Steves

Given the above reference image to best capture the diversity of Steves, they are heavily inspired by The Shy Guys seen in various Mario games, such as Yoshi's Island and Paper Mario- they even make a cameo in A Link Between Worlds! But what they are HERE for the most part, are MOSTLY elemental spirits much like traditional elementals from fantasy games like DND or Pathfinder; as such they should be treated as magical creatures. There are exceptions to this, but overall they are still mask wearing spirits which come in many shapes and sizes. While technically genderless, this doesn't mean they can't elect to adopt one. "Female" Steves are instead referred to as Stephanie(s).

Steves are at their core, typically very simple, naive and tender hearted creatures that go with the flow of things. Most are so laid back as a matter of fact, they don't seem to be bothered at all by "impending doom" scenarios, or other catastrophes going on around them. They are generally friendly and open minded, and dislike conflict- usually. But when something forces their hand, or something acts to rally them to action, they will do it. One of the more common exceptions to the rather passive Steves are their more militaristic kin, The United Steve Army (AKA: The Troupers).

Troupers can be best described as hooligans, ruffians and trouble makers who aren't content just goofing off peacefully. Many of their ranks are filled by the more volatile Elemental Spirits, or the spirits of people that have been turned into Steves. Their one distinguishing feature is that unlike the simple mask designs of a Simple Steve, they wear what appear to be gas masks with a little nozzle for their mouths. Troupers are for all intents and purposes. soldiers, police officers or security guards for when and where ever they are needed. While they delight in some impish pranks and occasional mayhem, they are quite defensive of their more passive kin and will quickly rally to their defense EN MASSE.

The third "most common" variant of either Troupers or Simple Steves, are Spooky Steves. These are... more somber and unpleasant due solely to the fact they are eerie reminders of man's mortality. They are ghostly in appearance, often resembling Grim Reapers, revenants and the like but ALSO sometimes appear as even more terrifying facsimiles of what they once were. Basically, they lean into the fact they're spirits and or the spirits of dead people, and more often than not wallow in their own self-loathing and depression with that knowledge. The worst kind are those who are hostile to the living!

A very rare but even more powerful variant are Super/Mega/Ultra Steves! These are Steves whose personalities have taken a iife of their own, and have developed to the point where they function as fully realized characters! Mini-bosses and Boss level Steves, which often order the others around or lead them into battle against the forces against whimsy! Notable examples of Super Steves are The Supreme Chief Officer Steve that heads The Troupers, Santa Steve, and Stephanie The Sub-Zero Sorceress.

One more notable Super-Steve is also a prime example to the exception that nearly all Steves are passive natured. The infamous, Serious Steve The Seriously Badtime Guy! As humorous as that sounds, Serious Steve is the most dangerous, and violent inclined of all Steves. He is also the ONLY Steve that wears black clothing, and a grey cracked mask.


I'm glad you asked random person! Steves inspite of their deep, complex versatility are quite easy to play. First you take something serious, important or relevant to the plot or goal, and then try to reach that goal in as silly or goofy a way that you can think of. I know, with all of the doom and gloom and edgy superheroes, it's hard to channel yer inner whimsy. Steves are typically not to be taken seriously, and act mostly as comic relief and cleansers of icky seriousness. You CAN play them slightly seriously, they can do that when there is a "boss" to keep them motivated long enough but when left on their own, they're lighthearted creatures by nature- except for Serious Steve.

A prime example is a thread to do with robbing a store. Being that Steves are more childlike and simple minded, the best example of WHAT they'd rob is a candy store or a toy store. Otherwise if they are motivated to rob like a bank, it would be done with as much silly shenanigans as you can come up with, and will most likely result in failure- or success if that's funnier.

Also keep the following in mind: Alliteration is key.

Different sub-races of Steves use any and all relevant S-starting words, this conveys power onto them more so than just Steve. Fire bending Steves for example, would be called Scorching Steves. Their water using counterparts would be Soaker Steves. Actions that start with S also convey more power onto them and is generally just fun to do- using clever word play with the name Steve is also encouraged! Like Stevemas, HalloSteve, ThankSteven- etc

Alternatively, giving "special" Steves silly sounding titles is also encouraged. Steve The Stupendous Sorcerer, for example would work for a powerful Sorcerer Steve that uses magic spells.

Steves also do not under NORMAL circumstances, speak any form of understandable language, and communicate through a series of honks, squeaks and pantomime; even handwriting ends up becoming gibberish. But the only exception to this that has been found is that technology (text to speech) works just fine.


Steves are now for no other reason than because they can, powerful enough to go toe to toe with fully realized characters- provided they have the proper support from a Boss. In this case, they are full y capable of going mano e Steve-oh, and are virtually impossible to deal with by other NPCs.

Without the help of a boss, NPCs are still very ill-equipped to handle the silly shenanigans they are capable of, and in this case Player Characters are the ONLY surefire way to deal with them. If you "defeat" a Steve, they explode into rainbow confetti and make a Party Horn sound as if you did an excellent job.

Steves ignore environmental hazards or dangers, except when it's for comedic effect for a Steve to fall into lava, and then come flying out of it with their butt on fire or something. But generally Steves are immune to harm from the world around them.

How strong are Steves? Mostly depends on the Steve. Excluding obvious exceptions, Steves are generally capable of Steve Slapping most "non-nigh-invulnerable" characters into submission if they're lucky. If they're backed up by a boss, they can even hold their own against the slighly nigh-invulnerable characters. Troupers are especially capable of handling pesky player characters with a boss in their corner.

Troupers also typically shoot projectiles from their mouths, which vary depending on that Steve's elemental nature if any.

All Super Steves are naturally capable and should be treated as fully realized characters.

It should also be mentioned that Steves have the power to... will things into being with enough determination and belief in their little Steve hearts. That winter that plagued California? That was because Their Ringmaster told them christmas stories and they all wanted to enjoy christmas very badly! This is the core of their power. The stronger their determination and belief for something else, the more powerful a Steve becomes until it eventually comes into being. One Steve usually can only get so far, which is what makes Super Steves so rare. But if there are a lot of Steves that are determined, and believe in the same thing, than it's almost certainly going to come to be!

Also a final minor note to make, Jump City Police refer to Steve Shenanigans as a Code 2319.

Also also, they're just meant to be fun little creatures and I don't expect anyone to use them as extensively as me. But if you want to, go ahead! They're versatile "minions" to be used as needed, and if you have any questions feel free to message me!