot of conflict and drama to be had without ever leaving the enclave or sighting a zombie. Most of all, Rotted Capes is what YOU make of it. If you want to play up the campiness of second-rate heroes in way over their head then go for it! If you really want a game of gritty survival, where relatives are willing to leave a loved one behind so that the zombies take him instead of her, then you can certainly play it that way too. Why not Three Genres? While Rotted Capes was conceived as a fusion of the four color superhero and zombie horror genre, an argument can be made that it’s really a fusion of three: four color superhero, zombie horror, and postapocalypse. While this is certainly true without splitting hairs (otherwise we’d end up with several genres), we think that, in terms of inspiration for Rotted Capes, zombie horror sufficiently covers the post-apocalyptic genre. At least two long-running film series originally started as relatively isolated incidents that blew up into full-blown apocalypses as the series went on. Night of the Living Dead (1968) begins an apocalypse that carries through two different sets of sequels. Resident Evil (2002) involves an infected corporation and by the second film the entire city is consumed followed by the world. As we expect most casual watchers of zombie movies are most familiar with these two series, it stands to reason that they’d tend to think of them in apocalyptic terms. A Mashing of Genres Rotted Capes is a blending of two popular genres, the four-color superhero genre and the zombie survival genre. We’ve attempted to strike a balance between the two to create a setting that evokes the best parts of both and merges them into a fun, playable whole. So how best can we strike the balance? In four-color superhero games, most heroes can rely on their powers; many of them, in fact, have an array of powers available to them. Your average hero may be armored, have the ability to project energy, is able to fly, and can see through walls. She doesn’t need skills or equipment because her powers can usually overcome any obstacle. On the flip side, there are heroes that rely more on wits than power. Such heroes may only have one power that, while useful, leaves them humanly vulnerable in most other ways, leading them to train hard physically and design bulletproof costumes or equipment to aid them. Rotted Capes takes the latter approach by making all player-controlled heroes “B-Listers,” heroes that don’t have a vast array of powers. A B-Lister may have only one great power, a couple of lesser ones, or even none at all. She may be “always a sidekick, never a hero” or simply a budding hero at the dawning of her powers. Such heroes need to use their wits and skills to survive a zombie aftermath as much as, if not more so than, their powers. Similarly, equipment is often important in zombie survival scenarios. If ten zombies are attacking you and you only have six bullets, you’re going to make sure that each bullet counts. Similarly, a hero in Rotted Capes can’t rely on her powers all of the time. Using powers is physically exhausting, and a hero risks collapse if she just throws energy bolt after energy bolt at every opportunity. Another nod to the superhero genre is the idea that heroes can shrug off injuries and get a second wind. So long as a hero survives a scene, she can catch her breath and be back to full capacity in the next. The only exception to this is serious injury, known as Wounds, which must be healed normally. However, this is also a game about zombie survival. Zombies are horrific creatures; they don’t feel pain, they don’t need to rest, and they can transmit their condition. Z-Day is about survival, and some people are more Darwinian than others. Just because you’re a B-Lister doesn’t necessarily make you a hero. You may only do ‘heroic’ acts because it’s convenient. You need fellow heroes and bystanders to help you survive. Even if you were a ‘boy scout’ superhero in the Glory Days, you may have succumbed to the harsh realities of the world as it is. Many bystanders are thrilled when a popular superhero joins their enclave, only to have that hero impose her will with an iron fist. Yellow is bad. (Reference to the infectious blotches)

Introduction 11 In another nod to zombie survival convention, the heroes aren’t protecting an archetypal “series city” against threats. Instead, they protect a hidden enclave of survivors. This enclave could be a bomb shelter, a remote country home, a boarded-up and reinforced warehouse, or even an old supervillains’ lair. The city has long been overrun and is useful only for scavenging. Speaking of which, scavenging plays a very important role in Rotted Capes. Part of protecting your enclave involves seeing to their needs. The Hero may be expected to accompany bystanders on food raids or salvaging old equipment. They may need to lure powerful Super Zombies away before they can destroy a caravan or wandering bystander. Finally, heroes are survivors and have to make hard decisions. No matter how much a hero admired Super Commander in life, there are no prisons for Super Commander the Zombie. The hero has by necessity become a killer, protecting her enclave by destroying zombies that threatens it, bystander and hero alike. What You Need to Play Like most roleplaying games, Rotted Capes requires, beyond this rulebook, several items to play. Here are the things you’ll definitely need: • At least one other player, optimally four. • A standard set of polyhedral dice that includes a d4 (or “four-sided” die), a d6 (or “standard” die), a d8, a d10, and a d12. • Character sheets, either homemade or downloaded from Paradigm Concepts’ website. • Pen and paper, ether physical or electronic. • A healthy dose of imagination. While not required, here are some other things you may want on hand. • Extra dice, including 2 d10s for action rolls and extra d12s to use as “clocks.” • Counters or miniatures to represent heroes, zombies, and bystanders. • Appropriate background music drawn from both superhero and zombie movies • Appropriate pictures of Heroes and Super Zombies. Striking the Balance While we’ve done our best to provide a fun game, we’re certain that there are Editor-in-Chiefs that may want to run the game with a different style. They may want the players to be more like A-Listers, dropping Burnout costs for powers and increasing the power ranks available, or they may want to more closely adhere to zombie survival, slowing Stamina recovery and putting a greater emphasis on enclave politics and survival rather than super-fights between B-Listers and Super Zombies. As always, it’s your call. Feel free to change these rules as you see fit to create the post-apocalyptic setting that’s right for you and your group!

INtroduction 12 A Glossary of Terms A-Lister: One of the major superheroes in the Glory Days; she probably had her own comic book and movie. B-Lister: A low-powered superhero or villain, usually a minion or sidekick during the Glory Days. Big Box Village: A cluster of large retail stores, often landscaped into a mini-village of sorts. Burn Victim: Someone that was infected but cured through burning. Bystander: Any character that is not a Hero, Villain, or Zombie. Clear Zone: An area that’s declared zombie-free. A clear zone is usually temporary. CFB: “Closed for Business.” An area that is determined to be free of lootable goods. Closing Sale: An area that has been almost picked clean. It’s generally considered not worth the risk unless desperate. The Code: An informal standard that all B-Listers follow, primarily to keep them heroic. Cruiser: A boat that carries an enclave. Deathwatch: A group within an enclave that is responsible for its security. Editor-in-Chief: The Game Master responsible for running Rotted Capes for the other players. Enclave: A group of Bystanders that work together for protection. Glory Days: The time before Z-Day; roughly analogous to present-day Earth with superbeings. Grand Opening: An area as yet unscavenged. Graphic Novel: A plot that takes several sessions to conclude, usually with a gritty approach. Hero: The character being controlled by the player. Hotel: Slang for a place occupied by an enclave. Some B-Listers give the Hotel a star rating (1-5) based on its comfort and protection. Issue: A game session. Leech: A Bystander that enjoys the benefits of an enclave while contributing nothing or little to it. Lich Lord: The mythical first zombie (or super zombie). Possible cause of Z-Day. Lone Wolf: A B-Lister or Bystander that prefers travelling alone to being part of an enclave. Loot: Items salvaged or scavenged. Looter: A salvager. Mini-Series: A short series, sometimes within a greater series, that focuses on a story arc. Nest: A dense zombie population OFB: “Open for Business.” An area believed to have lootable items. Penthouse: An enclave housed on the upper floors of skyscrapers. Personal Arc: A B-Lister subplot that usually spans multiple issues. Plot: A storyline with a distinct goal. A plot may be resolved within a single Issue or it may take several issues to complete. An overarching plot may take an entire series to resolve. Poacher: A human that kills other humans, usually for supplies. Ronin: A wandering B-Lister that doesn’t belong to an enclave but helps the living whenever she can. Sanctuary: A possibly mythical place where the heroes can live free of zombie infestation. There may be multiple sanctuaries; there may be none. Scene: One distinct encounter. Series: A succession of issues following the same Heroes or plot elements. Story Arc: A plot that spans several issues. Super Zombie: A zombie with superpowers. Team: A group of Heroes that work together. Ultra: Someone whose opinion is important within an enclave or someone who believes herself important within an enclave. Z-Day: The as-yet-unrevealed event that created the zombie threat. Zombie: An undead, mindless creature that feasts on the living. Zombie Aftermath: The world as it is now.

The Basics 13 The Basics Before we get started, let’s make sure you understand the basics of surviving life after Z-Day. While you can get away with lively discussions when it’s just us heroes, the zombies aren’t much for talking. Eventually, you’re gonna need to rely on your abilities and that’s gonna require an Action Roll. I assume that you’re familiar with “heads or tails?” An Action Roll is like that, except you roll a die instead of flipping a coin and success or failure isn’t always 50-50. Whenever you want to try to accomplish something, like slip past a Bystander, shoot a zombie, or break through a security door, you’re going to have to pay a price for failure. What Dice Do I Need? You’re going to need a set of dice: d4, d6, d8, d10, and a d12. You will also need 2d10 for your Action Dice. We recommend these be different from your other set as you’ll need to keep track of them separately. Some players use an extra d12 to track their position on the Clock, although paper works fine. The Action Dial available from Paradigm Concepts works best. The Action Roll The Action Roll mechanic is straightforward. Just roll your Action Dice and your Attribute Die all at once and add them together. You always want to roll high if you intend to succeed. You will also add appropriate modifiers from Power Ranks, Skill Ranks, Flaws, Advantages, Tricks and/ or Circumstances to the result. The Action Roll is compared to a Target Number (TN) based upon the action’s difficulty. The Editor-in-Chief sets the difficulty for most non-combat actions. In the case of combat, the TN is typically the target’s Defense. To sum up, in order to perform an Action Roll simply: 1. Roll 2d10 (These dice are referred to as Action Dice). 2. Roll your Attribute Die and add it to the result of your Action Dice. 3. Add your modifiers from Power Ranks, Skill Ranks, Advantages, Tricks and/or Circumstances. 4. Compare the result to a TN (a Target Number related to the action’s difficulty). Target Number Suggested Target Numbers Trivial 5 Easy 10 Routine 15 Challenging 20 Daunting 25 Amazing 30 Improbable 35 Astounding 40 Exploding Dice Both Attribute and Plot Dice (See Plot Die pg. 102) can explode; this means that if the Die comes up its maximum value (For example, rolling a 6 on a d6), you roll it again and add the new result to the total. That result can also explode, which means there is no maximum result. As long as you continue to explode, you can continue to roll. If you are rolling multiple Attribute dice, any and all of them have the potential to explode. The Attribute Dice and Plot Dice can explode whenever used, not only for Action Rolls, but also for damage or any other instance in which it is called upon. Only Attribute Dice and Plot Dice may explode. Critical Success If the result on the Action Dice is 20 (both dice come up as 10) then you automatically succeed. If you could have succeeded without the automatic success, or without your Attribute Die exploding, then you score a Critical Success, which provides additional benefits, such as critical strikes in combat and specific skill effects. Critical Failure If the result on the Action Dice is 2 (both dice come up a 1) then you automatically fail, regardless of the TN or any bonuses. Die Bumps and Die Penalties Both Die Bumps and Die Penalties may be applied to any die roll. A Die Bump increases any die it is applied to by one step, like a d6 to a d8. If the Die Bump is applied to a die that is already a d12, you jump to d12 +d4 instead and continue up to 2d12 and then jump to 2d12+d4 and so on. A Die Penalty reduces the die type by one step to a minimum

The Basics 14 of d4. If a Die Penalty is applied to a die which is already a d4, you suffer a -2 penalty to the die roll instead; you cannot reduce a die beyond -2 regardless of the amount of die penalties applied to the target. Skills The primary modifier for most Action Rolls is going to be some level of skill. If you are attempting an Action for which you are trained in the appropriate skill, you add your Rank in the governing skill to the result of the Action Roll. Any skill can be used with almost any Attribute Die to provide for nearly any situation. For example, one might use Athletics with Prowess in order to actively compete in a contest, Logic to form a game plan, Charisma to trick an opponent into moving early, or Vigor to persist in the face of a long-lasting contest. Powers Some powers also use Action Rolls, especially when trying to influence another person or as a substitute for the Melee or Ranged skills in combat. If you are attempting an Action for one of your Powers, you add your Power Rank to the result of the Action Roll. Most powers rely on a single Attribute, although in some cases, as with skills, a different Attribute may be used based on the circumstances. Other Modifiers Specialized modifiers to Action Rolls can be found in Advantages, Weapon Qualities, Maneuvers, and Tricks. These elements are gained though choices in Hero creation and through Advancement for Advantages and Tricks. Each entry will explain precisely what modifier your Hero gains. Circumstances Any bonus or penalty a character gains that is not defined by the Hero’s abilities is a Circumstance Modifier. In most cases, the Editor-in-Chief will merely adjust the Target Number. Circumstance Modifiers are handy for adjustments that do not affect all Heroes performing the same Action Roll. Circumstance Modifiers can be found on page 36. Stacking Bonuses Bonuses granted though Advantages or Powers do not stack with a bonus from a like source. Thus, bonuses from Advantages do not stack with other Advantages, nor do Powers with other Powers. However, a bonus from a Power and an Advantage do stack with each other. If two sources grant like modifiers, the larger of the two bonuses takes precedence. For example, if a Hero possessed an Advantage that granted him a +1 bonus to hit with a particular weapon, and another Advantage that granted him a +2 to hit when attacking from ambush, the greater of the two would apply any time he attacks from ambush, while the lesser would apply in any other situation. Rounding Convention Any time a value is halved, the value is rounded down. Drama If an Action Roll adds nothing to the pace and furtherance of the story, or even worse, failure of an Action Roll would harm the sense of drama and excitement, then the Editorin-Chief should just dictate the results. For example, if the Heroes are using a truck to get to an abandoned building and there are no zombies in sight, a Drive Action Roll should not be required merely to travel. Dynamic Action Rolls Sometimes an Action Roll is actively opposed by another Hero (or villain). In such cases, both Players should perform appropriate Action Rolls, and the highest result wins. In the case of a tie, the highest modifier wins. In the unlikely result that the modifiers are tied, each Player rolls and adds the governing Attribute Die to produce a winner; repeat this step as necessary. Passive Action Rolls Sometimes an Action Roll is needed to overcome the efforts of an unaware or absent Hero. In such cases, the Action Roll has a TN equal to the opposing Hero or Threat’s passive skill value (see Passive Values, pg. 30). This system works in a manner similar to Defenses (see Combat, pg. 84) and can govern many situations. For example, a zombie may sneak up behind a Hero who is currently distracted and has no cause for alarm. Rather than slow the pace of the game and tip off the player, the Editor-inChief simply performs a Stealth Action Skill Roll against the If it screams, it’s human.

