20 ready-made heroes, two for each core playbook, gathered into four teams that are ready to play.
Using These Heroes
Every hero here is built by the character creation rules of the Masks: A New Generation core rulebook (see Playbooks and Running the First Session). Take a whole team for a one-shot, pick one as a pre-made hero, or read them as worked examples of how a playbook becomes a person. Rename anyone you like: the rules still work.
All ten core playbooks appear twice, and no team repeats a playbook. Each team answers its playbooks' "When our team first came togetherโฆ" questions together, and every hero's relationship questions name teammates, so the Influence on each card is the Influence their playbook hands out. The guide's own hero is here too, with every detail the guide gives her: Undertow (Marisol Vance) from the solo Example of Play, now a member of the Lighthouse Watch.
How they were built
Labels: each playbook's starting Labels, plus the +1 every hero adds to one Label at creation. Labels run from โ2 to +3, so a +3 can't take the extra point.
Playbook choices: the abilities the playbook allows, its backstory questions, the starting moves it asks for (a Janus always has The Mask; a Nova picks four flares; a Doomed holds one doomsign), and its special mechanic: drives, The Bull's Heart, the doom track and sanctuary, The Mask and obligations, the legacy, burn, home, mentor and resources.
Influence: each playbook says how many teammates get Influence over the hero (all of them for a Legacy, one for a Transformed, three or one for a Nova depending on demeanor, only the love and rival for a Bull). Adults hold Influence when they're introduced, so mentors and family appear too. Who holds Influence over whom matches on both heroes' sheets.
Team pool: the GM adds a Team at the start of every session, so a new team sits down with 1. Three teams are fresh from creation: no conditions, no potential, no advances.
The Lighthouse Watch is four sessions in. Each hero has taken one to three advances from their own playbook's list, their Labels have shifted in play, potential and Influence have moved, and one carries a condition. Every change is recorded in the sheet's Notes. Time passed after session 4, so their pool reset to 1 and the GM's start-of-session Team makes 2.
Load them into your sheets. All 20 heroes on this page can go straight into the Character Sheets: press Load sample characters there, or download the sample sheet file and use Import. Each sheet has the Labels, abilities, Moment of Truth, the moves with a short summary of each, the playbook feature, who holds Influence in both directions, the team moves, backstory and relationships, the advances taken and the Team pool. Notes record the team, every creation choice, everything that changed in play and anything left to the GM. Loading replaces any saved sheet with the same name and leaves your other sheets alone.
Each card shows:
The hero name, real name and playbook; the badge says whether the hero is fresh or how many advances they have taken.
The five Labels, then the powers, moves (flares for a Nova, the doomsign for a Doomed), the playbook's special mechanic in brief, and Influence both ways: who holds it over the hero, and who the hero holds it over.
A Key numbers line: the Labels, potential marked and the Team pool.
The Back Row
5 heroes, fresh from creation. Team pool 1. Harbor Academy has its "academy kids". These five are the transfers, scholarship students and Integration Initiative kids who sit in the back row and keep ending up in counselor Dr. Miriam Kessler's office.
When our team first came togetherโฆ
Knucklebone (Bull):We defeated a dangerous enemy. Who or what was it? A node of the Collective: a whole bus of commuters wearing one smile.
Night Heron (Janus):We saved the life of someone important, either to the city or to us. Who was it? Why are they important? Jamie Park, the teen hero blogger: the Collective had her phone, and her readers would have followed her in.
Graveglass (Doomed):We paid a high cost for victory. What was it? We let the Collective keep three of the commuters so we could free the other forty.
Thornwall (Transformed):We drew attention and ire from plenty during the fight. One important person in particular now hates and fears us. Who is it? Commander Sarah Benson. She saw what Thornwall did to the bus depot and now wants all of us registered.
Inkling (Protรฉgรฉ):We stuck together after all was said and done. Why? How'd we keep in contact? Kessler gave us her old team's safehouse key and one rule: nobody goes alone. We keep in touch on a group chat called "Detention".
Knucklebone
Mateo "Teo" Salgado ยท The Bull
Fresh
Skin like a tire that bullets only sting; strong enough to flip a car; fight reflexes he cannot switch off.
