Basic Moves

Directly engage a threat For PCs: on a 10+, both. On a 7-9, choose one:

When you use direct aggression against someone or • if they do it, add a Team to the pool;
something that is dangerous to you and capable of • if they don’t do it, they mark a condition.
fighting back, roll +Danger. On a hit, trade blows. On a
10+, pick two. On a 7-9, pick one: Comfort or support someone
• resist or avoid their blows; When you provide genuine emotional support to
• take something from them; someone with meaningful gestures and actions, roll +
Mundane. On a hit, they hear you: they mark potential, clear a
• create an opportunity for your allies; condition, or shift Labels if they open up to you. On a 10+,
you can also add a Team to the pool or clear a condition
• impress, surprise, or frighten the opposition. yourself.
Unleash your powers Pierce the mask
When you unleash your powers to overcome an obstacle, When you observe someone closely to see the person
reshape your environment, or extend your senses, roll + beneath the mask, roll + Mundane. On a 10+, ask three.
Freak. On a hit, you do it. On a 7-9, mark a condition or the On a 7-9, ask one.
GM will tell you how the effect is unstable or temporary.
• what do you intend to do?
Defend
• how could I get you to ___?
When you interfere to shield someone or something from
an immediate threat, physical or emotional, roll + Savior. • how could I gain Influence over you?

For NPC threats: on a hit, you keep them safe and choose • what are you really planning?
one. On a 7-9, it costs you: expose yourself to danger or • what do you want me to do?
escalate the situation.
• add a Team to the pool;
Take a powerful blow
• take Influence over someone you protect; When you get hit hard, on a physical or emotional level,
roll + conditions marked. On a 10+, choose one:
• clear a condition.
• you must remove yourself from the situation: flee, pass
For PC threats: on a hit, give them -2 to their roll. On a 7-9, out, etc.;
you expose yourself to cost, retribution, or judgment.
• you lose control of yourself or your powers in a terrible
Assess the situation way;

When you take a moment to survey your surroundings • two options from the 7-9 list.
looking for details, roll + Superior. On a 10+, ask two. On a On a 7-9, choose one:
7-9, ask one. Take +1 while acting on the answers.
• you lash out verbally: provoke a teammate to foolhardy
• what here can I use to ________? action or take advantage of your Influence to inflict a
• what here is the biggest threat? condition;

• what here is in the greatest danger? • you give ground: your opposition gets an opportunity;

• who here is most vulnerable to me? • you struggle past the pain: mark two conditions.

• how could we best end this quickly? On a miss, you stand strong. Mark potential as normal, and
say how you weather the blow.
Provoke someone
When you provoke someone susceptible to your words,
say what you’re trying to get them to do and roll + Superior.
For NPCs: on a 10+, they rise to the bait and do what you
want. On a 7-9, they can instead choose one:
• they stumble: you take +1 forward against them;
• they err: you gain a critical opportunity;
• they overreact: you gain Influence over them.
Peripheral Moves • if you’re Angry, take -2 to comfort or support
someone and pierce the mask;

Start of session • if you’re Afraid, take -2 to directly engage a threat;

When each session begins, your Team pool grows by one. • if you’re Guilty, take -2 to provoke someone and
assess the situation;
End of session • if you’re Hopeless, take -2 to unleash your powers;

When each session ends, choose one: • if you’re Insecure, take -2 to defend and reject
someone’s Influence.
• grow closer to the team. Explain who made you feel
welcome; give Influence to that teammate, and clear a
condition or mark potential; Clearing Conditions
• grow into your own image of yourself. Explain how You can always clear a condition by taking a certain action. At
you see yourself and why; shift one Label up and the end of any scene in which you take the corresponding
another down. action, clear that condition:

