credits

Writer/Designer: Dennis Detwiller

Creative Director: Monte Cook
Managing Editor: Shanna Germain
Editor: Elisa Mader
Proofreader: Adam Heine
Art Director: Bear Weiter
Graphic Designer: Zoa Smalley
Cover Artist: Guido Kuip

Artists
Jacob Atienza, Marco Caradonna, Felipe Escobar, Kurt Komoda, Brandon Leach, Raph Lomotan, Patrick McEvoy,
Mirco Paganessi, Roberto Pitturru, Cory Trego-Erdner, Lie Setiawan, Joe Slucher, Shane Tyree, Cathy Wilkins

Cartographer
Hugo Solis

Monte Cook Games Editorial Board

Scott C. Bourgeois, David Wilson Brown, Eric Coates, Gareth Hodges, Mila Irek, Jeremy Land,
Laura Wilkinson, Marina Wold, George Ziets

As we agree with the growing consensus that “they” can and should be used as a gender-neutral, singular English language pronoun when one is needed,
we have adopted that as the style in our products. If you see this grammatical construction, it is intentional.

For Hilary, Maya, and Henry, who make my world.

© 2017 Monte Cook Games, LLC. CYPHER SYSTEM and its logo are
trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries.
All Monte Cook Games characters and character names, and the distinctive
likenesses thereof, are trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC.

Printed in Canada
 table of Contents
In the Beginning Was the Word (Bubble) 4
Part 1: Origins 5
Chapter 1: The World of Unmasked 6
Chapter 2: Unmasked Overview 10

Part 2: Prodigies 13
Chapter 3: Creating a Character in Unmasked 14
Chapter 4: GM ing Prodigies 16
Chapter 5: Creating the Teen-Teen Descriptor 24
Chapter 6: Creating the Mask-Mask-Form Descriptor and Type 32
Chapter 7: Creating the Mask-Mask-Form Focus 52
Chapter 8: Creating the Mask-Mask-Form Power Shifts 62

Part 3: Welcome to 1986 65

Chapter 9: The Eighties 66
Chapter 10: The Town 70
Chapter 11: The School 76
Chapter 12: The Threat 84
Chapter 13: The Big Picture 88

Part 4: Welcome to Boundary Bay, New York 99

Chapter 14: The Setting 100
Chapter 15: Organizations and Creatures 146

Part 5: GM’s Toolbox 153

Chapter 16: Running Unmasked 154
Chapter 17: Rule Options, Origins, and Big Secrets 164
Chapter 18: Mementos 168
Chapter 19: Masks 174
Chapter 20: Quick Adventure Generator 176
Chapter 21: Mister Monster 178

Part 6: Back Matter 187

Kickstarter Playtesters and Contributors 188
Character Sheets 189
Index 191
 Unmasked

IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD (BUBBLE)

Comic books and superheroes have always been a part of my life. You might not know this, but growing
up, I aspired to become a comic book artist. As a teenager, I stalked unfortunate Marvel artists around
Manhattan. Eventually, I was lucky enough to have one take pity on me (they know who they are—cough
thanks, Mr. Budiansky cough). It took a lot of time and a lot of practice, but I finally made it. I went to art
school, and did my time inking and penciling for DC Comics, Marvel, and other comic companies back
in the dim-dull days when you had to do everything by hand. There, I learned a secret, vital lesson about
comic books. Are you ready? The secret is this:

In 1992, it was nearly impossible to make a living in New York City as a comic book artist.

Still, comics carried me through my teenage years. I vividly recall reading the first issue of Watchmen in
Italian class in 1986 while Mr. Peppini conjugated at me, ascolto, ascolti, ascolta. I remember waiting for
the delivery of the long-delayed issue of The Dark Knight Returns and reading it fresh out of the packing
box. Picking up the masterpiece that is Arzach by Moebius for the first time. Seeing the culmination of
the Claremont/Byrne run of the Uncanny X-Men. To say these experiences shaped my creative life would
be a massive understatement.
When life got difficult (and it often was in New York in the 1980s), comic books were always there for
me. And, amazingly, the comics appeared to change along with me. The switch to more serious comics
with dark, “real” story lines coincided with my teenage years, and looking back, they meshed perfectly
with my shift in world view.
Today, of course, it’s an embarrassment of riches. Every second film is a superhero movie. Dark
heroes are so old hat that they went out of style and have come back into style again. There are so many
superhero films, comics, and games that I can’t keep them all straight.
Unmasked is an attempt to capture the madness of my teenage life and combine it with the power
fantasy of the classic superhero that helped me to get through those years. Put those two together, mix
in a little horror, and you get Unmasked.
Unmasked is designed to take the players back to that
time in their lives when anything seemed possible, and to
give them the power to explore what life would be like if
their characters could have reached out and shaped the
world. After all, teens are violent, loving, insightful, driven,
disinterested, and full of want on a level that an adult can
only dream of approaching. They’re fairly thrumming with
energy, self-aggrandizement, and self-hate. They hope for the
best possible future, and they hope for an apocalypse. I know,
because I was there, too.
We all were there, once. We’ve all felt that power.
We’ve all worn a mask.

Dennis Detwiller

4
 PART 1: ORIGINS
A KID CALLED THE END OF THE WORLD

Dude. I knew it was you. You don’t recognize me. Yet. That’s normal. Nothing to worry about. Sit down.
I’ll tell you just the same, then, when you come back here again.
Uh. That . . . must seem confusing.
Never mind. It’ll make sense later.
Sit down. You may not know it yet, but we’re the same. Soon, you’ll be one of us. I mean, you already are,
and here I go again. NOT IMPORTANT.
Since you told me to, I’ll tell you the story that my mask tells me every night. Ready?
Once, there was a hole in the world. Time fell into it. Things happened, or seemed to. History. Science.
Politics. The Muppet Show. People lived and died and thought and fought and did a million different things.
They thought that was it. They thought that was everything.
But-
When everything had been paved and each horizon fixed with a camera, when there was nothing left
inside, our brains spilled out. All that was left then was the end of the world, and it didn’t come on like
anyone thought. It crept. It moved through the places people couldn’t see, and then, at the end of a place
that everyone thought was real, finally, the hole in the world made us.
We’ve come to overturn it all. Or fix it. I guess it depends on how you’re feeling.
The world can’t be made without someone to see it, nor can it be destroyed without a witness. That’s why
we’re here. That’s why we can do what we can do. That’s why the masks can talk to us.
How do you feel when you find that the world is not outside you at all? How do you adjust when you learn
that everything is just the inside sent outward? That it can be retracted? That it can be overridden? Ended?
How do you feel when you know that reality is just an agreement between motes of thought floating in
nothingness?
You’ll see soon.
Have you made your mask yet? How do you feel now? Right now? Look inside and see it. Close your eyes.
See the hole. See the nothing.
That’s you.
You are the end of the world.
Welcome home, dude.

CHAPTER 1: THE WORLD OF UNMASKED 6

CHAPTER 2: UNMASKED OVERVIEW 10
 Unmasked
Chapter 1

THE WORLD OF UNMASKED

While Unmasked is a
fully realized setting,
you will need a copy
of the Cypher System
I f you grew up in the 1980s as I did, or if
you turned on a TV anytime in the last
thirty years and watched a John Hughes
film, you’ve seen the backdrop of Unmasked.
The town. Disaffected teens. The mall. High
economy car over their head with one hand.
But only when they wear the mask.
More importantly, the mask tells them
things . . .
Even in this small town, quietly and
Rulebook in order to
play or run the game. school. Welcome to America, 1986. among a select group, sides are already
But something else is seeping in from being drawn.
the edges. Normalcy and complacency are
secretly being replaced by something . . .
more. It always starts the same way, though THE SECRET OF UNMASKED
the teens who are the player characters In Unmasked, the player characters are
(PCs) don’t know it yet. First, they begin to teenagers who are somehow different. One
see things; items and places are marked day in 1986, they wake and find they can
as if they held some special importance. see the secret meaning hidden in everyday
Then they have the dreams. Of a being objects. A stop sign, a Bic pen, the clock
Prester John, page 151 called Prester John moving across the on the wall of the gym—each seems to
country, devising dark plans, and gathering practically shine with power for no apparent
followers. And finally, the teens make a reason. Even more fascinating, they can see
mask. Each mask is different. When they other teens illuminated by the same secret
wear the mask, they unleash their mask- light they have found within themselves.
forms and become someone else, someone Each teen independently feels a drive to
powerful that can make impossible things collect items, to fashion a mask from those
happen. They can fly. Or teleport. Or lift an objects, and once that mask is finished, to

6
 THE WORLD OF UNMASKED

wear it. When the PC wears the mask, they BACK TO, UH . . . THE PAST?
become someone else and have amazing The 1980s are everywhere. Even today, the
abilities formerly seen only in the pages of decade creeps in through our music, our
comic books. In their mask, it’s almost as if TV and movies, our clothes, and even our
they’re a different person, as the mask itself hairstyles. I don’t think we’ll ever truly escape it.
appears to have a personality, drive, and even Looking back on that time today, it’s clear why:
goals of its own. While the teens always it was arguably the apex of Western civilization.
have the unusual vision that allows them to There was a clarity of purpose, West versus
sense special items and people, the teens’ East, that few could argue against.
other powers only manifest when they The world was trapped in a viselike grip
become their “mask-form” while wearing between the United States and the Soviet
their mask. If the mask is lost or destroyed, Union, each ready (if the need ever arose)
those powers may be gone forever. to end civilization in eighteen minutes and
These teens soon begin to realize change. America was a bastion of freedom,
that they are not alone in having these the Soviet Union an irresistible force.
miraculous abilities. Others in the world hit Where the Soviets pushed, we slid back,
the ground running that morning in 1986 and where we overtook them, they retreated
with these newfound powers, and those and reinforced. The Middle East and
forces are already in motion. Their goals Central America were the fault points, with
and methods are, for the most part, as occasional slips that threatened to escalate
inscrutable as the source of these nascent until the Earth was a radioactive tomb.
powers. The teenagers of the 1980s were caught up

7
 Unmasked

in this zeitgeist like no other generation. They Bueller’s Day Off or MTV, you’re halfway there.
were inheriting a world on the brink of nuclear Below you can find lists of essential viewing
annihilation. A collapsing manufacturing and listening for Unmasked (note that some
base in North America. An explosion of weird examples are from a little before or after 1986):
and eclectic music pouring in from around
the world. Clothes and cars and a world of MOVIES
global possibilities were suddenly present in Back to the Future
every American town, beckoning these young Better Off Dead
people to a bigger, stranger world than their The Breakfast Club
parents could ever imagine. Escape was E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
possible on a level never before seen by any Fast Times at Ridgemont High
previous generation. From cable television Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
to Japanese manga, the country was making Fright Night
its first stumbling, fledgling steps into what The Goonies
eventually would become the global Internet. Gremlins
Didn’t grow up in the 1980s? Unfamiliar Heathers
with that decade? Even if it feels like you are, Hiding Out
it’s likely you’re not. If you’ve watched Ferris The Legend of Billie Jean

OTHER TIMES, OTHER PLACES

Unmasked is set in the 1980s for many reasons: it’s a time rich in media and feeling
that has been committed to thousands of films, albums, books, and comics about
teens and their struggles navigating the trials of life. It was in the 1980s that the
classic comic story of superpowered youth became most popular (see any of the
endless X-Men comics). The 1980s were also a time when the world stared down
the threat of nuclear annihilation almost with complacency, as well as a period of
constant upheaval and change in the world of entertainment and communication.
These concepts set the tone, but Unmasked can happen anywhere, and at any
time . . . The game, after all, is the game master’s to create. While nearly any time
period will work, here are some specific ideas for setting Unmasked in other eras:
1920s: Prohibition, flappers, jazz, and rampant crime? This would be a perfect,
violent time for the prodigies to show up and strut their stuff. You’ll notice the
tone is not too different from a 1980s scenario, with youth gone wild, a world on
the brink of something much worse than the last world war, and huge advances in
communications and media. Just add superpowers and mix.
1960s: Protests, counterculture, drugs, and music! The 1960s resembled the 1980s
insomuch as the threat of nuclear war was a very real one, but differed in the response
of the young people. They did not withdraw nihilistically, but instead reached out and
tried to change the world. What if they could use their powers to help the cause of
peace and end war?
Modern Day: A war between conservatives and liberals, a renewed threat in Russia
and China, and an ever-connected, ever-commenting youth culture would make a
rich setting for Unmasked. However, it should be noted that today there would be
no lag for the discovery of prodigies as there would have been in previous eras. In
the 1920s, 1960s, or even the 1980s, it might take months or even years before the
monumental advent of the prodigies was revealed to the general public through the
media (especially as prodigies strive to keep themselves a secret). In the modern day,
a single appearance by a superpowered teen in public, and the world—through the
magic of the internet—would know immediately. And once something appears on the
internet, it’s there forever.

8
 THE WORLD OF UNMASKED

The Lost Boys HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Lucas This book is broken into parts dealing with
The Monster Squad different aspects of the world of Unmasked.
My Science Project In Part 2: Prodigies, players learn how to Part 2: Prodigies, page 13
Night of the Comet create their teen PCs as well as the amazing
Night of the Creeps mask-forms that their teens can manifest.
A Nightmare on Elm Street They build and customize powers, assign
One Crazy Summer stat Pools, and pick abilities to create
Pretty in Pink a teenager that can put on a mask and
Repo Man become an amazing super-being.
Risky Business In Part 3: Welcome to 1986, the game Part 3: Welcome to 1986,
Say Anything master (GM) learns how to build the page 65
Sixteen Candles “anytown” setting for their Unmasked game
Some Kind of Wonderful or campaign. Just what makes a small
Weird Science town? How many police officers are there?
How big is the fire department? What is the
TELEVISION high school like? Where do the teens live?
Freaks and Geeks This section also delves more into the big-
Stranger Things picture questions: What are the prodigies?
Why are they here? Who—or what—is the
MUSIC threat they face?
Appetite for Destruction, Guns N’ Roses In Part 4: Welcome to Boundary Bay, Part 4: Welcome to
Back in Black, AC/DC New York, we have built a ready-to-go Boundary Bay, New York,
page 99
Born in the U.S.A., Bruce Springsteen setting for Unmasked. Within this section is
Brothers in Arms, Dire Straits everything you need to run a full Unmasked
Closer, Joy Division campaign. It’s filled with dozens of
Disintegration, The Cure locations, NPCs, and mask-forms, as well
Doolittle, Pixies as tons of adventure hooks. It also defines
Eliminator, ZZ Top three big threats: Prester John; its servants,
Hysteria, Def Leppard the Faceless; and the federal response to
Isn’t Anything, My Bloody Valentine oddities, the Circus.
The Joshua Tree, U2 In Part 5: GM’s Toolbox, we give tips and Part 5: GM’s Toolbox,
Let It Be, The Replacements tricks on how to best structure and run page 153
Licensed to Ill, Beastie Boys Unmasked—ways to keep your players on
Master of Puppets, Metallica their toes, to pull the rug out from under
Moving Pictures, Rush them (in a fun way!), and to continually
Murmur, R.E.M. stoke the mystery of what their power
Nothing’s Shocking, Jane’s Addiction means. We also present an adventure set in
Purple Rain, Prince and the Revolution Boundary Bay, New York: Mister Monster. Mister Monster, page 178
The Queen Is Dead, The Smiths Unlike many hard-and-fast settings,
Remain in Light, Talking Heads Unmasked offers a ton of options for each
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), of these selections, and encourages you,
David Bowie as the GM, to choose or fashion your own
Skylarking, XTC with the guidelines presented. This book
Slippery When Wet, Bon Jovi is a toolkit that you should feel free to take
Spirit of Eden, Talk Talk wholesale, pick piecemeal, or mix and
Synchronicity, The Police match as needed. It is a resource to make
Treasure, Cocteau Twins Unmasked into something you create.
Zen Arcade, Hüsker Dü

9
 Unmasked
Chapter 2

UNMASKED OVERVIEW

Teen descriptors,
W hile this game book is jam-packed
with the details of a fully realized
game world, that world runs on
the game engine of the Cypher System. So,
you’ll need the Cypher System Rulebook as
Below is a high-level summary of the roles
the PCs take in the world of Unmasked, the
nature of the masks themselves, the PCs’
abilities to see beyond, and the importance
and meaning of the items that appear to glow.
page 24
well as this book to run an Unmasked game.
Mask-form descriptors, This book presents an entire
page 32
superpowered setting for the Cypher PRODIGIES
Foci, page 52 System. It includes tons of nonplayer The term “prodigy” is used in this book to
characters (NPCs), ideas on how to describe the superpowered teenagers of the
Cyphers, page 168 construct an Unmasked game and Unmasked setting who make masks and can
Smasher, page 33 campaign, and rules for building new PCs, bend reality with amazing abilities. Masks
as well as a great grab-and-go adventure can let their wearers fly, deflect bullets,
Thinker, page 38 generator, a weird threat creator, and new survive terrible injuries, and do much,
ideas, descriptors, foci, and cyphers. It also much more. It is important to note that in
Mover, 42
introduces four new types for the game— the default setting, the world is completely
Changer, page 46 the Smasher, the Thinker, the Mover, and unaware of the existence of prodigies. As
the Changer—as well as examples and ideas such, this term is anything the GM wants
on how to bend, warp, and twist the types it to be—from a convenient reference term
Character Type, and focus abilities from the Cypher System in the book, to something the teens call
page 22 Rulebook to fit the Unmasked setting, along themselves, to a term picked up by the news
Character Focus, with extensive ideas on how to make your when (or if) the reports of the teens’ powers
page 90 supers unique. break worldwide.

10
 UNMASKED OVERVIEW

Prodigies—who are all teenagers—can

sense places of note, items of significance
(which they call mementos), and most Throughout this book, you’ll see Mementos, page 168
importantly, one another. Each of these page references to various items
sources seems to glow with an inner light accompanied by this symbol. These
that reflects in its intensity how powerful are page references to the Cypher
the location, object, or person is. Only the System Rulebook, where you can
prodigies can perceive this glow. Thus, in just find additional details about that
a few days after the prodigies “wake,” they rule, ability, creature, or concept.
begin intermingling, questioning one another, Often, it will be necessary to look up
and trying to puzzle out just what is going on. the referenced item in the rulebook,
especially if the item is a descriptor
or focus ability that isn’t replicated in
THE MASKS Unmasked. Other times, it might not
Every prodigy makes a mask. Though the be necessary to reference the item, but
prodigies each create one independently, doing so will provide useful information
the process they use to make the masks is for character creation and gameplay.
always the same. First, they find themselves
drawn to various mementos. Not only do After collecting them, the prodigy fashions
these particular items flare with a light a mask from the individual items. When this
visible only to the prodigy; the items also is done, the mementos cease being individual
seem to flicker, flash, and grow in power the items. Instead, the mask alone glows with
closer the prodigy comes to them. that power only prodigies can see. It’s almost

11
 Unmasked

as if these special mementos combine to To prodigies, these mementos are clearly

create something bigger and stronger than the lit by some secret light that only they can see.
individual elements. This is a one-way process. Each item can be activated to perform an
When worn, this mask transforms the teen amazing deed—once. For example, a snow
into a being with powers and abilities beyond globe of Chicago’s Sears Tower might allow
anything the world has ever seen before. It a prodigy to stop time in a bubble around
can even transform the wearer physically them for one minute, or an old Seiko watch
into someone who looks completely different might allow a prodigy to teleport fifty feet.
from their normal form. The powers the But once that special item is used, its power
masks manifest are unique, tailored to the fades and vanishes from it. Mementos often
personality that made them, but they can have bizarre, completely random powers, and
also prove exhausting and leave the teen they seem to have an emotion tied into them.
feeling wiped out after each use. When activated, each memento projects a
Wearing a mask for too long is like running very clear feeling that the prodigy momentarily
a marathon, or going for a few days without experiences—hence the name “memento.”
sleep. This is a hard-and-fast rule, though When mementos are gathered together,
prodigies sometimes resist it. No one can they make an area . . . slippery. Areas with
wear their mask 24/7. Although because the a lot of mementos tend to glow with their
PCs are teenagers, they of course all try. own light, making items and other prodigies
difficult to spot in the “cloud.” Some
prodigies are sure that putting too many
MEMENTOS (CYPHERS) of these mementos together could be very,
Cyphers, page 340 Cyphers in Unmasked are called “mementos.” very bad, though they couldn’t tell you why
They work like cyphers from the Cypher System they think that. Prodigies just know that you
Rulebook; they are items that allow a prodigy don’t carry more than a few of these objects
to activate a special ability before they cease with you at any given time.
working altogether. In Unmasked, normal Masks are not mementos; they’re
people can’t see or operate mementos—to the something much more powerful, and as
normals, a memento is just a mundane object. such don’t count toward this total.

SPECIAL ASPECTS OF MEMENTOS IN UNMASKED

While at their core mementos operate like normal cyphers in the Cypher System, they are special, and have
their own rules in the world of Unmasked:
• Only prodigies can see and operate mementos. • Areas awash in mementos inhibit the prodigies’
• Prodigies can tell what a memento can do just by ability to spot individual masks and mementos
touching it. Until they touch it, they only know it’s a within the cloud from a distance, but if prodigies
memento, as well as its approximate power level. concentrate or go up close and check out an item,
• Mementos are always items overlooked by they can avoid this effect.
normal people, and the power they exhibit has • When a memento is “used” by a prodigy, some
nothing to do with the items’ ordinary utility (a sort of power is released from it that is visible to
gun memento might open all doors in a mile other prodigies from a distance. Therefore, this
radius, for example). tends to draw prodigies to the location.
• When a prodigy first creates a mask, they always do • Prodigies can automatically tell when another
so by finding special mementos which they then prodigy is carrying a memento, as well as get a
“assemble” into one permanently powerful mask. rough idea of its power level.
Once created, the mask ceases being a memento, • The abilities manifested by mementos are
and is instead something much more potent. similar to the powers of the masks, but are easily
• The more mementos are collected in proximity to distinguished from them.
one another, the stranger the area becomes, and
the more coincidental and improbable the events
occurring within it.

12
 PART 2: PRODIGIES
THE BOARDWALK
You know you’re getting close to the boardwalk because you can smell the sea first. It’s an odor I
love for some reason: like a cooler full of rotting fish on ice. It’s always like that this time of year-a
breeze carrying in the smell from the sea. Sometimes there are gulls, and sometimes kites on the horizon,
like there are now. The sky near the horizon is never blue. There is never a truly blue sky at the beach. I
don’t know why.
Exeter Way dies in a crumbling mess of pavement, clotted with sand and bamboo weeds, and there is a
stripped Dodge Dart that has been there as long as I can remember. On Hell Night 1980, I scrawled “Cheap Trick
rules” in yellow spray paint across its windshield. Since then, that window of the Dart has been smashed in. The
culprit-a cinder block-lies on the destroyed, tan upholstery of the front seat
I walk up the ramp to the boardwalk. Beneath it, in the shadows, unintelligible graffiti tells stories to no
one. Nobody goes under the boardwalk anymore. I mean, it used to be pretty popular for the kids to play
under them, and the teenagers used to go there to fool around and drink and stuff. Then they found a human
torso in a garbage bag, back in the winter of ’82 or ’83, I think. Now no one goes down there except the
bums and every once in a while a cop or two, to kick the bums out.
It was the same year Tim Buston disappeared, just about four weeks before they found the torso. And
everyone in town thinks it was his, but it was never proven. It’s hard to identify just a torso.
I remember a time in the summer of ’81 when me and Tim and Jody were setting rockets off under the
walk, firing them down the quarter-mile stretch of the supports. Sometimes they would go wild, and once
one exploded right near Tim’s head, taking his glasses off and singeing him. He fell to the ground and
covered his face with his hands, and I thought he was crying. But when he stood up again, gingerly touching
the burn, I could see he was really laughing, silently, tears streaming down his face.
I wonder where that face is now.
I’ve made a new face for myself, I think, in a voice not quite my own. And I pull it out and look at it. A ski
mask with “Mount Airy Lodge” sewn into it in Atari-like letters, secured with a set of crap ski goggles and an
old, tangled mess of a plastic parachute army man. If I put it on right now, I could change the world.
But then I see the kid there, on the boardwalk, blazing like a spotlight. Walking. Walking away.
“Hey!” I shout, and he looks up, and I see it’s a girl. And she looks at me in the same way. Confused.
Excited. I run down the boardwalk, stuffing the mask in my back pocket.
“Wait up!”

CHAPTER 3: CREATING A CHARACTER IN UNMASKED 14

CHAPTER 4: GMing PRODIGIES 16
CHAPTER 5: CREATING THE TEEN-TEEN DESCRIPTOR 24
CHAPTER 6: CREATING THE MASK-MASK-FORM DESCRIPTOR AND TYPE 32
CHAPTER 7: CREATING THE MASK-MASK-FORM FOCUS 52
CHAPTER 8: CREATING THE MASK-MASK-FORM POWER SHIFTS 62
 Unmasked
Chapter 3
CREATING A CHARACTER
IN UNMASKED

I f you’ve made a character for the

Cypher System before, you’ll be
intimately familiar with making an
Unmasked prodigy, but there are some
special rules found only in the world of
to the MASK sheet. If you’re not, you’re
limited to the TEEN section. And yes, this
does mean that the two characters, the TEEN
and the MASK, have different damage tracks.
To build your Unmasked PC prodigy, begin
Unmasked to consider. In most Cypher by building the regular TEEN underneath.
Creating Your System games, your character is created All prodigy PCs begin with a 6 in Speed,
Character, page 14 with a sentence like, “I am an adjective noun Might, and Intellect, and then have an
Character Descriptor,
who verbs.” The adjective is the character’s additional 2 points they place in any Pool
page 64 descriptor, the noun is the type, and the they like. After that, the player picks a
verb is the focus. descriptor. Nearly all the descriptors from
Character Type, While a PC wearing a mask does have all the Cypher System Rulebook will work
page 22
these elements—a descriptor, type, and (such as Charming, Guarded, or Naive) in
Character Focus, focus—a PC not currently wearing their mask Unmasked, with some restrictions. Add a
page 90 has only a descriptor. Their type and focus are few skills from the suggested skill list at the
present only when they’re wearing their mask. GM’s discretion, and the TEEN section of
This represents the dramatic transformation the character sheet is ready to go.
in power and appearance they undergo when Then, select a type for your mask from
they wear their mask and tap into its power. the four new types presented in this book:
Smasher, page 33 It’s almost as if they were two different people. Smasher, Thinker, Mover, and Changer. Each
You’ll notice the Unmasked character represents a style of superhero. The type
Thinker, page 38
sheet is unique in that it has what are gives you the base ratings for the stat Pools
Mover, page 42 essentially two characters, one built into the in the MASK section of the sheet, as well as
other. The first, smaller area is called the additional points you can spend to boost
Changer, page 46 TEEN; it has a name, descriptor, stat Pools, your Pools. It also gives you type abilities
recovery rolls, skills, background, and a that you customize to match the flavor of
damage track. The second, much larger area the Unmasked background.
(which takes up three-quarters of the sheet) Players normally choose foci from the
is called the MASK. This includes a name, Cypher System Rulebook or from the new
descriptor, type, focus, the mask-form’s stat options presented in Unmasked itself. New
Pools based on type, an ability list, skills, foci include Flies by Night, Wants to Be
and a damage track (plus a lot more room Adored, Travels Back From the Future, and
for descriptions of powers). Lives on the Dark Side.
This makes it easy to understand and play.
If you’re wearing your mask, you have access

14
 CREATING A CHARACTER IN UNMASKED

CHARACTER CREATION STEPS

1. Choose your teen’s name (see page 24) SKILLS
2. Assign your teen’s stat Pools There is no definitive list of skills in
(see page 24) the Cypher System Rulebook. With the
3. Pick your teen’s descriptor GM’s permission, PCs can have a skill
(see page 24) in anything they like that makes sense.
4. Pick your teen’s skills (see page 27) In addition to the list of suggested Skills, page 20
5. Pick your teen’s background skills in the rulebook, some useful
connection (see page 28) skills in Unmasked might include:
6. Pick your mask-form’s descriptor Arcade games
(see page 32) Break dancing
7. Pick your mask-form’s type Comic books
(see page 32) Computers
8. Assign your mask-form stat Pools Cutting class
9. Select your type’s tier abilities and Drinking
modify them for Unmasked Gossip
10. Select your mask-form’s focus Graffiti
(see page 52) Insults
11. Modify your focus abilities for Kissing up
Unmasked Mooching
12. Assign your mask-form’s power shifts School bureaucracy Power Shifts, page 270
(see page 62) Skateboarding
Telling them what they want to hear

15
 Unmasked
Chapter 4

GM ing PRODIGIES

U nmasked is a game about

superpowered teens who struggle
to understand their situation and
keep their powers secret, so they can piece
together the truth behind a threat that only
By finding one another, revealing their
powers to one another, and overcoming
problems together, the players will come to
bond in a way that makes their origin seem
organic, filled with gameplay moments
they can see coming. When they use their and anecdotes that will feel a million times
powers, impossible things happen, and more interesting than any written character
often people are put in danger. Still, the PCs history one player might come up with.
are just teenagers, with the same irrational
wants and dreams as any normal teenager
in America in 1986. Naturally, this leads to THE TONE OF UNMASKED
trouble. Unmasked is a classic “secret world” setting.
There are many ways to run an Unmasked If you’ve seen movies such as Highlander,
game: either as an ongoing campaign or as The Lost Boys, or The Terminator, you’re
a one-off adventure. But the core concept already familiar with the concept. Beneath the
and motifs within emerge most powerfully everyday world, strange forces struggle and
when the PCs all begin in the same high fight and keep themselves concealed from
school just after they’ve made their mask society at large. These forces usually have
and some mysterious event has made them access to powers and abilities far beyond the
able to “see” the secret powers that are all average person’s, and they operate within
over, as well as recognize the other PCs who a set of rules and structures completely
glow with an inner fire. unknown to the rank and file of humanity.

16
 GMing PRODIGIES

In Unmasked, of course, the prodigies The normal world of Unmasked, barring a

represent this force: teens with secret few small organizations, is the actual world
powers accessible only when they wear of the ’80s. As such, a GM only needs to
a strange mask. The default force they bring up Google to find all they need to
oppose is a dream figure called “Prester know about that far-off land of 1986.
John,” which may or may not be real (many
options are presented on how to alter or
create an entirely new threat, too). The THE NATURE OF
teens struggle to understand their powers, PRODIGY POWERS
the powers’ origin, and what Prester John The GM is highly encouraged to begin the
is or what it represents, all while trying to game from the regular, everyday world of
keep from being exposed. Meanwhile, they America in 1986. From this baseline, the PC
must go to high school and live the life of prodigies arrive and (eventually) develop
(relatively) normal teenagers. the power to change everything. In this
The mundane world is a touchstone for way, players will feel like a force that slowly
the players—they know what it’s like to transforms their world into something new
get a slice of pizza, go to a movie, or skip and never before seen.
a high-school class—yet when you slip in When they wear their masks, prodigies
superpowers, they feel kind of like they can literally do the impossible. They break
know what that is like, too. The weirdness the fundamental laws of physics and
and secrets of the prodigies work best if the classical reality, and they make amazing
PCs live in a believable, realistic world. things happen. For example, a PC might
be able to put a full-sized 1982 Chevy

17
 Unmasked

Malibu in their right front pocket and pull During character creation, the player has
it out whenever they need it. Or invert the three power shifts they can apply to any
gravity inside a room so that the floor is any ability or action. Once assigned, these power
surface they’re pointing at, with everything shifts do not change (though advancement
falling toward it accordingly. through the tiers by type can grant additional
The world at large and law enforcement power shifts). Otherwise, only with GM
will meet such “powers” with disbelief, and, permission and through great effort can the
in some cases, with a willful urge to ignore PC add more power shifts to their mask.
the impossible events, or with an attempt to
frame them through personal spiritual beliefs.
Eventually, given enough exposure, news PRODIGY SIGHT
of kids with amazing powers will reach the All prodigies can see and sense other
Part 3: Welcome to 1986, national or global consciousness. See PART prodigies and mementos. This is primarily a
page 65 3: Welcome to 1986 for more guidelines on vision-based ability (though some prodigies
how to build an Unmasked campaign. claim they can “hear” people and objects
thrumming like an electric motor when
they’re close to them). Mementos and other
DIFFICULTY AND POWER prodigies glow with an “aura” or “inner
SHIFTS IN UNMASKED fire” with a brightness commensurate to
Unmasked is an unusual beast, in that it covers their approximate power level. So, in game
a spectrum of challenge and difficulty from terms, a fifth-tier Mover has a greater aura
the everyday (a teen PC needs to hop a fence in prodigy sight than a second-tier Smasher.
while running away from bullies; difficulty 3) This doesn’t mean one prodigy can
all the way up to superpowered shenanigans somehow tell what powers another prodigy
(a masked PC needs to catch a plummeting possesses just by looking—they just know
Piper Cub aircraft before it hits the ground; that the other has power.
difficulty 13). The lower end of the difficulty This ability is the only prodigy ability
spectrum is handled normally as presented (besides activating mementos) that works
Running the Cypher in the Running the Cypher System section in with or without the prodigy wearing their
System, page 366 the Cypher System Rulebook. mask. It cannot be “turned off.”
Superpowered actions are handled
differently, however. First off, while difficulty
in the “real world” maxes out at 10 (with a THE PERSONALITY
target number of 30), difficulty in Unmasked OF THE MASK
maxes out at 15 (with a target number of 45). All prodigies make a single mask. This item
Difficulty 11+ tasks are always reserved for (or fetish, or charm) seems to focus the
dealing with threats that are simply beyond wearer’s abilities in powerful ways. When the
human capability. A normal street cop has no prodigy wears the mask, it’s as if they become
hope in hell of dealing with a threat of level someone else and can use their powers,
13, but a prodigy in mask-form does. placing them firmly in the realm of wonders
Power Shifts, page 270 This is because masks have power shifts. once seen only in comic books. The mask also
Think of a power shift as a permanent level represents the core of their psyche.
of Effort on a particular action or ability that Sometimes, if the prodigy is shy and
is always active for the mask-form. So, if you withdrawn, the personality of the mask is
create a mask that has three power shifts in an extrovert, a worrywart may manifest an
strength, that means any strength-related easygoing mask, and a prodigy terrified of
task of difficulty 3 or less is routine and the opposite sex might be a smooth talker.
requires no roll (the character can smash But not always.
through a door of level 3 without a roll, for The mask often has a name for itself
instance). The power shifts are available (usually a one-off joke name, a slang term, or
only when the PC is wearing their mask. some shorthand for something); a prodigy

18
 GMing PRODIGIES

who can lift 50 tons (45 t) might call herself Pools remain in stasis while she is in the mask).
“Tiny,” for instance. Usually, the mask also She uses all manner of Tiny’s abilities, dropping
appears to have needs and desires, just like her Might to 1, so she pauses for one action, takes
the teen. Often the wants of the teenager her first recovery roll, and rolls a 5, regaining 6
and the mask relate somehow with one points. She spends more stat Points on various
another—but again, not always. actions, and when her Intellect hits 1, she takes
The two forms share memories and know ten minutes and tries for her second recovery roll.
everything the other knows. This is, of She rolls a 4, regaining 5 points. Again, she spends
course, because “they” are the same person. more points on actions, takes one hour, and
makes her third recovery roll, regaining 4 points.
When a stat hits 0 after her fourth recovery roll,
PRODIGY MANIFESTATION, she is dumped out of the mask and back to her
EXHAUSTION, AND RECOVERY Tina form (Tiny’s stat Pools are in stasis, and
Putting on a mask causes the personality she now uses Tina’s stat Pools).
contained in the mask to physically manifest
while the teen apparently vanishes to some PRODIGY DAMAGE AND HEALING
unknown and likely unknowable location. This The mask-form and the teen have different
switch is not always self-evident. Sometimes damage tracks. The teen, as a normal
this masked entity is physically and mentally human, moves on the damage track Damage Track,
identical to the prodigy, while sometimes it’s precisely like in the rules presented in the page 202
a totally different person. A fourteen-year-old Cypher System Rulebook. The mask-form,
girl could put on her mask and manifest as however, is different.
an 8-foot tall (2 m) albino man, for example. While the mask-form moves down the
Either way, the physical well-being and damage track normally, it does not move
clothing of the entities are somehow separate. back up the damage track in the standard
If the mask-form gets shot up with a dozen fashion. It does have a big advantage: it
bullets, when the mask comes off the teen can’t really reach the dead state on the
is miraculously unharmed. damage track. Instead, when it reaches
Being in mask-form is exhausting. Most dead, the mask comes off, leaving the teen
of this drain comes from spending stat Pool in its place. For every 24 hours from the
points to activate various type abilities. But point that the mask is not worn, the mask-
a mask may attempt to recover by making a form moves up the damage track by one.
recovery roll. While the damage tracks for a The mask-form must at least be in the Recovering Points in a
teen and their mask-form are discrete, their debilitated state before it can be worn again. Pool, page 202
recovery rolls are not. A mask must attempt A dead mask cannot be worn—yet.
a recovery roll any time a stat Pool hits 0 (a
teen does not). Example: Tiny, in her punch-for-punch
When any stat Pool hits 0 after the mask’s exchange with a shadow man, became
last recovery roll, the mask falls off and the dead. Tina—her teen-form—fled the scene,
prodigy collapses back into their normal clutching her mask. Twenty-four hours later,
teen-form. Whatever rest time is needed to the Tiny mask-form is at debilitated on the
make that failed recovery roll is the amount damage track (and the mask can be used,
of time they must wait before they can put though Tiny would still be gravely injured).
the mask on again. During this time, they’re Forty-eight hours later, the Tiny mask-form is
just the teen and the mask will not allow the at impaired on the damage track. Seventy-two
teen to put it on. hours after Tiny’s untimely “death,” the Tiny
mask-form is hale and ready to kick butt.
Example: Tina, who can transform into a first-
tier Smasher, puts on her mask and becomes Tiny, A 24-hour pause in the use of the mask
a Brash Smasher who Flies by Night. Her stat has a secondary beneficial effect: all the
Pools become Tiny’s stat Pools (Tina’s teen stat mask-form’s stat Pools are refreshed to full.

19
 Unmasked

PUTTING ON AND number is 30, well beyond what a human

TAKING OFF THE MASK can achieve.
Masks are as easy to put on or take off as
a . . . mask. A single action is enough for LOSING OR DESTROYING A MASK
a prodigy to put one on or take it off. In Masks are resilient, slippery things. A
general (barring recovery rolls and such), it normal person can’t destroy a mask no
requires no roll. The moment it is on, the matter what material it appears to be made
PC has access to all the powers embedded from. It just can’t happen. Throw it in an
in the mask, and can use them normally. incinerator, and it appears to go in, but
A prodigy struggling to take off another instead misses and drops to the ground,
prodigy’s mask must succeed at a difficulty landing in shadow, unobserved. Carefully
10 task to do so. They are very, very difficult place it in the incinerator with a machine,
to remove, because they don’t want to and the machine breaks down or the
come off. And for normal people, they are incinerator fails to ignite. Normal people
impossible to get off, because their target also have trouble hanging onto captured

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE MASK-FORM

Prodigies usually manifest in their mask-form as a being that either offsets a
shortcoming they perceive in themselves, or in a way that grants them a kind of power
they wish they had. Most mask-forms differ wildly from the teens that manifest them
(this is usually reflected in the mask-form’s descriptor being nearly the opposite of
the teen’s descriptor). GMs should readily reward those players who embrace and
support this duality. In addition to offering a rich backdrop to play in, masks suggest
roleplaying opportunities at every turn.

WHAT DOES MY MASK-FORM THINK OF MY TEEN-FORM?

This is an important (and fun) consideration. Since many mask-forms are directly
opposed in attitude and drive to their teens, this can lead to all manner of
entertaining roleplaying possibilities. Mask-forms, by default, generally won’t take
actions they believe will harm their teens (at least directly), but they certainly can
show them “tough love” by making matters difficult for them or forcing them into
awkward situations.

THE LIFE OF THE MIND

Many mask-forms believe themselves entities with a life separate from that of the
teen-form they are linked to. Some claim to be from other Earths or other times,
while others say they come from the stars, and still others from Hell itself. But the
truth behind the curtain is they’re all (somehow) from inside the human mind. Still,
this does not stop the subconscious of the teen from generating fascinating stories,
interrelations, and justifications for the mask-form.
Even when confronted with the fact that mask-forms depend on the teens to put on
their mask before the mask-forms can manifest, the latter often just wave this truth
away as inconsequential, or give some complex explanation for it which is so much
malarky.

CAN MY MASK WEAR A MASK?

No. Nice try, though. When a teen dons a mask, it is usually not visible on the mask-
form. Somehow, the mask-form appears as a whole new being. Attempting to put on
another mask just plain fails.

20
 GMing PRODIGIES

masks, which have a tendency to get abilities. The PCs begin the game believing
misplaced. Like a lost dog, the mask finds they alone have superpowers. In the very
its way “home” to its creator, given enough recent past, they awoke one morning feeling
time. changed, and have since discovered how to
Only a mask can destroy a mask. First, create a mask to tap their powers. It is only
the mask-form must get the mask off their when they arrive at school, and see others
intended target, and only then can they marked by power like they are, that they
try to destroy it. Even so, it is a task with begin to suspect the truth—there’s more Part 3: Welcome to 1986,
a difficulty rating of 15. This would require than one mask. page 65
power shifts as well as the expenditure of
Effort to even make it possible. When a
mask is destroyed in such a manner, it has
several effects:
It causes a huge disruption visible only to
prodigies—like an invisible explosion.
A half dozen new mementos are created
in the area, almost as if the objects were
bombarded with power and absorbed some.
The teen who owned the mask shifts one
step down the damage track. If the teenager
was hale, they suddenly become impaired. If
they were incapacitated, they die.
Whether or not a teen who has had their
mask destroyed can create a new mask is
up to the GM to decide. If this is possible, it
is recommended that undertaking such an
action requires a few sessions of gameplay
that involve searching, assembling, and
activating a new mask before the PC can
use one again normally.

THE HIGH-LEVEL STRUCTURE

OF AN UNMASKED CAMPAIGN
The nature of an Unmasked campaign is,
of course, up to the GM to decide. Below,
please find an outline of a campaign that
would play to the strengths of Unmasked,
along with some options to bake in a twist
or three. (For a more detailed breakdown of
Unmasked campaign building, please see
Part 3: Welcome to 1986.)

AWAKENING
At the beginning, the GM gives a brief
overview, explaining that the game is set
in 1986, that the PCs are all teenagers who
live in the same town, and all attend the
local high school. The players make their
prodigies, generating their teen, naming
their mask, and picking their foci and

21
 Unmasked

DARK AWAKENING FRIENDSHIP

Many superhero stories begin with tragedy, At some point, the PCs will develop
and Unmasked needn’t be any different. friendships with the other PCs. Sometimes
Maybe one of the prodigies manifested this can be baked into the story. For
to get revenge on the man who murdered example, due to a background connection,
their father, or used their powers and they’re already friends with another PC or
unknowingly caused an accident that have some other type of relationship with
harmed a child that was spying on them. them defined before gameplay starts. But
Baking in a mystery, tragedy, or setback the best way to build relationships is to have
in the awakening phase of an Unmasked the PCs discover one another in high school
campaign can make a story much, much and interact naturally during the exploration
richer. For example, the murderer might phase. As they begin to compare notes, they
learn about the prodigy’s powers and might realize that Prester John is more than
escape, or the injured kid could hover in just a bad dream they keep having, and that
a coma, ready to spill the beans about the there’s safety in numbers . . .
prodigy’s identity when they wake.
This can also be an opportunity to lay the PREDESTINED FRIENDSHIP
groundwork for the “Big Bad™” who will To raise the creepiness factor, the GM can
threaten the PCs on a level regular folks just have fate work to put the PCs together for
can’t approach. The more you, as the GM, wildly improbable reasons: They are all
can tie these initial problems into the bigger suddenly reassigned to the same driver’s ed
picture of the coming threat, the better. class after two instructors have accidents.
They all have the same idea of skipping
EXPLORATION class and hanging out in the gym storage
This phase of the game involves an room at the exact same moment. They keep
exploration of the PCs’ newfound powers. running into one another over and over
During this time, they can act on wishes again. This kind of “unseen hand” method
they always hoped to turn into realities. In of GM direction gives the players the feeling
doing so, they will likely cross paths with of being moved and directed by unknown
other prodigies (it doesn’t really matter forces.
whether these are the other PCs or an
NPC with powers). It is during this time
that the GM must establish and stress the PROBLEMS
importance of secrecy and keeping their Every teenager has ongoing problems, and
powers out of the limelight. prodigies are no different. They have the
same hopes and dreams of any teenager,
STRANGE EXPLORATION with the added oomph of superpowers.
The weirdness of the prodigies’ powers These powers don’t help as much as you
allows for exploration into stranger areas might think, though, and they tend to
of thought. If a prodigy can cause any generate more problems than they fix. A
inanimate object he can see to vanish group of PCs might work one week to make
forever, can he do that to an object sure that one of their number becomes lead
on television at a distance? Or just on tuba in the marching band or gets a date,
live television? Or not at all? Teens are and the next week tackle much more serious
exploratory and apt to give something issues, such as breaking up a drug ring at
a try just to see what happens. The PC the school or figuring out why the janitor
teen prodigies are no different. Let them seems to know there’s something off about
determine the limits—and oddities—of their group and keeps nosing around.
their powers through gameplay. Often,
this kind of experimentation leads to
entanglements . . . and fun.

22
 GMing PRODIGIES

SUPERNATURAL PROBLEMS FINAL REVELATIONS

In addition to the problems in the everyday It is vitally important that a revelation
life of a teenager, the prodigies must deal require some sacrifice to uncover it. The
with the strange, new powers at work PCs can’t just stumble upon it randomly.
in their world. The random discovery of For example, a prodigy might finally, after
mementos, what they mean and why, and weeks of tracking leads, uncover that last
what should be done with them become summer the prodigies all went swimming
critical issues. What’s more, there are other in a creek connected to the Flammel
prodigies in school, and not all of them Chemicals plant—and that Flammel
are friendly. What they’re up to and why produces psychopharmaceuticals for
should be central in the minds of the PCs. the army. But this discovery unleashes
Remember, those NPCs can see that the Flammel’s black-suited hit squad on their
PCs are prodigies, too. family and friends!

THE THREAT OUTCOMES

Bigger still is the threat behind the scenes. What is the ultimate disposition of the world
The PCs might be pursued by reporters after the prodigies find out where they came
hot on the case of a story about a strange from or what Prester John is? This remains
flying figure sighted at the school, and later, up to the GM to decide, but some ideas
by agencies and groups hoping to locate, follow, as well as a more detailed explanation
capture, or perhaps even kill a prodigy to of how to modify your threat to match your
dissect them. This threat should begin as campaign in Part 3: Welcome to 1986. Part 3: Welcome to 1986,
nothing but an odd whisper at the edges of page 65
the PCs’ lives, but it slowly worms its way THE “WHOLE WIDE WORLD” OUTCOME
into their world until, finally, a confrontation It wasn’t just the PCs’ town that changed.
must occur. Instead, the whole world was affected that day,
and prodigies are everywhere. Who knows
THE IMMATERIAL THREAT what powers, personalities, and knowledge
Prester John, a mysterious force somehow exist among them throughout the world?
inextricably linked to the prodigies, should
remain a looming, undefined threat that THE “WHY HERE?” OUTCOME
can suddenly explode into life-changing Something is special about the town where
events. You can find more details on Prester the PCs live, and the prodigies appeared
John, the creature’s possible origins, and its only there. Perhaps the PCs now know
potential plans, as well as ways for a GM to why, and perhaps the effect is replicable
customize the threat, on page 151. (a government experiment or an accident)
or persistently creeping (a natural effect,
interstellar radiation, or extradimensional
REVELATIONS bleed). The PCs may want to stop it, or they
All good campaigns should culminate in may want to usher in a new era of prodigy
a revelation or two. Of course, the central power. Who knows?
question is: what are the prodigies? Where
do they come from and why? And what will THE “ON-THE-RUN” OUTCOME
happen to them? A secondary question is: The PCs have exposed themselves with their
what is Prester John? What does this being actions and are now on the radar of groups
want with the prodigies and mementos? (government and otherwise) that want
Good GMs will make PCs work to dig their them captured or dead. As such, they’re
way to the center of these mysteries only runaways, hightailing it out of town before
over the span of many game sessions. they can be trapped and caged like animals.

23
 Unmasked
Chapter 5
CREATING THE TEEN-
TEEN DESCRIPTOR

T he teen PC is the core of an Unmasked

character. The PCs are regular teens
who—for some unknown reason—
acquire the ability to see the secret, amazing
powers at work in the world, as well as the
TEEN NAME
Create a name for your teen, and write it
down in the TEEN section of the character
sheet.

ability to put on a mask and call into being an TEEN DESCRIPTOR

incredible, larger-than-life superpowered being. Select a descriptor from the Cypher
System Rulebook that best suits your teen
character, and write it in the TEEN section
TEEN STATS under descriptor. Take a moment to mark
A teen PC’s stat Pools begin as: down any special bonuses or penalties
Stat Pool Starting Value the descriptor adds to your teen in the
Might 6 descriptor modifications section of the
TEEN section of the character sheet. This
Speed 6
descriptor only counts when your PC is
Intellect 6 in teen-form. When in mask-form, your
The player may then assign 2 additional character is free of any such encumbrances
stat points to any Pool. Fill in your (in this way, a Noble teen might become a
stats in the stat Pool boxes in the TEEN duplicitous sneak when in mask-form—the
section of the character sheet. (This may mask-form has its own descriptor).
seem to make the teens very similar, but There are fifty descriptors to choose from
you get to pick a descriptor next.) in the Cypher System Rulebook, and many
others in various Cypher System products.

24
 TEEN DESCRIPTOR

Nearly all of them are available, with the only NEW DESCRIPTORS
restriction being that since this descriptor
describes the teen-form, the descriptor METAL HEAD
cannot grant the teen powers beyond those You live for heavy metal music, and its
common to the everyday world. For example, nihilistic view shapes your world. This goes
Mystical—which implies the teen can hand in hand with a recklessness that—in
cast spells—is not available. Likewise, any less-than-perfect situations—can serve you
descriptor that grants the teen supernatural well. You shun rules, order, and the status
powers is not permitted. quo, but you often will do the minimum
asked of you just to get by. After all, there’s
always another party to go to.
You gain the following characteristics:
If you have Expanded Worlds, you
Whatever, Man: +3 to your Might Pool.
could also choose from the following
Skill: You are trained in one of the
descriptors:
following: mechanical repair, driving, or
Adroit
construction.
Beneficent
I’ll Waste You: If in a tense situation,
Chaotic
you can escalate threat to an art form. The
Heroic
difficulty of all your attempts to intimidate,
Lawful
cajole, or threaten is decreased by one step.
Relentless
Inability: You always dress in the same
Serene
kind of outfit: motorcycle boots and a
Young
denim jacket with a back patch of your

25
 Unmasked

favorite band. You’ve got a huge, puffed 3. One of the other PCs knew you before
hairdo and very long hair. The difficulty on you remade yourself in new-wave fashion,
all your attempts to blend in or conceal your yet they don’t seem to notice what you
identity is increased by one step. consider to be a fundamental change in
Initial Link to the Starting Adventure: you. You’re going to show them why it’s so
From the following list of options, choose important.
how you became involved in the first 4. One of the other PCs really intrigues
adventure: you, but you’re not sure why. You’re coming
1. You know one of the other teens knows along to find out more about that person.
what’s what. You need to follow them until
they spill the beans about the masks. PUNK
2. You know a crazy time when you see Bring it all down! You are the embodiment
one. You’ve decided to follow this one to the of a rebuke to the order that has arisen
end. since the end of the last World War. Music,
3. One of the other PCs is a goofball who television, art—all of it is too self-interested,
opposes everything you stand for. You want too fake. You live in the moment, in a world
to be there when they fall on their face. filled with possibility, but only if you operate
4. One of the other PCs really intrigues outside the boxes society has picked for you.
you, but you’re not sure why. You’re coming
along to find out more about that person.

NEW-WAVE
You are part of the new wave—artistic,
individualistic, and most of all, new. You
dress in a striking manner, and everything
you do is an expression of your art. Obscure
European bands, strange books and art, and
a push toward experiencing the outré make
you open-minded in a way not often found
in your town. Sometimes you’re a rebel, too,
shirking responsibility.
You gain the following characteristics:
Internal World: +3 to your Intellect Pool.
Skill: You are trained in one of the
following: art, literature, or music studies.
What Box? Your problem-solving skills
are outside the norm. The difficulty for
all mental skills that require speculative
thinking is decreased by one step.
Inability: You’re no good at fitting in. The
difficulty for all social interaction rolls is
increased by one step for you.
Initial Link to the Starting Adventure: From
the following list of options, choose how you
became involved in the first adventure:
1. You see something in one of the other
PCs. They could be a kindred spirit. You
need to find out more.
2. Something about the group of PCs says
that this is your place. You don’t question
such feelings.

26
 TEEN DESCRIPTOR

You gain the following characteristics: One-Off: Any time you attempt to imitate
That Didn’t Hurt: +3 to your Might Pool. someone who has succeeded at an action
Skill: You are trained in one of the that you’ve never tried before, you gain an
following: skateboarding, stunt biking, or asset on that task.
surfing. Chicken? If you are dared to do
In Your Face: You are trained in all actions something (or otherwise socially goaded, at
that involve overcoming or ignoring the the GM’s discretion), you must attempt the
effects of fear or intimidation. challenge.
Edgy: You stink at self-control. If someone Initial Link to the Starting Adventure:
attacks, your first response is always an From the following list of options, choose
equivalent attack. how you became involved in the first
Initial Link to the Starting Adventure: adventure:
From the following list of options, choose 1. One of the PCs is always better at
how you became involved in the first everything than you are. You follow them
adventure: around, because someday it’ll be your turn
1. The other PCs are freakin’ annoying, to be number one.
but crap, they’re your friends. What can you 2. One of the PCs just decided you
do? two were friends and began to show up
2, You find one of the other PCs everywhere you were.
fascinating, though they are nothing like 3. You know one of the teen PCs is hiding
you. You enjoy being around them, but they something, and you really want to find out
must never, ever know. what it is.
3. You wandered into the PC group, and 4. You and another PC share a secret,
they seem to know how to have a good something you never talk about. You stick
time. What the hell, you only live once. near them to make sure they’re not talking
4. One of the PCs is so very wrong about out of turn.
everything. You want to be there when they
hit rock bottom.
TEEN SKILLS
SHOW-OFF At the GM’s discretion, you can select up
Anything they can do, you can do better. You to three skills for your teen character. Keep
feel a strong need to keep pace or outdo in mind, since your PC is just a kid, it’s
those around you. Sometimes this leaves highly unlikely you have any super useful
you embarrassed—or, at worst, injured. skills—except those which might make you
Still, it’s better to look like a fool in the short appear cool to other teens. Thus, skills are
term than to be forgotten. usually things like skateboarding or break
You gain the following characteristics: dancing. Write any skills down under the
Fast: +3 to your Speed Pool. skill heading in the TEEN section of the
Skill: You are trained in one of the character sheet.
following: acrobatics, climbing, or dodging.

