The Randomizers:
Background 9, 10, 2 [Options: Criminal, Tragic, Unremarkable, Dynasty, Adventurer, Otherworldly]
Power Source 7, 3, 1 [Options: Accident, Genetic, Experimentation, Relic, Powered Suit, Tech Upgrades]
Archetype 4, 6, 1 [Options: Speedster, Marksman, Blaster, Close Quarters Combatant, Armored, Robot/Cyborg]
Personality 8, 10, 9 [Options: Fast Talking, Inquisitive, Alluring, Naive, Apathetic, Jaded]
Starshadow
Real Name: Maeve Cullen, First Appearance: Starshadow #1, March 2019
Background: Dynasty, Power Source: Genetic, Archetype: Blaster
Personality: Inquisitive, Principles: Liberty, Magic
Status Dice: Green d6, Yellow d8, Red d12. Health: 30 [Green 30-23, Yellow 22-12, Red 11-1]
Qualities: History d10, Ranged Combat d8, Banter d8, Teenage Demigod d8
Powers: Intuition d12, Shadow d10, Teleportation d8, Strength d6, Agility d6
Green Abilities:
- Learn From Their Mistakes [A]: Boost yourself using History. That bonus is persistent and exclusive.
- Chill Shadows [A]: Attack using Shadow. Ignore all penalties on this Attack, ignore any Defend actions, and it cannot be affected by Reactions.
- Jumpscare [A]: Attack using Teleportation. Hinder using your Min die.
- Principle of Liberty [A]: Overcome in a situation where you are restricted or bound and use your Max die. You and each of your allies gain a hero point.
- Principle of Magic [A]: Overcome against a mystical force and use your Max die. You and each of your allies gain a hero point.
Yellow Abilities:
- Child of Darkness (I): If you would take Infernal damage, instead reduce that damage to 0 and Recover that amount of Health.
- Team Dynamics [A]: Attack using Intuition. Use your Max die. If you choose another hero to go next, Boost that hero using your Mid die.
- Flow Like Shadows [A]: Boost yourself using Agility, then either remove a penalty on yourself or Recover using your Min die.
- Foresight [R]: When damaged by an environmental target or a surprise Attack, Defend by rolling your single Intuition die.
Red Abilities
- Eclipse [A]: Attack up to three targets, one of which must be you, using Shadow. Assign your Min, Mid, and Max dice as you choose among those targets.
- Existence Unfolds (I): When taking any action using Intuition, you may reroll your Min die before determining effects.
Out
- Choose an ally. Until your next turn, that ally may reroll one of their dice by using a Reaction.
Venture Comics’ Diamond Age opened with both solo and team groups focused on the magical, super-science, and cosmic spheres of the line. Their solo magical hero would prove to be a popular entry point into the line: Starshadow!
Maeve Cullen was the second child of Cooper Cullen and Rhonda Rhodes, a fifteen-year-old raised around demigods, superheroes, and magical creatures from birth. While her older brother Max had inherited his father’s superhuman physique, and fought alongside him as the superhero Cloudwalker, Maeve was born after her mother’s transformation, a quiet and pale child with a touch of death about her. As she grew, she demonstrated an instinctual connection to the weaves of fate that powered Rhonda’s prophetic gifts, coupled with a mastery over the shadows of the land of Death. While Cooper and Rhonda tried to train her, it was her secret training at the hands of Cooper’s old mentor and nemesis Shadowspear that helped her anchor herself to life, and take on the mantle of a superhero.
Maeve’s life was a complicated one. She was a high school student concealing her identity from her fellows, a superhero whose parents loved her, but did not understand her, and a girl who was fascinated by the dark forces that her parents hated. Her story was one of struggling to find her own place in a high-profile family that eclipsed her, without abandoning the people that she cared for - and, of course, fighting magical supervillains as, after fifteen years of peace, Atlantis began to stir in the depths of the Dark Ocean, sending exploratory tendrils out to seek a foothold in the world once again.
One important facet of Starshadow to the writers of Venture was that there should always be a younger writer in the room, keeping the storyline grounded to actual modern teen issues. As a result, most Starshadow comics were written by pairs of writers, serving as an entry point for new writers in the industry who would hopefully go on to other roles in the company as they gained experience working for industry veterans.
Behind the Scenes
I really liked the idea of a child of Skybreaker who approaches things from a very different angle, and the idea that she was affected by Solace’s change of state works nicely for me. In a white room, I might have given her Shadow instead of Blaster, but this version makes her a bit more aggressive.
Starshadow works well as a teen comic that’s tied into Venture, but is separate enough that any past information will be explained in play, without the need to know Skybreaker’s long history well. She’s a good entry point character with enough connection to the history to be enduring.
Mechanically, I have decided that shadow damage counts as ‘infernal’ for the purposes of damage types. I don’t recall if this was previously true but ehn, it works.