The Basics 15 Hero’s Passive Perception Value, which is equal to the Hero’s ranks in the Perception skill + any modifiers + the Passive Modifier of the Hero’s Insight attribute + 12. This system could also be used to defeat traps set by a skilled trapsmith, spot a forgery, decipher a code, or any similar situation one may imagine. Trying Again In most cases, a Hero can attempt a task again, assuming that the consequences of failure do not prohibit it. Remember, unless there are consequences for failure or limits in time and/or material, then there was likely no need for an Action Roll to begin with. Action Modifier and Die Notations Any time an attribute is represented in parentheses, the sentence is calling out that Attribute’s die; thus (Might) or (Mi) would be calling out your Hero’s might die. Any time a speed type is noted with a +, that action (and its speed) may be added to a complex action and treated as a single action. Actions Almost anything a Hero does in combat takes up an action; actions are fully detailed on pages 84 and 89. Plot Dice Heroes have a particular ability to dig deep and do the incredible. Plot Dice are a way for players to help steer the story and alter their fate, and the fate of others. They are an excellent way to allow both players and the Editor-in-Chief the ability to jointly develop the story, by creating complications and triggering events both in and not in the Heroes’ best interest. You start every Story Arc with a number of Plot Dice equal to your lowest Attribute Score; their die size being equal to the lowest attribute die. Plot dice do not carry over from Story Arc to Story Arc. For more on Plot Dice, see pg. 102. Attributes All Characters have eight Attributes. Attributes enter into nearly every activity as they represent a character’s innate ability. Where the common human generally possesses scores of 3 in most attributes, a B-Lister’s attributes can range anywhere from 3–9. Unless exceptionally powerful in a single attribute or augmented through powers, even B-Listers generally range from 3-7. Attribute Die / Dice Every Attribute has a value that corresponds to an Attribute Die. When an Action Roll is called for, the Editor-inChief indicates the appropriate Attribute Die to roll alongside the Action Dice. This system allows skills to easily make use of various Attributes and tailor them to any situation. Truly exceptional individuals may have multiple dice instead of a single Attribute Die. Passive Modifier Each Attribute also has a Passive Modifier that serves as a quick measurement of the Attribute. The Passive Modifier is used for Passive Action Rolls, the Hero’s Defenses, to determine Initiative, for certain spells, and myriad other purposes as described in the appropriate Advantages, Spells, skills, Martial Maneuvers, or other sources.

Book One Hero Creation (16) Power Sources (18) Archetypes (20) Hero Advancement (21) Disadvantages (21) Taglines (27) Attributes (28) Derived Attributes (29) Passive Values (30) Master Values Table (31) Skills (33) Advantages (44) Powers (51) Power Modifications (70 Gear (73)

Book One 17 Back in the Glory Days this city had all the heavy hitters; Behemoth, Blue Ronin, Lady Liberty, Major Justice, Night Wolf, and Thunderbird, just to name a few. A kid like me? There was never any need for me to get off the bench. Most of the time I just stood there in awe, wondering why I bothered to slip into the spandex while the real heroes kept the city safe. Then Z-Day came. No one really knows what happened, of course, except that half the city turned zombie one night. All the big names went in to face the new threat while ordering all of us B-Listers, the sidekicks and low-powered heroes, to protect the fleeing citizens. I don’t remember much about that night; there was way too much chaos and death. What I do remember is that, out of the dozen or so “real” superheroes that tried to contain the threat, only Lady Liberty and Thunderbird came out. The A-Listers were gone and the torch was passed, so to speak. It’s up to us B-Listers to keep humanity alive. So what’s a B-Lister? Well, for starters we don’t have a whole suite of powers. Most of us get by with one or two powers that are worth a damn or a collection of weak ones. Some of us don’t have “powers” at all; we rely on our skills, physical training or gadgets. Keeping it Gritty; Maximum potential If you are looking to run a more gritty low powered game, you can always impose the Maximum Potential rule. During Hero creation any advancement skill ranks may never exceed double that skill’s primary Attribute. Additionally, a Power’s ranks may never exceed their primary Attribute. Thus, if your Vigor is at 4, you may not possess Athletics (a skill) beyond 8 or Body Armor (a Power) beyond 4. A Power which has met its Attribute rank is considered to have reached its current potential. Any ranks beyond that (granted through Power Modifications or in game events) would be inaccessible until that Power’s primary Attribute has been raised to match. Such additional ranks simply represent the Heroes’ untapped potential. Building your hero Making your own hero is fairly straightforward. First, select a power source, archetype, disadvantages (if any), and your hero’s personality flaw. Secondly, spend 150 experience points on your Attributes, Skills, and Powers. Lastly you calculate any Derived Attributes, choose starting gear, and add any finishing touches. Obviously, there are a few details that need to be mentioned, but that’s the basics. Creating more powerful Heroes! While Rotted Capes is a game centered on B-List superheroes, the Editor-in-Chief may want to run a campaign with more powerful heroes. In that case, increase the amount of experience points as follows: Power Level Starting Experience Delta (B-Lister) 150 Beta 300 Ultra (A-Lister) 600 Omega 1200 Cosmic 2400 Note: • All Attributes start at 3. You do not need to pay for these initial 3 ranks. Apply Power Source and Archetype bonuses before purchasing Attribute ranks. • You may not spend more than half your experience points during any step of Hero creation. For example, a B-Lister may only spend 75 points on Attributes. Each rank in an Attribute, Skill, or Power (with the exception of Primary Powers, explained below) costs as many experience points as the rank you are attempting to acquire, paying for each rank individually, along the way. For example, raising an attribute from 3 to 4 would cost 4 points but buying 6 ranks in an attribute during character creation would cost 15 experience points. Primary Powers on the other hand are preferred powers listed under each Hero’s archetype (pg. 20). All such powers cost your current power rank to advance, instead of your next power rank (with the exception of the first rank during Hero creation, which still costs 1 experience point). Advantages cost a base 5 experience each. Hero Creation: Making a B-Lister

Book One 18 Hero Creation: Step-by-Step 1. Choose a Power Source 2. Choose an Archetype 3. Choose Disadvantages, if any 4. Choose your Character Flaw and Tagline 5. Purchase Attributes 6. Purchase Skills 7. Purchase Advantages 8. Purchase Powers 9. Calculate Derivative Attributes 10. Choose your Gear 11. Add the Personal Touches Power Sources Where Archetypes (see pg. 20) encompass a general theme, your power source represents how you do what you do. You may be an exceptionally skilled hero relying on almost superhuman intellect and superior training to win the day or a Tech Hero piloting a custom designed suit of power armor or utilizing a belt full of useful, custom-made gadgetry, or an Super-Human, perhaps the next step of human evolution or the result of bio-engineering or freak accident. Each power source can be applied to any of the Archetypes with ease. Each power source grants the hero unique advantages and disadvantages as well as a bonus to a specific attribute. Keep in mind that this is not the only way your hero may have access to powers; any hero can ascribe powers to specialized or unique equipment. Super-Human You may have been born with your powers, seeing them develop over time, or been a result of scientific experimentation. Perhaps you were one of those rare SuperHumans resulting from a “lucky accident”, simply in the right place at the wrong time, triggering what has been referred to as the Ultra-Gene. Prior to Z-Day all you had to worry about were “supervillains” or ‘Gene purists. However, with Z-Day has come a disturbing phenomenon: some Super-Humans who possessed the Ultragene do not simply become zombies, but twisted malign versions of themselves, with all ability to tell right from wrong erased from their psyche. Attribute Bonus: Super-Humans are heartier than normal humans. They gain +1 to their Vigor attribute. Unique Advantages: Super: Because of who and what you are, after hero creation you gain an additional rank to any one power of your choice. This power must be an inborn power. Inborn powers are simply powers which are not reliant on an outside source, in other words part of the heroes physiology. Unique Disadvantages: Power Limits: Super-Humans are born with specific Ultragenes which dictate the powers they can develop. Your Hero may only improve upon inborn powers chosen during Hero creation. Later, with the Editor-in-Chief’s permission, you may have your Hero acquire new powers, but they must be made available through technology, supernatural, or some story based event. Skill Hero Yes, it was hard for you to make a name for yourself; you can’t fly, dodge bullets, or build a battle suit which would have allowed you to face down the likes of the Raptor or Inferno, but what you lacked in raw power you more than made up for in earned skill. At one time you may have been a highly trained field agent for the NSA or The Division, or maybe you were a uniquely gifted martial artist trained in long forgotten techniques by a solitary master of the east, or perhaps you were a rich millionaire utilizing almost limitless resources, ruthless training, and an unbreakable will to forge yourself into more than a common man. Regardless of the many in which you trained your body to become the hero you are today, you find yourself facing a threat you could have never foreseen. And you thought you had it hard when your enemies were breathing… Attribute Bonus: Skill based heroes are a varied lot. They gain a +1 bonus to any attribute of their choice. Unique Advantages: My knowledge is my power: You get a 5 point discount off your first skill set. Also, unlike other Heroes, you may purchase three skill sets. You also gain a single bonus Advantage (see Advantages pg. 44) of your choice with the exception of Visionary. Unique Disadvantages: Only Human: You are ultimately only human; you may never increase your base physical attributes (before the application of powers such as Enhanced Attribute) beyond 11.

Book One 19 No Powers: You do not possess any inborn powers; therefore any power must be skill based or the result of specialized equipment. In any case, you may only purchase 4 ranks in any starting power. Powers marked with a (*) in Archetypes and later in the Powers section may be attributed to specialized training and must possess the All Skill Power Modification. Other powers are the product of custom technology, thus they must have the External Power Source as well as the Cybernetic Implants or the Removable Power Modifications. New Powers: You may only learn new powers as skill based powers; alternately with the Editor-in-Chief’s permission, you may acquire new powers though special equipment or implants. Tech Hero Back during the “Glory Days” you did well for yourself, using either your superior intellect or impressive resources to create your heroic persona. You might have a suit of power armor once designed for military applications, maybe you made a new scientific breakthrough, or you might just be an exceptional archer with a quiver of specialized arrows and the ability to scavenge like no other. Back when you had a workshop you were always able to keep your gear in tip top shape, but after everything fell apart you were lucky to have power, let alone a high powered plasma cutter. Now you simply make due, find what you can, make it work, and move on. What other choice do you have? Attribute Bonus: Tech Heroes are generally geniuses, and gain +1 to Logic. Unique Advantages: Technopath: You possess an unparalleled mind for technology. You must purchase the Engineer skill set, for which you receive a 5 point discount. You also gain the Visionary Advantage for free. Self-Made Hero!: Being the result of technology, all your powers must possess a number of Power Modifications (fully explained under powers pg. 70). Tech Heroes must choose Cybernetic Implant, Removable Item, or Power Armor Power Modifications. Powers utilizing the Cybernetic Implant or Removable Item Power Modifications must also possess the External Power Source Power Modification if those powers have a burnout cost. All external power sources have their burnout threshold increased by your hero’s Logic passive modifier. Regardless of your Archetype, described later, the Armor and Wireless powers are always Primary Powers for you. Unique Disadvantages: Only Human: You are ultimately only human; you may never increase your base physical attributes (before the application of powers such as Enhanced Attribute) beyond 11. Unreliable at the best of times: At any time, once per scene, the Editor-in-Chief may decide that a piece of your tech or an external power source just fails to work. This may be applied only to a single power. You may spend a Plot Die to negate this result. Bandages and costumes can hide zombies too.