27
 Unmasked

TEEN BACKGROUND CONNECTION

Teens are defined by their background situation. Roll a d100 or choose from the following
list to determine one fact about your background that provides a connection to the main
story, or feel free to create your own fact, if you wish. Results marked with a * indicate some
element tied to the prodigy phenomenon. Not only should you keep the prodigy-related
result, you should also roll (or choose) again. If a result doesn’t make sense due to your
descriptor (for example, if your teen is Craven, but the background connection indicates
they are brave), you should alter it, roll again, or pick another one.

d100 Background Connection

01 Your best friend is a jock who looks out for you.
02 Your family is loaded. Money has no meaning to you.
03 You are on track to secretly complete your first year of college credits during
summer school.
04 You often get lost in thoughts that become daydreams. Sometimes they come
true.*
05 You are the top student at the school, and the teachers let you get away with
anything.
06 Your dreams about a weird preacher chasing you are so vivid that you’re having
trouble sleeping. It’s beginning to affect your grades.*
07 Your best friend, who is into new wave, has just arrived in town and is shaking
up your life.
08 You are in love with a student who relies on you for tutoring.
09 You got your driver’s license before everyone else.
10 You work in a store and have ready access to those products a teen might want.
11 You are the favorite target of harassment by certain students. You orchestrate
your entire day around not running into them.
12 You have a computer and modem, and you can hack the school schedule.
13 You tutor dozens of students and are always flush with cash.
14 Your best friend is popular, but they don’t want anyone else to know about your
friendship.
15 You’ve received an academic stipend for your fantastic grades, but you secretly
spent it on a car that you have to keep hidden—you’re not allowed to drive yet!
16 You’d be completely invisible in the school, except for your GPA.
17 You have a complex plan in the works to get another student to like you.
18 Your dad is in local law enforcement.
19 You are the youngest in a poor but close-knit family. Your siblings are popular
where you are not, but they look out for you.
20 You carry a special memento everywhere you go. It hums with power.*
21 You are a nice person and refuse to fall in with bullies who pick on people.
Everyone knows your name.
22 You have a big family, and your interest in sports is an attempt to be noticed by
your parents.
23 You are terrible in school and live in constant fear of failing classes.
24 Your best friend is a geeky student who helps you get by in school.
25 You are state ranked in your sport and can get away with nearly anything.

28
 TEEN DESCRIPTOR

26 You are certain something bad is coming. This anxiety is so crippling that you’re
beginning to underperform.*
27 You are in love with a social outcast but can’t tell anyone.
28 Despite excelling in a sport, you’re haunted by your failures in school.
29 You failed your driving test and can’t let anyone know.
30 Your job is cool in some way (you’re a lifeguard, work in a movie theater, etc.).
31 Your house has an indoor pool—it’s party central.
32 Your older sibling who is off at college was the biggest sports star your high
school has ever known; you struggle in their shadow.
33 You protect students from bullying in exchange for cash.
34 You are guaranteed a full ride at a big college—if you can stay out of trouble.
35 No one knows you can’t read very well.
36 You hate the sport you play and would do anything not to be involved in it
anymore, but you’re great at it.
37 You have your eye on an unpopular student as a love interest, but you’re unsure
what your friends might think.
38 Your dad runs the bank in town.
39 You secretly despise your life, and you dream of running away and starting anew.
40 You have found a secret place that hums with invisible power. When you’re there,
you can see visions.*
41 Your best friend is a weirdo hated by the cool kids, but he doesn’t care.
42 Your dad owns the town’s car dealership and is a local political bigwig.
43 You are secretly in love with a geek, but you’re terrified they will laugh at you if
you confess your feelings.
44 Your older sibling is a well-known nerd in the school whom you do your best to
avoid.
45 Your parents are never home, meaning your house is party central, but
sometimes you go months without seeing them at all.
46 You dream of a grinning man all the time now. In these nightmares, he draws
closer and closer to your house.*
47 A memento you found on the first morning you could “see” seems to thrum with
power when you come near certain people or places.*
48 Your parents died when you were young, and you live with your religious
grandparents, who have no idea about your more outré activities.
49 You’ve been secretly working a crap job and socking away every penny you can to
afford an awesome used car.
50 You are never without some key item that everyone knows you for (a Walkman,
sunglasses, a retractable keychain, boots, a trucker’s cap, etc.)
51 You tried out for a sport but failed miserably, in public, and you’re still recovering
from it.
52 Much to your chagrin, your former love interest is the most popular person in
school, and they hate you.
53 Your family name is associated with petty crime; you’re the ne’er-do-wells in the
town.
54 Although you look like you spend a ton of money on clothes, you’re actually poor
and spend every waking moment slapping together outfits from Goodwill.

29
 Unmasked

55 You hate the persona you “wear” at school, but you don’t know how to get off
the popularity train.
56 You find yourself drawn to using your popularity to defend those who are weak or
picked on.
57 Though you’ve never performed in front of anyone, you dream of being an actor,
singer, or dancer.
58 People come to you to boost their social profile in exchange for cash.
59 You are legendary for your disdain for school authority. You mouth off all the
time.
60 You keep a hate book and note all the weird or bad deeds individual students
commit. If anyone ever found it, it would ruin dozens of lives.
61 You’ve just transferred to the school from the big city, and man, is this new
school lame.
62 You’ve struck up an unlikely friendship with a jock who seems unconcerned with
your weirdness.
63 When you daydream now, it always ends up with the same image: a preacher,
head hung down so you can’t see his face, beckoning you. It’s beginning to creep
you out. Like, seriously.*
64 Your house is a disaster area, and your parents are always at work.
65 You have a huge, immortal car from the 1970s that seems beyond mechanical
failure—plus a permit to drive it.
66 Your family is rich, and you are the black sheep. They are sick of your
shenanigans.
67 You dream of being an artist, graffiti artist, or skateboarder, but that’ll never
happen if you don’t skip this crap town.
68 You’re in love with a popular student, but you don’t think they have any idea you
even exist.
69 You have friends in the nearest big-city music scene, and you often end up with
free tickets to sold-out concerts.
70 Your family has so many cousins and siblings that it’s like you have your own
gang.
71 Your family is good-natured, but secretly homeless and living out of the family
van. You live in terror of anyone finding out.
72 Your love of science fiction supersedes your sense of personal embarrassment.
It’s all you talk about.
73 Some teachers think you are a genius, and they constantly pester you to try and
do better in school.
74 Your family is career army, and you’ve attended as many schools as years you’ve
been in high school.
75 You suffer from terrible acne, and you’d do anything to get rid of it.
76 Your life is all about video games. You spend every waking moment you can in
front of an arcade machine.

30
 TEEN DESCRIPTOR

77 A close family member died the year before, and your family struggles under the
grief.
78 You are always at school because your home life sucks. Sometimes you secretly
crash at the school when things are particularly bad.
79 One of your parents is a teacher in your high school.
80 You’re a gearhead obsessed with cars. But you can’t drive—yet.
81 You love to kitbash electronics, and you swing a decent income repairing broken
radios and TVs.
82 Your oldest sibling, who once attended the high school, is your (overprotective)
guardian.
83 You are all about after-school activities: band, yearbook, and chess club. You’re
an overachiever.
84 You’ve befriended a janitor who sees and hears everything at the high school.
85 Your family is devoutly religious, and they think you are, too. Only at school are
you truly free.
86 Your parents are never home, and you’re like a parent to your younger sibling.
This takes up a lot of time, but you love them.
87 Some nights you find that your mask seems to talk to you. If you listen closely, it
appears to be describing locations to you, but only you can hear it.*
88 Your mom is the town doctor.
89 You’ve noticed the clock tower in the middle of town glows like a memento—but
only at midnight. One minute past and it’s just a regular clock tower again.*
90 Your record and tape collection is as big as that of a radio station’s.
91 You are a trouble magnet. Every time you open your mouth, something funny
(and then bad) happens.
92 You live with your aunt or uncle, and they barely tolerate you. Your parents aren’t
in the picture.
93 You are the notorious graffiti artist the town is desperately searching for.
94 You’ve won the friendship of a nerd by taking the fall for them, and now they
won’t leave you alone.
95 You are never anywhere without your Walkman, boom box, or transistor radio.
96 Your whole life revolves around comic books.
97 Some people make friends. While you do have some friends, you’re much better
at making enemies. In fact, you enjoy it. A lot.
98 You’ve seen a couple of kids who seem marked with an odd kind of light. They
have apparently formed a clique—but they’re all dumbasses. You think they
might even be dangerous.*
99 You are a night person and a well-known class screwup, because you’re always
falling asleep in class.
00 In the old bus station in town, you noticed a door with the sign “END OF THE
LINE” that seemed lit with power, but you were too frightened to go inside.*

31
 Unmasked
Chapter 6
CREATING THE MASK-
MASK-FORM DESCRIPTOR AND TYPE

Mover, page 42

Changer, page 46
I n Unmasked, the mask-form has a
separate descriptor from the teen.
You can choose any descriptor for the
mask-form (even ones such as Mystical,
which aren’t open to the teen-form). The
the Mover, and the Changer. These types
have been built out from those in the Cypher
System Rulebook to suit a 1986 gone weird,
and each one represents a stop along the
spectrum of comic book–style characters.
descriptor should indicate the attitude of Almost all the abilities in the Cypher
your mask-form. It’s the adjective in the System Rulebook will work for the mask-
character creation sentence, “I am an forms in Unmasked, so players should feel
adjective noun who verbs.” free to choose from that source as well.
Type comes next. It is the core of the The new types that follow already have the
mask-form that the PC teen transforms into. abilities from the Cypher System Rulebook
The PC’s teen-form doesn’t have a type, incorporated into them, so it’s easy for a
but their superpowered mask-form sure player to sit down with this book and quickly
does. It’s the noun in the character creation whip up a new character without going back
sentence, “I am an adjective noun who and forth between the two books.
verbs.” When the teen puts on their mask,
this type is the central concept of what they
become (their superpowers are linked to TYPE OVERVIEW
their type abilities, but also to their focus Smashers follow the old motto of walk softly
abilities, which come after this section). and, uh . . . smash everything in sight. Their
Four new types are presented here for first and last thought when confronted by a
Smasher, page 33
players to choose from to create their mask- threat is usually, “Can I hit it?” If the answer
Thinker, page 38 form characters: the Smasher, the Thinker, is yes, you’d better get out of their way.

32
 MASK-FORM DESCRIPTOR AND TYPE

These mask-forms are often big and brawny, Changers change things. Whether their
but again, not always. Some Smashers are target is a mind or an object doesn’t really
psychics and don’t need muscles to get the matter. Some Changer mask-forms are really
damage done. good-looking, others know just what to say
Thinkers live in their mind, two minutes and when, and still others can reach into
ahead of the rest of the world. Sometimes the mind of a target or force the physical
their powers are psychic, sometimes nature of an object to change. Changers are
physical, and sometimes a mix, but they all about relationships—between people,
are always concerned with outcomes, likely places, and things. They like to smooth over
actions, and directing matters towards a disagreements and make plans work.
desired conclusion. Most Thinker mask-
forms are small, but again, there is no
restriction. Their constant calculation SMASHER
sometimes makes them appear distant and Smashers are usually bruisers, and
hard to communicate with. they’re not that great at considering
Movers are sure that where they are must future ramifications. They act first and ask
certainly be less interesting than where they questions later, usually when they’re also
are not. As such, they’re always in motion. licking their wounds. They think problems
These mask-forms tend to be small and are best dealt with through physical action.
fast, but not always. This alacrity sometimes In general, Smashers tend to avoid
affects more than just their movement situations that involve deep thought, socially
speed or focus abilities—sometimes their embarrassing actions, and looking bad in
mouths run a bit fast, too. front of others. But they can run, jump,

33
 Unmasked

WHAT IS MY MASK-FORM? GIVING TIER ABILITIES

When a teen prodigy puts on their mask, THE UNMASKED FEELING
they become their mask-form. This is Instead of rebuilding all the tier abilities
a unique, mighty, superpowered entity from scratch to make them match the
that need not be anything like the teen feeling of weirdness presented in Unmasked,
it manifests from. The mask-form is we’re going to show you how to take
always the same, and it is almost like a existing abilities and make them your own.
character unto itself. Some mask-forms Reimagining abilities so they fit the
have a backstory that transcends their first atmosphere in Unmasked is simple.
appearance as a side effect of the mask, and Mechanically, they don’t need to change
all mask-forms have dreams and desires at all: cost, range, effect, etc. all remain
independent from their teen-forms’. the same. Instead, their feel changes.
Mask-forms need not be human, but they Sometimes this means limiting them a bit
need to be people. No matter what, their (this is mostly situational—an ability I can
teen-forms are human, but the mask-form only use in the presence of an electrical
can appear as nearly anything. A blue- outlet, for example). But mostly it means
skinned alien, a ghost, or an animated, framing them in a new way so they feel
glowing pile of slime in humanoid form— different and giving them a new name.
all of these work. No matter what, this Players and GMs should feel free to come
mask-form gains no real benefit from this up with new ideas for any ability.
cosmetic form; instead, all bonuses are For example, let’s reimagine Hedge
conveyed only in type and focus abilities. Magic as an ability in Unmasked. First and
Selecting what your mask-form manifests foremost, it’s super simple to imagine
as is easy and fun. Look at your teen, a prodigy who transforms into a classic
their descriptor, and their background wizard when they put on their mask, so
information, and then try to imagine the you could just use it as is. Here’s what the
opposite, or come up with a dark, hidden original ability looks like:
fantasy of the teen and build from there.
Also, keep in mind that, while this duality HEDGE MAGIC (1 INTELLECT POINT)
is typical for prodigies, it is not always the You can perform small tricks: temporarily
case that the mask-form is the opposite of change the color or basic appearance of a
the teen. Let’s create some examples: small object, cause small objects to float
Nancy is a Virtuous, bookish teen. Her through the air, clean a small area, mend a
mask-form is a huge, bloodthirsty monster broken object, prepare (but not create) food,
that holds grudges. and so on. You can’t use hedge magic to harm
Roberto is a Skeptical sports star. His another creature or object. Action.
mask-form is a slight, naive alien from In Unmasked, you could shift this
another dimension. description in any number of ways. Imagine
Petra is a Wealthy, overweight teen. Her something funny, strange, or weird that
mask-form is a handsome, muscular man might produce the effects presented in
who is always everyone’s friend. the ability, or some strange side effect that
Baljinder is a slight, Creative artist. His makes the power feel unique. Then, go to
mask-form is a tall, ebony-skinned female town with it. For example, Hedge Magic
warrior with nerves of steel. might come to look like this:

34
 MASK-FORM DESCRIPTOR AND TYPE

dodge, and fight in a way that suggests they

LITTLE FRIENDS (1 INTELLECT POINT) were born for it. When they talk, they are
You can summon a squad of green plastic easily distracted and sometimes have a hard
toy soldiers that can perform small tricks for time making a point. To most Smashers, this
you. They can temporarily change the color is unimportant. All they need to say they can
or basic appearance of a small object by say with their fists.
climbing over and covering it, and they can Individual Role: Smashers know how to
cause small objects to move through the air follow the rules, and do so readily in certain
by heaving it as a group. They can clean a situations. But they also know when they can
small area, mend a broken object, prepare get away with things. Still, they’re not very
(but not create) food, and so on. Your little subtle and are easily outthought. Smashers
friends can’t harm another creature or tend to leap into trouble, and it is only then that
object. They are easily destroyed, but you they acknowledge their lack of forward thinking.
never seem to run out of them. Action. By then, they have no choice but to fight their
way out. They never seem to learn this lesson.
Or this: Group Role: Smashers are sometimes
leaders, and when they are, they tend to be
THEY’RE HERE (1 INTELLECT POINT) the strong, silent type, leading by example
When you are in a room or area lit by a TV more than by oratory. They’re protective
showing static, you can cause the screen of their friends, and spend a lot of time
to emit ghostly tendrils that can perform rescuing them from bad situations (no
small tricks: temporarily change the color doubt many of which were created by the
or basic appearance of a small object, cause Smasher in the first place, by accident).
small objects to float through the air, clean When confronting a threat, Smashers are
a small area, mend a broken object, prepare almost always near the front of the group.
(but not create) food, and so on. These Prodigy Abilities and Foci: Smasher mask- Mask-form abilities,
tendrils can’t harm a creature or object. forms tend to develop physical abilities, page 50
Action. though there is no hard and fast restriction
against psychic powers. The teens that
The most important thing to remember Smashers manifest from tend to be weak or
when making your abilities fit the world uncoordinated.
of Unmasked is that they don’t need to Power Shift Placement: Smashers should
make sense. The prodigies break the laws place power shifts into strength, attacks, Mask-form power shifts,
of physics, and their beliefs, drives, and resistance, Armor, or similar if they wish to page 62
dreams power their abilities. Therefore, be superhumanly resistant and strong.
any explanation is possible—even Advancement of Smashers: As Smashers
nonsense. advance, so do their skills in brawling,
athletics, and the like. They tend to become
bigger, badder, and more resilient.

SMASHER STATS
Smasher Stat Pools
Stat Pool Starting Value
Might 12
Speed 9
Intellect 7

You get 6 additional points to divide

among your stat Pools however you
wish.

35
 Unmasked

BUILDING A SMASHER The full text of Cypher System Rulebook

Warrior, page 22 The core of the Smasher type in Unmasked abilities is not replicated here. Please refer
First-Tier Warrior,
is a tweaked version of the Warrior from the to the Cypher System Rulebook for details
page 24 Cypher System Rulebook. As such, players on your ability and equipment choices.
playing a Smasher get to pick from the Below is a breakdown of what abilities are
Bash, page 24 Warrior ability choices (as well as some preselected or available at each tier.
Control the Field, special abilities defined below). Once a
page 24 Warrior ability is selected, the player should FIRST-TIER SMASHER
give it a “feeling” so it fits in the weird You gain the abilities noted for a first-tier
Extra Edge, page 25
world of Unmasked, where nearly anything is Warrior.
No Need for Weapons, possible—at least for the prodigies. Mask-Form Abilities: When you select a
page 25 Smashers can always choose an ability new first-tier ability, you can instead select a
from a lower tier instead of adding one from first-tier mask-form ability. All prodigies have
Overwatch, page 25
their current tier, and they can replace one access to these special mask-form abilities.
Physical Skills, page 25 lower-tier ability with Prodigy Sight: You can see people and
a different one places that are of special significance, as
Pierce, page 25 from a lower tier. well as identify, collect, and use mementos.
Practiced in Armor, You can identify another prodigy on sight,
page 25 even if they’re not wearing their mask. This
ability is always active and cannot be turned
Quick Draw, page 25
off, even when you’re just a teen.
Swipe, page 25
FIRST-TIER SMASHER ABILITIES
Thrust, page 25
Choose 4 abilities + Prodigy Sight +
Trained Without Practiced With All Weapons
Armor, page 25 Bash (1 Might point)
Control the Field (1 Might point)
Extra Edge
No Need for Weapons
Overwatch (1 Intellect point)
Physical Skills: Pick two of the following:
balancing, climbing, jumping, running,
or swimming. You can select this ability
multiple times.
Pierce (1 Speed point)
Practiced in Armor
Quick Draw (2 Speed points)
Swipe (1 Speed point)
Thrust (1 Might point)
Trained Without Armor

Example Selection and Customization:

Dana is making a first-tier Smasher she
calls “Monster Masher.” She decides her
mask-form is an inhumanly large, purple
Neanderthal-looking creature—while her
teen-form is a willowy, bookish type. The
Smasher’s costume is barely present—it

36
 MASK-FORM DESCRIPTOR AND TYPE

always looks like it’s just stepped out of a abilities. Again, the mask-form must announce Expert Memento Use
battlefield undergoing active bombardment. what it is doing in advance. The mask-form is the same as Expert
Cypher Use.
She selects a huge sledgehammer she calls also gains a power shift to resilience, which
“Percy” (heavy weapon) and a ball-and- makes it harder to injure.
chain shot put she calls “the bean” (heavy
weapon) for equipment. Monster Masher THIRD-TIER SMASHER
gets the Prodigy Sight and Practiced With All You gain the abilities noted for a third-tier Second-Tier Warrior,
page 25
Weapons abilities automatically, and Dana Warrior. In addition, you can replace one of
selects Bash, Control the Field, No Need for your lower-tier abilities with a different one Chop, page 25
Weapons, and Overwatch for her Smasher’s from a lower tier.
Crush, page 26
four abilities. She customizes these by saying Mask-Form Abilities: When you select a
her mask-form announces its moves before it new third-tier ability, you can instead select a Mighty Blow, page 26
does it: “SMASH IT!” for Bash, “MOVE IT!” third-tier mask-form ability. All prodigies have
for Control the Field, “PUNCH IT!” for No access to these special mask-form abilities. Reload, page 26
Need for Weapons, and “THROW IT!” for Skill With Attacks,
Overwatch. If somehow it can’t say it, it can’t THIRD-TIER SMASHER ABILITIES page 26
do it and just stands there, goggling. Choose 3 abilities
Skill With Defense,
Deadly Aim (3 Speed points) page 26
SECOND-TIER SMASHER Experienced With Armor
You gain the abilities noted for a second-tier Successive Attack,
Warrior. In addition, you can replace one of Expert Memento Use page 26
your lower-tier abilities with a different one Fury (3 Might points)
Third-Tier Warrior,
from a lower tier. Lunge (2 Might points) page 26
Mask-Form Abilities: When you select Reaction
a new second-tier ability, you can instead Deadly Aim, page 26
Seize the Moment (4+ Speed points)
select a second-tier mask-form ability. All Experienced With
prodigies have access to these special Slice (2 Speed points)
Armor, page 26
mask-form abilities. Spray (2 Speed points)
Trick Shot (2 Speed points) Expert Cypher Use,
page 26
SECOND-TIER SMASHER ABILITIES
Choose 2 abilities + additional power shift Example Selection and Customization: Fury, page 26
to resilience Dana’s Smasher hits third tier, and Dana
Lunge, page 26
Additional Power Shift to Resilience: selects Fury (“ENOUGH!”), Lunge (“SHUT
Might defense rolls and Armor are UP!”), and Trick Shot (“SURPRISE!”) as her Reaction, page 26
naturally increased or you have a Smasher’s new abilities. Again, the mask-form
must announce what it is doing in advance to Seize the Moment,
permanent +1 in Armor. This can be added page 26
to previously power-shifted resilience. use the abilities.
Slice, page 26
Chop (2 Might points)
FOURTH-TIER SMASHER
Crush (2 Might points) You gain the abilities noted for a fourth-tier Spray, page 16
Mighty Blow (2 Might points) Warrior. In addition, you can replace one of Trick Shot, page 26
Reload (1 Speed point) your lower-tier abilities with a different one
from a lower tier. Fourth-Tier Warrior,
Skill With Attacks page 27
Mask-Form Abilities: When you select a
Skill With Defense
new fourth-tier ability, you can instead select
Successive Attack (2 Speed points) a fourth-tier mask-form ability. All prodigies Mask-form abilities,
have access to these special mask-form page 50
Example Selection and Customization: abilities.
Mask-form power shifts,
Dana’s Smasher hits second tier, and Dana page 62
selects Crush (“BATTER UP!”) and Mighty
Blow (“EAT IT!”) as her Smasher’s new

37
 Unmasked

Adroit Memento Use FOURTH-TIER SMASHER ABILITIES Example Selection and Customization:
is the same as Adroit Dana’s Smasher hits fifth tier, and Dana
Cypher Use.
Choose 2 abilities + power shift (+3
damage for a specific attack) selects Greater Skill With Attacks (“WATCH
Power Shift (+3 Damage for a Specific THIS!”), Minor to Major (“THIS IS GONNA
Capable Warrior, Attack): Apply a permanent power shift to HURT!”). and Jump Attack (“YOO-HOO!”)
page 27 as her Smasher’s new abilities. Again, the
a particular attack not previously boosted
Experienced Defender, by a power shift, adding +3 points of mask-form must announce what it is doing in
page 27 damage to it. advance to use the abilities.
Feint, page 27 Capable Warrior
SIXTH-TIER SMASHER
Minor to Major, Experienced Defender You gain the abilities noted for a sixth-tier
page 27 Feint (2 Speed points) Warrior. In addition, you can replace one of
Momentum, page 27 Minor to Major your lower-tier abilities with a different one
Momentum from a lower tier.
Opening Gambit, Mask-Form Abilities: When you select a
page 27 Opening Gambit (4 Might points)
new sixth-tier ability, you can instead select
Snipe (2 Speed points) a sixth-tier mask-form ability. All prodigies
Snipe, page 27
Tough As Nails have access to these special mask-form
Tough As Nails,
page 27 abilities.
Example Selection and Customization:
Fifth-Tier Warrior,
page 27
Dana’s Smasher hits fourth tier, and Dana SIXTH-TIER SMASHER ABILITIES
selects Momentum (“HEADS UP!”) and Choose two abilities
Adroit Cypher Use, Tough As Nails (“THAT’S ALL YOU’VE Finishing Blow (5 Might points)
page 27 GOT?”) as her Smasher’s new abilities. Again,
Magnificent Moment
Arc Spray, page 27 the mask-form must announce what it is doing
in advance to use the abilities. Shooting Gallery (5 Speed points)
Greater Skill With Slayer (3 Might points)
Attacks, page 27
FIFTH-TIER SMASHER Spin Attack (5 Speed points)
Improved Success, You gain the abilities noted for a fifth-tier Weapon and Body (5 Speed points)
page 27 Warrior. In addition, you can replace one of
Jump Attack, page 27 your lower-tier abilities with a different one Example Selection and Customization:
from a lower tier. Dana’s Smasher hits sixth tier, and Dana
Mastery With Armor, Mask-Form Abilities: When you select a selects Finishing Blow (“HI THERE!”) and
page 28
new fifth-tier ability, you can instead select Slayer (“ENOUGH OUTTA YOU!”) as her
Mastery With Defense, a fifth-tier mask-form ability. All prodigies Smasher’s new abilities. Again, the mask-form
page 28 have access to these special mask-form must announce what it is doing in advance to
Parry, page 28 abilities. use the abilities.

Sixth-Tier Warrior, FIFTH-TIER SMASHER ABILITIES

page 28
Choose 3 abilities THINKER
Finishing Blow, page 28 Adroit Memento Use Because the world of social interaction and
physicality is hard on them, Thinkers live
Magnificent Moment, Arc Spray (3 Speed points)
page 28 mostly in their minds. They love books,
Greater Skill With Attacks puzzles, games, art, and other things that
Shooting Gallery, Improved Success speak to their inner selves. They tend to
page 28
Jump Attack (5 Might points) avoid social situations, feats of physical
Slayer, page 28 Mastery With Armor strength, and other types of interaction that
will call out their shortcomings. But their
Spin Attack. page 28 Mastery With Defense
thoughts are deep, their understanding of
Parry (5 Speed points) life complex, and their suppositions rich
Weapon and Body,
page 28 with meaning and insight. Because they

38
 MASK-FORM DESCRIPTOR AND TYPE

tend to be quiet, when they do speak, their BUILDING A THINKER

words are surprisingly full of import. The core of the Thinker type in Unmasked is Adept, page 29
Individual Role: Thinkers often try to work the Adept from the Cypher System Rulebook.
First-Tier Adept,
within existing restrictions and think their As such, players playing a Thinker get to page 30
way through problems. They will play games pick from the Adept ability choices (as well
and manipulate others in a very subtle as some special abilities defined below). Distortion, page 31
way to make matters go their way. They’re Once an Adept ability is selected, the player Erase Memories,
patient and tend not just to plan a few should give it a “feeling” so it fits in the page 31
moves ahead, but to have multiple game weird world of Unmasked.
Far Step, page 31
boards going on at once in their mind. Thinkers can always choose an ability from
Group Role: Thinkers tend to avoid a lower tier instead of adding one from their Hedge Magic, page 31
confrontation or roles of leadership (they current tier, and they can replace one lower-tier
are often too distant to show the empathy ability with a different one from a lower tier. Magic Training,
page 31
necessary to be a great leader), but they’re the The full text of Cypher System Rulebook
voice of reason and planning in the group. abilities is not replicated here. Please refer Onslaught,
They protect others by seeing the problems to the Cypher System Rulebook for details page 31
ahead and steering their compatriots out of on your ability and equipment choices.
Push, page 31
the way long before they run into negative Below is a breakdown of what abilities are
situations. Usually, the others in the group preselected or available at each tier. Resonance Field,
never even know such a threat exists. page 32
Prodigy Abilities and Foci: Thinker mask- FIRST-TIER THINKER Scan, page 32
forms tend to manifest psychic abilities, You gain the abilities noted for a first-tier Adept.
though this is not a hard and fast restriction Mask-Form Abilities: When you select a Sculpt Flesh, page 32
against physical powers. The teens that new first-tier ability, you can instead select a
Shatter, page 32
Thinkers manifest from tend to be . . . less first-tier mask-form ability. All prodigies have
than smart. access to these special mask-form abilities. Ward, page 32
Power Shift Placement: Thinkers should Prodigy Sight: You can see people and
place power shifts into intelligence, places that are of special significance, as Mask-form abilities,
problem-solving skills, science, or well as identify, collect, and use mementos. page 50
foci or type abilities if they wish to be You can identify another prodigy on sight,
superhumanly brilliant. even if they’re not wearing their mask. This Mask-form power shifts,
page 62
Advancement of Thinkers: As a Thinker ability is always active and cannot be turned
advances, their mastery of the world of off, even when you’re just a teen.
academia, manipulation of bureaucratic
systems, and general knowledge increase. FIRST-TIER THINKER ABILITIES
They become learning machines, capable Choose 4 abilities + Prodigy Sight +
of tackling problems far beyond what the Practiced With Light Weapons
average human mind can handle. Distortion (2 Intellect points)
Erase Memories (3 Intellect points)
THINKER STATS Far Step (2 Intellect points)
Thinker Stat Pools Hedge Magic (1 Intellect point)
Stat Pool Starting Value Magic Training
Might 7 Onslaught (1 Intellect point)
Speed 9 Push (2 Intellect points)
Intellect 12 Resonance Field (1 Intellect point)
You get 6 additional points to divide Scan (2 Intellect points)
among your stat Pools however you Sculpt Flesh (2 Intellect points)
wish. Shatter (2 Intellect points)
Ward

39
 Unmasked

Example Selection and Customization: Mark Example Selection and Customization:

Second-Tier Adept, is making a first-tier Thinker he calls “Duality.” Mark’s Thinker hits second tier, and Mark
page 32
He decides his mask-form is a tall, thin, bald selects Stasis as his Thinker’s new ability. He
Adaptation, page 32 man—totally different than his character’s customizes it to fit the established feeling by
short, squat teen-form. The Thinker’s costume saying that it’s like an extension of Duality’s
Cutting Light, page 32 is made of mirror fragments to match his odd, Ward ability. With Stasis, the Thinker
Flash, page 33 glass-covered mask. Mark selects a mirror surrounds a target with a swirling mass of
katana (medium weapon) and a mirror knife glass that nothing can pass through. Anything
Hover, page 33 (light weapon) for his Thinker’s equipment. caught inside is impervious to harm and
Duality gets the Prodigy Sight and Practiced cannot escape.
Mind Reading, page 33
With Light Weapons abilities automatically,
Retrieve Memories, and Mark selects Distortion, Far Step, Shatter, THIRD-TIER THINKER
page 33 and Ward for his Thinker’s four abilities. He You gain the abilities noted for a third-tier
Reveal, page 33
customizes these by saying they all work only Adept. In addition, you can replace one of
in proximity to (any) glass surface (such as his your lower-tier abilities with a different one
Stasis, page 33 suit!). Using Distortion, he can hide a willing from a lower tier.
creature by swirling mirror fragments from Mask-Form Abilities: When you select a
Third-Tier Adept,
page 33 his suit around it. Using Far Step, he can leap new third-tier ability, you can instead select
into mirrors (even tiny ones) and emerge from a third-tier mask-form ability. All prodigies
Adroit Cypher Use, any other reflective surface within a certain have access to these special mask-form
page 33
distance. Using Shatter, he can cause items abilities.
Barrier, page 33 to shatter into mirror fragments). And using
Ward, he can form a swirling shield of glass to THIRD-TIER THINKER ABILITIES
Countermeasures, deflect incoming attacks. How does this work? Choose 2 abilities + additional power shift
page 33
He says his mask can “speak to glass.” Duh. (+3 damage for a specific attack)
Energy Protection, Additional Power Shift (+3 Damage for a
page 33 SECOND-TIER THINKER Specific Attack): Apply a permanent power
You gain the abilities noted for a second-tier shift to a particular attack not previously
Fire and Ice, page 34
Adept. In addition, you can replace one of boosted by a power shift, adding +3
Sensor, page 34 your lower-tier abilities with a different one points of damage to it.
from a lower tier.
Targeting Eye, page 34 Adroit Memento Use
Mask-Form Abilities: When you select
a new second-tier ability, you can instead Barrier (3+ Intellect points)
Mask-form abilities, select a second-tier mask-form ability. All Countermeasures (4 Intellect points)
page 50
prodigies have access to these special Energy Protection (3+ Intellect points)
Mask-form power shifts, mask-form abilities. Fire and Ice (4 Intellect points)
page 62
Sensor (4 Intellect points)
SECOND-TIER THINKER ABILITIES
Targeting Eye
Choose 1 ability
Adaptation (2+ Intellect points)
Example Selection and Customization:
Cutting Light (2 Intellect points)
Mark’s Thinker hits third tier, and Mark
Flash (4 Intellect points) selects Energy Protection and Sensor as his
Hover (2 Intellect points) Thinker’s new abilities. He customizes it to fit
Mind Reading (4 Intellect points) the established feeling by saying that Energy
Retrieve Memories (3 Intellect points) Protection causes the energy to become
embedded in the glass fragments he controls,
Reveal (2+ Intellect points)
discoloring them so electricity trapped in the
Stasis (3 Intellect points) glass would be visible, as would light. The
Sensor ability allows Duality to “place” a
peephole on any reflective surface that he can

40
 MASK-FORM DESCRIPTOR AND TYPE

look through—no matter the distance—with a FIFTH-TIER THINKER ABILITIES

moment’s concentration. Mark adds the power Fourth-Tier Adept,
Choose 2 abilities + additional power shift
page 34
shift to his Thinker’s Shatter attack, meaning to intelligence
it inflicts 4 points of damage per detonation. Additional Power Shift to Intelligence: Exile, page 34
This works like a permanent level of Effort
FOURTH-TIER THINKER on Intellect defense rolls, as well as on
Invisibility, page 34
You gain the abilities noted for a fourth-tier knowledge, science, and crafting tasks. Matter Cloud, page 34
Adept. In addition, you can replace one of
Absorb Energy (7 Intellect points) Mind Control, page 34
your lower-tier abilities with a different one
from a lower tier. Concussion (7 Intellect points)
Projection, page 35
Mask-Form Abilities: When you select a Conjuration (7 Intellect points)
new fourth-tier ability, you can instead select Create (7 Intellect points) Rapid Processing,
a fourth-tier mask-form ability. All prodigies page 35
Divide Your Mind (7 Intellect points)
have access to these special mask-form
Dust to Dust (7 Intellect points) Regeneration, page 35
abilities.
Knowing the Unknown (6 Intellect points) Reshape, page 35
FOURTH-TIER THINKER ABILITIES Master Memento Use
Slay, page 35
Choose 1 ability Teleportation (6+ Intellect points)
Exile (5 Intellect points) True Senses Wormhole, page 35

Invisibility (4 Intellect points) Fifth-Tier Adept,

Matter Cloud (5 Intellect points) page 35

Mind Control (6+ Intellect points) Absorb Energy, page 35

Projection (4 Intellect points)
Concussion, page 36
Rapid Processing (6 Intellect points)
Regeneration (6 Intellect points) Conjuration, page 36

Reshape (5 Intellect points) Create, page 36

Slay (6 Intellect points)
Divide Your Mind,
Wormhole (6 Intellect points) page 36

Dust to Dust, page 36

Example Selection and Customization:
Mark’s Thinker hits fourth tier, and Mark Knowing the Unknown,
selects Exile as his Thinker’s new ability. He page 36
customizes it to fit the established feeling by
Master Cypher Use,
saying Duality can move a target to the other page 36
side of the glass—so the target is inside the
reflection. While there, the victim struggles Teleportation, page 36
and screams, but no sound can be heard.
True Senses, page 36
At the end of the duration, the target
reappears, unharmed.

FIFTH-TIER THINKER
You gain the abilities noted for a
fifth-tier Adept. In addition, you can
replace one of your lower-tier abilities
with a different one from a lower tier.
Mask-Form Abilities: When you select a
new fifth-tier ability, you can instead select a
fifth-tier mask-form ability. All prodigies have
access to these special mask-form abilities.

41
 Unmasked

Example Selection and Customization: Mark’s MOVER

Sixth-Tier Adept, Thinker hits fifth tier, and Mark selects Create and No one knows what to make of Movers—
page 36
Divide Your Mind as his Thinker’s new abilities. mostly because they’re hard to pin down—
Control Weather, page He customizes it to fit the established feeling by both physically and mentally. They’re always
36 saying that, with Create, Duality actually reaches on the move. They dress, act, and act out
into a reflection to somewhere else, from which in unpredictable and wild ways. Even so,
Earthquake, page 36
he pulls the created object (whether or not it is they’re not all outgoing. Some are quiet and
Move Mountains, from the real world is unknown). Using Divide withdrawn. But all of them have one thing in
page 36 Your Mind, the Thinker and his reflection can common: they just don’t care what anyone
each take an action for one minute. Duality thinks. Even if they are sometimes quiet,
Traverse the Worlds,
page 36 gains an additional power shift to all intelligence Movers say what needs to be said—even if
tasks, reducing the difficulty of all Intellect-based no one else will. In fact, to those who know
Explorer, page 38 activities permanently by one step. them, this fact more than anything else
makes them a valuable ally.
SIXTH-TIER THINKER Individual Role: Movers are often on the
You gain the abilities noted for a sixth-tier outside looking in on everything. Not that they
Adept. In addition, you can replace one of care. They’re clever and quick-witted, capable
your lower-tier abilities with a different one of making split-second decisions that would
from a lower tier. cause others to freeze up. And their weird
Mask-Form Abilities: When you select a social standing makes it possible for them to
new sixth-tier ability, you can instead select a be friends with nearly anyone, anywhere.
Mask-form abilities, sixth-tier mask-form ability. All prodigies have Group Role: Movers sometimes lead,
page 50 access to these special mask-form abilities. but they will just as soon shirk their
Mask-form power shifts,
responsibilities if some distraction catches
page 62 SIXTH-TIER THINKER ABILITIES their fancy. They’re often fiercely loyal and will
Choose 1 ability do nearly anything to protect their friends.
Control Weather (10 Intellect points) They often value the future of others over
their own and gladly take the fall for them.
Earthquake (10 Intellect points)
Prodigy Abilities and Foci: Mover mask-
Move Mountains (9 Intellect points) forms tend to manifest movement abilities
Traverse the Worlds (8+ Intellect points) (duh), though this is not a hard and fast
Usurp Memento: You destroy one restriction against other powers. The teens
memento that you bear and gain its that Movers manifest from tend to be quiet,
power, which then functions for you withdrawn, or uncoordinated.
continuously. The memento must have Power Shift Placement: Movers should
an effect that is not instantaneous. You place power shifts into dexterity, speed,
can choose a memento when you gain running, dodging, or similar if they wish to
this ability, or you can wait and make the be superhumanly fast.
choice later. However, once you usurp a Advanced Movers: As Movers advance,
memento’s power, you cannot later switch so do their powers in movement, control,
to a different memento—the ability works and physical abilities. Movers become
only once. Action to initiate. faster, fly higher, or teleport farther the more
advanced they become.

Example Selection and Customization: Mark’s BUILDING A MOVER

Thinker hits sixth tier, and Mark selects Move The core of the Mover type in Unmasked is
Mountains as his Thinker’s new ability. In the a slightly tweaked Explorer from the Cypher
world of glass, the Thinker is seen moving, System Rulebook. As such, players playing a
reshaping, or destroying huge objects, and shortly Mover get to pick from the Explorer ability
thereafter, a similar force acts upon the real world, choices (as well as from some special
though it appears to occur without a source. abilities defined below). Once an Explorer

42
 MASK-FORM DESCRIPTOR AND TYPE

ability is selected, the player should give FIRST-TIER MOVER ABILITIES

it a “feeling” so it fits in the weird world First-Tier Explorer,
Choose 4 abilities + Prodigy Sight
page 39
of Unmasked, where nearly anything is + Practiced With Light and Medium
possible—at least for the prodigies. Weapons Block, page 39
Movers can always choose an ability from Block (3 Speed points)
a lower tier instead of adding one from Danger Sense, page 39
Danger Sense (1 Speed point)
their current tier, and they can replace one Decipher, page 39
lower-tier ability with a different one from a Decipher (1 Intellect point)
lower tier. Endurance Endurance, page 39
The full text of Cypher System Rulebook Extra Edge Extra Edge, page 40
abilities is not replicated here. Please refer Fleet of Foot
to the Cypher System Rulebook for details Fleet of Foot, page 40
Knowledge Skills
on your ability and equipment choices.
Below is a breakdown of what abilities are Muscles of Iron (2 Might points) Knowledge Skills,
page 40
preselected or available at each tier. No Need for Weapons
Physical Skills Muscles of Iron,
page 40
Practiced in Armor
Practiced With All Weapons No Need for Weapons,
MOVER STATS page 40
Surging Confidence (1 Might point)
Mover Stat Pools
Trained Without Armor Physical Skills, page 40
Stat Pool Starting Value
Might 8 Practiced in Armor,
Example Selection and Customization: page 40
Speed 12
Michael is making a first-tier Mover he calls
Intellect 8 “The Streaker.” He decides his mask-form is
Practiced With All
Weapons, page 40
You get 6 additional points to divide a gaunt runner, while his teen-form is slightly
among your stat Pools however you overweight and slow. The Streaker wears a Surging Confidence,
breakaway track suit, which can pop off with a page 40
wish.
single tug. Michael selects Danger Sense, Extra Trained Without Armor,
Edge, Fleet of Foot, and Surging Confidence page 40
for his Mover’s four abilities. He customizes
Second-Tier Explorer,
FIRST-TIER MOVER these by saying his character needs to be . . .
page 41
You gain the abilities noted for a first-tier uh . . . naked to use them. Something about
Explorer, with the following changes. wind resistance. Luckily, when naked, the
Mask-Form Abilities: When you select a Streaker is always a blur, so no need to worry
new first-tier ability, you can instead select a about modesty. After each significant use of his
first-tier mask-form ability. All prodigies have power (at the GM’s discretion), the Streaker
access to these special mask-form abilities. must “carb up” and eat a ton of food.
Prodigy Sight: You can see people and
places that are of special significance, as SECOND-TIER MOVER
well as identify, collect, and use mementos. You gain the abilities noted for a second-tier
You can identify another prodigy on sight, Explorer. In addition, you can replace one of
even if they’re not wearing their mask. This your lower-tier abilities with a different one
ability is always active and cannot be turned from a lower tier.
off, even when you’re just a teen. Mask-Form Abilities: When you select
a new second-tier ability, you can instead
select a second-tier mask-form ability. All
prodigies have access to these special
mask-form abilities.

43
 Unmasked

Expert Memento Use SECOND-TIER MOVER ABILITIES Example Selection and Customization:
is the same as Expert Michael’s Mover hits second tier, and Michael
Cypher Use.
Choose 4 abilities + additional power shift
to dexterity selects Escape, Quick Recovery, Range Increase,
Additional Power Shift to Dexterity: The and Stand Watch. Again, these are linked to
Enable Others, page 41 the Streaker being clothed or not. Escape is a
difficulty for all movement, acrobatics,
Escape, page 41 initiative, and Speed defense tasks is side effect of the Streaker’s high-speed stuttering
reduced by one step. This can be added to movement. Quick Recovery is a by-product of
Eye for Detail, page 41 the Streaker’s superhuman metabolism (only
previously power-shifted dexterity.
Hand to Eye, page 41 when moving at high speed, of course). Range
Enable Others
Increase again allows the Streaker to move
Investigative Skills, Escape (2 Speed points) faster and farther than most. Stand Watch is
page 41
Eye for Detail (2 Intellect points) more “running watch,” as the Streaker uses
Quick Recovery, Hand to Eye (2 Speed points) his superior speed to circuit an area looking
page 41 for trouble. The Streaker also gains a power
Investigative Skills
Range Increase, shift to dexterity, decreasing the difficulty of all
Quick Recovery
page 41 dexterity-related tasks by one step.
Range Increase
Skill With Defense,
page 41
Skill With Defense THIRD-TIER MOVER
Stand Watch (2 Intellect points) You gain the abilities noted for a third-tier
Stand Watch, page 41 Explorer. In addition, you can replace one of
Travel Skills
Travel Skills, page 41 Wreck your lower-tier abilities with a different one
from a lower tier.
Wreck, page 41 Mask-Form Abilities: When you select a
Third-Tier Explorer, new third-tier ability, you can instead select a
page 41 third-tier mask-form ability. All prodigies have
access to these special mask-form abilities.
Controlled Fall, page 41

Experienced With THIRD-TIER MOVER ABILITIES

Armor, page 41
Choose 3 abilities
Expert Cypher Use, Controlled Fall
page 41
Experienced With Armor
Ignore the Pain, Expert Memento Use
page 41
Ignore the Pain
Resilience, page 41
Resilience
Run and Fight, Run and Fight (4 Might points)
page 41
Seize Opportunity (4 Speed points)
Seize Opportunity, Skill With Attacks
page 42
Stone Breaker
Skill With Attacks, Think Your Way Out
page 42
Wrest From Chance
Stone Breaker, page 42
Example Selection and Customization:
Think Your Way Out,
page 42 Michael’s Mover hits third tier, and Michael
selects Controlled Fall, Run and Fight, and
Wrest From Chance, Seize Opportunity. With Controlled Fall, the
page 42
Streaker can vibrate so fast that he can slow
his descent, making a fall less damaging. With
Run and Fight, the Streaker can both move
and attack, seeming to zip point to point over

44
 MASK-FORM DESCRIPTOR AND TYPE

short distances at such speed it appears he your lower-tier abilities with a different one Adroit Memento Use
is teleporting. With Seize Opportunity, the from a lower tier. is the same as Adroit
Cypher Use.
Streaker can gain the upper hand while being Mask-Form Abilities: When you select a
attacked and then immediately attack his new fifth-tier ability, you can instead select a
attacker—by seeming to jump short distances fifth-tier mask-form ability. All prodigies have Fourth-Tier Explorer,
and land hits. Of course, all these speed abilities access to these special mask-form abilities. page 42
require the Streaker to, uh, streak to use them. Capable Warrior,
FIFTH-TIER MOVER ABILITIES page 42
FOURTH-TIER MOVER Choose 3 abilities
Expert, page 42
You gain the abilities noted for a fourth-tier Adroit Memento Use
Explorer. In addition, you can replace one of Increased Effects,
Jump Attack (5 Might points) page 42
your lower-tier abilities with a different one
from a lower tier. Mastery With Defense
Read the Signs,
Mask-Form Abilities: When you select a Parry (5 Speed points) page 42
new fourth-tier ability, you can instead select Physically Gifted
Runner, page 42
a fourth-tier mask-form ability. All prodigies Take Command (3 Intellect points)
have access to these special mask-form Tough As Nails,
Vigilant (5 Might points)
abilities. page 42

Fifth-Tier Explorer,
FOURTH-TIER MOVER ABILITIES Example Selection and Customization: page 42
Choose 2 abilities + additional power shift Michael’s Mover hits fifth tier, and Michael
Adroit Cypher Use,
to any ability selects Jump Attack, Parry, and Vigilant. The page 42
Additional Power Shift to Any Ability: This Jump Attack launches the Streaker into the air
at a high speed and lets him deliver a flurry of Jump Attack,
works like a permanent level of Effort on page 42
any ability. This permanently reduces the punches and strikes as he lands on a target.
difficulty of actions covered by the ability Parry represents the Streaker’s ability to see Mastery With Defense,
attacks coming and deflect them harmlessly page 42
with the power shift by one step per
power shift. before they can hit. Vigilant is just the Parry, page 42
Streaker’s high-speed metabolism at work; it
Capable Warrior Physically Gifted,
allows him to shrug off daze or stun attacks.
Expert page 42

Increased Effects SIXTH-TIER MOVER Take Command,

Read the Signs (4 Intellect points) You gain the abilities noted for a sixth-tier page 42

Runner Explorer. In addition, you can replace one of Vigilant, page 43

your lower-tier abilities with a different one
Tough As Nails
from a lower tier. Sixth-Tier Explorer,
page 43
Mask-Form Abilities: When you select a
Example Selection and Customization: new sixth-tier ability, you can instead select a Again and Again,
Michael’s Mover hits fourth tier, and Michael sixth-tier mask-form ability. All prodigies have page 43
selects Runner (duh) and Stone Breaker as access to these special mask-form abilities. Greater Skill With
his Mover’s two abilities. The Runner ability Attacks, page 43
is self-evident. Stone Breaker represents the SIXTH-TIER MOVER ABILITIES Mastery With Armor,
Streaker’s ability to hold an object in his blurry Choose 3 abilities page 43
hands and shake it to pieces. The Streaker now Again and Again (8 Speed points)
can boost any ability with one power shift as Spin Attack, page 43
Greater Skill With Attacks
well, reducing the difficulty of all tasks covered Wild Vitality,
in that category by one step. Mastery With Armor page 43
Spin Attack (5 Speed points)
FIFTH-TIER MOVER Wild Vitality (4 Intellect points) Mask-form abilities,
page 50
You gain the abilities noted for a fifth-tier
Explorer. In addition, you can replace one of Mask-form power shifts,
page 62

45
 Unmasked

Example Selection and Customization: Advancement of Changers: As Changers

Michael’s Mover hits sixth tier, and Michael advance, they become even smoother,
selects Again and Again, Spin Attack, and Wild cleverer, and cooler (usually).
Vitality for his Mover’s three abilities. Again
and Again is just a side effect of being so fast; it BUILDING A CHANGER
allows an extra action. Spin Attack represents The core of the Changer type in Unmasked
Speaker, page 44 the Streaker’s ability to hit up to five foes in is the Speaker from the Cypher System
reach in one action due to his superhuman Rulebook. As such, players playing a
First-Tier Speaker,
page 45 speed. Finally, Wild Vitality allows the Streaker Changer get to pick from the Speaker ability
to tap into the energy that powers life—which choices (as well as some special abilities
is apparently the core of his powers—and use defined below). Once a Speaker ability is
that force to gain various effects. selected, the player should give it a “feeling”
so it fits in the weird world of Unmasked.
Changers can always choose an ability
CHANGER from a lower tier instead of adding one from
Changers usually know what to say and their current tier, and they can replace one
when to say it. They see the ways people lower-tier ability with a different one from a
interact—who likes whom, who is jealous lower tier.
of whom, and what the newest cliques and The full text of Cypher System Rulebook
gangs in school are, or will be. This doesn’t abilities is not replicated here. Please refer
mean that they’re automatically shallow; to the Cypher System Rulebook for details
some think and feel very deeply. They just on your ability and equipment choices.
seem made for the social life. Below is a breakdown of what abilities are
Individual Role: Changers are all about preselected or available at each tier.
relationships. One on one, they can talk
anyone into anything, and they often do, to
get what they want. Sometimes these choices
have a negative impact on the people whose
CHANGER STATS
Changer Stat Pools
ears the Changers are bending, but Changers
often make up for it later. Stat Pool Starting Value
Group Role: Changers are the movers Might 9
and shakers in a group. They go and talk Speed 10
and question and keep the group abreast Intellect 9
of the various personalities that haunt the
standard high school. Since they know You get 6 additional points to divide
everyone, it’s likely a Changer will have a among your stat Pools however you
better idea of who might be a prodigy than wish.
anyone else in the group.
Prodigy Abilities and Foci: Changer mask-
forms tend to manifest abilities that help
them with people—either psychic powers FIRST-TIER CHANGER
or talents related to physical transformation You gain the abilities noted for a first-tier
and disguises, though this is not a hard and Speaker.
fast restriction. The teens that Changers Mask-Form Abilities: When you select a
manifest from tend to be on the less new first-tier ability for your prodigy, you can
Mask-form abilities, popular end of the spectrum. instead select a first-tier mask-form ability.
page 50 Power Shift Placement: Changers should All prodigies have access to these special
Mask-form power shifts,
place power shifts into their foci or type mask-form abilities.
page 62 abilities, or on skills such as positive or Prodigy Sight: You can see people and
negative social actions, if they wish to be places that are of special significance, as
superhumanly charming and transformative. well as identify, collect, and use mementos.

46
 MASK-FORM DESCRIPTOR AND TYPE

You can identify another prodigy on sight,

even if they’re not wearing their mask. This
ability is always active and cannot be turned
off, even when you’re just a teen.

FIRST-TIER CHANGER ABILITIES

Choose 4 abilities + Memento Use +
Prodigy Sight + Practiced With Light
Weapons
Aggression (2 Intellect points)
Encouragement (1 Intellect point)
Enthrall (1 Intellect point)
Erase Memories (3 Intellect points)
Fast Talk (1 Intellect point)
Interaction Skills: Pick two of the following:
deceiving, persuading, public speaking,
seeing through deception, or intimidating.
You can select this ability multiple times.
Practiced With Light and Medium
Weapons
Spin Identity (2+ Intellect points)
Terrifying Presence (2+ Intellect points)
Understanding (2 Intellect points)

Example Selection and Customization: Dee is SECOND-TIER CHANGER Aggression, page 45

making a first-tier Changer she calls “That Guy.” You gain the abilities noted for a second-tier
Encouragement,
She decides the mask-form is just a guy (or a Speaker. In addition, you can replace one of page 45
gal), you know? That Guy has a form that’s your lower-tier abilities with a different one
Enthrall, page 45
really difficult to describe but rarely looks out from a lower tier.
of place anywhere—totally different from the Mask-Form Abilities: When you select Erase Memories,
page 45
character’s tall, gawky teen-form with curly red a new second-tier ability, you can instead
Fast Talk, page 46
hair who can’t help but stand out. The Changer’s select a second-tier mask-form ability. All
costume is difficult to pin down; it seems to prodigies have access to these special Practiced With Light
and Medium Weapons,
change with them as they move about. Dee mask-form abilities. page 46
selects a Rambo knife (light weapon) for her Spin Identity, page 46
mask-form’s equipment. That Guy gets the SECOND-TIER CHANGER ABILITIES Terrifying Presence,
Memento Use, Prodigy Sight, and Practiced With Choose 2 abilities + additional power shift page 46
Light Weapons abilities automatically, and Dee to positive social interactions Understanding, page 46
selects Erase Memories, Fast Talk, Spin Identity, Additional Power Shift to Positive Social Second-Tier Speaker,
and Understanding for her Changer’s four abilities. Interactions: This works like a permanent page 46
She customizes these by saying that as long as her level of Effort on positive social Babel, page 46
mask-form doesn’t say ANY PERSON’S NAME, interaction rolls. Impart Ideal, page 46
they can work all their abilities and appear as a
Babel Practiced in Armor,
completely nondescript guy/girl whose presence page 46
people never question. While using their powers, Impart Ideal (3 Intellect points)
Skills, page 46
That Guy also has to end each sentence with Practiced in Armor
“dude.” The moment a name is required, asked, or Speed Recovery,
Skills page 46
spoken, or if the Changer fails to say, “dude,” That Speed Recovery (3 Intellect points) Unexpected Betrayal,
Guy is revealed as a mask. page 47
Unexpected Betrayal

47
 Unmasked

Expert Memento Use Example Selection and Customization: THIRD-TIER CHANGER

is the same as Expert Dee’s Changer hits second tier, and Dee selects You gain the abilities noted for a third-tier
Cypher Use.
Impart Ideal and Unexpected Betrayal. Impart Speaker. In addition, you can replace one of
Ideal will be tough, since That Guy’s power your lower-tier abilities with a different one
Third-Tier Speaker, restriction forces them to avoid names (“Hey, from a lower tier.
page 47 uh, you want to hit the, uh . . . brown-haired Mask-Form Abilities: When you select a
Accelerate, page 47
guy, dude?”). Unexpected Betrayal works new third-tier ability, you can instead select a
normally. That Guy also gains a permanent third-tier mask-form ability. All prodigies have
Blend In, page 47 power shift to positive social interactions. access to these special mask-form abilities.
Discerning Mind,
page 47 THIRD-TIER CHANGER ABILITIES
Choose 3 abilities
Expert Cypher Use,
page 47 Accelerate (4+ Intellect points)
Blend In (4 Intellect points)
Grand Deception,
page 48 Discerning Mind
Expert Memento Use
Mind Reading, page 48
Grand Deception (3 Intellect points)
Oratory, page 48 Mind Reading (4 Intellect points)
Telling, page 48 Oratory (4 Intellect points)
Telling (2 Intellect points)
Fourth-Tier Speaker,
page 48
Example Selection and Customization:
Dee’s Changer hits third tier, and Dee selects
Expert Memento Use, Grand Deception, and
Oratory. This means her teen (and mask-form)
can carry three mementos. Grand Deception
follows That Guy’s normal mask-power
restrictions. Oratory works as normal, but it’s
hard for the Changer to direct people to do
anything really useful without using names . . .