Danger+2
Freak+1
Savior0
Superior+1
Mundaneโ1
Powers
superhumanly tough, incredibly strong, uniquely skilled at fighting
Moves
Punch everyone; There when it matters
The Bull's Heart
love Night Heron, rival Inkling; role: Defender
Influence
held over them by Night Heron, Inkling, Dr. Miriam Kessler (adult) ยท they hold it over Night Heron
Key numbers
Danger +2 ยท Freak +1 ยท Savior 0 ยท Superior +1 ยท Mundane โ1 ยท Potential 0/5 ยท Team 1
Graveglass
Noor Haddad ยท The Doomed
Fresh
Drinks a little life from whatever she touches and spends it on hovering constructs of black glass.
closer when overexerting yourself or frightening loved ones; doomsign Dark Visions; nemesis the Pale Tithe
Influence
held over them by Thornwall, Night Heron ยท they hold it over Thornwall
Key numbers
Danger +1 ยท Freak +1 ยท Savior +1 ยท Superior โ1 ยท Mundane +1 ยท Potential 0/5 ยท Team 1
Night Heron
Kenji Arroyo ยท The Janus
Fresh
Heightened strength, agility and toughness; runs up walls and rides the wind off rooftops; hears heartbeats through brick.
Danger0
Freakโ1
Savior+1
Superior0
Mundane+3
Powers
impossible mobility, supernatural senses
Moves
The Mask; Mild-mannered; I'll save you!
The Mask
mask Label Savior; obligations: fast-food worker, caring for someone, schoolwork
Influence
held over them by Knucklebone, Inkling ยท they hold it over Knucklebone, Graveglass
Key numbers
Danger 0 ยท Freak โ1 ยท Savior +1 ยท Superior 0 ยท Mundane +3 ยท Potential 0/5 ยท Team 1
Inkling
Priya Raman-Ellis ยท The Protรฉgรฉ
Fresh
Reads surface thoughts and nudges small objects, notices everything, and is learning the fighting style Kessler never lost.
Dangerโ1
Freak0
Savior+1
Superior+2
Mundane+1
Powers
telepathy/telekinesis, detective skills
Moves
Fireside chat; Heroic tradition; Been reading the files
Mentor
Dr. Miriam Kessler (embodies Mundane, denies Danger); resources: a hidden base, communicators, a med lab
Influence
held over them by Dr. Miriam Kessler (adult) ยท they hold it over Knucklebone, Night Heron
Key numbers
Danger โ1 ยท Freak 0 ยท Savior +1 ยท Superior +2 ยท Mundane +1 ยท Potential 0/5 ยท Team 1
Thornwall
Gideon Osei ยท The Transformed
Fresh
Bark plates turn bullets, vines answer his moods and flowers open where he sleeps; strangers see a walking tree.
Danger+1
Freak+3
Savior0
Superiorโ1
Mundane0
Powers
plant affinity, impenetrable armor
Moves
I am not my body; Unstoppable; Wish I could be
Transformation
a spill at the Docks greenhouse took root in him eight months ago
Influence
held over them by Graveglass ยท they hold it over Graveglass
Key numbers
Danger +1 ยท Freak +3 ยท Savior 0 ยท Superior โ1 ยท Mundane 0 ยท Potential 0/5 ยท Team 1
The Night Market Five
5 heroes, fresh from creation. Team pool 1. Kids from the Docks who met at the Saturday night market under the old fish-auction roof, the night Breakdown staged a rescue there that was rigged to fail.
When our team first came togetherโฆ
Rumblestrip (Bull):We defeated a dangerous enemy. Who or what was it? Breakdown's crew. We broke up his rigged rescue at the night market and he ran.
Ballast (Nova):We destroyed our surroundings in the fight. Where was it? What did we destroy? The old fish-auction hall. We dropped its roof and three stalls into the harbor mud.
Mothlight (Janus):We saved the life of someone important, either to the city or to us. Who was it? Why are they important? Mrs. Dao Thi Lan, who founded the night market. She was in Breakdown's rigged cage, and without her there is no market.
Ninth Bell (Doomed):We paid a high cost for victory. What was it? The fish-auction roof came down, and the market lost a month of Saturdays.
Hopscotch (Beacon):We found signs that this incident was just the start of something bigger. What were the signs? Breakdown's rigged "rescue" had a Harbor Academy security badge wired into it. Someone inside is helping him.
Hopscotch
Lucรญa Ferreyra ยท The Beacon
Fresh
Capoeira from her abuela's community-center class and roof-to-roof parkour.
Danger0
Freakโ1
Savior+2
Superior0
Mundane+2
Powers
acrobatics, martial arts
Moves
Pretty much a superhero; C'mon, Lucky
Drives
win the respect of a hero you look up to; talk a fight down; tell somebody how you really feel about them; visit an incredible place (or time)
Influence
held over them by Rumblestrip, Ninth Bell, Mothlight ยท they hold it over Rumblestrip, Ninth Bell, Mothlight
Key numbers
Danger 0 ยท Freak โ1 ยท Savior +2 ยท Superior 0 ยท Mundane +2 ยท Potential 0/5 ยท Team 1
Rumblestrip
Augustin "Augie" Thibodeaux ยท The Bull
Fresh
Hide like a truck tire; rips doors off their hinges; knows every dirty trick a backroom fight ring could teach.