Book One 20 Archetypes Archetypes encompass the most general of themes; don’t be discouraged if the exact Hero you had envisioned does not fall neatly into any of these categories. Just pick the best fit and move on from there. Each Archetype gives access to a list of Primary Powers. Primary Powers represent your Archetype’s bailiwick, what makes them what they are. When you choose an Archetype, you gain a bonus to a particular attribute and a list of Primary Powers. During Hero creation and advancement, all powers listed under your Archetype’s Primary Powers cost your current power rank to advance, instead of your next power rank. During Hero creation, the first rank still costs 1 experience. All powers marked with a * may be acquired as a skill based power, utilizing the All Skill power modification (see pg. 70). Blaster You excel at blasting people from a distance, but that’s not to say that you are helpless when cornered in melee! You just prefer to use your powers to punish at a distance… a handy attribute when being faced down by a pack of zombies, or fighting super zombies without range powers. Attribute Bonus: Quickness or Resolve Primary Powers: Element/Energy Blast, Element/Energy Manipulation, Energy Generation, Energy Sheath, Flight, Force Field. Brawler You like to get into the thick of it! While some people used to call you reckless, its nothing compared to the levels of recklessness you have displayed after Z-Day. You get in the midst of the action, right there between the chattering teeth and ripping claws… right where you like it. Attribute Bonus: Prowess or Vigor Primary Powers: Armor, Bestial Transformation, Enhanced Attack*, Enhanced Attribute (Prowess, Vigor), Enhanced Sense*, Regeneration, Super-Sense. Controller You may be a telepath, telekinetic, or even a pyrokinetic. Put simply, you have the ability to control something or someone... As a telepath, you have survived by wit and guile by “convincing” others to fight for you, or finding an enclave to take you in. As a kinetic of any kind you have just learned to crush or throw Zombies out of your way. Attribute Bonus: Resolve or Charisma Primary Powers: Communicate with Animals, Emotion Control, Entangle, Force Field, Force Shield, Mind Control, Move Object, Nullify, Resistance (Mental), Sixth Sense*, Telepathy. Infiltrator Most people refer to your type as ‘ghosts’; always slipping in, out, or through and always one step ahead of trouble. Maybe you walk through walls or can simply disappear; very handy abilities, especially after Z-Day. Attribute Bonus: Quickness or Insight Primary Powers: Adoptive Muscle Memory*, Enhanced Sense*, Illusion, Incorporeal, Invisibility, Luck*, Wall Crawl, Wireless. Heavy Some people refer to you as a “shaker”, because when you throw down, people feel it blocks away. You are a powerhouse! On the surface you have a lot in common with brawlers, but it’s the way you bring down your foes that makes you different. Your skin is tougher, you’re stronger, and bigger… much bigger. You’re the guy people hide behind. You are a wall, turning to face on oncoming horde. Attribute Bonus: Might or Vigor Primary Powers: Armor, Bestial Transformation, Enhanced Attack*, Enhanced Attribute (Might, Prowess, or Vigor), Growth, Life Support, Invulnerability, Regeneration, and Resistance. Transporter You possess the ability to move from place to place with ease. Perhaps you’re a flyer or a speedster, or the rarest of Transporters: a Teleporter. You have done well keeping one step ahead of the Z’d Supers; most can’t even touch you. Maybe to those you help protect, you have become the best bait, always pulling the zombies where they are best dealt with. Or maybe you are a blur of motion, taking down zombies in the midst of a fight where you do the most good. Attribute Bonus: Quickness or Resolve Primary Powers: Celerity*, Enhanced Attribute (Quickness, Resolve, Vigor), Flight, Invisibility, Speed*, Surge, Teleport, Tunnel, Wall Crawl.

Book One 21 Hero Advancement Here’s the thing about living in the post-Z world; every day you don’t die you get stronger. I’ve seen Bystanders with spines of jelly and frightened of their own shadows become hardened heroes within a few weeks and they don’t even have powers to back them up. Anyone can be destined to be a great Hero, so long as they stay one step ahead of the zombies. Advancement Advancement works a lot like Hero creation; you can improve your attributes, skills, and powers by one rank by paying experience Points (XP) equal to the next higher rank, or equal to your current rank for Primary Powers listed under your Archetype (pg. 20). You may also buy new Advantages for 5 experience points each. Keep in mind, if you are utilizing the ”Maximum Potential” rules, ranks in Powers and Skills are still limited by your Hero’s Attribute score. Beyond that there are a few additional options available for advancement. Table 1-1: Additional Experience Expenditures Advancement Exp. Cost. New Power 10 Exp. New Skill 5 Exp. New Advantage 5 Exp. New Power Exploit 5 Exp. Mastering an emulated Power 5 Exp. New Power Perk Effective cost; see below New Skills and Powers are learned at 1 rank. If the hero is “self-taught” (that is, they are not being taught the skill or power by a fellow hero or supporting character), the cost of learning a new skill or power is doubled. New Power Modifications may only be applied to powers with at least 5 ranks. Power Modifications are purchased for the rank penalty as if it were an additional rank. Thus if someone had Elemental/Energy Blast as a primary power at 5 ranks and they purchased Accurate (Perk -2) power modification they would pay experience as if they were increasing the power rank by 2 thus paying 13 experience. Lastly, some heroes may also use experience points to build things which emulate powers. See Engineering in the Skills section (pg. 39). Hero’s Power Level Keep track of your hero’s total experience gained and simply refer to the table below. Hero Current Power Level Power Level Total Experience Delta (B-Lister) 150 Beta 300 Ultra (A-Lister) 600 Omega 1200 Cosmic 2400 Disadvantages Choosing Disadvantages During character creation the player may choose to apply a few drawbacks to their Heroes. Unlike character flaws, disadvantages are physical drawbacks or limitations which affect the hero in significant ways. Although some disadvantages are limited to a specific power source, many of these can be applied to other power sources with the Editor-in-Chief’s approval. If a character somehow gains a disadvantage during play, they also gain one half the disadvantage’s bonus as experience points. Mental Flaw (+2/+5/+10) You possess a mental restriction; maybe an irrational phobia, a learning disability, or even a severe mental disorder. Effect: Mental flaws may be any number of things, detailed by the character. For +2 experience points the Hero may suffer an irrational fear of something trivial like rodents. For +5 experience points the Hero may suffer from a learning disability that inhibits his ability to communicate or maintain focus, such as Dyslexia or ADHD respectively. For +10 experience points the Hero could suffer from a severe mental handicap such as multiple personality disorder or severe pyromania. Mentally Frail (+10) You’re not the sharpest tool in the shed. Effect: You suffer a die penalty to Charisma, Logic, Insight, and Resolve.

Book One 22 Physical Flaw (+2/+5/+10) You possess a physical restriction; maybe you’re missing a few fingers, an eye, or even a leg. Effect: Physical flaws may be any number of things, detailed by the character. For +2 experience points the Hero may suffer from a few missing fingers, may be hard of hearing, or possesses very bad eyesight. Such physical flaws grant the Hero a -2 penalty to any applicable action skill rolls. For +5 experience points the hero may suffer from a severe limiting physical flaw, such as being deaf or missing an arm, with the corresponding results. For +10 experience points the Hero may be limited to a wheel chair or blind (and without other special detection powers). Physically Frail (+10) Maybe you are either very young, you may have aged far past your physical prime, or you’re just not a “prime physical specimen”. Effect: You suffer a die penalty to Might, Quickness, Prowess, and Vigor. Strange Appearance (+ variable) You possess a strange or disturbing appearance which may entice or terrify others. Effect: To build a Strange Appearance simply apply each step and add up the experience points acquired. Ease of Concealment: If your strange appearance is easily concealed, you gain +0 experience points. If your strange appearance is impossible to hide (such as fur or a demonic appearance) you gain +1 experience points. Effect upon others: If you possess a slightly disturbing or strangely attractive trait (such as red eyes, or shining silver hair) you gain +0 experience points. If your appearance is disturbing or mildly threatening (small horns or giant bat wings) you gain +1 experience points. If your appearance is outright threatening (you possess the aforementioned demonic appearance) you gain +2 experience points. Bystanders or other heroes who do not know you on a personal basis may be quick to judge, flee from the hero, or in the case of someone with a threatening appearance, may attack you. You also suffer a penalty to all Influence action skill rolls equal to the amount of experience points acquired though this disadvantage. Vulnerabilities (+ variable) You possess a physical vulnerability against a particular material (such as lead) or condition (such as daylight or being exposed to gamma radiation). Both heroes and villains will do everything in their power to keep any vulnerability secret even from their closest friends and companions. Restriction: Super-Human Effect: To build a Vulnerability simply apply each step and add up the experience points acquired. The Hero may choose multiple negative effects to the same stimuli, gaining the highest possible bonus; +1 experience point for each additional negative effect. Stimuli: Material Weakness: If a particular type of material is chosen (such as lead), the Hero is affected by his weakness any time they come within 2 areas of that substance, and is Exhausted as long as they remain within range of the offending

Book One 23 substance. At the Editor-in-Chief’s discretion, a huge amount of the material in question may increase this disadvantage’s effective range. Conditional Weakness: Any time a Hero’s weakness is subject to a particular condition, they suffer from their vulnerabilities effects until they can get away from or are free of that condition. Energy Weakness: Choose a particular energy type; for example Sonic, Cold, Heat, Gamma Radiation, and so on. You suffer effects as if it was a condition if you are simply continuously exposed to said energy type for any length of time. If the energy type is utilized in an attack against you, you suffer the effects of being exposed to the energy every attack for a demanding action. Stimuli’s Rarity: Common items: +5 experience points. Conditions may include plastic, glass, steel, daylight, storms, or being tied up with rope or chains. Uncommon items: +3 experience points. Conditions may include lead, mercury, gold, being exposed to extreme temperatures, open fire, being attacked by magic, or being knee deep in water. Exceedingly rare items: +0 experience points. Conditions may include items such as a rare type of meteorite from a distant planet, or being exposed to the radiation of a distant sun. Negative Effects: Power Negation: +2 experience points per inborn-power possessed. All of the Hero’s powers simply stop working when within range of the item in question or under specified conditions. Physical Weakness: +2 experience points. All of the Hero’s physical attributes are reduced by 2 every tick to a minimum of 2 for as long as the Hero is within range of the item in question or under specified conditions. Incapacitating weakness: +5 experience points. After initial exposure to the triggering stimuli, the Hero begins to lose 2d12 stamina that bypasses all AR, every tick until they fall unconscious. They remain so until they are removed from item’s range are no longer under the specified conditions. The Hero may heal the damage suffered by this vulnerability at 1d10 stamina every 12 ticks. The Extra damage dealt by this disadvantage is not applied when determining the possibility of massive damage or knockback. Fatal weakness: +10 experience points. After initial exposure to the triggering stimuli, the Hero begins to lose 1 wound every 4 ticks of continuous exposure until they reache 0 wounds, at which point the Hero dies. If they are removed from the stimuli’s range within 12 ticks of their death, the experience was only one of near death. The Hero will recover, awakening with 1 wound and regaining wounds lost to their weakness at a rate of 1 per hour. Note for the Editor-in-Chief: Both the players and the Editor-in-Chief should work together to develop characters vulnerabilities. The Editor-in-Chief should keep their eyes opened for “non-vulnerabilities”, where players attempt to minimize the impact of this disadvantage while attempting to make the most from acquired experience points. For example, if you are running a campaign in sunny Miami a hero with vulnerabilities against extreme cold may be attempting to “game” the system.

Book One 24 Personality Flaws I remember the Hood telling me once that there’s always something that separates us from the bystanders, a darkness that keeps us from ever being like them. She called it “compensation” for our empowerment. Sometimes it’s attached to our powers, but more often it’s attached to our hearts. It’s a weakness that others like us can exploit. I never really understood what she meant until Z-Day hit. Fighting to survive certainly turned up the pressure and for every ‘superhero’ I saw rise from the ashes, I saw that darkness as well. Sometimes it brought out the best in heroes; I’ve seen superheroes that could’ve easily escaped stand in the way of a zombie horde just to buy some time for fleeing bystanders. Sometimes it brings out the worst; I’ve seen superheroes rationalize throwing one or two weaker bystanders into the clutches of the zombies just to buy time to escape. This darkness, this flaw, is different for each of us, but it’s undeniably a part of all of us. I can’t explain why, but then again I can’t explain shooting jets of flame from fingertips or super strength either. Sometimes, it just is. Choosing a personality flaw Every player must choose at least one personality flaw. These flaws are the iconic double edged sword; they can benefit your hero just as much as they can hinder. Personality Flaws in play There are two ways that Personality Flaws can come into play. Any time a Hero plays up their flaw to their own detriment, the Editor-in-Chief may award that player a Plot Die. When utilized in this manner the hero can gain absolutely no advantage from its use, in any way. The second method a flaw may be utilized is by the Editor-in-Chief and the other players: once per scene, the Editor-in-Chief or any of the other players may activate a flaw. This may be countered by the player with the expenditure of a plot die, though they may be awarded a plot die if they accept the consequences with grace, at the Editor-in-Chief’s discretion. The Editor-in-Chief determines the penalty suffered; this could range from a -2 penalty to a specific type of action for the remainder of the scene or simply ‘failing’ the scene (you didn’t convince the second enclave to join yours, you got captured by a super zombie, you failed to hit something when it really mattered). Always a Sidekick Look, whatever you guys want to do is fine by me. I wish Shooting Star was still here; he always pointed me in the right direction. You were a sidekick in the Glory Days and you still haven’t come to grips with the fact that you’re a top dog. You always look to others to fill the “hero” role, and you’re happy to work alongside them – or maybe just a step or two behind them. Bloodthirsty Cool it, man! He stole the can of tuna because he was hungry; you don’t have to beat him to a bloody pulp over it. You have a brutal temper that borders on sadism. You enjoy beating enemies to a bloody pulp and often look for the flimsiest excuse to consider someone an enemy. Craven Forget B-Lister, you act more like a Super-Villain’s cowardly minion – or comic relief. You jump at shadows, shriek at the slightest threat of violence, and are quite afraid of… well, absolutely everything. During the Glory Days you were a Hero’s expert or Villain’s minion; you were never called upon to fight and you actually can’t stand violence. You firmly believe that discretion is the better part of valor and avoid conflict whenever possible. Darwinist Sometimes you need to sacrifice one to save many. You won’t go out of your way to save a Bystander when the odds don’t favor it and you aren’t adverse to allowing slow or wounded Bystanders “take one for the team” and save the rest. While you may be able to convince Bystanders and other Heroes of the necessity of your actions, they often find it difficult to live with once you’re past the immediate danger. Greedy You know that little girl needs your antibiotics, but you may need them some day! You found them, and they are yours, damn it! You are very possessive of items you salvage; you have a stock pile of stuff and will go out of your way to get more, risking life and limb in the process. You are also fully capable of hiding things you find from your fellow survivors.

