RC

Book Two 100 Heroes attacking from a higher position (mounted on a horse, hanging off the side of a truck, or from a helicopter) gain the Tactical Edge against any target below, but suffer a -1 penalty to hit for each 5 Areas of movement taken during the previous action. These penalties stack with penalties for attacking at range. Table: 2-5 Vehicle/Mount Control Baselines Difficulty (TN) Examples Challenging (20) Animal Handling: Control a horse around zombies. Driving: Avoid a collision; regain control of a hydroplaning car on water. Pilot: Land in a short airstrip; barrel roll. Daunting (25) Animal Handling: Mount up on a moving horse as it passes by you. Driving: Drifting a car around a corner; regain control of a skidding car on ice. Pilot: Land on an aircraft carrier; high speed turn between buildings. Amazing (30) Animal Handling: Convince a horse to charge into a pack of zombies. Driving: Drifting a truck around a corner; power slide between two parked cars. Pilot: Land on an aircraft carrier in rough seas; perform Pugachev’s Cobra in a fighter jet. Improbable (35) Driving: Power slide a car at high speeds and stop an inch from an object intentionally. Pilot: Land a WW2 B-25B “Mitchell” medium bomber on a modern aircraft carrier. Astounding (40) Driving: Drifting a bus around a tight corner. Pilot: Pull a 747 up from a nosedive with only one engine. Attacking a Vehicle or Mount When attacking a Vehicle or Mount, the attacker may choose to attack the Vehicle/Mount or one of its passengers. If a vehicle is attacked, the attacker must successfully perform an attack roll against the controller’s passive Animal Handling/Drive/Pilot skill value, with a bonus of +5 for each size category above Medium of the vehicle/mount. If attacking an unattended vehicle or a vehicle in the process of attempting a ramming attack (see below), no attack roll is necessary. When attacking an unattended or charging Mount, the attacker must still strike the Mount’s defense. Attacking a Passenger If the attacker is attempting to attack a passenger, they suffer a penalty to hit as if they were attacking from a moving vehicle themselves (see above). If the target is within a vehicle, she gains the benefits of cover depending upon how much of her is exposed (for example, someone within a tank would likely not be able to be attacked directly). Any missed attack which misses by the penalty granted by cover and still passes the controller’s modified passive Drive/Pilot value hits the vehicle instead. Losing Control Anytime a Vehicle (not Mount) suffers an amount of damage equal to its Material Strength, the controller must attempt a Routine (TN: 15) Action Skill Roll, with a penalty equal to any damage beyond the Vehicle’s Material Strength, to keep control of their Vehicle. The results are commonly left in the hands of the Editorin-Chief; of course, there are always Plot Dice. Crashing Creatures within a crashing Vehicle suffer Stamina damage equal to the vehicle’s Material Strength plus d6 for every Area traveled in the previous action. Creatures outside of a crashing Vehicle suffer falling damage as if they had fallen a number of Areas equal to the Areas traveled by the Vehicle in the previous action. This damage may be reduced by as much as half with appropriate safety equipment (such as seat belts, air bags, and so on). The Vehicle itself may survive the crash or be totally unsalvageable at the Editor-in-Chief’s discretion; of course, there are always Plot Dice. The Wireless Power and Modern Vehicles Most modern vehicles possess computer controlled components. As such, a Hero or villain with the Wireless power may simply attempt to shut down the vehicle. Due to a lack of effective electronic countermeasures against such an attack, such a task requires a Challenging (20) Action Skill Roll taking up a Demanding action. Military or custom vehicles may increase the difficulty to as high as Astounding (40) and require multiple consecutive Demanding actions. Always keep something flammable on you.

Book Two 101 Attacking and Destroying Objects There will be times that the Heroes may need to break down a door, sunder chains, or shatter an enemy’s plasma gun. The durability of items is reflected by two values: Material Strength (MS) and Hits. Material Strength represents the resistance the object possesses against damage, and works much like Armor Rating. Hits represent the amount of punishment the item can absorb. Each time the damage of an attack surpasses the item’s MS, the item suffers 1 Hit (regardless of the amount of damage dealt). Critical strikes inflict 2 Hits only if the damage roll surpasses the item’s MS. Any attack that doubles an item’s MS + Hits destroys it outright. Once the item reaches 0 Hits, it’s broken. Items that are damaged but not broken retain their MS and remaining Hits until repaired as appropriate for the item in question. Stationary Targets: Heroes need not roll to attack a stationary object. Simply roll damage and compare to the MS of the object. Attacking Held or Worn Items: Occasionally the Heroes may want to break an object held by another, such as an enemy’s weapon or gadget. In such cases, the Hero may perform a melee attack roll with a -4 penalty against the target’s Avoidance. If you succeed, deal damage to the item, applying MS and Hits as appropriate. Determining Material Strength: Refer to Table 2-7 Material Strength/Hits and Table 2-8: Construction Qualities to determine MS and Hits of any given object. Most objects are of Common quality. Hastily-built structures are generally of Poor construction, while objects built to withstand heavy use are generally Fine. Might Makes Right On occasion, Heroes may wish to use their Might to break objects. In that case, the Hero rolls a Might Attribute Action Roll against a TN based upon the MS/Hits of the object. To determine the TN, multiply the object’s Hits by 5 and then add its Material Strength. For example, to snap a pair of handcuffs, the Hero would need to defeat a TN of 25 (15 + 2x5) using only his Might Attribute Die and Action Dice. Trying Again: Subsequent attempts on the same day suffer a cumulative -1 penalty. Lifting, Moving, and Throwing Objects Refer to the Master Values Table (pg. 31 and Appendix 1); a Hero may be able to push his limits with a successful Athletics Action Skill Roll or through the use of the Plot Die. Commonly lifting max weight is a Demanding action while lifting half that is a Complex action. Throwing items are always Complex actions unless they are being tossed haphazardly to the side, in which case only a Simple action is required. Table 2-6: Material Strength for Common Items Item MS Hits Lead Pipe/Sword 20 3 Club/Wood Axe 15 2 Pistol/Rifle 15 3 Chain 10 2 Door, Wood 10 1 Door, Reinforced 10 2 Handcuffs 15 2 Rope 15 1 Wall, Masonry (1 inch) 10 6 Wall, Wood (3 inch) 10 3 Table 2-7: Material Strength/Hits Material MS Hits Paper or Cloth 0 1 Plastic 1 1 Glass 1 1 Ceramic 1 2 Hard Plastic 4 1 per inch Leather or Hide 5 1 Wood/Ice 10 1 per inch Aluminum 12 1 per inch Stone/Concrete 15 2 per inch Iron 15 3 per inch Steel 20 3 per inch Carbon Steel Alloy 25 3 per inch Titanium 30 3 per inch Tungsteel 35 4 per inch DH3 Palladium Metallic Glass 40 4 per inch Table 2-8: Construction Quality Quality Modifier Poor -1 MS/-1 Hits (Min. MS 1/H 1) Common 0/0 Fine +3 MS/ +1 Hits • Tungsteel is a Tungsten and Silicon compound stronger than steel. • Developed by researchers at the California Institute of Technology, DH3 Palladium Metallic Glass is one of the strongest materials ever made. If you can’t burn it off, cut it off.

Book Two 102 Awarding Experience Experience is commonly awarded at the end of each Story Arc, with each Hero being awarded 1 experience for playing, and 1 experience point for accomplishing or helping to accomplish a major goal during the Story Arc. Typically there will be 3-6 of these, including rescuing Bystanders, killing a Super Zombie, or solving a difficult problem. Finally, each Hero should be awarded 1-3 XP experience points for exceptional play, whether this be a moving performance, creating a cunning plan, or pulling everyone’s fat out of the fire (or meat from zombie jaws) with some quick thinking. Rotted Capes is designed to be a low-powered game, with Heroes relying on their wits as much as if not more so than their powers. Thus, the Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to limit the number of new powers a Hero may take, raise the costs for new powers and skills, or even reduce the amount of experience given. Plot Dice Even in a world suffering from a zombie apocalypse, Heroes are destined for greater things. These dice allow Heroes to “dig deep”; allowing them to push their powers, resist conditions, and even pull off the improbable. They also encourage players to help create, shape, and even help tell the story. Each player starts with a number of Plot Dice equal to their lowest attribute score, with the size of those dice being equal to the hero’s lowest attribute die. Spending Plot Dice Heroes may spend Plot Dice at any time, but may only spend one Plot Die on any single die roll. Unless otherwise indicated, spending a Plot Die is not an action. Every time a Hero spends a Plot Die, that die is handed over to the Editor-in-Chief and becomes part of his Plot Die pool. Any Plot Dice spent by the Editor-in-Chief are simply spent, but don’t worry: there are plenty of ways for players to earn additional Plot Dice. So what can you do with Plot Dice? • Spend a Plot Die to ignore any current Wound penalties for the remainder of the scene. Any Wounds suffered after this choice would apply as normal. • Spend a Plot Die to negate the result of a Flaw when triggered by the Editor-in-Chief. • Add a Plot Die to any single Attribute, Power, or Skill Action Roll. • Add the result of a Plot Die roll to any single attribute or power’s rank for a single action. • Add the result of a Plot Die roll to any one defense against a single attack. You may choose to increase the defense after learning the result of the attack. • Spend a Plot Die to remove a Push, Stagger, Stunned, or Crippled Condition. • Spend a Plot Die to automatically succeed on an Action Roll to avoid death due to being Vanquished by Wounds. • Spend a Plot Die to ignore the result of a failed Wound Recovery Action Roll; the Hero’s condition remains unchanged until the following day. • Spend a Plot Die to create an advantageous complication. For example, cause the floor of a building to give out at the right moment; find a fireman’s axe when you need it the most; have a wall come down on an opponent you knocked back, giving you a few Ticks to run for your life; have a car explode after you blast it with fire; grab a flag pole when you are knocked off a building, and so on. Such complications should never be an “I WIN” button, and are completely at the Editor-in-Chief’s discretion. • The Hero may, at the Editor-in-Chief’s discretion, break the rules – in effect, do the impossible. This may require the expenditure of several Plot Dice. What can the Editor-inChief do with plot dice? The Editor-in-Chief can use plot dice in the same way as players, though really, you can already bend and break the rules to tell a good story. Using the player’s spent Plot Dice allows you to tie in direct consequences of the players’ actions. For example, if a Hero uses a Plot Die to add to their defense against an attack, a Super Zombie may well use that same Plot Die the next turn to boost their next attack or power rank to hit them harder. Helping Others Any Hero may, as a Free Action, grant one of his Plot Die to aid another Hero. The Plot Die must be spent in the same manner that the Hero would for her own action and the receiving Hero has no control (i.e. he can’t bank them for a different use). Heroes may combine Plot Die expenditures for a single action. Running a Rotted Capes Game

Book Two 103 Earning Plot Dice The easiest way for a player to gain a Plot Die is for the Editor-in-Chief to trigger their Hero’s Flaw. A Flaw may be triggered once per scene, so long as the player does not counter the trigger by spending one of his own Plot Dice. Another way a player can gain a Plot Die is by suggesting complications which are detrimental to the heroes: having terrified bystanders firing wildly into a melee with pistols, zombies showing up at inopportune times, even having the Heroes’ powers burn out unexpectedly. Suggesting complications should be done in the spirit of creating a good story, not to power game or max out possible Plot Die gain. Of course, the Editor-in-Chief has the last word on the event and is free to modify the event as they see fit. Editor’s Notes: Communicating Complications When out of combat, it’s best for players to pass notes to the Editor-in-Chief with their complication ideas. If two or more players come up with the same complication, reward all of them with a Plot Die. Fair warning to players: be careful what you wish for. In the midst of combat, complications become something new altogether. Players, use your best judgment when communicating complications. Sometimes just telling the Editor on your turn may be the best way to handle it, or if you think a note is the best method for a particular complication, wait until your turn to hand it over. That way you won’t break up the flow of the game and indirectly take up another player’s time. Finally, a Hero may also be awarded a Plot Die at any time during an adventure at the Editor-in-Chief’s discretion. These points can be awarded to reward heroic actions, excellent role playing, or even helpful actions by the player out of character (such as driving out of his way to pick up another player to bring them to the game). In short, Plot Die rewards should encourage players to help create a more enjoyable game for all parties involved. Survival So you think life’s all about putting on a costume and protecting bystanders from zombies? Think again. We’ve got a lot more to do than just inflict damage on the undead. Maybe you haven’t noticed but the big box stores and supermarkets aren’t open anymore. We’ve got to scrounge for what we need to survive, and we can only carry back so much. God help us if the zombies ever find our enclave. Have you ever tried to move a bunch of bystanders from one enclave to the next? People don’t march in groups nearly as fast as we can alone, and during all that time they’re exposed to the zombies. We’ve got to do what we can to keep them moving. Contaminated Food and Water There will be a time that the Heroes will end up consuming contaminated supplies, though it may be avoided with the use of either the Outdoorsman or Urban Survival skills. Contaminated food/water can deal damage over time (see Poison power pg. 66) or even apply conditions (such as Exhaustion or even Blindness). Encountering contaminated food and water is not meant to be a “got you” trap for the players, but should be used to drive home the world in which they now exist. If the players are VERY diligent about checking food and cleaning water, just let them know they avoided possible contamination from time to time as a way to award smart play. Disease An aspect rarely touched upon in the classic Super Hero genre is that of Disease; not so in Rotted Capes. Although the threat of being infected by the Z-Virus is a constant, it’s not the only disease the Heroes have to worry about. At the onset of the disease, roll an attack against the target’s Fortitude utilizing the disease’s attribute die. If it successfully hits, the target is infected and suffers the disease’s initial infection effect. After the allotted specific amount of time, the Hero must perform a Vigor Action Roll against that disease’s Resistance (Target Number); a failed roll sends the target to the next stage of infection, and so on. A successful Action Roll moves the target up the track; if the target succeeds in his Vigor Action Roll against the initial infection, he shakes off the disease. Infection tracks can be 2 to 4 levels in length. The Hero only suffers damage from any particular stage of infection once, and may not heal damage dealt by a disease until cured. Lastly, some diseases may require a specific cure, in which case a target cannot shrug off the disease and remains in the initial infection state until the cure is administered. Players may add Plot Dice to their Vigor Action Rolls to resist the disease, but may not use them to automatically succeed. Word on Antibiotics: While most antibiotics have lost much of their potency in the years following Z-Day, they are still very useful. If a Hero has access to antibiotics when attempting to fight off a disease, they gain a +5 bonus to their Fortitude.

Book Two 104 Sample Diseases Gangrene, Dry (Disease) Gangrene is a serious condition that arises when a considerable mass of body tissue dies. Gangrene has become a leading cause of death, only surpassed by zombie attacks. Any time a Hero suffers a Wound of damage, and they do not later clean and bandage it, there is a chance the Wound gets infected. Attribute Die: d8 Attack: +3 Resistance: Challenging (TN: 20) Infection Track: Initial Infection (2 days): The victim’s skin starts to harden around the wound and begins to smell like almonds; the victim suffers d6 Stamina. Advanced Stage (2 days): The victim starts to lose all feeling around the original wound; the smell becomes quite noticeable at this stage. The victim suffers 1 Wound. Final Stage (2 Days): The infection has started to reach the bloodstream; alas it’s only a matter of time. The victim suffers 2 Wounds and is Helpless. If he fails his next Vigor Action Roll the Hero dies. The Z-Virus Whenever a Hero receives a Wound from a zombie’s bite or natural (physical) melee attack (like claws), there is a chance of infection. The Z-virus works like any other disease, with a few caveats. First, the virus is 100% resistant to all known antiviral drugs. Second, the disease’s initial attack gains a bonus to infect the target based upon the victim’s condition at the time of possible infection. • +1 for each open Wound currently being suffered by the Hero. • +2 if the Hero is Vanquished or unconscious due to Wound damage. • +2 if the Hero is a Super-Human with any inborn power above 10 ranks. Any human killed while infected with the Z-Virus raises up as a zombie in 2 demanding actions, regardless of the stage of infection at the time of death. The Z-Virus (Disease) Attribute Die: d10 Attack: +6 Resistance: Challenging (TN: 20) Infection Track: Initial Infection (1 Hour): The skin around the initial wound is surrounded by an ash white patch. Although a normal victim does not suffer any damage at this stage, SuperHumans will start to feel lightheaded, and suffer a -1 penalty to all Perception Action Skill Rolls. Incubation Stage (2 hours): The ash white patch upon the victim’s skin starts to spread as the wound itself becomes painfully dry. The victim suffers d8 Stamina and suffers a -1 penalty to all Action Skill Rolls. Advanced Stage (1 day): The victim starts to lose all feeling around the original wound. Normal victims now suffer a Wound of damage while Super-Humans suffer 2 Wounds of damage. Final Stage (2 days): The infection has reached its final stage; if the victim is not dead, they are now. Death and the Z-Virus: If a victim is killed by the Z-Virus or killed while infected by the Z-Virus, they raise up 12 ticks later as a Zombie. Super-Humans gain the Ultra-Zombie Variation (See Threats, pg. 107) and become Super Zombies under the control of the Editor-in-Chief. Cure and Treatment: This affliction attacks at the cellular level, so amputation is an effective cure. Amputation, however, leaves one particularly vulnerable in a zombie apocalypse, so most Heroes opt for the almost-as-effective alternative: burning. During the Initial and Incubation stages the victim may opt to burn the wound in an attempt to stop the disease from spreading. If they do so, they suffer a Wound from the initial burn, but gain a second Vigor Action Skill Roll. If they succeed at this roll, the infection is killed, with any accumulated penalties fading with proper healing within 24 hours. This can be highly dangerous if the burning has left the Hero with a single Wound and is out of Plot Dice. Encumbrance Rotted Capes assumes that Heroes are used to carrying burdens and rarely drag them into combat situations. So long as the Editor-in-Chief determines that the objects carried are reasonable, then there’s no need to worry about encumbrance. A Hero walking into a supermarket with a backpack, two pistols, a shotgun, a machete, and night vision goggles is fine, but if she expects to leave with a hundred or so canned goods, then she better push a cart or load them up in an automobile. Should the Editor-in-Chief feel that a Hero is stretching credibility, she may apply a penalty. Each point of encumbrance lowers the Hero’s Pace by 5 and subtracts 1 from the Hero’s Avoidance and all Might, Prowess, and Quickness Action Skill Rolls.

Book Two 105 Falling A fall from any height can be dangerous. For every Area the Hero falls, they suffer d8 Stamina. For a fall greater than 3 full Areas, the Hero must also perform a Challenging (TN: 20) Athletics (Vi) Action Skill Roll, increased by +5 for every Area beyond the third or suffer d4 Wounds. If the Hero falls more than 5 Areas, they suffer 2 Wounds automatically, in addition to any consequences for failing their Athletics (Vi) Action Skill Roll. When falling into water, ignore the first Area. If a Hero also possesses ranks in Athletics, they may attempt to dive into the water by performing an Athletics (Qu) Action Skill Roll, if successful, you reduce the distance fallen by two areas. Light and Darkness There are three levels of illumination: Bright, Shadowy, and Darkness. Bright means there is sufficient light to see clearly, such as daylight. Shadowy indicates everything is dim and details are hard to distinguish. Darkness indicates the complete absence of light, negating vision completely unless the Hero has the ability to see in Darkness. Table 1-10: Light Source Ranges describes the effect of lighting in detail. Combat Penalties are applied to all attack rolls, and the Insight penalty is applied to all Insight-based Action Skill Rolls that require vision. Heroes that move faster than the Pace Limitation must perform a Routine (TN: 15) Acrobatics (Qu) Action Skill Roll or fall prone. Note that some sources marked with an (*), such as flashlights, headlights, and spotlights provide directional lighting while other sources such as lanterns and torches Brightly illuminate the Area they are in and cast Shadowy light to adjacent Areas around it. Zombies possess both heightened senses and the ability to see thermal patterns of the living, allowing them to hunt in complete Darkness. Table 2-9: Light Conditions Light Level Combat Penalties Insight Penalties Pace Limitation Bright --- --- --- Shadowy -2 -2 --- Darkness -5 -5 Half-Pace Table 2-10: Light Source Ranges -- Range in Areas – Light Source Bright Shadowy Candle 0 1 Adj. Torch 1 2 Adj. Light Bulb (60w) 1 2 Adj. Flashlight* 2 2 Tactical Flashlight* 2 1 Car Headlight* - Low Beam 15 2 - High Beam 20 4 Lamp/Lantern 1 2 Adj. Campfire, Small 1 2 Adj. Campfire, Large 1 6 Adj. Searchlight* - Handheld 20 1 - Mounted 25 1 Fireplace 1 1 rad. Hunger and Thirst Every day without food or water, or three days with less than a complete meal and plentiful water, you suffer d10 Stamina. A successful Challenging (TN: 20) Athletics (Re) Action Skill Roll will negate damage suffered from lack of food; damage from inadequate water may not be resisted. Each day with inadequate food increases the TN by 2. This damage will not heal until your Hero eats or drinks adequately for three consecutive days. Rest All living things need rest. Any character that does not get at least 6 hours of continuous sleep in a 24-hour period must attempt a Challenging (TN: 20) Vigor Action Skill Roll with a bonus equal to their passive Resolve modifier or become Exhausted. Thereafter, the hero must perform additional Vigor Action Skill Rolls every six hours, with an everincreasing difficulty of +5 per Action Roll, or involuntarily fall asleep. Recovering from this Exhausted condition simply requires 6 hours of sleep. Heroes may instead attempt to sleep for only 4 hours per night, postponing their Vigor Action Skill Roll to 36 hours. High turnover rates mean anyone can be replaced.