Danger+2
Freak+2
Saviorโ1
Superior+1
Mundaneโ1
Powers
superhumanly tough, incredibly strong, uniquely skilled at fighting
Moves
You've got a head you don't need; In a china shop
The Bull's Heart
love Hopscotch, rival Ballast; role: Enabler
Influence
held over them by Hopscotch, Ballast ยท they hold it over Hopscotch
Key numbers
Danger +2 ยท Freak +2 ยท Savior โ1 ยท Superior +1 ยท Mundane โ1 ยท Potential 0/5 ยท Team 1
Ninth Bell
Ozias "Oz" Mbeki ยท The Doomed
Fresh
Turns to ringing bronze, strong and fast; every time he does, the bells in his chest sound a little closer to nine.
Danger+2
Freak+1
Savior+1
Superiorโ1
Mundane0
Powers
superhuman strength and speed, body transmutation
Doomsign
Portal
Doom
closer when facing danger alone or talking about it openly; doomsign Portal; nemesis the Bellwright
Influence
held over them by Hopscotch, Mothlight ยท they hold it over Hopscotch, Mothlight, Ballast
Key numbers
Danger +2 ยท Freak +1 ยท Savior +1 ยท Superior โ1 ยท Mundane 0 ยท Potential 0/5 ยท Team 1
Mothlight
Hana Kobayashi-Reed ยท The Janus
Fresh
Heightened strength, agility and toughness; calls clouds of moths; tastes the air like a moth and finds anyone by scent.
Danger0
Freak0
Savior0
Superior0
Mundane+3
Powers
rodent/insect control, supernatural senses
Moves
The Mask; Dangerous web; Game face
The Mask
mask Label Freak; obligations: barista, photography club, best friend
Influence
held over them by Hopscotch, Ninth Bell ยท they hold it over Hopscotch, Ninth Bell
Key numbers
Danger 0 ยท Freak 0 ยท Savior 0 ยท Superior 0 ยท Mundane +3 ยท Potential 0/5 ยท Team 1
Ballast
Tomasz Wiลniewski ยท The Nova
Fresh
Makes things heavy or light; when he's upset, the floor creaks under everyone.
Danger+1
Freak+2
Savior0
Superior+1
Mundaneโ1
Powers
gravity manipulation
Flares
Moat; Overcharge; Snatch; Reality storm
Burn & flares
4 flares; demeanor: locked down
Influence
held over them by Ninth Bell ยท they hold it over Rumblestrip
Key numbers
Danger +1 ยท Freak +2 ยท Savior 0 ยท Superior +1 ยท Mundane โ1 ยท Potential 0/5 ยท Team 1
Section Nine
5 heroes, fresh from creation. Team pool 1. The Young Heroes Initiative's newest probationary squad: five teens on Junior Hero Permits, trying to do the job and stay "politically viable" for Director Tristan Johnson at the same time.
When our team first came togetherโฆ
Highvault (Outsider):We didn't trust each other at first, but that changed. How? Why? We didn't trust each other: Highvault called us "the Initiative's pets". That changed when Clatter fixed the Lance's drive with his bare hands and asked nothing.
Nullsong (Delinquent):We totally broke some major rules to win the fight. What rules did we break? Whose rules were they? We ignored a direct stand-down order and our Junior Hero Permit limits. The Initiative's rules.
Tailwind (Legacy):All things considered, we did well and impressed an established hero. Who was it? Salvatore "Granitewall" Torres, the last Gold-generation hero, who came out of retirement just to watch us clear the Harbor Bridge pile-up.
Clatter (Transformed):We drew attention and ire from plenty during the fight. One important person in particular now hates and fears us. Who is it? Gordon Pryce, the evening-news anchor, who now calls us "the Initiative's freak show".
Understudy (Protรฉgรฉ):We stuck together after all was said and done. Why? How'd we keep in contact? The Initiative tried to split us across three districts and we refused. We keep in touch on Meridian's old communicators.
Nullsong
Rosalind "Roz" Achterberg ยท The Delinquent
Fresh
When she hums, powers switch off and tempers turn down (or up, if she is annoyed).
Danger0
Freak0
Saviorโ1
Superior+2
Mundane+2
Powers
power negation, emotion control
Moves
Team? What team?; Criminal mind; I don't care what you think!
