← BRAWN  ·  PLAYBOOK 1 OF 2
The MERCENARY
You hit things. Hard. Professionally. You've been hired, contracted, drafted, or shanghaied into this life, and somewhere along the way you stopped asking why a
PERSONNEL FILE
STAT: BRAWN
PRIMARY: +2
ACCESS: OPEN
The Mercenary  ·  FILE BRAWN
The MERCENARY
PRIMARY: BRAWN
HERO / ANTI-HERO / VILLAIN
You hit things. Hard. Professionally. You've been hired, contracted, drafted, or shanghaied into this life, and somewhere along the way you stopped asking why and started asking how much.
RUSH IN LIKE VLADIMIR

When combat starts and you're the first to charge in, roll +Brawn.

  • 10+: You deal your harm before anyone else acts and choose: take no harm OR deal +2 harm.
  • 7–9: You're in first, deal harm, take 1 harm.
KRAV MAGA

When an enemy attacks you with a melee hit, you may try to redirect them. Roll +Agility.

  • 10+: Throw them prone. Take no harm from their attack.
  • 7–9: They go prone. Take half harm.
YOU CALL THAT A KNIFE?

You may roll +Brawn instead of +Charisma when intimidating someone. On a success, anyone you intimidate takes -1 ongoing on all attacks and combat actions directed at you for the rest of the scene.

BIG OL' PUNCH

(1/session)

When you wind up and put everything into a single hit, declare it before rolling. Roll +Brawn.

  • 10+: Deal +3 harm on top of your weapon. You break your hand, take 1 harm yourself.
  • 7–9: Deal +2 harm on top of your weapon. You break your hand, take 1 harm and -1 Brawn until healed.
MASTER AT ARMS

When you spend your action studying an enemy's fighting style instead of attacking, mark them. Against a marked enemy, add +1 harm to all your attacks. You may only have one enemy marked at a time.

THE CLAP

When you slam your hands together to send out a shockwave (20ft radius), roll +Brawn.

  • 10+: Everyone in range must succeed on a Tough roll or fall prone.
  • 7–9: Most go down, choose one: you take 1 harm from the feedback OR one enemy keeps their footing.
IN A SINGLE BOUND

Your super strength lets you leap extraordinary distances. You can clear normal buildings without a roll. For truly massive leaps, roll +Brawn, no failure, just a question of how far and how clean.

GRAB 'EM

When you attempt to grapple, roll +Brawn with advantage (roll 3d6, drop lowest).

  • 10+: They're grappled. All attacks on them deal +2 harm while held.
  • 7–9: They're grappled, but they can still act at -1.
THE OL' ONE/TWO

When you attack, you may strike twice in one action. Roll +Brawn twice. Both hits count and deal harm normally, but you take full retaliation harm no matter what either roll shows.

CHOP!

When you strike an unaware, non-super target, no roll required, they're knocked out. This is always nonlethal.

THIS'LL WORK

When using an improvised weapon (chair, car door, pipe), add +2 harm.

MAKE IT BIG

When you get your hands on an enemy, roll +Brawn in a contest against them.

  • 10+: You throw them through the nearest wall, deal 5 harm.
  • 7–9: You throw them into something hard, deal 3 harm. The environment suffers too.
WAR VETERAN

You've seen this fight before. Once per scene, give a teammate +1 forward based on your tactical read. No roll required.

BATTLE HARDENED

When you're at Hurt or worse, your attacks deal +1 harm. Pain makes you dangerous (passive).

LAST MAN STANDING

When you're the only one of your team still functional in a fight, roll +Brawn.

  • 10+: Deal +2 harm on all attacks this scene and ignore your current harm penalties.
  • 7–9: Deal +1 harm this scene.
COVERING FIRE

When you lay down suppressing fire to let a teammate move, roll +Brawn.

  • 10+: They move freely. Enemies targeting them take -1 ongoing until they deal with you.
  • 7–9: They move safely but you're now exposed, next attack against you deals +1 harm.
BREACH AND CLEAR

When you're the first through a door or into a new space, roll +Brawn.

  • 10+: You control the room, no one inside acts before you.
  • 7–9: You're in first but someone was ready, take 1 harm.
FIELD EXPERIENCE

When you identify what kind of enemy you're dealing with by watching them fight, roll +Intuition.