FOURTH-TIER CHANGER
You gain the abilities noted for a fourth-tier
Speaker. In addition, you can replace one of
your lower-tier abilities with a different one
from a lower tier.
Mask-Form Abilities: When you select a
new fourth-tier ability, you can instead select
a fourth-tier mask-form ability. All prodigies
have access to these special mask-form
abilities.

48
 MASK-FORM DESCRIPTOR AND TYPE

FOURTH-TIER CHANGER ABILITIES FIFTH-TIER CHANGER ABILITIES Adroit Memento Use

is the same as Adroit
Choose 2 abilities + additional power shift Choose 3 abilities Cypher Use.
to any ability Adroit Memento Use
Additional Power Shift to Any Ability: This Experienced With Armor Anticipate Attack,
works like a permanent level of Effort on Flee (6 Intellect points) page 48
any ability. This permanently reduces the
Font of Inspiration Confounding Banter,
difficulty of actions covered by the ability
Foul Aura (5+ Intellect points) page 48
with the power shift by one step per
power shift. Skill With Attacks Feint, page 48
Anticipate Attack (4 Intellect points) Stimulate (6 Intellect points)
Heightened Skills,
Confounding Banter (4 Intellect points) page 48
Feint (2 Speed points) Example Selection and Customization: Dee’s Psychosis, page 48
Heightened Skills Changer hits fifth tier, and Dee selects Adroit
Quick Wits, page 48
Psychosis (4 Intellect points) Memento Use (this allows the character to
carry four mementos), Flee, and Foul Aura for Read the Signs,
Quick Wits
her Changer’s new abilities. She customizes page 49
Read the Signs (4 Intellect points) the feeling of these in the following manner.
Suggestion, page 49
Suggestion (4 Intellect points) Flee requires That Guy to make a big deal
about some “bad dude” coming by describing Fifth-Tier Speaker,
page 49
Example Selection and Customization: what awful things the unnamed being will
Dee’s Changer hits fourth tier, and Dee selects inflict on those present. If the targets can’t Adroit Cypher Use,
Confounding Banter and Suggestion for her hear That Guy, they are unaffected. Foul Aura page 49
Changer’s new abilities. Confounding Banter requires That Guy to swear continuously at a
Experienced With
requires That Guy to say “Dude! Hey, dude!” location, filling it with a bad aura that forces Armor, page 49
over and over again. If That Guy can’t speak, people to stay away.
Flee, page 49
they can’t use the ability. Suggestion is similar,
but That Guy instead narrates what the SIXTH-TIER CHANGER Font of Inspiration,
controlled being in question is doing while they You gain the abilities noted for a sixth-tier page 49
are doing it (“First, he hit the guy in the silver Speaker. In addition, you can replace one of
Foul Aura, page 49
pants. Then, he took his keys…”). Again, no your lower-tier abilities with a different one
speaking, no ability. And finally, Dee applies a from a lower tier. Skill With Attacks,
page 49
permanent power shift to recovery (this grants Mask-Form Abilities: When you select a
her one extra immediate recovery roll). new sixth-tier ability, you can instead select Stimulate, page 49
a sixth-tier mask-form ability. All prodigies
FIFTH-TIER CHANGER have access to these special mask-form Sixth-Tier Speaker,
page 49
You gain the abilities noted for a fifth-tier abilities.
Speaker. In addition, you can replace one of Battle Management,
page 49
your lower-tier abilities with a different one SIXTH-TIER CHANGER ABILITIES
from a lower tier. Choose 2 abilities Inspiring Success,
Mask-Form Abilities: When you select a Battle Management (4 Intellect points)
page 49
new fifth-tier ability, you can instead select
Inspiring Success (6 Intellect points) Shatter Mind, page 49
a fifth-tier mask-form ability. All prodigies
have access to these special mask-form Shatter Mind (7+ Intellect points) True Senses, page 49
abilities. True Senses
Word of Command,
Word of Command (6 Intellect points + page 50
level 6 memento)

Mask-form abilities,
page 50

Mask-form power shifts,

page 62

49
 Unmasked

Example Selection and Customization: SECOND-TIER MASK-FORM ABILITIES

Dee’s Changer hits sixth tier, and Dee selects Backstory (2 Intellect points): You can
Shatter Mind and Word of Command for her suddenly and significantly have a history
Changer’s new abilities. She customizes the with another mask-form—even one you
feeling of these in the following manner. To have not “met” before. This revelation
use Shatter Mind, That Guy must whisper in should be a single sentence such as, “We
the target’s ear, “What’s your damage, dude?” fought each other in Paris.” The target
And Word of Command (which dictates the mask-form remembers this event as well and
sacrifice of a level 6 memento) requires That it shapes their thinking. The statement can
Guy to tell the target what to do in haiku. only include a shared event, not a result. For
Five syllables, seven syllables, five syllables. example, you could say you fought them,
Otherwise, it doesn’t operate. but not who won the fight. Enabler.
No Pictures (3 Intellect points): When you
wish, your mask-form does not cooperate
MASK-FORM ABILITIES with cameras; all photos or video of the
Characters of any type may choose from mask-form simply show an unidentifiable
the following mask-form abilities at the blur for the next 24 hours. Enabler.
appropriate tier, in lieu of selecting any of
their type abilities. These are general abilities THIRD-TIER MASK-FORM ABILITIES
found throughout the prodigy population. Flesh Wound (3 Intellect points): When
damaged, your mask-form moves up the
FIRST-TIER MASK-FORM ABILITIES damage track in six hours, instead of 24 hours.
The following abilities are designed to suit Teenage Disguise (4 Intellect points): For
any mask-forms in Unmasked. up to five minutes outside of combat when
Liberace (1 Intellect point): Every time your you choose, your mask-form can appear to
mask-form manifests, you have a different anyone observing it to look and sound like
costume—though it is always built around your teen-form. If you are attacked or attack,
a single thematic element. For example, the illusion vanishes instantly. Action.
your mask-form’s costume might always be
purple, but if they manifest near the ocean, FOURTH-TIER MASK-FORM ABILITIES
it might be purple scuba gear. In a police Shrug It Off (5 Might points): You must
station, it might be a weird purple uniform. activate this ability before your mask-form
Work with the GM to determine its final suffers any damage. After that, any attack
form. This outfit remains until the character that inflicts 6 or more points of damage,
goes from mask-form to teen-form. Enabler. or that moves your mask-form down the
Seek Them Out (1 Intellect point): By damage track, may be “shrugged off” as if it
searching within long range, you can see never happened—once. To all present, the
the telltale signs of any mask-form that attack appears to hit and inflict damage, but
has traveled in that area within the last you’re fine. Once you remove your mask or
24 hours, leaving a trail of power behind “shrug off” the damage, the power must be
like exhaust from a vehicle. If you know reactivated normally. Action.
the mask-form, you can tell whether it was Suppression (5 Intellect points): You can
them. Action. stifle your mask-form’s natural emanation
Where Did THAT Come From? (2 Might of power, making it more difficult for other
points): You can conceal a single heavy prodigies to see you for what you are. You
weapon or an inanimate object weighing still emit the power, but it’s in much, much
up to 1 ton (1 t) on your person in an smaller amounts than for most prodigies.
undiscoverable location immune to search. Instead of just seeing you, any prodigy looking
In fact, even if your character is stripped, at you must make an Intellect defense roll
the hidden item cannot be found until you with an increase in difficulty of one step. This
choose to show it. Enabler. effect lasts for 24 hours. Action.

50
 MASK-FORM DESCRIPTOR AND TYPE

FIFTH-TIER MASK-FORM ABILITIES SIXTH-TIER MASK-FORM ABILITIES

Dancing Between the Rain Drops (7 Intellect No Can Do (10 Intellect points): You can
points): Your mask-form can cross an prevent the activation of all mementos
area of great danger to a specific target within 20 feet (6 m) of you for 24 hours.
in sight range and ignore all damage or This does not destroy the mementos or
attacks in the interim. For example, if the prevent them from broadcasting their
mask-form needs to cross an area of toxic power; it only stops them from being used.
waste to get to a little kid, they could do Action.
so—appearing to leap and dodge in a super Second Wind (10 Intellect points): When
specific manner to avoid the puddles. This activated, this power allows the mask-form
also applies to fire, bullets, explosions, and to “reset” to hale and full stat Pools until
nearly anything else. Once the mask-form the end of the current combat engagement
arrives at the target, the effect ends. Action. (what constitutes an engagement remains
Not It (6 Intellect points): Your mask-form up to the GM to decide). At the end of the
can cause a single target to ignore them engagement, the mask-form returns to
completely for five minutes, no matter the their previous damage track rating and stat
circumstances (whether they’re stealing a safe Pools, and their mask comes off, returning
or punching a wall of living stone, or if their them to teen-form, exhausted. Action.
hair is on fire). The affected target does not
clearly remember what happened, only that
they ran into someone “unimportant.” Action. NEXT STEP
Once you create your teen and select their
mask-form type, move on to selecting your
mask-form focus in the following chapter.

51
 Unmasked
Chapter 7
CREATING THE MASK-
MASK-FORM FOCUS

I n Unmasked, while type is the core

of the mask-form that the PC teen
transforms into, the focus is the main
power that mask-form possesses. It’s the
verb in the character creation sentence, “I
are available for the players to choose
from, even ones that might seem—at first
blush—not to be appropriate.

am an adjective noun who verbs.” When the NEW FOCI FOR UNMASKED
teen puts on their mask, this is their big The following four new foci are presented
power. They may have a ton of type abilities here in Unmasked for the first time, but they
related to this power, but the focus—that’s can easily be used in any appropriate Cypher
their main power, or the source of their System setting.
power. (And remember, when not wearing
their mask, they’re just a teen and have no FLIES BY NIGHT
type or focus.) Your mask-form thrives in darkness. While
you can exist in light, all rolls when your
mask-form is exposed to any bright light
CHOOSING A FOCUS count as one step more difficult. In the
It is best for the game if PCs do not share darkness—even just in shadow—you thrive.
the same focus. It’s supposed to represent It’s like a medium you swim in, drink in, and
something unique and cool about the subsist on. You usually strike a terrifying
mask-form and shouldn’t be just another figure to those who wander into your
run-of-the-mill ability. Luckily, due to darkness.
the impossible nature of the Unmasked Connection: Choose one of the following.
prodigies, nearly all foci (from any genre) 1. Pick Pick one other PC’s mask-form.

52
 MASK-FORM FOCUS

You know them, and they know you—as Major Effect Suggestion: Your foe is Flies by Night GM
if you and they had interacted for a long terrified of supernatural beasties—and you Intrusions: You remove
your mask due to
time—but where and when you met, and are their worst nightmare. The difficulty of exhaustion, and some
how they feel toward one another remains all defense rolls against them is reduced by affected creatures of
up to you to decide. one step. the night come calling
2. Pick one other PC’s teen-form. You when you can’t control
them. You remove your
really dislike them. Nearly any problem can Tier 1: Freaks Come Out at Night (1 mask due to exhaustion
be traced back to them. Intellect point). You can summon small while in night form or
3. Pick one other PC (both forms). One creatures that persist in darkness or in shadow form, and
you drop to the ground
of your forms is in love with one of their shadow (nocturnal animals) to serve as
roughly, suffering 3 points
forms. Whether this love is unrequited or your emissaries and servants. This ability of Might damage to your
unknown is up to you to decide. functions only in an area known to be teen-form.
4. Pick one other PC’s teen-form. This inhabited by such creatures (so, if you’re in
person seems to be able to see through a jet aircraft, it’s unlikely you can call up a
your posturing and can always tell when rat, roach, or raccoon). The animals can be
you’re bluffing. dispatched on complex tasks that do not
Additional Equipment: You love cloaks. involve violence, and they will flee normally
Riding boots and black lace shirts, too. It’s if attacked. Otherwise, they will do their best
likely you have several goth outfits to match to avoid detection while completing their
your dire outlook on life in the shadows. charge. For example, you could instruct a
Minor Effect Suggestion: Your foe fails to brood of rats to chew through the ropes on
notice you and needs a moment to turn their a winch or to form a perfect circle around a
attention toward you again, losing an action. person. Action.

53
 Unmasked

The Manner of All Beasts. Nocturnal actions they undertook. This trail vanishes
animals speak to you. The smaller the animal, in light. Action.
the simpler the “report,” and all information
is channeled through the intellect of the Tier 3: The Killing Moon (3 Might points).
particular beast. A roach might call a house a Depending on the phase of the moon,
“woodwoodwood,” while a rat might call it “a you gain an additional Pool of points you
human-nest,” for example. Their language is can move to any mask-form Pool at any
understandable only to you. time until the next moon rises. The GM
determines what phase the moon is in.
Tier 2: Ghost Dance (2 Intellect points). Full Moon. You gain 6 points to place
Living beings cut paths through shadow in any stat Pool. When this Pool hits 0, it
that only you can see, like a wake left behind remains empty until the moon rises again.
a vehicle moving through water. This “dark Half Moon. You gain 5 points to place
wake” persists for an hour after a being in any stat Pool. When this Pool hits 0, it
moves through the shadow, and you can see remains empty until the moon rises again.
the basic trail where it traveled in the area, Quarter Moon. You gain 4 points to place
as well as the wormlike trail of its body as it in any stat Pool. When this Pool hits 0, it
moved through space. In so examining the remains empty until the moon rises again.
wake, you can deduce the meaning of the New Moon. GM’s choice.

I CAN’T FIND THE POWER I WANT IN MY FOCUS OR TYPE AT TIER 1!

Don’t worry if you can’t find precisely the power you want at tier 1 for your type or
Mask-form power shifts, focus. Later in the process, you will be given three power shifts to assign to your
page 62 mask-form. A power shift permanently lowers the difficulty of all actions covered by
the ability it is assigned to by one step and does not count toward maximum Effort
use. This means, if you assigned all three power shifts to strength, any strength-
related task of level 3 or lower would need no roll to succeed. You could just kick in a
door of level 3 without a roll. A power shift can be assigned to nearly anything.
Secondarily, if you don’t see an ability at tier 1 by type or focus that interests you,
Mask-form abilities, remember you can always select a mask-form ability in the equivalent tier.
page 50
DEALING WITH WEIRD IMPLICATIONS IN CERTAIN FOCI
Some foci appear to deal with “out-of-genre” situations, such as Pilots Starcraft or
Slays Monsters. Slays Monsters, of course, implies there are monsters to slay. How
is that possible on Earth in 1986 without some giant retcon? Well, it’s actually pretty
easy. The mask creates the monsters (though by default, the PC doesn’t know this and
might never learn it). Masks tap the psyche of the user, taking everything—the good
and the bad—to remake the world in a limited way. Put on the mask, and you may run
into monsters gunning for you.
Other foci have much bigger implications, like Pilots Starcraft. It’s unlikely a mask-
form can have a starship (but you never know), so is that off the table? Well, the
answer is: kind of. The abilities associated with the focus would offer little to a planet-
bound mask, so there’s little reason to choose it. Still, someone could choose to do
so. How would this be handled? Well, for one, the mask-form might be a misplaced
starship captain stuck on a desolate little backwater called Earth (or some such
nonsense), and all their focus abilities that applied to the “starship” could also cover
the basics of normal, earthly vehicles—since they’re so damn primitive. “Of course I
can fly a hell-o-copter—I came here in a Rhodassian generation ship, you trumped-up
monkey!”

54
 MASK-FORM FOCUS

Tier 4: Night Moves (4 Intellect points). the far side is not sufficient for your body to
If you pause and concentrate, you can fit in, your body suffers serious damage as
expand your senses to encompass any it tries to expand in the new, smaller space.
living creature in shadow or darkness within Treat this as dropping one step on the
1 mile (2 km). This ability operates for as damage track. Action.
long as you remain still (and free from
attack). When the ability is broadened to Tier 6: Shadows of the Night (6 Intellect
all creatures in the radius, it decreases the points). You can become a disembodied,
difficulty of all actions to do with searching, flowing shadow of up to 20 feet (6 m) in
spying, sneaking, and climbing within length that can move across surfaces (even
that radius by one step, for one hour. On defying normal light sources by crossing
a successful Intellect roll, you can find a lit areas), for up to ten minutes at a time.
specific creature known to you and spy You can even float into the air (and up).
with its senses (hearing, sight, touch, taste, In this form, you can move anywhere
smell). This is not limited to nocturnal light can move—no matter how small the
animals, only animals currently in shadow. opening. Glass is as good as an open door
It does not include humans. Action. to you. In night form, you are immune to
physical damage, but likewise, you cannot
Tier 5: Night Shift (5 Might points). You attack (with physical or mental powers)
can fold your body into a dimensionless until you choose to change back to your
shape that defies reason and then squeeze normal mask-form. Even in open light, you
through absurdly small spaces, such as a can maintain your night form (for a time).
crack in a door jamb or a keyhole. If air can Action.
move through it, so can you, in one swift
movement. On the far side of the obstacle,
you resume normal shape. If that space on

55
 Unmasked

LIVES ON THE DARK SIDE 3. Pick one other PC’s mask-form. It has
Lives on the Dark Side You see the spiritual landscape of the taken a shine to your teen-form and does its
GM Intrusions: You universe unfolding before you, moment to best to protect and help them.
remove your mask due
to exhaustion, and your moment. By focusing your energies, you 4. Pick another PC’s mask-form. When it
power seems to attract can change the outcome of events, see the comes in contact with your teen-form, all its
the attention of enemies future, and alter the minds of the weak, abilities inflict 1 point more damage.
to your teen-form. You but these changes cause disturbances Additional Equipment: Your mask-form
remove your mask due to
exhaustion and drop it to and ripples that only you can sense. These tends to either be concealed beneath a
the ground, out of reach. abilities allow you to know things before cloak, or to wear an ascetic’s robes and
others do, to alter situations to suit your simple, monk-like attire.
needs, and even to shift the outcome of life- Minor Effect Suggestion: Your foe is
changing events. It is an immense burden, affected by the power in an unpredictable
as well as an endless boon, when used wisely. way, and they lash out, cause a problem,
You tend to be withdrawn, observant, and, or destroy something—just not you or
above all, decisive—some might even say anything you possess.
cruel. But then again, few understand the Major Effect Suggestion: Your foe is
access to limitless power you possess. somehow protected by the very force you wield,
Connection: Choose one of the following. for reasons you don’t understand. All attempts
1. Pick one other PC’s mask-form. They to use your focus abilities against them
are buddies with your mask-form—with a automatically fail. This effect lasts 24 hours.
long history of adventures together.
2. Pick one other PC’s teen-form. Your Tier 1: Wax On, Wax Off (2 Speed points).
abilities are super effective against them: When you activate this ability, you must hold
all such rolls are treated as one step less your hand up in front of you. All projectile
difficult. weapons targeted at you hit your hand
instead and inflict 0 points of damage for as

56
 MASK-FORM FOCUS

long as you keep your hand raised. To take Tier 4: Need for Speed (5+ Speed points).
any other action besides walking and using For each Speed point spent above 5, you
this ability, you must lower your hand. Action. can move to any point within long range
as if it were a single step. Each additional
Tier 2: Phone Home (3 Intellect points). “speed run” past the first costs 1 Speed
You can see, sense, and feel the current point. To those watching, you appear to
situation of targets and, to a certain degree, blur and nearly teleport from point to
their near future. Choose from one of point (though you still have to cross the
effects below. Action. intervening space). You can act normally for
Person to Person. As long as you suffer one action at the conclusion of each “speed
no damage, you can see, hear, and feel run,” but the speed run effect ends if you do
anything a single friendly target does, over not choose to “speed run” again at the end
any distance. You do not have access to of that action, and you must pay the whole
their thoughts, and the ability does not cost again to reactivate the power. Action.
operate on enemies. The target is aware of
your presence. You and the target remain Tier 5: Get Over Here! (5 Intellect points). You
in contact until the connection is severed can cause any person up to twice your size
when you take damage or activate any other or any object up to 500 pounds (230 kg) to
power or ability. float through the air and jump to your hand or
Future Proof. You see the near future of land on the ground in front of you, in a single
a friendly target. These visions are vague, round. This is useful for grabbing enemies at a
but have revelatory clues embedded in distance, rapidly dropping some cover in front
them. Often, they are symbolic. The final of your position, or snatching an object, gun, or
disposition of the vision and its meaning other weapon. If anybody is between you and
are up to the GM. the object being pulled to you, and the object is
Thoughts and Schemes. You can open of significant size (such as an air conditioner
yourself to the psyches of your enemies. You or a person), they suffer 2 points of damage as
can ask one yes/no question about their the object smashes past them. Action.
plans and receive an answer. For example,
you could ask, “Does the army know my Tier 6: Most Impressive! (7 Speed points)
identity?” and receive a truthful “yes” or You can choose one of the following effects:
“no” answer. But you couldn’t ask, “Where Missed Me. You can shrug off any attack
is the army base?” that just happened in the last round,
removing all of its damage and ill effects
Tier 3: Fool, Pity the (4 Intellect points). (even restoring you on the damage track,
You suddenly appear to cut a terrifying unpoisoning you, etc.). To all present, it
figure for up to one minute. People shrink looks as if you were hit or affected, but
at your voice, posture, and appearance, suddenly and inexplicably sidestepped it.
though how you look and what you say Perfect Dodge. For the next six turns,
doesn’t even matter. This activates and no attack (mental or physical) can hit you
deactivates as suddenly as a light switch as long as you do not attack any target.
flipping. The difficulty of all negative social The moment you attack, or at the end of
interactions (such as threatening, bluffing, six rounds, this effect ends. You appear to
or commanding) is reduced by two steps move in a preternatural way, sidestepping,
while this power is active. If those affected jumping, and dodging with ease, as if you
by this ability are engaged in combat with could see each attack coming before it lands.
you, you gain an asset on initiative tasks Out and Over. In a single action, you leap to
and the difficulty of all attacks against the lowest vertical surface that you can hang on
affected targets is reduced by one step. The to (such as the lip of a building), no matter the
ability is not selective and works on allies as height difference. If this distance is greater than
well as enemies. Action. a single story, the effect looks preternatural.

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 Unmasked

TRAVELS BACK FROM THE FUTURE simple actions at your command, like
Travels Back From the Your mask-form jumps back from a future flipping a switch, throwing a gun away, or
Future GM Intrusions: time stream to warn you, help you, or just removing someone’s glasses. The duplicate
Your mask-form blinks
out of existence for a split
plain make your life better. Each time you do has all your skills and knowledge. If the
second to fulfill some this, you claim, you must go back to close duplicate takes any damage, they vanish
need in the past or future, the loop at some future date—but who into the time stream. Action.
causing your action to knows? It might all happen on a Wednesday
fail. Your mask-form
blinks out of existence to in 2022, or not at all. Sometimes your future Tier 2: Time After Time (3 Might points). A
fulfill some need in the duplicate seems strange, as if they’re from time duplicate of yourself appears within
past or future, and when some alternate timeline. 1 mile (2 km) and can act normally under
you return, you’re injured,
Connection: Choose one of the following. your control for an hour—as long as they
knocked one step down
the damage track. 1. Pick one other PC’s mask-form. They suffer no damage, do not see you, and
know a terrible secret about your mask- do not move farther than 5 miles (8 km)
form, and you know they know. from your location. The duplicate can
2. Pick one other PC’s teen-form. They are attack normally and use all your skills. They
invisible to your abilities. know everything you know. The moment
3. Pick one other PC’s mask-form. You the duplicate takes damage or sees you,
used your abilities on them, and now they they vanish instantly into the time stream.
don’t trust you. Action.
4. Pick one other PC’s mask-form. They
seem to boost your focus. When they are Tier 3: Future Shock (4 Might points). Your
touching your mask-form, all rolls are next successful physical attack on a target is
treated as one step lower in difficulty. treated as three such attacks and successes
Additional Equipment: You or your time (inflicting the damage three times as well).
duplicates may be dressed in bizarre, To anyone watching, it appears that time
futuristic, or random clothing from any duplicates suddenly manifest in a haze, land
number of alternate dimensions. For all manner of attacks on the target, and then
example, when you summon a time instantly vanish. Action.
duplicate, they might be wearing a
spacesuit, an electrician’s jumpsuit, or Tier 4: Backup (5 Might points). If any of
holding a stop sign. The standard GM your stat Pools are below maximum, you
response when the time duplicate is asked can swap bodies with a time duplicate,
about their odd outfit is, “You’ll see,” or restoring your stat Pools to full for the next
“Don’t ask.” ten minutes, whereupon you’re dumped
Minor Effect Suggestion: Your foe focuses back into your old, damaged form in
on the time duplicate instead of you—the the current time stream. The Might cost
source of the time duplicates. When your comes out of the form you are leaving, but
duplicate leaves, the foe goes after you. eventually you always have to pay the piper.
Major Effect Suggestion: Your foe is This appears to witnesses as if you are
stunned by a time duplicate’s sudden suddenly restored to a pristine, undamaged
appearance or disappearance, and loses a form. If you have moved down the damage
round goggling at it. track, this does mean you move up the
damage track to hale, instantly. Action.
Tier 1: That’s Heavy (3 Might points). A time
duplicate of yourself appears anywhere in Tier 5: I Already Did It (6 Intellect points).
sight range and tackles a person or lands on You can set any item, mechanical device,
a target as if appearing from thin air above or piece of furniture in a single enclosed
them. While the time duplicate encumbers area into any position you want and have it
them, all attacks against a tackled target are fall, drop, open, light up, or turn on or off
reduced in difficulty by one step. This time at a particular moment in time. You know
duplicate can’t attack, but they can perform this is done by going back in time and

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 MASK-FORM FOCUS

moving things around in a rapid-fire series the future, and describe how the chandelier
of preselected movements, but no one else will fall in 15 seconds, and then it does.
knows it. You vanish for a split second (so
fast that it’s hardly noticeable) and go back Tier 6: How Soon Is Now? (9 Might points).
in time to move and rearrange the room You can call up a time duplicate whom you
in any manner you like. No one present control and who will fight beside you for
realizes it, because to them, the room was the length of a single combat engagement
always like this. This adjustment can provide (what constitutes a single engagement is up
one of the options that follow. Action. to the GM). During this time, you control
Ouch! You set up a chain reaction of the time duplicate as if it were a second
items that increases the damage of any character with identical powers, abilities,
attack you make by +3 points. For example, and skills. However, this duplicate cannot
you tilt a bookshelf so that just tapping it call another time duplicate. Action.
causes it to smash down on a foe.
What Was That? You set up an item to fall WANTS TO BE ADORED
out of sight, causing a significant enough Your mask-form is seductive in look, action, Wants to Be Adored
distraction that the difficulty of all sneaking or speech, and sometimes all three. People GM Intrusions: You
remove your mask due to
and stealth tasks is decreased by one step as like you. Those attracted to forms like exhaustion, and former
attention is drawn elsewhere. For example, you yours love you. You wield this charm like a false allies immediately
place a broom on a wall around the corner, weapon, cutting through relationships and take it out on your teen-
knowing it will slide and slam on the floor. rules like a samurai cuts through enemies. form. You remove your
mask due to exhaustion,
I’m Psychic! You know what’s going to Connection: Choose one of the following. and someone begins to
happen next (for example, a broom is going 1. Pick one other PC’s mask-form. You piece together that your
to drop and cause a door to slam) and intensely dislike them for unexplainable powers are responsible
for various oddities in the
can use this foreknowledge to try and bluff reasons.
town.
people in the area. The difficulty of all such 2. Pick one other PC’s teen-form. You
bluffing actions is reduced by one step for want to help them—whether they want that
a short time. For example, you claim to see help or not.

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 Unmasked

3. Pick one other PC (both forms). don’t really leave—they’re just not in the
Something about them draws you close, but conversation anymore.
that attraction is always tinged with a feeling That Was Dumb. The target is sure the
of impending danger. last thing they said was a bad idea, and they
4. Pick another PC’s mask-form. They are won’t reexamine it for at least an hour (even
always in your way. When you are in a fight if it was a really great idea).
together, the difficulty of all your physical Hush Your Mouth. Whatever the
actions is increased by one step. target is saying, your look shuts them up
Additional Equipment: You usually dress immediately. They don’t speak again in this
well, or at least with enough fashion sense conversation until invited to do so by you.
that you can bully others into admiring such
bold choices. Assume you’re always dressed Tier 2: End of Line (4 Intellect points). With
in some amazing fashion (this need not be a single word, you can remove the ability
attractive, but it’s always striking). of a person to speak except for the last
Minor Effect Suggestion: Your foe, once word they uttered, over and over again. For
free of your abilities, hates you and will do example, if someone shouted, “Look out!”
their best to ruin your day. and was hit by this ability, they would be
Major Effect Suggestion: Your foe able to say only, “Out! Out! Out!” This effect
becomes obsessed with you (in a good or can be removed by you with a single word,
bad way) and will do their best to track you or it naturally expires in 24 hours.
down and enact their plans.
Tier 3: I’ll Be Back (6 Intellect points). You
Tier 1: Stink Eye (1 Intellect point). You can ingratiate yourself to one person with small
fix a person in proximity to you with a look talk, and convince them that no matter what
that has one of several effects. Action. you’re doing (and just you), it’s important
I Wasn’t Talking to You. The target is and completely legal, and you’ll be back
made so uncomfortable by your glance to fix things up shortly. The target believes
that they disengage and step away. They this wholeheartedly until they are attacked,

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or until you attack someone else in their Tier 6: My Buddy (10 Intellect points).
presence or are out of their presence for Through small talk, you form a bond with
more than an hour. Otherwise, no matter a single person. While the bond lasts, they
how strange it seems, you and your actions believe they are your best friend. If given
are just A-OK with the target. You’re an good reasons by you, they will perform
amazing person. Action. nearly any action for you, including an act of
violence, but you must provide the GM an
Tier 4: Just Do It (5 Intellect points). By explanation of how you attempt to convince
shouting a single word of command directly them to do so. If they are predisposed to
at a person of level 4 or below, you can such actions, it takes less cajoling to get
cause them to take a single, brief action them to do it. This effect lasts until they
without thinking about it. This does include lose sight of you, suffer 3 or more points of
injuring themselves or allies, but not damage (or move down the damage track),
prolonged violence. For instance, you could or suffer any significant trauma. The ability
cause a guard to shoot himself in the foot, can never convince them to physically harm
but not attack everyone in the room. Action. loved ones, though it may make them lie,
cheat, or steal from them. Action.
Tier 5: EVERYBODY! (6 Intellect points).
You can shout in such a manner that it
gains the attention of all the people you NEXT STEP
wish it to within 1,000 feet (300 m). All Once you create your teen and select the
who hear the shout lose an action, goggling focus for their mask-form type, you can
at the speaker. For the next five rounds, move on to assigning power shifts.
the difficulty of all attacks against them is
reduced by one step as they shake off the
distraction. Action.

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 Unmasked
Chapter 8
CREATING THE MASK-
MASK-FORM POWER SHIFTS

I n Unmasked, mask-forms can perform

amazing actions that place them well
beyond the everyday world, and not all
of these abilities come from type or foci.
Prodigies do this by using power shifts. A
Usually, these power shifts are distributed
among various powers, abilities, or skills.
Other times, they are clustered in a single
category, to lift a super smart, resilient, or
effective mask-form to an order of skill that
power shift permanently lowers the difficulty of a normal person could never match.
all actions covered by the ability it is assigned
to by one step and does not count toward
maximum Effort use. This means that if you POWER SHIFT CATEGORIES
assigned all three power shifts to strength, Players should feel free to be creative with the
any strength-related task of level 3 or lower three power shifts they can place on abilities
would need no roll to succeed. You could in their new mask-form. There is no definitive
just kick in a door of level 3 without a roll. list, because power shifts can be used on
During character creation, a player may nearly anything. GMs should work with their
assign three power shifts to any of their mask- players to establish what does and does not
form’s abilities. Once assigned to a particular make sense for a power shift. Players, of
ability, these power shifts do not change. course, will be driven to find a way to have the
During character advancement, as the PC rises power shift affect the most rolls possible, and
in tiers, an additional two power shifts are it is the GM’s job to curtail their very natural
unlocked for each type (some may be assigned urge to gain power. Here are some helpful
anywhere, and others are prescribed based guidelines. Power shifts should be:
on type). This means that the most powerful Clear: The name of the power shift should
mask-form possible has five power shifts. clearly establish what it is, and at least imply

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 MASK-FORM POWER SHIFTS

what it affects. For example, “Aquatic!” Indicative of the PC they are attached
goes a long way in suggesting what kinds to: The power shifts should not stand out
of rolls it influences (all rolls dealing with as odd when viewed in relationship to the
swimming, water, holding your breath, etc.), mask-form. For example, a slight, brainy
but “Stuff” does not. What does that even psychic might need a healing or resilience
mean? Jot down a note next to the power power shift, but why should they have it?
shift to make sure its meaning is clear, at Some examples are provided below
least to you and your GM. to give you a head start (these are by no
Restricted in scope: All power shifts means the only power shifts):
should be attached to a power, ability, or 1. Accuracy. Your mask-form has a hard time
situation. For example, you couldn’t just missing. You get a boost to all attack rolls.
have a “me” power shift which allowed your 2. Dexterity. Your mask-form is
PC a power shift for any roll they made. preternaturally fast. You get a boost to all
Instead, it would work better to specify movement, acrobatics, dexterity, and Speed
that your ionic blast ability had +3 points of defense tasks.
damage for its single power shift, your flight 3. Empathic. Your mask-form can sense
had a regular power shift, and your dexterity thoughts and emotions, giving it an
was boosted with a power shift. You can advantage when dealing with bargaining,
also state that the power shift is linked to negotiating, or interpersonal understanding.
an event (for example, nightfall) or even a 4. Healing. Your mask-form gains one
ritual (“I drink some blood!”). How? Just additional recovery roll per shift (each is
establish the limit and talk to your GM. one action and comes before other normal
recovery rolls).

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 Unmasked

5. Intelligence. Your mask-form is brilliant, 13. Run and Gun. Any attack rolls
gaining a boost to all Intellect defense rolls your mask-form makes while using your
and all knowledge, science, and crafting skills. movement power (besides the movement
6. Night Ranger. At night, all your mask- power itself) are boosted with a power shift.
form’s rolls gain a power shift. 14. Social. This power shift boosts any
7. Perfect Organism. This power shift positive social interactions with your mask-
enhances all healing and resistance form.
to poisons, suffocation, drowning, or 15. Speed Freak. This power shift boosts
biologicals while in mask-form. all movement, running, jumping, or
8. Power. The mask-form has reduced climbing in mask-form.
difficulty in the use of a specific power or is 16. Weird Science. Any science you
granted +3 additional points of damage to the touch becomes super science. Using this
power per shift (does not affect attack rolls). weird power, you bend, break, and change
9. Psychic Power. Your mask-form gains a the fundamentals of science, creating
power shift for Intellect defense and attack fascinating hybrid futuristic machines.
rolls when using psychic powers.
10. Psycho Killer. Your mask-form’s
psychic attacks are boosted by +3 points of WRAPPING IT UP
damage per shift. Once you assign the power shifts, fill in
11. Reaction Speed. Your mask-form has a your mask-form’s name. Look for any
boost on initiative and Speed defense rolls. outstanding info you’ve missed on your
12. Resilience. Your mask-form knows character sheet. If you’re finished, you’re
how to take a hit, all Might defense rolls are ready to enter the world of Unmasked.
boosted, or you gain +1 Armor per shift.

NPC PRODIGIES AND POWER SHIFTS

Of course, NPC prodigy mask-forms also have power shifts. These are applied as a
level boost when the category of their power shift comes into play. For example, let’s
say the level 5 mask-form Lucifuge has two power shifts in strength. For all feats of
strength, Lucifuge would count as level 7.

PUSHING IT
Prodigy mask-forms can do impossible things, often just by believing they can.
The GM may allow players to push their power shifts in a life-or-death situation. This
optional rule allows a player to move a power shift rank from one category into
another for one round at the cost of 2 XP per shift. This can occur only if the situation
is particularly dire; you can’t just trigger it, and it can occur only once per game
session per character. Also, the player must come up with a reasonable explanation
that fits the situation, their powers, and the outcome.
Example: Doug, in his mask-form as Emerald Herald, looks up to see Igor casually
throwing a school bus at him. Doug asks whether he can push his power shifts, and the
GM agrees that for the Emerald Herald (a slight psychic who moves pretty slowly), being
crushed by a school bus might be considered “life-threatening.” The player describes the
Emerald Herald as focusing psychic energy on his feet in glowing green points of light, and
he spends 4 XP to move two power shifts from his intelligence to dexterity. Doug makes
the Speed defense roll (with the difficulty reduced by two steps) and handily gets out of the
way. The Emerald Herald claims he used his telekinesis to speed up his muscle movement.
The next round, his power shifts return to intelligence.

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 PART 3: WELCOME TO 1986
TRUE COLORS
When the guy came in, it was like, yeah, I knew it . . . He. Him. Whatever. He shot through the door to
the gym, and the doors just, like . . . exploded, man. Metal fire doors. They bounced and tumbled and slid on
the rubber floor, making those big gashes. You see them?
The guy? He looked like some sort of pro wrestler. Hulk Hogan? But like, not natural. Bigger. Like, too
big, man. Scary big.
That didn’t stop him. He said, “Hey, lady!” What? No. That’s all he said.
The other, the woman, was more like a cutout. Like those old scrape slates from kindergarten, you
remember those? You draw on the plastic, and when you lift the film, the picture disappears. Yeah, well. Ah,
screw it. Yeah. She looked like that. Not like she was wearing that-she WAS that. Yeah, I know how it sounds.
Why the hell would I make something like that up?
Okay? So. The guy picks up the bleacher. I mean, like, rips it out. The whole thing. What does something
like that weigh? A bunch of kids go tumbling. He dumped them off before throwing it-like you’d, uh, shake
off some peas from a spoon or something?-so that’s good, I guess.
He threw it like, you know, it was a bit heavy even for him. But he still threw it a good 10 yards. It landed
ON the lady, but it seemed to split as it fell on her. I could, like, see little bits of sparkly black around her
when it hit. Like whatever she was made of was cutting through the wood. It was weird. Like, really weird.
She had these, like, uh . . . tentacles that came out of her head then. First they ripped the bleacher in
half and chucked it aside. That’s when Angelina, uh . . . Jaspers was hit. Is she okay? I saw her moving
afterwards, but then the ambulance came.
What?
That? That’s just a thing I made for art class. It’s stupid. It’s just a mask. Dumb. We all had to make one.
Can I, uh . . . go now?

CHAPTER 9: THE EIGHTIES 66

CHAPTER 10: THE TOWN 70
CHAPTER 11: THE SCHOOL 76
CHAPTER 12: THE THREAT 84
CHAPTER 13: THE BIG PICTURE 88
 Unmasked
Chapter 9

THE EIGHTIES

T he 1980s were a time of upheaval,

renewal, and technological
advancement in the United States.
Recovering from the gas crisis and
recession of the late 1970s, the first
THE WORLD
The world of international relations in
1986 is one of boredom, interspersed by
moments of tense alert. America and its
NATO allies faced off in a constant contest
stumbling steps into the 1980s were of wills with the Soviet Union and the
fraught with further crises in the forms of Warsaw Pact nations—communist satellites
rising inflation and interest rates, shifting captured at the end of World War II. At
leadership on a national level, and the any moment, a stockpile of nearly 60,000
growth in power of religious conservatism. nuclear weapons between the two countries
By the mid-1980s, the country had found its were either deployed and ready to fire as a
footing. The recession eased, the economy deterrent, or prepared for retaliatory strike.
rose, and the United States once again If even a fraction of these were launched, it
enjoyed economic growth. would effectively mean the end the world.
To most in the nation, the American Occasional international incidents
dream was still alive, and they could achieve occurred, but by 1986, the new Soviet party
it through hard work, education, and chief, Mikhail Gorbachev, had been actively
persistence. As the decade (and the next) pursuing a policy of perestroika (“openness”)
dragged on, however, it became clear that with the distrustful West for more than a
the high point of the promise that America year. Not all in the world were prepared to
offered— decent wages and endless upward believe the Soviets were truly eager to end
mobility to those who persevered—crested the Cold War. Others believed they had no
in 1986 and from there, tracked downward. choice, with their internal economy in ruins

66
 THE EIGHTIES

and their military adventurism in Afghanistan commonplace. Finally, and possibly most
costing them billions annually. dramatically, cable television changed the
The youth of all nations, of course, landscape of both movies and television,
embraced this concept wholeheartedly, bringing dozens and then hundreds of
and by the second half of the decade, a channels into the average American home.
near-global embrace of reconciliation to
end the Cold War had become an almost COMPUTERS, MODEMS, AND BBS
unstoppable force. In 1986, however, to By 1986, companies such as Atari,
the military forces of the world, such an RadioShack, Commodore International, IBM,
outcome was hard to see coming. and Apple Computer, Inc. had infiltrated
many homes across the United States.
While all of these companies made
COMMUNICATIONS systems for playing games, many released
The 1980s were when computers—and simple terminals, which required a basic
especially personal computers, first knowledge of programming to use. There
introduced in the mid-1970s—came into were some exceptions; the Apple Macintosh
their own. The promise of the home was an early mass-market attempt at a
computer revolution in the 1970s rose graphical user interface, which would later
to new, dizzying heights in the 1980s. come to rule computing, but the machine
Telephone technology also advanced was so expensive that despite rave reviews,
dramatically. Leaps in communication such it never really took off. The rest of the
as cellular telephones (in the more urban machines offered only a command prompt.
areas), call-waiting, and group calls became

67
 Unmasked

An avid underground of companies, do, elevating the art form into something
programmers, and fans surrounded each more violent, dark, and adult.
system’s ecosystem, trading information Still, the phenomenon was not long-lived.
through the mail, in monthly periodicals Comic companies, long starved of good sales,
such as Byte, and online in limited forums quickly escalated their publishing schedules
known as Bulletin Board Systems (BBSs). to unsustainable levels. Soon after, by the later
These BBSs were the precursor to the 1980s, the market had corrected yet again.
Usenet and later the full-blown internet.
Each BBS could accept only a certain RECORDS, TAPES AND CDS
number of connections over modem, and In 1986, the compact disc was the hot new
as such, at peak hours, almost all were full. thing in musical recording technology. Still, it
You would dial in on your modem, using was common to buy items on both cassette
one of a dozen numbers for the BBS, and tapes and vinyl records. CD tech was
hope for the best. If you were lucky, the prohibitively expensive for many, and it would
“home page” would load. take a few years before CD players became
There was very little art on such “pages” portable like cassette players. But still, the
(though some had ASCII art), but users rich and the musically obsessed were drawn
could post info that others could see, and to CDs because of their supposed fidelity, as
they could perform other simple tasks, such well as the ability to skip tracks instantly.
as check out a book or download some Top Recording Artists
text. Still, at the time, it was amazing—a Bon Jovi
harbinger of the internet to come. Phil Collins
Peter Gabriel
Whitney Houston
ENTERTAINMENT Michael Jackson
Kids went to the movies, watched cable Billy Joel
TV, and collected books, comic books, and Madonna
playing cards of their favorite films and The Police
examples of pop culture. The landscape of Prince
entertainment also went through a dramatic Bruce Springsteen
shift in the 1980s. The proliferation of U2
video technology and special effects led Van Halen
directly to the boom in “music television,”
pressuring music stars to be attractive THE WALKMAN
as well as talented. The need for cable TV Few pieces of personal technology changed
content spawned a huge surge in low-budget the world as much as the Walkman. Though
film production, and with it, new genres to it was developed in the late 1970s in Japan, it
obsess about (horror and science fiction each did not “arrive” in the United States until 1984.
supported nearly half a dozen magazines). When it did, it quickly spread everywhere.
Before this technology, music was something
COMIC BOOKS you enjoyed at home or in the car; after its
By the mid-1980s, comic books were arrival, you could enjoy music nearly anywhere.
enjoying an unexpected renaissance, and By 1986, “Walkman” was in the Oxford
the fledgling “graphic novel” format, which English Dictionary. Walk down any street
had been thriving in Japan for decades in in America and count to sixty, and you’d
long-form comics called manga, had finally probably see a Walkman on someone’s hip.
arrived in the United States.
Books such as Watchmen, Batman: The CABLE TELEVISION
Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller’s Ronin, Cable television opened a world of the new,
V for Vendetta, and X-Men: God Loves, Man cheesy, and strange to the youth of America.
Kills changed what comics meant and could Many cable stations could not afford top-

68
 THE EIGHTIES

flight content, but their channels still had them—VHS and laser disc technology.
to run 24/7, so they turned to the next best By 1985, many had a videocassette
thing—whatever third-rate movies they could recorder in their home. Not only could this
buy. In this way, hundreds of films that would device play movies, it could also record them
have just run in a half dozen theaters and from the television. With the advent of cable
closed (if they opened at all) found millions television and VHS tapes, this perfect storm
of viewers. Soon, the cable companies began led to the “bootlegging” movement, with
producing their own content, once again, people collecting, replaying, and watching
heralding a sea change that would fully arrive their favorite movies over and over again—
in the form of Netflix thirty years later. without buying the tape from a store.
Laser discs were higher-end technology.
MUSIC TELEVISION They were not recordable, but they offered
If cable television hit entertainment like a the ability to generate still frames without
bomb, Music Television (MTV) was a nuke. distortion, skip sections instantly, listen to
With its arrival in limited cable markets in behind-the-scenes commentary, and see
1981, it soon rose to prominence and power, additional footage in a way that VHS did not
subsuming everything musical in its path. offer. Still, by the mid-1980s, VHS emerged
It upended the music production company the clear winner.
as the main public relations machine for Top Movies
the artist. For the first time, someone with Back to the Future
a catchy tune, good looks, and a video E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
camera could become famous without the Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
backing of record producers. Even worse for Ghostbusters
the old guard, popular artists could steer The Goonies
their own career with outlandish and clever Sixteen Candles
appearances on the channel. Stand by Me
MTV showed blocks of songs, each Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes
accompanied by a “music video.” In the Back
beginning these videos were usually the Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
band lip-synching to the track. Later, with The Terminator
the advent of stars such as Prince, Michael Top Gun
Jackson, and Peter Gabriel, they were short
movies with large budgets. For most of the
THE WAITING IS THE HARDEST PART
1980s, MTV was the social hub of those
Although communications enjoyed a leap forward in the
obsessed with modern music.
1980s due to the adoption of computer technology, both at
home and by the telecom companies, trading information
MOVIES, VIDEOTAPES, with others beyond a phone call was slow. If you wanted to
AND LASER DISCS call a friend out of state, your home phone number would
Movies still had a huge draw in the 1980s.
rack up long-distance charges—and these could pile up high
Most small towns had a movie theater (or
very quickly. Most people wrote letters to those they hoped to
two), and on the weekends, such places
converse with if they were overseas or on the other side of the
were packed with visitors. Before the mall
country. And if you think making a phone call to coordinate
rose to full prominence, the movie theater
plans is slow, wait until you write a letter with a two-week
was a place for youth to meet, hang out,
turnaround time back and forth.
and interact outside of school. A swath
Discovery of new songs, movies, and other forms of
of huge “spectacle” movies—called
entertainment was limited to catching a commercial on
blockbusters—began to arrive in the later
television, seeing an ad in a magazine, or some other archaic
’70s and early ’80s, drawing huge numbers
method. There was no real internet to disseminate pop
of viewers to the theaters. But even as
culture, though some local BBS sites (which would eventually
this explosion of blockbuster movies was
evolve into the Usenet) discussed fandom or science fiction,
happening, another force was undermining
horror, and music.

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Chapter 10

THE TOWN

T he place that your PC prodigies call

home can be a township, a town, or
even a city (though it shouldn’t be
too large). The following information is
presented to give you an overview of the
towns, and cities) with local government—
usually selectmen or council members
in the area. A township usually has a
sheriff’s department, a few fire stations,
and some clustered population centers,
main elements of an interesting backdrop but populations are generally sparse and
for Unmasked. If you’re looking for small. They tend to rely on the county for
inspiration, look up any number of small water, power, sanitation, and maintenance.
towns in Google Maps, or mix and match A township’s population is usually less than
elements to build your own. When it’s 25,000 people, or if greater, spread over a
done right, the town (or township, or city) wider area.
will function like a character the PCs can Town: A town is a single, clustered
interact with and feel a part of. population center. It usually has a mayor
and city council. Towns often have a police
force, or share a police force and sheriff’s
TOWNSHIP, TOWN, OR CITY department. They also tend to have
America is dominated by three main local power generation, sanitation, and
structures in local governance: the maintenance crews. A town’s population is
township, the town, and the city. The usually from 12,000 to 50,000 people.
numbers vary on population and type, but City: A city is a large, single, clustered
for the purposes of Unmasked, they will be population center. It usually has a mayor,
defined in the following manner: city council, selectmen from surrounding
Township: A largish area contained within areas, a judicial system, and a jail. Cities
a county (an assemblage of townships,

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often have multiple precincts and fire Still, it’s likely such a small city still looks
stations all over the city, as well as multiple up to Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles
power stations, sanitation, sewer and as “real” cities. If you want your players
water workers, and their own dedicated exposed to the urban blight of rising crime,
maintenance crews. A city’s population is drug use, and more, choose a city as your
usually larger than 50,000 people. backdrop.
The three types each generate a particular
feeling. HOME
Townships tend to have an agricultural Each teen PC, of course, has a home. What
feel, or seem removed from the rest of the that home is depends a lot on the type of
surrounding area. If you want your players town they live in, who their teen character
to tip cows, race cars on back roads, or is, and what the GM wants their background
explore the woods, choose a township as to be. Players should work with their GM
your backdrop. to come up with at least a basic idea of the
Towns are neither here nor there. They place their teen calls home. The following
are generally on the way to the “big city” are the most common types of home
but only a step above “Podunk.” If you want situations:
your players to go into the city for a wild Homeless: Homelessness was a huge,
night and to feel the pull of urban problems newly visible problem in the 1980s. A
without having the standard isolation of the stigma of failure was associated with it,
country, choose a town as your backdrop. but with massive layoffs in agriculture and
Cities are urban and bring in urban manufacturing, it was an all-too-common
problems, such as guns, drugs and gangs. outcome. If your teen PC is homeless, it

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is likely they’re living out of a car or some example, in smaller towns or townships),
other vehicle. while in others, they were viewed simply as
Mobile Home: Many poorer people the status quo (cities). If your teen PC lives
lived in mobile homes in that time period. in an apartment, it’s likely they spend a lot
Clustered in undesirable areas, mobile of time out and about, to avoid the long
home parks were seen as low class by most periods spent in close quarters associated
Americans. Still, financial realities made with apartments.
mobile homes the only viable choice for House: A stand-alone structure, likely
many. If your teen PC lives in a trailer, it is housing a family or extended family. Houses
likely they come from the “wrong side of were found in cities, but the more urban
the tracks,” and they may wish to hide their the environment, the rarer they were. If your
home address from their peers. teen PC lives in a house, it can mean a lot
Apartment: In the 1980s, many Americans of different things depending on the house,
dwelled in apartments, found most often its location, and its size. In a city, a large,
in towns or cities. Few owned those nicely appointed house is a sign of obscene
units; most rented them. In some areas, wealth, while in a township, it just means
apartments were seen as low class (for you’re likely well-to-do.

THE WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS

Almost all towns have areas they deem tumbledown, poor, or dangerous. Teen PCs
from these neighborhoods are usually ill kept, misunderstood, or worse, actual
criminals. Sometimes, a town’s golden boy will come from that part of town and
succeed despite the strong social stigma.
In either case, such areas are avoided as a matter of course. Everyone knows to do
so, though few can articulate why exactly these neighborhoods are shunned. Only the
locals, the police, and emergency services regularly go in or out.

THE HOSPITAL, TRAIN STATION, OR BUS TERMINAL

More often than not, the municipal hospital, train station, or bus terminal is located
on the bad side of town. Property values around such places tend to drop due to
the disturbances, riffraff, and trouble always found there. It’s also the spot where
runaways flock to, or end up in. Homeless people, drifters, and out-of-town criminals
tend to end up around these areas, doing what they can (legal or illegal) to get by.

GANGS OR CRIMINAL TERRITORY

There’s the wrong side of the tracks, and then there are gangland zones. Everyone in
town knows where these criminal territories are and what routes to take to avoid the
Gang member, gang members that patrol the area. Gangs became a prominent problem in the 1980s
typical: level 3; Armor 1 in many suburban areas for the first time as the “war on drugs” heated up.
Such territories tend to be even more run down than the less desirable areas, and
even the police are not a common sight. Sometimes, these high-crime areas are
adjacent to a highway, or they draw traffic in from surrounding cities, but few in the
town itself go there—except the unlucky ones who call it home.
Those who live in a gang area might be members of the gang or have family in the
gang. Other residents might be left to their own devices because they are so poor that
the gang has no use for them, or they might have a delicate truce with the gang due
to a special status or role they have in the community. No one in gang areas is foolish
enough to cross the gang without a very, very good reason, however.

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THE POLICE, FIRE DEPARTMENT,

AND AMBULANCE SERVICE
The locale usually dictates the size and
RADIO DISPATCH
By 1986, many police departments
abilities of emergency responders.
across the United States had full radio
The township often has a sheriff’s
dispatch, allowing their cars to call in,
department that patrols a too-large area,
communicate with one another, and
plus a volunteer fire department. Most
coordinate their response to criminal
townships are lucky to put their hands
activities. Even so, this technology—
to a dozen or so first responders all told
especially in more rural areas—was
(double that if they go “all in”). Ambulances
not always terribly reliable.
and higher-level rescuers, including SWAT
The radio dispatch car made
teams, would have to be requested and
response times drop to minutes in
called in from the county. In general, a
more urban areas. It allowed police
township is ill-prepared for a serious
officers who were in trouble to easily
disaster, and it will take time for the county
and reliably call for backup. And most
and state to respond.
importantly, it allowed the police to
The town often has a police force, or both
report license plates and perpetrator
a police force and a sheriff’s department.
descriptions across the entire police
Towns also usually have a fire department
network.
with full-time employees and an ambulance
service, since local tax revenues support
such endeavors. All in all, an average town
might field twenty to thirty first responders given its size, a city may have a SWAT team
(double that if they go “all in”). A town and more specialized police responders
has contingencies to deal with a disaster, (negotiators, snipers, etc.). A small-to-
but past a certain scale, that response will medium city might field fifty or more first
fail, and municipal authorities will have to responders (double that if they go “all in”).
request county and state support. Cities have multiple contingencies to deal with
The city often has fire, police, and a disaster, along with likely extensive plans
ambulance services, as well as multiple power to cooperate with county and state officials
stations and other resources. Sometimes, if they feel they need the assistance.