Book Two 106 Suffocation and Drowning All Heroes can hold their breath a number of Ticks equal to their Vigor score times 10. Past this point, you must perform a Challenging (TN: 20) Athletics (Vi) Action Skill Roll to hold your breath an additional 12 Ticks, with each 12 Ticks thereafter raising the TN by 5. If you are underwater, or in the midst of some other dangerous environmental condition in which breathing is deadly and you fail your rolls, you release your breath and instinctively attempt to inhale. You suffer 15 points of Stamina every 6 Ticks until you can freely breathe or run out of Stamina. The 15 points of damage are applied on the 6th Tick, and every 6 Ticks thereafter. Once you run out of Stamina, you suffer a Wound every 12 Ticks until dead. The Wound is applied on the 1st Tick after you’ve lost all Stamina, and every 12 Ticks thereafter. Overland Travel While most game movement is handled during combat, there are times when players might need to know how far they have traveled during the course of a day. Overland Travel is commonly used for long distances, such as traveling between cities, or seeking out a new enclave. Travel and Time: Whereas travelers on foot or horseback travel an average of 8 hours/day, vehicles can travel for a full 24 hours provided there are enough drivers/pilots to rotate shifts. Walking and Marching: Heroes may walk for a total of 8 hours/day, Marching may extend the time walked for an additional number of hours up to the hero’s Resolve passive modifier, but afterwards the hero suffers from the Exhausted condition for a number of hours equal to half the additional hours matched. Heroes may continue to walk/march past their maximum time but start to suffer stamina damage, 5 points of stamina damage for each additional hour of travel. This damage may not be healed until the hero rests for 8 hours. (Skills or powers cam not heal damage suffered in this way) Mounted Movement: A mount follows the same rules above except when pushed beyond their maximum travel time per day they may, at the editor-n-chief’s discursion become lame, or suffering a crippling injury, the mount suffers a wound of damage, and unless the hero expends a plot die, the mount is permanently reduced to half- movement. Regardless, the mount cannot travel any further for 8 hours. Vehicular Movement: Referring to the master values table, simply cross reference the vehicle’s Pace to determine its top mph (miles per hour). This indicates the fastest speed that they can go under the best possible conditions. Many vehicles aren’t designed for off-road travel, and even paved roads have obstacles and deteriorating conditions. It’s safe to assume that most vehicles usually travel between 25 – 40 mph. Travel time and the story As the Editor-in-Chief you may simply dictate how long it takes to get from point “A“ to point “B”; the rules for overland travel are simply a guideline. Of course, sometimes the true story is found in the journey not the destination. Travel Conditions: Different effects may hamper the Heroes’ progress, i.e. storms, thick forests, or every sailor’s nightmare, a dead calm. The Editor-in-Chief simply chooses a rank which best matches the conditions met during the trip, and applies those modifiers to the overland speed. Only under perfect conditions will a Hero, mount, or vehicle move at its quickest. The Editor-in-Chief may also feel free to apply trivial conditions differently, depending upon the method of travel. While hilly terrain might be a Challenging trip for Heroes on foot, it could very well be Daunting for a sedan, and be Perfect conditions for a Hero riding a dirt bike. Table: 2-11: Travel Conditions Condition Modifier Example Perfect 100% Optimal Conditions, well-paved roads, clear sky. Moderate 75% Cracked roads, dirt trail, rain. Challenging 50% Very broken road, overgrown trail, hills, steady rain. Difficult 25% Obstacles all over the road, mountains, heavy rain. Daunting 10% Extreme Weather (Hurricane, Blizzard), Extreme Conditions (crumbling bridge, urban rubble). The Cast All bystanders, supporting characters, and threats are split up into loose threat ranks. Story wise, these threat ranks coincide with those used by governmental agencies to categorize a Hero’s or threat’s danger level. Over the years this system has started to be used even by the media. It’s up to you, the Editor-in-Chief, to judge the Heroes’ capabilities and present them with possible threats that will challenge them. Feel free to modify, tweak, or even rewrite stats as you see fit.

Book Two 107 Survivors There are two distinct type of survivors; Common Bystanders and Supporting Characters. Bystanders These are your regular, run of the mill survivors. Alone they are not much of a threat but in groups they can be very dangerous. While most bystanders don’t have their own firearms, a basic firearm has been applied to the block below. These stats can also be used for a regular thug/combatant by adding a few useful Advantages and better weapons. Common Bystanders Beta Level Threat, Mob of 4 to 6 M d6 +2 Pace: 2 AR vs. P d6 +2 Initiative: 3 Ballistic: * Q d6 +2 Melee: * V d8 +3 Avoidance: 18 Energy: * C d6 +2 Fortitude: 17 I d6 +2 Discipline: 14 L d8 +3 Stamina: 1 R d6 +2 Wounds: 1 Attacks Hand Axe +2 Range: Melee d8 (Mi) Med. Semi-Auto Pistol +2 Range: 10, Impact: +2 d8 (Qu) Skills (Bonus/Passive) Firearms (+2/16), Melee (+2/16), Technology (+1/16), Urban Survival (+1/16) and any two skills at +2. Gear Hand Axe, half full starter pack, a Med. Semi-Auto Pistol or other firearm with 2 full reloads worth of ammo. Supporting Characters Supporting Characters can be important or especially capable bystanders. This is not to say that they are always on the hero’s side: Supporting Characters could be capable military personnel or raiders who travel from enclave to enclave, taking what they want and killing others. A Supporting Character can even be a sidekick to the Heroes, a young Hero yet to come into his powers. Instead of stating out every possible skill and Advantage combination, simply modify the bystander stat block above and apply the following modifications to fit. Common Supporting Character: • Change 3 additional attributes to d8 (+3). If an attribute is already d8 (+3) bump it to d10 (+3). • Increase defenses appropriately. • Change Stamina/Wounds to 30 (2). • Choose any 3 Advantages. Threats There are three types of threats: Common threats, Mobs, and Unique threats. Table: 2-12: Experience Points Power Level Common Threats Unique Threats Delta 75 150 Beta 150 300 Ultra 300 600 Omega 600 1200 Cosmic 1200 2400 Are they Natural Abilities or Powers? Threats may possess powers. These powers are not always Super Powers, but may be listed as Natural Abilities. Such powers can NOT be affected or duplicated by powers unless specifically noted. Threats and Power Ratings: A team of Heroes can commonly face a threat a rank above them (B-listers commonly face Ultra level threats, and so on). Do not take this statement as gospel! You know what your Heroes are capable of; push their limits and make sure to remind them that running IS an option! Creating Zombies: When creating a zombie, just create your threat like any other living threat. Then add one of the Zombie Variations presented later in this section. Your build budget: You may notice that many of the threats found in the following pages have a few points more or less than their build budget. That’s fine; don’t feel straitjacketed by your build budget. Common and Exceptional Threats These parameters represent the most common threats the Heroes face. From typical animals, mercenaries, thugs, robots, and yes… zombies. Common Threats are built much like heroes but with 50% of the total build points of their threat category. Thus a Common Beta level threat would be built with 75 experience points, with things such as size (See pg 89) not counting against the threat’s experience points. Beyond the reduced experience point budget, some

Book Two 108 common threats may have their Stamina reduced by half and their Wounds reduced to 1. Exceptional Threats are built the same way as common threats but have their full Stamina and 2 Wounds. Mobs Mobs are groups of 4 to 6 common threats; while mobs use the same stats as their common counterparts they only possess 1 Stamina and 1 Wound each. Mobs and Actions: Mobs always act and attack as one unit, with their Clock being advanced by the actions of their slowest member. For example, if 4 members of a Zombie mob perform only Simple actions while the last member performs a Demanding action, the entire mob acts 6 ticks later. Attacking: When attacking, mobs will commonly attack one or two targets at a time, using their superior numbers to their advantage. When a target is attacked by more than one mob member simply roll a single attack roll for all the attackers, with a +2 bonus to hit and damage for each attacker beyond the first. Attackers need not be of the same mob but must be of the same creature type. You can convert any common threat into a mob by simply reducing their Wounds and Stamina and running them as described above. Unique Threats Unique Threats are built just like Heroes, using anywhere from 150 points for a B-Lister all the way to 2400 points for a Cosmic level threat. These represent the big boys, the Super Villains or Z’d Heroes. Animals Here are a few animal stat blocks. This is in no way an exhaustive list; feel free to modify these stat blocks to create or create your own animals. Building Animals: All animals start with their mental attributes (Charisma, Insight, Logic, and Resolve) at 1, and with the exception of a handful of animals, never improve beyond 2. Animals also pay their current rank (much like primary powers) when advancing physical attributes or gaining natural abilities while purchasing natural attack damage die and body armor as an additional attributes. Lastly when creating new animals don’t worry about spending every point, if you are between one power rating and another classify your threat as the nearest power level. Ape Beta Level Common Threat, Animal M d10 +4 Pace: 3 AR vs. P d8 +2 Initiative: 3 Ballistic: 1 Q d8 +2 Avoidance: 16 Melee: 1 V d10 +4 Fortitude: 20 Energy: 1 C d4 +1 Discipline: 14 I d6 +2 L d4 +1 Stamina: 25 R d4 +1 Wounds: 1 Attacks Bite +5 Range: Melee d4 (Mi) Punch/Grapple +5 Range: Melee d6 (Mi) Advantages Acrobatic, Furious Rage, Quick Skills (Bonus/Passive) Athletics (+6/22), Acrobatics (+3/18), Melee (+6/18), Perception (+6/20), Stealth (+3/18) Brown Bear Beta Level Exceptional Threat, Large Animal M d12 +5 Pace: 2 AR vs. P d8 +3 Initiative: 3 Ballistic: 1 Q d6 +2 Melee: 1 V d10 +4 Avoidance: 16 Energy: 0 C d4 +1 Fortitude: 21 I d4 +1 Discipline: 14 L d4 +1 Stamina: 61 R d6 +1 Wounds: 2 Attacks Bite +5 Range: Melee d6 (Mi) Claw/Grapple +5 Range: Melee d8 (Mi) Advantages Toughness, Furious Rage Skills (Bonus/Passive) Athletics (+7/24), Melee (+5/20), Perception (+6/19), Stealth (+1/15)

Book Two 109 Cat Delta Level Common Threat, Small Animal M d4 +1 Pace: 5 AR vs. P d8 +3 Initiative: 4 Ballistic: 0 Q d10 +4 Melee: 0 V d6 +2 Avoidance: 17 Energy: 0 C d4 +1 Fortitude: 15 I d6 +2 Discipline: 15 L d4 +1 Stamina: 23 R d6 +1 Wounds: 1 Attacks Claws: +7 Range: Melee D4 (Mi) Advantages Acrobatic, Owl Eyed, Quick Natural Abilities Enhanced Sense (Hearing) 4 Skills (Bonus/Passive) Athletics (+2/15), Acrobatics (+6/22), Melee (+2/17), Perception (+4/18), Stealth (+6/24) Cat, Great Ultra Level Exceptional Threat, Large Animal M d12 +4 Pace: 5 AR vs. P d8 +3 Initiative: 2 Ballistic: 1 Q d6 +2 Melee: 1 V d10 +4 Avoidance: 16 Energy: 0 C d4 +1 Fortitude: 23 I d4 +1 Discipline: 15 L d6 +2 Stamina: 54 R d6 +2 Wounds: 1 Attacks Crush: +7 Range: Melee d10 (Mi) Advantages Acrobatic, Toughness, Owl Eyed, Quick Natural Abilities Enhanced Sense (Hearing) 4, Enhanced Sense (Smell) 4 Skills (Bonus/Passive) Athletics (+6/22), Acrobatics (+3/17), Melee (+7/22), Perception (+6/19), Stealth (+7/21) Crocodile Delta Level Common Threat, Large Animal M d10 +3 Pace: 1 AR vs. P d8 +2 - Swim: 3 Ballistic: 3 Q d6 +2 Initiative: 2 Melee: 3 V d8 +3 Avoidance: 16 Energy: 1 C d4 +1 Fortitude: 18 I d4 +1 Discipline: 15 L d4 +1 Stamina: 25 R d6 +2 Wounds: 1 Attacks Bite +5 Range: Melee d8 (Mi) Natural Abilities Surge (Run): 3 (1/Scene) Skills (Bonus/Passive) Melee (+5/20), Athletics (+3/19), Stealth (+3/17) Dog / Wolf Delta Level Common Threat, Animal M d8 +3 Pace: 3 AR vs. P d10 +4 Initiative: 3 Ballistic: 0 Q d8 +3 Melee: 0 V d8 +3 Avoidance: 18 Energy: 0 C d4 +1 Fortitude: 18 I d6 +2 Discipline: 15 L d6 +2 Stamina: 25 R d6 +2 Wounds: 1 Attacks Bite +3 Range: Melee d4 (Mi) Advantages Wolf Pack Tactics Natural Abilities Enhanced Sense (Hearing) 3, Enhanced Sense (Smell) 3 Skills (Bonus/Passive) Athletics (+3/19), Melee (+3/18), Perception (+4/18), Stealth (+3/18)

Book Two 110 Elephant Ultra Level Exceptional Threat, Huge Animal M d12, d8 +7 Pace: 3 AR vs. P d8 +3 Initiative: 2 Ballistic: 4 Q d6 +2 Melee: 4 V d10 +4 Avoidance: 16 Energy: 2 C d4 +1 Fortitude: 23 I d4 +1 Discipline: 15 L d6 +2 Stamina: 61 R d6 +2 Wounds: 2 Attacks Crush/Tusk: +7 Range: Melee d10 (Mi) Advantages Diehard, Toughness, Quick, Wary Natural Abilities Enhanced Sense (Hearing) 6 Skills (Bonus/Passive) Athletics (+6/25), Melee (+7/22), Perception (+6/19) Zombies Most of the enemies Heroes face in the post Z-Day world are zombies. These creatures were once people (or animals) and now comb the cities and countryside for food. Beyond the basic “deadhead” (or common zombie) there are quite a few varieties ranging from the well-known infected Super-Human, commonly referred to as Super-Z’s, to the uncommon and terrifying Z-Abominations. Interestingly, some zombie species have been known to hunt in packs of like zombies while others are found alone, even feeding upon other zombies as well as the living. Typical Zombie Qualities There are some common qualities shared among all zombies • Natural Abilities: All zombies possess super heightened senses; these allow them to detect and hunt prey with terrifying efficiency. Zombies possess the following powers as Natural Abilities: Enhanced Sense (Hearing, Smell): 8 and Super Sense (Thermal Vision): 10. These zombies are much stronger than their former selves, and gain Enhanced Attribute (Might): 4 and Enhanced Attribute (Prowess): 4. • Advantages: All zombies possess the Speed of the Dammed, and Consumption of the Flesh advantages (listed below). • Disadvantages: Most zombies, with the notable exceptions of Super Z’s and Abominations, have all their mental stats reduced to 1 and suffer a -4 penalty to their Fortitude. Also, a zombie will attack the living with little regard for its own safety. It generally won’t bother wasting time to put out fire or splash weapons covering it. • Immunities: Zombies are completely immune to all mind controlling powers, attacks and effects unless the power explicitly states that it affects zombies. • Stamina and Wounds: Zombies do not possess any Stamina. Instead, they only possess Wounds. For information on how to destroy a zombie, see How to Injure Zombies (pg. 97). • Attrition: Zombies must feed to stay active. If they have not fed in a few months they will slip into a semi-active state, remaining still like corpses for weeks on end. During this time, zombies decompose at a much slower rate and will “wake up” when they hear or smell a living creature within 3 Areas. • Lastly, all super-zombies gain an additional ability of Enhanced Attack (Melee, Bite) 3 with the penetrating power modification. Zombie Advantages There are a number of advantages unique to zombies. Besides the core advantages granted to all zombies, you may add any of these advantages to the zombies you create for 5 experience points each. Cannibalistic Zombie Dude I know what I saw! I saw that 10 foot THING grab a zombie and take its head right off with a single bite! It was eating Z’s man, Z’s! Umm… ok… I think I need to throw up again. Effect: Some very rare zombies have been seen eating other zombies. This may be due to a lack to food or a mutation of the Z-virus; regardless, zombies with this advantage can trigger both Speed of the Dammed and Consumption of the Flesh by eating other zombies.

Book Two 111 Claws of the Dammed They took him down! They pulled Titan to the ground I tell you! I saw it with my own eyes. Effect: Anytime a zombie succeeds in a Grab attempt, it also deals its Might die in damage. This attack is considered a natural attack, and thus can result in infection. Consumption of the Flesh I still get creeped out by it! The way they piled upon that horse… I’m lucky; they seemed to have forgotten all about me. Effect: Zombies will stop whatever they are doing if there is an injured or Vanquished living creature they can feed upon. When attacking a Vanquished creature, they automatically deal a single Wound per attack which instantly results in infection. As they feed off flesh, zombies heal at an accelerated rate, healing them 1 wound for every 12 ticks they feed to a maximum of their starting Wounds. Note that a zombie reduced to 0 wounds is destroyed. Cunning Zombie The look in its eyes, I’m telling you, that Zombie in the blue shirt was not like the rest of them. It always stayed behind the others, almost using them as cover! I was lucky to get out of there alive. Effect: Unlike other zombies, Cunning Zombies do not have their mental abilities reduced. Also unlike other zombies it will seek out to preserve itself, and even overcome the automatic feeding desire that comes with Consumption of the Flesh. They will even take the time to put out fires, and will attempt to escape to preserve its unlife. Innocent Appearance I saw that Zombie again, the one in the blue shirt. It waved to me, almost like it was calling me over! We need to take that thing out; if I didn’t know better I could have sworn it was a breather. Requirement: Cunning Zombie Effect: By using a combination of shadows and a slightly more “life-like” skin, the zombie appears human from even a close distance. The zombie gets a +10 on Influence rolls when pretending to be a Bystander (this usually involves crying and a few stock phrases; the zombie is incapable of carrying on a full conversation) and a +5 on Stealth rolls to hide its true appearance. Commonly referred to a “Damsels”, these zombies sometimes mimic frightened Bystanders in the hope of drawing a Hero close. Unlike other zombie types, damsels don’t travel in groups, preferring to hunt with other zombie types. The Speed of the Dammed Damn it! They got someone or something, just look how fast they are running! Maybe they came across one of those roving enclaves? Effect: If a Zombie has fed on fresh meat over the last week, they gain the following powers as Natural Abilities: Speed: 6 (Resulting in +3 Pace). Known Species of Zombie Deadheads Now this is the common zombie… you know the type, just lumbering around looking for something to eat, or lying there waiting for some poor sod to walk by looking like lunch. Deadhead, The Common Zombie Delta Level Common Threat, Zombie, Mob of 4 to 6 M d8 +3 Pace: 2 AR vs. P d8 +3 Initiative: 2 Ballistic: 0 Q d6 +2 Melee: 0 V d8 +3 Avoidance: 15 Energy: 0 C d4 +1 Fortitude: 14 I d4 +1 Discipline: 14 L d4 +1 Stamina: 0 R d4 +1 Wounds: 1 Attacks Claws or Bite +3 Range: Melee d4 (Mi) Zombie Traits All Typical Zombie Advantages and Disadvantages Skills (Bonus/Passive) Athletics (+3/18), Melee (+3/16), Perception (+3/16, Hearing and Smell +11/23) Gear Though common zombies do not use weapons, they will have any gear (including weapons) on them at the time they were Z’d. This can make particular zombies very tempting targets for survivors.

Book Two 112 Cleaver Cleaver zombies lack hands; in their place are short swordsized blades. Some eggheads believe that Cleaver zombies are actually an evolution, as their blades make them more efficient killers. More critical thinkers advocate the notion that some “mad scientist” type is modifying zombies to act as his new group of minions. They commonly hunt alone, but if you see a pack of these… just run man… just run. Cleaver Zombie Beta Level Common Threat, Zombie M d8 +3 Pace: 2 AR vs. P d10 +4 Initiative: 2 Ballistic: 2 Q d6 +2 Melee: 2 V d8 +3 Avoidance: 17 Energy: 0 C d4 +1 Fortitude: 17 I d4 +1 Discipline: 14 L d4 +1 Stamina: 0 R d4 +1 Wounds: 1 Attacks Sword Limbs +3 Range: Melee d8, d4 (Mi) Bite +3 Range: Melee d4 (Mi) Natural Abilities/Powers Enhanced Attack (Sword Limbs): 6, Invulnerability (physical) 3 Zombie Traits All Typical Zombie Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages Toughness, Wolf Pack Tactics Skills (Bonus/Passive) Athletics (+6/21), Melee (+6/22), Perception (+3/16, Hearing and Smell +11/23) Gear Though common zombies do not use weapons, they will have any gear (including weapons) on them at the time they were Z’d. This can make particular zombies very tempting targets for survivors. Phasers Phasers are zombies that can walk through solid objects as if they weren’t there. Various eggheads believe they are the result of some failed attempt by a Super-Brain to send them to another dimension. Phaser Zombie Beta Level Common Threat, Zombie M d8 +3 Pace: 3 AR vs. P d10 +4 Initiative: 2 Ballistic: 0 Q d8 +3 Melee: 0 V d10 +4 Avoidance: 18 Energy: 0 C d6 +2 Fortitude: 15 I d6 +2 Discipline: 16 L d8 +3 Stamina: 0 R d6 +2 Wounds: 1 Attacks Claw or Bite +4 Range: Melee d4 (Mi) Powers (Burnout Threshold: 18) Incorporeal: 6 (Zombies have no stamina, and thus can move full speed though objects without taking damage.) Zombie Traits All Typical Zombie Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages Cunning Zombies, Toughness, Wolf Pack Tactics Skills (Bonus/Passive) Athletics (+3/18), Melee (+6/22), Perception (+3/16, Hearing and Smell +11/23) Gear Though common zombies do not use weapons, they will have any gear (including weapons) on them at the time they were Z’d. This can make particular zombies very tempting targets for survivors. Teamwork ensures survival; grandstanding ensures a memorable death.