Book One 25 Haunted by Nightmares You see the zombies in your sleep. You have trouble sleeping through the night without zombies infecting your dreams. At times it’s so bad that they appear in your daydreams as well. The Hero’s Code Look, I get it. You want to fight for freedom, justice, and mom’s apple pie. But take a look around; it’s all gone, flushed down a zombie toilet. Why can’t you see that? Whether you actually believe in it or are just using it to hold on to your sanity, you continue to follow the unwritten code of superheroes to an extreme. You do not lie, cheat, or steal, even to survive. You treat zombies as honorably you would any other super villain or henchman. Hero Worship If Lady Liberty were here, she’d try to save those Bystanders. If I want to prove myself worthy of carrying on her mantle, I’ll need to try to save them as well. You idolize a particular hero or villain. You try to live by their code and remind others about their deeds. You may even model your own super identity on that hero or villain. Note that the subject of your worship need not be dead or Z’d and your subject may not be too happy to have you using her handle. Impatient You have no capacity for repetitive tasks or waiting around and have a short attention span. You can’t stand sitting around and making plans; the zombies are everywhere and they’re closing in all the time! You want to act, now! Unfortunately, your impatience often leads you into danger with no preparation. Lone Wolf Look, we voted and I’m the leader, remember? I want us to survive just as much as you do. Why do you keep secondguessing me and undermining my authority? While you understand the concept of safety in numbers, you just don’t work well with a group. Someone is always holding you back or supporting a clearly inferior course of action. You’d just rather be on your own, taking support only when you need it. Lying Eyes Your tongue may be clever, but your eyes betray you. No one trusts you. Maybe it’s the way you carry yourself, maybe it’s because you make unconvincing arguments, or maybe it’s because you really don’t care. In any case, you have a difficult time convincing people of what you say. Megalomania I’ve been telling you for years that only through an iron fist does civilization stand a chance! Look at the world now! Once I establish order we’ll wipe away the zombies once and for all! You were a power-mad super villain (albeit a lowpowered one) during the Glory Days and Z-Day changed nothing. While you protect Bystanders and work with Heroes, you do so out of a desire to establish a new world order, with you at the top. Nihilistic Even if we do destroy all the zombies, then what? Look around you, guys, this world is over. We’ve got nothing to look forward to but ruins and memories. You’ve given up hope. You survive because you must, if only to help others, but you just don’t see a glimmer of a bright future anywhere on the horizon. When things seem hopeless you’re strangely content, and it’s difficult to get you to fight against the odds. Oblivious Hey guys, why are you all sneaking up the stairs with your guns drawn? You are oblivious most of the time; maybe you suffer from extreme ADHD or have simply drawn into yourself. Regardless of the cause, there are times you ignore or fail to notice what is right in front of you. Over Protective What do you mean, “If we send out a group maybe some of them will come back?” We can’t treat Bystanders like cattle! I’ve been protecting this enclave since Z-Day. They’re my children! You are extremely over-protective of the Bystanders in your enclave and treat each of them as you would your children (and you dote on your children). This makes the hard choices even more difficult for you, and you take the loss of any Bystander extremely hard.

Book One 26 Patriot Sure things look tough, but we’re Americans! Our nation was born in troubled times and we’ve weathered worse! We’ll get through this so long as we never forget our ideals! You strongly believe in something, usually the nation of your birth, and you optimistically hold on to its ideals, laws, and principles. Your patriotism is often at odds with reality, and many fellow Heroes and Bystanders aren’t appreciative of your love for the Golden Age. Poor Substitute What do you mean, ‘I’m too young to be the Night Ranger’? I kept the city safe from Mega Master countless times! Of course I don’t have all the trick arrows anymore; I lost them years ago! You have not only taken on the mantle of an old superhero, you’re starting to believe that you are that superhero. Unfortunately, this goes far beyond roleplaying; at times you believe that you have access to powers that you simply don’t have, which can be dangerous when the zombie horde is surrounding you. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder You have seen the dark face of the apocalypse; it’s changed you, and you’re on the edge of losing it, all the time. Not only brought on through combat experience, PTSD can be brought on by any violent traumatic experience, like a zombie apocalypse. You are always on edge; you jump at loud noises and fly off the handle sometimes despite yourself. It’s hard for you to sleep, but when you do, you sleep with a knife at your side and a gun under your pillow. Revolutionary You disagree with how your enclave is governed and you make no attempt to hide your disapproval. You are constantly at odds with the leadership of your enclave and actively support replacing it with another type of government. Unfortunately, you usually hold the minority opinion and most Bystanders worry that your position may one day threaten the enclave. Ruthless You are a reformed Super-Villain or amoral hero and you try to do the right thing, but you still lack compassion for others. You have no appreciation for the feelings of others and fake compassion as best you can. You know that what you’re doing now is right, but you might as well be a robot as far as your feelings are concerned. You often look to other heroes to see how you should be feeling. Survivor’s Guilt Many Bystanders in your enclave have fearfully left a friend or loved one to the clutches of zombies but they never expected it from a hero. You let someone die in a moment of weakness and no matter how much you try to make up for it, Bystanders never let you forget it. You just can’t put your moment of weakness behind you. Not only is it brought up every time you offer an opinion on a course of action, but the friends and loved ones of the person you deserted occasionally try to exact revenge. Unlucky Lady Luck wants to see you get eaten by zombies. You can’t put your finger on it, but you just have the worst luck. Two paths? The one you take is filled with zombies. Have a weakness? Count on it to be incorporated into the next super zombie’s costume. Your Judgment is upon you!

Book One 27 Unattractive You never did look good in spandex due to that pot belly. The prescription eyeglasses don’t help either. For whatever reason, people that would normally be attracted to you find you homely at best and quite possibly repulsive. Villainous Past Yes, you keep saying that the Z-Day changed everything, but you know what? I really don’t care. Before the Z-Day you were an arrogant, megalomaniacal, narcissistic SOB with blood on your gloves. I still don’t trust you. You were a rather public and sinister super villain before the Z-Day and you can’t shake your reputation. You are treated poorly, constantly watched, and always the first suspect whenever something bad happens that doesn’t involve zombies. Young Gun You are so young it’s hard for others to take you seriously, as a result you constantly compensate in a desperate bid to gain respect. When others are watching, you are exceedingly reckless, all in an attempt to gain some level of respect. You always volunteer for dangerous missions and leap headlong into “heroic” situations. Xenophobia You really don’t like strangers. You are immediately suspicious and intolerant toward anyone that isn’t part of your survivalist enclave. It takes a long time for a stranger to gain your trust. Zealot We brought this on ourselves. Only if we truly repent and ask for forgiveness will this nightmare be over. Whether you were a person of faith before or found religion in the aftermath of Z-Day, you now strongly hold on to its teachings. Your faith may not be exactly what that faith taught in the Glory Days (you’ve had to interpret a lot on your own) and some of your interpretations may be quite fanciful, but you firmly believe in it. You want – need – everyone else to join you. Taglines There was another thing we all had in common; each and every one of us had a tagline. Yes, I realize it was kind of silly, and most heroes’ taglines seemed almost forced. But it was one of those unwritten traditions we all followed. Back in the day, the media would do most of the work for us; I still remember how they stuck Armory with “Stand Back” after they caught him saying it on the news two times… never mind the fact that he was telling bystanders and members of his own team to basically get out of the way. But before you knew it, there he was yelling “Stand Back” right before he would let loose with some new weapon or right before he would land the telling blow. We all have taglines, and the bystanders eat it up; it seems to give them some hope. At least some of us have hope left. Choosing a Tagline Players should choose a tagline during character creation, or they can start play without one and allow the other players, and bystanders (aka the Editor-in-Chief) to choose one for them. A tagline should be quick sentence or saying, a call to battle, or a quip commonly used by the Hero. Examples: “You never saw that coming” – Velocity “Turn it up!” – Sonic Boom “I am the night!” – The Hood “Protectors, take them/him down” – Sentinel Taglines in play Once per scene, during an action in which the player spends a Plot Die to add to an action skill roll and is performing an act befitting his/her tagline, the Hero may utter the tagline to reroll their plot die, taking the higher of the two rolls. Example: Velocity flashes by a super zombie, striking it from behind as it’s focused on the other heroes. Wanting to increase his chances of hitting the Z, the player ops to spend a plot die to increase his attack roll and rolls a one. Looking up at the Editor-in-Chief he says “Ha! You never saw that coming”, activating his tagline and getting a free Plot Die reroll.

Book One 28 Attributes All Characters have eight Attributes. Attributes enter into nearly every activity as they represent a character’s innate ability. Where the common human generally possesses scores of 3 in most attributes, a B-Lister’s attributes can range anywhere from 3–9. Unless exceptionally powerful in a single attribute or augmented through powers, even B-Listers generally range from 3-7. Attribute Die/Dice Every Attribute has a value that corresponds to an Attribute Die. When an Action Roll is called for, the Editor-inChief indicates the appropriate Attribute Die to roll alongside the Action Dice. This system allows skills to easily make use of various Attributes and tailor them to any situation. Truly exceptional individuals may have multiple dice instead of a single Attribute Die. Passive Modifier Each Attribute also has a Passive Modifier that serves as a quick measurement of the Attribute. The Passive Modifier is used for Passive Action Rolls, the Hero’s Defenses, to determine Initiative, for certain spells, and myriad other purposes as described in the appropriate Advantages, Spells, skills, Martial Maneuvers, or other sources. Physical Attributes Might The Hero’s ability to apply his raw strength to tasks, Might represents the Hero’s muscle and physical power. Might is vital to Heroes that rely upon hard-hitting attacks. Might adds to: • The Hero’s damage with melee and thrown weapons; • How much the Hero can lift or carry; • Action Rolls where the application of force is desired; • The Hero’s Fortitude Defense (see pg. 29). Prowess The measure of the Hero’s physical coordination and dexterity, Prowess is fundamental to Heroes who rely upon their coordination and athleticism. Prowess is especially useful in putting down zombies in a single shot. Prowess adds to: • The Hero’s ability to strike their intended targets; • Action Rolls where overall athleticism is in question; • Action Rolls that require precise control of one’s body or hands; • The Hero’s Avoidance Defense (see pg. 29). Quickness The measure of the Hero’s reflexes and foot speed, Quickness is critical to those who rely upon agility and speed to get out of trouble. Quickness is especially valuable when fleeing from bands of zombies. Quickness adds to: • The Hero’s damage for ranged attacks; • Initiative in combat (see pg. 30); • The Hero’s Pace (see pg. 30); • Action Rolls where the Hero’s reflexes are called into question. Vigor The measurement of health and vitality, Vigor is very important to Heroes who need to endure in the face of harsh physical punishment, either from arduous labor or combat. Vigor adds to: • The Hero’s Wounds (see pg. 30); • Action Rolls where the Hero’s endurance is tested; • The Hero’s Fortitude Defense (see pg. 29). Mental Attributes Charisma The Hero’s force of personality and likeability, Charisma is essential to those who rely upon their ability to influence and manipulate others. In the harsh world of the zombie apocalypse, Charisma is what binds survivors together. Charisma adds to: • Action Rolls where the Hero’s ability to influence others is called upon; • The Hero’s Discipline Defense (see pg. 29).

Book One 29 Insight The Hero’s intuition and instinct, Insight is necessary for those who need to keep an eye out for trouble or understand the motives of others. Insight is invaluable for spotting zombies before they can surprise Heroes. Insight adds to: • Action Rolls related to the Hero’s ability to sense what might be hidden (such as traps); • Action Rolls where the Hero is expected to make a guess or anticipate another’s actions; • The Hero’s Avoidance Defense (see pg. 29). Logic The Hero’s reasoning ability and overall smarts, Logic is crucial to those who have academic pursuits and need to reason their way through problems. Logic is also useful to scientific Heroes, especially when trying to make artifacts work. Logic adds to: • Action Rolls where the Hero is called upon to make conclusions based upon known quantities; • Action Rolls where the Hero is called upon to remember facts. Resolve The Hero’s mental toughness, Resolve is pivotal to those who need to persevere in the face of adversity and nonphysical attacks. Resolve adds to: • Action Rolls where the Hero is called upon to withstand fear or horror; • Action Rolls where the Hero must continue in the face of obstruction or frustration; • The Hero’s Discipline Defense (see pg. 29). Derived Attributes There are other Attributes that describe a Hero’s capabilities beyond the eight basic Attributes. These Attributes are easily calculated. Defenses Each Hero has Defenses that reflect their ability to avoid or resist attacks of all kinds. Avoidance Avoidance is the Hero’s ability to dodge attacks. It combines elements of the Hero’s athleticism and anticipation. Whenever an attack seeks to physically strike a Hero, the attack targets the Hero’s Avoidance Defense. Avoidance is adversely modified by armor and benefits from shields. Avoidance = 12 + Prowess Passive Modifier + Insight Passive Modifier Fortitude Fortitude is the Hero’s ability to withstand severe trauma, poisons, and diseases. It combines elements of the Hero’s health and conditioning. Whenever an attack would inflict trauma on the Hero’s health and physical well-being, the attack targets the Hero’s Fortitude Defense. Fortitude = 12 + Might Passive Modifier + Vigor Passive Modifier Discipline Discipline is the Hero’s ability to overcome hardship, resist attacks on the mind, and remain focused in the face of distraction. It combines elements of the Hero’s force of personality and will. Whenever an attack seeks to deceive or dominate a Hero, the attack targets the Hero’s Discipline Defense. Discipline = 12 + Charisma Passive Modifier + Resolve Passive Modifier Health Each Hero has attributes of health that reflect their ability to endure physical harm and suffering. Your voice is your best defense against wrongful death.