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STORES more likely it was to have a national chain

While malls had existed for some time, they store, such as Kmart, Pathmark, A&P, or
took off in the later 1970s and early 1980s. Piggly Wiggly. Other popular shops included
A common mall consisted of an enclosed liquor stores, fast-food chains (McDonald’s
structure housing dozens of stores and being the most common), ice cream
usually a food court, as well as other parlors, diners, videotape rental places,
amenities such as a movie theater, a skating drug stores, dry cleaners, bars, pubs, and
rink, and other facilities for leisure activities. 24-hour shops such as 7-Eleven.
Having an active mall was a sign of local
prosperity, and many towns and cities had a COLLEGES AND OTHER SCHOOLS
mall or two. Many cities and towns either encompass
In townships, sometimes a single or abut a college, university, or trade or
huge mall would draw people in from the technical school. In your game, if such a
surrounding areas. Such “mega malls” were campus exists inside the “town” proper, it
built in the middle of nowhere to exploit is likely either a large portion or the main
the cheap land, low taxes, and interstate driver of the local economy. These college
highway access. towns often all but shut down when the
The mall was the social hub of any 1980s students are on break, and many of the
town. On the weekends, it was the place local businesses sell most of their goods
where all the kids went to hang out, play in (if not all) to the students. College towns
the arcade, or see a movie. are usually marked by a higher level of
Of course, normal stores and businesses prosperity (as money pours in through
existed as well. Most towns had multiple the students), as well as increased local
supermarkets. The bigger the locale, the safety and security services. Police and

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fire departments in such towns are usually yourself. All the elements below were
larger and utilize cutting-edge equipment, snagged from slightly altered real-world
subsidized by the needs of the college. examples.
Emoryville, Vermont, is an old city in Cook
GAS STATIONS, County bordering the Lipscomb River, near
JUNKYARDS, AND GARAGES the Greenvale Ski Resort. It is also home
America is obsessed with automobiles. to Cook County College, a small nursing
Nearly every township, town, and city has school. Its total populace is 22,550 in the
at least a few gas stations. Many also have off-season. During the winter, its population
junkyards, garages, car lots, and used car balloons to 35,000 as out-of-towners rent
dealerships. Lots of teens obsess over property in town to visit the ski resort. The
cars, and many spend their afternoons and sheriff has four cruisers and ten full-time
evenings fixing one they have, building one staff members. The fire department is
from scratch, or working at a gas station, volunteer only.
junkyard, or garage. The city has a main downtown core with
For the gearhead teen PCs, such places the following:
are their hangouts. Broome’s Fine Clothing Store
Green Apple Grocery
ARMY, AIR FORCE, Sears department store
OR NAVY FACILITIES 7-Eleven
Many towns and cities are near military Taggart’s Sporting Goods and Supply
facilities such as United States Air Force Woolworth’s
bases, naval shipyards, or army bases filled Cook County Sheriff’s Office
with soldiers, sailors, marines, or air force A volunteer fire station
personnel. Those municipalities tend to
cater to the service members who frequent This area is surrounded by low, rolling
the area, and whose families likely live hills covered in pine trees and cut with
nearby (if not on the base). Neighborhoods narrow, curvy streets, each set with small
near larger military facilities often count houses and big lots. Past this core to the
them as a large portion—if not the lion’s west is a secondary area called “the rust
share—of their local economy, and the belt,” or “Craptown”—the bad area of town.
residents accordingly have a very strong It contains the following:
sense of “supporting the troops.” Gas n’ Sip
Teen PCs might be “military brats” who Moncton Apartments
live with their families in base housing, A steel mill
attending the local high school. Such teens A tin punch factory
usually cut one of two dramatic shapes— Yarrow’s Wreck Yard and Towing
the screwup or the overachiever—but
players should feel free to establish their On the highway into town are the
own path. following:
Cook County Municipal Hospital
Lamplighter Apartments
EXAMPLE TOWN: McDonald’s
EMORYVILLE, VERMONT Shell Gasoline
By looking around Google Maps for a few Spotted Spruce Apartments
minutes and jotting down names that catch
your eye, you could assemble a town like Just past town are the following:
the following example town. You should Lipscomb Valley Mall
feel free to mix and match your own (there Greenvale Ski Resort
are literally millions of examples on Google Final Straw Bar
Maps), or use Emoryville, Vermont, for

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Chapter 11

THE SCHOOL

T he place that your PC prodigies go

to high school can be a public high
school, a consolidated public high
school, a parochial school, or a private
school. The following information is
Public High School: A standard
public high school administered by
the Department of Education and local
government. These schools tend to be in
a town or city, and the largest of them can
presented to give you an overview of the have up to a thousand students.
main elements of an interesting school Consolidated Public High School:
backdrop for Unmasked. If you’re looking Administered as above, these high
for inspiration, there are thousands of TV schools are built in a central area between
shows, books, and comic books set in high population centers and shared by multiple
schools that can serve as great resources townships, towns, or cities. These schools
for finding elements to mix and match to tend to be larger and more modern, and
create your own high school setting. they enjoy a more generous budget since
many municipalities share the costs of
the school. They can have up to several
THE HIGH SCHOOL thousand students.
There are four major types of high school. Parochial School: Private religious schools
A high school generally takes students from that cater to (but are not restricted to) a
eighth to twelfth grade (or sometimes from particular religion. Catholic, Presbyterian,
seventh or ninth grade onward, depending and Jewish schools are all common. Usually,
on whether the district has a middle school). such schools have fewer than a thousand
The GM should, of course, feel free to make students, require a tuition, and are
up their own school and modify as needed. administered by a school board.

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 THE SCHOOL

Private School: Nonreligious academies for Parochial schools focus on religion. Even
teaching high schoolers. Usually, such schools if they don’t restrict attendance by religion,
require expensive tuition to attend, but they offer most of the school is at least draped in the
a better chance at academic success (due to appearance of religious activity. Students
the intensive nature of their courses compared are required to have religious instruction or
to public school classes). Usually, such schools go to chapel. Parochial schools often feel
have fewer than a thousand students, and stiff and vaguely authoritarian.
they are run by a full-time administration. Private schools vary wildly in size. Since
The four types each generate a particular the student body pays a tuition to attend,
feeling. the facilities are usually top notch. There
Public high schools tend to be smaller is usually an unstated sense of pride in
and usually just a little bit run down, though attending such a school, since it costs
most in the town are proud of the school money to do so.
and what it represents. Everyone knows
everyone else’s business.
Consolidated public high schools are big LOCATION
and often well funded, thanks to multiple Public high schools and private schools
towns and townships kicking in taxes to pay are usually located in or very near to a
for them. Since many more students attend population center. Municipal schools and
consolidated schools and live spread over a some larger private schools have campuses.
much larger area, you often meet people you Usually this means that they are outside
might not have met otherwise. Consolidated of town and have acreage to themselves
schools sometimes feel cookie cutter. where the main building is quite large.

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 Unmasked

Such municipal schools or academies GYMNASIUMS,

also usually have outbuildings such as a STADIUMS, AND POOLS
stadium, pool, or even dorms for students Consolidated and private schools tend to
who live on campus. have more lavish sports facilities. Many
even have a separate stadium for the
NAME AND MASCOT local sports obsession (usually football or
School names and mascots are important baseball). Such large facilities are usually
to building up the school as a character in contingent either on the wealth of the local
your game. The name should be memorable district or the acumen of the sports team.
and roll off the tongue. Often, the name The larger the facilities, the more locals
is that of a famous figure in American attend and pay attention to games. In
history or a local celebrity (for example, municipal schools with a stadium, a sports
John Adams High School or John Wayne game is a town affair, with everyone going to
High School). Or, it’s the area name, city the event, whether they have children at the
name, or something older, such as a Native school or not.
American name (for example, Everett High, Regular high schools are often forced
Montgomery High School, or Greatview to make their gyms do double-duty as
High School). a gathering hall and sometimes fulfill
The mascot usually has to do with the still other functions. Many have a pool
name. For instance, John Wayne High’s concealed beneath a closing wooden floor,
teams might be the Gunslingers, with a allowing the whole gym to open to reveal
cowboy mascot, while a high school in an Olympic-size pool beneath. Others also
Everett, Washington, famous for its Boeing have an elevated running ring suspended
factory, might call its teams the Jets and above the gym, allowing track-and-field
have an airplane mascot. athletes to practice.

HIDEOUTS, SMOKING LOUNGES,

STRUCTURES AND BUM ZONES
Many high schools consist simply of one All high schools have spots known as
large building with many rooms. Private gathering places for smokers, bad students,
and consolidated schools tend to be larger and “bums.” Most schools restrict smoking
and have multiple structures on a campus. to well-defined areas, such as an interior
However, a general rule is that the larger courtyard or a staircase at the back of the
the city the high school is located in, the building. Some restrict it entirely. Often,
smaller the structure. these smoking areas are patrolled by
teachers who “bust” students and send
CLASSROOMS them back to class.
In general, most high school classrooms Sometimes, these zones are not known
hold thirty or so students, though some to the staff: an out-of-the-way corridor, an
labs and other facilities are split down unused office, or a dead end at the bottom
the middle by a retractable wall, allowing of a stairwell. Even if the teachers don’t
up to sixty students in a “single” room. know it’s there, word soon gets around to
Sometimes teachers remain in one the students that such a place exists.
classroom all day, and in other schools,
they move from room to room many times TEACHERS AND STAFF
throughout the day as their class schedule Obviously, the larger the school, the greater
changes. Teachers with a specialty (for the total staff. Smaller schools tend to
example, gym, lab, or typing) tend to stay force teachers to pull double or triple
in one classroom due to the equipment duty, teaching multiple subjects. The total
required for their classes. number of teachers in a school is usually
the total number of students divided by

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 THE SCHOOL

thirty or so. Some private schools have coming and going. Sometimes they search
smaller classes and thus a smaller ratio of students, especially if there have been drugs
students to teachers. or weapon violations.
Being a teacher in most high schools An adventure hook might be that a family
goes much further than a simple eight- member becomes on-site security for the
to-three job. Teachers are often expected school and begins noticing odd occurrences
to stay after hours, tutor, run after-school after hours . . .
events or special programs, or take on other
duties. Many teachers don’t leave until well
after 6 p.m. every day. HOURS AND LOCKING UP
Teachers are a useful tool for the GM to Most schools are open, in some form or
force some sort of compliance from a teen another, most of the day and some of the
PC. Mouthing off to a teacher usually means night. The larger the school, the more
detention or a reprimand at the very least. sectional its shutdown might be. A single
Violence against a teacher almost always town high school might be locked up all
means expulsion. night after 6 p.m., while a consolidated high
Teachers can serve as friends, mentors, school might lock down only its pool, the
and even enemies. But above all, they classrooms, and the cafeteria after dark.
are people. Their ideals, goals, and Even after lights-out, a janitor or security
methodologies vary wildly from one teacher guard is often on the premises. The larger the
to the next. As such, PCs should learn the school, the more people are likely to be in it.
landscape of teachers in their school. As a Many larger high schools have more than one
GM, an easy way to shorthand such people janitor, and their work—mopping, polishing
is to write down the teachers’ names, give the floors, cleaning the toilets—often begins
them each a descriptor as a high-level only after the students go home.
summary of their personality, and note their It is rare for most school facilities to
subject. For example, Mrs. Randazzo is a have alarms (though some private schools
Vengeful English teacher. From there, her do). Keys are usually plentiful, and each
uses in the game seem pretty self-evident. teacher likely has a set that allows them
Teachers offer endless adventure hooks. access to nearly anywhere in the school. A
Perhaps a favorite teacher appears to be great adventure hook might involve clever
in trouble, turning up at work late with a students finding a way to copy these keys
black eye. Another might seem suspicious, without being discovered.
subtly indicating that they know something
about the prodigies. Another still might
unknowingly gather mementos into their THE FEELING
office, causing all manner of trouble. OF HIGH SCHOOL
Even without the weirdness of the prodigies,
SECURITY high school is scary. Everyone coming into
Some larger and more urban schools have it feels uncertain, eager, ready to change,
professional security. Sometimes, these and just plain frightened on some level.
people are off-duty police officers from the Emulating this feeling is the key to a good
town. Other schools use full-time employees Unmasked campaign. Even the brightest
who have no real training to serve as “hall student or most accomplished athlete
monitors.” Still others allow junior and should never feel like they have it all
senior students to be hall monitors. figured out, precisely. Being a teen is
Only the largest or most urban schools about feeling uncertain.
occasionally have real police officers. Usually This puts a burden on the GM. To teens,
such officers don’t enter the school proper good relationships, the social pecking
without some sort of justification. Instead, order, and the need to become skilled at
they stand at the entrances, tracking who is something are all extremely important

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(sometimes all three at once). While some DEALING WITH TEACHERS

students may focus on schoolwork, in Students can’t go for very long in school
truth, almost all of them long to be part of without a teacher coming along to supervise
a strong social network of friends. After all, them. In most high schools, teachers are
everyone wants to be liked and admired. everywhere. It’s their job to poke their
The temptation of using their mask-forms noses in—into bathrooms, the cafeteria,
to gain such praise—especially for a teen— or otherwise unoccupied classrooms—to
will be overwhelming. The GM must keep make certain nothing untoward is going on.
in mind this web of relationships and use This suspicion is tempered by several
them to push or pull the PC in different factors, of course. Is the student a known
directions. No teen should be without a troublemaker? Does the teacher have a
desire and a fear (at least one of each), good relationship with the student? Is
and it is up to the GM to make certain they the offense serious? Each will shape the
never, ever forget them. teacher’s response.
Still, teachers relish catching students
TESTS AND HOMEWORK out. Some will tell the students to get going
Part 5: GM’s Toolbox, More on this subject is presented in Part 5: to class, others will assign detention (or
page 153 GM’s Toolbox. Teen PC advancement and send them to the office for expulsion, if the
XP rewards are linked to fitting in and not infraction is bad enough).
being discovered. Those who manage to
keep their mask-form a secret and who do THE GUIDANCE COUNSELOR
well enough in school (or come up with In many schools, the guidance counselor’s
some other method) to stay under the job is to track the progress of each student
radar are, at the end of every game session, in their charge (many schools have a
rewarded with 1 XP point. This XP can be number of guidance counselors). In theory,
used to advance the mask-form. this means all students. In actuality, they

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 THE SCHOOL

spend most of their time dealing with their teen. Prodigy abilities (especially the
the exceptional students, as well as the ability of prodigies to see one another) will
dregs. The exceptional students go to the likely manifest across these social groups
guidance counselor to best shape their high and complicate the established order—
school career in preparation for college meaning PC groups may be composed
applications, while the dregs, of course, of people from the uncool, average, and
simply are trying to stay in school. Average popular groups all at the same time.
students are often overlooked while the
counselor deals with these outliers.
Guidance counselors that detect a GETTING INTO TROUBLE
possibly uncommon student (say, a student Teens spend a large portion of their high
who is exceptional at art, computers, or school career getting into trouble. Most
sports, but not at academics) might decide of the time, the trouble simply results in
that the student is in need of “saving.” Such a verbal reprimand from a teacher or staff
students are in for a rough time, as the member. Other times, it can be much
guidance counselor pursues them, goads further-reaching and even damaging to
them, and tracks their progress on a day-to- their future. Students that cross the line can
day basis in the hopes of getting them into face detention or even expulsion, as well
a good college. In other words, counselors as negative comments on their permanent
become an additional pair of eyes tracking record.
the students during the day.
DETENTION
THE SOCIAL ORDER Detention is the universal salve of school
All high schools have an almost unspoken ills. Teachers apply it to troublesome
social pecking order. There are the popular students, using it as a stick to keep them
students; the middle-of-the-road, average in line. Those who misbehave, mouth off,
students; and those that are considered or don’t listen get detention. There are
“uncool.” The vast majority of students different kinds of detention (sometimes
are average, desperate not to fall below schools employ more than one method):
the waterline to the ranks of the uncool, Study Hall: Students are sent immediately
and eager to somehow secure a seat at the to a classroom filled with other students
popular table. in detention. They are expected to read,
The popular kids often have been well do homework, and otherwise catch up on
liked their entire life, although certain ones schoolwork while under faculty supervision.
have come into their own in high school. Anyone caught doing anything else will
Some have achieved this because they went likely get more detention.
through puberty early or were naturally Saturday Detention: Misbehaving kills
attractive, skilled at sports (or sometimes your weekend. Those who must suffer
even at schoolwork), or just plain funny, through Saturday detention find themselves
cool, or fashion forward. They tend to sitting in a classroom at school on the
police their groups in an unconscious (or weekend for several hours (usually 8
sometimes viciously self-aware) manner. a.m. to lunchtime). They are generally
The uncool students skirt the edges of not permitted to do anything at all. It is a
the social order. These individuals interact miserable experience.
more with one another, teachers, and other After-School Detention: This is the most
adults. Often, their world is the world of common type of detention. Kids report to a
academia or other nonsocial achievements. room after school and must sit there—likely
An important distinction for teen PCs to doing nothing—until dinnertime. Often, an
establish is just where their character stands infringement involves more than one after-
in the school social order. The GM should school detention.
help players to craft a believable position for

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 Unmasked

EXPULSION AND THE HOW DOES THE

PERMANENT RECORD SCHOOL DEAL WITH
Students of the 1980s lived in fear of an HIGH WEIRDNESS?
infraction ending up on their permanent Unmasked tells the story of teens who can
record. This transcript tracked every point transform into amazing, superpowered
of progress or setback in a student’s career, individuals. But those mask-forms are
and served—for good students—as a ticket obsessed with keeping their teens’
into a prestigious college. It was locked secret. As such, much of the game will be
away in the school records and never about sneaking around and faking out or
readily available to be looked at, even by the otherwise confounding attempts to discover
student it concerned. Sometimes, it was the identities of all these amazing, weird
trotted out by a guidance counselor, teacher, heroes who are turning up.
or principal to illustrate a point.
Those who stole, vandalized, or committed COVER IT UP
other offenses had notes put on their When confronted with some occurrence
permanent record, which also recorded that breaks reality, some people will do their
matters such as attendance, detention, and best to hide it. For example, a principal
in the worst cases, expulsion. While most and janitor see a four-armed man made of
infringements on school rules would result shadow crawling along the ceiling of the
in detention, expulsion was something gym. The principal claims to have seen
different. Violence, threats, weapons, nothing (though they know they did) and
drugs—each of these called for expulsion. threatens the job of the janitor if the latter
The student would be sent home from reveals anything.
school for days (or even weeks) while the Often, this stance is an early reaction
school decided what to do with them. Most by the subject. Only later, when they
of the time, the student was welcomed back know it is not going away, do such
within a few days. Sometimes, they were people tend to become more inquisitive
forced to perform some other service (such toward the phenomenon. Sometimes this
as painting the gym). And sometimes, in very inquisitiveness takes different forms, from a
few cases, they were asked never to return. deep urge to disprove the phenomenon, no
Students who attempt to find, read, or matter how convincing it seems, to a need
change their permanent record will find to get hard evidence of the strangeness.
it very hard to do so. Even if they can
somehow get past staff, unlock the security LOOK THE OTHER WAY
cabinets, and read the records, it will be Very few normal people will believe
extremely difficult to alter them enough so their eyes if confronted with an absolute
that it matters and for the teacher notating impossibility, such as an 8-foot-tall (2 m
them not to notice. Still, it could be the tall) man in a Zorro outfit leaping through
basis of a very fun adventure. a wall like it wasn’t there. The first instinct
of the human mind when presented with
PRODIGIES IN SCHOOL the impossible is to balk at it. Perhaps the
Prodigies, of course, will use their masks— observation was wrong, the room was dark,
even in school. Clever prodigies will do what the witness was confused, etc. Not many
they can to conceal their activities and use people believe in themselves enough to
their powers only when absolutely necessary. confront reality itself with their claims. Most
Others might behave more . . . rashly. What will simply smile nervously, shake their
happens when the powers come out depends heads, and look the other way.
on a lot of factors: the type of school, the type However, the more one person is exposed
of power, and where and when it was used. to the impossible, the more this reflex dies.
The next section discusses schools’ possible Eventually—if they see enough—they will
reactions to the use of superpowers. become believers. Those exposed in such a

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 THE SCHOOL

manner have a bad habit of becoming true It was completed in 1973, replacing three
believers. Worse than a witness, these zealots separate high schools scattered throughout
keep records, take pictures, and set traps to the county and gathering all the students to
prove to the world they are not mad at all. one location.
Its mascot is a red hawk, and its teams
CALL THE POLICE are named the Emoryville Hawks.
Many school staff members will immediately It is a large, two-level structure with
escalate any preternatural event to the police. multiple playing fields, a separate indoor
For instance, if two students have a fistfight, pool, and several parking lots.
the teachers will simply break that up, but There are two designated smoking areas
if the cafeteria is under assault by a dragon in the school, one in the internal courtyard
man in red spandex spewing fire from his and the other behind the gym. There is also
eyes, well, that’s above their pay grade. You’d a secret area where the students gather
better bet the police (and probably the fire behind the theater.
department) will be summoned to the school. It has a student body of approximately
Sometimes, it doesn’t even matter if the 2,500, with a staff of 89.
school’s administrators don’t see anything Most students are bussed in from
preternatural, just something unusual. An surrounding towns, but those lucky enough
adult in red spandex wandering the halls of to live in Emoryville proper can walk there.
the school is likely enough to get them to The school does not have security (there
call the police. has been no need to date), and the teachers
and some employees act as monitors.
I QUIT! (OR WORSE)
Some people just can’t take the strain
and simply pack up and leave. The more
amazing or life-changing the event, the
more likely this outcome is, given a large
enough audience. This reaction can
manifest in many ways. A teacher might
serve out the rest of their day, go home, and
never come back. Another might quietly
check into the local mental health concern.
Another might do something even more
self-destructive or outlandish. These people
can even come back to haunt the PCs, if
they somehow snap out of it and realize the
phenomenon is real.

EXAMPLE HIGH SCHOOL:

EMORYVILLE CONSOLIDATED
You can assemble a high school by stepping
through the headings above, giving a brief
thought to each, and then jotting down the
results. The following is an example high
school to go along with Emoryville, the
example town:
Emoryville Consolidated is a large high
school that serves all of Cook County.

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 Unmasked
Chapter 12

THE THREAT

Teacher, typical: level 2,

knowledge tasks as level 4

Janitor, typical: level 3

W hat is the force that opposes the
PCs? This is largely up to the
GM to decide, though this book
presents an array of fully formed options
below, along with guidelines on how to
SCHOOL STAFF
Teachers, security guards, lunch workers,
janitors, watchmen, off-duty police officers,
and others staff the school, and it’s their
job to make certain students do what is
Watchman, typical: make up your own. required of them and don’t sneak about or
level 3 cause any disruptions. As such, it’s likely
Off-duty police officer, that mask-form manifestations at the school
typical: level 4 MUNDANE THREATS will draw the attention of school staff.
Most of what the prodigies face is likely to
be mundane, at least at the beginning of a REPORTERS
campaign: a police officer taking away their The weirder the events that happen and
mask, a reporter with a videotape of them the more people that see those weird
transforming into mask-form, a teacher out occurrences, the more likely it is that a
Reporter, typical: level 3, to discover their strange secret, and so on. reporter becomes involved. Fire, violence,
public speaking tasks as Superpowers and monsters from beyond explosions, or just plain bizarre deeds draw
level 4
(if there are any) should be dangers that journalists like moths to a flame. Some
Unmasked builds toward, not a constant reporters—if they find a story interesting—
note, hit over and over again. The everyday will never let it go; they’ll track down every
life of being a teenager should be the focus. lead they can find.
A reporter exposed to the mask-forms and
their power to break reality will likely never,
ever give up chasing down such a lead. (We

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 THE THREAT

present a fully realized reporter to annoy POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS

and hound your players on page 146.) When Police and fire officials should—whenever
the GM needs to give the PCs a kick in the possible—not be the enemy. In a town, it’s
pants to get them moving, or to act more likely the teen PCs know or even interact
carefully, sending in an inquisitive reporter with police officers or firefighters on a Police officer or sheriff ’s
might do the trick. daily basis (these might even be the teens’ deputy, typical: level 4;
Armor 1
parents). Even if they do not, killing a police
OTHER MEDIA officer or firefighter is a terrible crime that Firefighter, typical: level
The ’80s also saw the birth of tabloid few would even consider—not to mention 3, firefighting as level 4;
Armor 1
television. Not quite reporters, the individuals the deaths of such officials are likely to draw
employed by the tabloids worked to find the ire and attention of everyone in town
strange stories, stretch (and sometimes until such a crime is solved. Scarier still, if
break) the truth, and commit not-so-legal acts the PCs (or their opponents) cause enough
to get the shot. These shows were longer than trouble, SWAT may be called in. SWAT team member,
the nightly news and aired less often, and they As such, a town’s police or fire official’s typical: level 5, combat
tasks as level 6; Armor 2
were also filled with heavily edited footage most likely function is as a force of change,
to tell each particular story. movement, or goading—if an adventure
This type of media is attracted to slows down, send them in. Often, if other
weirdness—the stranger the story, the better. prodigies are involved, the PCs might
As such, if the story is truly odd, tabloid suddenly find themselves protecting a
television will spend large amounts of money bunch of innocent police and fire officials
and time pursuing leads, whereas a normal from superpowered hooligans.
TV reporter might move on to the next topic.

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 Unmasked

MILITARY travelers, or aliens—all can be created

Soldier, typical: level 5, Soldiers and federal authorities in the wholesale by the subconscious of a
combat tasks as level 6; 1980s were often viewed with suspicion prodigy. Since such threats issue from the
access to explosives and
heavy weapons grant a
or fear. They had motives such as national subconscious, they may not only pose a
+2 power shift security on their minds and therefore often threat to the prodigy who unconsciously
overstepped standard boundaries. creates them, but they can also be deadly.
When the military shows up, they rarely Such “created” entities are certainly real
do so in a modest manner, and this usually enough to kill.
occurs only after some large provocation,
such as a pitched battle between mask- OTHER PRODIGIES
forms in public. The GM should use the The most common significant threat in an
military to raise the stakes. If the game Unmasked campaign will be other prodigies.
needs a new, stronger threat, the military Not all prodigies are as kind and helpful as
can roll in, either in a covert capacity (black the PCs. Some are greedy, some hateful.
vans tooling through town and agents Others still are justified in their actions, but
in suits on street corners) or in the open they use their powers to push their wants
(tanks and troops). In both cases, the and desires in a destructive manner.
military can field weapons and vehicles
likely to injure mask-forms. MINIONS AND MANIFESTATIONS
Most “big bads” are served by minions.
Sometimes these are non-human creatures,
PRETERNATURAL THREATS while other times they are simply forces
Due to the nature of prodigy powers, that act on the world. The commonality
preternatural threats can be nearly anything. across such matters is that—unlike most
Monsters, robots, extradimensional mundane threats—they operate in a power

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 THE THREAT

range where they can threaten and hurt the THE MASTER
mask-forms. Sometimes, they’re even more Selection of a big bad for your Unmasked
powerful than the mask-forms. campaign is very important. This is the
Various ideas for minion creatures threat behind the scenes that can match the
and forces are presented in Chapter 15: prodigies in power or scope and perhaps Chapter 15:
Organizations and Creatures. is linked to their very existence. We present Organizations and
Creatures, page 146
one such big bad in its full glory—Prester
HUMAN SERVANTS John—but it need not be the only possibility. Prester John, page 151
The big bad may be in control of human The master is the embodiment of the big
servants. Sometimes, these individuals have bad threat: the person or creature behind
no idea they are being controlled, and other the power that hunts, captures, consumes,
times they serve them willingly. In either or just wants the prodigies for some reason.
case, it is unlikely such individuals represent Usually, the master stays behind the scenes,
a real threat to the PCs. Still, especially with manipulating outcomes, using people and
servants who have no idea they are being situations like a chess master plays a chess
controlled, it is difficult to fight them. board. When the master is confronted (or
Prodigies are not all good guys. There are, confronts the PCs), the master is facing
no doubt, other prodigies in the PCs’ school them from a position of power.
that are not above using their powers for The master is usually more than a match
violence or personal gain. Some may even for any one prodigy. It is only as a team that
serve the big bad, willingly or unwillingly. the PCs might be able to take the master
Prodigies, of course, pose a great threat to down, and only then after great effort or
other prodigies. personal cost.

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 Unmasked
Chapter 13

THE BIG PICTURE

A t some point, a game or campaign for

Unmasked will have to address the big
picture: Where do the prodigies come
from? Why are they here, and why now? What
do they mean to the world at large? Again, in
as it passes through the machine of the
human consciousness. They can extrude
belief to affect causality, and in fact, they
do so unconsciously. Their manifestation
of a “mask-form” represents a peak in such
the end, this is up to the GM to decide. You’ll manipulations.
find three fully realized “revelations” below, Because this effect is scientific in
along with guidelines and options if you wish nature (even though its process is not
to make up your own instead. yet understood), this means the scientific
method might be readily applied to it.
Scientists might contrive countermeasures
EXAMPLE REVELATION 1: to the mask-form abilities and drugs that
SCIENCE-GENETICS! suppress powers—or even remove them—
The PCs are the next wave of human and they might, in time, with enough
development. All evolution to this point subjects to study, learn how to transform
has been striving toward what the teens someone into a prodigy.
have become: a lens through which reality
may be refocused. It is likely the teens have
genetic markers indicating their otherness EXAMPLE GENETICS
that science can uncover and detect through REVELATION ARC
blood samples. Below is a breakdown of an ongoing
The prodigies’ powers represent a Unmasked campaign, with beats,
fundamental control of classical reality revelations, NPCs, and more, spaced out

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 THE BIG PICTURE

over all six tiers. A GM should feel free to TIER 2 (FALL)

use the sample arc wholesale, or simply An NPC prodigy who was kicked out of
mine it for ideas. Please note that as the the Future warns the PCs that the gang is
PCs move up in tiers, the pace speeds up. planning its revenge on the PCs.
The PCs are attacked one by one in the
TIER 1 (SUMMER/FALL) lead-up to Halloween night by the gang’s
The PCs manifest their mask-forms, discover mask-forms. The NPC prodigy who defected
one another, and develop friendships. is somehow humiliated (for example, spray-
The PCs begin to notice odd glowing painted, hair removed, or pelted with eggs).
items around town (mementos). The leader of the Future demands that the
Other students in the high school show PCs stay out of their business.
prodigy abilities. A big fight happens on Halloween night
The PCs trade stories of a reoccurring at the school dance. Mask-forms go at it
dream they have of a faceless man. all at once for the first time. The police and
These dreams culminate in this figure fire department show up. Several normals
ripping something from inside the are injured, perhaps one or more of them
dreamer’s head. seriously.
Groups of prodigies begin assembling in The police begin investigating the
the school. Cliques form. incident and asking questions around the
Some prodigies form a gang called “The school.
Future.” They begin terrorizing the school. The PCs all dream of the faceless man
The PCs step in and find themselves at attacking and ripping something from the
odds with this powerful group. head of the leader of the Future, who never

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 Unmasked

EVOLUTION! level, allowing them to sway space-time, objects,

In 1984, the United States government initiated the atomic structures, and more, simply by observing
first real push to sequence the human genome. Called them.
the Human Genome Project, work began (on paper, Since the prodigy effect is a physical, presumably
at least) in the mid-1980s and truly picked up steam biochemical process connected to an organ, in theory
in the 1990s. It would not be finished until 2003. Even it can be surgically removed, perhaps controlled by
then, it managed to sequence only 93% of the human some sort of implantable chip, or suppressed by the
genome. application of drugs. Secondarily, though it might take
In the 1980s, new diseases such as AIDS and some time, scientists might be able to devise a genetic
prion-based illnesses had captured the public’s eye. blood test to search for key genetic markers that
Much time and effort went into devising genetic tests, indicate a predisposition toward prodigy abilities. They
reducing the cost of sequencing, and making the might also try to produce or develop prodigy abilities.
science more accessible. All in all, these public issues Once the structures surrounding the pituitary
ignited broad interest in genetics, genetic sciences, gland are discovered, the holy grail for science will of
and their application in fiction. course be the removal and extended study of these
Television, comics, and movies were not far behind. new organs. The GM determines whether or not this
The X-Men, Blade Runner, The Boys From Brazil, The Fury research reveals some method to imitate, control, or
and other works explored the idea of genetics, cloning, exploit prodigy powers.
and the next stage of human evolution. In 1986, such
concepts were common sci-fi terms that, if not well OTHER GENETIC OPTIONS
understood by average teenagers, were at least known These weird organs in the middle of the brain are not
to most of them. the only option for the genetic concept, of course.
The 1980s are filled with tons of cool references to
THE BRAIN CONTROLS THE WORLD, unusual genetics, as well as its effect on the modern
NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND day. Firestarter, X-Men, and Blade Runner each track a
In a genetic revelation, the world is shaped, controlled, world of genetic exploitation and ability, as well as the
and altered by structures and unfamiliar organs public’s reaction to it. Here are some other examples
embedded in the human brain. Most humans do of what the big reveal—in a genetic sense—might be:
not possess these unusual tissues near the pituitary The PCs are clones of former genetically advanced
gland. But prodigies’ brains are different. A CAT scan subjects planted with families.
or a dissection will reveal bizarre, complex, unknown The PCs’ genetic structure was jump-started by
structures surrounding that gland at the center of experimentation, which led to accelerated evolution.
the brain. It is with these organs that the prodigy The PCs were exposed to chemicals that activated
reaches out and changes the world. It also may be why dormant structures in their brain, allowing them to
prodigies manifest in the teenage years (when the access a power that everyone has, but few can use.
pituitary is most active). An accident, surgery, or violence has granted
As in other versions of the prodigy phenomenon, the the PCs access to a portion of the brain that can
genetic revelation allows the prodigies to alter reality manipulate reality.
wholesale. Somehow, the structures in their brain The PCs have been altered by non-human creatures
permit them to change atomic effects on a quantum to be the next step in human evolution.

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 THE BIG PICTURE

returns to school—they were apparently cranial surgery. Shortly thereafter, more agents
killed in a car accident. in black suits show up, searching for them.
The Future approaches the PCs and calls The NPC leader mumbles about “gods”
a truce. Something is going on. Their leader and their powers being studied at the “Silo.”
isn’t dead; they were taken. Dr. Grant appears at a PC’s house and
Investigating the accident reveals several speaks to their parents at length about a
suspicious elements. special school for talented children.
Teams of agents in black scour
TIER 3 (FALL/WINTER) neighborhoods and the high school
A doctor from the Centers for Disease searching for the NPC leader.
Control and Prevention, Dr. Grant, arrives at The PCs likely tangle with the agents in
the school. There are rumors that some sort black.
of disease has infected the school. School The PCs capture intelligence from
announcements indicate it’s all routine and defeated agents. These manuals outline
has to do with inoculations. what is called a “GO:D”—Genetic Order:
All students are called to the gym to Deviant. It indicates that the teens all have
receive an inoculation. a strange organ in the center of their brain
When they enter the gym, they meet Dr. that makes these powers possible.
Grant one by one. A powerful, glowing One of the PCs attends a sibling’s recital
memento is placed in the open on a table. If and is met by Dr. Grant, who acts very
the PC reacts to it, Dr. Grant begins asking a happy to see them. The doctor directly
lot of questions. He doesn’t inoculate them; threatens their family and everyone they
instead, he draws blood. know. This war ends, now. They must turn
The funeral of the leader of the Future in the NPC leader.
occurs. Most of the school goes. (If the PCs On Christmas Eve, hit teams descend on
look, there is no body in the coffin.) the PCs’ houses. They plan to capture or kill
Two new, odd students appear in school, the PCs and eliminate everyone else.
a sister and brother. They glow with prodigy
power. The sister wears a wig. The brother TIER 5 (WINTER/SPRING)
has odd crisscross scars on his neck. The government arrives in the town en masse,
These siblings are seen following the under the pretense of containing a Spanish flu
prodigies in the school. They are also outbreak “discovered” by the CDC.
observed collecting mementos when they can. The town population is rounded up by
After some time, the siblings and the PCs troops. The area is cut off from the outside
play a cat-and-mouse game of spying on world. Fake news stories circulate.
one another. Then, the siblings vanish from Teams of those strange, surgically altered
the school. teens show up, searching for the PCs and
On the day before the winter break starts, any other prodigies.
various reasons contrived to keep the PCs The PCs must team up with other
after school culminate in an attack by strange town prodigies to defeat these hostile
“men in black.” These government personnel superpowered teens and the military, and to
seem to have limited access to prodigy-like break the sham quarantine.
powers. Each agent, the PCs note, has a One of the strange, surgically altered
stitchlike scar on the back of their neck. teens defects to the side of the prodigies.
The group attempts to capture the PCs, He spills the beans about the GO:D project
but likely a pitched battle occurs. and the location of the Silo.
Several PCs or friendly prodigy NPCs
TIER 4 (WINTER) are captured in the ensuing battle, but the
During the winter break, the NPC leader of fight causes the quarantine to drop. News
the Future turns up, head shaved, having begins to leak that it was a cover story for
obviously been subjected to some sort of suspicious government actions.

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 Unmasked

Counterintelligence makes up a fake story TIER 1 (SUMMER/FALL)

about a small uranium spill from a secret The PCs manifest their mask-forms,
cargo train crash. The government assures discover one another, and develop
the town there is no risk. friendships.
The PCs begin to notice odd glowing
TIER 6 (SPRING) items around town (mementos).
The Silo, a secret government base, is Other students in the high school show
located in another state and heavily guarded prodigy abilities.
by various superpowered personnel. The PCs trade stories of a reoccurring
The PCs—along with their new ally from dream they have of a faceless man.
the GO:D project—plan a jailbreak to spring A mask-form robs a local bank.
their friends from the Silo. The local news becomes interested in the
story, as do the police.
Due to clues found at the scene,
EXAMPLE REVELATION 2: suspicion falls on students from the high
PARANORMAL- school. Police are searching for blue dye on
PSYCHIC POWERS! the hands of the thieves.
The PCs have the power to alter reality with The local police begin patrolling the school.
their minds. There is no biological aspect to In their dreams about the faceless man,
these powers; instead, they somehow exist the PCs begin to have other visions—other
only in consciousness. In fact, everything places and people. They see a police officer
might exist only in consciousness, running lying dead in the road.
like a program with the PCs capable of The PCs find a stash of mementos in the
“reprogramming” reality on the fly. gym storage room.
Perhaps these powers place the PCs A group of NPC prodigies (the “bullies”)
above other humans. Maybe they are an confronts the PCs for messing with their
ancient ability coming to light. (Who built stuff. One NPC has blue dye on their hand.
the pyramids? Prodigies!). Or maybe the A brief fight ends with the NPCs escaping
PCs represent some other fundamental before the police show up. The NPCs have
spiritual change in life on Earth. planted a bag of money from the bank in
As such, the prodigies are beyond the locker of one of the PCs.
science and cannot be identified through The police arrest the PC, but release
blood tests or other standard methods. In them when it becomes clear that the PC’s
fact, although their powers are somewhat fingerprints are not on the bag and that the
predictable, no matter what science throws lock to the locker had been damaged.
at the problem, prodigy powers remain
outside the realm of actual scientific TIER 2 (FALL)
understanding. On Halloween night, the teens in town are
throwing a huge party at the abandoned mill.
The NPC bullies confront the NPCs while
EXAMPLE PSYCHIC they are out on Halloween night, and a big
REVELATION ARC battle ensues, tearing up the mill. The PCs
Below is a breakdown of an ongoing must protect the normal teens and, later,
Unmasked campaign, with beats, the police that arrive.
revelations, NPCs, and more, spaced out The NPC group escapes the scene.
over all six tiers. A GM should feel free to use Several teens are injured, and the mill burns
the sample arc wholesale, or simply mine down. While it is declared an accidental fire,
it for ideas. Please note that as the game many reports indicate that strange powers
moves up in tiers, the pace speeds up. were at work.
Back at school, the NPC group begins to
antagonize friends of the PCs.

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 THE BIG PICTURE

THE PSYCHIC BOOM OTHER PSYCHIC OPTIONS

From the late 1960s up through the 1980s, The egg-headed psychic is not the only option for
spiritualism and the supernatural enjoyed an the psychic threat behind the curtain, of course.
explosion in popularity in the United States. Jeane The 1980s were filled with tons of cool references
Dixon, Uri Geller, and others became worldwide to a spiritual world beyond, as well as its effect on
celebrities, predicting the future, bending spoons, or the modern day. Dreamscape and The Sender each
stopping watches with “telekinesis.” Even President described a world of secret psychic abilities and its
Reagan and his wife employed astrologers and discovery by normal people, as well as their reaction
psychics. to it. Here are some other examples of what the big
More sobering, both the Soviet Union and the reveal—in a psychic sense—might be:
United States, eager to find a game-changer in the The spawn of an alien consciousness has infected
Cold War, pursued psychic research in projects such certain people.
as Stargate and the Soviet remote viewing project. The development of prodigy power marks the
These secretive think tanks claimed to be able to scan awakening of a psychic hive-mind.
enemy territory with terrifying accuracy using only the The appearance of prodigies represents the
human mind. These projects persisted up until the extrusion of superintelligence into our space-time.
mid-1980s and were as extensively funded as a new The events herald the reappearance of the godhead.
secret weapons system or innovative piece of military
technology.
Movies, television shows, and comics all followed
suit, of course, Poltergeist, The Dead Zone, Scanners,
and The Fury being only a few to catch the wave of
psychic interest at the time.

PROJECTIONS AND VISIONS

In a psychic revelation, creatures such as angels,
demons, or other bizarre beings might appear to exist.
In actuality, they are merely manifestations of forces
that the prodigies bring to life. In this sense, the
creatures can be nearly anything—dragons, aliens, or
leprechauns—but in reality, they are only the mind of
the prodigy shaping and controlling the world through
the lens of the subconscious. As such, these beings
have no real consciousness or will; they only fulfill the
demands of the prodigies’ subconscious. But don’t
let that fool you into believing these manifestations
are less dangerous than the real thing; after all, the
subconscious is often self-destructive, and prodigy
powers are incredible.
Some prodigies can also peer into the future.
Whether or not the events occur the way they are
predicted and whether the prodigy power forces the
outcome to match the vision are questions unlikely
ever to be answered in a definitive manner. All that is
known is that some prodigies can indeed predict the
outcome of future events.

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 Unmasked

Both groups discover that the principal’s didn’t kill the cop, but someone like them
glasses are an incredibly powerful did. They too were contacted by Weimar.
memento. The NPCs seem to want it. To The dreams now show the man without a
prevent the bullies from stealing it, the PCs face walking the road at night.
must get to it first. Poking around town, the PCs find that the
The nightmare of the faceless man suddenly Weimar Institute people never left town and
returns and is crippling to some PCs. He instead have set up shop outside of town in
seems to have “awoken” and “broken free.” a storefront.
A police officer is killed on an isolated The storefront sells crap new age
road outside of town in an unknown paperbacks that purport to “unlock the
manner. The PC’s suspect prodigy abilities. power of the human mind.”
When PC prodigies confront the Weimar
TIER 3 (FALL/WINTER) Institute members, the latter use bizarre
The funeral of the cop draws many people weapons to make their escape. One such
from town, including the NPC bullies. device resembling a parabolic mic emits a
One morning at school, all the PCs are horrible screeching that can cause even a
summoned by the school administrators mask-form to collapse.
to various rooms, and there they meet The Weimar Institute members get away,
representatives of the “Weimar Institute.” but they leave behind reams of data.
The representatives give them a test The documents include maps of a strange
with a strange series of questions. The last facility, notes about “Subject 1,” and dozens
question is, “Do you dream about a man of photographs of teenagers—all with their
with no face?” The representatives claim to heads shaven—wearing jumpsuits in some
be from a special school in a nearby state. sort of institution.
The NPC bullies approach the PCs and There are strange photographs of a skin-
call for a truce. They do not kill people. They colored cloth mask.

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 THE BIG PICTURE

TIER 4 (WINTER) The PCs wake up in a strange facility. The

During the winter break, an odd NPC who teens find their heads shaved, and they are
glows with prodigy power approaches one hooked to IVs in a room full of other such
of the PCs at the mall. The NPC’s head teens, all asleep.
is shaved, and he wears a mishmash of At the center of the room is a teen wearing a
clothes. He claims the PCs are in danger— face mask—it looks like he has no face. Blood
the institute is coming for them. The NPC covers the front of the mask. He is dead.
vanishes before the PC can ask anything
more. TIER 6 (SPRING)
A strike team from the Weimar Institute The PCs must escape from the institute
shows up at a PC’s house at night. Using and return home. They have been missing
tranquilizer guns, the team knocks the for some time, as the institute probed their
family out, and then several unfamiliar minds in an attempt to control them.
teens with shaved heads and wearing
jumpsuits confront the PC. The strange
teens pull on seamless masks, and they EXAMPLE REVELATION 3:
turn out to be powerful prodigies. SPIRITUAL-
In the ensuing battle, the PC’s home is A WORLD BEYOND!
destroyed. Demons and spirits have always existed
The PCs all dream vividly of a group of on the cusp of human experience. The
teens gathered around the faceless man oracles of Delphi and Catholic, Haitian,
in a darkened room. There is medical and African ancestor possession—each of
equipment. They each feel a sharp pain, and these is a real, though poorly understood
then wake up in their own beds. phenomenon. Before that, gods, demigods,
A police detective becomes interested in and others existed as people seized by some
the case and begins to suspect the PC has outside force to enact grand, unknowable
something to do with the destruction of the plans for bizarre reasons.
house. Something comes through into this world,
The teen PCs are called down to the another intelligence that can cause the
police station for interviews. The detective human body to endure and enact amazing
asks some very leading questions about feats that break reality.
their prodigy powers. The prodigies represent the newest stage
One PC sees the faceless man in town, in this phenomenon, which acts through
briefly, but then he is gone. the culture in which it is grounded. In Haiti,
the mask-forms are the Loa, disembodied
TIER 5 (WINTER/SPRING) god-spirits, while in Catholicism, they are
The PCs dream about the faceless man demons, and in the American teenage mind,
shaking and trembling in a chair. they are superheroes from comic books.
The NPC prodigy bullies are nowhere to What is their ultimate goal? To experience
be found. They have vanished from school, this world and persist in it as long as
yet people at school act as if they had never possible, and perhaps to eventually replace
existed. the teens through which they manifest.
Tracking down the NPC prodigy bullies A spiritual revelation is beyond science
turns up nothing. and always will be. It can violate scientific
The town and the residents begin to act principles six ways until Sunday, and turn
strangely. Some appear to have no faces. a PhD into a gibbering mess, for their
The PCs are confronted by the townsfolk, conclusions get continuously shattered, over
who transform into inhuman creatures and and over again. As such, if the phenomenon
attack them. ever breaks on a wide scale, few methods of
The PCs and their mask-forms are finally detection and control will present themselves
overwhelmed. to the government to stop it.

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 Unmasked

THE SATANIC PANIC OTHER SPIRITUAL OPTIONS

Beginning in 1980, a moral craze swept the more Demons, angels, and spirits are not the only option
religious areas of the United States. Now nicknamed for a spiritual threat behind the curtain, of course.
“the satanic panic,” it was the conviction held by The 1980s are filled with tons of cool references to
millions—including many in law enforcement— a spiritual world beyond, as well as its effect on the
that a secret network of devil worshippers existed modern day. The Lost Boys, Highlander, Ghostbusters,
throughout the United States, enacting ritual abuse on and An American Werewolf in London each illustrated
victims. “Survivors” of this phenomenon believed they a secret history and its discovery by normal people,
had been kidnapped and tortured by an underground as well as their varying reactions to it. Here are
of Satan worshippers that had secretly infiltrated all some examples of what the big reveal—in a spiritual
walks of American life. These people led double lives, sense—might be. The PCs could be:
hiding their worship of the devil from the world at Shapechangers
large and performing horrific rituals at night or in Immortals
isolated locales. Demigods
After several high-level cases involving this Vampires or werewolves
weirdness came to trial, police and federal law Fey
enforcement were briefed on it as if these were
real crimes. Later, the cases were dropped and the
“abuse” debunked as complete fiction—coaxed from
children by biased investigators. However, that doesn’t
mean it can’t be real in Unmasked. In either case,
such suppositions might be front and center at any
investigation of prodigy abilities.

CREATURES, PORTALS, OTHER WORLDS,

AND HIGH WEIRDNESS
In a spiritual revelation, creatures such as angels,
demons, or other bizarre beings might exist and
travel to and from this world. If such is the case, it
is recommended the GM handle PC interaction with
them very carefully. In the beginning, there should
be no direct confrontation with such beings; instead,
the PCs should uncover only evidence and hints—the
smell of brimstone, a cloven hoof print, a scrawled
pentagram.
Direct confrontation and confirmation of such
creatures should occur only after the PCs work to
locate, surprise, or trap such a being. Even then,
the confrontation should be brief and terrifying.
Remember, the longer and better understood a threat
is, the less frightening it is. In any case, the GM should
work to keep the truth from the players long enough to
construct a mystery that’s worth solving.

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 THE BIG PICTURE

EXAMPLE SPIRITUAL gymnasium and save the kidnapped child.

REVELATION ARC They are confronted by something not
Below is a breakdown of an ongoing human that almost kills them, but vanishes
Unmasked campaign, with beats, in smoke. The coven escapes.
revelations, NPCs, and more, spaced out While leaving the school, the PCs are
over all six tiers. A GM should feel free to almost captured by a SWAT team, which
use the arc wholesale, or simply mine it for seemed to be waiting for them.
ideas. Please note that as the game moves The state police issue warrants for the PC
up in tiers, the pace speeds up. mask-forms.
The NPC prodigy who contacted them is
TIER 1 (SUMMER/FALL) found murdered in his room, with a coin
The PCs manifest their mask-forms, discover placed on each eye.
one another, and develop friendships. The local news identifies a suspect in the
The PCs begin to notice odd glowing killing—a crazed house painter who likes
items around town (mementos). heavy metal and who was found nearby
Other students in the high school show with blood on his hands. He is arrested and
prodigy abilities. charged. A mask is found in his possession.
The PCs trade stories of a reoccurring The PCs can tell—since it shows no
dream they have of a faceless man. power—that it is not a mask like theirs.
The PCs observe peculiar events in town,
as well as weird occult graffiti and more. TIER 3 (FALL/WINTER)
The local news becomes interested in the A note is left on a PC’s locker indicating
story, as do the police. someone knows they are a prodigy.
The nightmares grow worse. When the The PCs begin to feel like they’re being
faceless figure catches the dreamer, he watched.
embeds white-hot coins in their eyes. They Around the Thanksgiving break, the PCs
wake screaming. begin to notice fewer mementos in town.
Rewards are offered for the “vigilantes.” The trial of the innocent painter begins.
A child disappears, kidnapped in broad Local news is all over it.
daylight. PCs who investigate find the man was
living in a shack in the woods, and when
TIER 2 (FALL) authorities came looking for the NPC
On Halloween, an NPC prodigy approaches the prodigy’s murderer, he had just killed and
group of PCs and says a teacher knows about gutted a deer—hence the blood.
what’s going on with the occult symbols. Someone attacks the NPC teacher’s car
The teacher is a trusted older woman on a road at night and almost kills her.
who has taught social studies at the school A group of NPC prodigies at school
for years. She believes some sort of cult is begins harassing a PC.
operating in the town, possibly even in the These superbullies start making the PCs’
high school. lives miserable (for example, smashing their
The teacher is a closet expert in the outré bikes or destroying their lockers).
and the occult. The graffiti leads her to This builds into a confrontation between
believe a cult may be trying to call an Iwa the PC and NPC mask-forms at the school
into existence—a spirit that takes over a when it becomes clear that the NPC mask-
body and can transform it. To summon it forms are working with the coven. This
requires a young person to be murdered. happens at the big municipal football game,
More graffiti appears in town. Now, the and some of it is caught on camera.
images show a man with no face—like in The story goes national, but no one
the PCs’ dreams. knows what to make of it.
The PCs find and disrupt a coven The NPC teacher returns to school, ready
performing some sort of ritual in the school to get back to the investigation.

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 Unmasked

TIER 4 (WINTER) steps in. The agent gives the PCs files on
During the winter break, a PC shopping at the NPC teacher.
the mall with their family sees the faceless The NPC teacher was in a cult called
man in the crowd, but only for a split second. “ELOHAEM” in the 1960s and 1970s,
The NPC prodigies attack the PC’s home attempting to “call forth” spirits.
and destroy it. In the ruins of the house, It turns out many of the families in town
occult evidence is found. once were members.
The house painter is found guilty of murder. All the prodigy children are offspring of
The local police become interested in the members of the cult, which fell apart in the
PC as a suspect. late 1970s.
Black vans are spotted driving around town.
The PCs notice the entire high school has TIER 6 (SPRING)
taken on a strange glow. After the spring break, the PCs find the NPC
Another PC is approached by an agent teacher has left the school. Several prodigies
who won’t say where they are from, only have not returned from spring break either.
that they are very interested in the PC’s When the PCs return home, their families
“special abilities.” They leave a nondescript are missing.
card with the PC. The PCs track the NPC teacher to the old
Later, the PC sees the agent speaking with cult compound on the edge of town.
one of the NPC prodigies in school. There, the NPC teacher and their parents
are attempting to draw forth the Iwa. The
TIER 5 (WINTER/SPRING) PC teens were an imperfect summoning
The NPC prodigies target a PC’s family. gone wrong, but their deaths will bring the
The PC teens barely save the family. Iwa—the faceless man—to Earth.
A PC must reveal to their family that they The PCs fight the cult members, who
are special, but the family does not seem are wielding much more powerful abilities
overly shocked. because the ritual is near completion.
The police are alerted, and it looks as The Iwa comes through and must be
if the PCs will be arrested—but the agent defeated.

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 PART 4: WELCOME TO BOUNDARY
BAY, NEW YORK
WOULDN’T IT BE GOOD
“I’m pretty sure he’s dead. He must be dead.” Aline was crying, and Jeremy was watching out the
window of the house. The room was dark. Flickering static from the TV cast crazy, staccato shadows on the
wall. The three teens were gathered near the storm door, near the bay window that looked out on the lawn.
“What happened? Tell me. Again,” Michael demanded.
“The man was there,” Jeremy said, almost like an afterthought.
“Shut up!” Aline shrieked. “Just shut up!”
“Okay. Calm down. Tell me.”
“There were people waiting for us. Agents, in suits. And they had a machine . . .” Aline was crying again.
“Jeremy, what the hell happened?”
“They killed him, Mike. They shot Steven as he was changing. When he put on his mask-“
“Did you see the body?” Aline looked up, her face wet, eyes wide, and then she looked at Jeremy.
“DID YOU SEE HIM DEAD?”
“No. Aline had already changed, and I put on my mask and went to go . . . help . . . and then I saw . . .”
“You saw Prester John,” Michael finished. And just at that moment, a spray of headlights tracked across
the walls of the darkened room, followed by the sounds of car doors slamming. Of people running around
outside, in the dark, preparing.
Aline covered her ears.
“Jeremy, get ready. Aline, go if you have to. Change. Get out of here. Tell the others they’re coming.”

CHAPTER 14: THE SETTING 100

CHAPTER 15: ORGANIZATIONS AND CREATURES 146
 Unmasked
CHAPTER 14

THE SETTING

W hile the setting of Unmasked can

be altered and changed to suit the
GM’s taste, this chapter presents
an entirely realized style, town, high school,
NPCs, a big bad, and final revelations. You
THE SECRET OF BOUNDARY
BAY OVERVIEW
As GM, you are privy to the secrets that the
players must work to uncover. The secret
at the heart of Boundary Bay is this: a
can find all you need for a full Unmasked company, hired by a division of the federal
campaign here. You, as the GM, should of government, has accidentally released
course feel free—as with all other elements a power into the world by activating an
presented in this book—to tweak, fold, spin, unidentified and secret piece of technology.
or mutilate anything found within to match This effect changed everyone who happened
your own personal vision. to be asleep on August 22, 1986, at 1:55 p.m.
Welcome to Boundary Bay, a small town within a radius of about seven miles around
on the northern shores of Long Island, New the device. Teens who were transformed
York. The kids of Boundary Bay are all right, by this effect became prodigies; adults and
but different. Today, on the first day of school children who were asleep became conduits
at Ocean View High School in 1986, they to some otherworldly power (called the
return from summer break changed, though Faceless). Everyone else who was awake at
at this point, no one understands why. the time remained unchanged.
Something strange has arrived in town, and Few noticed the odd flash and the strange
the school will never be the same. moments following the effect. But the
prodigies certainly did. The major players in
the mystery of Boundary Bay are the following:

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 THE SETTING

Sand Point Consumer Electronics: sometimes appear to be taken over by

This large electronics concern has been an otherworldly power that grants them
experimenting with an odd device (called prodigy-like abilities, but that also seems to
the “key”), delivered to them by the federal cause their faces and features to blur. They
government, in the hopes of reverse perform strange actions, steal or destroy
engineering it. This strange circuit appears random objects, and hunt prodigies, but
to be some sort of quantum device, like only—for some reason—at night.
one proposed the year before by Dr. David Prester John: The apparent leader of the
Deutsch—a “universal quantum computer.” Faceless. This being is incredibly powerful,
Its origin is unknown, at least to Sand Point. and it seems to haunt the prodigies when
On August 22, 1986, at 1:55 p.m., the device they are alone and at their most vulnerable.
was accidentally activated for the first (and It appears to want to capture them and take
last) time. their masks . . .
The Prodigies: Teens who were asleep or The Circus: This tiny intelligence division
unconscious when the effect was triggered in the United States Defense Intelligence
became prodigies. Soon after the event, Agency handles the outré, the bizarre, and
they began creating masks and collecting the strange that turns up on the fringes of
mementos. There are approximately fifty the government. If a file is weird and other
prodigies in Boundary Bay, including the PCs. divisions don’t want to deal with it, it ends
The Faceless: Those adults and children up with the Circus. The name of the group
who were asleep or unconscious during stems from the Polish saying, “Not my
the August 22 event have been infected circus, not my monkeys.”
by some sort of outside force. Now, they

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 Unmasked

OVERVIEW OF BOUNDARY BAY, to this: the prodigy powers and mask-forms

NEW YORK, GAMEPLAY STYLE emanate from some other reality, and they can
The gameplay style of the Unmasked never be fully quantified by earthly science.
Boundary Bay setting is one of “realism.”
While the powers, mask-forms, and ON SECRECY
abilities that the prodigies can manifest The mask-forms of the prodigies in
uniformly shred classical reality, the teens, Unmasked Boundary Bay all are possessed
their teachers, their parents, and the with a single, overriding command: they
conventional threats they face are as real, must not be discovered by the rank and file
vulnerable, and mortal as normal people of humanity. Some of the mask-forms have
actually were in 1986. Violence in Unmasked half-thought-out ideas as to why this is so,
Boundary Bay is as dangerous as it is in the while others make up reasons, but none
real world, and if the PCs are not careful, really know why they’d think such a thing. It
flagrant use of their powers may lead to the is as fundamental as the fear of open flame.
deaths of innocents—something no one A clear feeling of dread and horror
wants. The GM must strike a balance with consumes any prodigy who considers
the PCs where they understand and respect exposing their powers to a non-prodigy,
this fragility. one akin to a fear of death. If the Boundary
Bay story ever breaks wide, the prodigies
TONE and mask-forms are certain, it will not be
The tone of the Unmasked Boundary Bay long before something terrible happens. Of
setting is “superpowered, surreal horror.” course, this does not mean the prodigies
The powers and mask-forms granted to the can’t tell NPCs or other nonpowered PCs
teen prodigies are amazing and powerful, about their abilities, only that such a secret
but the forces behind the powers, as well must be kept and not spread widely.
as their ultimate source, remain mysterious
and frightening. The GM is encouraged to A NOTE ABOUT TIMING
keep the players guessing and to watch for Unmasked Boundary Bay works best if all the
mask-forms, page 34 various points in gameplay where surprising PCs learned of their mask-forms recently—at
twists and turns can be thrown in to keep the end of summer break, after the incident
the players on their toes. Even the final on August 22—and only notice others in
reveal presented here is a conduit to a town who glow as prodigies when they return
deeper secret, allowing the GM to use this to high school. Most of the questions they
chapter as a jumping-off point into a much might have about the phenomenon remain
bigger game, one which might encompass unanswered, and this is the main focus of
the whole world. For now, this chapter deals gameplay when they begin.
with only Boundary Bay, Long Island, and
the first outbreak of prodigies in 1986. A NOTE ABOUT
LOCATIONS AND NPCS
THE SOURCE OF THE POWERS Unmasked Boundary Bay concentrates on
Unmasked Boundary Bay is a setting where locations and NPCs that are significant in the
the prodigy powers come from beyond due life of an average teenager: shops that a teen
to the activation of a strange device. At might go to, work at, or otherwise frequent,
least, the device appears to be the source as well as people they might run into, run
of the abilities. While the PCs have no afoul of, or end up in conflict with. There are
clue about this at the beginning of play, many, many, other people and locations in
and many perceptual twists and turns are Boundary Bay not outlined below, because
presented that might lead them to various teen PCs would rarely have anything to do
conclusions, in the end it comes down with them. It’s up to the GM to fill those in.

