‘Better Angels’ — Devilish Optimization

In Better Angels, Greg Stolze’s tabletop roleplaying game of supervillainy, players create their supervillains and demons collaboratively—and maybe a little competitively, as you can see in the character creation chapter. First the supervillain’s main player picks stats, a superpower, and an aspect for the villain, then that supervillain’s demon’s player picks stats, a superpower, and an aspect for the same villain.

In some cases that can lead to strange combinations of powers and aspects. Usually that’s fine. Whether you’re fending off rivals or battling a superhero, Better Angels is powered by player characters’ moral choices, not by strategically sound allocation of character points.

But the truth is, some players love a little strategy in their character creation. With that in mind, here are some combinations of powers and aspects that tend to compliment each other well in Better Angels, and the tactics and strategies that make them most effective.

We’ve given each a title that ought to give you an idea what that combination of powers and aspects will do.

The Devil Himself

Powers: Terror, Body Control
Aspects: Horns, Flame-Wreathed
Key Strategies: Sly, Devious
Key Tactics: Cruelty, Deceit

Infiltrator

Powers: Dead Ringer, Teleport
Aspects: Ghost Form, Invisible
Key Strategies: Devious, Sly
Key Tactics: Deceit, Corruption

Poltergeist

Powers: Telekinesis, Clairvoyance
Aspects: Ghost Form, Darkness-Shrouded
Key Strategies: Cunning, Devious
Key Tactics: Deceit, Espionage

Quartermaster

Powers: Summon, Banish
Aspects: Carapace, Cloven Hooves
Key Strategies: Cunning, Devious
Key Tactics: Greed, Cowardice

Shape Shifter

Powers: Animal Form, Dead Ringer
Aspects: Darkness-Shrouded, Carapace
Key Strategies: Cunning, Devious
Key Tactics: Espionage, Deceit

Sniper

Powers: Ineffable Defense, Dominator Strike with Enervating
Aspects: Invisible, Wings
Key Strategies: Sly, Devious
Key Tactics: Espionage, Cruelty

Social Monster

Powers: Arrogance, Impossible Beauty
Aspects: Cloven Hooves, Darkness-Shrouded
Key Strategies: Cunning, Devious
Key Tactics: Cowardice, Corruption

Tank

Powers: Armor, That Hideous Strength
Aspects: Carapace, Flame-Wreathed
Key Strategies: Sly, Cunning
Key Tactics: Cruelty, Cowardice

Have you come up with any favorite combinations of powers and aspects in Better Angels? Tell us about them!