Sentinels RPG is so new that it hasn't even come out yet! Here I will try to explain the overall rules as I understand from various beta reviews. Once the materials are available I will update this section with the real and final information.


Overview
Sentinels is a dice pool system where you assemble three dice from your character: Status + Power + Quality.

Status is equivalent to a "health" pool where you go from Green -> Yellow -> Red -> Out. Powers are your active/passive abilities while qualities are typically either personality quirks or skills & knowledges that you know.

Your skill level or status level is represented by a numbered die, so a lower ranked skill might be a d3 or d6 while a higher ranked skill or quality might be a d10 or d12. When you perform your action you justify your choices by making an explanation of how this skill or that power is affecting your action and then assemble your dice and roll.

Dice Rolls
Once your 3 dice are gathered you make your roll and in general you get the results from the middle die (MID). Some abilities or situations lets you pick the highest (MAX) or lowest (MIN) or some combination (for example, MAX + MIN).

The total from that die or dice is the results of your actions. This number is used to determine the success or failure of your actions.

Actions
On your turn, you can take one of the following 5 actions:

Actions
On your turn you can choose one of the following actions:

• Attack - Roll your dice pool and by default use the MID die (unless otherwise specified due to powers or situations). Every attack action automatically hits however if the defender has some kind of defense or armor they might get a roll to reduce or ignore the damage inflicted.
  
  
• Overcome - This is a generic action that you use to overcome an obstacle. Disarm a bomb, catch the falling reporter, slow down the runaway train etc. Roll your dice pool, take the MID die and compare the results to the following table:
  
  
  • 0 or less: Action utterly, spectacularly fails
  • 1-3: Action fails, or can succeed at a major twist (see below)
  • 4-7: Action fails, or succeeds at minor twist (see below)
  • 8-11: Action succeeds
  • 12+: Action succeeds beyond expectations
  
  
• Boost/Hinder - This allows you to create a bonus or penalty [MOD] to a target. Perhaps you're running really fast and kicking up dust to cloud an enemy's vision or you're going to throw your scrappy brawler super hard at the enemy to give their punch an added kick. You can specify when the bonus is applied (-2 MOD to their next attack) or you could give out a bonus that players can spend at a later time (i.e. have a +3 MOD Sword).
  
  
  • 0 or less: No result
  • 1-3: +/- 1
  • 4-7: +/- 2
  • 8-11: +/- 3
  • 12+: +/- 4
  
  
  Note that these bonuses/penalties only last a single action unless they are [Persistent]. If [Persistent] then they last to the end of the scene. Some MODs are [Exclusive] and cannot be used with other [Exclusive] mods to modify a roll. A non-persistent mod can be extended to 2 uses at the cost of a minor twist and 3 uses at the cost of a major twist.
  
  A hero can use an Overcome action to dispense with a hinderance (you wipe the sand from your eyes, you take a second to use your hearing or sense of smell to find the invisible commandos etc.)
  
  
• Defend - reduce damage you take by your result die (default MID). You can elect to defend other targets and they receive the Defense effect instead of you. If you ever are under the effect of multiple Defenses then you take the highest result instead of combining. Finally, you can take a Defense action as an out-of-turn reaction at the cost of a minor twist.
  
  
• Recover - You can take this action if you have an ability that explicitly allows it. In that case it will always tell you how much health you recover. Take that action, recover that much health.

Augmenting Actions
In addition to taking actions there are some additional modifiers that come into play. One is Powers. Almost every power or ability is tied to an action so throwing a fireball might modify your attacks while being an expert thief will modify your Overcome actions.

You can also elect to take a Risky Action if you want to perform an effect that isn't granted by your abilities. For the cost of a minor twist you can do things like:

• Hit two minions instead of one
• Use MAX die instead of MID for a single attack
• Uses the MIN die as an additional effect like an AoE or hinderance MOD on the target
• When doing an Overcome also use MIN die to deal damage to a single target
• When doing a Hinderance also removes the target from combat for a single turn
• When Defending also uses MIN die as a Boost to one ally

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Twists

Twists represents side effects and repercussions from the encounter. Twists are either Minor or Major and the exact nature of a twist is heavily dependent on a hero's principles. A technology based hero might have equipment malfunctions while a psychic hero might get migraines that disrupt their focus.

