Afraid
Marks when something genuinely frightens you—a villain beyond reach, parental rage, or realization of actual mortal peril—pulling you from direct combat with –2 to Directly Engage...
- Penalty
- -2
- Move
- Directly Engage a Threat
- Run from a fight you should have stood in.
- Be comforted, and say out loud what scared you.
Afraid is the condition that opens when something genuinely scares you — a villain you cannot reach, a parent's rage, the realization that you might actually die. It is the condition that turns a young hero back into a kid in a costume that suddenly feels too big.
Mechanical effect: While Afraid is marked, take -2 to Directly Engage a Threat. The fear pulls you off the front line; closing the distance feels impossible.
Clearing it:
- Run away from a fight the team thought you would hold. The team finds out who you are when you are scared.
- Be comforted by somebody (a Comfort or Support roll on you that hits 10+, or a quiet scene where you have to say, in actual words, what scared you).
Tone: Afraid is not weakness. It is the moment a young hero realizes the world is bigger than the costume. The Beacon's Afraid hits very differently from the Bull's, and the playbook should color how it shows up at the table.
Common triggers: A villain reveals they know your secret identity. A teammate gets hurt protecting you. An adult names you in a way that lands too hard. The first time the doom on your playbook actually shows up.