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 THE SETTING

HOW TO USE THIS SECTION with this level of comfort clearly established
If you’ve read a Stephen King book or that the mysterious and horrific aspects of
enjoyed shows such as Stranger Things, Twin an Unmasked campaign can really sink their
Peaks, or Lost, you’ll recognize this section teeth in.
on Boundary Bay for what it is: a grab
bag filled with locations, characters, and
elements with which a GM can populate NORMAL HUMAN STATS
their game setting. This section outlines the Boundary Bay is set in the real 1986. As
principal cast in a show that is Boundary such, the people of the town are not all
Bay, Long Island, on the first day of school that different from one another, stats-
in 1986. From this point forward, many wise. Only the preternatural threats or
elements can and will change, but the the mask-forms have any significant
secrets, interrelations, powers, and plot power. Below is a list of the basic stats
hooks remain here to be brought out on the for normal humans, by type:
table at any time. As GM, you should keep Teacher, typical: level 2, knowledge
this section handy while running a game tasks as level 4
in Boundary Bay, because you never know Janitor, typical: level 3
when you’ll need a plot twist or three to mix Watchman, typical: level 3
things up. Professional security guard, typical:
The key to making an engaging game level 3
world that players are both comfortable in Off-duty police officer, typical: level 4
and eager to explore is to have substance Reporter, typical: level 3, public
below the base descriptions of game speaking tasks as level 4
elements. GMs can and should make Firefighter, typical: level 3, firefighting
up their own material, of course, but the as level 4; Armor 1
sheer volume of characters, locations, and Police officer or sheriff ’s deputy,
interrelationships presented here should typical: level 4; Armor 1
be enough to make Boundary Bay pass the SWAT team member, typical: level 5,
basic player test of: do I feel like I know what combat tasks as level 6; Armor 2
my character would do here? Soldier, typical: level 5, combat tasks
During gameplay, the GM will uncover as level 6; access to explosives and
the player’s preferences—what they hope heavy weapons grant a +2 power shift
Boundary Bay will be for them. Maybe they Circus Agent: level 7, subterfuge,
enjoy the high school aspect of the game, spying, and stealth as level 8;
the horror, the interrelationships between antiprodigy technology can grant
people, the mystery, or all of it at once. up to a +3 power shift
Individual players often like elements to
differing degrees, and it’s the GM’s job to
tailor the game to each. Luckily, there are
more than enough elements presented
here to cover all those aspects for an entire
campaign.
The goal, of course, is to make the
players feel as if Boundary Bay were their
hometown, so much so that they tell you
who runs the Good and Plenty, or predict
how a particular well-worn NPC might react
to a particular course of action. A good
hometown feels comfortable, clear, and
simple, even if thousands of illicit acts are
taking place under the waterline. It is only

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 Unmasked

THE TOWN-BOUNDARY BAY, company founded by the town’s favorite and

LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK most famous son, Emil Warzowski.
Boundary Bay is a beach town in Suffolk The town’s total population is 24,509
County, New York, on the shores of Long people. During the summer, that number
Island Sound, a huge, tidal estuary of the increases slightly, as several prominent
Atlantic Ocean that runs from New York homes on the sound are summer
City all the way out to Block Island Sound. residences for the New York City elite.
Boundary Bay is approximately three hours There are six main areas of the town:
by train from New York City (or one hour by Point East
car), located in an out-of-the-way, rural area. The Strand and Boardwalk
Boundary Bay ends to the east at Point Beach Street
East, a beach area; to the west by Rockville, Fox Run Road
another small town; to the south by State Estes Industrial Park
Route 25A; and to the north by Long Island Meadowdale Mall
Sound. There are many smaller neighborhoods
In the 1930s, Boundary Bay was nothing as well, each with its own character. Some
more than a few bungalows on the ocean, of these smaller areas are noted both on the
occupied by families whose main income map and with a basic description, but only
was fishing (black sea bass, bluefish, and the major areas have deeper descriptions.
flounder), but since the later 1950s, the
place has exploded in size and importance,
becoming a full-blown town, first as a POINT EAST
commercial fishing hub (once the main This jutting peninsula of land contains
local concern) and later due to the arrival of large, rambling, Cape Cod–style homes
Sand Point Consumer Electronics—a large belonging to some of the oldest and richest
and still very successful semiconductor families in town. The peninsula ends in

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 THE SETTING

a sand beach that overlooks the inlet to can often be seen swimming early in the
Boundary Bay. Boats often pass heading morning at the beach.
into the bay to dock. Smilak House: This big, three-level house
Each house on Point East occupies a on the beach is painted bright yellow with
select sliver of land along the stretch of road red shutters. It has a manicured yard and
called Bay Avenue. Most of the homes were an inset stone pool. For much of the year
built in the 1930s, but some more recent the house is vacant (it is a summer home).
ones are built in a geometric wood-slat During the school year, teens often gather
style with odd oval windows. These houses here (unbeknownst to the owners, John and
border the Strand, and their backyards are Alma Smilak) for parties.
usually blocked with a simple gate. Most Old Man Lynch’s House (a.k.a. “The
of the houses also have a private slip for a White House”): Walter Lynch is the
boat on Boundary Bay. only fisherman to become rich from the
Those that live here are the envy of the disintegrating fishing industry in Boundary
town, and many of the local families once Bay in the 1960s. He lives alone in a
called this neighborhood home before huge, rambling Cape Cod house that is
selling their land or beach house off to painted white each year in June (hence
settle debts when the fishing dried up. the nickname). He can sometimes be
spied sitting on the back patio talking
POINT EAST on a telephone, watching the ocean.
SIGNIFICANT LOCATIONS: The inside of the house is a hoarder’s
The Breakers: At the end of Point East, at dream. Every surface is covered in folded
the inlet of Boundary Bay past the end of newspapers dating back to the 1960s, legal
Bay Avenue, are the Breakers. Here, huge correspondence, or sections of books torn
sand dunes overgrown with reeds and high from old novels. A huge 1919 safe stands in
grass are interspersed around chunks of old the living room; inside he keeps hundreds
concrete, ripped up from Beach Street in of thousands of dollars in stocks, gold, and
the 1930s when the sewers were installed. bills. When Walter (very rarely) leaves the
Several wrecked cars have been left out house, his black 1968 Jaguar is recognized
here, and teens (as well as some locals like (and avoided) by all.
David Jericho) can be found out here.
Warzowski Residence: Emil Warzowski POINT EAST REGULARS:
(owner of Sand Point Consumer David Jericho: A forty-seven-year-old local David Jericho: level 3,
Electronics) and his teenage daughter and veteran of the Vietnam War, David is survival and combat tasks
as level 4
Emma live in the largest house on Point often seen walking the beach with his metal
East. This house is considered the “end” detector and his dog, Doc. He lives in a
of the beach, though the shore does rotted-out Dodge up on blocks in the dunes
continue past the end of Bay Avenue into at the end of Point East, and he makes little
the Breakers. It is a friendly, old-looking or no trouble. He is well known and well
house with a huge, improbable tree in the liked. In fact, he often mows the lawn of
back where a tire swing still hangs. Emil’s the Warzowski house and does odd jobs
office is fully kitted out with cutting-edge there (he went to high school with Emil
electronics, multiple computer setups, Warzowski at Ocean View High). David is
and various high-tech devices. The boat a believer in the paranormal and claims to
slip in the back is usually occupied by the have “seen things” in the war. Teens will
Olyphant, Emil’s yacht. find a ready ally in David if they ever reveal
Yaros Residence: Assemblyman Dean their power to him.
Yaros, his wife Eleanor, and their two Emil Warzowski: A forty-nine-year-old Emil Warzowski: level
teenage children, Danny and Imogen, live in local self-made millionaire, Emil Warzowski 5, science, physics, and
computer tasks as level 6
a modern wood-slat house recently built in made a name for himself first at Caltech
the middle of Point East. The assemblyman working in microcomputers (some of which

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 Unmasked

were used in the Apollo program and other Industrial Park. It is also well known that
classified Air Force programs). Later, he Dean is a philanderer who sleeps with many
founded Sand Point Consumer Electronics, different women in town.
Eleanor Yaros: level 3, a semiconductor production facility in his Eleanor Yaros: This fifty-five-year-old
persuasion, deception, hometown that utilized a chemical bonding matron is far more attractive than her
and social interaction as
level 4
process he patented, bringing roughly a husband and, although no one believes
thousand jobs to the area and becoming it, far cleverer. Eleanor plays the perfect
a local hero. In the last two years, he has political wife, but since discovering her
been working quietly with Director Holtz husband’s illicit activities in town (illegal
of the federal research program called the real estate deals and philandering), she has
Circus, attempting to dissect a piece of been quietly selling household items and
unique and unknown technology referred exchanging the cash for diamonds, gold,
to as “the key.” Emil is talkative and easy to and jewels she keeps at her cousin’s home
spot, with his horn-rimmed glasses, blond
beard, and frizzy mop of curly red hair. He
drives a beaten-up, light-blue Volkswagen
Bug, and he knows nearly everyone in town
by name, family, or reputation. His memory
is legendary. Emil has little tolerance for the
“supernatural” and will have a hard time
wrapping his head around the concept of
prodigies.
Emma Warzowski: level Emma Warzowski: A fourteen-year-old
2, social interaction as overachiever, Emma is insanely popular
level 4
while somehow remaining kind, humble,
and friendly with everyone. Despite
being local royalty (many in the town
owe her father their jobs), Emma fails
to even notice such things, much less
take advantage of them. Emma’s mother,
Nancy, lives in New York City and is an
“actress”—that is, she lives off the monthly
checks Emil sends her. Emil and Nancy
never speak directly. What little conflict
Emma has with her father concerns her
wanting to spend more time in the city with
her mom. Usually, Emma and her father are
thick as thieves.
Assemblyman Dean Assemblyman Dean Yaros: A sixty-one-
Yaros: level 4, politics year-old politician, Dean Yaros looks like a
and public speaking as
level 5 movie idol gone to pot. His hair is a perfect,
shiny black, and each temple is touched by
gray. His teeth are too straight and precise
to be real, and his voice has the practiced
quality of a TV host. His body is wiry and
potbellied. Though he works hard at it,
Dean has a difficult time with the names of
those without pull in the town, though he
will readily pretend to know everyone. Dean
is involved in several questionable deals
regarding the Meadowdale Mall and Estes

106
 THE SETTING

in Bethpage, Long Island. In addition, she’s who—no matter how well dressed he is
secreted away several photocopies of the (and he always dresses well)—appears
deeds and titles her husband forged to somewhat haggard. He has a mind like
establish dumping areas and construction an encyclopedia and a heart like an ice
areas in no-build zones at the mall and in cube. He’s well known in town, but widely
the Estes Industrial Park. Once she has avoided, as he tends to hold grudges
established enough of a nest egg to support and makes such grudges known through
herself, she’ll drop the evidence at the financial pressures. He has no family (his
offices of the Suffolk County Reporter and daughter, Yvonne, died in 1966 at the age
watch her husband’s life implode. of eighteen in an automobile accident).
Imogen Yaros: A nineteen-year-old drug Most of the older folks in town believe this Imogen Yaros: level
addict, Imogen’s been to rehab twice, once is when Walter “went off the rails,” but 2, lying, stealing, and
deception tasks as level 3
in high school (in 1984), and more recently in truth, he was always inclined toward
when she vanished from her college dorm the darker aspects of life. Walter operates
and turned up in jail in New Hampshire. dozens of ongoing business concerns
Her drug of choice is cocaine. She is a from his office in his house in Point East,
sullen, withdrawn, bitter woman who hates rarely leaving the property. Some of those
her parents and most people in town, and concerns have touched on the illegal, and
she is eager to get the hell out of Boundary he is aware of many more of the business
Bay. Still, she loves her little brother, and secrets in town, but he has yet to take the
since she knows about the secret tensions leap into being a full-fledged crook . . . yet. Danny Yaros: level
between her mother and father, she is eager 3, athletics, running,
to protect Danny from the fallout. POINT EAST HOOKS: jumping, and climbing
as level 5
Danny Yaros: This fifteen-year-old sports David Jericho sometimes picks up shifts
star plays on the junior varsity baseball at the Sand Point Consumer Electronics Wayne Depco: level 3,
team and lacrosse team at Ocean View building as a janitor, since he went to positive interactions and
High School. He is always sunny, genuinely high school with Emil Warzowski. Perhaps persuasion as level 5
happy to see everyone, and eager to get he sees something relating to prodigies Swoosh: This mask-form
along with others. Much of this stems from there after hours, or even escapes with an is a lithe, superhumanly
the fact that he’s just not very smart. He important item. fast Mover. He always
adores his sister, and the only thing anyone John and Alma Smilak, both in their wears skintight, bright
blue tights, pilot’s
can do to make Danny hold a grudge is to sixties, occupy their beach home only during goggles, and a yellow
talk unkindly about her. the summer months. In the off-season, scarf. He looks like the
Wayne Depco (Mask-Form: Swoosh): Hal Walmer, the seventeen-year-old son of Germanic ideal of a
downhill skier. When he
This sixteen-year-old student has mild the Boundary Bay police chief, “looks after begins a run at super
cerebral palsy that causes him to walk it.” During the fall and winter, Hal uses the speed, the colors tend to
with a staggering gait. Otherwise, his Smilaks’ residence as a party house, though blend into a vague Nike
disease causes him no real difficulty. he keeps it meticulously clean. Most kids in “swoosh.” He claims he’s
from Colorado but left
Wayne is popular, and despite having to the high school have been to a party or two “before the cold fusion
deal with minor bullying, he is confident out there; they call it the “flop house.” reactor at Millennium
and outgoing. He is also a prodigy. His Imogen Yaros might run off, either Springs opened in 1977.”
With those he doesn’t
mask-form is Swoosh. Though Wayne lives to look for drugs or just to escape her
know, he keeps most
in Bayside, he hides his mask (and his parents’ fights. Danny, her little brother, will conversations down to
mementos) out in a ruined dairy truck in desperately search for her, of course. But two-word questions or
the sand at Point East, because his mother, will the PCs help? responses, such as “Who’s
that?” or “Got it.” He’s
Helen, is a busybody, always poking into Some kids walking the beach report being here because of some sort
his business. Wayne (and Swoosh) can startled by a “man without a face” sitting of machine, but he can’t
sometimes be seen walking after school at alone at a campfire. After a brief kerfuffle in recall precisely why.
the end of Bay Avenue, or out in the dunes. town, the news dies down. But fires on the
Walter Lynch: level 6,
Walter Lynch: A sixty-one-year-old miser, beach at night persist. business interaction,
Walter Lynch is an old, bitter, thin man planning, and deception
tasks as level 8

107
 Unmasked

Some less-than-friendly prodigies declare The marina is run by the Shaeffer family:
an isolated section of Point East their own. Seth and Gail Shaeffer and their two teenaged
They use mementos and their powers children, Brett and Tabitha. The whole
to scare off trespassers, including David family works at the marina in various areas,
Jericho, who becomes suspicious and along with several other employees. In the
witnesses the prodigy abilities in action. off-season, the restaurant and cocktail bar
Wayne Depco might recognize the PCs remain open, but the staff is greatly reduced.
as fellow prodigies and enlist their help to
Seth Shaeffer: level 4, locate a missing mask, or a stolen memento SHAEFFER MARINA REGULARS:
business administration or two. Alternatively, the PCs might become Seth Shaeffer: This balding forty-nine-year-
and positive social
interactions as level 5
suspicious of how Wayne treks out into the old man with a slight paunch always wears
dunes every day and spy a transformation. sunglasses. He’s happy, thoughtful, and
Swoosh: level 7, Speed Wayne, in his Swoosh mask-form, might outgoing, but only if he knows someone;
defense as level 10; intervene to prevent a prodigy gang from otherwise, he’s somewhat standoffish. Seth
health 50; “Mach 4
punch” inflicts 7 points
scaring people off the beach. inherited the marina (which was nothing
of damage and ignores Walter Lynch employs out-of-town muscle more than the moorage back then) from
1 point of Armor; to frighten the people living in two houses his great-uncle Stephen Lynch—Walter
regenerates 1 health per near the end of Point East that he hopes Lynch’s long-dead older brother. Seth hires
turn; can move faster
than the human eye can to get at bargain-basement prices, so he many busboys and waitresses during the
track; power shifts: +5 to can develop his beach parking lot next to busy season, along with a lifeguard for
Speed the Shaeffer Marina. Perhaps these vague the pool and sometimes a tennis “pro”
threats go too far and someone gets hurt. to give lessons. Seth keeps his business
entanglements with Walter Lynch and others
a strict secret from his family.
Gail Shaeffer: level
3, positive social
SHAEFFER MARINA Gail Shaeffer: A slightly overweight forty-
This social club is frequented by the richer seven-year-old mother with perfectly coifed
interactions as level 4
families in town (mostly from Bayside, Bay red hair, Gail is the “mom” of the marina.
Avenue, and Fox Run Road), who spend Many of the employees call her “Mrs. S.” She
their weekends here during the summer takes care of what needs taking care of, and
season. Behind the marina in Boundary when her husband is not there, she works
Bay itself, there are eleven docks that can the desk. The two often take dinner there
comfortably moor up to twenty-two boats. together with the family when “handing off.”
In the off-season, many of these boats are Despite her usually sunny disposition, Gail
taken out of the water and put up on blocks behaves like a mom to the employees in
near Estes Road or next to the marina. other ways, too—she doesn’t put up with
The large clubhouse features a inappropriate behavior. Vices such as drug
tennis court, an indoor pool, the Conch use, drinking, or premarital sex at the marina
Restaurant, and the Hermit Crab Cocktail will show a whole new side of Gail to those
Bar. Seats on a large deck overlook the subjected to her wrath. Her children know
beach to the north, and a dock over this side well. They are not cut any slack.
Brett Shaeffer: level Boundary Bay to the south is filled with Brett Shaeffer: This fifteen-year-old is a
2, science fiction and tables for dining and an outdoor bar for slightly chunky kid with braces, freckles, a
fantasy literature as
level 3 when the weather is nice. flat face, and tight, curly black hair. Despite
his appearance (one might imagine a junior
high school bully), he is a very quiet, well-
read, and careful individual. He collects and
plays roleplaying games with a small group of
similarly eccentric friends. At the marina, Brett
is stuck doing grunt work—mopping toilets,
mooring vessels, scrubbing and treating
decks, and painting boats up on blocks.

108
 THE SETTING

Tabitha Shaeffer: This thin, spindly Dorothy “Dot” Telasco (Faceless): This Tabitha Shaeffer: level 3,
fourteen-year-old cheerleader is more attractive twenty-two-year-old works as dancing, tumbling, and
gymnastics as level 5
technically proficient at dance than anyone a waitress and bartender at the Conch
on the Ocean View squad. Despite her Restaurant. She went to Ocean View High Dorothy “Dot” Telasco:
severe ponytail and bulky glasses, she is School (class of 1982) and has worked level 2, positive social
interactions as level 3
considered one of the best performers in at the marina since she was fifteen, long
town, and she spends much of her time at enough that she is almost part of the
the Waves Dance Studio on Beach Street, Shaeffer family. They even put her up for
practicing. In school, she is an uninspired a summer when her father kicked her out
student who does the minimum to get by, for dropping out of college. Dot dated Rob
and she has few real friends. At the marina, Escadero, the full-time bartender at the
Tabitha usually works as a waitress or marina, for two years, but they’ve recently
service staff, or—at the worst—she assists broken up. So far, despite their breakup,
her brother, Brett, with menial labor. She the two have somehow managed to get
and her brother fight. Often. along. Dot was asleep in her car on August
Gavin Hyk: This thirty-three-year-old cook 22, 1986, at 1:55 p.m. when the “incident” Gavin Hyk: level 4,
spent eight years in the United States Army occurred. From time to time now, she combat, survival, and
espionage as level 5
stationed in Berlin, Germany, in the late forgets where she is and wakes hours later,
1970s. He is a muscular, balding man with having done things she can’t recall. Like
a carefully trimmed mustache and black, someone who suspects they might have a
curly hair, and he is as fastidious in his serious illness, she does her best to ignore
dress as he is in his behavior. He is polite it while she can . . .
to the point of near-absurdity. He lives in Rob Escadero: This twenty-one-year-old Rob Escadero: level 3
a houseboat moored at the end of the “rot bartender moved to Boundary Bay two
dock”—an old dock at the marina. His boat, years before. He has carefully feathered
the Ulrikia, is named after a long-vanished brown hair and a muscular build, and he
European girlfriend. Out of everyone in is always dressed in polo shirts, jeans, and
Patrick Villanueva: level
town, Gavin has noticed more than others moccasins. Considered a “fox,” Rob is a 3, fighting, wrestling, and
the oddities going on. He has run into draw for women (and men) at the Hermit theft as level 5
strange people out in the dunes during Crab Cocktail Bar. He drives a red 1977
his morning runs, and once, he’s certain, Mustang and lives in a loft above the Waves Smyk: This mask-form
is a lumbering Smasher
he saw a woman without a face moving Dance Studio on Beach Street. His recent with one withered leg
through the parking lot of the marina late at breakup with Dot Telasco is a well-worn and huge, overgrown,
night. subject of local gossip. apelike arms, along with
a Mr. Jekyll-like face fit
Patrick Villanueva: An eighteen-year- Ophelia Grant (Mask-Form: Smyk): This with features that seem
old ex-juvenile convict, Patrick lives in sixteen-year-old is a wispy, quiet, blonde- randomly selected from
the Kennedy Estates with his aunt, Esther haired teen who works in the marina as a a dozen different ugly
Villanueva. He is a tall, lanky man who waitress in the restaurant. In school, she madmen. He claims
he was created in the
appears older than his age—most mistake is a nodding acquaintance with nearly “London incident,” and
him for someone in his late twenties. everyone, but spends much of her time in will say no more on the
Patrick grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and the library reading (she has a deep interest subject, as if everyone
should know what that
served seven months in a juvenile facility in fiction). Since she was asleep on her day
is. Loud and bent on
in upstate New York for assault. His aunt, off during the incident on August 22, she intervening when he feels
Esther, who does the books for the marina, became a prodigy. Her mask-form is Smyk. the odds aren’t fair, Smyk
asked Seth Shaeffer about a job for her Twice, she has wandered about at night loves to make a bully
pay—but he’s no killer.
nephew, and Patrick came to live with her in Smyk-form, testing out her newfound He is deeply protective
when he was released. Since he started, he powers on the cement piles in the weeds of Ophelia, going out of
has proven an exceptional employee, and he and dunes of Point East, but so far, she his way to keep her from
spends almost all his time at the marina— has barely wrapped her head around the physical and emotional
harm.
he loves it. situation.
Ophelia Grant: level 3;
reading as level 5

109
 Unmasked

SHAEFFER MARINA HOOKS: BOUNDARY BAY

The marina is odd; unlike everywhere else in This six-mile-wide (10 km wide) and
town, it seems devoid of mementos. Have five-mile-long (8 km long) natural bay is
they been collected already? Is it a dead bordered to the north by the Strand and the
zone? What’s the secret? beach houses, to the west by the marina,
Seth Shaeffer has been caught up in a and to the south by the neighborhood of
legal entanglement with Walter Lynch for Bayside. In the north, it opens to Long
some time. The bitter old millionaire hopes Island Sound, and ships can often be seen
to scoop up property on the edge of the navigating through the inlet there out into
marina to create parking lots for Point East. deeper water. The houses surrounding the
Seth has opposed this plan and offered the bay are almost all built onto bulkheads
owners of the properties more money than and docks that jut out into the water. The
Smyk: level 9, smashing,
Walter (borrowed from Emil Warzowski, a neighborhoods surrounding it are rich and
leaping, and jumping
as level 10; health 85; high school friend)—only now, Walter has covered in lush trees, winding roads, and
Armor 3; Smash and become more serious, hiring out-of-town big houses.
Rend inflicts 11 points of muscle to terrorize the marina. Will the PCs Boundary Bay has several large, low-lying
damage (power shifted);
power shifts: +1 to
step in before Seth gets hurt? marsh islands that are fully visible only at
jumping and climbing, Smyk saves Brett Shaeffer from a round of low tide. Through these, several deep-water
+2 to strength, +2 to bullying by local teens, and the two strike up channels are marked by buoy markers.
resilience a secret friendship. All the while, Brett has Boats that travel in the bay follow these
Cassidy Geary: level 3, no idea Smyk is Ophelia Grant. In time, she carefully prescribed channels, or they end
boating and fishing as begins to fall for Brett. up beached on a sand bar.
level 5 Tabitha Shaeffer is secretly in love with
Anthony DiGiovanni:
Rob Escadero, who doesn’t think of her as BOUNDARY BAY REGULARS:
level 4 anything but just another kid. She follows Cassidy Geary: A thirty-eight-year-old, out-
him everywhere, spies on his comings and of-shape, bleary-eyed drunk, Cassidy Geary
Goop: This mask- goings, and does her best to make Dot has been the harbormaster for eight years.
form is an amorphous
Changer with a body Telasco—his ex-girlfriend—look bad. He patrols the bay, looking to ticket those
that runs and flows like People from Patrick Villanueva’s past— who lay crab and eel traps, which are illegal.
melting wax. When it gang members from the Yellow Royals— Cassidy docks at the marina, and can often
concentrates, it can focus take the train out from Queens to settle be found there, in the restaurant, drinking.
its features and skin
into a simple imitation a debt they feel Patrick owes them. If he’s The town keeps him on because he does
of a person—but up lucky, it’ll only be a beating. decent work in exchange for a small, stilted
close, it is obviously not Smyk becomes a common sight around shack on one of the higher marsh islands
human. It is surprisingly
the marina at night. People begin talking in the bay. So far, the town has shrugged off
well spoken for a glob of
undifferentiated matter, about “the hunchback,” so much so that the his well-known alcohol habit.
and claims to be an police are alerted. Anthony DiGiovanni (Mask-Form: Goop):
escaped experiment from Gavin Hyk recognizes the army plates This sixteen-year-old prodigy has short
the “Sino-Soviet States.”
Goop is less than thrilled on an otherwise nondescript car tooling brown hair, a wry smile, and a very strange,
with Anthony, whom it around town. Poking around, he becomes high-pitched laugh. Despite this, Anthony
fears is squandering his concerned that some sort of intelligence is headstrong and full of self-confidence,
relatively normal and
operation is going on in Boundary Bay. He something noted by the student body; as
comfortable life.
even thinks it’s based out of Sand Point such, he enjoys a high social status. Since
Goop: level 7; health Consumer Electronics. the incident on August 22 and the creation
70; Engulf and Dissolve of his mask, he can transform into the
inflicts 10 points of
damage (power shifted);
mask-form of Goop. Anthony’s family has
regenerates 2 health long maintained a shack on the low-lying
per turn; no bones or marsh islands in Boundary Bay that he uses
internal organs; can slip for his hideout. After school, he often makes
through any nonairtight
opening; power shifts: his way out to the shack in his crabbing
+2 to resilience, +3 to boat and messes with the mask.
gelatinous form

110
 THE SETTING

Elizabeth Washington: Elizabeth is a sixty- Goop and any of its kind back to her house, Elizabeth Washington:
one-year-old widow from Bayside. She and if it ever needs a place to lay low. level 3, town history and
gossip as level 4
her late husband, Carl, called Boundary Bay One night, in Goop-form, Anthony
home from their marriage until his death DiGiovanni comes upon thugs vandalizing
in 1982. She remains in their house, but boats on the Boundary Bay side of the
spends much of her time walking out on marina. There, Goop meets Smyk, and the
the marsh islands at low tide, setting up an two team up to defeat the thugs before
easel to paint landscapes when the weather they can torch a half dozen boats. But the
suits. She is strangely foul-mouthed and has question remains: who sent the criminals?
thrown her former “good matron” act to the Cassidy Geary turns out to be in the
wind since her husband’s death. Many think pocket of Walter Lynch; he reports every
she has lost her mind, but she promised strange thing he sees out on the bay to the
Carl on his deathbed she would do only eccentric millionaire. Late at night, Cassidy’s
what made her happy from then on. She is boat can be seen moored at the “White
a ready ear (and ally) for anyone on the outs House,” where the two talk about the odd
with their family, although she tends to ask goings-on in town.
uncomfortable questions.

BOUNDARY BAY HOOKS: THE STRAND

Cassidy Geary becomes suspicious of AND BOARDWALK
Anthony DiGiovanni and follows him to The shore is where the most coveted
where he stashed his mask and mementos. properties in the town are located. The rich,
Cassidy takes them, but he doesn’t know as well as those families whose ancestors
what to make of them. Will the PCs help first founded the town, live along the beach.
Anthony get his mask back? The entirety of Boundary Bay’s shoreline
Elizabeth Washington runs into Goop on (called simply the “Strand”) is 12 miles (19
the marsh islands and strikes up an unusual km) long. A long wooden boardwalk—built
friendship with the “creature.” She invites in 1964 and expanded in 1971—covers

111
 Unmasked

Battlefield: This mask- several miles of it. Teens from town often was a town assemblyman in the 1950s and
form is a hulking, spend their time among the piers and everyone knows him. He spends much of
Rambo-like Smasher
who fights for truth, pylons below the boardwalk, hanging out. his time under the boardwalk, drinking and
justice, and sometimes The following locations can be found on the talking to himself, or reading from a stash
the American way (or Strand: of paperback books he hides down there.
at least the cartoon
Timothy Buston (Mask-Form: Battlefield):
version of it). No matter
how many times he is THE BOARDWALK This short, squat fifteen-year-old spends
searched, there always This winding wooden boardwalk is raised many nights below the boardwalk due to
seems to be another off the sand about 8 feet (2 m), and is his volatile family life. He is unpopular at
pistol or knife hidden on
him. He maintains his
scattered with benches, bicycle-locking school for all the wrong reasons, and he is
allegiance to the “5th stations, and occasional access to the considered “poor” because he wears the
Regulars of the Second streets heading into town. Though much of same clothes repeatedly—but this is due
American Revolution, the rotten wood was replaced in 1971, there more to a desire to not be at home than
New Hampshire” and
will say little more on are areas of the boardwalk that have once a lack of clothing. When Timothy wears
the subject. He’s come again begun to rot through. his uncle’s green beret, he manifests as
here to “find a war Below the boardwalk, a maze of wooden Battlefield.
criminal”—but if pressed,
pylons rises to hold up the walkway. The
he can’t remember who
that might be. Battlefield angled, cave-like area beneath is a favorite BOARDWALK HOOKS:
is a constant companion hangout of teens and of the few homeless Murray sometimes spies boats coming in
and friend to Timothy, people found in Boundary Bay. It is covered off the water from some of the big cargo
whom he has “taken
under his wing.” He feels
in often garish, fluorescent graffiti. ships at night. Twice, he’s seen workers
the kid has had some moving boxes from inflatable rafts up onto
tough breaks but shows BOARDWALK REGULARS: the boardwalk to Waxy’s Surf Shop, but of
great potential. Murray Greene (Faceless): Everyone calls course no one would believe him, so he
Murray Greene: level 2 this forty-eight-year-old homeless man “Old keeps his mouth shut.
Murray” or “Drunk Murray.” He sleeps A grate set into a cement face beneath the
Timothy Buston: level 3 beneath the boardwalk and begs in town. boardwalk opens into a 6-foot-wide (2 m
He’s permitted to do so because his father wide) pipe that carries wastewater from the
Battlefield: level 5, tasks
related to combat and
survival as level 9 (power
shifted); health 45;
regenerates 3 health per
turn; can always pull a
gun, grenade, or knife
from his person, even if
thoroughly searched—
these weapons inflict 5
points of damage and
ignore 2 points of Armor;
power shifts: +3 to
accuracy, +1 to resilience,
+1 to tactical operations

112
 THE SETTING

town and spills it on to the beach, where it found riding the desk in Waxy’s, listening to
drains into the sea. Entering these pipes can psychedelic rock on a cracked boom box.
grant access to many locations in town, if the
PCs know where to go . . . WAXY’S HOOKS:
Graffiti beneath the boardwalk begins to Michael Gioccino falls in with New York
change in the fall of 1986. A stylized face of organized crime and agrees to store boxes
a man in a hoodie with no eyes begins to in his back room in exchange for cash to
appear more and more, though the culprit settle looming bank bills. These boxes are
painting this symbol is never seen. filled with raw opium poppies smuggled
Timothy warns other prodigies in high from freighters at night before they reach
school that something bad is going down Port Newark.
on the beach at night. Twice he’s seen weird A gang of surfers from midisland who call
people down there, including an “ape man” themselves “Half-Life” squat on the beach
and a “faceless dude.” Will the PCs team up and begin causing trouble at the store. Their
with Timothy and help him investigate? leader, an ex-con named Mike Dunphy,
takes an unrequited shine to Ellen Paladino.
Perhaps her uncle steps in . . .
WAXY’S SURF SHOP Strange fires begin breaking out near
Waxy’s has stood on the boardwalk since Waxy’s, first in the garbage can out back,
1967, when the owner, Michael Gioccino, then on the roof. Who is responsible? Lewis
converted his family’s taffy stand into a Graham, the secret town firebug? The gang
surf shop. Many older people in town still of surfers? A prodigy?
remember the Gioccino taffy stand fondly, A buff soldier in a green beret thwarts an
but Michael’s parents retired long ago attempted break-in at Waxy’s when Ellen is
to Delray Beach, Florida, after running closing. The soldier pulverizes the thieves,
the shop for twenty years. The building karate-chopping and judo-throwing them
is a sagging wooden structure with sun- as if they were rag dolls. Before the local
wrecked, peeling paint and a leaky roof. police arrive, the soldier vanishes. Everyone
While the shop is run down, it holds a at Waxy’s—and Ellen especially—wants to
strong reputation as being “authentic.” know who he is.
During the summer, it is packed with
surfers. Though it stays open year-round for
“seals”—surfers who suit up in thick wet WIND AND SKY
suits and hit the waves in winter—its hours This building was renovated recently, though
are greatly diminished in the wintertime, it has stood here since 1964. Owned by Betty
and some days, it doesn’t even open. and Marcus O’Sullivan, Wind and Sky opens
on Memorial Day (near the end of May)
WAXY’S SURF SHOP REGULARS: and closes on Labor Day (the first week of
Ellen Paladino: A spacy, sporty, and fun September). In the off-season, it is shuttered, Ellen Paladino: level 3,
sixteen-year-old, Ellen is outgoing, and with most of its stock removed and stored surfing and swimming as
level 4
somehow blind to social hierarchies, at a storage facility two towns over. The
drifting effortlessly through all the groups O’Sullivans spend this time “on vacation”—
at the school without any concern for what though almost no one in town knows where.
people think of her. She’s an avid surfer. When the shop is open, it sells T-shirts,
Michael Gioccino is her uncle (her mother’s gewgaws, suntan lotion, sunglasses, boogie
brother). boards, shorts, and assorted beach fare.
Michael Gioccino: This overweight, Marcus O’Sullivan—a retired New York City Michael Gioccino: level
balding forty-nine-year-old surfer has a nose accountant—is a meticulous businessman, 4, brawling, surfing, and
lying as level 5
that’s been broken many, many times. He and since the O’Sullivans took over the
still hits the beach every day, just like when shop in 1977, he has turned it into a money-
he was a young man, but usually he can be making powerhouse.

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 Unmasked

WIND AND SKY REGULARS: closed again to make it appear secure.

Marcus O’Sullivan: level Marcus O’Sullivan (Faceless): This stout Who—or what—is inside?
2, accounting, math, and sixty-one-year-old man is completely bald The shop does very well, almost too
deception as level 5
and wears suspenders, bookkeeper glasses, well. Is Marcus laundering money from
and garish bow ties. He is really Marcus some other group? Is he involved in some
Ford, a federal witness in a 1967 case nefarious operation? Or is he simply so
against various Mafia-linked individuals clever he can balance the books as no one
in Kansas City, Missouri. The family else can?
has relocated twice, and in 1977 settled Occasionally, a man visits Marcus at
in Boundary Bay. O’Sullivan is a clever night. This is Theodore Mott, an FBI agent
bookkeeper and an expert on tax law, and he from Kansas City, who directs the O’Sullivan
has used this skill to make his shop—which case for the witness protection program.
began as a shoestring front provided by the If there’s strangeness in town, especially
government—into a success. He was ill at if it seems a threat to the O’Sullivans,
home on August 22 and was sleeping when the agent might poke his nose in. If the
the event occurred. Now, he sometimes Circus is in town, it may pull rank on such
gets strange feelings when he sees certain operations . . .
people in town, and twice he has woken up The Kansas City concern turns up
at night outside of his house without any in town—the criminals located Betty
memory of how he arrived there. O’Sullivan’s son Peter Gramont, and from
Betty O’Sullivan: Betty O’Sullivan: This small, frail fifty- there, they tracked his bills back to the
level 1, positive social nine-year-old woman wears wigs and cat-eye O’Sullivans. The gangsters are here to settle
interactions and
deception as level 3
glasses and never goes anywhere unless she some debts for the Kansas City mob.
is perfectly made up. She is really Betty Ford
(née Gramont), and she fled Kansas City,
Missouri, with her husband in 1967. Her son SWINDON’S ICE
from a previous marriage, Peter Gramont, CREAM SHOPPE
is in permanent care at a facility two towns This ice cream parlor is owned by Lewis
over. Peter overdosed on heroin at the age Graham, who inherited it from his
of 22, and it gave him permanent brain grandfather in 1977. The Grahams have
damage. No one in town knows this. maintained the shop “as-is” since its
Henry Wallaker: level 3 Henry Wallaker: This tall, thin twenty-year- inception. Long retired, Old Man Graham
old man has puffy, super-fine blond hair (also called “Grandpa Graham”) lives with
and a wisp of a mustache. He always wears Lewis in their house on Fox Run Road.
sports jerseys, sneakers, and baseball caps. Swindon’s is a town landmark. Even in
Henry, who grew up on Estes Road next to the off-season, it is a regular haunt for teens
the dump, is the only permanent employee from town. Each table has a jukebox, and
of Wind and Sky not in the O’Sullivan family. the interior decorations look straight out of
He is deeply protective of the O’Sullivans, the 1950s. Swindon’s offers soft-serve ice
who have shown him great kindness, and he cream, shakes, and other sweet confections.
will put himself between them and harm, no During the summer months, it also serves
matter the circumstances. The O’Sullivans hot dogs and hamburgers.
let Henry drive their blue Datsun pickup
truck, even in the off-season, if he looks SWINDON’S ICE CREAM
after it. SHOPPE REGULARS:
Lewis Graham: level Lewis Graham: A strong-looking fifty-seven-
2, positive social WIND AND SKY HOOKS: year-old man, Lewis has tightly cropped gray
interactions and
pyromania as level 5
The PCs notice that one of the security hair, narrow eyes, and a perfect smile. He
doors in the back of Wind and Sky has been is a lifelong bachelor who usually dresses
forced open during the off-season and then in his Swindon’s uniform—that of an

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 THE SETTING

old-timey piano player with a striped shirt, SWINDON’S ICE CREAM SHOPPE HOOKS:
suspenders, and wing-tipped shoes. He is Swindon’s is decorated with large, wooden
well known and well liked in town. However, carousel horses hung on the walls, and one
Lewis is the Boundary Bay firebug; he glows as a powerful memento—but it is
burned down the town hall in 1947 and the located behind the counter, in a place not
library in 1955, though no one knows this. readily accessible to customers. What can
Even worse, he still dreams about lighting it do?
new fires, even all these years later. And he Hidden in the storage room at Swindon’s
Helen Basille: level 2,
will kill to protect this secret. is Lewis Graham’s greatest love and shame: volleyball and physical
Helen Basille: This very tall, loud, socially his scrapbook. Each page contains two activities as level 3
awkward sixteen-year-old volleyball player black-and-white pictures of a building; Monica Demath:
works the counter, scooping ice cream and in one, the building is fine, in the next, level 1, schoolwork and
knowledge tasks as level 4
wiping up after school and on weekends it is burned out. Graham set fire to
(volleyball allowing). She is a head taller each building. Sometimes, he comes to Scott “Scotty” Veracruz:
than any other girl in her class. While she Swindon’s late at night and pores over its level 3, mathematics as
doesn’t have a lot of friends, she often pages. level 5
spends time with Brett Shaeffer at the One of the teens at Swindon’s vanishes Morrow: This Thinker
marina; the two have been friends since when closing one night. No one sees them mask-form is a slight
second grade. Though she would never, ever go, and they leave the store unlocked. Englishman dressed in
admit it, she has a crush on him. Only a strange symbol painted on the wall a tuxedo who carries
various clocks, watches,
Monica Demath: This fifteen-year-old is a remains behind. Obviously, the police (and and wristwatches all over
smart, withdrawn, bookish teen with braces possibly the PCs) become involved. his body. Each timepiece
and long blonde hair she always keeps is tuned to a “time”
braided. In Swindon’s, she works tables PIXEL PALACE when an event is going
to happen—something
and sometimes cooks or scoops ice cream. This open-air storefront contains twenty- that Morrow just seems
She needs to wear glasses, which she two video game machines, two Skee-Ball to know. If he pulls the
hates, so she can often be found squinting machines, a small counter that accepts proper timepiece out
and stops it, the event it
to keep them off her face. She lives in the tickets in exchange for cheap gewgaws, and is connected to stops as
Kennedy Estates with her grandmother and two utilitarian toilets. The machines are all well, at least for a few
grandfather, and often catches a ride to slotted with welded loops through which a seconds. He also seems to
school or work with Scotty Veracruz in his security wire has been run, to prevent theft. catch occasional glimpses
of the future. He comes
Dodge Dart. Despite multiple advances by At night, all the machines are covered in from “1555 originally, but
Scotty, Monica remains uninterested. plastic tarp, to protect against the ocean air. don’t hold that against
Scott “Scotty” Veracruz (Mask-Form: The arcade is owned by Margaret and me,” and he is here to
locate the source of some
Morrow): This big, quiet seventeen-year-old Howard Jen, though their son Asa is the
effect that has rippled
football player lives next door to Monica face most often seen here, and sometimes through all time. He
Demath. Scotty has long held a torch for the his little sister, Katy, as well. The arcade’s believes Scott is lazy and
girl next door. He works as a busboy and business hours seem completely the inverse ill-behaved. Morrow will
do his best to force Scott
general helper for cleaning up, painting, of high school hours. When it’s open, into situations where he
fixing things, and throwing out garbage. dozens of kids are packed in under the tarp has to think his way out.
He’s terrible at all school subjects except, playing Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Out
Morrow: level 7, tasks
surprisingly, math, which he seems to be a Run, Galaga, and even oldies such as Space
related to time and
natural at. He often calculates and counts Invaders and Lunar Lander. causality as level 10
off the till at closing with a speed that is Asa manages the counter, handles (power shifted); health
startling. And he’s always right. In football, disputes, and makes change. Thanks to his 35; Armor 3 (treated as
moving out of the way
he is a serviceable brick wall of a player, “owning” an arcade, Asa is considered cool of attacks); can stop
trained to get between the ball and the by most in the high school and gets invited any action he can see
opposing team. His mask-form is Morrow. to all the parties as a matter of course. On before it happens (one
the weekends, the Pixel Palace is always use per power shift per
engagement); power
packed, rain or shine. shifts: +3 to time control,
+1 to time prescience, +1
to dexterity

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 Unmasked

PIXEL PALACE REGULARS: he hasn’t explored making his mask yet—

Howard Jen: level 1 Howard Jen (Faceless): A fifty-one-year-old though he has had the urge to do so. He
drunk, Howard has short, cropped black hair, wears hip-hop clothing (a Run-DMC jacket,
a sallow complexion, and an incredibly thin leather hat, and Adidas high-tops) and
physique. He stinks of alcohol all the time, listens exclusively to rap music. He is just
but his resistance is such that he is always beginning to realize the strangeness he’s
clearheaded. He shuffles from place to place experiencing goes well beyond only himself.
Katy Jen: level 1 on the very rare occasions he leaves the Jens’ Katy Jen: A thirteen-year-old student at
apartment on Beach Street. Recently, Howard Jefferson Junior High School, Katy has a
Jen has begun to go out late at night. When short bob haircut and big glasses, and she
he comes to his senses, it is often just as he is usually outfitted in overalls and sneakers.
arrives back at home—he has no recollection She is overeager, loud, and difficult to
what he does during his nightly jaunts. dissuade from the “mother” role she has
Margaret Jen: level 2, Margaret Jen: A fifty-five-year-old ghost created for herself. She thinks she’s in
deception tasks as level 3 of a person, Margaret has completely given charge and must care for Asa. To the two
up doing anything except taking care of teens, their parents are out of the picture.
Danny Deleo: level 3 her husband in his last extremities. At one Danny Deleo (Mask-Form: Freeze Frame):
point, the two were happy, back before the A thin, frizzy-haired seventeen-year-old
bottle got him. Now, Margaret only goes redhead with big glasses, bad teeth, and
through the motions, getting groceries and blue eyes, Danny Deleo is always in the
liquor for her husband. She spends most of arcade when it’s open, usually pumping
her days reading old novels. She hates her quarters into Berzerk, Robotron, and
life and suffers from depression. Stargate. He knows Asa is “special,” just like
Asa Jen: level 2 Asa Jen (Prodigy, no mask-form yet): he is. His mask-form is Freeze Frame.
This short, quiet fifteen-year-old kid is an
exceptional artist. He’s also a prodigy, but

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 THE SETTING

PIXEL PALACE HOOKS: GOOD AND PLENTY

Asa Jen is a prodigy who has not yet made The Good and Plenty is a small candy and Freeze Frame: This
his mask, but he has collected several magazine shop right at the edge where mask-form is a young
female Thinker
powerful mementos he stores on the toy Beach Street meets the boardwalk. It opens
who wears crazy,
display shelf. He has no idea what’s going early and closes late, and the family that postapocalyptic-looking
on with his weird “visions,” but any day now runs it, the Khalajis, are Persians who fashions and big, green,
he knows that he’ll have to comply with that moved from Iran to the United States in bug-eyed goggles. She
is small and fast, but
little voice telling him to make a mask. late 1970 and received their citizenship in her power is to stop and
Asa’s mementos are displayed front and 1980. Farood—the father—most often runs allow herself to navigate
center in the toy cabinet of the Pixel Palace. He the cash register, selling candy to children, among the probabilities
of individual actions (for
is desperate to understand the strange auras newspapers and magazines and cigarettes
example, a single gunshot
he sees on objects and people and has noticed to adults, and other various small goods like or punch). This makes
that those who “glow” seem interested in cheap baubles, toys, and kites to tourists. her appear to “skip” the
the items in the case. Danny Deleo is one Sometimes his oldest son, Vahid, can be attack and end up safe
and sound on the other
he sees all the time, glowing. Maybe Asa will found there instead, often working with his side of it. Quiet and
approach one of the glowing PCs. electronic kits on the counter top, soldering withdrawn, she will only
Howard Jen is slowly dying of alcoholism. components together. A tiny room in the say she “lost her family
He is a quiet, withdrawn drunk, however, back houses two regularly rotated video when we lost Omaha.”
Freeze Frame is secretly
and is rarely seen emerging from the Jens’ game machines that often draw groups of in love with Danny
apartment on Beach Street. His wife, kids. Deleo, to the point of
Margaret, enables this self-destruction by irrational jealousy, and
she will do anything to
supplying her husband with liquor. Both the GOOD AND PLENTY REGULARS: protect him. She’s here
adults have neglected the arcade for months Farood Khalaji: A thirty-nine-year-old man, for a reason, and she
now; only the children have kept it afloat. Farood has tightly cropped black hair and a recalls coming here with
Asa’s father was asleep during the thick beard. He is always happy and eagerly others, but what that
reason is, or who the
incident, and he is one of the Faceless. shares jokes he collects from various books others were, she cannot
Soon, Asa will discover that something else with the people who come and go from recall.
woke on that day. When Asa’s father is taken the shop. He is patriotic, almost comically
over by the power that hunts the prodigies, so, and insisted on paying for the bronze Freeze Frame: level 6;
health 50; Armor 2; if
where will the teen run? bicentennial plaque installed at the end she knows an attack is
The PCs might assist Asa in collecting the of Beach Street in 1976. Every morning he coming, she can spend 1
mementos to make his mask. When Asa is unfurls and hangs the American flag at his power shift to “sidestep”
the attack (up to 5 times
finished creating it (from a diving mask, a store, and every night he reverentially takes
per engagement); power
bunch of puffy stickers, and some tempera it down. His English is perfect and slightly shifts: +2 to intelligence,
paint), he becomes Orbis, a distant, scientific tinted with a British accent. Before he left +3 to causality control
Thinker with orange skin, prehensile hair, and Iran, he was a structural engineer, but he
Farood Khalaji: level 3,
the power to control light. hated that job. He is infinitely happier in engineering and physics
his new occupation as a shopkeeper, made as level 5
possible with the help of a loan from an
BEACH STREET uncle in Indiana.
The town’s downtown core is built along a Vahid Khalaji: This sixteen-year-old has Vahid Khalaji: level 2,
single strip called Beach Street that runs at a huge mop of black hair, no facial hair, electronics as level 3
a right angle to the shoreline. A few hundred and wide-set, friendly features. He has a
yards from the beach and the boardwalk, twin sister, Soraya. Despite his projected
it is a wide street with carefully maintained amenability, Vahid is quiet and studies new
oak trees on either side. On weekends and acquaintances carefully before deciding
in the evenings on nice days, the street is whether to open up to them. Obsessed with
usually filled with people moving about; electronics, he builds and rips electronic
kids and teens often meet up here, either to kits to pieces in his spare time. He hopes to
go down to the beach or just to go shop to work at Sand Point Consumer Electronics in
shop. the future. In school, he is exceptional, but

117
 Unmasked

has few friends. The only person he talks to remembers a weird dream where she was
regularly is Brett Shaeffer, as the two share holding something that went over her eyes.
an interest in computers, electronics, and She’s also noticed some people and objects
programming. in town appear to sparkle and shine with
Soraya: level 3 Soraya Khalaji (Prodigy, no mask-form importance, but she has yet to pay much
yet): Soraya is a sixteen-year-old with long, attention to it . . .
Maryam Khalaji: level 2 black hair, a winning smile, and an upfront Maryam Khalaji: Maryam is a kind,
nature. She and her twin brother were dark-haired thirty-seven-year-old woman
born in the United States, and she speaks with a striking gray streak in the middle
perfect English with a Long Island accent. of her coif. Her English is limited, though
In school, she moves among the upper she drives to Bethpage twice a month to
echelons of the popular kids, and she has attend English classes. She usually stays
dated various sports stars, including Hal home and handles the housework while
Walmer, the son of the chief of police. She her husband, Farood, runs the store. She
takes her schoolwork very seriously, and is speaks Farsi to her children, and while they
currently all about the Scholastic Aptitude completely understand it, they don’t speak
Test (SAT), which will affect her chances it themselves.
Dustin Trewes: level 2, for college. When she is in the store, it is Dustin Trewes: Dustin is a fifteen-year-old
riding dirt bikes and bike usually after hours, when she helps with troublemaker from Dutton Street who is
stunts as level 4
restocking. Soraya was asleep on the forever decked out in a ratty, hand-painted
morning of the incident, and she vividly Van Halen jean jacket, high-tops, and
ruined T-shirts. His eyes goggle beneath
his huge bifocals, and his long blond hair
is cut in a mullet, often tucked up under a
trucker hat. He is always in the Good and
Plenty, hovering around the video game
machines. Dustin is the kind of kid who
mouths off all the time to anyone. The only
person he seems to respect is Farood. The
kindly owner once caught him stealing and,
instead of turning him in, had him come
twice a week to mop the store for several
bucks in store credit—a job which Dustin
does dutifully. Dustin’s Frankenstein-like
bicycle, composed of a hundred different
dead bikes salvaged out at Bluebeard Scrap,
can usually be seen propped up outside the
candy shop.
Abigail Delgreccio: Abigail Delgreccio: Abigail is another
level 1 fifteen-year-old Dutton Street kid who
often turns up at the Good and Plenty for
different reasons. She wants to be Madonna
and spends every available penny on mesh
gloves, short shorts, makeup, and hair
products. She is most often at the Good
and Plenty when Vahid is there, a fact that
Vahid’s twin, Soraya, has noticed. Abigail
has tried time and again to strike up a
conversation with Vahid, but so far, the
boy has shown no interest—or even an

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 THE SETTING

indication he knows her name. In truth, BEACH STREET VIDEO REGULARS:

Abigail spends as much time as she can Delbert Stoppenhauser: This thirty-six-year- Delbert Stoppenhauser:
away from her home on Dutton Street, old retired stock trader is living out his bliss. level 3, accounting, stock
trading, and finance as
because her father is a drunk and her family Despite being overweight, with stringy brown level 6
life is a living hell. Only Dustin Trewes knows hair, a receding hairline, and giant, thick
this, though. She is often mistaken for glasses, Delbert is insanely comfortable in
Dustin’s sister, though they are not related. his own skin, for many reasons—the most
important of which is that he’s worth several
GOOD AND PLENTY HOOKS: million dollars. Not that anyone knows or
Vahid gets an internship at Sand Point would notice. He drives a wreck of a car
Consumer Electronics and sees things while (an improbably resurrected AMC Gremlin)
working there. and lives in a shamble of a house out in
Maria Juhasz: level 3
Something attacks the shop and seriously the Kennedy Estates. The shop is basically
injures Farood and Dustin Trewes. The police his own personal movie collection, and he Dead Ringer: This
first suspect Dustin or his family, but they loves nothing more than renting movies, mask-form is a Changer
later conclude that some sort of animal talking movies, and buying weird VHS tapes who can look like anyone
from any movie or video
attacked the shop—something like a bear or from foreign catalogs. Stoppenhauser is an (including their clothing).
large deer. The two men claim it was some open-minded individual who has tons of While in a specific form,
sort of amorphous creature the size of a bear. resources and very little to lose. Therefore, Dead Ringer can say
Something strange has taken a liking to if he becomes embroiled in the prodigy only what that actor
said in the movie (stars
Soraya. Twice, she’s seen a creature shaped phenomenon, he will prove very, very useful. of black-and-white
like an ape following her home in the dark Maria Juhasz (Mask-Form: Dead movies, luckily, appear
when she leaves the shop. Who is it? A Ringer): Maria is a fifteen-year-old girl who in full color). As far as
is known, Dead Ringer
prodigy. The Faceless? Something worse? eventually scored a job at the video store
has no real form, and
Vahid’s current electronics project—a after spending a solid six months talking when not concentrating
short-wave radio—suddenly picks up movies with the owner. She is slight, with on one particular actor,
a strange transmission: the voice of long black hair (always combed straight), the mask-form bleeds
through hundreds of
Lieutenant Holtz dealing with “the Circus.” and she dresses in the new wave fashion forms per second in a
The signal comes and goes, becoming (jackets, hats, lace). She can quote most bizarre mess of people.
strongest at night. movies verbatim. She lives with her Dead Ringer claims to
overprotective father. Her mask-form is a be a “memory form”
from the “outer rim of
Changer called Dead Ringer. thought,” though what
BEACH STREET VIDEO that means precisely is
This tightly packed shop is relatively new to BEACH STREET VIDEO HOOKS: anyone’s guess. Dead
Ringer is very eager to
Beach Street, having recently replaced the A man wearing a thousand-dollar suit escape the confines of
old sewing shop, which closed in late 1984. begs a filthy and half-shaven Delbert Maria’s mind. It doesn’t
(Before that, the building was the Aladdin Stoppenhauser to reconsider giving his dislike her and would
Theater, which closed in 1981.) The business notice. In return, Delbert kicks him out of not harm her, but at the
same time it believes
is usually open only after noon and closes the shop. If asked, Delbert says the man is “anywhere is better than
promptly at seven-thirty every night. More “a tick on the ass of the American investor.” here.”
and more, it has become a popular stop for Letters arrive at the shop from Isander
Dead Ringer: level 5;
those in town, as VHS players are becoming Investments. Each contains a check to
health 35; can appear
increasingly common. Delbert Stoppenhauser in the amount of as a perfect replica of
It is little more than a single room filled $9,999. Dozens of these lie unopened any character from a
with row after row of VHS tapes, a small under the counter. movie and say anything
that character said on
laser-disc section (with a bathroom shoved Maria Juhasz begins to get a bad feeling film; transformation
in the back), and a glass counter. The owner, when closing the shop one night. She sees takes one round and
Delbert Stoppenhauser, is usually the one a figure out past the lights on Beach Street, grants no additional
behind the register, reading an issue of watching the shop. When she looks again, new abilities (guns,
weapons, and equipment
Cinefex or a comic book. the figure is gone. Maybe she’ll tell one of are props); power shifts:
her new prodigy friends at school. +1 to intelligence, +2 to
charisma, +1 to resilience

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 Unmasked

Nearly two dozen tapes in the shop have WAVES DANCE STUDIO
turned up blank, most stored toward the This small, two-level box-front shop has a
northeast wall of the shop. Anyone with single large dance room, with bathrooms
a science background can tell they were downstairs and a small office and a studio
exposed to a strong magnetic force. apartment upstairs. During most days,
An odd man in a suit who says he is from at least two classes are held here, varying
the government asks a lot of questions about from children’s dance and more advanced
the week of August 22. He never gives his classes such as ballet for teens to disco and
Alea Laskaris: level 3,
dancing as level 4 name. His car has a GOV license plate. flamenco classes for adults in the evening.