When a twist occurs the player and GM work together to both describe what the twist was as well as assign a mechanical penalty. Some examples might be:

Note that twists do NOT negate success of an action and twists ONLY occur on a successful result.

Minor Twist

• The hero loses Health equal to the Mid die.
• The hero is Hindered using the Max die.
• The hero must make a difficult choice as part of the action.
• The hero succeeds, but not as well as planned.
• The hero must reveal a treasured secret, an embarrassing weakness, or otherwise bargain
  something away to succeed at their goal.
• The scene escalates 1 space towards a more dangerous state.
• The hero is separated from the rest of the group as a result of the action.
• The hero draws attention in the form of a new minion equal to their Mid die.
• The hero loses access to one Green ability.
• One of the hero’s powers or qualities is reduced in die size.

Major Twist

• The hero loses Health equal to Max+Min dice.
• The hero is Hindered using Max+Min dice, and that penalty is persistent.
• The hero must sacrifice something important (at least until the end of the issue) in order to succeed at their goal.
• The scene escalates spaces towards a more dangerous state.
• The hero is separated far from the group and the current action.
• The hero draws attention in the form of a new squad of Mid die sized minions equal to
  number of heroes.
• The hero loses access to multiple abilities.
• The hero loses access to one or more of their
  powers and qualities.

In general minor twists are inconveniences and wrinkles that get in your way while Major Twists can be game changing and very punishing completely turning the tide of a scene.

If a player doesn't like the twist presented they can decline the twist in favor of completely failing the task.

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Scene Tracker
Some scenarios put the heroes up against the clock. Whether it is escaping an exploding volcano, disarming a bomb, rescuing hostages or stopping a building from collapsing there is some kind of "time limit" that is put on the scene and this is tracked via the Scene Tracker.

In general, scenes 8-9 "boxes". During each round, eventually the "environment" gets a turn and one box is ticked off. In addition some heroic/villainous abilities advance this faster and it can advance faster still due to major/minor twists.

The boxes are marked Green/Yellow/Red and this is used to establish what intensity level a scene is at with better and more intense abilities unlocking later in the fight. This help simulate the growing tension that the comic book readers are feeling as the heroes race against the clock to save the day.

The scene ends immediately when a box needs to be ticked off but there are no more boxes. If there is 8 boxes and no other modifiers then the scene ends at the end of the 9th round.

A Hero can take an Overcome action to stabilize the scene. If successful then it avoid the Scene Tracker from advancing on the environment's turn but cannot stop twists/abilities from advancing it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:18, Tue 18 May 2021.

This isn't required reading but will help you figure out how enemies and obstacles work, mechanically.

Environments
Some action scenes will feature an environment. From street level Megalopolis to top secret F.I.L.T.E.R. bases to the sunken Ruins of Atlantis sometimes the environment itself plays a critical role in the action. Environments might have dice pools of their own to generate their own unique twists.

For example:



In a "named" environment players can have twists come from either their personal characters OR from the environment itself.


Minions
aka Grunts, Mooks, Henchmen etc. The faceless, nameless masses that fill out a villain's organization are just represented by a die: d6 for weaker minions up to d12 super soldiers. When a minion performs an action it just rolls that die and that is the result used. For an attack it is the number of HP the hero loses, for a Hinderance/Boon it is compared to the results for the effect.  When a hero attacks a minion, the minion rolls their die in defense. If the hero result is greater then the minion is knocked out. If the hero's die is less than the minion, the minion still takes damage and is downgraded a die size. A d4 minion stays around as a last stand until successfully defeated.