Book One 30 Stamina Stamina represents your Hero’s staying power during combat; it is not your physical toughness, but instead represents your endurance under duress. It also measures how many powers you can use during a scene. When performing this calculation, it is done using only the base values for these Defenses; no conditional modifiers apply (such as those provided by Powers or Advantages). When your Defenses advance (see Advancement, page 21), your Stamina increases accordingly. Stamina = Avoidance Defense + Fortitude Defense + Discipline Defense Wounds Wounds represent your Hero’s ability to absorb raw, physical trauma. Wounds = 1 + Vigor Passive Modifier Speed Each Hero possesses stats that reflect their ability to fly into action at a moment’s notice. Pace Pace represents how fast your Hero can run. A Hero can move a maximum number of areas in a round equal to their Quickness Passive Modifier. This may be increased through Powers or Advantages. Initiative Your Initiative represents the number of d10s you roll at the start of combat. Initiative = Quickness Passive Modifier Passive Values Both skills and powers possess a passive value; this value represents the general power or level of aptitude. Passive Value = 12 + Skill/Power Ranks + Primary Attribute’s Passive Modifier. Burnout Threshold Some powers cause stress and fatigue on a Hero, occasionally reaching a point where the Hero’s powers simply burn out for a time. This may leave them vulnerable to zombie infection or being served as dinner. The Hero’s Burnout Threshold is equal to either the Hero’s Discipline or Fortitude defense. Once this defense is specified, it cannot be changed, ever. Carry lots of bandages.

Book One 31 The Master Values Table Both attributes and powers utilize the same chart; for example, an attribute or power of 8 would have a base die of d10 and a +4 Passive Modifier. Master Values Table 1-2 Attribute Scores and values Data Points Might Data Points Pace Data Points Score Base Die Passive Modifier Might Max Lift Max Lift Examples Throw Range Might Push/Drag Top MPH 0 - 0 - - 0 - - 1 d4 1 50 lbs. 1 100 lbs. 2 2 d6 1 75 lbs. 2 150 lbs. 4 3 d6 2 100 lbs. 3 200 lbs. 8 4 d8 2 150 lbs. Average Human 4 300 lbs. 10 5 d8 3 200 lbs. 5 400 lbs. 12 6 d8 3 300 lbs. Male Lion 6 600 lbs. 14 7 d10 3 400 lbs. 6 800 lbs. 16 8 d10 4 500 lbs. Motorcycle 7 1000 lbs. 18 9 d10 4 600 lbs. ATV 7 1200 lbs. 20 10 d10 4 700 lbs. 8 1400 lbs. 22 11 d12 4 800 lbs. 8 1600 lbs. 24 12 d12 5 900 lbs. 9 1800 lbs. 26 13 d12 5 1 ton. Average Car 9 2 ton. 50 14 d12 5 2 tons. Large Truck 10 4 tons. 100 15 +d4 6 4 tons. 10 8 tons. 175 16 +d4 6 6 tons. Subway Car 12 12 tons. 250 17 +d4 7 8 tons. Semi-Truck 12 16 tons. 350 18 +d4 7 10 tons. Train boxcar 13 20 tons. 450 19 +d6 7 13 tons. School Bus 13 26 tons. 550 20 +d6 8 16 tons. Stryker APC 14 32 tons. 650 21 +d6 8 32 tons. 14 62 tons. 750 22 +d6 8 64 tons. M1 Tank 15 128 tons. Mach 1 23 +d8 8 128 tons. Small Coastguard Cutter 16 256 tons. Mach 1.5 24 +d8 9 256 tons. Locomotive 17 512 tons. Mach 2 25 +d8 9 512 tons. 747 18 1,024 tons. Mach 2.5 26 +d8 9 1,024 tons. 19 2,048 tons. Mach 3 27 +d10 9 2,048 tons. Space Shuttle 20 4,096 tons. Mach 3.5 28 +d10 10 4,096 tons. Saturn V Rocket 21 8,192 tons. Mach 4 29 +d10 10 8,192 tons. Attack submarine 22 16,384 tons. Mach 8 30 +d10 10 16,384 tons. Polar class icebreaker 23 32,768 tons. Mach 16 31 +d12 10 32,768 tons. 24 65,536 tons. Mach 23 32 +d12 11 65,536 tons. Modern US Aircraft Carrier 25 131,072 tons. Mach 46 33 +d12 11 131,072 tons. 26 262,144 tons. Mach 92 34 +d12 11 262,144 tons. 27 524,288 tons. Mach 184 35 2d12+d4 11 524,288 tons. 28 1,048,576 tons. Mach 368 36+ * * x2 x2 x2 * Continue to add base die every increase at the same rate every 20 ranks beyond 35 and which increases in size each 4 ranks till it reaches d12, while the passive modifier increases by 1 every 4 ranks beyond 36.

Book One 32 Data Points You have probably noticed that the Master Values table has a few data points. Might based data points are self-explanatory, with some handy examples of what a character with a particular Might is able to lift. Throw Range Throw Range is the number of areas an object of maximum weight can be thrown. Lighter objects can be thrown a number of additional areas equal to the difference between the Hero’s max lift and the weight category of the object. For example, someone with 20 Might tossing a 6 ton subway car would be able to throw that subway car a total of 18 areas (20 Might commonly has a range of 14 areas, while a subway car would fall within 16 Might; a 4 rank difference). Pace Data Point Top MPH, is the top speed of a character while out of combat. In combat, characters are limited to their Pace value in areas. For example, someone with a Pace of 20 would have a top speed of 650 mph, but in combat would be limited to 20 areas of movement. Table 1-3: Attribute Potential Score Example 1 Feeble. You are a bedridden elderly person or mentally challenged. 2 Below Average. You just have trouble keeping up, get winded easily, or never notice things. 3 Average. You are the common person. 4-6 Exceptional. You’re simply a little tougher or more perceptive than most of your friends. 7-8 Remarkable. You may be a local legend, and likely a professional in your field of interest. 9-10 Amazing. You may have been an Olympian, or the valedictorian at an institution like Harvard Law. 11-12 Exceptionally Rare. You might be counted among the finest professional athletes or Olympians in history, or you may be considered one of the finest minds in your field. 15+ Super Human. Physical feats beyond this rank are considered super human, while mental attributes beyond this rank are only typical of legendary minds, such as Einstein, Da Vinci, Hawking, and Andrew Wiles. Supporting Cast I’m telling you I have seen some amazing things since Z-Day. Through all the blood and death, I have seen ruthless men become selfless heroes. I don’t know, maybe it’s a defense mechanism, a primal need to gather, form family, protect our fellow man. There are so few of us that maybe our inner caveman needs us to form tribes and look upon our each other as brother and sister, instead of competitor or prey. Zombie survival stories are never truly about the zombies but those who survive it; how sometimes radically different people are forced to come together, grow closer, and how the death of any of those people affects the survivors. In this last step, we create those personal bonds between the Heroes and some of those survivors. Every zombie story has its supporting cast, those characters on the peripherals which make things really matter. By no means are these the only cast members. Depending upon the size of the enclave, you may have a few or many other Bystanders. The Supporting Cast is more than that; they are the survivors the Heroes have formed personal connections with. Creating the supporting cast is more of a group event, and should be done with all the players at the table. Once everyone is together, have each player describe one or two non-Hero Bystanders they have formed personal connections with. These Bystanders’ may be people the Hero personally saved from becoming zombie chow. They may be family members, or old friends, or maybe a random survivor that reminds the Hero of someone in his past. During this process the player proposing the Hero’s supporting cast may opt to give them a useful skill set. If approved by the Editor-in-Chief, this costs the player a plot die. At the Editor-in-Chief’s discretion, once a supporting character is created, the other players may propose one or more personality flaws, such as being an alcoholic, thrill seeker, or possessing a dark secret. If multiple players propose different flaws, the Editor-in-Chief chooses the ones they like and grants that player a Plot Die. During game play these cast members are usually controlled by the Editor-in-Chief, but that may not always be the case. As a way to keep everyone involved in the game or tell multiple stories (for example when the party is split up, or when there are events taking place back at the enclave), there are times that the Editor may hand a Supporting Cast member to another player to role play, though players should never have direct control over their own cast members.

Book One 33 Statting the Supporting Cast There are two ways to stat out your supporting cast. You can simply use the optional Supporting Character stat block located on page 107, adding any necessary skill set, or you may build each Supporting Character from the ground up with a 75 point buy (without any powers), which creates more capable characters but does take a bit more time. Skills It’s great having a power or two that sets you apart from the masses, but powers alone aren’t going to save you from the zombie horde. Just ask Night Wolf or the Golden Ram. Or at least, try asking them while they keep trying to bite your arm off. It’s your skills that keep you alive. You have to keep your eyes open, bind wounds as soon as possible, slip past zombies, and find food if you want to make it to the next sunrise – or sunset, if you prefer. I can’t stand the sunlight myself, but that’s only because it shows me the world as it is. I’d rather remember it as it was, and I really do need to keep my skills sharp if I’m running around at night. There are worse things than zombies that love the darkness. Choosing starting skills During this step of Hero creation, you may use your experience points to buy your Hero’s starting skills. You may buy a skill one rank at a time as described on pg. 36 and/or buy one or two skill sets. Skill sets are collections of complementary skills which represent a particular field of study. These skills, when purchased as a skill set, are cheaper than training each skill separately. Any time a skill is presented in multiple skills sets, simply add the ranks together. You may also increase skills after acquiring them through a skill set. Just remember, with the exception of skill heroes, you may only buy two skill sets. Lastly any time a skill states (choose one focus) you must choose a focus and gain the Skill Focus advantage in it as a bonus Advantage. Any time a focus is presented it will be within curly brackets {x} while specializations are presented within hard brackets [ ].

Book One 34 Universal Starting Basic Skills Regardless of what skills or skill set you choose, all heroes start with the following skills. These skills may be increased during hero creation. Drive: 1 Local Knowledge: 1 Technology [Basic]: 1 Urban Survival: 1 For a complete list of skills, see page 38. Skill Sets Academic/Student (Cost 10 XP) Academics {Choose one}: 3 Athletics: 2 Linguistics: 2 Science [Choose one]: 2 Technology [Choose one]: 2 Athlete, Pro/Semi-Pro (Cost 15 XP) Academics {One Sport}: 3 Acrobatics: 3 Athletics: 3 Drive: 1 Perception: 1 Business Professional (Cost 20 XP) Academics {Choose two foci}: 3 Drive: 1 Empathy: 3 Influence: 3 Linguistics: 2 Technology [Choose one]: 2 Criminal (Cost 13 XP) Empathy: 2 Firearms: 2 Larceny 2 Melee: 2 Perception 2 Stealth: 2 Computer Technician (Cost 10 XP) Technology [Programming]: 2 Engineering [Computers]: 3 Engineering [Programming]: 3 Detective (Cost 20 XP) Academics {Law and Criminology}: 2 Athletics: 1 Drive: 1 Empathy: 2 Melee: 1 Firearms: 2 Perception: 3 Local Knowledge: 3 Technology [Basic]: 1 Doctor (Cost 25 XP) Academics {Choose one focus}: 2 Empathy: 1 Medicine: 4 Perception: 2 Science [Biology, Bio-Chemistry]: 4 Technology [Medical Technology]: 2 Ex-military (Cost 25 XP) Athletics: 3 Firearms: 3 Medicine (EMT): 2 Melee: 3 Perception: 2 Outdoorsman: 2 Technology [Choose one]: 1 Urban Survival: 1 Engineer (Cost 20 XP) Academics {Choose one focus}: 3 Engineering [Choose one]: 3 Engineering [Choose one]: 3 Science [Choose Physics or Chemistry]: 2 Technology [Choose one]: 3

Book One 35 Emergency Response (Cost 15 XP) Academics {Choose one}: 3 Athletics: 1 Medicine: 3 Science [Biology]: 2 Technology [Medical Technology]: 2 Law Enforcement (Cost 15 XP) Academics {Law}: 2 Athletics: 2 Drive: 1 Melee: 1 Firearms: 2 Perception: 2 Local Knowledge: 3 Mechanic (Cost 10 XP) Athletics: 2 Drive: 2 Engineering [Aircraft Mechanic or Automobile Mechanic]: 3 Technology [Basic]: 2 Public Relations/Con Artist (Cost 25 XP) Empathy: 4 Influence: 4 Linguistics: 4 Spy/Assassin (Cost 20 XP) Athletics 2 Acrobatics: 2 Firearms: 1 Larceny: 2 Melee: 2 Perception: 2 Stealth: 3 Technology [Security Systems]: 2 Survivalist (Cost 20 XP) Athletics: 2 Animal Handling: 2 Drive: 1 Melee: 2 Firearms or Ranged: 2 Perception: 3 Outdoorsman: 2 Urban Survival: 2 Choosing Skills to Fit a Particular Theme Don’t feel restricted by a skill set’s name. For example, if you want a create a hero who was once a psychologist you can choose Public Relations/Con Artist and pick up some ranks in Science (Psychology), or if you want to create an commercial pilot you can choose Academic/Student or Business Professional and get a few ranks in pilot. Don’t let the skill sets become a shackle; if none of these fit your hero, simply purchase the skills you want. Starting languages Heroes are all considered to be literate and fluent in their native language. Heroes may acquire additional languages by acquiring ranks in the Linguistics skill. Skills and Attributes Most of the time you make Action Rolls, you’re combining an Attribute and a Skill. You aren’t going to use the same combo all the time; any skill can be used with almost any Attribute under the right circumstances. You might use Influence with Charisma if you’re trying to calm a frightened kid, but you might use Logic instead if you’re interrogating a scavenger and you’re trying to trip him up with leading questions. Keep in mind that Rotted Capes is all about survival and you’ll want to make the most out of your opportunities. Always try to find ways to pair your best Attributes with your skills; sometimes it’ll work, sometimes it won’t, but you stand a good chance of getting the Editor-in-Chief on your side if you have interesting ideas.

