Stalwart RPG Playtest #2

Here we go with playtest #2...

Zealot

Paragon Hero (D8/4[2]); Hits 16; Move 30’; Hero Points 4

Might D8 (4); Mind D6 (3); Power D6 (3); Reflex D10 (5)

Armor (4); Jump (swingline 120’) Melee Weapon (battle staves D10)

Brawl (+2); Infiltration (+1); Stealth (+1)

Crimson Blade Ninja

Paragon Villain (D8/4[2]); Hits 14

Might D6 (3); Mind D6 (3); Power D6 (2); Reflex D8 (5)

Weapon (blade D8)

Dodge (+1); Infiltration (+1); Stealth (+2)

In Play:

Zealot enters a stairwell that circles downward into a cellar/boiler room. The heat and steam are coming up the stairs that descend on a square - 8 steps then landing, then 8 steps in opposite direction. He descends to the second tier and comes to where two Crimson Blade Ninjas hide in the dark. Both ninjas make their sneak roll, and surprise Zealot. They win initiative.

The first attacks twice, getting 8 and 2. The 8 hits, and he deals 7; Zealot’s armor soaks 4 and he is down to 13 hits. The second strikes twice and gets 1 and 4, missing twice as Zealot gets his staves up and parries away the attacks. Zealot strikes twice, getting 7+2=9 and a natural 1. He hits once, dealing 3. The second ninja is at 11. He’s going to change over to four attacks and take the penalty.

The ninjas each attack twice, getting 7, 7, 6, 7. Ouch. Zealot is hit four times, as the two ninjas close on him and overwhelm him with flashing blades. They deal 8, 3, 6, and 7. This is reduced to 4, 0, 2, and 3. He is at 4 hits. He takes four attacks now (going into a bit of a battle frenzy), getting 5, 3, 5, 4, which become 7, 5, 7, and 6 after his +2 from brawling. Against their reflex of 5, he still hits all four times! He deals 4, 5, 8, and 3 damage. He drops this ninja after the third attack, but decides to use his last attack to boot the ninja over the railing of the stairs. It falls 30’ and breaks its neck. His face bloodied, he turns to the other ninja and motions for him to attack.

The remaining ninja attacks twice, getting 5 and 3. Zealot uses one of his hero points to parry away the 5 at the last second and then spins at the ninja. He hits with 3, 3, 5, 5 (so 5, 5, 7, 7). He deals 5, 5, 8, 7 damage. Again, he drops the ninja after 3 hits, and uses the last hit to turn the ninja’s blade against itself, and the ninja dies.

Zealot looks around, ensures there are no other ninjas, and continues onward. He slowly descends, recovering to 6 hits. He has 3 hero points remaining for his battle with Sudoku.

Takeaways:

• His name is Zealot. He’s a bit violent for a superhero. This feels like gritty superhero action; because it is. I’ll be interested to see how this translates to a more four-color hero like Doc. Also, Zealot is more street level (he’s obviously my Daredevil stand-in), so there are much higher power levels to explore.

• The dice and abilities and hits are all pretty well balanced. He's suffering and dealing damage at rates that feel appropriate.

• I added a ‘finish him’ option in play here. If you want to use an attack against a fallen foe, you should be able to ensure they don’t get up again. That’s also aligned with the source material - stopping to land one more attack to make sure your foe doesn’t get up. That’s a pretty common action motif. I added this to the core rules.

• I like that he walks into the final battle battered and bruised a little bit. It makes it feel like the stakes for the final encounter are higher. Sudoku awaits.