  • 10+: Ask the GM two: What's their damage output? Do they have a weak point? What will make them retreat? Are they working with others?
  • 7–9: Ask one.
COMBAT ROLL

When you dive, roll, or drop to avoid a ranged attack, roll +Agility.

  • 10+: You evade completely and end up in a better position, take +1 forward on your next action.
  • 7–9: You avoid the hit but end up prone or out of position.
TAKE 'EM DOWN A PEG

(1/session)

Once per session, when you deal harm that puts an enemy at Hurt or worse, you may immediately demoralize them. Roll +Tough. On a 10+, they flee or surrender. On 7–9, they hesitate, they can't act next round.

PERSONAL ASSESSMENT
  • FaceScarred jaw, dead eyes, busted nose, permanent scowl, weathered skin, visible old burns, sharp eyes that never stop moving
  • BodyBuilt like a wall, compact and coiled, missing a finger, moves like they own every room, carries old injuries well
  • StyleMilitary surplus, worn leather, beat-up tactical gear, no-brand everything, always has one more pocket than you'd expect
  • PresenceToo calm for the situation, makes people step back instinctively, laugh that doesn't reach the eyes
  • WeaponName and describe your signature weapon, what it is, how it's worn or carried, whether it has a history. ---
ORIGIN
  • You were military. Good at it. Left under circumstances you don't discuss.
  • You were a superhuman enforcer for someone powerful. You walked away. They haven't forgotten.
  • You were a fighter, ring, cage, street, take your pick. Someone offered you more money than you'd ever seen.
  • You've always been built different. Figured you might as well get paid for it.
  • You took one job to cover a debt. The debt is paid. You're still taking jobs.
GEAR & EQUIPMENT

Choose one primary weapon:

  • Combat rifle (3 harm, loud, two-handed)
  • Shotgun (3 harm, close range, loud)
  • Paired heavy pistols (2 harm, loud, fast)
  • Signature melee weapon, describe it (3 harm, hand-to-hand)

Take one additional item:

  • Body armor (+1 armor, bulky)
  • Flashbang grenades (stuns everyone in range, no harm)
  • Tactical knife (2 harm, quiet, always on you)
  • First aid kit (patch up without improvising)

Starting Armor: 1 (worn gear) + any bonus from above

KNOWN ASSOCIATES / CONNECTIONS
They were your mark once. Ask them: did you know, and does it change anything?
You pulled them out of somewhere they shouldn't have been. Ask them: do they know how bad it actually was?
You've worked against them before — different sides, different contract. Ask them: is that settled, or just set aside?
You trust them to watch your back in a firefight. Tell them. Ask: is that feeling mutual?
You owe them a debt you haven't paid yet. Ask them: do they know they're holding it?
You've trained together. Ask them: who came out ahead, and does that matter to you?
You were both at the same place when something went badly wrong. Ask them: do you ever talk about it?
You vouched for them once to someone who didn't want to hear it. Ask them: did they ever find out?
They've seen you walk away from something that should have kept you. Ask them: what did they think when you left?
You've never told them what you actually do between missions. Ask them: have they ever asked?

YOUR STATS

Your primary stat is BRAWN: +2

Distribute the following among your remaining 9 stats:

+1+1 00 00 -1-1 -2

Improvements (every 5 XP)

  • Take a new Mercenary move
  • Take a move from another playbook
  • Add +1 to Brawn (max +3)
  • Add +1 to Tough (max +3)
  • Add +1 to Agility (max +3)
  • Add 1 to your harm track maximum
  • Get a second primary weapon from the gear list
  • Gain a permanent contact, a fixer who can source gear or information once per mission

Advanced Improvements (every 5 level-ups)

  • Unkillable: Once per session, when you would reach 7 harm, stay at 6 instead. You're hurt bad but you're still standing.
  • Freelance No More: You've chosen a side for real. Work with your GM to establish who you truly work for and what that costs you, gain a powerful ally and a powerful enemy.
  • Change playbook: You've grown into someone different. Choose a new playbook and rebuild from there, keeping your history and harm track.
  • Retire: You got out. Tell the table what you did with the money and who you became.