Book One 36 Skill Ranks and Bonus Stacking It’s not enough to have a skill; you’d better be good at it. All too often someone claims to be an athlete because they were great in gym class, only to fail miserably when trying to scale a wall. Skill ranks are applied to all Action Skill Rolls, with additional modifiers being granted by skill Uses, Powers, or Advantages. Bonuses from the same sources don’t stack. You always use the best bonus that’s appropriate for the circumstance. For example, let’s say you have two Advantages that give bonuses to Stealth. One grants you a +1 bonus to all Stealth Action Skill Rolls and another that grants you a +2 to Stealth Action Skill Rolls when in urban environments. When you are in an urban environment you benefit from the larger +2 bonus, and in all other situations you only receive the +1 bonus. Circumstances There are times when you can add a little extra to your Action Roll when circumstances warrant it. You might be trying to use Stealth while slowly walking across a really soft carpet or Influence when asking an old friend to trust you. Just as circumstances can help you they can also hurt you. The Editor-in-Chief might penalize you if that soft carpet is saturated with water and your steps make squishing sounds, or the last time your old friend trusted you she lost her husband to a zombie. The typical range for Circumstance Modifiers is +3 to -3, with most being either +1 or -1. Difficulty Rating and Other Target Numbers Most Action Skill Rolls you perform will be compared to either a Difficulty Rating, with each Difficulty Rating corresponding to a static Target Number, or other Target Numbers such as a Target’s Defenses or Passive Skill Value. Sometimes using a skill is easy; other times it’ll be almost impossible. How difficult it is to accomplish something is your Difficulty Rating; its corresponding Target Number is what you need to make on your Action Roll in order to succeed. Your Editor-in-Chief decides what the Difficulty Rating is for any given Action. Table 1-4 Difficulty Rating/Target Numbers Difficulty Rating with Corresponding TNs Trifling 5 Daunting 25 Easy 10 Amazing 30 Routine 15 Improbable 35 Challenging 20 Astounding 40 Passive Skill Values There are going to be times when you may not be aware of what’s happening; hopefully it won’t prove fatal. Other times a Super Zombie may set a trap and isn’t around to make the Action Rolls needed to see if it succeeds in incapacitating you. In cases like these, the Editor-in-Chief is going to use a Passive Skill Value in place of an Action Roll. Passive Skill Value = 12 + Attribute Passive Modifier + Skill Ranks. The Passive Skill Value is the TN that the active participant needs to exceed. Let’s say you’re trying to break into a former super villain’s computer system, and that super villain became zombie chow years ago. You’d perform an Action Roll against the former super villain’s Technology skill ranks + his (then) Logic Passive Modifier + 12. Presumably he doesn’t have much use for Logic anymore. Focused on the Task at Hand There are going to be times when you don’t feel threatened and you can focus on the task at hand. When you’re lucky enough for this to happen, you get to roll an extra Action Die (d10) and keep the best two of three rolls. Be warned, almost nowhere in the world is safe these days and it isn’t often that you aren’t afraid of a zombie leaping out at a moment’s notice. Your Editor-in-Chief isn’t likely to be generous in allowing focused Action Rolls. Cooperation Among the many reasons why Heroes still form super teams is that they can combine their efforts to survive. When not in combat, you can combine your efforts on a single Skill Action with other Heroes. The assisting Heroes forgo any Action Skill Roll of their own. Instead, they grant you a +2 bonus per assistant to their Skill Action. Most skill checks are limited to a total of 3 assistants at a time. However, in some circumstances at the Editor-inChief’s discretion, this limit may be raised or lowered, or A lighter and an aerosol can cooperation may not even be possible. makes a good disinfectant.

Book One 37 Trivial Tasks If at any time the TN of a task can be reached with an Action Roll result of 5 plus modifiers then you don’t have to roll the dice. The chance of failure is so small that it is assumed you can perform the task with little difficulty. Tasks that have a significant cost of failure (like pulling yourself back onto the top from a precipice) are never trivial tasks. Untrained Skill Use and Attribute Action Rolls The only school left after Z-Day hit is the School of Hard Knocks. You’re probably going to have to attempt things you never learned. In these cases you just make an Action Roll without adding any Skill ranks. There are also going to be times when a skill just doesn’t seem appropriate and the Editor-in-Chief just calls for an Attribute Action Roll, which is resolved just like an Untrained Skill Roll. Keep in mind that it’s in your best interest to attach some skill to a roll; always scan your list of skills and see if something may fit with a little justification. The Right Tools for the Job Making an Action Skill Roll without the appropriate tools for the job imposes a -6 penalty, though at the Editorin-Chief’s discretion you may attempt to work with makeshift tools, lowering the penalty to -3. Skills in a Fight Utilizing skills in the heat of battle takes up time. When assigning a TN, the Editor-In-Chief should also assign a Speed Cost; the number of ticks required to complete your action. Actions Table 1-5 Action Category/Speed Cost Speed # of Ticks Trivial +1 Simple +2 Complex 4 Demanding 6 Trivial and Simple Actions can be performed in combination with other actions (such as movement or even attacking), as their use doesn’t warrant consideration as an action but does occupy a small portion of a Hero’s time (reflected in the Speed cost of the skill use). Complex and Demanding Actions, on the other hand, require your full attention. Demanding Actions are interruptible (see Interruptible Actions, pg. 85). Additionally, some Demanding Action uses may require multiple actions to complete (for example, disarming a complex trap may require two successful Demanding Actions). Rush Jobs: Sometimes you may be forced to perform a little faster than normal or are willing to take a few seconds to help guarantee success. Any time you are utilizing a noncombat skill, you may reduce the time required to perform the skill use one step by applying a –3 penalty to the Action Skill Roll. Alternatively, you may opt to take some extra time, increasing the time required by one step to gain a +3 bonus to your Action Skill Roll. If you attempt to take some extra time on a Demanding skill action, add 4 ticks to the Speed of the action (effectively making it 11 ticks). Attempting to rush a Trivial skill action cannot reduce the Speed cost to less than 1 tick. Universal Skill Uses In this post-apocalyptic world all knowledge is useful to your survival; you may be an expert in areas you never considered. You can pair Logic with any skill in order to know things related to that skill. For instance, you may use Academics (Lo) to determine the programs of a former college, Melee (Lo) to determine what sports equipment makes the best weapons, or Medicine (Lo) to determine if there are any hospitals or clinics in the area that may have supplies. Social Encounters The two most important skills in social situations are Empathy and Influence. Empathy is the ability to read another person’s emotional state or the attempt to convey meaning through expressions and gestures. Influence is the ability to convince someone to give you what you want, or convince them that they want to help you. Before any dice are rolled, the Editor-in-Chief is going to ask you what you intend to say and achieve. If you sound persuasive enough, that may be the end of it; you get what you’re asking for and the struggle for survival continues. If the Editor-in-Chief feels that rolls are necessary, then he assigns the appropriate skills and any circumstantial modifiers (telling someone to run while pointing a glowing hand at them makes your argument more persuasive).

Book One 38 A handy list of situational modifiers is presented below but this is far from an exhaustive list. There are times when even the most persuasive Hero will automatically fail; try telling a bystander with a broomstick to hold a doorway as an overly-muscled Super Zombie is rushing towards them. No, I didn’t think so either. Table 1-6: Social Encounters Situational Modifiers Condition Example Modifier Favorable One has something the other wants (even if they don’t know it), clear advantage with agreeing, politically expedient to agree, Hero “fits in” and is exceptionally respecting the local customs. +3 or +6 Unfavorable Target has a lot to lose, is in a clear position of power, politically expedient to disagree, Hero disregards local custom or seems ignorant or disrespectful. -3 to -6 Reputation Granted to the Hero or the Target, depending upon who possesses the greater reputation. +1 Excellent Roleplaying Need we say more? +6* Table 1-7 Complete Skills List Academics Medicine Acrobatics Melee Animal Handling Outdoorsman Athletics Perception Drive Pilot Empathy Ranged Engineering Scavenge Firearms Science Influence Stealth Larceny Technology Linguistics Urban Survival Local Knowledge Skill Descriptions Focus: A focus represents an advanced level of proficiency with a specific aspect of a general skill. You may learn skills without the acquisition of a focus, in which case you simply possess a general level of proficiency as described under each skill. Learning a focus gives the hero a +1 bonus to all Action Skill Rolls when using that particular use of a skill. For example, a hero with the skill Drive and a focus in Automobiles can drive a truck; they just won’t have as much practice at it. To acquire a focus the hero must take the Skill Focus Advantage: (See Advantages, pg. 44). Foci listed are not meant as a complete list, feel free to create new foci with the same level of specificity. Specializations: A specialization represents a particularly detailed background in a field of study. Each specialization is treated as its own skill and improved on independently; simply choose a specialization when you first acquire the skill. Unlike a focus, a Hero cannot make a check in a specialization that he does not possess. For example, any hero can swing a sword or pick a pocket (possible foci of Melee and Larceny respectively), or may even have read a book on Sociology (a focus of Academics), but without a firm grounding in Engineering [Robotics] the hero wouldn’t know the first thing about building a robot. You may have a focus with a specialization giving you a +1 with all Action Skill Rolls when utilizing that specialization. No list of foci or specializations is meant to be exhaustive of all possible fields of study. The Editor-in-Chief and players should feel free to create fitting foci and specializations to round out their hero. Any time a foci is presented it will be within curly brackets {x} while specializations are presented within hard brackets [ ] For example you may have Medicine [Genetics] or Melee {Unarmed}. Academics Primary Attribute: Logic You know a great deal about scholarly pursuits such as anthropology, bureaucracy, government, history, sociology. Within minutes of meeting a group of survivors you can tell what kind of power structure governs them and the general feeling of the people living under it. Your knowledge of geography is useful when using old roads to get from place to place. You remember locations of government buildings and military installations. Zombies don’t sleep.

Book One 39 {Focus}: Any general field of academic study. Some examples may be: Psychology, Political Science, Sociology, Mathematics, and History. Acrobatics Primary Attribute: Quickness You can flip, dive, roll, tumble, and perform other acrobatic maneuvers. You can walk across tightropes and wires, reduce your falling damage, and tumble through obstacles and opponents. To reduce your damage from a fall, make an Easy (TN 10) Acrobatics (Qu) Action Skill Roll. Subtract the result of your Action Skill Roll (in feet) from the distance fallen before determining falling damage, rounded up to the nearest area. A fall reduced to 0 feet (or less) deals no damage. If you’re attempting to tumble past an obstacle, the Editor-in-Chief sets the Difficulty based on the size and nature of the obstacle. If you’re trying to bypass opponents, he may oppose your roll with a Melee (In) or Empathy (In) roll. If you fail, then you can’t get past them. It is possible to use teamwork with Acrobatics (a Hero may assist you in hurtling over a wall or over a couple of zombies), but anyone involved must be trained in Acrobatics. Focus: Tumbling, Parkour (aka Free Running), Balance. Animal Handling Primary Attribute: Insight Animal Handling is a powerful skill in the world after Z-Day, as horses provide reliable means of transportation and dogs can be trained to sniff out zombies. Unfortunately, zombies have no problems slaying these creatures. This skill enables you to ride horses (or other appropriate beasts) and teach basic commands and tricks. The Editorin-Chief sets the Difficulty, but most types of training are Challenging tasks that, in the case of training animals, may take weeks. {Focus}: Riding, Animal Handling, Animal Training. Athletics Primary Attribute: Vigor You excel at physical feats of strength and endurance. You are adept at sustained activity. When Climbing, Jumping, or Swimming, the Editor-in-Chief determines the Difficulty. Success allows you to move at half Pace. A running jump allows you to clear your passive Quickness or Might modifier. A Routine (TN: 15) Athletics Action Skill Roll allows you to deliberately fall 10 feet without injury. At the Editor-in-Chief’s discretion, Athletics can be used to push past your limits, grab something that’s just out of reach, or other athletic feats. Focus: Climbing, Running, Jumping, Swimming, Feats of Strengths. Drive Primary Attribute: Quickness This skill allows you to drive motorcycles, trucks, and boats with an impressive level of skill. It is presumed that most people have a basic facility with driving. Possessing higher ranks in this skill allows you to perform complex maneuvers, and conduct regular maintenance. {Focus}: Automobiles, Motorcycle, Power Boat, Sail Boat, Trucks. Empathy Primary Attribute: Insight Empathy is your ability to read another’s emotional state, mannerisms and, in general, notice when something is amiss. By no means is Empathy a science; it’s more about relying upon your own intuition and developing a special insight into the motivations of others. Empathy is primarily used for social encounters where you are trying to “read” someone. This is usually your Empathy (In) against your opponent’s Influence (Ch) (if he is attempting to convey different intentions) or Mettle (Re) (if he is using a poker face). Editor’s Note: What Empathy is Not Empathy is not the ability to know either when someone is telling a lie or when someone is concealing something. This skill is not a truth-detector, nor is it a substitute for role-playing. It is intended solely to provide an indication of the emotional state of another Hero (whether Player controlled, or controlled by the Editorin-Chief). Engineering Primary Attribute: Logic You are able to perform simple acts of engineering with an impressive level of proficiency such as mounting a rifle on a vehicle, patching a hole in the gas tank, changing an engine belt, even converting an alternator into a wind powered battery charger.

