Diva
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Description
The world has ended, the curtain has fallen. The glorious play that was humanity and its existence has finally come to a close. All that remains are the scattered actors and stage-hands that managed to avoid a fate most foul before the final curtain call. And yet, knowing all of this, the Diva craves glory and honor, admiration and exultation. What is the point of existence, the Diva asks, if others are not around to bear witness to it?
The Diva is a sister who craves glory at the expense of everything she has to give. But there is something she will not give up; those close to her, her own personal entourage and audience. A Diva is dangerous to a fault, but always to her self. After all, what is a starlet without her fans?
Playing a Diva
Divas are selfish dolls. Not selfish in that they don’t care about their sisters, but selfish in that they need to be the center of attention. Inflicting violence on those that seek to harm her and her sisters. However, the details vary between a few different styles.
A Diva can take on an almost support like role, bolstering her sisters while still making everything about her. Taking “Embrace the Limelight” allows her sisters to use their powerful abilities more often. “Waiting in the Wings” allows a Diva to upstage her sisters with a well timed powerful support. And, of course, “The 11 O’clock Number” allows the Diva to make the ultimate sacrifice for her sisters, driving the tension and drama to utterly new heights!
Of course, the Diva can focus on herself, instead. “Variety is the Spice of Life” allows fighting with multiple different weapons without sacrificing efficiency, while “Spurn the Critic” and “Break a Leg” have the Diva trading her body to shine brilliantly on the stage.
No matter how a Diva is built, her sisters will be critical in ensuring her success. Whether she chooses to support them as they support her, or selfishly indulge in their praise and admiration, a Diva left on her own is a Diva soon to be fallen from stardom. After all, what is a starlet without her fans?
New Terms
Supported: A Roll or Attack is Supported if another sister used a support maneuver to increase the roll.
Skills
| Embrace the Limelight | |||||
| Timing: | Auto | Cost: | None | Range: | 0 |
| Effect | When you kill a horror or legion and deal 3 or more excess damage, another Sister in range may use a “Rapid”, “Check” or “Damage” maneuver that they have already used one more time. | ||||
| Motion stopped as the lead actor strode to the front of the stage to confront the villain. A swift motion, a spray of blood, the smell of iron. The cast surged into motion once more. | |||||
| Waiting in the Wings | |||||
| Timing: | Check | Cost: | 1 | Range: | 0 |
| Effect | You may only use this on a Supported roll. Support 2 | ||||
| The actor waited off stage, waiting for the right moment. To make a dramatic entrance, to upstage everyone else, to know that the play moved around her and her alone. | |||||
| Play to the Crowd | |||||
| Timing: | Auto | Cost: | None | Range: | Self |
| Effect | When one of your rolls is Supported by 2 or more sisters, you may use a “Rapid”, “Check” or “Damage” maneuver that you have already used one more time. | ||||
| The fawning adulation of the crowd, the jealous looks of her fellow actors. Every step, every gesture, every movement; all designed to elicit those delicious reactions. | |||||
| Variety is the Spice of Life | |||||
| Timing: | Auto | Cost: | None | Range: | Self |
| Effect | Make a note of the most recent type of Attack you have used (e.g. shooting, melee, blast, etc.). Whenever you make an attack, if it is different from the noted type, increase the die roll of the attack check by 1. | ||||
| A tired and overdone cliche to be sure, but such a turn of phrase earns its place in history for a reason. No audience likes to see the same thing twice, no actor wants to reprise only one role. | |||||
| Spurn the Critic | |||||
| Timing: | Rapid | Cost: | Special | Range: | Self |
| Effect | Break a basic part. Until the end of the current count, none of your attacks may be hindered. | ||||
| No play is met with universal praise. Always there will be critics, waiting to tear down those who put on even the most marvelous of acts. With dedication, their critiques can be ignored. | |||||
| The 11 O’clock Number | |||||
| Timing: | Damage | Cost: | Special | Range: | 0 |
| Effect | If a sister in range would be annihilated by an Attack, you may break all of the parts in one of your un-destroyed locations. If you do, negate the Attack that would lead to annihilation. | ||||
| It is easy for a lead actor to embrace their role, to forget that they aren’t just a character on a stage. Sometimes, when great sacrifices are needed, it’s for the best. | |||||
| Break a Leg | |||||
| Timing: | Damage | Cost: | Special | Range: | Self |
| Effect | You may only use this whenever you are dealing damage with a Supported Attack Break a basic part. If you do, increase the attack’s damage by 2. | ||||
| Some say it’s for good luck, others tend to take it a little more literally. Regardless, moving fast enough to shatter bone does make the play better. | |||||
Balance Tweaking
Different campaigns may require varied balance considerations due to varying play styles and game focuses among different groups. If you find that a Diva character is either over- or under-performing in your games, here are some suggestions to adjust the balance accordingly.
Your Diva is Over-Performing
- Divas have multiple ways to refresh non-action abilities, through “Embrace the Limelight” and “Play to the Crowd”. If this ends up being too powerful, you can change the timing of these abilities to rapid to reduce the amount they can be used.
- If your Diva is outputting too much damage, consider reducing the damage increase of “Break a Leg” from 2 to 1. Alternatively, you could require that the Diva be using a melee or unarmed attack to use “Break a Leg”.
- The “The 11 O’clock Number” is a unique ability in that it allows a Diva to prevent the annihilation of another sister. If it is combined with parts that regenerate and “Play to the Crowd”, it can become very powerful. If this happens, consider adding the text “These parts cannot be regenerated until the next Combat Phase” to the ability.
Your Diva is Under-Performing
- Divas are designed around having little range on her abilities, forcing her to be in the same zone as her sisters. This can make it difficult to use a Divas abilities. If your Diva is struggling, consider increasing the range of “Spurn the Critic”, “Waiting in the Wings”, or “Embrace the Limelight” from 0 to 1
- “Embrace the Limelight” is a very useful skill that allows a Diva to refresh her sister’s non-action abilities. However, 3 excess damage can be difficult to achieve, depending on a Diva’s parts and skills. Consider changing it to require only 2 excess damage needed to trigger the effect.
- “Waiting in the Wings” can struggle to make a serious impact with only Support 2. If your Diva has this problem, consider increasing it to Support 3 and increasing the cost to 2.
Deprecated Skills
The following skills were removed or heavily changed and are no longer suggested as part of being a Diva.
| Variety is the Spice of Life | |||||
| Timing: | Auto | Cost: | None | Range: | Self |
| Effect | Make a note of each type of Attack you have used (e.g. shooting, melee, blast, etc.). Whenever you make an Attack Check, if it is the first time you have used that type this combat, you may add +1 to the die roll. | ||||
| A tired and overdone cliche to be sure, but such a turn of phrase earns its place in history for a reason. No audience likes to see the same thing twice, no actor wants to reprise only one role. | |||||
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