• grow away from the team. Explain why you feel • to clear Angry, hurt someone or break something
detached. Take Influence over you away from a important;
teammate. • to clear Afraid, run from something difficult;
• to clear Guilty, make a sacrifice;
Team Mechanics
• to clear Hopeless, fling yourself into easy relief;
When you enter battle against a dangerous foe as a team,
add two to the Team pool. • to clear Insecure, take foolhardy action without
talking to your team.
If the leader has Influence over every teammate, add another
Team. You can also clear a condition when someone else comforts
or supports you, or when you defend.
If everyone has the same purpose in the fight, add another
Team.
Shifting Labels
If any team member mistrusts the leader or the team, remove
a Team. When you shift a Label, it means that your view of yourself
is changing. You see yourself more as the Label you shift up,
If your team is ill-prepared or off-balance, remove a Team. less as the Label you shift down.
The leader of the team can mark a condition to avoid If you ever need to shift a Label above +3 or below -2 mark a
removing a Team from the pool. condition instead, GM’s choice.
Anyone working with the team can spend Team one for one
to help a teammate; give them +1 to their roll. Influence
Team members can also spend Team to act selfishly. When someone has Influence over you, it means you care
about what they do, say, or think. At any time you can give
When you act selfishly, say how your actions ignore or Influence to any character who doesn’t have Influence over
insult your teammates, remove one Team from the pool, and
you. All adults have Influence over you when first introduced.
shift one Label up and one Label down, your choice. You can
use this option after rolling to alter the Label you’re rolling When you have Influence over someone, take +1 to all
with. moves targeting them, including rejecting their Influence.
Whenever time passes, the Team pool will reset to one When you take advantage of your Influence over
Team. someone, surrender the Influence you hold over them to
choose one:
Conditions • give them -2 on a move they just made (after the roll);
When a move tells you to mark a condition, mark any • inflict a condition on them;
condition you choose. Sometimes the GM may tell you a
specific condition to mark, especially after a hard move. • take an additional +1 on a move targeting them (after
the roll).
If you need to mark a condition and have no more conditions
to mark, you are taken out. You lose consciousness or flee. When someone with Influence over you tells you who
The GM will tell you when you come back into another you are or how the world works, accept what they say or
scene. You may clear one condition. reject their Influence. If you accept what they say, the GM
will adjust your Labels accordingly; if you want to keep your
Once a condition is marked, take -2 to certain moves (max - Labels as they are, you must reject their Influence.
3):
When you reject someone’s Influence, roll. On a hit, you Overwhelm a vulnerable foe
successfully hold to yourself and tune them out. On a 10+,
choose two. On a 7-9, choose one. When you open fire against an enemy that is in a
vulnerable situation, roll +Danger. On a hit, the fight’s
• clear a condition or mark potential by immediately over. They’re done. On a 10+, choose one. On a 7-9, choose
acting to prove them wrong; two.
• shift one Label up and one Label down, your choice; • you take a powerful blow in turn;
• cancel their Influence and take +1 forward against • you hurt your foe more than you intended;
them.
• you cause serious collateral damage.
On a miss, their words hit you hard. Mark a condition, and
the GM will adjust your Labels.
Persuade with best interests
If you have Influence over a teammate and you would gain
Influence over them again, immediately shift one of their When you know what someone wants or needs and tell
Labels up and one of their Labels down, your choice. them how to get it, say what you’re trying to get them to do
and roll + Superior.
If you have Influence over an NPC and you would gain
Influence over them again, take +1 forward against them. If they’re an NPC, on a 10+, they buy it and act accordingly.
On a 7-9, they need concrete assurance, right now.
Moment of Truth If they’re a PC, on a hit, they can mark potential or shift their
own Labels if they do what you want. On a 10+, take
When you unlock your Moment of Truth, you can activate Influence over them as well.
it at any time: read your Moment of Truth out loud from the
back of your playbook and follow that script. In essence, you
(the player) take full control of the narrative in this moment. Empathize
The GM will let you know what consequences arise... When you understand someone’s real feelings and
After you use your Moment of Truth, permanently lock one situation and speak to them honestly about it, roll
Label. You have changed, and some part of you has become +Mundane. On a hit, they must reveal a vulnerability or mark
set in stone. You can unlock your Moment of Truth a second a condition. On a 10+, take Influence over them as well.
time through advancements.
Stand up for something
Advancements When you boldly state your true beliefs in the face of
When someone permanently loses Influence over you, it terrible opposition, roll + Savior. On a 10+, choose two.
means that character can never hold Influence over you On a 7-9, choose one.
again. This is almost always best used on an NPC, to indicate • listeners can’t keep doing what they’re doing;
that you have moved past them and won’t be affected by
what they think of you again. • listeners can’t flee without addressing you;

When you retire from the life, it means your character is not • listeners can’t attack you without losing status or
part of the superpowered world anymore, and should be position.
considered safe and off-limits to the GM’s moves.
When you lock a Label, it means that Label can never shift
up or down again—that part of yourself is set in stone.
When you become a paragon of the city, it means you’re This is a rewording of the common moves found in Masks –
no longer a “young” hero—you’re a peer of the biggest a new generation, a role-playing game created by Brendan
heroes in the city, and you aren’t a Masks character anymore. Conway and published by Magpie Games in 2016.
The GM should treat your character as one of the biggest
heroes in the city, but play them as an NPC. This document is based on the portions of Masks the
publisher released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International license, and is itself licensed under a Creative
Adult Moves Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.

Wield your powers