WAVES DANCE STUDIO REGULARS:

Alea Laskaris: This thirty-nine-year-old
former dancer owns the studio. Alea is thin
and lithe, with short, spiky black hair and
dramatic makeup. She is always clothed in
leotards and dance gear. Once, she danced
in various New York productions, and she
retired to Long Island in the late 1970s,
opening the only dance studio in town.
She is the only employee of the studio and
makes at least half her money by renting
out the apartment above it. She lives in a
small apartment on Waukena Avenue and
drives a jeep.
Rob Escadero (see Shaeffer Marina): Rob
Escadero, the bartender from the Shaeffer
Marina, rents the studio apartment above
Waves, and his telltale red 1977 Mustang
can be seen parked behind the studio at
night. His apartment is accessed from the
back by a rickety, rotting wooden staircase.
He rarely interacts with Alea, who stays out
of his business as long as the rent is on
time.

WAVES DANCE STUDIO HOOKS:

While closing, Alea Laskaris is attacked by
a “man without a face” and barely escapes.
The story is a five-day wonder in town, and
news gets around. If some of the PCs speak
to her about it, she confides that the attacker
wasn’t visible in the many mirrors of the
studio, which is how “he” surprised her.
A figure can be seen coming and going
behind the Waves Dance Studio at night. It
seems to be spying through the second-floor
windows into the back apartment, especially
when Rob Escadero has company. This is
Tabitha Shaeffer, who is in love with Rob.

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 THE SETTING

BOUNDARY BAY traffic stops just off State Route 25A, where
POLICE STATION two Boundary Bay police cruisers are always
The town of Boundary Bay employs a police parked with radar guns, handing out tickets
chief appointed by the city council. The as cars rush down Estes Road. Locals are
current police chief is Chester A. Walmer, well aware of this trap, and they always drop
who enjoys broad support from both the to a very slow speed when entering town
politicians and the public. Chester has from the highway.
implemented a “zero tolerance” policy for Overall, the town has never seen much
drugs, and he has “sent up” multiple locals in the way of trouble (yet), but that does
for stints in the county jail and elsewhere. not mean the police are not eager to
He is tough, no-nonsense, and old prove their worth if such a need arises. If
fashioned. His son, Hal Walmer, is a well- anything, Chief Walmer and his officers will
known, popular high school bully who often be overzealous in their pursuit of apparently
breaks all the laws his father has sworn to “big” crimes. As Boundary Bay is still small
protect. enough to be considered a “burg,” the
The local police force has twelve police police might cut a lot of corners, and a lot
cruisers (bought in 1978) and thirty-two full- of “swearing up” might arise where it’s a
time staff. The police station, a building on third party’s word against the police. Still,
Beach Street constructed in 1966, includes Chester’s primary concern is the safety of
nine holding cells and a weapons locker the town’s residents. If it comes down to it,
with shotguns and semiautomatic rifles, he will make the right choice.
as well as various emergency supplies.
The town is big enough to require 24-hour
policing, so the station is always occupied
by some staff, even in the dead of night.
Much of the local revenue is generated by

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 Unmasked

BOUNDARY BAY eyes close-set and his hairline high. Dustin

POLICE STATION REGULARS: Wright is a “good guy,” known and well
Chief Chester Chief Chester A. Walmer: This fifty-two- liked by nearly everyone in town. When he
A. Walmer: level year-old is slightly overweight, with thinning works the speed trap at the highway, he
3, investigation,
interrogation, and police
blond hair and blue eyes. He always wears tends to let locals go, instead focusing his
work as level 4 his police hat or, when off duty, his Boundary attention on out-of-towners. He is a favorite
Bay Police baseball cap. He is never without of Chief Walmer, though the police chief
his aviator sunglasses (snagged after seeing feels the young officer has a lot to learn.
Top Gun the previous May). He is friendly Despite all he has going for him, Dustin is
and goes out of his way to interact with withdrawn and secretive. His parents still
people in the town, especially those he does live in town off Fox Run Road. August 22
not know. Some might say Chester is in was Dustin’s day off, and he was asleep on
everybody’s business, while others say he the couch at his parents’ home when the
takes a genuine interest in the lives of the incident occurred. So far, he’s suffered no
people he has sworn to protect; it usually ill effects from it, though recently he’s been
depends what he thinks of you. His son, Hal having trouble sleeping—he imagines there
Walmer is a golden boy in town and in the is someone standing in his room at night,
high school. talking to him.
Officer Dustin Wright: Officer Dustin Wright (Faceless): This Parking Enforcement Officer Henry Lopez:
level 2, running, climbing, twenty-nine-year-old local boy almost joined Henry, a fifty-one-year-old career officer,
jumping, and police work
as level 3
the army in 1975, but at the last minute is grossly overweight with a meticulously
applied for the local police. He is tall, thin, shaved goatee, a pate of thin black hair
Parking Enforcement and well built, and he can often be seen with a bald spot, and glasses. Lopez has
Officer Henry Lopez: running on the Strand or on the boardwalk suffered from problems related to smoking,
level 2
early in the morning or late at night. Despite diabetes, and worse, but somehow he still
his athletic physique, his face is pudgy, his maintains an iron grip on his job. He keeps

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 THE SETTING

fastidious records (in a green notebook) The detective is surprisingly flexible in

and spends most of his day cruising Beach his beliefs, and has all manner of books
Street and nearby areas—mostly toward on the occult, the supernatural, and alien
the beach—looking for illegal parking. He abductions in his small apartment in the
could have lost his job some time ago due Meadowdale Estates. Out of everyone
to his numerous medical absences, but who might end up considering the prodigy
his uncanny ability to generate revenue phenomenon, Graham is the one who
from tickets makes it all but impossible for will test the weirdest possibilities without
the town to get rid of him. He drives an blanching.
unmarked police car that is nevertheless
well known in town. BOUNDARY BAY
Officer Eileen Canty: This twenty-six- POLICE STATION HOOKS: Officer Eileen Canty:
year-old transfer from Montauk joined the An abandoned car is found on Estes Road level 3, police work as
level 4
Boundary Bay police a year ago. She is near the mall. It’s from out of town, and
young and eager to prove herself; therefore, the driver and their passenger cannot be
everything she does is by the book, a located. Those investigating it discover that
practice the chief and her compatriots are Officer Wright was working the traffic stop
attempting to get her to tone down. She is that night. (Wright woke at home in bed,
a tall, wide-shouldered woman with short, with no memory of nearly half his shift—but
cropped black hair and an athletic build. with dried blood on his hands.)
In training, there is no contest: she is the Officer Lopez keeps a notebook marking
fastest member of the BBP—and the best down the weird cars he keeps finding parked
shot. Despite being widely liked by her around Sand Point Consumer Electronics.
fellow cops, she is loath to mix work with All these cars have GOV on their license
her personal life (such problems have plates. They’re all registered to the Defense
caught up to her in the past), so she is Intelligence Agency.
somewhat lonely. She can sometimes be Chief Walmer discovers his son Hal is
found on Beach Street, looking awkward in abusing his reputation by throwing parties
civilian clothes and walking or eating alone. out at the Smilaks’ house in Point East,
Detective Graham Arnette: This forty- but to cover it up, the police chief decides Detective Graham
nine-year-old detective is the veteran to blame it on another kid from the high Arnette: level
3, investigation,
with the longest tenure on the Boundary school, one with a bad reputation. A PC?
interrogation, and police
Bay Police force. He has served since the One of their friends? work as level 5
previous police chief, so he is the only one A powerful memento is dead center in the
permitted to call Chief Walmer “Chester.” middle of the main room of the Boundary
Graham Arnette is so thin as to be almost Bay Police Department: the Boundary Bay
skeletal, his hair seems to hover around his Little League trophy from 1981. It glows with
head like some sort of poorly sized helmet, incredible power from behind the glass of a
and his clothing (a normal suit) is almost locked display case. What can it do?
always stained or wrinkled and hangs off A woman arrives from out of town and
him as if it were still on the hanger. He begins asking around for Officer Canty:
always wears a leather messenger bag in Kelly Lifshitz, the thirty-nine-year-old wife of
which he keeps a tape measure, a police Lieutenant Bernard Lifshitz of the Montauk
crime scene kit, various notebooks and Police Department. Eileen and Bernard had
pads of graph paper, a flashlight, and a a secret affair two years before that Kelly has
police radio. Graham spends most of his only just discovered (by finding a hidden
time investigating property crimes such shoebox full of photographs), so she’s here
as theft and arson, but he will of course to act out her revenge on Eileen.
be roped into investigations of any odd
activities by the BBP that involve property
destruction, violence, or disappearances.

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 Unmasked

MARIO’S PIZZA stove. Her frizzy brown hair (usually under

The only pizza place in Boundary Bay, a hairnet) always looks out of control. In
Mario’s is a bit of an institution. It is a school, she is an eager if uninspired student,
grimy, grease-covered mess of a store (with and her few friends are very close to her. But
a sprinkling of dried, dead flies on the in the store, she is loud and brash and talks
window sills), but the pizza is fantastic. Two back all the time. She drives an improbably
arcade games are shoved in the corner near huge, old Ford truck and lives all the way out
the lone bathroom in the back. Its original at the edge of town on Estes Road.
founder, Mario Deseerle, established the
shop in 1955 and sold it when he retired in
1979. It has remained precisely the same DARK DUNGEON
since its foundation, churning out and The Dark Dungeon, opened in 1982, is the
delivering no-nonsense New York-style pizza premiere hobby and comic book shop on
anywhere in the Boundary Bay area. the north shore of Long Island in Suffolk
County. It is small but packed full of
MARIO’S PIZZA REGULARS: product, and the walls are amateurishly
Winston Medina: level Winston Medina: Winston is the fifty-five- painted to look like stone blocks. Half
2, business and finance year-old owner of Mario’s, and he looks the store is dedicated to hobbies—model
as level 3
the part, too. He’s got a potbelly, a scrub airplanes, Dungeons & Dragons books,
beard, curly gray hair combed back from his miniatures, and more—while the other half
forehead, and a perpetual scowl. Winston is taken up by comic books.
worked under the original owner in the The owner, Daniel Haas, is a huge fan of
1960s and 1970s, and to buy the business all the products he sells and is on a first-
in 1979, he took out a loan with a down name basis with most of his customers.
payment he scrimped and saved for. He’s He puts aside “month bags” of content
glad he did. Mario’s is an institution in for various customers that contain new
town, and while other pizza shops have releases based on his near-encyclopedic
cropped up, none have stuck around, and knowledge of their tastes. Every month, he
his addition of a delivery driver has doubled sells nearly a hundred of these. On Friday
his weekend and evening business. He nights, Daniel’s Dungeons & Dragons
owns a huge house with a swimming pool group meets and plays in the store after
and all the amenities on Fox Run Road. closing, and they can be spied in the back,
Gerald Wacter: level 2, Gerald Wacter (Faceless): This seventeen- rolling dice by candlelight.
driving as level 3 year-old delivery driver is absurdly tall, with Daniel Haas: This extremely tall, broad-
great gawky limbs, acne, and curly brown shouldered thirty-year-old man has short
Daniel Haas: level 3
hair. He is soft spoken and eager, but easily blond hair, glasses, and friendly features.
bullied. He has discovered he can squeeze He speaks in perfect English and never
a twenty-minute nap in on most shifts uses contractions. Despite having a rich
without getting caught by parking near the imagination, Daniel has a worldview
turnoff to Sand Point Consumer Electronics. dictated by absolutes. If confronted by the
He was asleep there on August 22 when impossible, it’s quite likely Daniel won’t be
the incident occurred. He has been having able to handle it very well. He is a bachelor
vivid dreams of wandering the town at night and owns an apartment at the Meadowdale
and meeting various people for reasons he Estates across from the mall.
Micah Geerat: level 2, can’t recall. The last time he had this dream, Micah Geerat: This short eighteen-year-
obscure sci-fi or fantasy he woke to find his feet and bed stained old know-it-all has poufed brown hair, large
facts as level 5
by freshly mowed grass he had apparently bifocal glasses, and vaguely catlike features.
tracked in. He is always in the store when it is open,
Rachel O’Hara: level 2, Rachel O’Hara: This seventeen-year-old and actively opines about anything brought
cooking as level 3 pizza maker has a round face and bifocal to the counter (usually in the negative).
glasses that are perpetually fogged from the

124
 THE SETTING

Geerat (called “the rat” by bullies at Ocean might let them piece together just what the hell
View), incredibly unobservant when it is going on. PCs going there find that the place
comes to social cues, will glom onto any is packed with prodigies and mementos.
conversation or group that comes his way Eloise Rosemont was sitting on her back
until told to go elsewhere. patio facing the Sand Point Consumer
Eloise Rosemont: This seventeen-year-old Electronics building on August 22 and saw “a Eloise Rosemont: level 2
new wave devotee works at the shop several huge beam of blue-white light shoot from it
days a week after school. She has short hair like a mushroom cloud,” but no one believes
(dyed a different color every week) and is her. She wants to know what’s going on!
generally a social pariah. She doesn’t put up Micah Geerat has discovered the secret
with any monkey business in the shop and identity of one of the town’s prodigies when
can be downright scary when she wants to he sees them “shift back” to their teen-form.
be. Her uncle is Detective Graham Arnette, He’s following and keeping careful track of this
with whom she is very close. person in hopes of becoming their sidekick.

DARK DUNGEON HOOKS:

Story lines from Daniel Haas’s D&D OTHER BEACH
game begin to play out in the town. In his STREET LOCATIONS:
campaign, the mill burns in the Hamlet— Schwatsky’s Clothing: This two-story, out-
and the next week the Association Foods of-date fashion shop is almost a department
grocery store burns down in Boundary store. The store sells all sorts of clothing,
Bay. In the game, the constable is killed by and most formal clothing in town comes—in
orcs—and the police chief gets attacked and one way or another—from Schwatsky’s, or at
disappears on the road. What’s causing this? least it once did. The owner, Yvengi Bonanni,
Prodigies seem drawn to the Dark Dungeon, a sixty-eight-year-old lifelong resident of
perhaps because it’s filled with comics that town, is currently struggling to keep up

125
 Unmasked

with the bank as the chain stores in the On Fridays and Saturdays, there’s live music
Meadowdale Mall gobble up his profits. He from 7 to 11 p.m., and many of the locals of
has already let half of his staff of eighteen go, age turn up. Teenagers from the high school
and it’s only a matter of time before the bank sometimes try to get in, but the owner of
comes calling for the last time. Pompeii, Colleen Giordano, a fifty-five-year-
Red Badge RX: This small six-aisle old bruiser, is a stickler for checking IDs and
pharmacy sells pills, medicine, health knows almost every teen in town by sight.
goods, and some simple groceries. Its Most of the time, the worst that happens
owner, Adrian Schermerhorn, is a fifty-nine- out at Pompeii is the occasional fight, but
year-old transplant from Baldwin, New once or twice the police have been called
York, who has run the Red Badge since out to break up something more serious.
1976. The store is perpetually quiet and
undertrafficked, as well as freezing cold OTHER BEACH STREET HOOKS:
(due to the air conditioner). Yvengi Bonanni vanishes one night, leaving
Association Foods: This twelve-aisle Schwatsky’s unlocked and the register
supermarket is the mainstay of the town. Its filled with cash. The black-and-white still
owner is Henry “Big Henry” McGill, and it is camera up front shows the door opening at
run by Henry “Little Henry” McGill Jr. Little 1:45 a.m. on its own, but no Bonanni. Is he
Henry graduated from Ocean View High somehow still inside?
School in 1982, and he now lives in town with A weird fellow in blue tights wearing a
his high school sweetheart, Beth, and their yellow scarf appears at the Pompeii Bar &
four-year-old son. The supermarket is an oddity Grill. When he’s cut off after two beers, he
in town, as it is one of the few places that does destroys several tables, attacks a bartender,
not employ people under eighteen years of age. and flees so fast he shatters the mirror
Pompeii Bar & Grill: This long, thin behind the bar. He’s last seen running down
storefront sits at the end of Beach Street. Fox Run Road to the west.

126
 THE SETTING

Something big and scary has broken into Bonanni House: The Bonanni house,
Association Foods and is eating up the stock. belonging to the owner of Schwatsky’s, was
It seems to come back on the full moon. once one of the most admired in town,
What the hell can chew through plexiglass? but it has fallen a bit into disrepair. What
Tom Cruise comes into the Red Badge RX is not known is that Mrs. Bonanni left her
in a flight suit with the name “Maverick” husband in late 1985, and that he has quietly
on it and writes down a request for a bottle put the house up on the market.
of two dozen painkillers. Since he has Medina House: This large, new house is
no prescription, he is turned away. As he built in a modern style on what was once
leaves, he says, “Sorry to bother you on a an empty lot on Fox Run Road. The Medina
Sunday, sir, but thank you.” It is a Tuesday. family (Winston, his wife Estelle, and their
junior high school–aged children, Amelia
and Dianne) live here. It is huge, with
FOX RUN ROAD three stories with over 4,000 square feet
This long road runs from Beach Street (370 square meters) and a game room, an
to Bay Avenue, further inland from the inset stone pool with a slide, and an ample
ocean. The streets here are winding and backyard. Winston is often out in front of the
the landscape dotted with pine trees, oaks, four-car garage, tinkering with a sports car.
small lakes, and parks. This area is where
many influential people from the town live. FOX RUN ROAD HOOKS:
The yards are large and often feature fences A pharmacist, Harold Beymer, is discovered
or natural obstructions such as stone walls after having collapsed while jogging on
and hedges, and the homes tend to be Fox Run Road. While recovering in the
spacious. hospital, Harold describes a weird chase
where a man in light-blue runner’s clothing
FOX RUN ROAD LOCATIONS: was pursuing him. He remembers nothing
Standard Houses on Fox Run Road: There past their struggle, but he now dreams
are about three hundred homes scattered sometimes of losing his face.
in the area on or just off Fox Run Road. A glowing pile of mementos, secreted by
They are usually late 1960s split-levels or some unknown party in a culvert behind the
1950s ranch houses. In general, most are houses on Fox Run Road, draws in nearby
well kept, and everyone in the neighborhood prodigies. But who put them there?
knows one another. Grandpa Graham is being abused by
Graham House: The owners of Swindon’s his deranged son, because the old man
Ice Cream Shoppe, the Graham family has uncovered his firebug secret. Lewis Graham
lived out on Fox Run Road since 1947. The has the old man locked away in the upper
house is a white, three-story classic with a story of the house, where Grandpa Graham
wraparound porch and red shutters, built attempts to wave down the PCs during the
in 1908 and perfectly maintained. Grandpa day while his son is at work.
Graham lives in the house, and can often Yvengi Bonanni’s disintegration becomes
be seen puttering about. His son Lewis’s plainer and plainer to everyone in town. The
car is there in the evenings, and the two once dapper man now shambles about and
sometimes sit out on the porch. turns up at Pompeii more and more to drink.
Wright House: Officer Dustin Wright’s
parents, Helene and Michael Wright, live
in a small one-story ranch-style home off SAND POINT
a cul-de-sac on Fox Run Road. The young CONSUMER ELECTRONICS
officer can often be seen visiting and, due Built in the mid-1970s, this large office
to his father’s bad back, mowing the lawn or campus slowly expanded to engulf what
performing other menial tasks on his days was once forest and small parks in the
off. Oceanside section of town. Many of the

127
 Unmasked

trees remain on the perimeter, and the extremely low-level electromagnetic pulse
winding Company Road leading to the was sent into the “key.”
facility cuts between them to the main The “key” is an amorphous blob of spiky,
building (called Building A). Almost 1,000 metallic material that pulses and moves
people work at this campus in various when living things or heat sources come
buildings. For the most part, they work in near. It is about the size of a grapefruit.
the assembly plants (Buildings B, C, and D), Usually, it reverts to a sphere when
checking integrated circuit chips for defects. undisturbed, but if people interact with it or
The entire facility is surrounded by a touch it, it can extend, grow, and twist into
stone wall topped with tightly slung (and bigger, stranger geometric shapes. As far as
recessed) razor wire. During regular work can be determined, it is not poisonous and
hours, the main gate is open, and security has no ill effect on the human body.
pays little attention to the cars that come in Emil Warzowski has his own office on this
and fill the lot (there are a lot of employees). hub of rooms surrounding the “key” room.
After hours, however, the gate is locked and He can often be found there, poring over
accessed only via key card. differential equations scrawled on wall after
The specialty work goes on in the wall of blackboards.
basement of Building A and is restricted
by key card access. Emil Warzowski leads
the team in the specially constructed MEADOWDALE MALL
subbasement investigating the bizarre, Built between 1978 and 1980, this large mall
otherworldly piece of technology referred off Estes Road soon found itself filled to the
to as “the key,” brought to Sand Point brim with the standard fare of shops. Its
Consumer Electronics by the Circus in 1983. location next to State Route 25A puts it in
These labs are filled with bizarre easy travel distance of a dozen municipalities
machines, videotape equipment, and in Suffolk County, and it serves over 500,000
dozens of specialty rooms, from a complete people annually. It is a common haunt for
surgical suite to a swimming pool. There’s the kids and teenagers of Boundary Bay,
even a full cafeteria below Building A, which particularly on the weekends.
is almost like a world unto itself. Many It is a large, two-level structure with four
Circus agents, some regular military, and fountains, two food courts, and dozens of
tons of scientists can be found down here shops, including large chain stores such
at all hours. For the most part, if someone as Sears, Brooks Pharmacy, Playworld, and
looks like they belong and they don’t try to more. It does brisk business, so mall leases
move into locked rooms, they can circulate are extremely valuable, and it is a very rare
freely without drawing attention. occurrence for a shop to close or suddenly
The “key” is contained within a sealed change hands.
vault in the center of the subbasement,
which is always monitored. All the suites POPULAR LOCATIONS:
with thick plexiglass windows that open onto Wax and Stax: This is the most popular
this central room are videotaped 24 hours “serious” record, tape, and CD shop in
a day, and all staff members who come and town. The owner, Federico Galvani, speaks
go are searched by military personnel. This with a heavy Italian accent, but loves to talk
room that contains the “key” is opened at set music—all music—for hours with anyone
intervals and accessed through an airlock- who frequents the shop.
like room with environmental suits. Various Ultimate Arcade: A cavernous, dark-
probes, monitors, and devices are moved carpeted arcade filled with every conceivable
about the room to study and test the “key” as arcade machine, including oddities from
it is flooded with various energies, chemicals, Japan and Europe. Birthday parties are often
or processes. To date, only one test—that held here, and high-score contests regularly
of August 22—had any effect, when an take place on Friday and Saturday nights.

128
 THE SETTING

Meadowdale Twin Cinema: Since the HOT SKATES

closing of the Aladdin Theater on Beach This was once a heavy-equipment storage
Street in 1981, the Twin Cinema in the mall warehouse, but in 1977, it was purchased by the
remains the only place to see movies in Lester family and converted into a skating rink
Boundary Bay. On Fridays, Saturdays, and franchise called Hot Skates. In the beginning,
Sundays—depending on the movie—the the location catered to adults interested in
theater is usually packed to the gills. “roller disco,” but later, after 1981, it was
The Incredible Pulp: This is a small, progressively fashioned into a place for children
serious comic shop run by Ryan Cohen, or teenagers. It is a common meeting place for
who is serious about his comics. The store younger teens (who go on “couple skates”),
is simply an extension of his legendary as well as for kids’ birthday parties. The Hot
“off-site” collection, which is in storage Skates franchise died in 1982, but the Lesters
somewhere. Ryan has an encyclopedic kept the place open after a slight rebranding.
memory for plots, characters, issues, It has enjoyed a strange popularity among
and comic lines, but he only shares this the kids in Boundary Bay.
knowledge with those who show comics the At the entrance, there is the atrium skate
proper respect. desk, where customers rent skates or check
The Last Slice: This shop serves the items. Past it are two large roller rinks
cheapest pizza in Boundary Bay. Each slice separated by a food court that serves hot
costs twenty-five cents, and it sure tastes dogs, pizza, and soda, and finally a small
that way. But it’s the only pizza at the mall, arcade filled with video game machines and
so the place remains popular. two small bathrooms shoved in the back.
The interior is dimly lit, and all areas that
are not on the rink are carpeted with an
orange rug. The rinks are polished wood.

129
 Unmasked

BOUNDARY BAY LANES tellers and remote night deposit boxes), as

This somewhat dilapidated bowling alley was well as with silent alarms, cameras at every
last updated in 1969, when it replaced the door and in the vault, and a time lock that
hand-set with automatic pin-set machines. can’t be opened except at fixed times by
Since then, it’s slowly sunk into ruin—and multiple bank employees.
debt. It is owned by Dee Tull (the third owner),
who shoestrings everything in the hopes of
staying afloat for just one more month. ESTES INDUSTRIAL PARK
Still, it is a popular hangout for teens, This large area south of Estes Road was
particularly because Dee is not above once unused grass and marshland. Now
serving her watered-down beer to older- it is filled with warehouses, industrial
looking teens. facilities, parking lots, junkyards, and worse.
It was zoned (after some contention) for
industrial use in 1977 through the very vocal
FIRST FEDERAL BANK campaigning of Assemblyman Dean Yaros.
Once the Consolidated Bank of Boundary It employs several hundred locals in various
Bay located on Beach Street, this bank came menial tasks, many of which service other
to occupy a new building built off Estes nearby towns.
Road in 1977, after its purchase by First
Federal. This branch of First Federal is a
“feature branch” for the company, and as BLUEBEARD SCRAP
one of its regional Suffolk County routing This big auto dumping yard is the final
centers, it deals in high volumes of cash. resting place for most junked cars in the
The location is bright, sparkling, and area. The owner, Jose Nunez, opened it
new-looking. It is equipped with every from his own backyard after buying up land
convenience (for example, drive-through in 1977. Now, it is several square miles of

130
 THE SETTING

rusted-out car husks. Nunez has an eye BLUEBEARD SCRAP REGULARS:

for parts, and keeps a section of the yard Jose Nunez: The thirty-one-year-old owner- Jose Nunez: level 3,
he calls “the parts shop,” where he stores operator of the yard is of medium build, mechanical repair as
level 5
pieces he feels he can sell through mail- with a bland face, improbably delicate half-
order catalogs for collectors and mechanics. lens glasses on a granny chain, and short
The rest he crushes in his industrial crusher black hair. The yard began as a personal
and sells by the pound. collection of junkers that Jose turned into
The Bluebeard in question is a 1955 Edsel a career. Local police and firefighters know
up on a rotating pole that has been painted to call Jose if they need to get rid of a wreck
white with a royal-blue “chin”—Jose’s first or pull in a tow to one of the various gas
“real” wreck. The area surrounding the yard stations. He is affable, quick to laugh, and
consists of marshland, dumps, and various eager to make long-lasting relationships—
undeveloped lots. Even still, Jose enclosed like any good businessman.
his property with a 12-foot (4 m) cyclone Arturo Nunez: Arturo, Jose’s gray-haired Arturo Nunez: level 2
fence topped with razor wire in 1984, after fifty-six-year-old father, has been living off
some of his more select parts began to go disability after breaking his back during the
missing. construction of the World Trade Center in
Still, the kids get in. The yard is big and 1969. He walks with a slow, dragging gait
loud, and sound tends to travel, so the and has scars up and down his back that
small groups of teens who hop the wire to clearly tell the tale of how seriously he was
hang out in the stacks can usually do so injured. He is always smoking, and he’s full
without running into anyone. When Jose of terrible, incredibly dirty jokes that he tells
catches them (as he usually does), he just in mixed company. His universal defense is,
kicks them out. “I am as God made me.”

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 Unmasked

Vahid Khalaji (see Good and Plenty): BACK LOT REGULARS:

Evelyn Derecco: level Vahid, the son of the owner of the Good Evelyn Derecco: This forty-seven-year-old
2, drug use and drug and Plenty, is often found here scouring homeless woman grew up in Queens.
identification as level 4
the yard (with permission) for electronic After riding out a very serious cocaine
components. In return, he has wired up addiction, she fled east to avoid jail time
much of the shop for Jose. and became homeless. Evelyn is rail thin,
with a horrific shock of dyed blonde hair
BLUEBEARD SCRAP HOOKS: fading to black roots. She’s always bundled
The yard is an ideal place to safely test out in multiple jackets and pants, for she is
mask-form abilities. Need a two-ton weight always freezing—even in the summer.
to chuck around, or an old refrigerator She’s had a stern talking-to from the local
to disintegrate without worrying about police more than once, because she has a
collateral damage? There you go. habit of building large—almost too large—
Who knows what mementos might be fires. She’s usually to be found around a
hiding out in the miles of junked-out cars? small campfire, drinking cheap liquor, but
Jose will readily help those who exhibit her cocaine days are over. Everyone who
amazing powers, and he will protect their frequents the Back Lot runs into her and
secret. He allows them to treat the yard as knows her.
Stuart Dill: level 3 a hideout and keeps them safe from prying Stuart Dill (Mask-Form: Stutter): A
eyes. But he will also take steps, in secret, to sixteen-year-old runaway, Stuart is slight,
Stutter: This mask-form
is a lithe Mover who turn such a revelation to his own personal sickly, and almost all head and brown hair.
can tumble, leap, and gain. He’ll copyright the mask-form’s name He lived in the Meadowdale Estates with
flip in bizarre ways that and image, record conversations, take his father, who regularly abused him, but
defy physics, shooting to
secret photographs, and more. When he once the teen discovered his powers, he
any wall or surface as if
it were the ground, no feels like the time is right, he’ll go public fled to the Back Lot. Now, he lives in a small
matter the direction it’s with his story. tar-paper shack in the reeds and cleans
facing. He can’t walk on up by sneaking into Ocean View early and
such surfaces, but he can
bounce off them, like a showering and changing at the school.
superball, and he often BACK LOT Eventually, his father will come looking
seems to flash in and This large three-mile-by-four-mile (5 km by for him. His mask-form is a Mover called
out of reality as he does 6 km) lot of marshland off Estes Road is in Stutter.
so. His uniform is a very
odd, black skinsuit with the middle of being developed by various
arrows pointing in various parties. Sections near the edges have been
directions. He doesn’t like cleared, and several utility roads have been OTHER ESTES INDUSTRIAL
to talk about his past but
often seems to recognize
cut through the reeds, but for the most part, PARK LOCATIONS:
other mask-forms, and the core of the lot remains untouched. Mill Frame Siding: This big, two-warehouse
he will sometimes call This marshland is mostly soggy ground lot sells aluminum siding for construction.
them by name without with large standing reeds that make it easy It is busy all day, with nearly a dozen full-
introduction. Stutter
can’t stand Stuart, but to disappear. Kids maintain a dirt bike track time employees loading and unloading
he’s not heartless—he in the reeds by stomping paths through huge bundles of siding for shipping to
doesn’t want the kid them. There are numerous hideouts and various construction sites all over the
abused either. He just
forts in various states of disrepair, as well island. At night, it is watched by a single
can’t help feeling trapped
inside the teen’s brain. as several campsites occupied by homeless night watchman.
people. Wexler Lumber Systems: This large, open
Stutter: level 6, When teens and kids want to escape the lot has a single small office. Most of the
tumbling, jumping,
and dodging as level 10
town proper and stay away from the heavily property is taken up by stacks of lumber,
(power shifted); health patrolled beach, they usually come to the much of it under tarps. During the day, the
55; can bounce, dodge, Back Lot. Here, they hang out, listen to four full-time employees load and unload
and smash a target for music, play games, drink, and spend their trucks with lumber. At night, the property is
6 points of damage; can
climb, leap, and jump time screwing around. empty and unguarded.
huge distances; power
shifts: +5 to Acrobatics

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 THE SETTING

Yavarro Propane and Fuel Supplies: The hand. If some local wants to buy weapons,
property consists of a storage depot for fuel drugs, or a stolen car, Dutton Street is a
oil (which most houses still use for central good place to start.
heating), as well as a huge propane tank. The Creek and Silver Lake: This
This lot employs three full-time workers and neighborhood exists in what was once a
a professional car-patrol and alarm service natural stream. The roads wind down into
to make certain no one siphons fuel. Trucks large lots with big houses spaced at such
come and go from the site all day, especially large intervals that residents can’t see their
in the fall. neighbors. This area ends at Silver Lake—a
large artificial lake that has a bicycle track,
a walking path, and several playgrounds.
OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS The Creek is considered an affluent
IN BOUNDARY BAY neighborhood, but the houses often have
Like any town, each area has its own issues with flooding and a high water table.
characteristics and secrets that only Middle Village: With mixed two- and
locals seem to know. Below are the most three-story apartments, rooming houses,
significant neighborhoods in Boundary Bay and single-family residences, Middle Village
not described elsewhere in this chapter. is where most regular tourists stay in the
Bayside: There are about two hundred summer. As such, many of the properties
homes on the winding, slightly hilly roads of are rentals. During the summer, this area
Bayside, on the west side of Boundary Bay. is filled with out-of-state cars and “toury
This area is considered lavish, with large, kids”—children staying in town just for
multistory houses with perfectly manicured the summer break. The roads here are
yards. Many of these streets are private, considered some of the worst in Boundary
with gates and security. Bay. Poor locals think this is a rich area, but
Waukena Avenue: So far away from it’s just average.
Beach Street that it’s almost its own town, Meadowdale Estates: Built in the late
Waukena Avenue is still part of Boundary 1960s and mid-1970s, the Meadowdale
Bay. Waukena has cheap and run-down Estates are six large apartment blocks for
equivalents of almost all the shops on general rental. Each has its own name (the
Beach Street. At night, the avenue tends Claremont, the DuBois, the Carter, the
to be a trouble spot for the police, as there Maxwell, the Estate, and the Opal), and
are multiple liquor shops and two bars each houses at least a hundred people. This
operating there. Waukena Avenue is where area is not generally walkable, and almost
kids from Dutton Street go when they everyone here gets around by car. It’s
graduate to real crime. considered an area for poorer folks in town
Dutton Street: This is a series of streets or for young people hoping to save up for a
around the once-industrial Dutton Street. house.
The houses here are run down and in ill Meadow Park: Meadow Park just . . .
repair. They are low-slung ranchers (some happened. When Oceanside met a natural
burned out and boarded up) with cyclone boundary, Teralt Stream, cheaper cookie-
fencing and occasionally razor wire. Several cutter houses were put up to the south
gangs operate out of houses in this area, beyond it. After they sold out, the land
including Half-Life, a surf gang; Acey Deucy, between there and Estes Road was divided
a biker gang supposedly affiliated with the into ten house lots. One company bought
New York Mafia; and the Dutton Street Kids, half of them. Since 1981, the area has
the local gang concern that deals in petty officially been infilled. Meadow Park is
theft and stripping cars. There are others, neutral in social standing—few care who
and Dutton Street is widely avoided, day or comes out of or goes into the area.
night. The police leave the area to its own Creekside: These last-ditch lots were
regulation unless things get really out of stragglers from the end of Meadow Park

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 Unmasked

that were never snapped up. Now, Old Man OCEAN VIEW HIGH
Lynch owns the area and rents cheap trailers SCHOOL, GO SAILORS!
to dozens of families, raking in money. In Ocean View High School is the public high
Boundary Bay, Creekside is considered a school for Boundary Bay. Built in 1951, it
dead end or a place you wash up. Nothing has slowly expanded along with the town.
good comes from Creekside. The first class it graduated was composed
Oceanside: Many locals who had family of fifty kids, and the latest class in 1985 had
before the town’s fishing crash ended up two hundred and fifty students. Its current
in Oceanside. The houses are generally total student count is almost eight hundred
two or three stories tall, built in the 1950s, and ninety students. It is well funded by
with wraparound decks and large lots. Sand local taxes, and well maintained.
Point Consumer Electronics maintains its Ocean View High School is located off of
campus here on a slight artificial bluff that Fox Run Road just west of Beach Street. It
gives the upper floors of SPCE a view of the is a large campus with two big multistory
ocean. Many employees of SPCE make their buildings connected by glass-enclosed
home in this neighborhood so they can walk corridors and a third, smaller sports
to work. building, along with several sports fields, a
Kennedy Estates: This neighborhood is full track, and a sizable parking lot.
composed of cookie-cutter houses that are The school teams are called “The Sailors,”
too small and packed too tightly together. with a sailor mascot. The school colors are
Backyards are nearly nonexistent, and blue and white.
parking is always an issue. The houses all
look almost identical—single-level ranch- BUILDINGS ONE AND TWO
style homes. The winding roads here are The remnants of the original high school,
smooth and well paved, and they are an built in 1951, compose the entrance of
obsession with the skateboarders in town. Building One, but the rest of the structure

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 THE SETTING

(like Building Two) is a multilevel glass- is the principal obsession of adolescents

and-brick building constructed in the later in the school, but beyond that, she is also
1960s. Each hallway of these two buildings known as being incredibly smart, insightful,
(often called “Thing One” and “Thing Two” and outgoing. Her apparent perfection is
by the students) has approximately twelve terrifying to most, and she is universally
fire doors, interspersed between hundreds given a wide berth by her coworkers. They
of lockers. Each hallway usually ends in like her but seem to unconsciously dislike
an entrance atrium, a staircase, and huge her sudden high standing among the
windows. student body. She lives in the Meadowdale
The two buildings are connected by a Estates in a studio apartment. She was
ground-level glass-enclosed walkway (which once married, but divorced her husband
is always warm) with lockers on either side. in 1984 and moved to Boundary Bay from
Between classes, students rush through this Massachusetts to start a new life.
corridor because most class schedules are Mr. Walter Fedov (Social Studies, AP Mr. Fedov: level 3
split between the two buildings. Social Studies). This tall, thin fifty-year-old
Buildings One and Two contain the man has receding brown hair, a beard, and
office, the library, two cafeterias, dozens of a mustache. He’s an outgoing, bubbly guy
classrooms and offices, as well as nearly a who likes to joke around with the kids and
hundred closets and storage rooms. tries to get them engaged through various
methods: by playing social studies Jeopardy!,
BUILDING THREE running a model United Nations, and
Building Three is a one-story structure with more. He likes his job. He lives one town
a gymnasium-sized ceiling. It is called the over in Rockville with his wife and grade
“sports and leisure complex,” or “SLC” school-aged son. Mr. Fedov believes in the
(pronounced “slick” by the students). supernatural but will never mention this
It contains a large and small gym, two in mixed company unless he is confronted
art studios, a music and band room, the with the inexplicable.
auditorium, and a half dozen small satellite Ms. Evelyn Hopkins (Chemistry, AP Ms. Hopkins: level 2,
offices. Chemistry). This forty-five-year-old has chemistry as level 3
To get to Building Three from Buildings huge tinted glasses that match the artificial
One and Two, a student must go outside reddish color of her hair. She is single-
and cross the “quad.” minded in purpose, and that purpose
is to engrain chemistry in the minds of
THE QUAD adolescents at any cost. She is anathema to
The quad’s grand name is wildly overblown. passing notes or communication in class
This semicontained courtyard has nothing of any kind. Students must be in their seats
more than a few picnic tables on a balding at the bell, and unless a student is bleeding
lawn strewn with cigarette butts, with views from the eyes, it is unlikely she’ll excuse
of the sports fields to the east and west. them. Still, she is a good teacher that
students—once they are clear of her class—
NOTABLE OCEAN VIEW look back on fondly.
STAFF AND FACULTY Mrs. Antonia Kalakis (Home Economics, Mrs. Kalakis: level 2
There are, of course, more teachers Health). This short, slim thirty-eight-year-
and staff members than the ones listed old woman has long blond hair which she
below. The following are the mainstays keeps up in complex hairdos that change
of the school—those who “stand out.” each day. She is a no-nonsense teacher who
GMs should feel free to fill in the cast of uses her motherly appearance to cajole and
characters as needed. guilt even the largest teens into following
Ms. Roberta Diamante (Math, AP Math). her instructions; somehow, she manages Ms. Diamante: level 3
This physically perfect and brilliant thirty- to control a classroom full of adolescents
nine-year-old teacher was hired in 1985. She in a way that most other teachers cannot.

135
 Unmasked

She lives in Rockville with her husband, an forty-three years. Since the death of her
electrical engineer in the employ of Sand daughter in 1981 from ovarian cancer, her
Point Consumer Electronics. life is teaching. She is forever arriving early
Mr. Mangiapane: level 4 Mr. Albert Mangiapane (Principal). This and staying late, and she will go out of
tall, thin, balding sixty-one-year-old man her way to look out for kids she feels are
wears the same suit on the same day “falling through the cracks.” Those that take
each week, each only a slightly different a shine to literature will find her an endless
color. When seen wandering the halls, he resource for books and knowledge on the
is usually smiling and happy, but when subject. Her husband once worked for
a student turns up in his office for an AT&T but retired early and now spends all
infraction, he tends to do away with this of his time at their home off Beach Street,
amiable persona. He is very loose with maintaining the house. He is clinically
detention slips and has permanently depressed, but Mrs. Wexler never talks
expelled more than one student. Few people about her private life at school.
know it, but in 1948, Mr. Mangiapane played
one season of professional basketball for COOL KIDS
the New York Knickerbockers. Here are some of the more popular kids in
Mr. Saia: level 2, physics Mr. George Saia (Earth Science, AP the school. There are, of course, hundreds
and earth science as Physics). Mr. Saia is a fifty-nine-year-old of others.
level 3
pedant whom the kids call “Mr. Stinker”
Wayne Depco, page 107 behind his back. His lack of personal hygiene Wayne Depco (Sophomore and prodigy):
is legendary in the school, and kids in his Wayne is a sixteen-year-old who suffers from
class fight for seats near the back of the mild cerebral palsy, but who is outgoing
room where they can open the windows. and funny, making him popular. He is also a
Despite this, he doesn’t look filthy, he prodigy who can manifest in the mask-form
Swoosh, page 107 just smells bad. He is also a stickler to Swoosh.
the smallest degree on all the subjects he
teaches. His favorite saying, “Everything HOOKS:
is equally important,” torments the bad • Wayne likes Ellen Paladino but has no
students along with the best in the school. idea how to talk to her. Ellen likes one
All live in dread of ending up in his class. of the PCs, and Wayne makes it his
Mr. Sullivan: level 2, Mr. Thomas Sullivan (Gym). Mr. Sullivan, business to make them look bad.
sports and athletics as a tall, potbellied fifty-one-year-old, is forever • Wayne is considering using his Swoosh
level 3
clad in Ocean View High School shorts and form to “fight crime” but has no idea
T-shirt, his neck hung with keys, whistles, where to find any “crime.” Maybe he’s
and other crazy things. Because of the jingle just not looking hard enough. Then
that precedes him, you can always hear he notices the PCs all “glow”—maybe
him coming. He is loud and brash, and he they’re the supervillains?
tends to shout when he wants to speak, • Wayne becomes interested in anyone
and SHRIEK when he wants to shout. He and anything that “glows” and keeps a
is the coach of most of the sports teams notebook of the people and objects that
at Ocean View (except boys’ lacrosse and he’s seen with the “aura.” He confronts
girls’ volleyball), and he is a popular figure the PCs to compare notes.
around town, but the other teachers tend
Todd DeSpain, page 136 to look down their noses at him. He is a Todd DeSpain (Junior): Todd is a seventeen-
bachelor who lives in the Kennedy Estates year-old football player who is short and
near the eastern edge of town. His principle stocky, with curly brown hair, freckles, and
obsession is his 1962 MG, which he has discolored teeth. He is a creature of social
Mrs. Wexler: level 3, lovingly and obsessively restored by hand. interactions, and he will do what he believes
teaching and positive
social interactions as Mrs. Janet Wexler (English, AP English). is required of him to be “cool.” Often, this
level 4 This woman looks much older than her means making bad decisions.

136
 THE SETTING

HOOKS: • Anthony has been trying to figure out

• Todd dated Ellen Paladino briefly when ways to make money for his family
she was a freshman, but now the two can’t using his Goop form; he’s considered
stand one another, though they move in stealing from the bank (“It would be so
the same circles. To ruin Ellen’s day, he easy!”), but he’s abandoned his plans
tells one of the PCs that Ellen likes them. of becoming a master-thief—it just
• Todd’s parents are divorced, and he wouldn’t be right. Still, he suspects one
lives with his mother in town, in the or all of the PCs might have powers and
Kennedy Estates. His dad, the owner of might be using them for illicit activities.
a masonry in Rockville, buys him lavish • Anthony is only three hundred dollars
presents (including a red Mustang for short of fixing up his first car, a restored
his sixteenth birthday). Todd makes an 1981 Volkswagen Rabbit at Bluebeard
offhand offer to a PC to assist him in Scrap. There are mementos all over
robbing his own dad’s house and selling town—maybe one can repair it? Perhaps
the loot—it’s a perfect crime! one of the PCs has a memento or power
• Todd has twice gotten into shouting that will do the trick?
matches with Hal Walmer. It’s only a • Twice Anthony has seen a silhouette
matter of time before the two get into a watching him out near the beach. This
fistfight. One of the PCs is present when figure seems to appear more often when
the fight finally breaks out. he is carrying his mask or a memento.
He recruits one of the PCs to cause a
Anthony DiGiovanni (Sophomore and distraction so he can sneak up on the spy. Anthony DiGiovanni,
prodigy): Anthony is a sixteen-year-old page 110
whose outgoing nature makes him popular. Asa Jen (Freshman and prodigy): Asa is a Asa Jen, page 116
He is also a prodigy who can manifest in fifteen-year-old who is popular because his
the mask-form Goop. family owns the Pixel Palace arcade on the Goop, page 110
boardwalk. He is also a prodigy who has not
HOOKS: manifested his mask yet.
• Anthony has a crush on Emma
Warzowski and is quite brazen about it, HOOKS:
but so far, she just acts embarrassed by • Asa’s father—usually a withdrawn, quiet
these overtures. He asks one of the PCs man (and an alcoholic)—suddenly
for advice to up his flirting abilities. begins following one of the PCs. Why?
Maybe Asa knows.

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 Unmasked

• Asa’s arcade seems to be a natural she’s terrified her schoolmates might

“sinkhole” that attracts mementos. Can discover. Still, she knows one of the PCs
the PCs figure out why? knows her home address, and she asks
• Asa has noticed odd guys in suits them to keep it a secret.
moving up and down the boardwalk • Ellen’s family life is not so hot. Her
with handheld electronic devices that father drinks too much, and her mother
resemble some sort of Geiger counter. is always gone. She often looks after her
Will the PCs do him a favor and help little brothers, who are in grade school,
him figure out what they’re up to? for days at a time. One day, she turns
up at a PC’s house with a broken nose,
Soraya Khalaji, page 118 Soraya Khalaji (Sophomore and prodigy): asking for help.
Soraya is a sixteen-year-old who is popular
Tabitha Shaeffer, because of her up-front, friendly nature. She Tabitha Shaeffer (Freshman): Tabitha is a
page 109 is also a prodigy who has yet to manifest a fourteen-year-old dancer and cheerleader
mask. who is the daughter of the owner of
the Shaeffer Marina and
HOOKS: social club. Her brother
• Soraya approaches the PCs and is Brett Shaeffer. She is
confronts them with the fact that they largely considered the
appear to glow. Will they spill the beans? best dancer in the
• Soraya is certain she dreamed of one of area.
the PCs during a nightmare about the
town being filled with people missing
their faces. Only she and the PC were
normal. She confesses this to the PC,
looking for answers.
• Soraya has mentally kept count of the
people who glow—as of now, she’s seen
more than a dozen. She asks the PCs if
they will help her in her “census.”

Ellen Paladino, page 113 Ellen Paladino (Sophomore): Ellen is a

sixteen-year-old sports enthusiast who
works at Waxy’s Surf Shop.

HOOKS:
• Ellen is worried about her uncle, Michael
Gioccino. He recently showed up
at work with a black eye, and she’s
certain he’s in trouble, but he won’t
talk about it. She asks one of the
PCs to watch her back while she spies
on her uncle when he meets up with a
“business partner” at Pompeii.
• Ellen loves to surf and is often out off
the Strand on her board at dawn, even
in the winter. One day at school, she
invites one of the PCs out on this usually
solitary activity. But why?
• Ellen lives in the relatively rough
Dutton Street neighborhood, a fact

138
 THE SETTING

HOOKS: HOOKS:
• Tabitha can’t stand her “geeky” brother, • Scotty is in love with Monica Demath,
Brett and goes out of her way to his next-door neighbor. One of the PCs
humiliate him at school. She tries to is friends with her, and Scotty is certain
rope in one of the PCs to help her. their approval is the key to her heart.
• Tabitha is aloof when it comes to social • Scotty enjoys football and thinks one of
activities. Many realize this is due to the PCs is well suited for the sport. He
her obsession with dance, while others tries to get them to go to Coach Sullivan
think she is stuck up. Many of the cool and try out.
kids talk about her behind her back. She • Scotty needs a tutor in social studies
approaches a PC asking whether they’ve and English, so he approaches one of
heard anyone with something bad to say the PCs for help.
about her. • Scotty dreams nightly of a man without
• Tabitha keeps a secret journal about Rob eyes walking closer and closer to town.
Escadero—the bartender at her father’s In his last dream, a PC was there with
marina—who is way too old for her. She him while the faceless man chased
recruits a PC to talk to Rob and find out them.
his current dating status.
Hal Walmer (Senior): Hal is a seventeen- Hal Walmer, page 139
Scott “Scotty” Veracruz (Junior and prodigy): year-old baseball star, the son of the local
Scotty Veracruz, page 115
Scotty is a seventeen-year-old football player police chief, and basically an all-around jerk.
who works at Swindon’s Ice Cream Shoppe. He often hangs out with Steven Yarborough.
He is also a prodigy who can manifest in
the mask-form Morrow. Morrow, page 115

139
 Unmasked

HOOKS: HOOKS:
• Hal abuses his relationship with his • Emma keeps crossing the lines between
father, the chief of police, to get away cool and uncool, making friends with
with a lot of infractions, including petty oddballs such as Vahid Khalaji, Maria
theft, buying alcohol while under age, Juhasz, and Brett Shaeffer. The other
and vandalism. He commits some crime cool girls are on the verge of giving
and then blames it on a PC. her an ultimatum: stick with the clique
• Coach Sullivan secretly can’t stand Hal, or get kicked out. She approaches a
and if he can see any way to take the kid random PC and tries to introduce them
down a few pegs without getting caught, to the cool kids, even if the PC is geeky.
he’ll do it. He goes so far as to ask the • Emma and Soraya Khalaji have quickly
PCs to come to him if they have any become best friends—a fact that their
information that can help. parents are quite pleased about. Soraya
• Hal has an unhealthy obsession with often spends time over at the Warzowski
Ms. Diamante, the math teacher, and house in Point East. Soraya acts as
often follows her around town in a emissary, telling a PC that Emma likes
creepy manner. He thinks he’s subtle, them or pumping them for information
but everyone knows. Only the PCs notice on a third party they think is cute.
when this obsession becomes darker, • Vahid has fallen for Emma for reasons
however. Will they step in? other than her father’s profession and
wealth, but he is as terrified of her as he is
Emma Warzowski, Emma Warzowski (Freshman): Emma is the enamored with her. Even his sister has no
page 106 daughter of Emil Warzowski, who owns Sand knowledge of his feelings. Vahid begs the
Point Consumer Electronics (which employs PCs to help him figure out how to confess
much of the town); thus, she is local royalty. his feelings without looking like a fool.

140
 THE SETTING

Steven Yarborough (Senior): Steven is a Rockville, and he’s going to kick that guy’s Steven Yarborough,
tall, well-built seventeen-year-old football ass. Will the PCs help Danny find him? page 141
star with carefully feathered blond hair and • Danny is sick to death of lacrosse, and
perfect teeth. He is the Sailors’ premier he is actually interested in music. He
quarterback and knows it. Despite this blind breaks down and confesses this to the
belief that he deserves all he has, he is not PCs before asking just how he might
inherently a bad person. escape what feels like a predetermined
future.
HOOKS:
• Steven kind of likes Maria Juhasz and “LOSERS”
often finds himself in Beach Street Video Here are some of the least popular kids in
coincidentally during the hours she works the school. There are, of course, hundreds
the counter. Due to her social standing, of others.
he will never admit this to anyone. Still,
he approaches a PC and asks about her, Helen Basille (Sophomore): Helen is a tall
trying to play it off as no big deal. sixteen-year-old volleyball player who works at
• Steven is a binge drinker. On the weekends Swindon’s Ice Cream Shoppe. There is more
or after a game, a common outcome for information on Helen Basille on page 115.
a night of partying is for Steven either to
crash on the floor of a friend’s house or HOOKS:
to barely make it home before collapsing. • Helen gets close to a PC because she
It’s rapidly becoming a problem. The PCs knows they know Brett Shaeffer—her
find Steven wandering the streets one secret crush. But it would be easy for
weekend night, stumbling drunk, but he the PC to mistake Helen’s feelings for a
won’t give up his car keys and insists on crush on them instead.
driving home. What do they do? • Helen’s house is in Oceanside on
• Steven is generally unhappy. He lives in Company Road, and last week she saw
the moment. College doesn’t interest two big army trucks roll up to Sand Point
him, and football—though he is good at Consumer Electronics.
it—isn’t enough for him. He tries not to • Helen’s dad works at SPCE and seems
think about his future. As such, school is preoccupied with work lately, so much
a very low priority in his life. He’s drawn so that he’s there almost all day and
to a driven PC and looks for advice on night. These weird shifts have been in
how to change his life. effect since the end of summer.