Book Two 113 Ninja’Z No you noob! Ninja’z are not like black pajama wearing zombies with swords! Ugh, it’s called a metaphor! Now, as I was saying, some zombies are sneaky, VERY sneaky, and way smarter than they have any business being. Ninja’Z Beta Level Common Threat, Zombie M d8 +3 Pace: 4 AR vs. P d10 +4 Initiative: 2 Ballistic: 0 Q d10 +4 Melee: 0 V d8 +3 Avoidance: 18 Energy: 0 C d6 +2 Fortitude: 18 I d6 +2 Discipline: 16 L d8 +3 Stamina: 0 R d6 +2 Wounds: 1 Attacks Claw or Bite +4 Range: Melee d4 (Mi) Powers Invulnerability (physical) 3 Zombie Traits All Typical Zombie Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages Cunning Zombies, Toughness, Waylay, Wolf Pack Tactics Skills (Bonus/Passive) Athletics (+3/18), Acrobatics (+4/20), Melee (+8/16), Perception (+3/16, Hearing and Smell +11/23), Stealth (+6/22) Gear Though common zombies do not use weapons, they will have any gear (including weapons) on them at the time they were Z’d. This can make these zombies very tempting targets for survivors. Abominations Abominations are infected bystanders who possessed a recessive but powerful Ultra-Gene. The virus affects these hosts differently by forcing extreme physical and biological changes; the virus awakens dormant powers and changes the basic genetic code of the individual, turning them into what can only be described as monstrosities. Don’t limit yourself in their appearance: you can make them larger in size, run on all fours, even make them look barely human. To create your own Abominations just build using the same point value as Heroes. Abominations are never cosmic level threats.

Book Two 114 Super Z’s To create your own Super Zombies, simply create a Super-Human using starting experience points as listed on page 21. Then apply the following Zombie Qualities (as described above on page 110): Natural Abilities, Advantages, and Immunities, and lastly reduce their stamina to 0 and grant them an additional wound. Like animals above you are not required to spend every point. If you are between one power rating and another classify your threat as the nearest power level. If a Hero already possessed a power granted through Zombie Qualities those ranks stack. Thus if a hero who possesses Enhanced Attribute (Might): 6 is infected by the Z-virus, they would possess Enhanced Attribute (Might): 10 after awakening as a Super Z. The Anatomy of a Super-Zombie Personal Log of Milos Gojkovik; 203rd Year of Life: It appears that despite protestations to the contrary by these so-called “Super-Heroes”, it was indeed providence that granted me the knowledge to extend my life beyond the norm. For the riddle of why those imbued with abilities far beyond those of mortal men are able to retain a semblance of their intellect, while normal men are raised from the dead with little more than the cognitive ability to recognize a food source and feed upon it, is one which only someone of my soaring intellect could possibly answer. I am convinced that virus that animates the dead somehow recombines differently with the mutated DNA of these HomoSuperiors; that much is obvious even to the muscle-bound Titan. The question is ‘Why”? Why does this particular virus seem to bind itself into a symbiotic relationship with their genetic makeup, while acting as a ravenous parasite on the rest of our species? To answer that, I will need to acquire that new electron microscope that Dr. Denton had developed before the coming of Z-Day. With the limited power available for my cyborgs however, I hope they are up to the task of distracting the nowpredatory Denton Dynasty while I liberate the device. While the danger is high, the chance to finally uncover the mystery behind the ruination of humanity and perhaps discover a way to reverse it is well worth any risks. The Psychology of a Super Zombie While most of the Risen Dead have the cognitive ability of a lower class animal species, able to identify food and devour it, those who manifested some sort of “super-power” or ability prior to being infected and reanimated manage to retain a high level of intellect, albeit without the capacity to tell between right and wrong or even empathize with their victims. The reason for this is unknown at this time and may never come to light. What is known is that the Super-Zombie, regardless of the retention of a measure of their intellect, is known to behave in certain patterns that may save the life of the Living if they are aware and able to act upon this information. Cunning and Resourcefulness “Torch?” said Stonehenge into his mike, “I have a pack of Z’s shambling up to the west gate. Engaging to disperse.” “Negative, Stonehenge”, came the staticy voice of the Liberty Torch, “Wait for back up. I can have Power House and Arc-Lightning at your 20 in ten minutes.” “They’re just a bunch of Z’s, Torch,” replied Stonehenge as pieces of asphalt and stone flew to him and began shaping itself into his trademark rocky armor. “Nothing I can’t handle.” Muting his ear piece so as not to hear the Torch’s maternal warnings, Stonehenge leapt over the barricade and jogged towards the shambling group. The Torch meant well, but with each loss, she became more and more overprotective – smotheringly so. Besides, there was no better way for blowing off steam than wading into a bunch of mindless Z’s that couldn’t crack his rocky shell. His sledgehammer-sized fists smashed into the first few of the Undead, pulping their rotting heads like over ripe melons. With each Z that he took down, layers of black effluvia that had the consistency of molasses stained his stony fists. That’s when Stonehenge made a fatal error - fighting against creatures that have no hope of hurting you makes one complacent: your mind tends to wander while your body goes on auto-pilot. Thoughts began to pop into his head: that was the problem with Paradigm City’s most abundant residents – to paraphrase that old chips commercial – smash all you want; there’s so many more. He wondered how many they would need to destroy - you can’t really kill the dead – until they could start to rebuild civilization; maybe have some sort of normal life again.

Book Two 115 Seven kills into the fight, his attention was brought back to the scene of carnage by a sepulchral voice dripping with malice. “That doesn’t seem fair – you seem to be having all the fun while they can’t even scratch your hide. Here – let’s even things up!” ‘Z’s can’t talk’, was the first thing to cross his mind as his attention snapped back to the present. Then pain – searing pain - more terrible than any he had felt in a very long time erupted across his left arm. Blinking the tears out of his eyes he saw the Wrecker shrugging off an old moldering coat as he held the stony carapace that once protected the Hero’s arm. Raw pieces of bloody muscle tissue were still affixed to the armor, leaking bright red. Ripping a gobbet of meat from the inside of the rocky shell, like a man eating a succulent lobster, the Wrecker smiled as he smeared red across his rotting lips, “Mmmm…see I thought that with all that weight lifting you’d be tough as jerky, but nope…you’re as tender and juicy as that teenager I feasted on last week.” “Now come on…don’t make us all wait for dinner!” As Stonehenge felt himself being ripped apart and shock starting to set in, his mind rebelled against what had just happened. He forgot that while Z’s don’t plan ambushes, Z’d Supers do. The Wrecker had hid in plain sight, waiting for some idiot to come along, get overconfident and plow into a mob of Z’s like he was playing a video game in God-mode. Too bad it was a lesson that Stonehenge learned too late. Unlike their unpowered counterparts, the Super Zombie has been able to retain its intellect, though its thoughts and actions are always colored by barely restrained rage and an almost overpowering hunger. To be clear, a Super Zombie will never be found contemplating its existence in a philosophical revere, no matter how sated it may be. Its ability to plan and formulate strategy is akin to a wild animal’s cunning, but elevated to the level of a human’s cognitive ability. Thus while “normal” zombies react to stimuli, usually in the form of a living food source, the Super Zombie is able to plan ambushes, use short cuts to head off potential victims or lay elaborate traps to capture their food. Additionally, the Super-Zombie can be patient if it reasons that there is a greater chance of success if it bides its time rather than attack in an explosion of savage fury. Sitting at the top of the world’s new food chain, the SuperZombies are the ultimate predators with mankind (Homo sapiens and superior alike) having been knocked from the top perch and finding themselves the hunted. Appealing to their Better Angels The metal lamp pole tightened across her chest with every breath becoming harder to make. She looked into the eyes of the man that she had idolized for so many years and finally married just months before Z-Day. They said it was a waste of time to appeal to them; to beg for mercy – but this was the Metal Master, Frank Eisen, the kindest man she had ever known. And if anyone could reach him, it was her; after all, didn’t he confess that he had never loved anyone as much as he did her? “Frank – please…look at me! This is Betty – your ‘Bets’. You have to stop, my love. You’re hurting me! Remember the times we had together – our wedding where you tripped on the way out of the church and we spilled down the stairs. And our honeymoon, Frank – remember what a magical time we had in Italy together! “Please stop Frank – you’re killing me!” “Oh stop fussing, Bets! I’m not going to kill you?” “You’re not,” Betty Eisen asked, her voice cracking with hope? “Of course not, darling. I prefer my meat fresh. And I’m sure I can keep you breathing for days, so I can enjoy you piece by piece!” During the first few weeks of the global phenomenon known as Z-Day, the Heroes who had so gallantly defended the Earth and humanity began to fall one by one. While the surviving populace mourned their loss, they began to watch in horror as their once dedicated defenders turned into amplified versions of the Risen Dead that now stalked them. At first, discovering that their champions were not mindless death machines gave the people hope – hope that these ‘Z’d’ Super Heroes could be reasoned with; that some spark of their humanity still existed in their stilled hearts. Those hopes were soon dashed when the men and women who had sacrificed so much to protect them, laughed mercilessly as they descended upon them in a feeding frenzy! Some of the brightest medical scientists left theorized that the virus reanimating the dead Supers has somehow scrubbed away their ability to tell right from wrong or from developing any sort of empathic bond with any living (or unliving, for that matter) being. Though able to reason, interact and even form strange and bizarre communities amongst themselves, the Z’d Heroes no longer had the ability to connect with their former fellows or even loved ones. If asked by a clinician to label such behavior, these Z’d Heroes’ behavior might be construed as sociopathic, given their amoral and self-serving nature. Yet when one couples it with their animalistic aggression and savage nature, their behavior would quickly be characterized as psychopathic. Imagine a serial killer with powers and abilities beyond the ken of mortal man: truly a nightmarish scenario!

Book Two 116 The Ultra Z’d and its Territorial Nature Balor was sure that the car tumbling just over his head was the new Beamer that he had wanted so badly. At least he had before all hell had – literally – broken loose. He winced as it crashed through a glass window and its front end crumpled. Even German engineering couldn’t build a car that could withstand the pummeling of a Z’d Super. “Why are we running?” huffed Power House, “I say we stand and fight! I think he’s overrated. We can take ‘im!” “I fought alongside Titan, when he and Nuada used to team up back in the day,” Balor said as he sprinted down the cluttered and debris strewn side walk. “Believe me, laddie – we couldn’t take him on his worst day!” Another bellow echoed, made mostly inarticulate from the rage that blinded Titan. The team had snuck into the Ultra hero’s lair and managed to free Templar before he (it?) could dine on her. Unfortunately, they were too late for the other poor innocents that had been captured alongside her. In his usual manic manner, Velocity zipped around the group of heroes as they made their way deeper into the financial district. “Comeoncomeoncomeon…. he’sgettingreallyclose!” A pause, which for Velocity must have been the equivalent of a lengthy moment of consideration, then, “Whyarewegoingthisway? Nonono..thiswasabadidea!” The rest of the team gave Balor an anxious look as they made their way into the Financial District of Paradigm City. They’d been playing a game of cat and mouse with Titan, but the transformed super hero was getting closer with every passing minute, not to mentioned more enraged, while they were getting tired and nowhere near any known sanctuaries or enclaves. “Just get across this next street and get ready!” the former sidekick of Nuada, leader of the legendary Irish super hero team, the Tuatha De’ Danann ordered. Weaving through the obstacle course of abandoned Mercedes Benz town cars and the occasional limo, the weary group found shelter in the marbled entrance to a prominent investment bank building. Just across the way, bounding down the avenue on its powerful legs, came the juggernaut known as Titan! It still hadn’t caught sight of them, but the team knew it was just a matter of time. “Now what?” exclaimed Power House between gulps of air. “Now, we hope that the intel the Night Lord gave us was right.” With a short muttered prayer to all the saints that ever were, Balor let loose his trademark laser vision in one concentrated blast. Ruby red twin beams of coruscating energy sliced into the building across the way; stone and steel melted under his baleful gaze and a few tons of rubble tumbled to the ground, releasing a gigantic plume of dust into the sky. “You idiot!” screamed Power House. “You just killed us all!” And right on cue, the ravaged form of Titan landed just feet from the huddled heroes. “That was stupid, kid!” laughed Titan. “I never did like you, Balor. You were just a little snot-nosed kid that Nuada let hang around. I thought you were a pain back then and my opinion hasn’t changed. Except that you’ve grown a lot dumber. That wasn’t even close to where I was. If that was a trap, you sprung it way too soon, boyo!” His eyes still smoldering from the titanic release of power, Balor looked up and over Titan’s shoulder. “That wasn’t meant for you, loudmouth!” he said, nodding to something behind the Z’d super. Before he could turn to see what Balor was talking about, Titan was slammed into the street by a flashing blur of red and gold. Standing above the shaken super was another Z’d super, this one a former arch-villain that had plagued Paradigm City for years: the self-proclaimed champion of the proletariat, the Judgment of the People or Judgment for short. The premier defender of the fallen Soviet Union, Judgment would have been awe inspiring in his red and gold spandex uniform, his crimson cape and his trademark hammer and sickle held in its powerful arms, were it not for the grey tinged skin and a rictus smile fixed permanently on his face where some other super had ripped a portion of his mouth off. “You should know better than to intrude upon my territory, comrade,” the sibilant voice of the newcomer stated calmly. “Now it is time for you to face your final Judgment!” And with that, the two Ultra Z’s engaged in battle. “Nowwhat”, buzzed Velocity. “Now,” said Balor, “we run!” One interesting characteristic that has been noted by the surviving heroes is that Z’d supers appear to be extremely territorial, to the point that they will fight one another should the invading party not withdraw immediately. This characteristic may be due to the underlying aggression that seems to drive these reanimated beings. The late and lamented Beast Master, an imminent naturalist, postulated that Z’d Supers demonstrated all the behavioral traits of top predators in the wild. Beast Master further characterized their behavior as one where the strongest of the Z’d was compelled to prove their position as an Ultra being by killing or driving off all comers or in some cases, allowing the weaker Z’d to submit to them, once again demonstrating dominance. While most animals exhibit such behavior, it is usually due to their drive to mate and procreate. Given that Z’d Supers are in a mixed state of consciousness and death, mating, one hopes, is not the compelling drive at work here.

Book Three 117 So what makes a Z’d Super act in the manner that it does? The answer appears to be food. These infected Supers have taken the vice of gluttony to all new levels: gorging themselves on the flesh of their victims, even past the point of satiation, and stopping only when their stomachs are so full and distended that there is the possibility of damage to their digestive system. And herein lies the possible answer to the Z’d Super’s volatile anger – with both the normal Risen Dead and the Z’d unable to digest dead or rotting meat, they have no choice but to battle over the dwindling food sources left: namely, the living. It is this overriding motivation that compels the Risen and the Z’d to act as they do – from their seething rage to the establishment of dominance among their fellow dead. But not all Z’d Supers act solo; some have actually banded together and formed a social structure similar in nature to packs, even down to a sophisticated pecking order that makes for a stable social order. As to why some of the Z’d prefer to remain solitary predators rather than team up with others of their kind is something that we may never know, but should be ever grateful for. Wolf Pack Social Structure The Constrictor and Arsenal sloughed through the stagnant and fetid labyrinth that were the sewers of Paradigm City in search of a former petty super-villain whose only power was to turn herself into a twodimensional state, earning her the sobriquet of the Paper-Thin Thief. Being one of the first Z’d supers, she was a menace that would have bordered on the comical if it weren’t for the fact that she’d devoured three members of the enclave. Former enemies before Z-Day, Arsenal and Constrictor were tasked with bringing in the absurd killer before she struck again. Just their luck that she had a tendency of making her hideout down in the sewers. Shining their flashlights about in a large reservoir dome, Constrictor saw the petty thief trying to hide herself like an ancient drawing in an Egyptian tomb. “Alright PT, this ends here. Why not make this easy for us and we’ll make sure we give you a clean and quick death.” Arsenal shook his head, trying his best not to breathe in the foul air when he spoke. “She’s already dead, fool! Let’s just take her out quick. She’s no match for the two of us!” Peeling herself from the wall, an ashen grey face that would once have been called beautiful smiled back at them. “You boys are right. Little bitty me has no chance against two big strong Super Heroes like you. “That’s why I brought a little help.”

Book Three 118 The Constrictor’s blood ran cold as over a halfdozen heads of Z’d Supers rose up out of the putrid waters, surrounding them. Their screams echoed through the sewer tunnels long after they had stopped. There was a time, not so long ago, when the sight of a Super Hero Team flying across the sky, such as Paradigm City’s own Protectors, would bring a smile to everyone’s face and a feeling of well-being. But no longer. In this Grave New World, the very glimpse of one Z’d Super is enough to fill one with dread; the sight of a group of them will make the most courageous of men shake in abject terror! While an Ultra Z’d Hero will not tolerate another Ultra Z’d Hero poaching on its territory, some will allow other, less powerful beings to group or ally with it, forming a predatory pack structure or hierarchy. Even these reanimated beings understand that there will always be opponents bigger or stronger than it can’t possibly handle alone, thus necessitating allies that do not pose a threat to their position within the pack, but are still a benefit to it and the group as a whole. As mentioned, these groups of Z’d Supers tend to form a social structure similar to that of wolves. They will be led by an Ultra-Z, not necessarily a true Ultra, but the strongest member of the group. The other members of the pack will naturally line up behind the Ultra, strongest to weakest. The Ultra usually keeps a wary eye on not only the Z who follows immediately behind him, but on any who dare challenge it for dominance of the group. For some Z’s, it’s in their nature to challenge those who claim to be the strongest for the leadership position. When confronted, most Ultras will tear the contender to shreds, though some have taken perverse pleasure in maiming their opponent to the point that they now occupy the lowest rung of the pecking order. Some living survivors have observed that the Ultra of a group of Z’s tends to get the choicest pieces of meat and eats first. Should there be only one victim to satiate their endless hunger, then the others must wait until the Ultra has had its fill before slavering over the remains. Some scientists speculate that there must be a fragment of a memory of their time grouped with others of their ilk, forming famed Super Hero (and Super Villain) teams. Could it be that some part of their psyche longs for companionship or camaraderie? For all of their savagery, there is still something human within them and human beings are, by nature, social beings. Perhaps this new form of (un)life is still evolving and mutating into another stage; something that can be reasoned with or live in peaceful coexistence with sometime in the future? Some warn us that such speculations and hopes are doomed from the start. Even if these creatures signify some new version of man, humanity’s history with a sub-species should give us an insight on the ultimate result. Once there were as many as three different types of humans roaming the earth simultaneously; within a few centuries there was only one. For all our beliefs that we have advanced as a species, humans are a jealous lot and now we face a new species that is superior to the majority of the living humans left. The past doesn’t paint a very hopeful end for us. Lair Gregory Austin awoke groggily and discovered that the incessant hum wasn’t just the ringing of his ears, but a cage of energy he appeared to be imprisoned within. Even gassed or drugged or whatever they did to him, a mere force field wouldn’t hold the Undying Man for long. That was when he noticed the IV attached to his left arm and the fact that he couldn’t feel his left leg. Not a surprise really, given that it seemed to have been expertly amputated. A raspy laugh drew his horrified attention to the hazy figure on the other side of the energy curtain. “Ah, good…you’re awake. I wasn’t sure what kind of sedative would actually work on that miraculous metabolism of yours, Gregory. Believe it or not, I actually had to use a type of nerve gas of my own design. It’s good to see that my calculations were correct once again!” “Denton,” Austin wanted to scream, but in his weakened condition came out as a strangled gurgle. “Then this must be…” “Good, good, my dear boy. You’re shaking off the effects of the gas already. You are quite the wonder and perhaps the ultimate solution to our problem,” said Dan Denton, also known as the Calculator, as he shambled around his laboratory looking for all the world like an absent-minded scientist, if such a being had a cranium five times as large as a normal man… and he were alive. “You have no idea how hard it was for me to keep the others from devouring every last tasty morsel of you,” chuckled the Calculator mirthlessly. “Especially Sandra, my daughter. I’m sure you recall her nom’ de guerre – the Flaming Fist. Why I had to give her and Robert a choice cut just to settle them down.” Looking into a powerful microscope, Denton nodded to himself and said, “Amazing. The cells in your leg are already beginning to regenerate themselves at an accelerated rate. Why in less than a week, your leg will be fully restored.