Book One 40 In general, basic maintenance is Routine and takes about 30 minutes; minor repairs are Routine or Challenging tasks that could take an hour or two. Specializations present complex field of study, allowing you to repair or even (with time, materials, and proper tools) build complex devices. While you may possess knowledge in only one field of study, there is quite a lot of crossover between the disciplines. You are considered to possess ranks equal to half your current skill ranks or your logic passive modifier (whichever is lower) in all other forms of Engineering (referred to as basic Engineering). Thorough repairs (such as rebuilding an engine) or building items from scratch (and scraps!) can take days and require multiple Action Skill Rolls. For these more complex actions, the Editor-in-Chief must assign a Difficulty and a time increment (building and fixing things takes time, after all). [Specializations]: Aeronautical Engineering, Automobile Mechanic, Electrical Engineering, Metal Working, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Structural Engineering, Weapons Engineering. Firearms Primary Attribute: Prowess You are skilled at making ranged attacks with all kinds of small arms. Any time you wish to attempt a ranged attack with a firearm, you must perform a Firearms (Pr) Action Skill Roll against the Avoidance of your Target. This skill also gives you basic knowledge on how to maintain firearms, including performing basic repairs. {Focus}: Assault Rifles, Energy Weapons, Grenade Launcher, Hunting Rifles, Pistols. Influence Primary Attribute: Charisma This skill enables you to convince others to do what you want, whether through charm, debate, deceit, deliberation, intimidation, or negotiation. More generally, Influence is used to engender fear, respect, friendship, or even love. Most uses of Influence involve social encounters, where you use the skill against an opponent’s Empathy or Mettle to sway their feelings towards you. If you are lying, then your Influence is opposed by their Empathy. If you are just trying to get them to do something they don’t want to do, then your Influence is opposed by their Mettle. In cases of debate, deliberation, or negotiation, your opponent may use her Influence against yours, as you are both looking for something. An Influence (Ch) roll can also be used against the Discipline of an opponent so that they pause and listen to what you have to say. In a world without currency, Influence is used for bartering goods and services. Heroes may be able to get an extra magazine or some extra water in a trade (utilize the Social Encounters system presented on pg. 37). Survivors as a whole have become quite protective of what they have, and are quite knowledgeable as to what they need, so taking advantage of someone is just not as easy as it used to be. {Focus}: Diplomacy, Intimidation, Persuasion, Seduction. Larceny Primary Attribute: Logic This skill involves many different forms of theft. While in the world before Z-Day Larceny was used for profit, it is now primarily a tool for survival. This skill can be used to disable traps, locks, and similar devices, including common electronic security locks (this may also be covered by the Technology skill). The Difficulty Rating and the number of successes are dependent upon the complexity or quality of the device in question. If the Action Skill Roll is failed by 5 or more, the device is triggered, setting off any security measures associated with it. This skill can also be used to palm items or pick pockets. You must perform a Larceny (Qu) Action Skill Toll against the Passive Perception Value of all possible observers. If you are picking a pocket, your Target gains a +5 bonus to their Passive Perception Value against your attempt unless they are particularly distracted. If you are being directly observed, your roll is instead opposed by the observers’ Perception (In), with your Target gaining a +10 bonus to their roll. Obviously if you fail any of these rolls you are likely to be discovered as the thief. {Focus}: Pick Pockets, Open Locks, Security Systems, and Disable Traps. Enhancing existing Equipment A character may opt to improve or modify an existing item by adding powers or adding ranks to an existing power. Adding powers are handled as if the character was creating a new item from scratch, with possible catastrophic failure destroying the item being modified. Improving an item’s existing power rank is a little simpler; while it requires the same amount of time as if the character was creating the item from scratch, they only pay the experience for additional ranks instead of the full cost.

Book One 41 Building Gadgets and Unique Equipment If you possess the Visionary Advantage (p. 50) you may use your Engineering skills to create useful gadgets and equipment. All equipment created must possess a power and a rank. For example a plasma rifle would have Energy Blast (Plasma) of X ranks. Characters may only create Items with a power rank equal to or less than their Logic score, and ranks in the appropriate Engineering skills. (For example Engineering [Weapons Engineering] for the above mentioned Plasma Rifle) All items have the Removable Item power tweak and either the external power source or limited use power Modifications. These modifications do not add to the item’s final power rank. With the exception of the Accurate and the Secondary Effect power tweaks, no other tweaks may be applied to created items. To create an item, the hero must do the following 1) Acquire any necessary materials. 2) Spend a stated amount of time, undisturbed, to create the item. 3) Attempt appropriate Action Skill Rolls and pay required experience points. Gathering Materials: This may require the cannibalization of existing items (destroying them) or scavenging the necessary parts which may very well be an adventure on their own. For example, the Plasma Rifle design may need a Fusion Capacitor, something the heroes may be able to acquire at the nuclear power plant 30 miles out of town. Time Required: You are required to spend 1 day per power rank of the item in uninterrupted work. You may focus at the task at hand by doubling the time required. If you are interrupted during this time period you may continue your work at a later date as long as the project has not been disturbed. Doing so increases the time required an additional d4 days as you retrace your steps to remember what part of the project exactly you were working on. Action Skill Rolls and Experience Cost: After you spend the time required to finish your project you must perform an appropriate Engineering Action Skill Roll, utilizing the lowest rank of the skills required. If the project you were working on possessed multiple powers, you must perform an Engineering Action Skill Roll for each power individually. If you fail at this Action Skill Roll the project, or individual power, simply does not work and requires you to go back to the drawing board, taking one-half the original amount of time required to gain another Action Skill Roll. If you miss this Action Skill Roll by 5 or more, you ruin the project and must start from scratch. A failure of 10 or more results in an explosion or other dramatic event causing the destruction of the project, requiring the creature to not only go back to the drawing board but to reacquire all the necessary materials. The difficulty rating of the Action Skill Roll totally depends upon the ranks of the power the creator is attempting to emulate. Table 1-8 Power Rank/Difficulty Rating Difficulty Rating with Corresponding TNs Power Rank Difficulty Class TN 1-4 Challenging 20 5-10 Daunting 25 11-15 Amazing 30 15-20 Improbable 35 21-30 Astounding 40 This TN is then modified depending upon work conditions and the power modifications incorporated into the project. Once all the Action Skill Rolls are successfully preformed you must pay 10xp + additional points as if you were improving an existing Primary Power. Applying any power flaws or perks costs additional experience points. Items possessing the Limited Use flaw which are destroyed after one use only cost 5 experience points. Table 1-9 Final TN Modifiers Difficulty Rating with Corresponding TNs Condition/Project Possess Modifier Working within a make shift workshop +5 Has external energy source flaw +5 Limited Uses flaw and destroyed after use -5 Adding the Accurate, Secondary Effect power perks + perk cost x5 Example: Flak wants to create some Concussion Bombs. He chooses to give these bomb 6 ranks in Energy Generation and desires for them to deal Force damage. After collecting all the necessary material he sets off to work, taking 6 days per bomb. He then attempts a Daunting (TN: 25) Engineering [Weapons Engineering] Action Skill Roll without any modifications (-5 for makeshift workshop, +5 for limited uses), and if successful pays 5 experience points for each bomb. Later he wishes to create a stun glove (and enhanced taser system), choosing to go with Enhanced Attack (Electrical) at rank 6. He adds the Secondary Effect: (Stunned), a +1 perk, and applies the External Power Source flaw. After once more acquiring all the necessary bits he sets off for 6 days of work. After which he will attempt an Astounding+ (TN: 45) Engineering [Electrical Engineering] Action Skill Roll at +5 for makeshift workshop, +5 for external energy source, and finally +10 for Secondary Effect: (Stunning), with success costing 29 experience points. Opting to take more time, he instead takes 12 days and gains the ability to focus at the task at hand, allowing him to roll an additional Action Die and keep the two highest of the three.

Book One 42 Linguistics Primary Attribute: Logic All heroes start the game literate in their native language. Each point of Linguistics gives them an additional language. The Editor-in-Chief may also allow you to use this skill when attempting to understand another character using a similar language (for example, Portuguese and Spanish). With a good roll, your hero may be able to get the gist of what someone is trying to say. As far as languages, a complete list has not been provided; simply use real world languages. Local Knowledge Primary Attribute: Logic Presuming that most Rotted Capes campaigns will center on a particular metropolitan area, a Hero can gather a lot of information about it, especially if his occupation prior to the Z-Day revolved around knowing the city and its environment. This skill is useful for knowing the layout and landmarks of a city and its suburbs, key locations, and possibly superhero and super villain headquarters. If the city has a subway, the Hero can navigate it (sewers as well, though they often require a bit more specialized knowledge, so the Difficulty is higher), and she may know where old bomb shelters are located. If there are (or were) any survivalist enclaves in the area, then the Hero probably knows where they are, and where the heaviest concentrations of zombies can be found. She also knows the main superheroes and super villains that frequented the city before the Z-Bomb, and whether they survived, died, or became Super Zombies. [Specialization]: If the Editor-in-Chief is moving your Heroes from city to city, you may choose a city as your specialization. Focus: If the campaign is centralized in a specific city, you may choose a section of town (downtown) or a particular aspect of the city (Subway System) or even a particular type of knowledge (you knew where all the good restaurants were at). Medicine Primary Attribute: Logic You know how to stop bleeding, administer CPR, utilize emergency medical equipment, clean and bandage wounds, suture wounds, set broken bones, and so on. Over the last few years you have learned to diagnose and heal injuries and ailments, becoming something of a country pharmacist, knowing what plants or substances to gather to aid you in your ministrations. As a Special action, you can treat grievous wounds. A successful Daunting (TN 25) Medicine (Lo) Action Skill Roll permits your patient to ignore Wound penalties when attempting to heal wounds. This Medicine Action Skill Roll must be performed each day the patient is under your care. Otherwise, the cumulative penalties of such terrible injuries may speed his way into the afterlife. You may also use extended care to treat a disease or to resist a slow acting poison, replacing the patient’s Vigor with your Action Skill Roll. If you score a critical success then your patient automatically succeeds on his Vigor Roll. As a Demanding action, you can attempt a Daunting (TN 25) Medicine (Lo) Action Skill Roll to bring a patient who was Vanquished through Wound damage back from the brink of death. The patient must then perform a Routine (TN: 15) Wound Recovery Action Roll (see Table 2-4, pg. 97). No character may benefit from more than 1 attempt per day, and this Healing Action roll replaces the standard once daily roll. Talk to strangers. Pray they answer back.

Book One 43 Foci represent specific fields of medical study, and while many might see little use, you never know when a working knowledge of Genetics may save the day. {Focus}: Cybernetics, Emergency Treatment (EMT), Genetics, Infectious diseases, Surgery, Veterinary medicine. Melee Primary Attribute: Prowess You are skilled at making melee attacks, both armed and unarmed. Any time you wish to attempt a melee attack, armed or not, you must perform a Melee (Pr) Action Skill Roll against the Avoidance of your Target. {Focus}: Claws, Improvised Weapons, Pole-Arms, Swords, Unarmed Outdoorsman Primary Attribute: Logic This skill covers all aspects of outdoor life, from horseback riding to basic survival. Outdoorsman is a critical skill when surviving in the wilderness. The Editor-in-Chief sets the Difficulty on navigation and tracking rolls based on the terrain, weather, and other conditions. {Focus}: Hunting, Tracking, Navigation, Survival. Perception Primary Attribute: Insight You are aware of your surroundings, and long practice has given you the ability to intuitively notice unusual things around you. Perception covers all of your senses. The specifics of exactly how you detect, find, or notice something, if they become important, are determined at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief. This skill is also used to detect someone attempting to use the Stealth skill to pass undetected. This is handled with an opposed Action Skill Roll, or against the spotter’s passive Perception value if they are distracted or not paying particular attention. Range Modifiers: Heroes suffer a -1 penalty to all Perception Action Skill Rolls for every area beyond the first. The Editor-in-Chief may apply further penalties for environmental conditions; such penalties should range between -1 and -5 for extreme conditions. Pilot Primary Attribute: Insight This skill allows you to fly aircraft; you can read the instrumentation, perform complex maneuvers, and conduct regular maintenance. [Specializations]: Fixed Wing Aircraft, Lighter than Air, Helicopters, Ultra-lights, VTOL. Ranged Primary Attribute: Prowess You are skilled at making ranged attacks with powers and archaic weapons. Any time you wish to attempt a ranged attack, you must perform a Ranged (Pr) Action Skill Roll against the Avoidance of your Target. You also know how to care for and maintain any weapon for which you possess a skill focus. {Focus}: Bows, Crossbows, Sling, Thrown Weapons, or a Specific Power (example Elemental/Energy Blast). Scavenge Primary Attribute: Insight Scavenge is the ability to find useful items in a specific area. Generally, the Hero specifies what she is looking for and the Editor-in-Chief sets the Difficulty based on the circumstances. Typical circumstances include specificity (does the Hero need a particular item or just something similar), likelihood (is the Hero looking for something normally found in the area) and time (how long is the Hero searching). Scavenge can also be used to appraise scrounged items and determine if something else is needed to make a found item whole. Sometimes this is simply treated as a factor in the Difficulty of the “finders” Action Roll as above, but there are times when a separate Action Skill Roll is needed. Other skills can be used with Scavenge; a Pilot Action Skill Roll can help the Hero identify a compatible engine part, while an Engineering roll may be required to safely remove it from the vehicle in which it currently resides. {Focus}: Appraising, Finding. Science Primary Attribute: Logic You know a great deal about the sciences. Of all the survivors, you’ve been head-scratching the most over what makes a zombie tick. In the post Z-Day world, you’ve become a modern-day alchemist, concocting explosives out of old car batteries and making gas bombs to confuse zombies. When in doubt, burn again.