Danny Yaros (Sophomore): Danny is the Timothy Buston (Sophomore and prodigy): Danny Yaros, page 107
fifteen-year-old son of a local assemblyman, Timothy is a fifteen-year-old sometime
Dean Yaros. Danny is a skilled lacrosse runaway. He is also a prodigy who can
player and naturally popular. manifest in the mask-form Battlefield. There
is more information on Timothy Buston on
HOOKS: page 112 and on Battlefield on page 112.
• Danny thinks something’s up with his
family. His dad, Dean, is acting weird, HOOKS:
and his mom keeps vanishing for days • Timothy is picked on at school because
on end. He’s decided he’s going to figure he always wears the same clothes
out what’s going down. He needs some and sometimes smells as if he’s not
help, so he turns to one of the PCs. showered in a while. A PC sees Timothy
• Danny has found drugs in his sister’s curling up to sleep under the boardwalk
room and thinks she might be getting one evening, and his lack of hygiene
them out at Pompeii Bar & Grill. He’s makes much more sense. But will the PC
looking for some loser who lives in do anything about it?

141
 Unmasked

• Timothy—who glows like a prodigy— HOOKS:

pockets a mask as the PCs approach • Freeze Frame is in love with Danny, and
and then leaves. He seems guilty of since she knows all that he knows, she
something. But what? realizes Danny has feelings for one of
• Timothy approaches the PCs. The night the PCs. As such, she hates that PC and
before, he had a dream they entered will try to make their life miserable.
the sewer grate beneath the boardwalk • Danny knows Asa Jen at the arcade is a
together and saw something important prodigy but doesn’t know how to help
inside. him make his mask. Can the PCs assist?
• Danny has noticed that mementos seem
Danny Deleo (Junior and prodigy): Danny to turn up at or near the Pixel Palace
is a seventeen-year-old obsessed with arcade on the boardwalk. Maybe the PCs
arcade games. He is also a prodigy who can have noticed other areas in town like
manifest in the mask-form Freeze Frame. that. What could they mean?
There is more information on Danny Deleo
on page 116 and on Freeze Frame on Abigail Delgreccio (Sophomore): Abigail is
page 116. a fifteen-year-old Madonna wannabe from
Dutton Street. She’s most often found at the
Good and Plenty. There is more information
on Abigail Delgreccio on page 118.

HOOKS:
• Abigail falls hard for one of the PCs and
follows them around school all the time.
• Abigail is fairly certain the parking lot
near the Good and Plenty is haunted.
One night, on her way home, she saw a
man with no face there.
• Abigail thinks maybe something is
wrong with Soraya Khalaji—she’s seen
the girl collecting weird items from all
over town and stashing them behind a
cinder block at the back of the shop. Do
the PCs know what she’s up to?

Monica Demath (Freshman): Monica is a

bookish fifteen-year-old girl who works at
Swindon’s Ice Cream Shoppe. There is more
information on Monica Demath on page 115.

HOOKS:
• Despite Scotty Veracruz’s obvious crush
on her, Monica has taken a shine to one
of the PCs. This is something Scotty—a
huge football player—does not like.
• Monica often stays late at school, and
three times now, she’s seen strange
people gathering in the courtyard after
dark, talking. One of them was Asa Jen’s
dad, and another was a police officer.

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 THE SETTING

• Monica has decided one of the PCs Micah Geerat (Senior): Micah is an eighteen-
is her fashion icon, and she styles her year-old comic enthusiast whom teens
looks and behavior on that PC (whether at the school call “the rat.” There is more
they like it or not). information on Micah Geerat on page 124.

Stuart Dill (Junior and prodigy): Stuart is HOOKS:

a sixteen-year-old runaway. He is also a • Micah is certain he saw something
prodigy who can manifest in the mask-form strange having to do with one of the
Stutter. There is more information on Stuart PCs. He’s going to follow them until he
Dill on page 132 and on Stutter on page 132. can figure out what it was.
• Micah has decided one of the PCs is his
HOOKS: greatest rival and goes out of his way to
• Stuart’s dad mistakes one of the PCs for get in the PC’s face.
his son and attacks him on the street. • Micah has seen agents driving around
Once he figures out it’s not Stuart, Mr. in cars with government plates. In one
Dill offers them money to keep quiet and car, a man on the passenger’s side was
then runs off. holding a radio-sized device that was
• The PCs have seen Stuart show up to beeping.
school bruised and beaten on multiple
occasions. Now, he’s barely showing up to Maria Juhasz (Sophomore and prodigy):
school at all—and then only in the morning Maria is a fifteen-year clerk at Beach Street
before slinking off toward Estes Road. Video. She is also a prodigy who can
• Stuart approaches a PC and claims to be manifest in the mask-form Dead Ringer.
like them—he has abilities, too. Would There is more information on Maria Juhasz
they like to come out to the Back Lot and on page 119 and on Dead Ringer on page 119.
test out their powers with him?

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 Unmasked

HOOKS: HOOKS:
• Maria wants the PCs to tell Steve • Vahid has long bothered the people at
Yarborough to piss off. He keeps the front desk of Sand Point Consumer
bothering her, and she thinks he’s a jerk, Electronics, but so far he’s had no luck
but he scares her. in getting an internship there. Still, he
• Dead Ringer wants out of Maria, and knows a few of the engineers and chats
the mask-form thinks the key is in Sand with them when they come into the
Point Consumer Electronics—it needs Good and Plenty, and he thinks a PC
the PCs’ help to get inside. would like to meet them.
• Maria falls for one of the PCs’ mask- • Brett Shaeffer and Vahid have been
forms and does everything she can to invited to a “game night” at the Dark
spend time with it. Dungeon by Daniel Haas, but they need a
few more to fill the table. Will the PCs go?
Vahid Khalaji (Sophomore): Vahid is a • Now that Emma Warzowski is suddenly
sixteen-year-old electronics enthusiast who his twin sister’s best friend, she’s always
works at the Good and Plenty. There is more at Vahid’s house. This is driving shy
information on Vahid Khalaji on page 117. Vahid over the edge. He needs a PC’s
help to formulate a plan!

Rachel O’Hara (Junior): Rachel is a

seventeen-year-old pizza chef who works at
Mario’s Pizza. There is more information on
Rachel O’Hara on page 124.

HOOKS:
• Rachel found Gerald Wacter unconscious
in the bathroom at Mario’s Pizza one
night. When she turned him over,
thinking he was drunk or unconscious,
she could swear he didn’t have a face. A
moment later, though, he seemed fine.
• Rachel has noticed she’s making a ton
more pizza and almost all the orders
are coming from Sand Point Consumer
Electronics. It’s almost as if a bunch of
new employees have started there who
never leave the premises.
• Rachel has seen weird figures perched
on cars at Bluebeard Scrap on Estes
Road when she drives in to work. Once,
a giant, deformed man with apelike
arms was standing on top of the 1955
Edsel on the sign.

Eloise Rosemont (Senior): Eloise is a

seventeen-year-old new wave devotee who
works at the Dark Dungeon. There is more
information on Eloise Rosemont on page 125.

HOOKS:
• Eloise’s uncle, Detective Arnette, has
asked her about one of the PCs. Does

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 THE SETTING

the PC know why the police might be • Dustin is desperate to become a sidekick
interested in them? to any prodigy that will take him. He’s
• Eloise is convinced something fishy constantly rushing toward trouble in the
is going on at Sand Point Consumer hopes of being recruited.
Electronics—she is one of the few
witnesses of the “light” emanating from Gerald Wacter (Junior, one of the Faceless):
the building on August 22. Do the PCs Gerald is a seventeen-year-old pizza delivery
know anything about it? driver who is also a Faceless. There is more
• Eloise thinks one of the PCs is cool, and information on Gerald Wacter on page 124
attempts to strike up a friendship with and on the Faceless on page 152.
them.
HOOKS:
Dustin Trewes (Sophomore): Dustin • Gerald has been having weird dreams, and
is a fifteen-year-old troublemaker from he seems drawn to particular students,
Dutton Street who hangs out at the Good including the PCs. He approaches one,
and Plenty all the time. There is more terrified and asks for their help to figure
information on Dustin Trewes on page 118. out what’s behind his fugues.
• Gerald keeps finding collections of items
HOOKS: he’s unconsciously gathered or stolen
• Dustin looks dumb, but he sees from all over town and hidden in his
everything. The whole town has been locker. They are mementos, though he
screwy since the end of August. The PCs has no idea there is anything special
in particular appear suspicious to him. about them.
• Dustin has seen some really weird guys • Gerald has been delivering pizza to Sand
hanging out with the Acey Deucy bikers Point Consumer Electronics a lot in the
off Dutton Street. Crazy rumors abound last few weeks. It’s always paid for in
that the gang has teamed up with a real cash by agents in dark suits. One, he
demon. saw, had a gun in a shoulder rig.

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 Unmasked
Chapter 15

ORGANIZATIONS AND CREATURES

B elow are the details about the threats

that face Boundary Bay (or that
can be transplanted to nearly any
Unmasked game).
second- and third-stringers—people who
washed out of other, more prestigious jobs,
or who couldn’t get those jobs in the first
place.
If Daily View shows up in Boundary Bay,
it’s because something was reported either
THE MEDIA THREAT on the police blotter or in the local news
Two major threats in the local media might about the mask-forms or the Faceless. Daily
impact the day-to-day lives of the mask- View will swoop in, interview all involved
forms in Boundary Bay. on video, and then edit the story up until it
sounds intriguing and weird (and in doing
DAILY VIEW so, it will often embellish the truth). The
Daily View is a pretaped, made-for-cable one upside with Daily View is that unless the
news magazine focusing on the bizarre, crews personally see something amazing,
the violent, and the outré. It airs five days it’s likely they’ll forget Boundary Bay the
a week on various cable channels, and it is moment their van hits the highway.
produced and filmed in New York City, with
small tape crews moving around the tristate DAVID DAWKINS-NYPI REPORTER
area to record local footage. David Dawkins is the Long Island crime
The show is all about exploitation. The reporter for New York Press Incorporated, a
more sensational the story (or the implied stringer service that sells stories to outlets
story), the more resources Daily View will all over the world. Dawkins has an eye for
spend on it. The reporters it employs are all the unusual and loves crime stories that are

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 ORGANIZATIONS AND CREATURES

larger than life. Murders, disappearances, or Once on the trail, he’ll be very difficult to
strange flying people clothed in tights tend shake.
to attract his attention.
David is a thirty-three-year-old divorcee
who lives out of his car, always carries a THE MILITARY THREAT
beaten tape recorder and Polaroid instant
camera, and smokes like a chimney. His THE CIRCUS
clothes—secondhand mostly—reek of The “Circus” is an unofficial designation
nicotine. He tends to laugh and smile given to a desk at the Defense Intelligence
and try to take the side of the people he’s Agency (DIA). The DIA is concerned with
interviewing, often spraying smoke in foreign intelligence “actors” in the United
their face. When asked to put items off the States, as well as other state intelligence
record, he’s not above putting them on it. agencies’ intentions toward the United
David believes that a single story can States. The Circus’s mission is strangely
make his career. If he’s drawn to Boundary both more and less specific.
Bay, it will likely be because the general The Circus was born in 1969, when
public saw or recorded mask-forms. Once information began coming in from
there, if Dawkins gets a taste of something foreign intelligence services about Soviet
truly odd, he won’t let go until he’s gotten to “nonconventional intelligence gathering”
the bottom of it. He will break laws (within operations occurring on United States soil.
reason—he won’t kill or injure anyone) and This included reports of psychic abilities,
violate all the classic rules of journalism to such as remote viewing, psychometry, and
get proof, or at least to gain deeper access. other bizarre powers. Despite oddities in

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 Unmasked

the report, it was deemed important by a PLANS AND METHODS

ranking major, and these investigations The agents of the Circus are experienced,
were assigned to Director Damien Holtz no-nonsense intelligence agents. Their
of the DIA Directorate for Science and orders are to locate, isolate, and cover
Technology. This opened the floodgates; up any oddities located and reported by
soon, it became common knowledge in other federal agencies. The recovery of the
the Pentagon that unconventional reports “key” in Mesa, Arizona, in 1981 remains
should land on Desk 78 of the DIA. Since the defining moment for the Circus. That
1969, Director Holtz’s desk has been the incident alone has guaranteed a budget
place where all odd files collected by the and agent allotment that will keep the desk
DIA and CIA have gone. Today, you can’t running well into the 2000s.
even see his desk under all the dossiers. Circus operatives are used to their
It gained its unofficial nickname, the missions not panning out and default to
Circus, from Lieutenant Robert Pulaski, believing the mundane explanation. Few in
one of its operatives. His grandmother the small group believe in the supernatural,
would often repeat a Polish saying, “Not my though some have seen oddities. Usually,
circus, not my monkeys,” when referring to they arrive after the fact, ask questions,
someone else’s problem. The name stuck. and search the location. All of this is then
It is almost never referred to by its official consolidated in a classified report that
designation: DIA Desk 78, Directorate for is turned in to and reviewed by Director
Science and Technology, Internal. Holtz. Holtz maintains his own files, often
Since 1970, the Circus has investigated cross-referencing various Circus operations
fifty-four individual reports of bizarre with other classified reports from various
phenomena in the United States. Most agencies to create a “big picture.”
came to nothing more than conventional Even with all the research into the “key”
occurrences misreported by witnesses, at Sand Point Consumer Electronics, Holtz
or they were covert military activity. In has only the dimmest outlines of a theory as
1981, the Circus found its first real oddity, to what the object and explosion were that
reported by the Arizona National Guard. rocked Mesa, Arizona, that night in 1981.
A strange explosion in Mesa, Arizona, Now that a second “event” has occurred in
caused seizures in all one hundred forty-five Boundary Bay, this theory has grown more
residents. Although the damage was light certain.
(only a single structure was destroyed), Holtz believes the “key” is some sort
one hundred twenty-one townsfolk never of connection to an alternate world, an
woke from this fugue. Twelve died of “almost Earth.” When it was triggered,
internal brain trauma. The remaining twelve intelligences tried to move through into this
were permanently confined for their own world. Twelve survived and are the rambling
safety, each rambling about some other inmates whose every word is transcribed,
world—a world like this Earth, but which talking about some other Earth.
had experienced another, bizarre reality. In Up until 1986, Holtz was certain the
the center of the blast radius, the Circus “key” had failed to operate properly,
recovered “the key.” This technology was and was damaged in the attempt. Now,
like nothing ever before seen on Earth. with the report of the “key” triggering in
Director Holtz has worked with the Boundary Bay on August 22, he is sure it
civilian contractor Sand Point Consumer has somehow reactivated. If that is so, it
Electronics to discern the purpose and makes sense to expect more otherworldly
possible uses of the “key.” In 1986, after intelligences and to assume that something
years of experimentation, something finally is attempting to come through.
happened.

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 ORGANIZATIONS AND CREATURES

BOUNDARY BAY: CAPTAIN MEAT

PRETERNATURAL THREATS A living anatomical model, Captain Meat Captain Meat: level
The preternatural threat that has infected has no skin, for some reason, though this 7, punching, lifting,
wrestling, and throwing
Boundary Bay seems to have arrived from doesn’t seem to bother him. He can fly as level 11 (power
an alternate Earth, though few understand (somehow), is bulletproof, and is always shifted); health 65;
this. While the mask-forms that possess laughing and smiling—mostly at civilian Armor 4; can fly faster
the teens are (in general) “good,” an reactions to his appearance. Captain Meat than sound; punch or
rending attack inflicts 9
opposing force—one somehow tied to the is all about petty comforts. He wants food, points of damage; power
event itself—has also come through the cars, and fine furniture so he can ooze shifts: +4 to strength, +1
breach. In the beginning, this force remains blood all over them . . . He honestly doesn’t to healing
somewhat silent, operating behind the care if he stays in this world or not; after all,
scenes, but as the mask-forms in Boundary being trapped in a teen (with skin) is kind of
Bay slowly reveal themselves, this force will a godsend.
expose itself and target them.
This force is led by a being known as
“Prester John,” an amorphous, vaguely
humanoid form that seems to command
an army of beings known as the “Faceless,”
which possess and control normal people,
making them into superhuman killing
machines.
In addition, there are mask-forms that
are “evil” or have plans of their own that
do not involve protecting the innocents of
Boundary Bay from harm.

BOUNDARY BAY:
DEVIANT MASK-FORM NPCS
In addition to Prester John and the Faceless,
some of the mask-forms that “came
through” are less-than-moral beings.
These mask-forms (defined below) can
be assigned to nearly any teen NPC, so
only the mask-form is described. Usually,
such beings want to keep their teen-form a
closely guarded secret, so they can commit
crimes without being ambushed in their
human form. Also, keep in mind that the
mask-forms these teens contain often tell
them precisely what they want to hear . . .
These mask-forms have their own plans
and methodologies. Out of the fifty or so
mask-forms that manifested during the
event, about half are either criminal or
aberrant in some way. Despite their less-
than-charitable attitude, each of these mask-
forms lives in mortal fear of Prester John and
its minions. It is likely that, if push comes to
shove, they will team up with “good” mask-
forms to fight against this force.

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 Unmasked

Headlights: level 6, HEADLIGHTS MISTERMIND

perception and spotting The mouth and eyes of this man emit a Mistermind is a fat, slovenly mask-form.
hidden items as level 10
(power shifted); health light that blinds targets at a distance and, if It can snatch any skill and expertise
45; exposure to the light close enough, can eat away at objects like a from any non-prodigy it touches for 24
emitted by Headlights laser does. He is bitter, cruel, and used to hours, and during that time, the target is
can blind targets on a
wearing huge, bulky welding goggles and rendered unconscious. Mistermind hunts
failed Intellect defense
roll; close-up light attack keeping his mouth shut. He is certain that job want ads to find its victims, showing
inflicts up to 11 points of if he finds the right mask-form, it will know up at interviews and stealing an electrical
damage (dependent on the way back “home.” engineer here or a surgeon there, as
distance to target); power
shifts: +5 to resilience
needed. Mistermind is collecting mementos
and working to unlock their meaning.
Mistermind: level 5; Though it has no clear memory of the
health 35; can snatch “other world” that the mask-forms come
any skill from any non-
prodigy target it can from, it’s certain their arrival (and possible
touch for 24 hours (target departure) has to do with mementos. And it
falls unconscious for the wants out.
duration); power shifts:
+2 to intelligence, +2 to
resilience, +1 to persuasion. OOPS
Oops is a horrific being that looks like a
human toddler and a praying mantis were
mixed together and stretched out to stand
almost 7 feet (2 m) tall. It can cause any
physical activity (within a limited scale—
approximately up to the size of a speeding
car) to fail by pointing at the object or
person in question and buzzing (this odd
noise sounds vaguely like “oops,” hence
the name). Such an action ceases instantly,
as if the energy for it had been “removed.”
It does not speak English, but it can scrawl
it with a talon. Its plans seem to involve
building a hive and creating some sort
of machine inside it, but it’s difficult to
understand the creature. Needless to say, it
Oops: level 7, dodge,
does not play well with others.
jump, and climb as level
10 (power shifted); health
65; Armor 1; point at any
physical action once per
round to cause the action
to cease; power shifts: +3
to resistance, +2 to Speed

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 ORGANIZATIONS AND CREATURES

THE MASTER: PRESTER JOHN (9) 27

This creature is an amalgam of human and humanlike entities from a million conterminous
worlds—a chain across the multiverses that exists in and can perceive all of them at once.
Its features and limbs blend and fade into odd, fractal-like averages of positions, meaning its
arms—unless completely still—are blurred motion trails, and its face is averaged into a pink,
seamless mass. Still, despite its hideous nature, it moves with intelligence and purpose.
It manifests in this space-time only at night, for reasons not fully understood. It seems
drawn to prodigies, mementos, and mask-forms, and though its ultimate goals are unknown,
it seems eager to locate and destroy the prodigies. It is attended, usually, by the Faceless—
humans who were affected by the August 22 incident and who can now be “hijacked” by
some sort of non-human intelligence. If this thought experiment is taken to its conclusion,
it is logical to assume that, like the Faceless, Prester John is connected to one, fixed human
form in town who has no knowledge of this non-human intelligence occupying their body. If
that human vessel is destroyed, will Prester John perhaps cease manifesting?
It is also seemingly connected to the prodigies, as they often catch glimpses of what it is doing
when they dream. The name (either given to it by itself, or through some sort of strange psychic
bond with its victim) is the name of the legendary Christian king of the East—a historical being
who never actually existed. Whether or not this name has a deeper meaning is unknown.
Motive: Destroy the teens occupied by mask-forms
Environment: Anywhere in Boundary Bay
Health: 99
Damage Inflicted: 12 points
Armor: 5
Movement: Short; long when flying
Combat: Prester John can cause rifts in space-time anywhere within a half mile
(1 km). These fractures in causality make creatures and objects in them
crack, twist, and distort in an otherworldly manner. Prester John can
cause these “bubbles” of unreality to expand and engulf multiple
targets, inflicting 8 points of damage to everyone within the radius.
In hand-to-hand combat, Prester John can attack all targets in melee
range at once, as its limbs contort, blur, and swirl in waves of
probability. This attack inflicts 6 points of damage.
It can consume a memento by touching it, instantly regaining the
memento’s level in health points up to its maximum health of 99.
Such mementos are destroyed in the process.
Interaction: Attended by the Faceless, which defer to it, Prester John
appears and strikes when a prodigy teen is most vulnerable at
night, usually when they are alone. Its goal is nothing less than
the absolute destruction of the teen “containing” the mask-form.
It moves with a staggering gait, but sometimes it will lift
and float into the air, as if carried by some invisible force.
It will attack relentlessly, and it is clearly intelligent, utilizing
tricks and feints to get the prodigy or the mask-form to
step into preset ambushes. When it kills a prodigy teen, it
consumes their mask (in the same manner it can consume
mementos), as if it were “feeding.”
Use: A teen the PC knew to be a prodigy is found, smashed up and
murdered. The following night, the PC sees a strange, shaking figure
in the dark outside their home. Prester John has come for them.

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 Unmasked

(IN)HUMAN SERVANTS: THE FACELESS (5) 15

Adult humans affected by the August 22 event, these individuals have been infiltrated by
some sort of extradimensional intelligence. During the day, these humans act normally and
pursue their regular life, but at night they are subject to possession by this external force
called the Faceless.
Some of those infected know something is wrong, but they have no clear memories
of their actions while subsumed by the external intelligence. When this occurs (always
at night), the subject is transformed into a horrific blend of a million slightly different
timelines, causing their arms and faces to blend into a blur of probabilities. They are
terrifying to see and seem to operate in perfect, unspoken concert with one another.
Motive: Locate the teens occupied by mask-forms without being discovered
Environment: Anywhere in Boundary Bay
Health: 25
Damage Inflicted: 6 points
Movement: Short
Modifications: Climbing, jumping, and dexterity-related actions as level 5.
Combat: In combat, the Faceless are horrific and relentless. They will destroy the human
form they currently occupy to execute even a fleeting attack on their target. This is the
greatest danger for any PC facing a Faceless—inside is an innocent person with no control
over what their body is doing. Destroying a Faceless might be easy, but living with the guilt
of having killed the innocent inside will be all but impossible.
Interaction: The Faceless only operate at night. During this “occupation” of the body by
the external intelligence, they move around town and seem drawn to mask-forms (whether
the masks are active or not), mementos, or places that mask-forms were last seen. This
sense seems inconstant, as if they were searching for a particular “scent.” During these
searches, they steer clear of normal humans whenever possible. Usually, if confronted, they
attempt to retreat and escape. Sometimes, multiple Faceless gather for a “union,” where
they seem to share information in the form of weird, almost subsonic moaning.
Use: A good friend of a PC is infected by the Faceless. This friend has noticed that they
seem to be leaving the house at night with no knowledge of where they’ve gone or why. Can
the PCs help them uncover the truth?

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 PART 5: GM’S TOOLBOX
SAVED BY ZERO
“There’s Michael-he’s also Friend Electric, who can jump into, like, light bulbs and stuff. There’s Emily.
She’s, uh, Rat Pack, who is . . . uh . . . a pack . . . uh . . . of rats? Sorry. Uh-” Ian stopped talking then, and
looked around at the others in the room.
“I’m Terry,” Terry said, making a little wave.
They looked at him, and he could see it in them all. The fire. They were glowing, flickering in his vision
like someone was messing with the contrast-but only on them. Like God had whipped out a highlighter and
covered them from head to toe in a nearly invisible color that screamed IMPORTANT. He knew they saw the
same in him. It’s why Ian had asked him here.
“So, what can you do?” Emily said finally, looking bored.
“If basketball is any metric, not much,” Michael snorted.
Terry pulled out his mask. It was a swim cap with two rows of Mardi Gras beads sewn to it. He slid it over
his face. There was a bright white flash.
“Huh,” said Ian.
The man that stood before them was two heads taller than Terry, clad in blue, and . . . flat. Not thin, but
flat, like a rug-but even thinner. When you looked at him side-on at the proper angle, he practically vanished.
“I am Flat Guy!” the blue man shouted, his voice sounding strangely un-echoey and slight, but the people
in the room jumped anyway.
“Okay. So, Electric Dude. Rat Girl. Flat Man. Are we missing anyone?”
“Guy. Flat GUY,” the man in blue said.
“Okay, so, Strangely Specific Flat Guy.”

CHAPTER 16: RUNNING UNMASKED 154

CHAPTER 17: RULE OPTIONS, ORIGINS, AND BIG SECRETS 164
CHAPTER 18: MEMENTOS 168
CHAPTER 19: MASKS 174
CHAPTER 20: QUICK ADVENTURE GENERATOR 176
CHAPTER 21: MISTER MONSTER 178
 Unmasked
Chapter 16

RUNNING UNMASKED

T he idea of Unmasked—that teens can

manifest amazing abilities and become
superheroes by putting on a strange
mask—remains at the core of the concept.
But how that premise is explored, what
many ways, tailoring it to their group to have
the most impact or to fit their favorite style of
play. Below are some examples of flavors that
easily fit into the world of Unmasked.

flavor is layered on top of the concept, how HORROR

the GM mediates the PCs’ powers and The prodigies and their enemies can be
abilities, and how advancement and XP terrifying. The impossible powers their
rewards are handled all remain up to the mask-forms can achieve and the threats
GM to fashion and express. they face, which are beyond humanity, are
This game setting gives you, as the GM, a inexplicable, mysterious, and relentless.
lot of freedom to alter and explore the setting A horror-flavored Unmasked campaign is
by changing it, adding your own elements a constant battle between understanding,
to it, and modifying the main threat that the control, and fear of the unknown.
PCs face, as well as the big reveal at the end. In a horror-flavored Unmasked, the GM
Below you will find notes, mechanical should work to keep the PCs on their toes.
ideas, tips, and tricks on how to make an Just when they feel they have a good idea
Unmasked game or campaign your own. of what’s going on, who their enemy is, and
how their powers operate, it is the GM’s
job to mix it all up again in a surprising
FLAVORS OF UNMASKED yet understandable way. Surprises, cliff-
Unmasked can be many things to many hangers, and unexpected twists are all
people. The GM can fashion its “feel” in hallmarks of a good horror campaign.

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 RUNNING UNMASKED

POWER FANTASY TEEN COMEDY

A classic theme: the PCs are blessed Teen comedy is a classic genre. Now,
with amazing superpowered forms. What imagine any of your favorite teen comedies
would you do in a similar situation? Many with superpowers in the mix. In this kind
teenagers are struck by feelings of being of flavor, PCs are always struggling to get
lost, alone, or powerless, but the prodigy ahead of the game, and even with a secret
powers might just give them a ticket to superpowered form, it’s a lot harder to
realizing all their hopes and dreams. look suave and attractive than might be
Maybe their mask-form woos the person imagined.
they have a crush on, or earns cash Maybe their mask-forms use their
gambling with its psychic powers so the teleportation ability to steal beer from
teen can buy a Trans Am. Or perhaps the the QuikStop or control electrical
mask-form uses those powers to secretly signals to pirate pay cable. Or perhaps
help a friend in need, or to not-so-secretly they’re operating at the lowest common
gain the admiration of a town. In the end, denominator: obsessing about the opposite
a power fantasy is about focusing attention sex. In whichever case, teen comedy is
on the PCs in bright, gleaming moments about humor (with some serious asides)
and allowing them to shine. Stories tend to and is generally upbeat, exciting, and full of
be big and over-the-top, and to arc toward broad-stroke stories.
gigantic, possibly world-ending scenarios.

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 Unmasked

A MIXTURE OF FLAVORS Most elements of an Unmasked session are

Any of the above might be mixed into a composed of the following:
single “flavor.” Want laughs interspersed by Teen Problems: The PCs deal with the
horror? No problem. A power fantasy with standard issues of being a teenager.
humor or horror? Or all three? Easy. Just be Side Activities: The PCs are required
clear to set the tone for the players when to do something outside of school (such
such a switch occurs. as working at a job or helping a family
For example, if the PCs are all trying to member).
escape a house without getting caught, School: The PCs need to do homework,
it’s more than likely that it’s a teen comedy attend classes, take tests, and so on.
thing. Let them know by making your Social Issues: The PC teens are caught
descriptions slightly comedic. Likewise, if up in endless social interactions with other
you want to make the tone darker, make teens or teachers.
sure to drop some hints at the sinister Superpowered Shenanigans: The PCs have
nature of the world. access to amazing superpowers, and being
teens, they’re likely to take them for a spin.
Trouble: The prodigy phenomenon
THE AVERAGE attracts trouble. The teen PCs have to learn
UNMASKED SESSION to deal with it.
Each Unmasked session (in general) is Exposure: Of course, once the powers
composed of similar elements. Sometimes and mask-forms come out, people start
there are more or fewer examples of each asking questions. It’s up to the PCs to keep
type. The GM should work hard to keep it under wraps before their whole bifurcated
a few in their pocket to drop in the game existence becomes common knowledge.
session when there’s a lull, or when the Rewards: Every session should end with
adventure needs one more complication. the GM awarding PCs with XP for keeping

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the secret of the prodigies, making progress I promised to mow Ms. Futterman’s lawn.
in school or social activities, and covering I need to wax my dad’s car before he’s back
up the prodigy phenomenon. from his business trip. I agreed to help my
uncle build a deck around his fire pit.
TEEN PROBLEMS These may seem mundane, but in a
The lion’s share of any Unmasked game world of secret superheroes, they are also
concerns teen problems. Masks are usually grounding. They make the amazing, the
worn only at crescendos in the action, horrific, the powerful, and the strange seem
while the rest of the game revolves around all the more incredible. They also make the
the normal lives of the teens that manifest life of the teen PC seem real.
those mask-forms. Most of a teenager’s life These side activities also have a habit of
is dealing with problems. popping up at the worst possible time.
My friends are acting weird. My new look
isn’t going over very well. I need a job to pay EXAMPLE SIDE ACTIVITIES:
the insurance on my used car. Mom and Dad • Helping a family member or neighbor
are fighting all the time. • Running errands
The list goes on and on. And, with a • Working on some side project
clever GM, it should never end. GMs should • Practicing a hobby or sport
watch their PCs, note who they interact • Completing odd jobs for a third party
with, what their hobbies are, and what
their standing in school is, and from there, SCHOOL
keep a list per PC of hooks for their teen Every student has to contend with school.
character to explore. Even exceptional students need to work
For example, an uptight, bookish teen to achieve what is expected of them,
might be flunking gym and living in fear while malcontents must comply or face
of the gym teacher. They might be in love expulsion—something they may say they
with a lunch worker, attempting to earn want, but which, they know, will really ruin
extra credit by working on the model United their life.
Nations, and more. And that’s not even Every game session that involves a
really getting into social entanglements. It normal school week should concern itself,
should be easy for nearly anyone to come at least a little bit, with school, attending
up with teen problems; after all, we were all classes, taking tests, and doing homework.
teenagers once. No PC should feel completely on top of the
school situation; after all, it’s where they’ll
EXAMPLE TEEN PROBLEMS: spend most of their day, and the demands
• A former friend stops talking to the PC on a teenager are pretty grueling.
• A bully sets their sights on the PC
• An upheaval occurs at home (for EXAMPLE SCHOOL ISSUES:
example, a sibling moves out, the • Pop quiz
parents get divorced, or a family • After-school requirement
member dies) • Standardized testing
• The PC must help with some sort of • Homework deadlines
function for a hobby or a club that • A teacher picking on a PC
requires effort • A teacher taking an interest in a PC
• The PC must participate in a dreaded • A guidance counselor taking an interest
family social function in a PC
• A school monitor or guard getting
SIDE ACTIVITIES suspicious of a PC
Sometimes, distractions drag a teen PC
away from their peer group, and they have
some task they must achieve on their own.

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KEEPING THE LID ON A good rule of thumb is this: the bigger and more
THE PRODIGY PHENOMENON public the superpowered incident, the longer a
Unmasked requires the GM to be clever in a way prodigy has to stay below the radar to effectively de-
not often required in roleplaying games. The game escalate the situation. Likewise, the more evidence
is predicated on the concept that the PCs have (for example, photographs, videotape, film, or other
superpowered mask-forms that don’t wish to be records) exists, the longer the story tends to linger.
discovered. This is a core conceit of the mask-form. All Removing such evidence (in a manner that doesn’t
PCs should be informed that, above all, their mask- make the issue bigger) is also a great way to mitigate
forms (and by proxy, their teen-forms) desperately the situation.
don’t want to be discovered by the authorities or the
world at large. The situation needs a subtle hand that SHELL GAMES
both lets the players have the choice to keep or reveal Clever PCs or allies will think outside the box to come
secrets, but also sets up the world, circumstances, and up with new methods of removing suspicion and
mechanics to subtly suggest that it would be best if obfuscating the truth. For example, if the police are
the PCs kept a low profile. hot on the trail of a teen they believe to somehow be
For the mask-forms, it’s a kind of self-preservation. the Red Rider, the PCs might go out of their way to
For the teen, it’s more of a secret identity situation. plant a facsimile of a Red Rider suit in the home of a
Regardless, though either form might be a showboat known bad guy or even set up an incident that makes
independently, the prodigy in both forms will go out of it seem as if the Red Rider were killed.
their way to keep others from revealing their secret. Remember, most normal people will do anything to
explain away the impossible. Such bizarre occurrences
HOW DO PRODIGIES NOT BREAK WIDE? don’t fit well into everyday life. All most people need
Without the PCs (and other prodigies) actively working is even a shred of evidence to suggest some other
to suppress exposure of the prodigy phenomenon, the explanation, and almost all of them will run with it.
story will soon break into the public consciousness. It The alternative—that something beyond reality is
will appear on the news and in government reports, happening—is just too difficult for most to process.
and it will quickly become the focus of scientific study.
Luckily, all prodigies are naturally secretive with their
abilities and almost instinctually want to keep their
teen identities a closely guarded secret. It is because
of this prodigy “shyness,” as well as the mask-forms’
habit of actively removing evidence or diverting the
stories, that the news does not usually go much
further than a small blurb in the local paper.
Combine the above with the fact that prodigy
abilities are just plain impossible. I mean, they still
occur, but no one in their right mind would ever
believe in such powers without seeing them in
action first. Lastly, information in 1986 travels slowly.
Compared to today’s ever-connected, always-on,
television-station-in-your-pocket world, news in 1986
circulates at a positively glacial pace.

DE-ESCALATION
Sometimes, all a story needs to drop out of the public
eye is time. If a giant plant man keeps turning up in
the news, it might be enough for the teen behind that
mask-form manifestation to lay off transforming for a
while.

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SOCIAL ISSUES EXAMPLE SOCIAL ISSUES:

Teen PCs are, of course, obsessed with their • An NPC has a crush on the PC
social standing. Dating. Friends. Bullies. Every • A PC is obsessed with an NPC.
day is another adventure in discovering just • A dance is coming up and the PC needs
what it means to (eventually) be a grown-up. a date
Every day is filled with more questions. Why is • A peer group has ceased interacting with
no one talking to me? Will Tara, like, ever see how the PC
I feel about her? Will I ever date anyone? Does • The PC’s social standing drops or jumps
Timothy like me? Who will I take to the dance? due to some event
Social obligations also have a wonderful
habit of coming up at the worst possible SUPERPOWERED SHENANIGANS
time. Do you have to deal with a nasty All the PCs have access to mementos
superpowered threat? Of course, that’s the (which grant one-off powers), as well as to
moment that your girlfriend calls you. their mask-forms, which open a whole suite
The GM should track the ups and downs of superpowers. It is unlikely teenagers
of each PC’s social life. Sometimes, a PC could resist using such abilities for long.
enjoys an unbroken chain of popularity, and Still, a central precept of Unmasked is that
sometimes they are social pariahs. In any the teen and mask-forms both do not wish
case, due to the nature of the game, though to be discovered.
the PCs’ relationships with NPCs might This means that, above all, teen prodigies
change dramatically, their relationships with will do what they can to cover up their true
the other PCs should remain at least cordial. identities, hide their powers, and use them
After all, the PCs all share the secret of being only when they feel like they can do so
prodigies—they may be the only ones who without compromising the secret.
understand what it is to be truly different.

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EXAMPLE SUPERPOWERED might uncover the teen PCs’ secret. Even

SHENANIGANS: worse, people might get hurt or killed.
• Using a prodigy ability to gain an Secondarily, there are elements of the
advantage in school prodigy phenomenon initially unknown to
• Using a prodigy ability to gain a social the PCs: Why they are prodigies. Where the
advantage powers come from. Who is behind it all. These
• Using a prodigy ability to get more questions must be identified and contended
information on the prodigy phenomenon with, and often (depending on the big
• Using a prodigy ability to help a loved reveal) these are not simply static concepts,
one or friend but individuals and organizations out to
destroy, capture, or dissect the teen PCs.
TROUBLE
Prodigies attract one another and are drawn EXAMPLE TROUBLE:
to mementos, so it’s no surprise they end • A prodigy NPC decides a PC is their new
up in proximity to other prodigies. This often enemy
results in conflict. Not all prodigies are as • A new, super powerful memento turns up
forthright as the PCs, and some are straight- at school, and all the prodigies are after it
up superpowered juvenile delinquents. • An unknown mask-form keeps
Sometimes this leads to fights. And when manifesting and causing trouble
the fights occur between mask-forms, people • A prodigy NPC is on a crime spree in town,
and conventional forces can’t stop them
• Strange people begin poking around the
school with odd electronics, and they
seem drawn to mementos
• People in dark suits pull up in
government vehicles and set up shop in
an old AV room on the second floor

EXPOSURE
Manifesting prodigy abilities on any real
scale will lead to questions. When school
security, the police, or even the military
shows up, those questions don’t go away
too easily. Often, PCs need to clean up their
own mess. They can do this by collecting and
destroying evidence, creating distractions,
or fabricating other plausible explanations to
inexplicable incidents.

EXAMPLE EXPOSURE EVENTS:

• The PCs must stage or create a plausible
explanation to cover up prodigy abilities
• The PCs must use their prodigy powers
to locate or destroy evidence of the
prodigy phenomenon
• The PCs must orchestrate another
incident to draw the attention of
law enforcement or the authorities
elsewhere
• The PCs must plant evidence to throw law
enforcement or the authorities off the trail.

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REMEMBER, PLAYERS PORTRAY TEENS AND THEIR PSYCHES

Killing another person—even one who is evil—is extremely difficult for the human mind. People are hardwired
to abhor violence, and seriously injuring or killing another person can ruin them emotionally. In Unmasked,
death and killing should always be a big deal. In the lives of teens, who feel immortal to begin with (and
especially teens with superpowers!), mortality is often hard to imagine—at least until they see their own
fragility demonstrated.
A good GM should keep on hammering these points. Do not allow a teen PC to haul off and break an
NPC’s arm (or worse) without some emotional impact. Take a moment to describe the horrific reality of the
way the arm dangles, the shrieking of the victim, and the fear in their eyes. No act of conscious violence by
the teen PCs should be without consequence: emotional, legal, or worse. It is the GM’s job to center the
world the PCs occupy in reality, even as their mask-forms exist just a bit outside of it.

KEEPING BYSTANDERS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT ALIVE

While the PCs are upstanding people with consciences, this doesn’t mean all prodigies are. Some are
delinquents—prone to violence just like normal criminals, but with access to superpowers. Others are
misunderstood, backed into a corner, or otherwise deluded into believing something that puts them at odds
with the status quo. This doesn’t even begin to account for other non-human threats that can manifest.
When the superpowers come out, often it is the number one job of the PCs to protect and save those
normal people who happen to be present. If Lord Ember chucks a jeep with two people in it, you bet the
mask-form PC had better try to save them. If killing is hard, standing by and failing to save someone from
certain death is equally so. GMs should make sure to set this tone. When engagements occur, take your time
to explain the danger the PC sees in the superpowered tussle. Make suggestions: There are a dozen people in
the food court staring at Lord Ember as he rips up the huge statue. They’re frozen in place. Innocents are going to
get killed unless someone steps in. Once this tone is set, reward those players who pick up that slack naturally.

REWARDS DESCRIBING MASK-FORMS

In the Cypher System, XP is used to advance AND SUPERPOWERS
your characters. In Unmasked, though, When mask-form abilities are used,
your teen doesn’t advance—only your they routinely break the laws of physics.
mask-form. Both forms earn XP, but only Impossible things can and do occur. To
the mask-form can spend it to increase most normal people unexposed to the
tier abilities, skills, and so on. Therefore, phenomenon, seeing such a wonder for the
each session you play offers the following first time is exceedingly difficult. For others
rewards: (especially those who have seen it before), it
1 XP for not revealing your teen’s awakens a need to get to the bottom of the
connection to the mask-form it manifests to mystery.
any non-prodigy When powers are activated, the GM
1 XP for doing homework, attempting to should take a few moments to illustrate
fit in at school, or engaging in some social what occurs, to describe witnesses’
activity reactions to it, as well as state its effect on
1 XP for investigating and removing the world. Of course, if it’s a power a PC
evidence about the prodigy phenomenon so uses all the time, one need not become
it remains a secret (this includes collecting tedious in the description. Still, the GM
mementos) should work to make mask-forms and
the superpowers they wield feel weird and
amazing. They are, quite literally, magic.
They should never feel mundane.

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HOW NORMALS REACT will end up as a target or in the middle of a

Most normal people confronted by prodigy superpowered scuffle. Needless to say, this
powers will either freeze in place or flee is an awful place to be.
the scene. Luckily, eyewitnesses tend to When police officers are exposed to the
be awful at recalling details. The more bizarre, they try to center those events in
extreme the incident, the less likely it is that their established worldview. After all, many
a bystander will have anything useful to say police face nothing but call after call of
about it. And the bizarre nature of prodigy oddities all day, every day. Still, there are
powers means that those that do describe some phenomena that are beyond such
the incident will likely be dismissed as crazy. centering. If police officers are confronted
Many people will have trouble even by something truly inexplicable, their
believing themselves. If a reptilian man reactions vary from person to person.
with an “A” on his chest emerges from It is likely that the more outrageous the
the woods and says, “Excuse me,” before story of the confrontation, the less likely it is
vanishing in a puff of smoke, it’s highly that the law enforcement official will report
unlikely Ms. Futterman is going to go on it as it happened. If a cop runs into a mask-
and on about it. More likely, she’ll stay quiet form that’s a 9-foot-tall (3 m tall) robot with
and eventually convince herself she must glowing green eyes, the official report might
have seen something else. read “unknown animal” or, in a more severe
case, there might not be a report filed at all.
HOW LAW ENFORCEMENT REACTS Even worse, there are some law
Police are trained to arrive at a chaotic enforcement officials who will view such
scene and establish control. This will not go oddities as their “white whale.” They’ll keep
well when they’re trying to get mask-forms a normal demeanor while focusing all their
to stand down. More often than not, police effort on uncovering, identifying, capturing,

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or killing the prodigy in question. Such FIELDING PRODIGY-

officers know they’ll get pulled from duty if LEVEL THREATS
they tell the truth; hence, they’ll smile and NPC prodigies and any creatures that might
lie, and who knows what other rules they exist in your particular version of Unmasked
may break to get the job done and prove to should be unleashed on the PCs only at
themselves they haven’t lost their mind. fixed points during a game session. If the
PCs are constantly facing superpowered
HOW THE MILITARY REACTS baddies or power-shifted threats, these
The military is much less forgiving than law will become boring. The GM should work
enforcement. If exposed to a combat situation hard to keep such moments spaced out to
while armed, the military will likely respond maintain the tone of the game. After all,
with force in an attempt to squelch the threat Unmasked is about teen PCs who happen
and then, only later, uncover what it is. to do incredible things in the real world of
Exposure to prodigy powers might be 1986. It’s not just about superpowers.
enough to throw even experienced military When a threat that can truly harm a teen
off their guard, at least at first. Whether PC is introduced, this should entail a big
or not they report the oddities of such event, or at least a surprising one. It should
encounters depends on the individual. The never, ever be predictable.
higher the rank or the more focused on
career the soldier is, the more likely that
reports filed on prodigy powers will be KEEPING THE PLAYERS
heavily edited (at best) or fully redacted. ON THEIR TOES
Low-rank military personnel will likely agree It is the GM’s job to make certain the game
with whatever their superior officer says. never falls into a boring routine. Part of
this involves paying attention to what the
players are doing in-game and keeping
MAKING MUNDANE notes or at least coming up with ideas on
THREATS FUN how to continue such threads. The other
The real fun in Unmasked is making the part is noticing what excites the players. Did
PCs devise interesting solutions to their they really have fun sneaking beer from the
problems (with and without superpowers) local 7-Eleven? Maybe throw in some more
without exposing their secrets. Facing teen activities like that! Or did they really
mundane threats, such as police, school enjoy spying on the strange federal agents
security, first responders, and more without that have set up shop on the edge of town?
the PCs revealing their true identities and
their powers should be the centerpiece of
the game.
When a PC with power shifts can achieve
difficulty 10+ tasks, what hope does a
mundane threat have of affecting them?
Directly? Not much. But such threats can
cause other kinds of damage. First and
foremost, the PC can get into trouble.
Second, the threats can affect other
people—loved ones, significant others,
other innocents—that the PC might not
want involved. Third, every use of such
abilities leaves behind witnesses and
evidence. Only the most careful, clever, and
forward-thinking PCs will keep ahead of the
curve of discovery.

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Chapter 17
RULE OPTIONS, ORIGINS,
AND BIG SECRETS

A n earlier section of this book explored

three distinct options for the source
of prodigy powers: genetic, psychic,
and spiritual. Here, we’ll dig down a bit into
specific high-level concepts for the origins
Example: Harrison’s mask-form, Ugarte,
manages to sweet-talk his way past a clot of
military personnel just through roleplaying.
The GM thinks he was amazing, so they
give him an assignable power shift. But he
and big secrets in your Unmasked campaign. doesn’t want to put it in anything right at the
moment. Then, later, in the middle of a super
battle where Ugarte is certain to be smashed,
RULE OPTIONS he places the power shift in his Speed defense.
Do you want your Unmasked game to It saves him, but right after, the assignable
resemble comic books and be less rreality- power shift vanishes.
based? Do you want it to be crazily over the
top? Or incredibly gritty and deadly? As a COMIC BOOK FEEL:
GM, consider the following options to make BULLETS ARE AN ANNOYANCE
the feel of the game more or less “realistic.” In many comic books, heroes wade through
bullets like they weren’t even there. If you
COMIC BOOK FEEL: ONCE-PER- want your Unmasked game to feel more
SESSION BONUS POWER SHIFT like this, there’s a simple solution: against
A GM who wishes to reward a player for prodigies (both their teen-form and mask-
a dramatic, in-character, or otherwise form), all firearm damage is cut in half, to a
awesome in-game action can grant them minimum of 1. Or, you could make it so all
a one-use, assignable power shift for that mask-forms possess Armor 1 or even 2 by
game session only. default, but only against bullets.
This power shift can be applied to any
power or ability of their mask-form and can MORE OVER THE TOP:
be used once before it vanishes. The player UNCOVERING NEW POWERS
can either assign it to an ability immediately Exploring the edges of powers and pushing
or wait and assign it on the fly before an them to shift and change, or even trying to
action (in either case, the GM must agree discover new powers, are common tropes
that the assignment makes sense). in comic books. For example, a mask-form
If it is unused or unassigned when the might be able to destroy an object with a
session ends, it is lost. Only one assignable bolt of flame, but can that same power light
power shift should be given to a player at a stove top at a distance? Brand a picture in
any given time. GMs might make this a burned wood on a wall? Extinguish a fire?
permanent rule—a goal for players to shoot All seem like they might be possible.
for, always available during a game session This requires negotiation with the GM.
for those who go above and beyond. A good player will push their abilities to
their limit— and look for what is just a
little bit beyond. They should then bring

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it up with their GM. Attempting such an Likewise, this ability might be able to
action is always one step more difficult than move damaged mask-forms up the damage
usual and costs 1 XP per tier of the power track. Each step up the damage track
or ability it is based on. On a failure, the requires the sacrifice of a memento of a
XP is lost and the new power fails to work level equivalent to the tier of the mask-form.
(whether this means the PC can never do
it is up to the GM), while on a success, the Example: Alabaster (tier 3) is at debilitated
player’s mask-form gains that new ability. on the damage track. She could sacrifice one
level 3 memento (or any number adding up
Example: Mica’s mask-form, Starchild, can to 3 levels) to move up the damage track to
focus light like a human prism and attack with impaired, or one level 6 memento (or any
it as if it were a laser. What if, she asks, she could number adding up to 6 levels) to move up the
also use the beam to light a fire? The GM says damage track to hale.
this is possible. Starchild spends 2 XP (it is a tier 2
ability) and makes a roll on her ability to light a GRITTIER: NORMALS ARE FRAGILE
fire with it. She succeeds, and she now has access To make your Unmasked campaign grittier
to a “firestarter” power. She and the GM work and deadlier, you can treat normal non-
out the details as they continue to play. prodigies as very fragile. An easy way to
do this is to say any attack that inflicts 4
GRITTIER: MEMENTOS FUEL MASKS or more points of damage to health in
To make your Unmasked campaign grittier, a single hit effectively incapacitates the
and to make mask-forms more difficult to target—usually by sending them into shock,
use, you can establish that each time the knocking them out, or causing so much
mask is worn, the prodigy in question must trauma that they’re out of action.
“replenish” their ability by sacrificing a GMs who hope to be even more realistic
memento (or mementos) of a level equal to can state that targets hit by weapons that
the tier of their mask-form. This is treated pierce and cut continue to bleed out 1 point
as the prodigy holding and draining the of health per minute until treated by a
memento of its power without activating its skilled doctor, surgeon, or someone trained
normal power effect. in first aid.
It is not recommended that this option
Example: Louisa’s mask-form, Alabaster, is be used for prodigy teens, since they are
tier 3. She used the mask once, and she now supposed to be somewhat exceptional
wants to put it on again, but it needs “fuel.” compared to normals. Making a prodigy
She could consume three level 1 mementos, this weak would have serious repercussions
one level 3 memento, or one level 1 and one on gameplay.
level 2 memento to give her enough power to
activate it. When that mask comes off again,
she’ll have to replenish this power again.

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ORIGIN Example: You dream of a world where

Players will naturally push to discover the superpowered people are an everyday
origin of their prodigy abilities. This doesn’t occurrence. More and more, your dreams are
mean a GM must necessarily have one in dominated by thoughts and memories of an
mind from the start. Sometimes, seeing alternate world where you possess incredible
how the game sessions play out, where abilities that defy science. And then, one day,
the PCs go, and who they interact with can your alternate form comes back with you from
give the GM a good idea of what kind of your dream . . .
resolution they are looking for. Other times,
the GM has a clear idea from the get-go CURSE
as to what the ultimate origin of prodigy Some sort of spiritual power has infected
abilities will be. the PCs, granting them prodigy powers.
There are an infinite number of origins This force is not based on science and most
possible. The list below is by no means likely comes from a non-human intelligence.
exhaustive: Whether this ability can be removed,
changed, or detected is something for
ARTIFACT the GM to determine—and for the PCs to
The PCs were all exposed to an artifact puzzle out.
that altered them permanently, making
them prodigies. This exposure might have Example: You and your friends were all
occurred in such an unremarkable manner present at the Witches’ Burn celebration. This
that the PCs failed to even recognize where party is thrown every year at the old stone
and when it occurred. Even scarier, the circle to celebrate the lynching and burning of
artifact might still be around and could Abigail Ezrah, thought to be a witch. Then,
still grant prodigy abilities to any teenager at midnight, you saw the old crone and the
exposed to it. strangeness began . . .

Example: Since you found the strange DRUGS

carved stone at Lake Point Park, it’s become Some sort of chemical unlocked the prodigy
the main hangout for the school. You all abilities in the teens. Perhaps they were
gather out there, drinking, partying, and just purposely injected (a school vaccination,
plain fooling around. However, for you and perhaps?) or unknowingly exposed (they
a select few of your friends, the mysterious swam in a river ripe with chemical runoff).
carving seems a powerful draw that speaks Either way, the chemicals either woke latent
to you. But why is it there? And how has it abilities or created those abilities wholesale.
imparted such powers? Perhaps their prodigy powers will lose
potency after a time and require a new
CONNECTION TO AN “dose” of the chemical, or maybe they’re
ALTERNATE REALITY permanent.
The mask-forms of the prodigies are
superheroes from another, alternate 1986 Example: PolymerDyne Inc. settled out
that is real, though inaccessible. When of court with the subdivision of homes that
prodigies wear their mask, they are pulled housed you and your friends. For nearly a
through a dimensional rift into this world decade, the company illegally dumped an
and persist here for some time before undisclosed chemical into the ground in the
being swept back to their world. As such, area. Now, you and your friends are teenagers,
the stories the mask-forms tell—of having and the case is long forgotten. But this year,
adventures and an identity separate from something is different . . .
the teen prodigy—are true.

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EVOLUTION Example: The voice tells you things.

The teen PCs represent the next step in Secrets. Facts that on your own you could
human evolution. They appear normal, never know. It says that if you let it in, it can
but their bodies contain unique structures make you powerful. It can give you abilities
that allow them to manipulate reality. unimaginable in the everyday world.
Their parents or other people in the town
presumably also have such genetics (if TRAUMA, SURGERY, OR VIOLENCE
there are other prodigies). Why the genetics A car accident. A bump on the head.
manifested here and now remains a key Treatment for a particularly dangerous
mystery for the PCs to solve. disease. Physical trauma can awaken
powers in the PCs. Perhaps all the PCs
Example: Your uncle was a mind reader, suffered life-threatening events, had
or so he claimed. He had a power he called seizures, or fell into comas. Maybe they
the “look” that could open up other people’s flatlined suddenly, or they were all struck by
minds. He said you had it, too, only you were lightning during the same thunderstorm.
much, much more powerful. The headaches
began during the summer, and now that Example: At 3:57 p.m. on July 22, you all
they’ve grown worse, you’re starting to see dropped to the ground like puppets whose
what your uncle meant about the power . . . strings had been suddenly clipped. It was
only later, when you and the other
INFECTION teens compared notes, that you
The teen PCs are infected by some sort figured this out, of course. Is that
of disease that caused changes in their what gave you the power to
body and brain, allowing them to see make the mask?
and manipulate reality on the atomic
level. Perhaps this disease is debilitating,
degenerative, or, at worst, terminal. How
the PCs discover the truth without being
exposed to the medical community is great
fodder for adventures.