Book Three 119 “Yes indeed! You are the gift that keeps on giving!” “Calculator. Dan. Listen to me. This is madness. You and the rest of the Denton Dynasty are ill,” pleaded the Undying Man. “Let me go. I know my way around the Denton Building. Do the right thing and just let me escape, my old friend. You don’t have to do this!” “But of course, I do, old friend!” smiled Denton through dead eyes. “According to my calculations, the population of the living will continue to dwindle while more and more of us will continue to be ‘converted’. Even taking into account the few of us you and your rebellion will eventually destroy, the living human race will cease to exist in less than 7 years, 3 months, 13 days and 9 hours, plus or minus a 0.3% deviation. “Then where will we be?” Ignoring the horrific madness and the thought of someone…something eating his leg in the next room, the Undying Man focused on looking around the mad man’s laboratory and trying to figure a way out of here. Oblivious to his former friend’s frantic thoughts, Dan Denton continued laying out his plan. “And that’s where you come in, Gregory. The Undying Man indeed. Calling yourself the Regeneration Man would have been more accurate! If I can figure out a way to duplicate your unique genetic structure and transfer it into the living…why we’d have an endless food supply. You’d go down in history as the savior of our new race! Pressing a button that released another canister of gas into the room, the Calculator continued his explanation as consciousness seeped out of the Undying Man’s body. “Now you go to sleep now, my boy. Rest up. You and I have so much work to do!” Z’d supers, unlike the Risen Dead, are not always active. Whether their need to rest (if indeed it is a need) is a byproduct of their super powers causing their body to have a higher metabolic rate, due to a half-remembered memory of sleeping and resting, or perhaps just some deeply buried part of them that craves a bit of normalcy, the Z’d have some place to call home. These ‘homes’ are referred to as lairs by most of the remaining heroes; a misnomer referring to a vampire’s lair from pre-Z-Day folk lore. These lairs have been made in as many different places as there are Z’d beings to inhabit them. If the Z’d Super enjoyed a previous base of operations or a headquarters, then they will do their best to reclaim such a place, possibly due to their familiarity with such an abode. For example, the Denton Dynasty, a family of heroes famed for their multi-generational service to the city and the world, has owned the Denton Building since the beginning of the 20th century, with some members having been born here. It is little wonder that those members of the family that were transformed during the onslaught of Z-Day immediately returned to familiar surroundings and set up shop, turning the venerable structure into a modern day house of horrors. Thanks to the Intel provided by Night Lord in his monthly tweets, many of the enclaves know to avoid certain areas of the city or at least, be more cautious when entering them. Some of the known lairs in Paradigm City include: The once prestigious financial investment firm of Lawton and Lynch’s downtown office building has been claimed, ironically enough by the former Soviet defender Judgment. None have yet to penetrate the lair of this very powerful Z’d Ultra, but he has been seen flying in and out of the building’s top floors. A group of at least eight (and possibly more) lower powered Z’d seem to have joined forces and prowl the sewers below the city. Individually, these former supers are no match for even one or two of the surviving heroes, but the fact that they seem to have perfected pack and ambush tactics as well as the ability to pop up just about anywhere in the city makes them a particularly dangerous group. Other Z’d Supers take over an area that makes little sense to others, but perhaps there is a personal connection or recollection associated with the place known only to them. Case in point is the Lone Tree Mall, where the vocal menace of the Z’d Sonic Boom has taken up residence. Recently discovered by a group of scavengers that broke into the mall looking for supplies that might be of assistance to their enclave, they stumbled across this malevolent creature. Luckily heroes were sent to investigate when they failed to check in and drove off the monster. Whether it has returned to the Mall or found a new place to reside is unknown at this time. Just because they’re human doesn’t make them friends.

Book Three The World of Rotted Capes (121) THe Series City (122) A-Listers (125) B-Listers (125) Law Enforcement (129) The Neighborhood (130) City of the Dead (132) Legends & Artifacts (133) Building Issues (136) Tipping the Balance? (137) Rotted Capes Tropes (140) The Real Villains (144) Enclaves (145) Drama (153) Relationships (154) Issues (156)

Book Three 121 Creating B-Listers and learning the rules is just the start of the game. In order to create fun Rotted Capes issues, you’re going to need to think about the world and how the B-Listers are going to interact with it. This section offers information and advice on where to set your series, how to put together fun issues, and dealing with the human dramas. There’s a lot of advice here, but relax! Chances are that this isn’t your first time as an Editor-in-Chief and, even if you are, most of this is just helping you gather your thoughts when plotting issues. You don’t need to use all of this information for every issue or even every series. Now without further ado, let’s take a look at your setting. Just Past Now… The world of Rotted Capes is our own, set approximately 2-4 years after Z-Day (or, more importantly, 2-4 years after you’re reading this). It’s not exactly our world, of course, but one with a four-color overlay. In keeping with superhero tradition you’ll probably want to base your campaign within or around a major city. The default setting of Rotted Capes is Paradigm City. With the exception of the conceit that the world was our own when Z-Day hit, Rotted Capes also presumes that the geopolitical, economic, and technology of our present world was in place as well. This means that anything that is available to you now may be part of a Rotted Capes campaign. Portable and practical laser pistols and personal jetpacks are the province of super geniuses, not the world at large. …Or Not? While the default world of Rotted Capes is set in our own early 21st century, you may decide to place the Z-Day whenever you want. Perhaps Z-Day was Hiroshima, and the heroes must survive a world with ex-Axis micropowers (small states that carry on the principles of the Third Reich), Nazi Super Zombies, and A-Lister costumed heroes that weren’t much more powerful than the B-Listers. Maybe you’d rather set off Z-Day in the 1960s, when the superheroes of the Silver Age were just getting started. Or perhaps the 1980s is more to your liking, where the landscape resembles the postapocalyptic films of the time. You may even choose to go further afield, setting the game in earlier centuries or even the future, where the addition of superheroes gives a flavorful period feel (cyberpunk future, steampunk Wild West, or mythic Greece). So long as the campaign involves B-Listers trying to survive in a ruined, zombie-infested world, you have a game of Rotted Capes. Using a Published Setting While Rotted Capes is set in a four-color world similar to our own with its own iconic heroes and villains, you don’t have to use Paradigm City or even create your own. Instead, you can use a setting published by your favorite comic book company, television series, or even another RPG publisher. You can base your campaign around an established city from that publisher and decide which “A-Listers” were killed and which are currently Super Zombies. The Players may choose heroes that were on the B-List in the published setting or they may create original characters. The benefit of this approach is that you already have a built-in superhero backstory to hook the players and create adventures. Even if you don’t decide to use a published setting as-is, you can certainly pull heroes and villains from those sources and give them a fresh coat of paint. Maybe that Super Zombie in the red and white tights used to fight for “Truth, Justice, and the Canadian Way!” What is Z-Day? Most B-Listers and Bystanders refer to the event that caused the zombie aftermath as “Z-Day.” The term itself is convenient slang for something unknown – most of the survivors have no idea how the zombie aftermath actually began. Numerous theories abound; alien invasion, magical mishap, government project, or super-villain plot gone wrong are just a few theories. So what is the truth regarding Z-Day? We don’t know. Okay, that’s not entirely true. We do know, but for the moment your answer is as good as ours. Rotted Capes is not just a game of slugfests and survival; it’s also a game about exploration. Your players shouldn’t know what spawned the zombies, or if Z-Day was a one-time event or something that’s ongoing. This is your province as Editor-in-Chief. If you want a happy ending, perhaps there is some method to end the Z-Day threat for good or even to reverse its effects; that’s very “four color” and very much a part of Rotted Capes if you want it to be. Alternatively, you may have the heroes discover that the Z-Day event pushed the world past critical mass; even if every zombie in the world were destroyed the survivors only have a few generations left. The World of Rotted Capes

Book Three 122 Or you don’t have to create a reason for Z-Day at all. Let your players stew about it and have their Heroes create theories based on what they’ve pieced together. You may even have two or more competing theories, each leading to new adventures and pulling the heroes in different directions. Better yet, let the players “figure out” the truth on their own, leaving you to run with it. Possible Causes of Z-Day Some Editors-in-Chief may feel that to properly tell their Rotted Capes series, they need to know what sparked the Z-Day Event. Below you will find some possible explanations that you can choose, discard or modify as you wish. 1.A naturally occurring virus, perhaps long dormant but now active once more due to the encroachment of civilization into areas that were once untouched by man (similar to what occurred with the Ebola Virus in our world), has been transmitted to humans through contact with infected primates, such as chimpanzees. Patient Zero was infected, traveled to a more populated region, died, was reanimated and began to feed, spreading the disease. 2.The virus was genetically manufactured by a government (foreign or domestic) or a maniacal villain. The spread occurred as in number 1 or was meant to have a different effect and was created as an airborne disease. While airborne and over time, the virus mutated and infected the entire population of the earth, making all humans carriers. Once a person dies, they are reanimated as flesh eating zombies: a fate that all people upon the planet will ultimately share. 3. For those wishing for a more supernatural slant, a sorcerous super-villain with ties to the Voodoo religion, enacts a ritual meant to give him ultimate power over the Risen Dead. The ritual has unexpected consequences and curses all the people of the earth to rise after death. In this scenario, Z-Day is a supernatural plague that cannot be cured by scientific means with the only possible cure residing in the realm of the mystic arts! 4.At the other end of the spectrum, the virus could have been seeded by an alien race or empire bent on ravaging our planet of its resources, but not wanting to deal with the living inhabitants. Their solution is to spread a virus (perhaps a nanotech virus) that reanimates the dead with a compulsion to attack the living. Within a few years, all the living populace would be decimated (or gone) leaving no one to resist the alien invasion. A-Listers and B-Listers Throughout Rotted Capes you’ve seen references to “A-Listers” and “B-Listers.” You probably also know by now what the terms mean. That said, the A-Listers are more than just the more powerful heroes and villains that died in the early days of the apocalypse. They are the stories that spawn adventures and are a part of your world’s mythology. Was one A-Lister particularly patriotic and/or inspiring? If so, then an enclave tries to live up to her ideals. Did a supergenius A-Lister have a bunker beneath the city? If so, then your heroes may risk zombie infection to find it. Was one A-Lister particularly connected to the heroes? If so, she is now a Super Zombie bent on their destruction. In a similar vein, being a B-Lister is much more than “nobody special except for power X.” B-Listers are survivors; they’ve survived the initial zombie onslaught and they’ve learned valuable skills in the process. Their powers, while few, give them an edge that helps keep the zombies at bay. Bystanders don’t distinguish between A-Lister and B-Lister; for them, a B-Lister is simply a Hero. The Series City Stories about superheroes generally involve a city. This makes sense, given the number of Bystanders that need protection. Being the hero of a small town means you get to stop the occasional convenience store robbery or settle domestic disputes; being the hero of a city offers greater challenges. A city is also large enough to contain several superheroes and villains, enabling the heroes to make allies and take on several challenges; if your only enemy is Doctor Demon, then you’ve got little to do while he’s warming a prison cell after your last encounter. In Rotted Capes, your series city is where most of the action takes place. Sure, it’s overrun with zombies and super zombies, but the city is also a place of great treasures and Bystanders that need rescuing. The enclave is never far from the city so that the occasional foraging party can grab canned food and other necessities from the many abandoned stores within the city. The fictional Paradigm City is the default location for Rotted Capes series. It’s designed as an archetypal four color city with its own hometown superhero team, the Protectors, and a rogues’ gallery, as well as specific landmarks and local legends. You can easily use this framework as-is or as inspiration for “four-coloring” your own series city.

Book Three 123 On the Road While Rotted Capes assumes an urban/suburban setting by default, there’s nothing stopping you from setting your campaign further afield. Indeed, one fun variant is the “road game,” where the heroes travel to different places each issue. This is different from a “caravan” enclave, where the B-Listers protect a group of traveling Bystanders. Instead, your B-Listers are Ronin, going from place to place in order to solve problems without creating any lasting ties. They may even be searching for something and contact enclaves in the hopes that they can find clues as to what they are seeking. While such a campaign doesn’t allow for deep exploration of a single area, it does allow an Editor-inChief to change the atmosphere with a different setting. The Heroes may simply be wanderers on the road, protecting travelers along the way, or the Heroes’ enclave may actually be a ship that scavenges from different ports. One benefit of a “road game” is that you can spread out the B-Listers and super zombies so that each city only has a handful of super beings, rather than a single series city that is bursting with them. It also paints the bleak totality of an entire world gone to Hell, as opposed to a single city. The B-Listers may meet important characters from different parts of the world and find that solutions for one region may not be ideal for all regions. Choosing Your City The first thing you need to decide when creating a Rotted Capes issue or series is where the action is going to take place. The “default” location for Rotted Capes is Paradigm City, which is described in various examples throughout this section. While we’ve done our best to give you a vibrant fourcolor city, there’s no reason why you can’t base your series in another city if you so desire. If you’re sticking with the real world, a fun choice would be the city nearest you, especially if you live close by. This enables you to paint a clearer picture of the places that the Heroes are visiting. For example, if your heroes are operating just outside Philadelphia, telling them that they need to cross the Girard Point Bridge paints a vivid picture of a double decker bridge that sits over the Schuylkill River between the former Navy Yard and the airport, rather than telling them that they need to cross “the bridge that connects the suburbs to Generic City”. Another good choice if you’ve run other superhero RPGs (or at least have the materials on your shelf) is to use a city, real or fictional, that featured prominently in your previous series. Assuming you have the same players, such a city may be almost as familiar to them as their own. You could also use an established city from elsewhere in fiction, such as the home city of a favorite comic book superhero or a favorite film. Real Maps One of the advantages to using a real-world city is that there are mapping websites that enable you to zoom in and get an accurate portrayal of an area. Google Maps (maps.google.com) is especially useful in that, not only can you zoom in fairly close (1 inch = 20 feet), but you can also get a “street view” of most metropolitan streets. Paradigm City Paradigm City is a Midwestern metropolis with a Glory Days population of about 2,000,000. Built primarily as a railroad town by Henry “Hank” Walters in 1826 (Walters intended for it to be the model, or “paradigm” for future cities, hence its name), Paradigm City soon became a prosperous port city due to being built on the Blue River, which feeds into the Mississippi. Due to being a hub of trade, Paradigm City attracted many immigrants, making it one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the Midwest. It also garnered the nickname of “the Hub of America,” since most business crossing the country went through it. The numerous railroads also enabled the suburbs to prosper and, as time wore on, many of the closest suburbs were absorbed into the city proper. Paradigm City was part of the Union during the American Civil War and was part of the Underground Railroad. During this period Paradigm City’s first costumed hero, the original Night Lord appeared, who primarily aided escaping slaves and confronted slave hunters. Night Lord was also Paradigm City’s first African-American superhero, although his costume disguised this fact. During the Gilded Age, many wealthy industrialists increased their fortunes through Paradigm City and organized crime began taking over the distribution channels, primarily by exploiting new immigrants. Paradigm City was in need of heroes, and several costumed vigilantes answered the call. Unfortunately, corrupt industrialists and mob bosses bankrolled costumed villains and a secret war raged in the alleys of the city.

Book Three 124 Night Lord reappeared, as did other heroes. The Blue Bullet, true to his name, used a pistol that fired bullets made of blue-tinted lead. Spring-Heeled Jack was an English immigrant who used shoes with springs, amongst other gadgets, to surprise his foes. Amongst the first costumed villains were the Brass Brawler, who employed heavy knuckledusters, the Butcher, a knife specialist, and the Frog, an Asian martial artist that wanted to go by the name of “the Jade Tiger” but couldn’t shake the appellation given to him by an eager journalist of the Paradigm Chronicle. It was during the dawn of the 20th century that an event occurred to which most Conspiracy Theorists point as the cause of the advent of the “super-being”. On June 30th, 1908, a meteorite or comet burst apart violently over Tunguska, Russia, flattening trees for hundreds of square miles of the uninhabited wilderness of Siberia. A few months later, on September 7th, another, even more violent airburst occurred over the area between Fairbanks, Alaska and the Yukon Territory of Canada. Witnesses say that the blast was so massive and released so much energy that the very glow of the Aurora Borealis changed color to a steady red for the rest of the year. The connection between this event and the emergence of the “super-being” was made in 1925 when biologist and fervent eugenics advocate Dr. Hans Claust published a paper claiming that the generation born just after the YukonCharley Event would be known as the Generation of the “Übermensch”, given the surprising rise of costumed heroes who enjoyed seemingly amazing natural powers. While these super-human abilities pale in comparison to those exhibited by the Heroes of the Golden Age, they were unprecedented during the time of the paper’s publication. Though many scoff at Dr. Claust’s work as an attempt to advance the now discredited theory of eugenics, many concede that each generation born after the Yukon-Charley Event does exhibit those born with more and more powerful and wondrous powers and abilities that were unknown previously. During the same period of time in the continental U.S., Paradigm City continued to grow at a rapid pace. Between the two World Wars, many of the original Heroes continued to operate, although journalists speculated that they weren’t the originals. Additionally, a new breed of costumed hero rose, seemingly not needing gadgets to assist them in manifesting their modest super powers. Organized crime got a boost in the 1930s when a mysterious gadgeteer known only as Professor Gojkovik outfitted villains with a variety of gadgets. The villains Armadillo (who wore an armored vest), Tommy Gun (who favored a submachine gun with a variety of specialized bullets) and Azrael, a hit man that took his name from the fact that he could fire from so far away it was like the bullet came from the heavens) were three of Professor Gojkovik’s beneficiaries. Paradigm City’s first “super-villain” also came out of the 1930s when an industrial worker accidentally fell into a vat of chemicals that made his skin bulletproof. He turned to a life of crime as Diamond Dan and was quite successful before his enemies realized that invulnerability did not equate to “invincible.” Interestingly, his final defeat didn’t come at the hands of heroes but rather a rival mob, which fitted him with “cement shoes” and dropped him into the Blue River. After World War II, Paradigm City’s suburbs exploded and the city became a hub of manufacturing thanks to an automobile plant and a popular brewery. The sudden appearance of “mutant heroes” in America coincided with the Red Scare of the 1950s, and efforts were made to tie them to Communism (as it turned out, the Soviet Union was busy interning its own mutants and forcing them to work for the government) and wanted all mutants to go public and register their powers as if they were firearms. Both the Korean conflict and the wars in Southeast Asia kept the various registration acts off the table and by the late 1960s the social revolution made any talk of registration moot. A financial boom occurred in the 1980s as white collar business exploded. Downtown Paradigm City became dominated by increasing numbers of skyscrapers. The 1980s and 1990s also saw a boom in the number of superheroes, including Lady Liberty and a new Night Lord. With the end of the Cold War, SuTech (Superior Technologies), an international weapons supplier and elite mercenary force, broadened their market and supplied many super-villains with battlesuits, war machines, and other gadgets, many of whom found their way to Paradigm City. Perhaps the strongest of these was Iron Star, a former Soviet soldier that had been cybernetically enhanced in the mid-1980s. Along with the immensely powerful super-human christened the Judgment of the People, these two Soviet Super Soldiers gave many of Paradigm City’s premier heroes many an epic battle. The early years of the 2000s saw the rise in patriotic superheroes again as 9/11 galvanized patriotic fervor. Captain Freedom and Red Rocket (later changing her codename to Shooting Star) appeared during this decade. Unfortunately, it also saw the economic collapse of Paradigm City as downsizing companies took advantage of new technologies to outsource their operations. In the final years of the Glory Days, Paradigm City was a shadow of its former self, although there were signs of a comeback as the city aggressively pursued gentrification and tax breaks for corporations. Things were just starting to turn around when Z-Day hit, destroying the city, and civilization, forever.