Lieutenants
Mid-Bosses, Capos, Sergeants etc. These might be nameless but they are definitely a cut above the rest. They mostly operate like minions being represented by a single die ranging from d6 to d12 however they are much tougher to defeat. When a hero attacks a lieutenant and beats the lieutenant's defense roll, the lieutenant is just reduced by a die size. If a hero's attack does not exceed the lieutenant's defense roll then no damage. is done.

Massive Damage: If a lieutenant is dealt twice its die size in damage it is instantly knocked out. (i.e. a D6 lieutenant being hit with 12 damage).

Villains
Villains are the named headliners that heroes must defeat. For the most part they operate very similarly to heroes in that they have health points and generate pools of dice based on powers + qualities + status modified by their abilities. They can also take the actions available to heroes including their own versions of Overcome, Boon/Hinder etc.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:41, Tue 18 May 2021.

Beyond the fluff stuff (name/description/alias etc.) these are the components that mechanically make up a character in Sentinel Comics.

Principles
Each hero has two principles that drive who they are. Principles come in three parts:

1. A detailed description
   
2. A description of a minor twist
   
3. A description of a major twist]

Powers & Qualities
Every hero has 4-6 Powers, which represent your supernatural talents, innate abilities or technological gadgetry, and Qualities, which represents skills, talents, knowledges and personality traits. These are marked via die size with a d6 representing solid competency or above average human ability to d12 which is god like ability or world class skill.

To perform an action, one must select an appropriate power and quality to generate the dice pool along with a suitable explanation of HOW that power and quality are coming into play.

Status
Status forms the last die of the pool. It has three values: Green, Yellow and Red with a die size assigned to each one. A player's status is determined by EITHER the current status of the scene OR the player's health. So if a scene is in Red status then ALL heroes and villains are in Red Status and use their Red Status die in forming their dice pools and have Red status abilities unlocked regardless of their health. Conversely if a scene is in Green but a player takes a big hit, they might individually be in Red status due to their depleted health pool.

Abilities
In addition to the dice pools generated, players have access to abilities that are either passive and always in effect or can be used in conjunction with a specific action. Abilities are classified by a status level and in general a hero/villain can only use abilities at their current status level. Abilities range in effect from altering which die to use as a result to increasing the number of targets effected to a wide range of other effects. Unless otherwise specified there is no drawback or penalty for using an ability at your status or below (so at Yellow status both Yellow and Green status abilities can be used) however going above that status costs a minor twist.

Abilities can be Actions, Reactions (taken 'off-turn' in response to triggers) or Inherent which is a constant effect.

Health
Heroes have HP that is reduced when they are attacked or hurt in some way. If you drop to zero then you are Out. Even when you are Out you can take your Out status ability which typically allows a single action with a single specified die.

Hero Points
In every issue heroes can earn one or more Hero Points by using the Green abilities associated to one of their Principles in an Overcome action. This point is generated no matter the outcome of that roll. Each hero can earn a maximum of 5 hero points.

At the end of an adventure a hero must trade in hero points for floating bonuses. Each hero point converts to one point of bonus divided however you choose. So 5 points could be five +1 bonuses to a single +5 bonus or anywhere in between. These bonsues are [Exclusive] so cannot be stacked on a single die roll and they cannot be saved beyond the next adventure. Use 'em or lose 'em.


Collections
Collections represent past experiences that can be invoked once per adventure. To invoke a collection one must use it in a manner like:


A collection can be used for one of the following benefits:

• After rolling a dice pool, change one die to anything you choose. Determine MIN/MID/MAX after doing so.
• Establish one "fact" about the scene based on something you make up as being in a previous issue like:
  
  quote:

  When I last fought Miss Information she suffered a wound on her right side... I think I can use that to my advantage now. Editors Note: See Liberty Comics #12: Terror in Megalopolis
• You can invoke a collection in place of a minor twist provided you can think of an explanation of how it's relevant to the situation.