Example: You and your friends found the

man in his car on the side of the road while
riding down to the beach. It was a military car
with United States Army plates, and it looked
like he’d been living in it for a long time. The
man was sick, and then he died. The army
showed up and took the body and car. Now you
and your friends are sick, and you are beginning
to think it’s more than just some cold . . .

POSSESSION
Non-human consciousnesses possess the
teen PCs, allowing them to access incredible
powers. The purposes of such immaterial
beings are up to the GM to devise, and while
they are in general beneficial to the teen they
take over, their methods and end goal may
be in direct conflict with the PCs’ wishes.
They might ultimately be the
enemy the PCs face!

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Chapter 18

MEMENTOS

M ementos are mundane items

somehow imbued with a one-off
superpowered effect that prodigies
can sense and activate. These are, in Cypher
System parlance, cyphers. In Unmasked,
WHERE MEMENTOS
ARE FOUND
At the beginning of an Unmasked campaign,
mementos begin everywhere in the wild.
Prodigies can walk the streets of their town
they take the form of everyday items (such and see a lawn sprinkler memento, an
as a toothbrush, car keys, or a typewriter) evergreen car freshener memento, and a
that—to prodigies—seem to glow with a bird house memento, all on the same street.
powerful internal fire and somehow possess But as time goes on and prodigies begin
the ability to do the impossible. sorting and collecting them, the mementos
When they are used, each memento rapidly vanish and are gathered in stashes.
releases a feeling (hence their name). This Sometimes, they even seem to move on
feeling is clear to the prodigy activating their own.
the memento, but not overwhelming. For Mementos also seem to repel one
example, tapping a memento contained another. Over time, a pile of mementos
within a troll doll might make the prodigy will naturally become scattered by normal
feel—for a moment—the hopeful people and improbable events. For
expectance and excitement of Christmas example, a stash of mementos placed in
morning, but this is more of a side effect a garden shed might be collected by the
than something central to the power of the fire department after they are called to the
item. Still, this odd runoff of emotion might shed to control a weird, brief fire there.
hint at the memento’s origins. Those same mementos might be split up

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 MEMENTOS

over time, some ending up on the shelf of prodigy how powerful it is. The higher the
the fire chief, others in a garage sale after level of the memento, the brighter the effect
sitting in a rubbish pile, and others still in is. In gameplay, this means a prodigy PC
the back seat of a gardener’s car. In any can glance at a memento and know its level,
case, they seem to push away from one even if they can’t touch it.
another in ways that go unnoticed by the
everyday world. It’s very rare for a handful of COLLECTION AND USE
mementos to remain in one place together When a prodigy PC touches a memento,
for very long. The more mementos, the they instantly know what it can do. This
faster the scattering effect seems to happen. is innate, unconscious knowledge, but it
requires touch. For example, at a glance,
APPEARANCE AND POWER LEVEL a prodigy PC would know a memento
All prodigies (in teen and mask-form) can consisting of a pair of keys was level 6,
see mementos. To a prodigy, a memento but only after touching it would they know
is a mundane object that appears lit with it allowed the user to teleport. A PC need
a halo of power, fire, or energy, or emits not activate a memento to understand its
an “aura.” Prodigies have a difficult time function.
explaining this phenomenon to non- Both the teen and mask-form of a prodigy
prodigies; it’s instinctual for them. To the can pick up and use mementos. They do
rank and file of humanity, mementos are so as a normal action during a turn. All
mundane—even boring—objects that mementos in Unmasked are one use.
normal people simply overlook.
Seeing a memento is enough to tell the

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 Unmasked

MEMENTOS INTERFERING WITH PRODIGY Mementos multiply. When enough are placed in
SIGHT proximity to one another for a sufficient period, others
Prodigies can see one another in much the same way are created nearby.
they can see mementos: the objects and prodigies When gathered together, mementos cause bad luck.
appear as if they are illuminated by a supernatural fire. When carefully spaced, however, they may produce the
Because of this “light,” any area with a large number opposite effect for a short time.
of mementos in it may interfere with prodigy sight, in Mementos are runoff from whatever force makes the
much the same way a room full of bright lights might prodigies’ powers work, and their beginning location
make it difficult to see. marks an important conduit to this other, unseen
Any enclosed area with six or more mementos in world.
proximity to one another, or any open area with ten or
more mementos in proximity to one another, makes CREATING YOUR OWN MEMENTOS
prodigy sight difficult. An attempt to see or gauge a Creating your own mementos is incredibly easy. Select
prodigy or memento under these conditions requires a a boring object in 1986, add a cypher ability from the
difficulty 4 Intellect roll. Cypher System Rulebook, set a level, come up with
some sort of emotion associated with its activation,
MEMENTO ORIGINS and you’re done.
Why do mementos exist? As for the prodigy Good GMs will keep mementos in steady supply. As
phenomenon, the GM doesn’t have to begin the they are used up, more should turn up in the world,
game with the answer to this question all figured out. so they can serve their purpose as a way for players
Instead, they can wait for gameplay, PC action, or to level the playing field just a little bit when things
some other cool inciting event to give them an idea on become too difficult.
just how to sell it to the players.
Why mementos exist, how they replenish, and
what their ultimate purpose is remains up to the
GM to establish. In the beginning of any Unmasked
campaign, mementos are just amazing “one-use
superpowers in a can” for the PCs to use to even out
the playing field as needed. As gameplay develops
and mementos begin to move around, get depleted,
and somehow replenish, the PCs might start asking
questions about them.
Sometimes, the GM might decide they are beyond
explanation, while other GMs will have a very careful
explanation for their origin. In either case, the GM
should have an idea of where mementos come from
and how they replenish before it becomes an issue
for the PCs. Below are some secrets about mementos
(but these are not the only possibilities, of course) that
the GM can sprinkle throughout the game:
Mementos contain prodigy power, and when
enough is released, new prodigies manifest.
Mementos slowly suck up ambient power over time
until they become “live.”
Mementos are created by prodigies transforming
into their mask-form nearby.
Mementos are constant in number. Using one up
creates another.

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 MEMENTOS

MEMENTO LIMIT AND “SLIPPERINESS” FLOPPY DISK

Prodigies can only carry so many mementos. Level: 1d6
The cypher limits presented in the Cypher Effect: If the disk is destroyed (ripped or cut, Cypher Limits,
System Rulebook also apply to mementos, for example), the user is overcome with the page 341
but in Unmasked, excess mementos carried nervous feeling of going to school for the
above that limit do not disappear. Instead, first time, and they can select an inanimate
every memento above the memento limit object of up to 2 tons (2 t), which then
makes all actions for the character one step floats a few inches off the ground for
more difficult as long as the PC holds the two hours. The object can be easily
excess mementos. This is reflected as a pushed in any direction, but will remain
certain slipperiness in probability—what a lay close to the ground. When the effect
person might call a run of bad luck. ends, the object drops to the ground.
The GM should portray this as
extraordinarily dramatic bad luck for the FRUIT ROLL
affected party. For example, if the mask- Level: 1d6
form (or the teen) were carrying two extra Effect: If the fruit roll is eaten, the user is
mementos over their limit, all of their actions overcome with a momentary feeling of
would be two steps more difficult. A bad having food poisoning, and gains the ability
outcome might just be a normal failure, but it to burn any memento they are holding to
might also involve slipping and falling on their restore a number of points equal to the
face on level ground, a ladder coming apart memento’s level to any of their Pools.
in their hands as they scale a building, or a
soft drink exploding in their face while they’re GOOGLY EYES
trying to look suave. Often, such disasters Level: 1d6 + 3
cause the character to drop several of their Effect: When the googly eyes are affixed
mementos. Whatever the negative outcome, if to a surface, the user is overcome by
it’s caused by exceeding the memento limit, it a feeling of vertigo, as if they were
should be something striking. climbing a great height, and for the
In this manner, carrying more than one next 24 hours, they can see through the
or two mementos over the memento limit googly eyes as if these were a regular
is a recipe for disaster, and only characters pair of eyes. At the end of that time, the
with power shifts to offset the effect should googly eyes’ adhesive fails.
attempt it for long.
GUITAR PICK
Level: 1d6
MEMENTO LIST Effect: If the pick is placed beneath the
Below are a bunch of options for mementos tongue, the user feels the bell ring on
the prodigies can find. This is by no means the last day of school and immediately
an exhaustive list. The GM should feel free increases their Might, Intellect, or Speed
to make up their own mementos or select Edge (user’s choice) by 1 for one hour.
them from the cypher list in the Cypher A Listing of Various
System Rulebook. HALL PASS Cyphers, page 345
Level: 1d6
ALIEN DOLL Effect: If the hall pass is folded up and
Level: 1d6 stepped on, the user feels as if they had
Effect: If the doll (of a famous movie alien) leaped from a swing at the top of its arc,
is kissed, the user is overcome with the and they gain the ability to be effectively
feeling of lying down on clean sheets, and invisible to all normals for one hour. Only
they can emit light from any portion of their prodigies can see them or their actions.
body at any intensity up to that of a normal All others ignore them, no matter how
flashlight for six hours. The user can turn outrageous or violent their actions.
this effect completely off or on at will.

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 Unmasked

JUNK COMPUTER PRINTOUT NEON SHOELACES

Level: 1d6 + 2 Level: 1d6 + 2
Effect: If the printout is ripped up, the Effect: If the shoelaces are cut in half, the
user feels the fear of seriously injuring user feels the satisfaction of eating
themselves for the first time and gains ice cream on a hot summer day and
the ability to see the positive and can then read the intentions of every
negative intentions of all people within normal (that is, every non-prodigy) in
sight (even prodigies). This is portrayed sight for 24 hours. Such indications are
as a black or white “aura” on the target. expressed in a single word—worried,
Those with evil intentions have a black working, hurried, scared, etc.—
aura. Those with neutral or positive appearing over the subject’s head. As
intentions have a white one. intentions change, so does the word.

LP RECORD PLASTIC HINGED TOY BLOCK

Level: 1d6 + 2 Level: 1d6
Effect: If the LP is broken, the user feels Effect: If the hinge is pulled into two pieces
as if they’re getting ready to surprise and reconnected, the user is overcome
someone for their birthday, and their with the exhilaration of getting their
aura becomes invisible to prodigy driver’s license and it allows them to
sight for two hours. Other prodigies send a ten-word message telepathically
looking at them see only a normal to anyone they have spoken to in the last
person. Mementos the user carries glow 24 hours, regardless of the distance. The
normally. subject receives this message whether
they want to or not.
METAL TOY CAR
Level: 1d6 + 1 PLASTIC PARACHUTE MAN
Effect: If the car is filled with dirt, the Level: 1d6
user is overcome with the feeling of Effect: When this toy is thrown in the air
accomplishment one gets from building and begins to parachute, the user is
a snow fort and gains the ability to overcome by an intense need to eat
instantly transport one handheld object pizza and all damage inflicted within a
they are grasping anywhere they have 20-foot (6 m) radius is automatically
been in the last 24 hours. The object reduced from any amount to 1 point for
blinks into existence at that location three rounds. This affects enemies as
outside of visual range of anyone well as allies.
present and seems to have simply
“appeared.” PUZZLE CUBE
Level: 1d6 + 2
NAIL CLIPPERS Effect: When this spinning multicolored
Level: 1d6 puzzle cube is solved by a prodigy, the
Effect: When this pair of travel nail clippers user is overcome by the feeling of being
is put in the mouth, the memento emits terribly embarrassed, and the cube
the feeling of accidentally dropping fresh becomes a bomb that explodes in an
food on the ground on a summer’s day. immediate radius, inflicting damage
It immediately either restores 5 points equal to the memento’s level.
to two stat Pools or moves the subject
up one step on the damage track (user’s
choice). The user can use this effect on
others as well.

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 MEMENTOS

ROTARY PHONE TWIRLY PENCIL

Level: 1d6 Level: 1d6 + 2
Effect: If the handset is smashed, the user Effect: If the pencil is snapped in two,
feels the thrill of a first kiss and is the user is overcome with the feeling
granted the ability to sound convincing of losing a pet to old age, and the
to any non-prodigy for one hour, no memento transforms their skin into a
matter what they say. This is treated as strange, metallic form of organic tissue,
reducing the difficulty of all non-prodigy granting them a +2 bonus to Armor for
interaction tasks by two steps. Even twenty minutes.
if such a task fails, the affected party
assumes it is an honest mistake. VELCRO-SEALED NOTEBOOK
Level: 1d6
RUINED EIGHT-TRACK TAPE Effect: If the only page in the notebook is
Level: 1d6 + 2 torn out, the user feels the joy of their
Effect: If the dried-out tape is pulled favorite song coming on the radio and
out and eaten, the user feels drunk can store any inanimate object up to 10
on a moonlit winter’s night and can tons (9 t) in the notebook for up to 24
understand anything anyone says, hours. While the object is stored in the
regardless of language, obstruction, or notebook, it is only a notebook. Anyone
other restrictive effects. For example, can carry it, but only a prodigy can see
a prodigy using this memento could and release the object inside, which
understand someone speaking in reappears in the nearest unoccupied
Mandarin, French, code, or binary, or open space that can accommodate it.
even make out the words of someone
who is trying to speak with a gag in
their mouth or who is mute.

STOP SIGN
Level: 1d6 + 3
Effect: If the stop sign is tapped with the
forefinger, the user feels as if they’ve
been caught cheating at a test, and all
projectiles in flight in a 50-foot (15 m)
radius stop moving and drop to the
ground, instantly spent. This does not
affect flying people, energy blasts, or
other nonphysical projectiles.

STRONGMAN ACTION FIGURE

Level: 1d6
Effect: If the arm is removed from the
figure, the user feels like they’re
sneaking out late at night after curfew,
and they can spend points from any
Pool, converting them to an additional
point of damage for a single attack.

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 Unmasked
Chapter 19

MAsks

It’s possible that during play, the GM will need to come up with some masks or mask forms on the fly. Alternatively,
players may want some inspiration for devising a mask for their character. Use the following masks and mask-
forms as needed to trigger ideas, add depth, or otherwise enhance your game.

KITSUNE SHAMANISTIC SHADOW LINK

The Mask: This is a carefully The Mask: The mask is fashioned The Mask: The mask that manifests
fashioned and painted traditional from a turn-of-the-century Link is fashioned from an old
Japanese Kitsune (fox) mask, the anatomical skull, which has been T-shirt showing Boris Karloff as
kind used in several festival and cut and shaved down so that a Frankenstein’s Monster that is
kabuki plays. It’s white, with some rawhide band can be tied about bound with a wallet chain and
red and black lines representing the head to hold it up in front of locked in place by a padlock. When
the eyebrows and whiskers. As a the face. The skull is adorned with worn, the prodigy is transformed
distinct feature, it has a few red various torn and ruined stickers into a living shadow known as Link.
threads hanging from one of the eye from pharmacy bottles.
sockets, as if it were crying tears of Mask-Form: This mask-form is
blood. Mask-Form: The mask-form of an indistinct Changer composed
Shamanistic is a small, somber of liquid shadow. The darkness
Mask-Form: The Kitsune appears Thinker whose powers involve spreads, congeals, and expands
sometimes as a conventional the creation and spread of around it in the air like squid ink
fox, sometimes as a normal disease. When Shamanistic in the water. The main form of the
person of Japanese descent, and wishes, it can spray a target with Shadow Link is never clearly visible,
sometimes as a mixture of both a debilitating sickness, speed up though sometimes the shadow
(a “fox person”). This Thinker can their metabolism with a bizarre, liquid retreats to reveal the vague
see through, change, and project never-before-seen infection, or give outline of an imposing human
illusions of all sorts, but it always them specific hallucinations. The figure. These tentacles of shadow
carefully allows its opponent a biological processes of the body are can focus into solid tentacles of
chance to discover it—otherwise, Shamanistic’s playground. unlight that can grab, throw, and
where is the fun in it? The Kitsune is pull in the unwitting.
wise, nimble, and mischievous. Shamanistic: level 6, disease,
health, and biology as level 10 Shadow Link: level 7, grabbing,
Kitsune: level 7, stealth, trickery, and (power shifted); health 60; can throwing, and stealth as level
illusion as level 9 (power shifted); infect any target in short range for 10 (power shifted); health 65;
health 65; can inflict 7 points of 6 points of disease damage; power can smash a target for 10 points
damage from a bite, or as much shifts: +2 to resilience, +3 can be of damage; can use its shadow
as 9 points of damage (if it spends assigned to hinder or help others tentacles to climb and traverse
power shifts) from a surprise attack; through strange infections large distances; power shifts: +2 to
power shifts: +2 to stealth, +2 to strength
resilience, +1 to intelligence

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 Masks

VORTEX STORMCHASER PATCHWORK

The Mask: The mask that manifests The Mask: This mask is a ruin of The Mask: The mask appears to
Vortex is an extremely smooth oval storm-destroyed debris from Long be a patchwork of red, blue, green,
shape that covers the entire face Island’s latest hurricane: a portion yellow, orange, and purple puzzle
and is a deep black color with a of a bent street sign, cloth from a pieces in no discernible pattern or
mirror sheen, made of meticulously ripped parachute, and torn straps order, bound together with packing
placed pieces of a smashed from a ruined backpack all bound tape, and backed with a bandana, to
mirror glued onto the surface of a together to form a strange hood. which it is fastened with thread.
fencing mask. When it is worn and
activated, a continually swirling Mask-Form: The mask-form of Mask-Form: The mask-form of
vortex filled with stars appears in Stormchaser is a stout, strong Patchwork is a small but muscular
front of the mask-form. Changer whose powers include the Smasher whose powers involve
ability to “absorb, amplify, store, seeing through conventional reality
Mask-Form: The mask-form of and redirect weather.” When the to identify the “focal points” on
Vortex is a thin, tall Changer that teen-form or the mask-form is people and objects that can be
can mime movements which exposed to a weather type, it can controlled. To this being, the world
then play out in the world as a produce that weather effect locally is an odd array of shapes and colors
swirling mass of reflective mirrors. for up to an hour per minute of which it can “read” and—at the
These powers include telekinesis, exposure. This effect is stored for proper time—manipulate. When
regeneration, and the ability to 24 hours, whereupon it vanishes Patchwork wishes, it can push or
absorb the life force of others while if not used. Stormchaser can also pull on one of these focal points,
temporarily stealing any powers they compress this effect, doubling what spending a power shift. It can spend
might possess so the wearer can was “stored” for one round—for any number of power shifts in this
use them. example if it was exposed to 60 manner, but once all 5 are spent, it
mph winds, it could project 120 cannot do so again until it rests (at
Vortex: level 8, telekinesis and mph winds for a single round. the GM’s discretion).
smashing as level 9 (power shifted);
health 65; telekinesis attack inflicts Stormchaser: level 9, weather Patchwork: level 9, lifting, stopping,
9 points of damage; regenerates 2 manipulation and flight as level or throwing as level 11 (power
points per round when living targets 10 (power shifted); health 85; can shifted); health 99; can inflict 9
are in short range; power shifts: +1 batter a target with winds for 9 points of damage from a punch or
to resilience, +2 can be assigned by points of damage or with a single as much as 12 points of damage
the wearer of the mask to imitate lightning strike for 12 points; can fly (if it spends power shifts); power
any power present within short short distances by riding the winds; shifts: +5 to be assigned to
range, although the power vanishes power shifts: +2 to resilience, +3 to individual “focal points”
when the source of power leaves weather manipulation
short range

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 Unmasked
Chapter 20

QUICK ADVENTURE GENERATOR

FINDING THE RIGHT TEEN-TO-SUPERS RATIO

Some GMs will want to lean heavily on the superpowered action and tread lightly on the teen drama.
Sometimes this is okay, but it should not be sustained.
It’s essential for Unmasked to remain a game about teens who can manifest superhero forms, not a game
about superheroes trapped inside teenagers. This is a hugely important distinction to make for many reasons,
but most of all, because the life of a teenager is something everyone can relate to.
We’ve all experienced those years, and we can easily imagine what it is like to be uncertain, young, and
ready to enter adulthood. It is through this lens that the amazing powers of the prodigy mask-forms are
introduced, making them seem more “real.” Add in the need to control, hide, and conceal these powers
to keep the teen’s secret, and you have a rich backdrop for the teens to act in, with occasional moments of
heightened tension, fear, and power when they use their mask-forms.
In playtesting, players spent most of the time in an average Unmasked adventure in teen-form, working on teen
problems, trying to cover up and explore prodigy problems, and dealing with everyday affairs. Just a short amount of
time each session was spent in mask-form (usually at the climax of some story arc or when the teen was ambushed or
surprised).
An average adventure breaks down like this:
Teen problems—school work, home life, friends, and relationships (70%)
Prodigy problems—mementos, finding other prodigies, searching for clues (20%)
Mask-form manifestation—fights, using powers, etc. (10%)

WHERE TO MINE IDEAS?

There is a marvelous resource for devising the basics of the teen sections of an Unmasked adventure: tens
of thousands of hours of teen movies and TV shows. Need a central emotional conflict or arc for one of your
teen PCs? Watch an episode of Degrassi Junior High, Freaks and Geeks, or My So-Called Life.
Reduce the episode to elements you can steal or mix and match: An unrequited crush. A friend who begins
experimenting with drugs. A PC’s parent who begins dating a strange person who may be dangerous. You’ll soon
find most of these elements can be easily slotted in and just as quickly resolved to give your game the feeling
of depth needed to make the superhero elements more fantastic. A good GM will keep a running list that they
can pick from when the game feels like it needs more oomph.
For the mask-forms, comic books are a ready resource for story ideas. The mask-forms are larger than life, and
their motivations, hopes, and dreams are about as divorced from reality as their powers and yet, to them, just as
real. Again, grab the larger story lines and render them down to their core elements: The big theft. The secret plan.
The brainwashing. The loved ones in danger. Again, keeping a list of ideas like this on a sheet to throw into the
game when it needs a kick in the pants is a good practice.

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 QUICK ADVENTURE GENERATOR

S ometimes, in a pinch, a GM needs to make up something on the fly for their PCs. To that
end, this section provides an adventure generator; roll 3d10 and consider the WHO, WHY,
and WHAT. It is likely the GM will have to finesse the results, but overall the outcome
should be relatively straightforward.
WHO WHY
1 Preternatural threat 1 Wants
2 Teen 2 Hates
3 Townsperson 3 Loves
4 Classmate 4 Follows
5 Teacher 5 Steals
6 Bully 6 Loses
7 Authority figure 7 Discovers
8 Parent 8 Sees
9 College kid 9 Hides
10 Prodigy 10 Hurts or destroys

WHAT SPECIAL
1 Memento (If you roll two or more of the same number,
2 Mask roll on this chart and take this result instead.)
3 Records 1 Murder
4 Property 2 Runaway
5 Classmate 3 Fire
6 Valuables (burglary) 4 Vehicle crash
7 Media (film, pictures, audio) 5 Kidnapping
8 Drugs 6 Drugs
9 Car 7 Explosion
10 Money 8 Natural disaster (tornado,
earthquake, etc.)
9 Corruption
10 Hostage situation

Example: The GM rolls a 2, 1, and 3 and gets: Who: Teen. Why: Wants. What: Records. The
PCs are approached by some overachieving students and asked to remove a particular portion of
paperwork from their permanent record. Will the PCs help? Or report them?

Example: The GM rolls a 5, 3, and 1 and gets: Who: Teacher. Why: Loves. What: Memento. A
teacher is never without a coffee mug with “GREAT ESCAPES PARK” on it, one which thrums
with incredible power. What other prodigies might be after it?

Example: The GM rolls an 8, 3, and 5 and gets: Who: Parent. Why: Loves. What: Classmate. A
parent has inappropriate feelings for their kid’s classmate, and drama ensues.

Example: The GM rolls a 7, 7, and 1. The duplicate 7s means the GM rolls another d10 and
considers the SPECIAL chart. The GM rolls a 5. A kidnapping occurs in the town, perhaps of a child
the PCs know. Will they become involved?

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 Unmasked
Chapter 21

MISTER MONSTER

L ike the PCs, Arnie Desedero made

his mask but told no one. However,
unlike the PCs, he never even put it
on. The voice that came from it scared him
too deeply. It said awful things. But due to
It is also well known (at least among the
students) that Arnie somehow raised the
ire of Steven Yarborough, the school’s star
quarterback, sometime in the past. Steven
and his team do everything they can to
the torment he suffers every day, he finds make Arnie’s life absolutely miserable. Of
himself listening to it more and more— course, no one says anything about this to
about how it could make people pay for the school staff.
making his life hell. The mask, which calls Steven is too clever to just go ahead and
itself Mister Monster, wants to get revenge beat Arnie up—least not in a situation where
on all the popular students who have picked they might be caught doing so. Instead, the
on Arnie since the seventh grade. It’s only athletes have played various awful pranks
fair, Mister Monster says, after all the pain on Arnie. They’ve dumped chocolate shakes
they have caused Arnie. through the slots of Arnie’s locker, destroying
All Arnie has to do is put on the mask, all of his schoolwork and books and leaving
and Mister Monster will do the rest. Now, Arnie surrounded constantly with the faint
the voice talks to Arnie at night, and Arnie scent of rotten milkshake. They’ve tripped
feels increasingly like the mask is his only him multiple times in the cafeteria, so much
friend. Soon, he will succumb to the voice. so that Arnie sits down directly when he gets
Will the PCs be able to intervene and his meal and often eats propped up against
prevent a possible tragedy? one of the tiled walls. Worse, and most
recently, they pinned him to the ground off
campus and Krazy-Glued the fingers of his
ARNOLD DESEDERO right hand together. Arnie ran home and
Arnie is a frail, withdrawn sixteen-year-old used an X-Acto knife to cut thin layers of skin
who is an incredibly polite and upstanding away to free them. It hurt—a lot.
member of the school’s sophomore class. Arnie lives in constant fear of the football
Arnie volunteers to pick up trash at the team and does everything he can to avoid
Strand on the weekend, helps out at the them. His mask, Mister Monster, realizing
senior center (where he is well liked), and its direct assault on Arnie’s psyche is not
is the apple of every teacher’s eye. Even the working, has instead slowly goaded him
gym teacher, Mr. Sullivan, lets Arnie—due into getting revenge on the football team in
to his asthma—ride the bleachers and do other ways: through mementos. The mask-
homework instead of run laps. form doesn’t want to hurt Arnie, of course
Arnie is an avid Boy Scout, and he has a (it is trapped in Arnie), and it does want
great relationship with his family and even revenge on the football players, but it is also
a girlfriend, Patty Boyd, who lives in New not averse to putting Arnie in situations
Jersey and whom he met at computer camp where becoming Mister Monster might be
in Piscataway the year before. Arnie’s only viable choice.

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 MISTER MONSTER

STEVEN’S PLAN Arnie keeps attempting to leave, but the

The problem with Arnie’s plan is that football players keep blocking and shoving
Steven has discovered that Arnie will be him. If the PCs step in, the football players
attending the fall formal with his out-of- begin threatening them. While this exchange
town girlfriend. Steven plans to jump Arnie goes on, Arnie sneaks off. If a fight breaks out,
and humiliate him (or worse) outside the it’s likely to end in a stalemate of pushing. A
dance, in front of his girlfriend. This will all good way to end it is to have Ms. Hopkins, the
take place before the big game but after the chemistry teacher, show up and break it up.
team spirit rally. (Or, if the scene takes place outside of school,
Unfortunately, Arnie now carries the an adult or cop can do so instead.)
mask with him everywhere, and if hurt badly
enough, he will likely put it on, releasing MONDAY, OCTOBER 27-
Mister Monster for the first time. A NORMAL SCHOOL DAY
On the Monday following the Krazy
TIMELINE OF EVENTS Glue attack, Arnie plans to destroy Todd
The following events will occur one after DeSpain’s new Mustang using a memento
another, and the GM should be ready to Mister Monster showed him. The memento
reorient the adventure as needed due to looks like a single Nike shoe, but any
unexpected player solutions, changes in prodigy observing it can clearly see it for
pacing, and other factors that might shift what it is. Those that can touch it can tell
due to PC (or NPC) action. it is a powerful destructive force that will
implode all nearby matter.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24- But before he can enact his plan,
THE INCITING INCIDENT something unforeseen happens—Steven
The PCs find themselves front and center Yarborough’s locker explodes.
for a bullying incident. The GM can set it up
to occur in many different ways; the teens STEVEN’S LOCKER EXPLODES
may turn a corner and find the incident Yasmine Blumenthal shows up a few
going on, it can happen in the cafeteria in seconds after the crowd gathers, present
front of the whole school, or it can happen on the periphery, looking at the destroyed
somewhere in Boundary Bay. locker. She glows with the inner light of
Arnie is being pushed around by the a prodigy. The locker has been reduced
football players Todd DeSpain and Steven to a near-molten slag, as if someone had
Yarborough, when he falls in front of the subjected it to a smelter. Everything in it is
PCs, dropping a troll doll toy that glows with on fire or cooling from molten metal. A few
significant memento power. Arnie himself seconds after the explosion, the fire alarm
does not glow as a prodigy, but he snatches is tripped, the water sprinklers turn on, and
up the troll doll. everyone runs outside.

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 Unmasked

ARNIE’S BIG SECRET

Though he is a prodigy and he’s made a mask, Arnie has never worn it, because he fears
it. For some reason, he does not “glow” as other prodigies do—at least not yet. If he puts
the mask on and becomes Mister Monster, from that point on he will “glow” normally in
Prodigy Sight, but as far as the PCs are concerned, at first glance Arnie appears mundane
(except, perhaps, for the memento in his possession, although this in and of itself is not
unusual in Boundary Bay).
Arnie has access to a hoard of mementos he has gathered and hidden in a field near
Ocean View High School. He plans to resist Mister Monster (who scares him) and use the
amazing powers of the mementos to enact his revenge against Steven Yarborough and the
rest of the football team.
First, he will destroy Todd DeSpain’s new Mustang in the parking lot with a memento.
Then, he will ruin the team’s uniforms with another memento at the team spirit rally.
Finally, he plans to confront and disable Steve Yarborough using another memento
before the big game and then to set him up to become the laughingstock of the school.

THE OTHER PRODIGY

Another prodigy hovers at the periphery of this relationship: Yasmine Blumenthal, who
has a terrible crush on Arnold Desedero and follows him around. She has noticed Steven
Yarborough’s abuse, and she has decided her mask-form—a creature that calls itself
Suomi: level 7; health “Suomi”—can do something about it. She has no idea Arnie is a prodigy as well (though,
70; Armor 2; can burn or at a glance, she’ll be able to tell that the PCs are).
freeze any target it can
touch, inflicting 7 points Yasmine is an outgoing yet bookish seventeen-year-old girl who is much taller than her
of damage that ignores classmates. She is always eager to help and make things better. Having a strong sense
2 points of Armor; claws of self-esteem, she cares little about what others think of her (a rare trait in a high school
or horns inflict 5 points of
student). She goes out of her way to appear aloof, especially around Arnie, though she is
damage; power shifts: +2
to dexterity, +1 to healing, deeply in love with him.
and +2 to strength When Yasmine is confronted by Arnie or with questions about Arnie, her normal
confident demeanor vanishes; she is replaced by a stuttering, blushing girl who does
anything she can to disengage. It is a striking transformation.
Her mask-form, Suomi, is an 8-foot-tall (2 m tall), almost satyr-like creature. It looks
mostly human, except for its legs, which have reversed knees like a horse’s and which
end in hooves. It has stubby bone-ivory horns on its head and empty yellow eyes. Its skin
blends into a thick, short white fur. It is big, fast, and strong, and it can somehow focus and
control heat—concentrating it or dispersing it. Suomi speaks broken English, interspersed
with words in an unrecognizable foreign tongue.

WHY STEVEN HATES ARNIE

When he was in sixth and seventh grade, Arnie tutored Steven’s youngest sister,
Clementine, before she was forced to switch schools. Clementine suffers from severe
learning disabilities. She fell for Arnie, but after a brief puppy-love phase and first kiss,
Arnie made it clear that he didn’t feel the same for her. Clementine goes to a special
education program in Rockville now, but she’s never forgotten about Arnie or the hurt he
caused her. And Steven—who adores his little sister—has not forgotten either. He’s going
to make Arnie pay.
Arnie will never admit to this episode without somehow being coerced, and Steven
will never bring it up, because he promised Clementine he would say nothing about it,
particularly in front of Arnie. Still, this bad blood hovers between them, and both know
precisely the cause. Remember, in the “real” world, no one thinks they’re the villain.

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 MISTER MONSTER

Steven’s friends commiserate with the falls silent. This happens in the middle of
football player in the parking lot until class. The alarm sounds familiar to Todd,
someone points out that Arnie is laughing. but the teacher—who can’t stand him—
Those present will note that Steven drags won’t allow him to leave until the end of the
his finger across his throat while looking period.
at Arnie indicating, “You’re dead.” Arnie Todd rushes out at the bell and finds his
stops smiling and vanishes into the red Mustang in its parking space—but it
crowd. However, it’s Yasmine—and more has been crushed into a 3-foot (1 m) sphere
specifically Suomi—who is responsible. of ruined metal. Liquid from inside the
vehicle (gasoline, oil, wiper fluid, and water)
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28- has sprayed everywhere.
A NORMAL SCHOOL DAY The car is utterly destroyed. It is so
On Tuesday, Arnie is getting ready to exact round you can push it around as a solid,
revenge during the team spirit rally when 3,500-pound metal ball. As Todd weeps and
he is set upon and pushed by some football swears and circles the wreck, many students
players. But since Steven is not with the gather. People whisper and some laugh, but
group, the athletes let him off after a few Todd is incensed.
shoves, and it doesn’t escalate into a The scene ends with Todd screaming,
manifestation of Mister Monster—yet. “Who did this!? WHO!?” No one answers.
A teacher—Mr. Fedov—begins to talk with
THE PUSHING INCIDENT Todd about the incident, and the school
Arnie is caught by four members of the calls the police. As Mr. Fedov takes Todd
football team near the back exit of the inside to the office, the students disperse,
school, which leads to a few picnic tables in and school goes on.
the back. The group drags him outside and
begins to push him from person to person, THE SCHOOL PERKS UP
antagonizing him and asking whether he Those asking around soon find some juicy
was behind the slagging of Steven’s locker. gossip: Steven Yarborough’s talking about
Arnie is terrified but says nothing; he hurting Arnie. There are also rumors that
only cries silently. Twice he’s thrown to the Todd’s car was destroyed by the football
ground, and the second time he tears his team from the next county over, the Rockville
pants. Then, just before things escalate,
the home economics teacher, Mrs. Kalakis,
steps in and stops the melee, threatening
WHERE WAS ARNIE?
the team. She says if she ever hears of them
PCs that poke around can discover
picking on Arnie again, she’ll go directly to
that Arnie slipped out of Mrs.
Coach Sullivan.
Wexler’s AP English class at 1:34
Grumbling, the athletes disperse, and Mrs.
p.m., shortly before the car alarm
Kalakis helps Arnie inside. Before she can
triggered. Yasmine Blumenthal had
take him to the nurse’s office, Arnie begs off
a “skip period” with no class, but
and disappears. He claims he is fine.
persistent PCs can find out that she
was seen near the back of the building
THE IMPLODED CAR
at about that time, on the other side
Todd DeSpain received his new red 1985
of the building from the parking lot.
Mustang from his father for his birthday in
The witnesses say she was watching
August. It is his pride and joy. He always
someone cross the soccer field into
parks it close to the school and visits it
the woods back there, though they
several times a day (often with friends in
can’t say who that person was (it
tow). Around 2 p.m., a car alarm begins to
was Arnie, retrieving the memento to
bray in the parking lot. It goes off for a short
destroy the car).
time, makes some weird noises, and then

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 Unmasked

Corsairs. Many on the team are discussing school gathers there, as well as the teachers
whether to gather up a group and drive over and staff. This rally is run twice a year to
there to exact revenge after school. usher in and close out the football season.
First, the marching band plays some
THE POLICE songs: “Louie Louie,” the theme to Star
Two policemen from the Boundary Bay Wars, and a few others. This is followed by
police department, Detective Graham a cheerleading display. Finally, it’s time to
Arnette and Officer Dustin Wright, arrive. introduce the football team.
After examining the “car” and being suitably When the team runs out into the gym,
impressed by the level of the “prank,” all appears normal—at first. The players
they decide they are going to question the trot out to the fight song booming from the
teachers about who was out of class during band, and then, a few seconds into them
fifth period, which coincided with the alarm circling and gathering in a group, the color
being triggered. on their uniforms, helmets, and shoes
This goes on for the rest of the begins to change. A ripple of “oohs” and
school day, with the two police officers “ahhs” travels through the crowd as this
walking around the school and stopping shift becomes evident. It happens on all
passersby—seemingly at random—to players at once, spreading from the middle
ask them questions. Where were you when of the uniform outward, replacing the blue
the car alarm went off ? Do you know Todd and gray of Ocean View with a bright, sickly
DeSpain? Do you know of anyone who held a pink. The players cease clapping and goggle
grudge against DeSpain? at one another. The music stops midtrack.
The police are all bark and no bite. They The talking in the stands stops, and the gym
may try to intimidate students by implying falls completely silent.
they possess inside knowledge of what’s After a minute, someone in the crowd
gone on or have access to a witness who shouts, “AWESOME!” and everyone begins
saw the PC being questioned near the clapping, shouting, and screaming. It is
wreck. This is, of course, all false. the most amazing thing they’ve ever seen!
The GM should use the police as a tool to The team is confused at first, but it soon
push or pull the PCs (or Arnie) in particular embraces the adulation. What else are the
directions. Need to speed the story up? football players going to do?
Have the police become interested in one
PC as a suspect in the destruction of the BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE RALLY
car. Those watching for prodigy powers or
mementos at work (perhaps those on guard
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29- after Steven’s locker was destroyed) see
THE TEAM SPIRIT RALLY several glowing individuals and objects in
Arnie plans to use another memento the crowd. Yasmine Blumenthal glows as a
shown to him by Mister Monster to change prodigy, as does the stapler she takes from
the color of the football team’s clothing her backpack and then quickly puts away
to bright pink in the middle of the team as the crowd begins to react to the uniform
spirit rally. The memento, which looks like change. It’s difficult to see whether the
a multicolored click pen (with six colors), memento was used up when it disappears
is clearly visible as a powered item to any into her bag.
prodigy. He recovers it from the field and Arnie is there as well. He doesn’t glow,
brings it to the rally in his backpack. but those watching him carefully see
something flash in his hand briefly just
THE UNIFORM CHANGE as the team enters the gym, and just as
The team spirit rally occurs at 3:30 p.m. suddenly, Arnie is lost in the standing,
after school in the gym. Almost the entire shouting crowd of people.

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 MISTER MONSTER

TALKING TO ARNIE OR YASMINE AFTERWARD

Arnie seems upset and leaves rapidly after the cheering dies down. Teen PCs can easily
intercept him and talk to him in the hall, but he seems distant. He’s mad his prank didn’t
make Steven look like an idiot; if anything, it made him more popular. But it’s easy to
misread Arnie’s furtiveness as his hurry to escape running into Steven. Searching his
pack (something he will protest) reveals a normal-looking notebook and a six-color pen
(drained of its memento power). Arnie keeps his Mister Monster mask in his front pants
pocket, but its glow is not visible through the jeans.
Yasmine leaves shortly after Arnie but hangs back. If she’s confronted, she seems
guilty. She is obviously a prodigy of some power. Her face turns bright pink, and she
denies everything and does her best to flee the scene. If she is asked about Arnie, she
blushes crimson red. If the questions persist, she runs off, making up some excuse. In
her backpack is a stapler that is a powerful memento, as well as her mask (an odd ski
mask with television cable wrapped around it), which also glows.

ESCALATION
PCs who become too zealous in interacting with Arnie may end up facing Mister
Monster. Anyone attacking Arnie or trying to seize his mask will be met with Arnie putting
it on and letting Mister Monster out for the first time.
Such a manifestation will be striking. Arnie suddenly transforms into a giant, hulking
shadow that emits thousands of moans, roars, and mutterings. Its face has a dozen red
eyes in a sea of perfect black. Its teeth are yellowed fangs that seem to drift around its
body as needed. It is HUGE.
It attacks the source of the threat to Arnie and then vanishes into a nearby shadow.
From this point on, Arnie glows as a prodigy, and his attitude seems to change. He
becomes more brash and demanding, and he pushes back when picked on.

TALKING TO THE TEAM

The team has no idea what’s happened to their clothing and gear, now somehow all a
uniform pink that will remain so—shoes shoelaces, their helmets, everything. Some of
the boys think it was the coach. Others, the school. Still others, some other teammate
who has yet to come forward.
Talking to Steven Yarborough about it gives a very similar response. He’s confused, but
he also thinks it’s kind of funny, and it turned out to be cool, so . . .

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30- • Searching Steven’s backpack, which

THE FALL FORMAL might reveal a note outlining the plan, or
Arnie intends simply to go to the dance with a list of people going to the formal with
his out-of-town girlfriend, Patty Boyd, who Arnie and Patty’s names circled, along
knows nothing of his troubles. But Steven with a stick figure with Xs for eyes next
Yarborough has other plans: he will ambush to them.
and beat up Arnie in front of his date If Arnie has previously manifested as
outside the dance. Mister Monster, he now glows as a prodigy.
Clever PCs might find out about this plan This change has caught the attention of
in many ways: his unrequited (and unknown) admirer
• Talking to Steven as if the PCs also hated Yasmine. She now thinks they are destined to
Arnie. be with one another—they are the same!
• Talking to one of the dumber teammates
as if Steven had already told the PCs the
plan, tricking them into spilling the beans.

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 Unmasked

PATTY BOYD walk toward the gym, where the dance

Arnie’s out-of-town girlfriend is a loud, is being held, the football players fall in
funny sixteen-year-old who is very, very around them and begin harassing Arnie.
much into computers. Patty and Arnie met Patty tells them to shut up and leave them
at computer camp the year before, and alone. Other students drift by but don’t
while there, their relationship developed stop.
into something a bit more than friendship. If Arnie has previously manifested as
Since that time, Arnie and Patty have traded Mister Monster, he glows as a prodigy here
letters as well as postcards with funny, short and is much more confrontational with the
BASIC programs that do goofy things. football players. It also means Yasmine is
Patty arrives in town on Wednesday, present, following Arnie and her (Patty). If
October 29, with her mom. The two are a fight begins and Arnie takes out a mask,
staying at a small motel in Rockville. Yasmine intercedes and gets in the football
Though her parents trust her and want to players’ faces. Patty is confused, Steven
make her happy, and though they like Arnie, begins swearing at Yasmine, and, if the PCs
they of course do not want her staying are lucky and can manage to talk him into it,
by herself with a boy. They plan to let the they get Arnie and Patty to go inside.
couple go to the dance, Patty and her If Arnie has not yet manifested as Mister
mom will stay in the motel until Halloween Monster, he does not glow, and he’s much
morning, and then they’ll drive back to New more withdrawn when he is attacked by the
Jersey. football players. Patty shouts at them, but
they don’t seem to listen. If the PCs step in,
THE AMBUSH AND PUNCH Steven threatens them. Steven’s group will
Patty and Arnie are dropped off at the fall antagonize both Arnie and the PCs, with
formal at 7:30 p.m. She wears a blue dress, a focus on Arnie. If the PCs can somehow
and Arnie a powder-blue tuxedo. As they manage to get Arnie to go inside (perhaps

184
 MISTER MONSTER

geek ruined his Mustang with some sort of

MISTER MONSTER APPEARS science—follows Arnie before the big game.
If Mister Monster manifests because He finds Arnie with an umbrella (under
of Steven Yarborough hitting Arnie a clear sky) waiting near the parking lot
outside the dance, the creature will outside the football field. He drags Arnie
run rampant. Its target will be Steven, behind the locker rooms, and the other
followed by any member of the football football team members gather and begin to
team, as well as anyone who gets in its terrorize him.
way. See Fighting Mister Monster for In truth, the umbrella is a powerful
more details. memento, but Arnie is quickly disarmed.
As the team begins to land hits on him, the
voice of Mister Monster grows more and
by playing up how much Patty needs to get more powerful in his mind.
out of here), it can de-escalate the situation.
If they can’t and Steven Yarborough lands FIGHTING MISTER MONSTER
a good punch on Arnie, it’s likely Mister At some point, Arnie will put on his mask
Monster will make an appearance outside and become the demonic Mister Monster. Mister Monster: level
the dance. This creature is the opposite of Arnie in 9 (+1 every time Mister
Monster is injured, up
nearly every way. It is selfish, destructive, to level 12); health 90;
THE FALL FORMAL DANCE cruel, and powerful. It has a huge, shadowy Armor 5; throwing debris
The fall formal dance has a vague form with glowing red eyes composed of at long range inflicts 9
Halloween theme. Students are dressed in living shadow, with yellowed teeth that seem points of damage and
ignores Armor from
formal wear, but some have masks, fake to move around its form as needed. It can power shifts; punch and
cobwebs on their clothing, or vampire teeth vanish and reappear in shadows, teleporting claw swipe inflict 6 points
in their mouths. Even some of the teacher between them. This means it can likely get of damage; regenerates
3 health per turn; can
chaperones have gotten in on the fun, with ahead of anyone at the game looking to
teleport and emerge from
one (Mr. Saia, an earth science teacher) in a escape. It will cause a disruption on the any shadow anywhere in
full Victorian tuxedo with tails and a top hat. football field and force the crowd to scatter— sight range; power shifts:
If the PCs managed to break up the earlier although, due to the amazing display, many +4 to strength, +1 to
resilience
incident and get Arnie inside without Mister will stay nearby to witness the events.
Monster manifesting, he continues to enjoy Mister Monster is all about revenge. It will
the dance with Patty, occasionally casting seek out and torture the football players,
worried glances at the football players, who picking them out of the screaming crowd
watch him. one by one. It isn’t out to simply kill them—
it wants them to suffer. But it will attempt
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31- to injure or possibly kill anyone who tries to
THE BIG GAME get in its way. If it encounters a mask-form,
One of the big sporting events for the it will open up and lash out at full power—
Sailors, the Ocean View High School something which might prove deadly to any
football team, takes place on Halloween. normals present. It will also do its best to
They are playing rivals, the Tambrook prevent people from escaping.
Musketeers, in their second match of the Worse, it will use innocents as
season. Steven and the team are looking distractions, hostages, or even shields to
to even out their record by defeating prevent other prodigies from attacking it.
Tambrook. But Arnie has other ideas—he
hopes to use a memento on Steven as he REMOVING THE MASK
arrives at the game and then humiliate him Only prodigies can see and attempt to wrest
in front of everyone. the mask off Mister Monster. A prodigy
However, Steven has outthought Arnie struggling to take off another prodigy’s
once more. Todd DeSpain—wound up by
Steven Yarborough and convinced that the

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 Unmasked

mask must succeed at a difficulty 10 task it is clear to the GM that the PCs are losing
to do so. If it is pulled off, Arnie collapses the fight against Mister Monster. Yasmine
in his normal form, weeping. Anyone who Blumenthal, in the form of Suomi, is an
attempts to take off Mister Monster’s mask obvious candidate for a last-minute assist
and fails becomes the creature’s primary or designated target.
target.

KNOCKING MISTER MONSTER OUT ENDING THE ADVENTURE

Mister Monster is extremely resilient. Mister Monster is unmasked: Prodigies that
Knocking out or “killing” the mask-form manage to unmask Arnie can hang onto
will be an outcome that PCs will be hard and possibly destroy his mask. Outside
pressed to pull off. Those that manage to the influence of the mask, Arnie will even
land hits on Mister Monster that somehow encourage them to do so. He’s afraid of it and
breach its significant armor become its of the power it contains.
prime target for a few rounds. Mister Monster is knocked out or “killed”:
If a PC manages to really hurt it, Prodigies that manage to defeat Mister
Mister Monster—which has all of Arnie’s Monster with brute force will likely unmask
knowledge—will do anything it can to make Arnie at that point as well.
that person suffer. It will terrorize and injure In either case, a huge superpowered fight
the PC’s friends, girlfriend or boyfriend, in front of more than two hundred people
favorite teacher, or more, all the while telling is likely to have far-reaching repercussions.
the PC it is their fault. Will it make the news? Will the police
become involved? Did anyone see the PCs
SURPRISES change or change back?
Other prodigy mask-forms might suddenly
show up to save the PCs (or vice versa) if

186
 PART 6: BACK MATTER

KICKSTARTER PLAYTESTERS AND CONTRIBUTORS 188

CHARACTER SHEETS 189
INDEX 191
 Unmasked

Kickstarter Playtesters
and Contributors

A huge thanks to every one of our Kickstarter playtesters, who helped us With extra special thanks to our
make this game so much better: in-person playtesters:
Aaron Mortensen Karl Apsel (CidCalypso) Chris Piazzo
Arturo Caissut Kurt Blanco Troy Pichelman
Carlos Ovalle Lars Lauridsen Dave Hanlon
Charles Myers Lee Sims Marc Plourde
Chris Malone Lord Deron Creag Mhor Kurt Blanco
Chris Piazzo Luc Teunen Brett Gann
Chris Wine Marc Plourde Jake Linford
Christian Taylor Mark Craddock Matt Jensen
Cory Bonifay Mark Parish Michael Parker
Dave Hanlon Massimo Cranchi Tracy Gosell
Dave Moyer Matthew Sercely Jeromy French
Dwayne C Schueller Michael Goldrich
Eric M Jackson Mike Greszler And triple-special thanks to our
George H. Trace Webster II Paul Huey Hubbard Unmasked Patrons:
J Aaron Farr Paul Wocken Chris Piazzo
James a.k.a. uber retnuH Kelly Cory Bonifay
James Gray Robert Beck John Smith
James McKendrew Rod Holdsworth Michael Greszler
Jeff Scifert Ryan Dukacz Ryan Williams Hyde
Jeff Wheeler Ryan Hyde (Num’bokwei)
Jenifer Doll Shawn Lamb
Jessie Beasley Tekfactory
Jim Sharples Teófilo Hurtado Navarro
John Kender Tim Watkins
Jon Schreife Troy Pichelman
Jonathon Smith Zanth
Joseph A Noll

188
 Teen Form Mask Form
NAME NAME
IS A WHO
IS
DESCRIPTOR TYPE ATTACKS
DESCRIPTOR MOD DAM
MIGHT SPEED INTELLECT FOCUS

TIER EFFORT XP ARMOR

MIGHT SPEED INTELLECT

POOL EDGE POOL EDGE POOL EDGE

SKILLS SKILLS
T = trained, S = specialized, I = inability Pool T S I T = trained, S = specialized, I = inability Pool T S I
POOL EDGE POOL EDGE POOL EDGE

SPECIAL ABILITIES

EQUIPMENT

CYPHERS

ADVANCEMENT

INCREASE MOVE TOWARD EXTRA SKILL OTHER

CAPABILITIES PERFECTION EFFORT TRAINING Refer to the
+4 points into +1 to the Edge +1 into Effort Train in a skill or specialize Cypher System
CASH stat Pools of your choice in a trained skill Rulebook

RECOVERY ROLLS 1d6+ DAMAGE TRACK RECOVERY ROLLS 1d6+ DAMAGE TRACK
IMPAIRED DEBILITATED IMPAIRED DEBILITATED
1 ACTION 1 HOUR +1 Effort per level Can move only an 1 ACTION 1 HOUR +1 Effort per level Can move only an
Ignore minor and major immediate distance Ignore minor and major immediate distance
effect results on rolls Cannot move if effect results on rolls Cannot move if
10 MINS 10 HOURS Combat roll of 17-20 Speed Pool is 0 10 MINS 10 HOURS Combat roll of 17-20 Speed Pool is 0
deals only +1 damage deals only +1 damage LIMIT
BACKGROUND NOTES PORTRAIT
 Index
awakening 21 Incredible Pulp, the 129 putting on the mask 20
Back Lot 132 infection 167 puzzle cube (memento) 172
Backstory 50 junk computer printout (memento) 172 recovery 19
Bayside 133 Kennedy Estates 134 Red Badge RX 126
Beach Street 117 Last Slice, the 129 revelations 23
Beach Street Video 119 Liberace 50 revelations, final 23
Bluebeard Scrap 130 Lives on the Dark Side (focus) 56 rotary phone (memento) 173
boardwalk 112 losing a mask 20 ruined eight-track tape (memento) 173
Bonanni House 127 LP record (memento) 172 Sand Point Consumer Electronics 127
Boundary Bay 110 manifestation 19 Schwatsky’s Clothing 125
Boundary Bay Lanes 130 manifestation, exhaustion, and recovery 19 Second Wind 51
Boundary Bay Police Station 121 Mario’s Pizza 124 secret of Boundary Bay Overview, the 100
Boundary Bay, Long Island, New York 104 mask-form abilities 50 Seek them Out 50
Breakers, the 105 mask-form descriptor 32 Shaeffer Marina 108
Captain Meat 149 mask-form focus 52 show-off (descriptor) 27
Changer 46 mask-form power shifts 62 Shrug It Off 50
character creation steps 15 mask-form type 32 skills 15
Circus, the 147 masks, the 11 Smasher 33
communications 67 Meadow Park 133 Smilak House 105
connection to an alternate reality 166 Meadowdale Estates 133 Standard Houses on Fox Run Road 127
Creek and Silver Lake, the 133 Meadowdale Mall 128 stop sign (memento) 173
Creekside 133 Meadowdale Twin Cinema 129 Strand and Boardwalk, the 111
curse 166 Medina House 127 strange exploration 22
Daily View 146 memento origins 170 strongman action figure (memento) 173
damage 19 metal head (descriptor) 25 supernatural problems 23
damage and healing 19 metal toy car (memento) 172 Suppression 50
Dancing Between the Rain Drops 51 Middle Village 133 Swindon’s Ice Cream Shoppe 114
dark awakening 22 Mill Frame Siding 132 taking off the mask 20
Dark Dungeon 124 Mistermind 150 teen background connection 28
David Dawkins-NYPI Reporter 146 Mover 42 teen descriptor 24
destroying a mask 20 mundane threats 84 teen name 24
difficulty and power shifts 18 nail clippers (memento) 172 teen skills 27
drugs 166 neon shoelaces (memento) 172 Teenage Disguise 50
Dutton Street 133 new descriptors 25 Thinker 38
entertainment 68 new foci 52 Thomas Sullivan (npc) 136
Estes Industrial Park 130 new-wave (descriptor) 26 threat, the 23
evolution 167 No Can Do 51 township, town, or city 70
exhaustion 19 No Pictures 50 trauma, surgery, or violence 167
exploration 22 normal human stats 103 Travels Back From the Future (focus) 58
Faceless 152 Not It 51 twirly pencil (memento) 173
First Federal Bank 130 Ocean View High School 134 type overview 32
Flesh Wound 50 Oceanside 134 Ultimate Arcade 128
Flies By Night (focus) 52 Old Man Lynch’s House 105 velcro-sealed notebook (memento) 173
floppy disk (memento) 171 Oops 150 Wants to Be Adored (focus) 59
Fox Run Road 127 origin 166 Warzowski Residence 105
friendship 22 Ouch! 59 Waukena Avenue 133
fruit roll (memento) 171 outcomes 23 Waves Dance Studio 120
Get Over Here! 57 Pixel Palace 115 Wax and Stax 128
giving tier abilities the unmasked feeling 34 plastic hinged toy block (memento) 172 Waxy’s Surf Shop 113
Good and Plenty 117 plastic parachute man (memento) 172 Wexler Lumber Systems 132
googly eyes (memento) 171 Point East 104 what is my mask-form? 34
Graham House 127 Pompeii Bar & Grill 126 What Was That? 59
guitar pick (memento) 171 possession 167 Where Did THAT Come From? 50
hall pass (memento) 171 power shift categories 62 Wind and Sky 113
Headlights 150 predestined friendship 22 world, the 66
healing 19 Prester John 151 Wright House 127
high school, the 76 preternatural threats 86 Yaros Residence 105
home 71 problems 22 Yavarro Propane and Fuel Supplies 133
Hot Skates 129 prodigies 10
I’m Psychic! 59 prodigy sight 18
immaterial threat 23 punk (descriptor) 26

191
More Campaign and Character Options for
Unmasked—or Any Cypher System Game!
Over 40 new foci, such as Changes Shape,
Makes Prophecy, Conducts Rocket Science,
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Plays Too Many Games, Helps Their Friends,
and Is Hunted by Moths.
Plus over 35 new
creatures, along with other character options,
equipment, artifacts, and more!

Boost your Unmasked campaign, or build

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games in post-apocalyptic, mythological, fairy
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