Book Three 125 Glory Days in the City Whether you decide to use Paradigm City, a real city, or a fictional one (either published or of your own design) it helps to know what that city was like during the Glory Days. You’ll want to know the general geography and various landmarks that make your city unique. You’ll also want to know what superheroes and super-villains populated your city, both when Z-Day hit and throughout the city’s history. Such details are more than just a historical exercise: they are the elements of your series. They can also be the springboard for an issue or plot element, as well as references for flashback scenes. A good rule of thumb is to think about your city as if you were going to run a modern four color superhero series without the zombie horror elements. What would be important for you to include? Where do your villains hide? Why do they want to terrorize your city as opposed to somewhere else? Do your city heroes work as a team? Are there any lone wolves or anti-heroes? While nailing down all these details can be a bit overwhelming, there are a few areas where you should concentrate most of your efforts. Here are a few things to consider when thinking about the Glory Days. Who Were the A-Listers? In the typical superhero city, there is always at least one Hero that is seen as its protector. Most cities actually have several such heroes and sometimes they even band together in a clubhouse. Similarly, there are usually one or more villains that become part of the hometown heroes’ rogues gallery. You’ll want to flesh out your A-Listers. Who were they? What powers did they wield? Did they have secret identities? What were their personalities, goals, and desires? Were they part of a group? Did they have minions or sidekicks? Who were their usual nemeses? In addition to thinking about your A-Listers, you’ll also want to give some thought to any secret headquarters or base of operations. Did your A-Lister keep super vehicles handy? Did she need a laboratory to develop her latest potions? Did he have a spare battle suit stored somewhere? Finally, you’ll need to decide what happened to them. Did they die in the initial wave? Did they become super zombies and, if so, are they still kicking? If the A-Lister survived, then where did she go? What is she doing today? Remember also that any A-Listers with special equipment may have left that equipment lying around in the city. Where did Thunder Hammer drop his weapon when he was killed? The Steel Sentinel Super Zombie is missing several pieces of his battle suit; where did they go? Paradigm City’s A-Listers Paradigm City has always been a hotspot for superhuman activity. The following are some of its major A-Listers when Z-Day began. Unless otherwise stated, all heroes below belonged to the Protectors. The Sentinel: Justin Jordan has been Paradigm City’s premier hero since he returned from World War II. He continued to work with ParaChem and the government as well as being a charter member of the Protectors. Possessing superhuman strength, speed, and a thick skin that only the highest caliber shell could break, Sentinel never the less fell during the first days of zombie outbreak, though no one knows if the Hero of Paradigm City is resting in peace or turned into a ravenous Super-Zombie. Thunderbird: Tommy Redbird was a city attorney and member of the Miami tribe. He has the ability to generate intense heat which enables him to fly, throw fire bolts, and create a heat force field (Tommy was fully aware that the Thunderbird was not a Miami myth nor a fire creature). Thunderbird was one of two A-Listers that survived the Z-Day. He went to Oklahoma to check on relatives and hasn’t been seen since. Behemoth: One of Professor Gojkovik’s later experiments, the Behemoth broke free and became a reluctant hero in Paradigm City. He resembles an overly large man with bulging muscles, grey slate armored skin, and tufts of hair all over his body. He also had no memory of who he was. Rumors abound that the Behemoth has been seen, still alive, in neighboring cities. Why he has not made an appearance in his “home town” of Paradigm City is unknown. Lady Liberty: Samantha Pyle was born with the mutant ability to fly. She also wore bracers that fired concussive bolts of energy. In her secret identity she was a political science professor at the Caswell School in Paradigm City University. She survived Z-Day and protected an enclave with her sidekick Torch for six months before she was turned. The Ronin: Paul Kitsune was the son of the Blue Dragon, a yakuza enforcer. Paul rejected his father’s criminal culture and fueled his martial arts abilities with Ki energy. He had the good fortune to partner with someone who had a revolutionary idea for computing and became a very successful businessman. He was also a philanthropist and built the largest Buddhist temple in the Midwest. The Ronin disappeared after Z-Day.

Book Three 126 Night Wolf: Another of Professor Gojkovik’s experiments, Night Wolf can become a “wolf-man” with extremely tough skin. Roberto Vasquez was a college student when he was kidnapped and transformed. After his rescue by the Protectors, Night Wolf decided to become one of them. He wanted to be called “Black Wolf” but a politically sensitive editor dubbed him “Night Wolf” on the network news. Night Wolf was Z’d while battling the hordes of dead at the infamous Vesper Hall event. Shooting Star: Jasmine Hainesworth was a promising athlete when she shocked everyone in high school by leaping for the basketball net and, with a burst of mutant energy, flew straight through the gym ceiling and safely landed in the parking lot outside. Moving to Paradigm City, she became a psychiatrist and school guidance counselor. As a hero, she always preached maintaining high ideals, which got her torn apart when she faced the Z’d Titan. GearJack: Trey Gavin was always building things as a kid, so it was no surprise when he became the top engineer at Nova Phoenix Technologies in Paradigm City. Trey built a battlesuit to fight crime. He was thought killed in Z-Day but resurfaced several weeks later wearing a new battlesuit created from scraps. GearJack was finally Z’d a few months ago when his power source failed and he was forced to abandon his armor. Titan: Known as the gentle giant of herodom, Titan was one of the most beloved heroes of Paradigm City. Eschewing wearing a mask of any type, Titan, Frank Mancino, became one of the first “public heroes”. Dividing his time between battling his nemesis, the Judgment of the People and doing commercials and guest appearances on a variety of TV shows, he became an instant celebrity and the hero of the “common man”. Titan was thought lost when he was last seen trying to save a bus load of bystanders from the Risen Dead. The survivors later learned to their horror that the good natured hero had been turned into one of the most malicious Super-Zombies. Blue Bolt: Once the fastest man alive, the Blue Bolt is now the fastest of the dead. In his late 40s and semi-retired when Z-Day hit, Donald Goss donned his blue and yellow uniform and raced to save as many of his fellow citizens as possible. Though credited with rescuing hundreds about the city, the Blue Bolt disappeared a week into the cataclysm of the zombie plague. It was only later that a task force from the CDC realized that the accelerated spread of the Z-Virus was due to the blue speedster, who appears to have been infected during the opening days of the outbreak. Due to his hyper metabolism, the Super Zombie Blue Bolt was forced to feed at an accelerated rate, hastening the spread of the disease world-wide. The last sighting of Blue Bolt took place in China, as the Hero of the People’s Republic engaged him upon the Great Wall.

Book Three 127 Professor Gojkovik: Also known as the Eternal Man, Prof. Gojkovik is known to have lived at least 200 years, based upon vintage pictures from the 1800s that show the professor looking much as he does today. Gojkovik is not a true immortal, however. A biochemical savant, Gojkovik has extended his life through the use of various chemical concoctions and arcane formulae, but his ultimate goal of immortality appears to have eluded him thus far. Professed to be an expert in such disparate fields such as cybernetics and necromancy, Gojkovik also professes to be the world’s foremost expert on the super-human condition, being an eyewitness of the very first Übermensch to the wondrous heroes of today. Throughout the Golden Age, he has outfitted would-be villains with weapons, armor and other tech for a hefty percentage of their take. Since the outbreak of the Z-Virus, the whereabouts of the Eternal Man remain unknown. Mad Hatter: One of the most colorful crime lords in Paradigm City, Alexander Napoleon (likely not his real name) fashions himself after the character of Professor Moriarty of Sherlock Holmes fame. He has the ability to control minds and emotions. The Mad Hatter usually dresses in a black Victorian evening suit and insists on speaking with a dodgy English accent. His crimes are often overly elaborate and flamboyant, which garnered him the sobriquet of “the Mad Hatter.” This only incensed the crime lord, as he wanted to be known as “the Napoleon of Crime.” The Mad Hatter was Z’d, but he seems to control zombies just as well as humans now, dressing his “minions” in Victorian garb. B-Listers that have seen him since his transformation note that there doesn’t seem to be much difference between human Mad Hatter and super zombie Mad Hatter. Haley’s Comet: Hailee Ford was a low-level clerk in a big city office when she missed the train one morning. Desperate to catch it, she rushed to the platform just as the train was pulling away. Suddenly, Hailee had a burst of speed and ran right past the train and into the city on her own power. When she questioned others, they saw only a white blur. Hailee decided to use her power to supplement her income and became Haley Comet. When Z-Day hit she fled the city. No one’s sure what’s happened to her since. Bastet: Lucy McGee was diagnosed with a multiple personality disorder and committed to New Bethlehem Developmental Center just outside of Paradigm City. One of her personalities claimed to be the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian priestess and used sorcery to break free. In addition to her sorcery, she has the reflexes and abilities of a cat, along with extra sharp nails and catlike eyes. Most of Bastet’s crimes revolved around stealing artifacts, especially Egyptian ones. She was turned a few months after Z-Day and it is believed that her sorcerous powers may actually be mutations, as her super zombie self can still use them. Coldsnap: Martin Phillips was a high school history teacher and historical re-enactor. He always knew he had the ability to create and control cold weather and ice, but his abilities were minor. One day, he was assaulted by the boyfriend of a fellow teacher he fancied and, panicking, Martin impaled him with an ice spear. He felt strangely empowered by the act and decided to inflict himself on all sorts of “injustices,” which he defined as anyone he perceived to have wronged him. When Z-Day came, he actually sided with the heroes. No one is sure what happened to him after the initial assault; most presume he was turned but there are rumors that he froze himself in self-defense (see Legends and Artifacts). Atlas: Byron Wade was an up-and-coming boxer who made money breaking legs on the side. His life changed forever when, while suffering a particularly brutal beating in the ring, his skin turned to stone. He’d have killed his opponent with a punch had it not been mitigated by the suddenly heavy boxer falling through the ring. After that, Atlas worked as an enforcer for the Benton Mob. Atlas has been sporadically sighted since Z-Day, but no one is sure whether the stone man is human or zombie. The Judgment (of the People): Once the leader of the Super Soviets, the premier super hero group of the former Soviet Union, the Judgment of the People, with his iconic hammer and sickle, became discredited when he was reported to have attempted to assassinate former Soviet Premier Gorbachev in an effort to stop the collapse of the communist paradise. He was stopped by members of his own super team and disgraced before the people who once adored him. Blaming the capitalists from the West for the destruction of his beloved Motherland, Judgment, as he now called himself, was determined to destroy the United States in retaliation. Luckily, a variety of heroes including Titan, who Judgment repeatedly called ‘a lap dog of capitalism’ for his frequent commercial enterprises, rose up to stop the mad Russian. At some point during Z-Day, Judgment appears to have become infected and has ironically made his lair in the tallest tower of the financial district, preying on the working man, rather than protecting him. If it seems too good to be true, it’s probably full of zombies.

Book Three 128 The Ascended B-Listers As B-Listers are, aside from zombies, the key element of Rotted Capes, you’ll need to understand what they were before the Z-Day. In general terms, B-Listers were attached to A-Listers as sidekicks or minions, but there are other ways B-Listers might have lived in the Glory Days. Here are a few ideas. • The B-Lister ignored her power. After all, with A-Listers around who needed a hero that could swim really fast? Even if she wanted to be a Hero, the A-Lister villains were just too powerful. It was better to live as a Bystander. • The B-Lister was a minor Hero. Sure, he couldn’t fight in the big leagues, but there were many criminals that lacked superpowers. Even a single power or martial training was often enough, combined with physical training, an awesome costume, and a scary reputation, to take down “street level” foes. • The B-Lister was a minor Villain. Maybe she was a mob boss or worked as a chief enforcer. Maybe she was a cat burglar that used her power to pull off lucrative crimes while staying off the radar of A-Lister heroes. Maybe she was a bit of an anti-hero, enough so that A-Listers generally left her alone. • The B-Lister was a police officer. She used her powers for law-enforcement. • The B-Lister was a celebrity. A B-Lister with emotion control could be a charismatic preacher/speaker, while a B-Lister with mind control might be a politician. Attractive B-Listers that can do their own stunts would be in demand in Hollywood. • The B-Lister’s power didn’t manifest until after the Z-Day. Maybe his power manifested at adolescence or the stress of the world collapsing caused it. Maybe he found a discarded piece of super equipment from an A-Lister. Maybe he took to martial training in order to survive in the zombie aftermath. In addition to determining what the B-Lister did before Z-Day, you’ll need to determine what happened to her afterwards. Some B-Listers obviously don’t make it and many become super zombies. Others may attach themselves to enclaves or wander the countryside alone. Many will form teams with other B-Listers, whether they used to be friend or foe. Some may even continue being super-villains, offering protection in return for service. Paradigm B-Listers The following is a list of B-Listers currently roaming the Paradigm City environs. Most of them could be considered allies, although it wouldn’t take much to goad any of them into a fight if one isn’t careful. Some enclaves just aren’t big enough for two B-Listers. The Torch: Becca Rose was a young lounge singer that discovered she could literally light up a stage. She was soon taken under Lady Liberty’s wing as the Torch, a hero that could surround herself in a sheath of fire and hurl fire bolts. When Z-Day hit she protected citizens while Lady Liberty tried to confront the threat. When the city was lost she helped Lady Liberty establish an enclave. She became its chief protector when her mentor was turned. The Executioner: John North was an enforcer for the Richmond Mob. While he had no powers, he carried around a lot of lethal hardware and soon became known as the Executioner. After Z-Day hit he used everything he had to gun down as many zombies as he could. Rather than join an enclave, it’s said that the Executioner prowls the area, uncovering weapons and ammo and using them to destroy more zombies. The Shield: Gabrielle Gomez was a pilot in the air force when a meteor struck her jet during a routine exercise and knocked her jet out of control. She would have crashed had the Sentinel not caught the jet, but the meteor exploded. Somehow, the Sentinel returned to the ground with an unharmed Gabrielle. The Sentinel got permission to take Gabrielle to ParaChem to run some tests. He discovered that Gabrielle could reflexively emit a force field. Gabrielle soon found herself fighting crime alongside the Sentinel as the Shield. Unfortunately, she discovered soon after Z-Day that her force field did not make her immune to infections. The Defender: Sasha Lin was a high school student in a rough neighborhood; she took martial arts classes for self-defense. When one of her friends was killed in a drug deal gone wrong, Sasha became determined to never let that happen again, not in her neighborhood. She pushed her training and became the Defender, using valuables taken from “bad guys” to bankroll a bullet-proof cat suit and a collapsible metal staff. She currently protects a small enclave near her old neighborhood, trading in the bludgeoning staff for a dual-bladed sword-staff (the better to hunt zombies with).

Book Three 129 Silver Star: Shooting Star’s protégé, Tom Sawyer had the rather less impressive ability to create glittery sparkles that could temporarily blind and confuse opponents. While of limited use against super-villains, Silver Star soon discovered that his power did slow zombies down long enough for people to escape. He carries a machete to take full advantage of distracted zombies. Currently, he and Red Falcon protect a large caravan. Red Falcon: Ming Chou was a burglar that purchased a flying harness from Professor Gojkovik to further his crimes. He ran afoul of Shooting Star who captured him and then interceded on his behalf to reduce his sentence if he pledged to work with underprivileged youth. Red Falcon agreed and had been doing so for several months before Z-Day. He joined forces as Shooting Star’s protégé to protect a caravan. Cherry Tree: Amber Myers was an angry young college student that didn’t believe in “the system.” One day, when challenging a professor in class whether she really believed what she was espousing, the professor candidly admitted that she usually just parrots whatever her political party was promoting. The professor lost her job during the resulting fallout and Amber realized that she could compel anyone to tell the truth. She became a political activist and adopted the identity of Cherry Tree after the legendary incident with a young George Washington. After Z-Day, she’s discovered that her power is useless against zombies but can hold an enclave together or tear it apart based on how she uses it. Shotgun: Gary Bachman was just a shoe salesman when ZDay came. Frightened, he abandoned co-workers, family, and friends alike to hide from the zombie menace. Gary wasn’t proud of his actions and, once he realized the full extent of what was happening, loathed himself for being such a coward. While foraging, Gary came across a large blast rifle that had belonged to GearJack. It was solar-powered and thus selfreloading. Calling himself Shotgun, Gary now moves from enclave to enclave protecting people. Bullfrog: Arthur “Artie” King was a bouncer at the Speakeasy, a themed restaurant that covered the early twentieth century. Many former heroes and their descendants loaned costumes and equipment to the restaurant; most such items were either fake replicas or no longer functional. Artie was thrilled to discover that the Frog’s old outfit still had some bounce in it. He stole the costume during the Z-Day fallout. Artie had to stretch the costume over his thick, muscular build and decided to call himself Bullfrog. He currently protects a medium-sized enclave. Law Enforcement Another consideration to make for your series city is the nature of law enforcement. Were the police equipped to deal with super beings or did they largely stay out of the way and call in the military when things got too rough? Were actual super beings part of the police force? In any case, survivors from law enforcement probably play a big role in an enclave, protecting Bystanders as they already have or even take control of the leadership (e.g. the local police chief is now enclave leader). If law enforcers were largely irrelevant in the Glory Days, then any survivors may revel in the new order. A-Listers could ignore them; B-Listers can’t. Weapons that used to be completely ineffective are now effective most of the time. If the law enforcers did have the resources to deal with super beings, then those resources may either be with the enclave or still in the city; another treasure to be looted. Members of Super SWAT teams may even be B-Listers themselves in the zombie aftermath. Given the apocalyptic nature of Z-Day, it’s likely that the National Guard or even the national armed forces were brought in to contain the threat. This means that the city is littered with military hardware, some of which has filtered into the enclaves. Scavengers love military equipment as it has a high barter value. Paradigm City – Law Enforcement Early on, Paradigm City realized the need for a stronger police force in the face of increasing super activity. Prior to World War II, submachine guns were often enough, as the “costumed heroes” weren’t much more than heroes and villains with intense physical training, and the occasional truly superhuman was often held in check by other costumed heroes. In 1975 the state governor sought to end the super-villain problem while allaying the citizens’ concerns by putting a National Guard base just north of the city. The National Guard had all of the special weapons and equipment the state could afford to give it, and the local Guard Commander was only a phone call and a few minutes away from the Paradigm mayor. This arrangement proved effective later in the year when a National Guard “scramjet” destroyed several elemental creatures created by the super-villain “Magister Maximus” Diabolus.

Book Three 130 Since that time, Guidry National Guard Base became the best-armed National Guard installation in the state. It eventually boasted a wing of space-capable super-aircraft, a dozen specially armed tanks, and three battle-suited troopers. When Z-Day hit, Guidry sprang into action and was responsible for most of the counterattacks and targeted damage (such as the city bridges) in Paradigm City. The base itself became a sanctuary. Unfortunately, in spite of its vast capabilities Guidry was unprepared for such a large scale threat and collapsed within a few months, completely overrun with zombies. The Neighborhood In addition to the city and its suburbs, you’ll also want to note any distinguishing areas. Nearby military bases are big, as are “big box villages,” shopping malls, and supermarkets. Many of these are already CFB but may contain loot if the zombie infestation in the area is heavy. Floating sanctuaries are also possible around port cities. Unless zombies are proficient swimmers (most aren’t) a boat can provide great protection for an enclave. Similarly, penthouses also offer great protection so long as an enclave can hold off super zombies. Paradigm City – The Neighborhood Sunrise Medical Center: Sitting on the Blue River just north of the zoological gardens, the Sunrise Medical Center was one of the premier medical facilities in the Midwest, if not the entire country (The Ronin was responsible for many donations and ParaChem donated a wing). It’s been mostly picked clean and generally considered CFB, although this has more to do with the rumor that a super zombie has made it her lair. Intrepid looters can usually find something worth bringing back to the enclave, assuming that they do return. Guidry Airfield: Home of a former National Guard Base, Guidry Airfield lies a few miles north of the city. Most of its airplanes were either taken or wrecked along the airstrips during the Z-Day attack, but there are enough pieces available for a gearhead to patch a working plane together. Unfortunately, most of the oil was scavenged by local enclaves as anti-zombie weapons. Wildland Amusement Park: Opened in 1986, the Wildland Amusement Park was a sprawling amusement and waterpark that celebrated the various eras of American history and included an American Safari experience where patrons could drive their cars through a park filled with American animals. Most of the animals have since been poached for food. Blue Crossing Shopping Center: This is a collection of “Big Box” stores along the Blue River southwest of the city. It’s named for the bridge that crosses the Blue River and this bridge is still standing in the zombie aftermath. The Blue Crossing Shopping Center is a popular loot site for local enclaves, although it is rapidly approaching “closing sale” status. Stonevale Outlets: This outlet mall sits on the western side of the Blue River six miles north of the city. It’s OFB, but primarily for clothing and footwear. Rabbit Creek Park: This park sits about two miles west of the Stonevale Outlets and surrounds a large lake. A small enclave once made a lashed-together floating hotel in the center of the lake until they unfortunately discovered that zombies could walk underwater. Rabbit Creek itself heads southeast and joins with the Blue River in the northern part of Paradigm City. New Bethlehem Developmental Center: This psychiatric hospital campus sits five miles southeast of the city and several super-villains were committed here since its establishment in 1936. Of particular note was the “Cinderblock,” the colloquial name for a Supermax prison built on the property for the most dangerous super-villains. Some say that the Cinderblock remains home to an enclave that uses the imprisoned super-villains for their own purposes. Farming Zombies only seem interested in human flesh and don’t normally produce more collateral damage than a drunken barfly trying to make her way home. Theoretically, this means that an enclave could farm without worry that zombies would destroy the crops. Several enclaves in thinly populated areas do just that. Farming is not without risks. Zombies have a way of slipping into fields, even when fenced, and are constant threats to farmers. Zombies also tend to move as a herd, meaning that dozens, even hundreds, may arrive and overrun a farm. Finally, super zombies have the cunning to know that, where there’s cultivated land, there’s meat. Enclaves close to cities farm on a small scale. A Hotel may have a small garden and a caravan may have easily transportable plants. Such gardens won’t produce enough to sustain an enclave, but every fruit and vegetable helps.