Editor's Note: All usage of a collection must include an Editor's Note: See XXXX to come into play.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:58, Mon 09 Apr 2018.

Just to help illustrate how game play works out, take the following scene. Pretend you're playing Legacy and you find yourself confronted by a gigantic T-Rex who is attempting to eat the 12th Street Bridge in downtown Megalopolis.

After assessing the situation and directing the police to evacuate civilians you finally step up for your actual action.

GM: What are going to do to get the dinosaur to stop destroying the bridge?

Legacy: I will fly down there and punch it right on the snout. I'm not looking to deal straight damage but enrage it into chomping at me and leaving the bridge alone.

GM: That is an OVERCOME action. What Power, Quality, and Status are you using?

Legacy: Well, I want to fly right up to it so I'll use my Flight Power (d8). I'm also taking the lead in a plan and directing the police so I'll use Leadership Quality (d10) and I am currently in the Green so Green Status (d6).

/rolls 1d8+1d10+1d6 with results of 4,7,8. Mid die is '7'

GM: The chart says that a 7 result is success with a minor twist! When you punch the T-Rex it headbutts you in response dealing you MIN die in damage.
/Legacy takes 4 pts of damage but successfully gets the T-Rex to stop destroying the bridge.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:05, Mon 09 Apr 2018.

There are three ways of building a hero: Canon, Guided, and Constructed.

Canon: Canon builds involve taking a pre-existing character and just getting their sheet. If there is a canon character that you would like to play as just mention it and I can have the sheet prepared for you OR if you would like to play the Sentinels equivalent of your favorite hero that can be arranged.

Guided: Especially helpful for new players or those that don't want a completely blank canvass, the Guided approach typically has you rolling dice and then selecting options by using one, the other, a combination of results to pick from different options. This provides a nice balance between player input but without overwhelming choices. In the below list I've identified which dice are rolled at which steps for guided creation.

Constructed>: Instead of randomly rolling results you pick from the lists. This provides the most flexibility but could also be prone to min/max abuse. The system is fine with heroes not being perfectly balanced against one another but I take a dim view of players who are more worried about crafting Super Perfect Ultra Man rather than creating a believable character.

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Character Creation Steps

1. Background
   What were you before becoming a hero?
   -This determines starting qualities and starting principles
   Guided Dice: [2D10]
   
   
2. Power Source
   How did you get your powers?
   - Determines what power types are available
   - Determines your choice of Yellow/Green abilities
   Guided Dice: [Dice gained from background]
   
   
3. Archetype
   Archetype determines a rough classification of your character. Are you a zippy speedster, an armored tank, a magical manipulator etc.
   - Determines what power types are available
   - Determines your choice of Yellow/Green abilities
   Guided Dice: [Power Source dice]
   
   
4. Personality
   A general expression of your overall personality type and demeanor
   - Allows the creation of a custom quality specific to your character
   -This determines your health levels a Green/Yellow/Red (some heroes start out strong and get weaker, others are balanced and others still get more powerful when the chips are down).
   - This determines your "out" ability, what you do when you're knocked out to keep aiding your allies or furthering the mission.
   - Can have other factors like increasing die sizes, adding new abilities etc.
   Guided Dice: [Archetype dice]
   
   
5. Red Abilities
   Guided Build: Pick 2 abilities that correspond to the power or quality you will use
   
   
6. Retcon!
   Add your own personal flair by making a final adjustment such as
   - Add an extra Red power
   - Swap two dice in your powers and/or qualities
   - Swap an ability to use a different quality or power
   - Increase your red status die by one size (max d12)
   - Add a D6 power or quality or your choice
   - Swap one of your principles for another
   
   
7. Health
   To determine your HP do the following formula: 8 + Red Die size + (choice of 1 athletic power or mental quality or 4 if none available) + 1D8 (taking default 4 is not an option)

This message was last edited by the GM at 22:17, Tue 18 May 2021.

The way progression works is based on Issues and Collections:

Issues: One thread
Collection: One story arc