Book One 44 Science rolls also enable the hero to gain information about the natural world and draw conclusions based on it. As usual, the Editor-in-Chief sets the Difficulty when making Science Action Skill Rolls. [Specializations]: Any focused field of science such as Chemistry, Biology, or Physics, including military sciences such as Demolitions. Stealth Primary Attribute: Quickness Stealth is your ability to hide and remain hidden, conceal objects (on someone, in an area, or other), or even hide an ally. Any time you want to hide or move without making a sound, you must succeed in a Stealth (Qu) Action Skill Roll against either the Passive Perception Value of any possible observers or, in the case of active observers, the result of an opposed Perception Action Skill Roll. You cannot hide unless there is sufficient concealment to hide within. Concealment might consist of bushes, a thick fog, a wall, or a dark area, but is not limited to just those conditions. You may move silently at any time. Moving while hiding reduces the Hero’s maximum Pace by half, but does not require any extra Speed. Technology Primary Attribute: Logic Technology enables you to use common technological devices. Technology [Basic] allows you to log in and out of popular operating systems, and use common communication systems, and every day electronics such as a GPS or Tablet computer. While the internet and communication in general has been severely disrupted in the post Z-Day world, there are still many instances where such knowledge is useful. [Specializations]: Computer Repair, Computer Engineering, Computer Hacking, Security Systems, Radio Broadcasting. Urban Survival Primary Attribute: Logic This skill covers all aspects of survival within the ruins of cities and developed municipalities. You know how to find fresh water, hide a fire, what building materials are safe to burn, and how to keep your bearings within the ruins of civilization. The Editor-in-Chief sets the Difficulty on navigation and tracking rolls based on the terrain, weather, and other conditions. {Focus}: Hunting, Tracking, Navigation. Advantages It’s not only powers and passion that make us don the mask and capes. The Executioner, the Hood, and the Blue Dragon didn’t have superpowers. They had natural abilities and specialized training that made them more than equal to those of us that relied on a flashy power or two. Foundation Advantages: You may notice some of the Advantages have the (Foundation) descriptor. These Advantages must be taken at Hero creation, and may only be acquired later with the permission of your Editor-in-Chief. Requirements: These requirements must be met before acquiring an Advantage. Keep in mind that skill focuses are noted within curly brackets {x} (You must take the Skill Focus Advantage to gain a focus in any skill), while skill specializations are presented within hard brackets [ ]. For example, you may have Engineering [Electrical] or Melee {Martial Arts}. Acquiring Advantages During hero creation and hero advancement all Advantages cost 5 experience points each, unless otherwise noted within the Advantage description. Acrobatic Requirements: Acrobatics {Parkour} as a trained skill • Kick Up – You may instantly stand from a prone position as a Trivial skill action. • Up the Wall – You may move vertically up a wall a number of feet equal to 5 plus one half the result of an Acrobatics Action Skill Roll. To perform this trick you must have a running start of 10 feet. • Free Running – During any movement action, you may leap over objects 5’ high or less without suffering any Pace penalty for doing so. Animal Affinity Requirements: Empathy and Animal Handling {Training} as trained skills Benefit: You may use your Empathy skill to read an animal’s emotional state and disposition. You may also use Animal Handling (Ch) on natural animals as a replacement for Influence to calm animals or scare them away. Use Table 1-6 Social Encounters Situational Modifiers and raise all TNs on that table by 5.

Book One 45 Table 1-10 Advantages Acrobatic Animal Affinity Attractive (Foundation) Blind-Fighting Burglar Combat Intuition Cunning Opponent Daredevil Defensive Stance Diehard Earth to Sky Eclectic Knowledge Exceptional Scavenger Exploit Weakness Fast Reload Furious Rage Gearhead Hacker Hawkeye Healing Hands Honeyed Tongue Horse Whisperer Hunter Investigator I’ve Done Alright for Myself (Foundation) Increased Burnout Jack of All Trades Jury Rigging Leaf upon the wind Leadership Martial Artist Martial Artist, Expert Martial Artist, Master Mind over Body Night Owl Owl Eyed Political Maneuvering Quick Quick Draw Rapid Draw Seasoned Survivor Sharp Eyes Skill Focus Stealthy Swift Blades Toughness Two-Weapon Fighting Uncanny Reaction Unique Device (Foundation) Vehicular Combat Visionary Wary Waylay Weapon Master Wolf Pack Tactics Attractive (Foundation) You are drop dead gorgeous Requirements: Charisma 6 Benefit: Due to your amazing good looks, you gain a die bump to your Charisma die when engaged in any Social Encounter (Pg. 37). Blind-Fighting Requirements: Perception as a trained skill Benefit: As a Simple Push action, any time you are fighting an opponent in melee and miss due to concealment, you may reroll that attack using your Perception (Pr) instead of your Melee combat skill. Burglar Requirements: Larceny and Technology as trained skills Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to Larceny or Technology (your choice) Action Skill Rolls when trying to pick an electronic lock or bypassing electronic security systems. Combat Intuition In combat you have an uncanny clarity of mind, allowing you to feel the ebb and flow of battle. Requirements: Insight or Quickness 7, Empathy and Melee as trained skills Benefit: When outnumbered by foes in the same area you do not grant a Tactical Edge to your opponents. Cunning Opponent Your mind is as fluid as quicksilver, your hand as quick as a snake, allowing you to deflect and redirect attacks with terrifying efficiency. Requirements: Leaf Upon the Wind, 12 ranks in Melee. Benefit: When facing more than one opponent in melee, as a Simple Push, and only in response to a melee attack which you are aware of, you may perform a Dynamic Melee Action Skill Roll against the Passive Melee Value of your attacker. If successful, your opponent’s attack is redirected to another opponent of your choice. Daredevil Some people say you’re crazy, yet you have outlived most of them Benefit: Once per scene, when you attempt an Action Skill Roll in which failure will physically harm you, you gain a +4 to that roll. Also, at the Editor-in-Chief’s discretion, if the action you are attempting to perform is especially dangerous and heroic he may grant you a Die Bump to any Action Skill Roll. There are no beauty contests anymore.

Book One 46 Defensive Stance Even when on the defensive you retain some offensive capabilities Requirements: Prowess 6 Benefit: Any time you use the Guarded Attack Action you gain a bonus to hit equal to half your passive Prowess modifier (minimum of 1). Diehard Some Heroes just refuse to die. Benefit: Once per scene, as a Simple action, you restore d(Vi) plus your passive Resolve modifier in Stamina. Earth to Sky When charged you know how to use a enemy’s momentum against you. Requirements: Martial Artist, Expert, and Melee {Unarmed} as a trained skill Benefit: Once per scene when charged by an opponent, you may, as a Simple Push, attempt a Dynamic Melee (Unarmed) against your attacker’s attack roll. If successful, your opponent’s attack misses and you throw them a number of areas equal to one third your passive Might modifier (minimum of 1), suffering damage as if they had fallen that distance plus the number of areas your opponent charged. You must be aware of the incoming attack to use this Advantage. Eclectic Knowledge Requirements: Academic {Any two focus} as trained skills Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to all Academic Action Skill Rolls. Exceptional Scavenger Requirements: Scavenge as a trained skill Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to all Scavenge Action Skill Rolls. If taken at Hero creation, you also start play with 2 more pieces of equipment. Exploit Weakness You know how to find weak spots in someone’s fighting style. Benefit: Once per Scene, as a Complex action, you may attempt to find a weakness in single opponent or object. When facing an opponent you may attempt a Melee Action Skill Roll against the passive Melee skill of your opponent. If successful, you gain a +2 bonus to hit or +2 damage (your choice) against that opponent for the remainder of the scene. These bonuses are considered skill bonuses and thus stack with all other bonus granted by Advantages. Fast Reload Requirements: Quickness 6 Benefit: You can swap magazines or utilize speed loaders in a firearm as a Simple action. Furious Rage You are not quite stable and prone to acts of extreme violence. Benefit: Once per day, as a Simple action, you let your rage get the better of you. You gain a Die Bump to your Might die but suffer a -2 penalty to your Avoidance for as long as you are enraged. During your rage you may not retreat from combat, utilize any mental powers, deal non-lethal damage, or perform any Complex or Demanding actions. You may attempt to end your rage with a successful Resolve Attribute Action Roll against your own Discipline. Regardless, you start to come out of your rage 6 Ticks after all perceived enemies have been dealt with. Once calm, you suffer a -1 to your Avoidance and a -3 to all actions for the next 10 minutes even if combat starts anew. Gearhead Requirements: Engineering [Automobile Repair] and Drive as trained skills Benefit: You get a +1 bonus to all Engineering [Automobile Repair] and Drive action skill rolls. Hacker Requirements: Technology [Computer Hacking] as a trained skill Benefit: You get a +2 bonus when using the Technology skill to break security codes or find your way around a computer system. No matter what you meant to each other in life, to the zombie you’re lunch.

Book One 47 Hawkeye Requirements: Ranged or Firearms as a trained skill Benefit: When using your Ranged or Firearms to attack, you do not suffer penalties to attacking at range as long as that target is within a number of areas equal to your Insight score. Healing Hands You have a natural ability to heal others, which comes in handy in a world without functioning hospitals or medical suppliers. Requirements: Medicine as a trained skill Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to all Medicine Action Skill Rolls. Honeyed Tongue Requirements: Influence as a trained skill Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to Influence Action Skill Rolls when deceiving or persuading someone. Horse Whisperer Requirement: Animal Handling {Riding} as a trained skill Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to all Animal Handling Action Skill Rolls to ride, care for, or train a horse. Hunter Requirements: Outdoorsman {Tracking} as a trained skill Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to all Outdoorsman Action Skill Rolls when Tracking and attacking from ambush. Investigator Requirements: Perception and Empathy as trained skills Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus when utilizing Perception to notice unusual things or uncover clues. I’ve Done Alright for Myself (Foundation) Benefit: You start play with a common vehicle or horse; you gain an additional 4 acquisition points when you purchase equipment. Increased Burnout Benefit: Increase your Burnout threshold by 5; this Advantage may not be applied to an External Power Source.

Book One 48 Jack of All Trades Requirements: Logic 6 Benefit: You gain a +1 on all untrained Action Skill Rolls. Jury Rigging Requirements: Engineering as a trained skill Benefit: You get a +2 bonus to your Engineering skill when repairing items. Leaf upon the wind In battle you move with unnatural grace. Requirements: Quickness 6, Insight 4 Benefit: You gain a +1 to your Avoidance. Leadership “Stay with me! If we stick together we can take out these zombies!” Requirements: Influence as trained skill Benefit: Once per scene, as a Complex action, you may call upon your allies and inspire them to greater acts of heroism. You restore d(Ch) + your ranks in Influence in Stamina to all allies within 2 areas. NOTE: Bystanders vanquished by Stamina damage are restored to 1 point and may act again after 2 ticks. Martial Artist You are a competent marshal artist. Requirements: Melee {Unarmed} as a trained skill Benefit: Your unarmed attacks deal d4 (Mi) damage. Special: The damage provided by this Advantage does not stack with damage provided by the Enhanced Attack power. Normal: without specialized training, or a power, unarmed attacks deal 1 (Might) stamina damage. Martial Artist, Expert You are an expert martial artist, but you’re no Shadow Fist. Requirements: Martial Artist Benefit: Your unarmed attacks deal d6 (Mi) instead of the d4 (Mi) damage provided by the Martial Arts Advantage. Special: The damage provided by this Advantage does not stack with damage provided by the Enhanced Attack power. Martial Artist, Master You a grand master, your fists are like iron. Requirements: Martial Artist, Expert Benefit: Your unarmed attacks deal d8 (Mi) instead of the d6 (Mi) damage provided by the Martial Artist, Expert Advantage. Special: The damage provided by this Advantage does not stack with damage provided by the Enhanced Attack power. Mind over Body Requirements: Resolve 7 Benefit: Once per scene when attacked, you use your Discipline defense in place of your Avoidance or Fortitude defense before the attack is resolved. Night Owl You sleep with one eye open. Requirements: Resolve 6 Benefit: You only require 4 hours of sleep a day and may sleep in short spurts in order to be rested, as long as you sleep a total of 4 hours with each “nap” lasting at least 1 hour each. You also gain a +3 bonus to your passive Perception to wake up. Owl Eyed Benefit: You can see double normal distance under a night sky. This does not give you the ability to see in complete darkness. Political Maneuvering In a world where the wrong phrase can get you shot, this ability enables you to keep the peace. Requirements: Empathy and Influence as trained skills Benefit: Once per scene you may step in and attempt to correct a political or social blunder on the behalf of an ally. You may replace your ally’s failed Action Skill Roll with your Influence (Ch) Action Skill Roll. Quick Requirements: Quickness 5 Benefit: Increase your regular movement by one area. This Advantage does not stack with movement based powers.

Book One 49 Quick Draw Requirements: Quickness 6 Benefit: You may ready or put away a weapon as a Trivial action, you may also opt to draw two weapons, one in each hand as a single Trivial action. Rapid Draw Requirements: Quickness 6, and Ranged {Bows} as a trained skill Benefit: You reload a bow as a Trivial action instead of a Simple action. Seasoned Survivor Benefit: You gain +1 to all Local Knowledge (Lo) and Urban Survival (Lo) Action Skill Rolls. Sharp Eyes Requirements: Outdoorsman and Perception as trained skills Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to all Perception Action Skill Rolls to detect traps and ambushes. Skill Focus Benefit: Choose a skill you are trained in which possess skill foci; choose one focus. When this advantage is chosen during Hero creation, its cost is reduced to 3 experience points. Special: You may take this Advantage multiple times, each time learning a different Focus. Reminder: Skill Focus grants the hero a +1 bonus when using that Focus; this bonus is considered a skill bonus and thus stacks with Advantage bonuses. Stealthy Requirements: Quickness 6, Stealth as a trained skill Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to Stealth (Qu) Action Skill Roles when hiding or moving silently. Swift Blades Requirements: Quickness 6, Skill Focus: Melee: (Any edged weapon including claws). Benefit: You may use your Quickness die instead of your Might die when dealing damage with an edged weapon (including claws), as long as you possess Skill Focus with that weapon.