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Book Three 132 City of the Dead So far, you’ve been concentrating on the city as it was; now it’s time to design the city as it is. Where in the city did the initial battle take place? It’s probably the area that’s taken the most amount of damage. Similarly, where did law enforcement or the military strike? These areas are likely peppered with bullet holes and missile craters, not to mention the occasional fallen building. Automobiles probably still litter the streets. Other means of zombie containment may have also left their mark on the city. Bridges have been blown up, subways and regional rail lines destroyed; even a makeshift wall may surround a city or, when things got real desperate, a cowering enclave. Paradigm City – Areas of Note Paradigm City is huge, covering over 600 square miles. Prior to Z-Day it was one of the largest cities in America and a shining beacon of art and industry in spite of the economic downturn. It would be impossible to detail every major building and neighborhood. Instead, here is a selection of notable buildings and features of downtown Paradigm City. Centennial Park: Centennial Park is a park that takes up the equivalent of eight city blocks. It is dominated by a monument that sits in the center, topped by a statue of the Sentinel looking over the city (at least until the skyscrapers of the 1970s and later dwarfed it). City Hall: Set in the heart of the city on the north end of Centennial Park, Paradigm City Hall was largely untouched during Z-Day attack and, except for the occasional bullet hole and shattered glass, remains standing as it was in the Glory Days. The primary reason for this is that, anticipating supervillain attacks, City Hall’s frame was hardened and a heavy bunker built beneath it. It’s possible that the essential members of the City Government are still sitting in the bunker, but it’s just as possible that they were all slaughtered or turned before they made it to the bunker. The Metropolitan Museum: Dominating the western part of Centennial Park with its neo-classical façade, “the Met” was an art and history museum. Many residents raided it for useful zombie-fighting tools such as medieval swords and axes. The façade is partially collapsed due to a stray missile being deflected by a super zombie. Many of the weapons and armor pillaged from the Met can still be found in surrounding enclaves. Vesper Hall: Set on the south end of Centennial Park, the Vesper Square Music Hall is Paradigm City’s premiere location for operas and symphonies. Originally entitled City Music Hall, it became Centennial Music Hall when the city sold it to private investors in 1985 (after being disused for almost a decade). It became Vesper Hall in 1998, when philanthropist Anna Vesper gave it an endowment. Vesper Hall is where the tide seemed to turn against the super-heroes, as an entire concert audience turned into zombies. The entire building is now caved in, the victim of a surgical missile strike. Daily Crier Building: Paradigm City’s biggest newspaper, the Daily Crier, is still housed in the art deco building downtown that was built in the 1930s. It was once the best news source in the city before television broadcasts and the Internet dwarfed it. It was purchased by NBC in the mid-1990s and acts as a print supplement to its parent broadcasts. The Daily Crier website launched in 1997 and was much more widely read than its print parent and the NBC news broadcasts. Most people recognized the building from the giant eagle launching itself over the building sign. Today that brass eagle lies battered and broken on the street in front of the building. ParaChem Labs: A campus with many research facilities, ParaChem Labs was one of the premiere chemical research centers in America, if not the world. Part of it became the Weir School of Chemistry, attached to Paradigm University. Many B-Listers believe that ParaChem had something to do with Z-Day, although no evidence exists to confirm it. Notably, the original zombie nest in the city was located in Vesper Hall, not ParaChem Labs. Olympic Motors: Promising an affordable electric automobile, Olympic Motors was given several grants, loans, and endowments in the latter part of the 2000s. Unfortunately, in spite of creating several successful fully electric cars, Olympic never solved the affordability issue nor did the city build the infrastructure necessary to make the cars convenient. Nevertheless, several electric cars are still sitting in the factory and don’t need gas to operate. The Tower: The nickname for the headquarters of the Protectors, this large building was donated to the Protectors by wealthy dilettante Harold Soames (Soames was rumored to be a Protector in the 1980s). The Tower sits north of the zoo on the Blue River and many citizens fled to it via the Washington Bridge before the National Guard blew the bridge to contain the threat. Unfortunately, the Tower proved unsafe when the Z’d Protectors instinctively returned home. It now sits abandoned and partially collapsed.

Book Three 133 Skyway: The Skyway connects most of the commercial buildings downtown via a pedestrian walkway on the second floor. It spans from Vesper Hall to the Paradigm City Convention Center and used to terminate in the west via a bridge that ended in a staircase down the zoo (this bridge was also destroyed by the National Guard). The Lone Tree Mall: The premiere shopping center in the city, the mall got its nickname from the enormous pine around which the mall was built. Four stories high, the mall boasted a bowling alley and multiplex theater in addition to the dozens of shops and eateries. The Lone Tree Mall is also the center of the city skyway and the subway. It’s literally possible to take a train into the city and arrive at one’s office without ever venturing outside. Metropolitan Subway: Colloquially known as “the Metro Way,” this subway winds through downtown and most of the major neighborhoods, connecting with regional rail lines. The subway project is a new innovation; the earliest portions only date back to the mid-1990s. The impetus was super-villainy – the previous elevated trains proved tempting targets and, after an attack on one such train in 1993 caused numerous casualties, the City Council approved construction of a subway system. While the subway tunnels are still useful for loot teams that don’t want to risk exposure, they are just as suitable for roaming zombies (and a death trap if one encounters a super zombie). Riverside Park: Wedged between Downtown and the Blue River, Riverside Park is the largest outdoor recreational area of the city with numerous walking and biking trails, a couple of ponds (frozen over for ice skating in winter) and three gorgeous bridges that have been used as staging areas for most Paradigm City wedding portraits. Numerous statues and monuments of historical figures, both superhero and mundane, are scattered throughout the park. Riverside Park was also host to a couple of ferries that had been remodeled as pleasure boats. Both were converted into cruisers after Z-Day. Sports Center: Several arenas comprise the Paradigm City Sports Center south of the Paradigm inner beltway; the Second Financial Field (football), Paradigm Bank Park (baseball), and the CableNet Arena (ice hockey, basketball, and other events). A fourth arena, Paradigm Field, was the previous football field and slated to be demolished. With Z-Day, that never came to pass. At least one enclave still calls the Sports Center home. Paradigm City Convention Center: This large building takes up two city blocks and is host to numerous conventions throughout the year. As it was close to the initial Z-Day attack, its interior has only been lightly looted and chances are that the stock from any convention that happened to be going on inside the center when Z-Day came is still there, wellpreserved and in large quantities. City Market: A large indoor marketplace for food and wine purveyors, the ceiling is two stories high, making the skyway through here a promenade. Even after being closed for two years, the City Market still carries the smells of its wares. In spite of its location, City Market is still a destination for looters looking for better quality dry and canned goods. Rumor has it that the freezers still run, indicating a treasure trove of goods for the risky looter. Zoological Gardens: Sitting just on the other side of the Blue River, the Zoological Gardens was a favorite spot for residents and tourists. While the zombies have no use for non-human flesh, the animals were purged for food stock by humans in the early months after Z-Day. Gaming Stores: Paradigm City was home to two premiere comic and gaming stores, the Imperial Outpost and Game Board, which attracted an eclectic clientele from around the city and its suburbs, with an enormous selection of comics and games (the reading of those dealing with zombies and the zombie apocalypse may award the reader with a +1 bonus to their Survival skill at the Editor-in-Chief’s discretion). Additionally, one of these stores was rumored to hide one of GearJack’s secret workshops. With the armored hero Z’d and his whereabouts unknown, if this secret workshop were to be found, it could contain a treasure trove of equipment and supplies that might mean the difference between life and death for one of the beleaguered enclaves of Paradigm City. Legends and Artifacts The A-Listers were involved in some epic stuff back in the Glory Days and many of these legends persist in the present. One legend holds that “sanctuary” is actually an orbiting satellite that once served as the headquarters of a superhero team. Another legend tells of a sanctuary that was a supervillain’s private island. In addition, artifacts tend to be found at the places of which the legends speak. If the Wrecker made a heroic last stand to keep the zombie horde off fleeing Bystanders, then chances are his Hammer of Destruction is still lying near the spot. Similarly, the Alchemist’s utility belt may still be in the center of town where he fell from the clock tower during an epic battle with the War Monger super zombie.

Book Three 134 Paradigm City – Legends and Artifacts As befitting a city of legends, Paradigm City has bits and pieces of super-equipment and headquarters strewn about. Of these fragments legends are made and many B-Listers and Bystander looters are willing to brave the deserted, zombieridden city to find them. Note that all of these legends are just that, legends. Any artifacts may or may not exist and the entire incident or legend may just be a rumor. There’s something comforting in knowing that evolved zombies may not want to eat you, or that a cure has been discovered. Such legends have a way of sticking around even in the face of massive evidence to the contrary. Patient Zero: Since Z-Day, rumors have persisted that there is a Patient Zero and that he or she may be in Paradigm City. The rumors also state that this patient may hold the cure for the zombie plague and the cure might be as easy as shooting Patient Zero. Others scoff at the idea, claiming that the Z-Day had nothing to do with an initial patient but was more likely a trans-dimensional breach or alien attack. The Cure: It’s inevitable that this legend frequently pops up. The usual variations include a secret bunker and three or four degrees of separation between meeting a “cured B-Lister” or messenger. Skeptics point out that many victims may think they’ve turned when a last-minute burning saves them; this did not stop at least three small enclaves from being wiped out while venturing into the city to find the miracle cure. Evolution?: There are reports that a small cabal of “mundane” zombies have actually retained their human intelligence and are now organizing into a new civilization. It’s also rumored that this group isn’t necessarily hostile to humanity. Is this true and, if so, should the humans try to destroy them or support them? Professor Gojkovik’s Hidden Base: Having plagued Paradigm City for decades, Professor Gojkovik is believed to have a base hidden somewhere near the city. It is rumored that this base may contain many items useful against zombies and super zombies. GearJack’s Battle Suit: Everyone knows that GearJack died after being forced to remove his battle suit. What no one is certain of is where he left it or, more accurately, where the super zombie that attacked the empty suit left it. Some people believe that the intact suit is laying about waiting for someone to re-energize it, while others believe that the battle suit was shattered, leaving lootable pieces all over the city. Speakeasy Pickings: Prior to Z-Day, the Speakeasy was a barrestaurant that showcased superheroes and had several pieces of superhero memorabilia, some of it still operational if one has the secret codes or know-how to reactivate them. Many such items were looted from the Speakeasy and dropped nearby when their new owners couldn’t figure out how to use them. Robotic Salvation: There are many variations of this popular legend. It is believed that a super-villain (Mad Hatter and Professor Gojkovik are the usual candidates) was building a robot army somewhere within Paradigm City before Z-Day hit. If this army can be found then it may be programmed to hunt zombies. Such an army would have nothing to fear from infection. A few versions of this legend warn that activating the robot army would be a mixed blessing, as it would attack human and zombie alike. Frozen A-Listers: This legend states that, during the initial Z-Day attack, Coldsnap realized that the heroes could not win and encased himself and several other heroes in ice, assuming that the zombies could not get to them. Legend has it that the ice tombs still exist somewhere along the city Skyway; several theories abound as to how Coldsnap is able to keep the heroes frozen in warm weather and whether anyone so entombed is still alive. Guidry’s Arsenal: While Guidry National Guard Base collapsed over a year ago, it is believed to still hold a number of weapons caches and possibly secure bunkers. Even now, looters still can’t reach the lower levels. Perhaps some remnant of the National Guard still huddles within, waiting for the appropriate time to emerge and take the fight back to the zombies. Cyberzombie: There’s a legend that a cyborg super-villain, possibly Iron Star, was turned into a super zombie but the mechanical part of his brain has enabled the cyberzombie to maintain his morality mostly intact. He now hunts zombies and super zombies without fear of infection. Unfortunately, he still needs human flesh to survive and regrettably takes it when he needs it. Such a creature would be a powerful ally for an enclave, so long as they can tolerate his eating habits.

Book Three 135 Purifiers: Not all humans struggle for salvation. There are those that believe this world is damned and that the best thing they can do is remove what is left of humanity, freeing their souls to ascend to Heaven rather than be consumed by the forces of Hell and condemned to roam the world forever. No one is certain whether this group exists or what motivates them; nevertheless the rumor of such a group makes enclaves even more suspicious of strangers. The Hair of Recovery: It’s rumored that Professor Gojkovik is not only still alive, but also possesses the ability to clone people, even after they’ve been turned. The secret is in their hair which, as “dead organic matter,” is immune to the zombie virus. This hair can be used to clone a healthy replacement with all of the superpowers of the original. Unfortunately, it has no memories, but the “Clone Doctor” can download previously taped memories into it, either from the original (with any memories gained after the taping lost), or another “donor.” Needless to say, the implications of such technology existing can enormously reshape the series. Raiding Maps Rotted Capes takes place in a largely abandoned (at least by the living) version of our own world. This means that many modern building plans and layouts can be repurposed for Rotted Capes. Need a mall? Use the floor plan of any major mall – its website will give you at least the pedestrian areas, leaving you to fill in the rest according to logic (and you can always make those areas inaccessible rubble). Raiding a big box store? Just use one you go to regularly; it’s easy to visualize. Another good source of maps can come from other RPG products, so long as they take place in the modern day. Historical floor plans also work; many buildings are kept up and upgraded as necessary (an old Georgian building may have window air conditioners and lines running for cable and Internet access).

Book Three 136 Building Issues Creating Rotted Capes issues (more commonly called “adventures”) may seem easy at first, especially for “beer and pretzels” games. Simply create an area, populate it with zombies and the occasional super zombie, give the heroes a goal, and let them loose. Crafting issues for a continuing series can be quite a bit of work. While the “beer and pretzels” formula can be used again and again, it won’t be long before your players feel the sameness. One way to change things up is to think about your series city and the types of situations that your heroes would logically find themselves facing. This section is designed to help you design interesting Rotted Capes adventures. In addition, we offer several plot hooks for you to flesh out and create full issues. Basic Issue Template At its core, Rotted Capes has a very simple premise: the B-Listers must maintain the survival of their enclave (yes, it’s possible that the B-Listers don’t have an enclave but that’s a tangent; most series will revolve around an enclave). Here’s how you can quickly and efficiently design Rotted Capes issues. Build your Sandbox In roleplaying parlance, a “sandbox” is the area in which the B-Listers are allowed to travel. Even if you plan on writing very focused issues with little room for wandering, you’re going to want to understand the neighborhood. Here are the following factors to keep in mind. Series city: Are your B-Listers from Paradigm City or somewhere else? What neighborhoods and shopping centers exist around it? Are there any special locations? Who were the AListers and B-Listers? Are there any Clear Zones? Enclaves: How big is the enclave? What kind of government does it have? What resources are available? Where is it located? How do your B-Listers fit in the enclave? Are there other enclaves nearby? How does your enclave get along with them? Set a Goal Every issue in Rotted Capes should have a goal, something the B-Listers need to do or fail to do in order to bring the issue to a conclusion. This goal should be simply stated; “escort the loot team to the supermarket and back” or “rescue the Bystanders trapped in a shopping mall” make fine goals. Set Obstacles Escorting a loot team to the supermarket wouldn’t be much of an issue if nothing happened along the way to complicate things. How many zombie assaults must the loot team endure? Is there a super zombie in the area? Is there something that makes the journey itself more difficult, such as a destroyed bridge or rough terrain? For single session issues, it’s best to limit obstacles to three to five scenes. This ensures that you’ll be able to wrap up the issue within a single evening. You can simply multiply this number for multiple sessions. Set Plot Twists Plot twists or surprises are things that the B-Listers must deal with that they hadn’t anticipated. A traitor within the loot team is one example; so is the fact that a major zombie horde is heading to the supermarket, making the mission a race against time. Perhaps the supermarket is almost CFB and a rival enclave loot team is trying to secure the same loot (and is willing to fight for it). Perhaps an old super-villain nemesis picks now to settle an old score with the B-Listers. A plot twist can also be a personal drama. Perhaps a love triangle has heated up and the B-Lister involved has to protect her rival on the loot team. Create an Endpoint An endpoint is the place in the issue that the B-Listers must get to in order to end the issue. This is usually the return to the enclave, but that may not necessarily be the case, especially if the enclave itself is under attack (in which case the endpoint is a safe distance the enclave must travel). Once the endpoint is reached or circumstances make it impossible to reach, the issue is finished and the B-Listers are given an appropriate experience point award. You may wish to create multiple endpoints if it’s possible to end the issue in other ways other than success or failure. In a base under siege example, one endpoint may be ending the zombie threat while another is getting the Bystanders to safety from an overrun Hotel. The Graphic Novel Treatment Simply put, a graphic novel is simply an issue with a lot more meat. Generally, the Editor-in-Chief makes the plot elements darker and grittier (steering away from camp), but this need not be the case. A graphic novel has more obstacles, plot twists, and personal story arcs than the average adventure.

Book Three 137 Taking that into consideration, it should come as no surprise that a graphic novel is going to take several sessions to complete. You’ll probably plot it like a miniseries although rather than discrete issues you’ll have something more analogous to the chapters of a book. Each chapter builds on the previous one and sets things in motion to be resolved in future chapters. Graphic novels aren’t shy about making sweeping changes to B-Listers, Bystanders, and enclaves. The stakes are raised to accentuate the grittiness. Throughout the course of the story many B-Listers and Bystanders may die or be permanently altered; enclaves could get decimated or destroyed. It’s not uncommon for an idealistic B-Lister to be thoroughly broken by the end of a graphic novel or for an amoral anti-hero to find something to believe in (oftentimes just in time for a heroic death). Building a Miniseries An issue generally has one main plot. A miniseries is several issues tied together in a short story arc. Generally speaking, a mini-series usually consists of three to six issues with a story arc that starts with the first issue and is resolved in the last issue. Unlike a full series, the story arc of a miniseries is often tightly plotted; it may even be a single plotline that simply takes a long time to resolve. In such cases subplots can often fill the role of single issues. A good example of a miniseries is moving an enclave from one location to the next. The first part of the story involves safely evacuating the Bystanders when their old Hotel is compromised, protecting the Caravan on the road while scouting for a new Hotel, making the new Hotel safe, and finally taking care of the super zombie that’s been hounding the enclave since it led the attack on the old Hotel. In most cases, a miniseries is a succession of related issues that build towards a satisfying conclusion. You might have as a story arc a rebellious Bystander looking to take over the Leadership. While the B-Listers spend each episode performing missions, the rebel is gathering resources and allies for a coup. In the final episode the coup is sprung and the B-Listers have to support a side. One of the things that makes a miniseries desirable is that it’s focused. With a finite number of sessions to plot a story arc, an Editor-in-Chief can corral her best ideas and incorporate them; there’s no room for padding. You also, hopefully, leave your players wanting more once the miniseries is over. Building a Series A series is simply a succession of issues or miniseries. There may be an overall story arc (or multiple story arcs) or there may be none at all; the series is simply a collection of issues on survival in the zombie aftermath. The benefit of an unconnected series is that each episode provides closure if the series needs to end; there are no story arcs left hanging and the players can easily pick up where they left off should the series start again. An unconnected series also maintains unpredictability. With a story arc, your players generally have some idea of where you’re heading after a few issues. With a series, you’re limited only by your whims. In a sense, this is the best way to play Rotted Capes, as, like in the zombie horror genre, the unpredictability fosters uncertainty and your players will have no idea what you’re going to throw at them next. Tipping the Balance? Rotted Capes is a fusion of the superhero and zombie genres. One way to differentiate adventures is to emphasize one genre over the other (there can be alternating emphases for each adventure). An adventure with the same goal can feel very different if the Editor-in-Chief chooses to run it as a superhero slugfest versus a zombie survival scenario. For example, let’s say that the adventure involves sneaking into an old villain lair and stealing a power source that the enclave needs. In a superhero-emphasized adventure, the heroes fight their way through zombies, enter the lair, and face a super zombie. Once the threats are neutralized, the adventure is over. In a zombie survival scenario, the focus is more on the war of attrition. The vehicle that the heroes used to get to the lair is destroyed. The heroes fight their way to the lair (ticking off bullets as they go) only to discover that the power source is partially depleted. The lair also has a super vehicle, but using the power source to power it depletes it further. Do the heroes take the risk or do they take the more dangerous route of trying to bring the power source back on foot? More broadly, the Editor-in-Chief needs to decide on the tone of her campaign, which ranges from “camp” to “gritty.” Both the superhero and zombie genres have drifted between both. The 1960s Batman television series and the 1999 film Mystery Men is camp, as is the 1992 time-traveling zombie movie Army of Darkness. The 1986 graphic novel Watchmen (and its film adaptation) and the ongoing Walking Dead television series tend toward “gritty” portrayals.