Playbook extra
none: it is all in the moves
Influence
held over them by Tailwind, Understudy, Clatter ยท they hold it over Tailwind
Key numbers
Danger 0 ยท Freak 0 ยท Savior โ1 ยท Superior +2 ยท Mundane +2 ยท Potential 0/5 ยท Team 1
Tailwind
Daniel Okonkwo-Price ยท The Legacy
Fresh
Fast enough to read a street before he runs it; heals while he moves; pushes the air around him into gusts and cushions.
held over them by Nullsong, Highvault, Understudy, Clatter, Adaeze Okonkwo (adult), Silas Price (adult) ยท they hold it over Nullsong, Understudy
Key numbers
Danger โ1 ยท Freak 0 ยท Savior +2 ยท Superior +1 ยท Mundane +1 ยท Potential 0/5 ยท Team 1
Highvault
Vey'sha Oru of House Tenebrae ("Vasha Orr" on Earth) ยท The Outsider
Fresh
Flies and shrugs off hits; turns heavy as a bank vault or light as smoke; carries a spear that is also the key to their ship.
Dangerโ1
Freak+1
Savior0
Superior+3
Mundane0
Powers
density control, alien weaponry
Moves
Alien ways; Kirby-craft; Alien tech
Home
Tenebrae Reach, nine noble Houses in nine hollowed moons. Demeanor: haughty. Ship: the Ninefold Lance.
Influence
held over them by no one ยท they hold it over Tailwind, Understudy, Clatter
Key numbers
Danger โ1 ยท Freak +1 ยท Savior 0 ยท Superior +3 ยท Mundane 0 ยท Potential 0/5 ยท Team 1
Understudy
Beatriz "Bea" Coelho ยท The Protรฉgรฉ
Fresh
Shares Major Meridian's strength and toughness; copies other people's powers for a while; is still learning his famous glare.
Dangerโ1
Freak0
Savior+2
Superior+2
Mundane0
Powers
superhuman physique, power mimicry
Moves
Captain; Fireside chat; Venting frustration
Mentor
Major Meridian (embodies Savior, denies Mundane); resources: communicators, badges of authority, a vehicle
Influence
held over them by Tailwind, Highvault, Major Meridian (adult) ยท they hold it over Nullsong, Tailwind
Key numbers
Danger โ1 ยท Freak 0 ยท Savior +2 ยท Superior +2 ยท Mundane 0 ยท Potential 0/5 ยท Team 1
Clatter
Isaiah Weatherby ยท The Transformed
Fresh
His body is junk that rebuilds itself from any metal nearby, and machines talk to him; he rattles when he walks.
Danger+1
Freak+3
Savior+1
Superiorโ1
Mundaneโ1
Powers
technopathy, transmuting flesh
Moves
Be the monster; Coming for you; Not human enough
Transformation
the Collective tried to absorb him through a cracked phone and his body fought back with every gadget in the room
Influence
held over them by Highvault ยท they hold it over Nullsong, Tailwind
Key numbers
Danger +1 ยท Freak +3 ยท Savior +1 ยท Superior โ1 ยท Mundane โ1 ยท Potential 0/5 ยท Team 1
The Lighthouse Watch
5 heroes, start of session 5. Team pool 2. Five teens squatting in the Lighthouse, the abandoned Coast Guard station on the waterfront, who keep running into Rustbelt's crew as he tries to own the docks. Four sessions in: everyone has taken one to three advances. Built around Undertow from the solo Example of Play.
When our team first came togetherโฆ
Undertow (Nova):We destroyed our surroundings in the fight. Where was it? What did we destroy? The old ferry terminal on Pier 9. We dropped its loading crane into the harbor.
Lumenwake (Outsider):We didn't trust each other at first, but that changed. How? Why? We didn't trust each other at first: Loophole was sure she was a Department plant. That changed when she took a crane hook meant for him.
Loophole (Delinquent):We totally broke some major rules to win the fight. What rules did we break? Whose rules were they? We crossed a Department of Metahuman Affairs quarantine line on Pier 9 with no Junior Hero Permits. The Department's rules.
Copperhawk (Legacy):All things considered, we did well and impressed an established hero. Who was it? Major Meridian. He landed after the fight, looked around and said "not bad, kids."
Kitewire (Beacon):We found signs that this incident was just the start of something bigger. What were the signs? Rustbelt's goons carried Department of Metahuman Affairs power dampeners with the serial numbers filed off.
Undertow
Marisol Vance ยท The Nova
1 advance
Water: she pulls waves, currents and spray out of anything wet, and the harbor answers when she is angry.