Book Three 138 Doesn’t “B-Lister” imply camp? When playtesting Rotted Capes many players assumed that the game was camp because of the term “B-Lister.” While that’s certainly one valid interpretation, we designed Rotted Capes with the idea that the players would be playing low-powered heroes, as the powerful ones got killed or infected soon after Z-Day. We wanted to draw a distinction between those heroes and the ones that weren’t quite ready for prime time. These “B-Listers,” or “sidekicks” were entrusted with keeping Bystanders safe (avoiding rather than confronting zombies) and had to step into the void left by the A-Listers. If you’re running a gritty series and the term “B-Lister” is throwing your players off, replace it. Just call the player characters “heroes” and, if you need a term, call the A-Listers “mega heroes.” Sometimes all it takes is a word substitution to change the feel of your campaign. Camp A “camp” style doesn’t take itself too seriously; at its most extreme it doesn’t take anything seriously. Tropes are exaggerated and dark moments, such as a Bystander or B-Lister getting killed or infected, are often played for laughs. While they often walk hand in hand, camp is not necessarily comedy. The series need not become farcical nor does the Editor-in-Chief need to introduce situations merely for a few chuckles. The keys to camp are “absurdity” and “naivety.” The entire premise of Rotted Capes fits the definition of absurdity. The notion of a superhero world that followed the four-color tropes of superhero comic books until a zombie apocalypse turned the world upside down can hardly be described as anything else. That said the absurd premise does not necessarily make your series of Rotted Capes campy. The circumstances and situations derived from the presence must also be designed with camp in mind. The closer you hew to realism, the less campy it becomes. For example, assume that you and a handful of friends wake up tomorrow and discover you have superpowers. Are you immediately going to don spandex bodysuits and fight crime? Are you going to create a thematic name and catchphrase? Do the citizens of your town immediately accept you as a superhero? The realistic answer to all of these questions is “no.” If you were in a campy universe, however, then the answer would be “yes.” Naivety, as broadly defined here, is the “buy-in” of all characters involved of the absurd premise and situations. They react as if such premises were normal. In a full-on campy series, the B-Listers may, true to their nickname, have powers of dubious utility, such as the ability to read minds only when someone is speaking, the ability to conjure a cigarette-lighter sized flame, or the ability to glide on windy days. Such B-Listers actually end up acting like pre-mutant costumed heroes; they are athletic martial artists whose powers very occasionally become useful. Still, they don themed costumes, come up with catch-phrases, and fight crime (and zombies), because they were gifted with a power and feel the responsibility to use it for good. B-Listers generally fall into two categories: white hats and black hats. Heroes are heroes and villains are villains. Heroes want to make this rotten world a better place; villains want to exploit it. This is not to say that heroes and villains can’t work together (indeed, the very premise of Rotted Capes presumes that players can be heroes or villains from the Glory Days now banding together for survival). Instead, a camp series presumes that all characters can easily identify each other unless a failure to do so is the plot point of an issue. For example, perhaps during the Glory Days the Kitten was a cat burglar who had a good heart but extreme kleptomania that fueled her crimes. In the zombie aftermath, the Kitten is now a B-Lister that works with the rest of the team, but her teammates know that if they come across anything shiny she’ll risk anything to acquire it. They also know that she has a secret stash of purloined items somewhere and, with a wink and a nod, occasionally ask the Kitten if she’d be able to procure some immediately useful item for them, knowing full well that she’s just going to raid her stash. Bystanders, too, have to buy into the camp. They don’t make fun of the absurdly tight costumes (or, in the case of many female heroes, the impractical “fetish” outfits that leave too much flesh exposed and too little to the imagination). Obviously, wearing such an outfit would be suicidal when facing infectious zombies, but in a camp series a female hero wearing the equivalent of a bikini swimsuit doesn’t risk infection any more than her head-to-toe clad teammates. Campy series don’t worry about the nitty-gritty of realistic survival unless it is a plot point in the current issue. Bystanders in an enclave aren’t constantly starving; a heavyweight Bystander with a sweet tooth and pockets filled with favorite candies is comic relief, not a constant target of hungry B-Listers. When he is targeted, it is usually by the occasional pick-pocket or con artist that swindles him out of his candy, even after the Bystander has declared “she won’t get me next time.” Campy enclaves tend to be pockets of order in the zombie aftermath. B-Listers aren’t expected to serve a ruthless regime; if one emerges, it is the plot point of an issue and must be dealt with in a way to return the enclave to normal operations. At all times, the B-Listers should be allowed to be heroes.

Book Three 139 Gun Control One element crucial to both the camp and gritty styles is gun control. Simply put, access to a lot of weapons moves the emphasis from superpowers to hardware. Rather than rely on their powers, heroes will simply “weapon up” to the point where they are walking weapons lockers rather than B-Listers. This violates the principles of both the camp and gritty styles, for different reasons. In a camp series, B-Listers rarely use guns because it isn’t part of their image. A B-Lister that was a two-fisted hero in the Glory Days is likely to remain a two-fisted hero in the zombie aftermath, although she is expected to take a few more precautions. She isn’t likely to whip out a gun at the first sign of trouble and may even argue against their use in many situations. In a gritty series, B-Listers are more likely to reach for the guns, but circumstances often give them pause. Bullets are hard to come by and, absent a regular cleaning regimen, guns have a tendency to jam after a few uses. Small caliber weapons have a difficult time dropping zombies. Even the Deathwatch would prefer to use more primitive weapons, such as swords and bows, for regular patrols, keeping the guns safe until they are truly needed. Still, players being players, it’s likely that their B-Listers are going to arm up at the first opportunity. The Editor-in-Chief can control this by limiting the amount of ammo available. This isn’t unrealistic; most ammunition was used up in the hours and days after the Z-Day hit and frightened survivors rarely worry about their bullet count when the zombies are marching on them. Remember too that, as a scarce resource, guns and ammo are valued. There are many Bystanders that would like to get their hands on them and wouldn’t hesitate to use subterfuge or violence to get them. Many enclaves keep a close eye on their firearms and supplies, but keeping things in one place causes its own problems. One flood, explosion, or zombie infestation could make the weapons and ammo unusable. Thus far, we’ve concentrated on the camp superhero, but zombie survival can be played for camp as well, as movies such as Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland and Warm Bodies have demonstrated. When a B-Lister goes into the city for supplies, she isn’t accosted by generic zombies; she’s attacked by a group of zombies that used to be ex-boyfriends, co-workers, or bosses (usually not family; there’s often little camp value in thinking of one’s loved ones as creatures needing to be killed). Similarly, the Enclave’s efforts at survival are more easily maintained than in a gritty survival series. Maybe the enclave has to deal with a zombie infestation along the road to a known food source, but once the menace is cleared the looters can load up and the enclave is saved. There’s never a chance that they get there and find the place picked clean. As another campy example of zombie survival, the enclave Hotel may be in little danger of being overrun and is connected to the city via subway. The subway still works and each morning the scavengers line up at the station and discuss the day’s business as if they were still Glory Days commuters. They ride the train into the city, spend the day salvaging and dealing with zombies, and load the items they’ve scavenged into the train for transport. They return home as night falls, lamenting lost comrades as “retired.” For B-Listers, the focus of most issues is super zombies. A former A-Lister returns as an undead menace and must be dealt with by the B-Listers. Being camp, the super zombie usually retains any fatal flaws it had in life; the B-Listers must use this fatal flaw against it in order to survive. Many of the personal issues described in the Enclaves section work well in camp series. A true hero does have to balance his personal life against his costumed one. In a camp series, though, loved ones tend to remain true; a neglected significant other may tease his partner that he may look elsewhere for companionship, but he’s never truly serious. When such a circumstance does occur, it’s from the unwanted advances of the B-Lister’s rival. Gritty The “gritty” style puts a heavy emphasis on realism. The B-Listers are heroes that have to help an enclave of frightened Bystanders struggling to survive in a world gone mad. In a gritty series, the focus is more on the day-to-day struggles of survival rather than the super zombie-ofthe-week. Several issues may pass between super zombie sightings, although regular zombies are a constant threat. This is a subtle and crucial change; in camp, zombies are cannon fodder that inconveniences the B-Listers before the main event when the super zombie arrives. In gritty campaigns, the regular zombies are the main threat and when a super zombie does rear its undead head in the enclave’s direction, it ups the level of danger to almost overwhelming proportions. Personal issues certainly play a part in gritty series, but they have to share time with the issues of maintaining an enclave. If the enclave is in a hotel, then the B-Listers will be involved in helping the Deathwatch maintain the perimeter, shoring up defensive walls, and securing food and supplies. The B-Listers are less “heroes” and more of an

Book Three 140 enclave resource. The enclave government understands that B-Listers need the enclave just as much as the enclave needs them, perhaps more so. The threat of exile can be used to keep B-Listers in line. A gritty series puts a lot of emphasis on scarcity. Food, clothing, and weapons are jealously guarded, as are working cellphones, smartphones, and laptops (one could pull from real world headlines and do a little social commentary on the obsession with getting (and stealing) the latest fashionable footwear). Enclaves perceived to have more of these things would be the envy of other enclaves and cause friction amongst them. A gritty series also makes some actions questionable. A group of B-Listers may escort a Loot Team through dangerous territory, facing hordes of zombies and losing several Bystanders along the way, take on a super zombie and lose one or two B-Listers, only to get to their destination, a supermarket, and find that it’s already been mostly picked clean. Was all of that worth a few cans of pasta meals and green beans? When it comes to drama, there are no white hats and black hats; everyone wears shades of gray. Today’s hero could be tomorrow’s villain, and B-Listers and Bystanders constantly surprise themselves by taking stands opposite to what they thought they were capable of making. Such decisions are understandable, but they leave a bad taste. It’s even worse for B-Listers. In a world that needs heroes, Bystanders look up to B-Listers as paragons of heroism. Each time a B-Lister reminds them that it’s not always the case, all B-Listers are diminished. Many B-Listers hold on to their Glory Days values not because they still believe in them, but because they want the Bystanders to believe in B-Listers. When even your heroes fall, what hope is there? Of course, it’s possible to apply the gritty trope to B-Listers as well; they don’t need to be camp. Heroes in gritty series often dump the spandex for something more durable or fashionable, such as leather, Kevlar, or even a jumpsuit with a lot of pockets to keep all those great gadgets. Many heroes forego costumes altogether and, when necessary to disguise one’s appearance, take a page from the costumed heroes of the 1930s and adopt a simple domino mask or face-concealing scarf. Gritty heroes often became heroes out of necessity; they took on the villains because they were the only ones who could. They tend to be pragmatic in approach, something that serves them well in the zombie aftermath. Many have psychological issues as well; what compels someone to put on a mask and become a crime fighter? Worse, what other issues might such a person have? Gritty heroes generally aren’t content to stay on political sidelines. If an enclave Leader or government isn’t doing the job then the heroes won’t hesitate to step in and run the enclave themselves. Unfortunately, the cure is often worse than the disease, with the heroes becoming worse autocrats than the administration they replaced. Rotted Capes Tropes As mentioned in the Introduction, Rotted Capes is a fusion of the superhero and zombie genres. Deciding how far you want to push camp or grit is only part of setting the tone. You’ll also want to identify and incorporate the various tropes that make Rotted Capes unique from its parent genres while taking inspiration from them.

Book Three 141 We’ve put common superhero and zombie horror tropes in the sidebars. We used these tropes when we blended them into Rotted Capes. If you decide that you want to lean more towards one genre or the other, these tropes lists should give you some guidance. Now, without further ado, here are the blended tropes specific to Rotted Capes: Light Gray Hats: B-Listers are generally heroes, even if they were super-villains in the Glory Days. For some, this is born out of necessity, as they couldn’t survive otherwise. Even the most ardent hero, however, sometimes has to make choices that she doesn’t feel comfortable with in order to keep Bystanders safe in an unforgiving world. Super-villains: While the occasional super-villain is still out there, the “super-villain niche” is now occupied by super zombies. These creatures have all of the powers they had in life, but none of the personality. Super zombies can’t be reasoned with; they can only be avoided or destroyed. Costumed Heroes: B-Listers still wear costumes and use codenames even if they no longer bother protecting their identities. Costumes are practical; they reduce the risk of zombie infection and they cover up burn scars. They are also good for identification, as most B-Listers have enough of a Glory Days reputation that strangers will recognize them. Many B-Listers adopt sturdier, more resilient versions of their old costumes, favoring heavy cloth or leather to spandex. Battle-Scarred: While B-Listers still have the “ideal form,” it looks better with a costume on. Beneath, a significant portion of the B-Lister’s body is riddled with battle and burn scars. Most B-Listers also don’t have the time or equipment to keep their hair and body washed and teeth cleaned. B-Listers with heightened smell often have a difficult time around their peers. Renewable Resources: While enclaves are pockets of civilization, they live in constant threat of losing the resources they have, from guns to food. The Deathwatch is very careful about what it expends to keep the enclave safe. B-Listers, on the other hand, tend to rely on their powers, which is a renewable resource. Many enclaves benefit by having one or more needs handled by a B-Lister with an appropriate power. Also, while the enclave runs low, there’s always a place somewhere nearby that is OFB. The enclave just needs to send a loot team to retrieve it. Small Victories: The world has gone to the zombies. B-Listers have little chance of ending the threat or even holding firm; often the most they can do is buy time. Unlike the “level playing field” superhero trope, B-Listers often find themselves outclassed by zombie hordes or powerful super zombies. Still, the B-Listers do eke out small victories on a regular basis, enough to keep them going. Maybe they’ve taken out one super zombie, scored major loot, or discovered a hotel that will protect the enclave for another month or two. Enclave Drama: B-Listers often have to deal with enclave politics and personal relationships as much as with zombies. Such situations are often part of both the superhero and zombie horror genres and are covered quite extensively in the Enclaves section. Fatal Flaw: Super zombies often retain the fatal flaws that they had in life and B-Listers can exploit that to their benefit. Bystanders: All enclave members need protection from the B-Listers, even the capable ones. All it takes is one too many zombies or a super zombie to turn an armed-to-theteeth Deathwatch soldier into a cowering Bystander. Tragic Retirement: Because of their frequent and hazardous work, most B-Listers eventually become super zombies. Unfortunately, their former allies are often forced to kill them, especially since the new super zombie remembers where its old enclave is located. Smart Play A big part of blending tropes falls on the players. In a four color superhero universe, the players can expect that their B-Listers can face their foes like opposing wrestling teams and battle it out until one side, most likely theirs, emerges the victor. In Rotted Capes, such tactics will only lead to a quick death or infection. Seasoned B-Listers know that the best way to survive is to have plans in place. Driving through a zombie horde in a large truck is preferable to wading in with flying fists. Baiting a super zombie through subterfuge and carefully laid traps is preferable to calling it out and facing it down like a Glory Days super-villain. Zombies are like cockroaches; if you see a few, chances are there are many more lurking about. While such planning is to be encouraged and does ensure a higher survival rate, the Editor-in-Chief should ensure that any plan is not 100% foolproof, especially if it relies on dwindling resources. Setting up a fire wall is great, but there are zombies that can leap the wall or are resistant to fire. Some zombies can even tunnel under a defensive line. A word of caution – players will get frustrated if you undermine their plans on a regular basis. Having the occasional special zombie tunnel under their well-thought out defenses is fine and heightens tension. Doing it every time only teaches the players that they’re wasting their time trying to play smart.

Book Three 142 Superhero Tropes The following tropes are common within the classic superhero comic book genre. Vigilante Desire: The heroes aren’t content to let the police handle criminal activity. While the Ronin could shadow and observe a crime in progress, he isn’t content to call the police and let them handle it; he has to take down the bad guys on his own. Super-villains: While super-villains aren’t necessary for superheroes to exist, they certainly encourage them. Supervillains are often flashier than the heroes and concoct grandiose plans that only a superhero can thwart. Moral Code: Almost all superheroes follow a moral code that prevents them from killing or taking justice too much into their own hands. Strangely, this code often extends to super-villains as well. Kidnapped hostages are rarely abused or permanently injured. Reduced Lethality: No matter what a hero’s personal code or villain’s scheme, superhero issues are rarely filled with lethal violence. Bystanders get kidnapped, minions get beaten up, and super-villains are imprisoned. Permanent injury or death is rare and, when it happens, it’s usually a plot point. Balancing Act: Superheroes are more than just costumed vigilantes; they also have private lives with personal issues. These private lives can sometimes be, and usually are, more interesting than their super battles. Costumes: The one clear distinguishing feature between superheroes and other heroic archetypes is the presence of costumes. Often spandex-tight and brightly colored (conceits owing their existence to the new color printing of the Golden Age as well as the fact that muscle definition can be more clearly seen and looks much better on an inked figure), costumes serve the purpose of announcing a hero’s presence while concealing her true identity. Ideal Form: One of the reasons superheroes look so good in spandex is because they tend to have bodybuilder physiques and perfect proportions. All men are square-jawed and handsome with no signs of male pattern baldness, and all women are stunningly beautiful. This often extends to their non-powered significant others, family, and friends as well (unless specifically drawn against type). This is rarely treated as more than average within the superhero genre. Codenames: Going hand in hand with the costume is the codename, the title a superhero uses when out in public. Codenames are usually chosen to fit the hero’s powers, a costume theme, or a symbol. Captain (later Major) Justice chose her name because of her military rank and desire to promote justice (as well as being the definition of her given name). Thunderbird chose his name because it reflects his Native American heritage (had he been going for a more thematic bird then he’d have chosen the Phoenix). Home City: Most superheroes protect a specific area, usually a major city, from organized crime and super-villains. They can get very territorial about it when a visiting hero edges in on their turf, even to help. Such a home city usually gets the lion’s share of super-villain and alien attacks. Costume Adaptation: For some reason, superhero costumes tend to be undamaged by superhero powers and sometimes adapt to accommodate them. A hero that can fire bolts of energy from his hands never burns off his glove, and a hero that can grow three times her size finds that her costume conveniently grows with her. Sometimes this costume adaptation is explained, but oftentimes it is just handled with a wink and a nod. Historically Insignificant: In spite of superheroes springing up with strange powers and the ability to create super-scientific gadgets, they never manage to impact the world in a meaningful way. GearJack may have invented an efficient electric car in 2002, but in the ensuing decade it has not managed to put a dent in the sales of internal combustion engines. Nor do superheroes have a major impact on historical events; many heroes participated in World War II, but the outcome is the same. Part of this is explained by the “cancel out” argument; the actions of superheroes and super-villains tend to cancel each other out as far as historical impact is concerned. Deathtraps: Super-villains rarely kill a superhero outright. Instead, they stick them in an elaborate deathtrap and then leave them to their fate. They are often surprised when the heroes break out of them. Monologues: Both superheroes and super-villains have a tendency to get long-winded. A super-villain enjoys gloating about his latest plan (as the superhero can’t possibly survive, right?) while superheroes often make great speeches in the heat of battle about the rightness of their cause or the dastardly deeds of their opposition. Pre-Team-Up Scrapping: If two superheroes who’ve never met do meet, they often start fighting with each other. Sometimes this is due to mistaken identity (one hero is investigating a crime scene when the other shows up) and sometimes this is the superhero version of barroom boasting that ends in a fistfight. Often the two heroes patch things up in time to face the true super-villain of the issue together. Bystanders: B-Listers often had to protect Bystanders in the Glory Days, as they lacked the power to protect themselves. Super-villains tended to exploit Bystanders that had personal relationships with the B-Listers. Level Playing Field: It doesn’t matter if the super-villain is wearing a battlesuit and hurling balls of mystical energy, the acrobatic superhero armed with only her martial training and hollow metal staff can hold her own (especially if said hero is aware of the super-villain’s fatal flaw). If a superhero team goes against a super-villain team, then enemies of roughly equivalent power levels face off against each other. Fatal Flaw: Almost all superheroes and super-villains can be affected by something that renders their powers useless or weakens the hero or villain to a degree where she can be better affected by her opponents. Sometimes this is an attack type that the hero has no defense against, other times it is an object whose mere presence causes the villain to collapse and start dying.

Book Three 143 Zombie Horror Tropes The following tropes are common in the zombie horror genre. Some of these tropes are also from the related postapocalypse genre. Gray Hats: There are no heroes and villains, only humans and zombies. The humans struggle to survive in any way they can and this often leads to tensions and outright betrayal (“better you than me!”). They also come from all walks of life in every shape and age. It’s not always easy to tell who can be trusted and who will work against you. Survival, not Winning: Zombie horror is about surviving until someone more powerful can save you or the threat disappears on its own. The protagonists rarely understand what is happening, much less how to defeat the zombies. Those protagonists that do try to go toe-to-toe with zombies usually end up as food or converted. Lethal World: By its nature, zombie horror racks up a high lethality count. People are killed indiscriminately, regardless of whether they take precautions. Large communities of survivors are often completely destroyed, save for a token few, by the end of a zombie horror story. Most of the friends and family of the protagonists are either dead or turned, often before the story begins. Dwindling Resources: Guns are handy, but eventually you’ll run out of bullets. Your car eventually runs out of gasoline, if it bothered to start in the first place. Living Dead: While typically animated corpses, zombies tend to retain their senses. They can still see through their eyes and have a heightened sense of smell. More importantly they can eat flesh. These traits still occur even when an individual zombie’s body is in bad condition. Brains! Flesh-eating zombies have a particular taste for human brains. Headshots: Zombies can survive dismemberment, but being shot in the head (or brain) destroys them. Infectious: Zombies can transmit their condition to the living. It is usually transmitted through a bite or scratch. Slow Shamble: While averted in some more modern zombie films, traditionally zombies have a slow, shambling walk, easily identifying them from a distance. While such creatures can be easily outrun, they are effective killers due to their sheer numbers and the surprise factor (it isn’t so much that Bystanders get run down as much as they turn corners and run into zombies). Zombie Hordes: One of the things that makes zombies so effective at killing is that they rarely hunt alone. Instead, they gather in great numbers and overwhelm an area, cutting off exits and pushing their prey into a corner in which they cannot escape. Zombies aren’t Cannibals: Zombies never eat each other. Even if they bump into each other, both zombies simply shamble away. Doomed Base under Siege: The humans have to keep the zombies from infiltrating a “safe area,” such as a country house. In many cases, the “safe area” can and will be penetrated, either through an overlooked opening (“Oh, no, they can climb!?”) or sheer force of numbers against crumbling architecture. Just When You Least Expect It: Most “safe areas” or breathing areas are never quite that. Zombies have a tendency to be hiding everywhere and just when you think you can relax a bit, another undead creature emerges from a closet or grabs you from behind a curtain. Human Error: A group of strangers are forced to work together but internal strife keeps them from working together effectively. The zombies end up exploiting these conflicts to pick apart the humans. Also, humans have a tendency to make dumb, easily avoidable mistakes that get them killed. Dwindling Protagonists: A group of strangers band together to defend against the zombie menace. By the end of the film, only a few (or none) remain alive. Ineffective Humans: Along with the protagonists are humans that need protecting and don’t carry their own weight. They are useless in a fight and don’t scavenge well. Surprise Infection: One of the protagonists is either unknowingly infected or chooses to hide her infection. At a dramatically appropriate point, she turns zombie and attacks her former allies. Tragic Ending: “Tragic” in the classical sense, zombie horror movies rarely have happy endings. Zombies don’t pat themselves down when they burn.

Book Three 144 The Real Villains Zombies obviously make up the bulk of the adversaries in Rotted Capes, but they aren’t the only ones. Indeed, they may not even be the most dangerous ones. Remember that some of the B-Listers were villains in the Glory Days. It stands to reason that some villainous B-Listers never reformed. On the other hand, it also stands to reason that some heroic B-Listers became villains in the zombie aftermath. Others may have simply lost hope and survive as best they can with no regard for bystanders. Enclave Rivalries Some enclaves will be better off than others. Some are better armed, better defended, and have more food and supplies. Others have some of these things but not all. Eventually, the scarcity of materials or hotels may lead one enclave to look at another with more than envy; the desirous enclave makes war on its neighbor. This war may take many forms. Sometimes, a better armed enclave may make a show of force and demand that another enclave share food or supplies. The other enclave chooses either to acquiesce and give the threatening enclave what it wants or to fight so that the other enclave won’t bother them again. Some enclaves, in an effort to keep from losing Bystanders, will ask for a “contest of champions” between B-Listers. The Revolution All governments have citizens that wish to change it. An autocratic leader may have a revolutionary movement promoting democracy, while a democratic government may have a revolutionary movement calling for stronger governmental powers. B-Listers may be drawn into the revolution on either side. They may be helping the Bystanders throw out a tyrant or push for better leadership, or they may be helping the Leader survive a coup from a ruthless rival. In the grand tradition of a morally gray survival scenario, the B-Listers may support a coup, only to have the new Leader turn out to be worse than the one she replaced. The Unrepentant Super-villain Some super-villains simply can’t change their stripes. A few become leaders of enclaves, treating their citizens like slaves, while others brave the wilderness, attacking enclaves in order to continue their crime spree. A super-villain that has a history with one or more B-Listers may be looking to settle an old score. The Iron Leader As stated before, a Leader can make some unpopular decisions in the unforgiving climate of the zombie aftermath. More than a few become drunk with power and start making demands that are of dubious merit but great personal benefit. They also tend to become paranoid and see conspiracies everywhere. At least one such leader became so adamant that the enclave was working against her that she let a zombie horde in so that her enemies could be purged once and for all. Of course, that simply ended with the enclave’s destruction. The Warlord A variant of the iron leader, the warlord wants to unite the enclaves under a single ruler which, quite naturally, happens to be the warlord. She demands that all other enclave leaders submit to her and she commands enough firepower to eliminate smaller enclaves that refuse her. Ironically, the creation of a warlord empire does unite the various enclaves in the area, leaving the B-Listers to decide whether it is worth dismantling the empire or let the warlord continue ruling and expanding.

Book Three 145 Sample Adventure Seeds 1. The Heroes must guard a group of looters as they raid a local supermarket. 2. A traveler baits an enclave with news that a military escort is waiting to take them to a safe zone. The traveler is actually using them as bait to smoke out a zombie nest. 3. A ruthless enclave leader’s harsh methods are proving more dangerous and lethal to the enclave than the zombies. 4. An A-Lister returns and accepts an enclave’s heroworship. He becomes a local “god” and starts treating Bystanders like his personal subjects. 5. An A-Lister known to one or more B-Lister heroes returns, but she is no longer the hero they knew; the zombie aftermath has changed her. 6. A ruthless super-villain comes to an enclave and warns the Bystanders that they are about to be attacked by a super zombie. The super-villain can lead them to a safe place. Should he be trusted? 7. A helicopter crashes on the roof of a skyscraper in the city. Can the Heroes reach it before the zombies? 8. A super zombie attacks the B-Listers that, in life, had knowledge they need. Can they get the creature to divulge it? 9. A powerful super zombie sets its sight on the heroes and their bystanders. Can the heroes find and bait another super zombie to distract it? 10. The remnants of the military want to explode a nuclear device to destroy a powerful zombie nest. Can the heroes get their enclave out of range in time? 11. A super zombie has been attacking caravans and salvagers using rather clever tactics. Are super zombies that powerful? Has someone found a way to control zombies or is the “super zombie” simply an A-Lister masquerading as the undead? 12. An exiled criminal bargains for admission into another enclave with the knowledge of how to get to the supplies of his original enclave. The B-Lister Leader of the new enclave decides to attack the other enclave to acquire them. 13. A caravan broadcasts a request for help as it is surrounded by zombies. The enclave leader doesn’t want to risk her B-Listers on a rescue attempt. Should they try anyway? 14. A superjet arrives and hovers over Paradigm City, silently remaining there for over a day. Is it friend or foe? 15. Travelers are disappearing in a clear zone. Have the zombies returned or is something else going on? 16. A B-Lister that the current B-Listers left for dead returns and wants payback. 17. A few members of the Deathwatch play a dangerous game of seeing who can wait the longest before shooting a zombie and rescuing a Bystander. This leads to baiting zombies and increasing numbers of lost Bystanders. 18. The popular leader of the enclave thinks that the B-Listers can no longer be trusted and sends them on a suicide mission. Can the B-Listers figure this out before all hope is lost? How do they deal with the leader without inciting the enclave? 19. A larger enclave attempts to bring the B-Lister’s enclave into its mini-empire. This larger enclave has its own B-Listers, some of whom the player B-Listers respect. Should they join this larger group and what is the price for refusal? 20. A charismatic leader brings a new religion to the enclave, offering salvation if everyone follows the same rules. Exile is suggested for even minor infractions. Although the B-Listers and the enclave government are suspicious, the new religion catches on like wildfire amongst the Bystanders. Can the B-Listers fight a faith? Do they even want to? Enclaves After Z-Day, Bystanders were either killed, became zombies, or scattered. The survivors soon learned that only by banding together did they stand a chance at survival. Such groupings of Bystanders are known as enclaves. It’s important to note that an “enclave” is a group of Bystanders gathered together for protection; it is not a place. Because of the tenacity of zombies and the occasional superzombie, enclaves can rarely remain in one spot for long; they are constantly on the move. Enclaves rely on B-Listers for protection. Not only do they keep zombie hordes at bay, but B-Listers also provide inspiration. It’s easier to sleep at night when your childhood superheroes, even the lesser ones, are patrolling the perimeter. B-Listers also distract super zombies that assault enclaves, holding them off long enough for the enclave to get away. Sometimes the B-Listers get lucky and destroy a super zombie. When creating a Rotted Capes campaign, you’ll first want to develop an enclave. This is the “home base” for your B-Listers. Remember that the B-Listers do not only protect the enclave; they are a part of it. This enables them to get embroiled in the daily drama amongst a group of survivors.

Book Three 146 Enclave Size The definition of an enclave is rather broad; it could range from a handful of people to several hundred (the initial zombie onslaught has made larger groupings improbable). An enclave’s size has a big impact on how the enclave operates and how the B-Listers interact with them. The smaller the enclave, the more democratic it is likely to be. A strong leader may intimidate a small group to do what she wants, but she usually lacks the ability to overrule the group. Each member has to pull her own weight in order for the enclave to survive; leeches are quickly called to account or ejected from the group. Smaller enclaves are also more mobile; they can move quickly when need be. They are also easier to maintain, a small enclave needs few resources. On the downside, small enclaves are more vulnerable. They can’t send out small teams to forage or scout, a small group has to utilize most or all members, leaving everyone exposed to zombie surprises. Similarly, if a zombie horde attacks an enclave they are more likely to wipe it out. Even the loss of a single member can really hinder a small enclave, as there aren’t many redundancies amongst the group. Larger groups are generally more organized and, perhaps paradoxically, increasingly less democratic. Groups of Bystanders often put their faith in a single authority figure, especially if she was in a position of authority before Z-Day. Mayors, Police officers, soldiers, and even university professors have all found themselves nominated as heads of enclaves purely on their professional experiences. These new leaders often have more power granted to them then they had in their old positions and this tends to lead to an increasingly draconian government. They also have an “army” at their disposal, a paramilitary group that keeps order within and protects the enclave from zombies. As this “Deathwatch” is generally treated better than the enclave as a whole, it eagerly follows the leader’s commands, no matter how brutal. While not nearly as mobile as smaller groups, larger groups can put up a stronger defense, generally overcoming the need to move quickly by maintaining a Hotel for longer periods of time. Larger groups consume far more resources, but they can also field more scavenging teams at once. Larger groups also have a higher concentration of leeches; many of these are pregnant women, small children, the disabled, and the elderly, people who would have died without the support of a large enclave. Authority figures tend to find such “leeches” useful, as they are more likely to support the government and are frequently tied to potential rabble-rousers. It’s difficult to stand against a governor if your family is potentially in harm’s way. The size of an enclave has a large impact on its relationships with B-Listers. In smaller enclaves, B-Listers are likely to have strong ties with the Bystanders; they are friends, family, and possibly even lovers. B-Listers are likely to take active roles in the enclave and are likely the only “Deathwatch” that the enclave has. In larger enclaves, the B-Lister occupies a more familiar role, as she is protecting a town-sized group of people. B-Listers are often more aloof towards the government, allowing the leader to keep order within while they hunt zombies. This is not always the case; some B-Listers become leaders of enclaves or chief enforcers for the Deathwatch. B-Listers in large enclaves are more likely to slide into a “the group trumps the individual” mentality and may let a Bystander die if it means saving others. Hotels A “Hotel” is a slang term for any fortified area occupied by an enclave. Obviously, the size of the enclave determines what is feasible for a Hotel. A small enclave might establish a Hotel in a school cafeteria or a three-bedroom house; a larger enclave might establish a Hotel in a big box store or an apartment complex. Next to shelter, the first thing an enclave worries about with a Hotel is its defensibility. Windows are boarded up, unnecessary doors are sealed, and a perimeter wall is established. The make-up of the wall depends on the materials the enclave has at hand. It could be a proper wall, a fence, a piling of scrap, or simply the walls of the Hotel itself. In larger enclaves, the Deathwatch often establishes patrols and watchtowers between the wall and the Hotel. As the Editor-in-Chief, you’ll want to sketch out the basics of the Hotel in order to determine the access points, where people sleep, where the food is kept, and the main storage areas. If the hotel has an electrical generator or broadcast tower you’ll want to note that too. You’ll also want to determine how strong the barriers and walls are and how susceptible they are to certain powers and weapons. Defensive Plans Every Hotel has defensive plans in place in case of zombie attack. The longer an enclave has lived in a Hotel, the more intricate the enclave’s defensive plans will be. Some enclaves like to “segment” the Hotel, so that if zombies break into one area it can be sealed from the other areas. Bystanders are often drilled in particular roles both for defense and counterattack. The one defensive plan every enclave has is an exit strategy. No matter how impregnable a Hotel may seem, zombies and super zombies will find some way to penetrate them. One common mistake that far too many enclaves make is to select a hotel that is almost impenetrable except for one access point. Of course, when that access point is flooded with zombies and a super zombie or phase zombies find their way in, then the entire enclave becomes sitting ducks.

Book Three 147 Broadcasts in the Aftermath One effect of a zombie holocaust is that there is little collateral damage except that which is done by those trying to stop the zombies (and the occasional super zombie). That means that satellites, cell towers, and even telephones can still operate as long as generators continue powering the equipment. In the world of Paradigm City, dedicated bunkers created in case of catastrophe (such as super-villains taking over cities, alien invasions, and the usual possible nuclear holocaust) have kept many signals broadcasting. What this means is that B-Listers and Bystanders with access to cell phones, smart phones, laptops, tablets, computers, and other information technologies can still use them, texting, calling, or even emailing each other. So long as they can keep their devices powered, they can use them. Things are a little different in a campy campaign. Accounts still shut off without payment and a B-Lister may need to feed a credit card number to the company on a monthly basis to keep it going (and pray it automatically reconnects after shut-off for a late payment). Unfortunately, a particular service provider’s servers were down when Z-Day hit, so B-Listers using that provider are out of luck. And those that can renew online better hope that they don’t hit their credit limit. An entire adventure could revolve around getting a provider’s server back online. The A-Lister Night Lord apparently keeps a Twitter account running (@NightLord) and provides infrequent updates useful to survivors in the area. Enclaves share tweets and messages with each other when possible, warning each other of zombie migrations or, more importantly, of super zombies in the area. There are several websites dedicated to tracking A-Listers and B-Listers, informing the viewer of the current status of each one. Be careful, Super Zombies can go online as well. Fatal Flaw Of course, the “impregnable Hotel” is largely a myth. Almost every Hotel has unknown weaknesses that zombies are ready to exploit. A Hotel might be built atop another structure, or there might be a hidden tunnel from Prohibition or the Underground Railroad, pipes or vents large enough to crawl through, especially for creatures that can’t breathe, ground that can be tunneled through, or even a container of something flammable or explosive that erupts at the wrong moment. Fatal flaws often throw a monkey wrench into defensive plans, as they have not accounted for them. Fortunately, there is often more than one fatal flaw, giving the B-Listers another previously unknown escape route. At other times, their only escape route will ironically be through their best defended entrance. Caravans Caravans are groups of Bystanders that, rather than staying in a Hotel, are roaming the outdoors. All enclaves become caravans at some point as Hotels get compromised. A caravan may be as simple as a half-dozen people walking on abandoned streets to large convoys of tractor-trailers and trucks. Security is a big issue with caravans, as they are constantly under threat of zombie attack. Most caravans adopt a “walled convoy approach,” keeping heavily armored vehicles on the outside of the convoy to surround more vulnerable enclave members. Caravan leaders generally have a lot of authority as there is often little time for deliberation or inaction. The Deathwatch is constantly patrolling around the caravan to ensure that zombies are spotted and dealt with before they can get close to the enclave. If possible, caravans try to move 24/7, but logistics usually force them to find temporary Hotels for the night. Some caravans risk sleeping outdoors. When they do, the enclave sets up a heavily patrolled perimeter and sleeps in shifts in case a sudden zombie assault sends them running. Safe Routes Caravans generally follow “safe routes” when possible. Safe routes are roads that limit the chance of zombie surprises. An elevated superhighway is generally a safe route, as is a road surrounded by open countryside. Clear zones are also considered safe routes, although enclaves are still wary of them. Recently cleared zones are favored over older ones, as zombies tend to trickle back into clear zones relatively quickly. Traveling by boat is also considered a safe route, although large enough boats often become floating Hotels. There are many Bystanders that still own boats that are willing to move other Bystanders for a fee, usually barter of some sort.

Book Three 148 Government Every enclave has a government, an individual or several individuals that make the major decisions for the enclave. In smaller enclaves, everyone may have a stake in the government; in larger groups, the government is run by a small percentage of the enclave, making it more difficult for a Bystander to influence. As most Bystanders understand that the enclave is necessary for survival they are ready to cede a lot of power to the leaders. What a Bystander is willing to put up with tends to be inversely proportional to the size of the enclave. In smaller enclaves a leader needs to remain popular or she can be easily replaced; in larger enclaves a rebel has to sway an overwhelming majority for change, and he wears a target on his back while doing so. Governors of small enclaves tend to be more open to change, as new factors have a direct impact. Governors of larger enclaves, defended by the Deathwatch and masses of followers, are harder to sway and often govern through methods that, while necessary at a certain time, have long since ceased being necessary. Leader The leader of an enclave often has leadership (or at least crowd control) experience in her background. She may have been a city councilor, business executive, religious leader, military officer, or teacher. Alternatively, she may simply be appointed leader due to her perceived, rather than actual, leadership experience. She may be a lawyer or medical doctor and, with the most education, was appointed leader or her duties during the Glory Days, such as working in the administrative office of a college, makes others believe she has the ability to lead. Occasionally, somebody with no previous experience or ambition becomes leader simply because he proves himself capable in the zombie aftermath. His strategies for survival so intrigue and impress an enclave that they make him leader, instantly gaining him the enmity of the previous administration. And, of course, there are leaders that obtained the position simply because they brought the most guns to the party. Such leaders tend to be gritty, ruthless, survivalist types who easily take over a more lenient (they would say “softer”) enclave. Such leaders are acutely aware that their position is tenuous and they impose a brutal order to ensure that such never happens. Advisor No leader, from the democratically elected professor to the most ruthless dictator, truly rules alone. She is surrounded by advisors that give her support and help shape her policies. Sometimes this group is official, such as an Enclave Council; other times it’s simply the leader’s closest friends and allies. The most important role of an advisor to a B-Lister is that she acts as an agent to the Leader. Perhaps a B-Lister knows that he can’t influence the Leader directly, but he does have a friendly relationship with the Leader’s best friend. In extreme cases, an advisor may be willing to help overthrow an evil leader if she can be prodded in the right direction; the risk is that the advisor often tips her hand in the hope of convincing their friend of the error of her ways, only to be killed or exiled as zombie food. Deathwatch The ominously named “Deathwatch” actually owes the origin of its name to the more innocuous “Neighborhood Watch,” which is exactly what the Deathwatch is, a group of people patrolling its community and keeping it free from harm. Because this group primarily looks for and eliminates zombies, it was soon tagged a “Deathwatch” and the term soon made its way through numerous enclaves.

Book Three 149 A typical Deathwatch is usually made up of the most physical members of an enclave and given the best gear. A Deathwatch member generally carries a shotgun and a slicing hand weapon, but makes do with whatever she is given. She is generally covered from head to toe in leather or other flexible, sturdy material to decrease the chance of infection. In small enclaves, Deathwatch Commander is often the leader of the entire enclave. In larger enclaves, she is usually the leader’s right hand man, and can often effectively overrule the leader when pressed. In such cases, the Deathwatch Commander doesn’t necessarily want the leadership position and tends to check poor decisions rather than attempt to undermine the leader of the enclave. Medical Staff Physicians, surgeons, and even veterinarians occupy a special place in any enclave. In the zombie aftermath they are the only people with the knowledge not only to heal the injured and sick, but also to identify early signs of infection or determine when an infection is burned out. Most enclaves are lucky enough to have one licensed medical doctor. Many enclaves make do with nurses, veterinarians, athletics trainers, or simply someone that knows how to utilize a first aid kit. A true medical doctor can be a powerful member of an enclave, as she determines who’s fit to go on a patrol and who shouldn’t be let back into the enclave. She also has access to potent drugs and can, in some circumstances, incapacitate the Leader or other members of the enclave. Engineer Just as an enclave needs someone to keep its members healthy, it also needs someone to keep the machines running. Some enclaves are lucky enough to have a B-Lister as an engineer, a super-genius that can keep the enclave wellarmed and well-protected. Most enclaves make do with auto mechanics, electricians, and IT people. An engineer is often the source of a mission; something broke down and the engineer can’t fix it with the materials available. This could be anything from light bulbs to a car radiator. In some cases, the engineer will need access to an existing factory or garage, meaning that the B-Listers have to clean it, secure it, and keep the engineer and assistants safe while they use it. Moral Authority A moral authority is someone whose opinion is given great weight. She may be a religious leader, former A-Lister, celebrity, or respected scholar. In smaller enclaves, a moral authority is probably part of the government but in larger enclaves it’s possible that this person has no role other than being someone who’s consulted on big decisions and has the ability to make others share her opinions. This is not to say that the Moral Authority holds no power. If the enclave has pledged itself to a particular religion or moral standard, then the government would take no action, whether popular or not, if the moral authority declares it wrong. There may be multiple moral authorities in an enclave. A retired A-Lister or very experienced B-Lister may guide the actions of the current B-Listers, but have little weight amongst the enclave community as a whole. In confederate enclaves, separate moral authorities may have sway over separate groups. Ultra Ultras were more prevalent in the early months after Z-Day but they still occasionally crop up in enclaves. An Ultra is a person who feels that his or her opinion is important and that he or she should be consulted in the major decisions of the enclave. Most Ultras end up in an enclave government or other important position. Others simply can’t understand why they aren’t taken more seriously. When Z-Day came, Ultras were people that presumed themselves important in the Glory Days: A-Listers, government bureaucrats and officials, business executives, religious leaders, university deans, and even popular entertainers. Some of these Ultras continue to have impacts in enclaves even now. Many Ultras have also sprung up in the zombie aftermath: survivalists, hunters, family patriarchs and matriarchs, and B-Listers. What makes Ultras important is their ability to sway votes and determine courses of action. Even a disrespected Ultra can still bark, allowing her to either browbeat others into joining her or encourages others to quickly vote against whatever she dislikes. It’s valuable to know who the Ultras that hold sway are in your enclave and get them on your side as quickly as possible.