STA2e Rules Notes, Glossary, Momentum and More – EpicSavingThrow.com: A Grognard's Notebook

The Star Trek Adventures Second Edition Core Rulebook by Modiphius Entertainment has a robust topic index, but one thing missing is a glossary of terms – or more specifically, a glossary of how certain terms are used in the context of these tabletop role-playing game rules and character sheets.

2d20 At-A-Glance | Glossary | Quickest Summary | Momentum Costs | Recommended Links

STA2e Character Basics

Key character stats at a glance include…

Name, species, rank, traits, role (usual TTRPG stuff)
Attributes (7 to 12 each in Control, Daring, Fitness, Insight, Presence, Reason)
Departments (0 to 5 each in Command, Conn, Engineering, Security, Medicine, Science)
Focuses (list of skill specialties for crits on task rolls)
Talents (list of special ability rules)
Values (statements about beliefs, morals, behaviors)
Reputation (used for post-mission assessments)
Determination (with Values, spendable to improve dice results or use extra abilities)
Resistance (damage reduction from armor and abilities)
Stress (points to avoid damage, kinda like D&D hit points)
Equipment (typically a uniform, communicator/combadge, phaser, tricorder, and role-specific tools)
Special Rules (catch-all for stuff not already mentioned)

Not on the character sheet but important to know…

Momentum (the player group’s pool of up to 6 points for buying various action benefits)
Threat (the game master’s pool of points spent for making situations worse; players may give the GM more Threat in order to buy Momentum-based benefits or avoid causing a Complication from bad dice rolls)

At the end of “lifepath” character creation, a character should have 2 or more Traits, 1 species ability, 56 points in Attributes, 16 points in Departments, 4 Values, 4 Talents, 6 Focuses, 1 Role, a Reputation score of 3, and 1 Determination point. Stress is based on the character’s Fitness plus other possible modifiers. Protection is 0 unless affected by special abilities. Starting equipment (for Starfleet types) includes a uniform, communication/combadge, phaser, tricorder, and any relevant job-specific tools.

STA2e Starship Basics

Key starship stats at a glance include…

Name, class, mission profile, traits (basic info)
Scale (relative size, from tiny 1 to huge 8 or more)
Systems (1 or more each in Comms, Computers, Engines, Sensors, Structure, Weapons)
Departments (0 or more each in Command, Conn, Engineering, Security, Medicine, Science)
Talents (list of special ship ability rules)
Resistance (damage reduction from armor and abilities)
Shields (points to avoid Shaken light damage and Breach heavy damage effects)
Attacks (energy beam and/or torpedo weaponry)
Special Rules (catch-all for stuff not already mentioned)

2d20 At-A-Glance

The 2d20 system refers to the core TTRPG ability check method that starts with a dice pool of two 20-sided dice (2d20). The number of dice rolled in a task’s dice pool may be increased to a maximum of five 20-sided dice (5d20) in two ways: Momentum points may be spent from the players’ shared reserve pool, or Threat points may be given to the game master. The player’s goal is roll as many d20 dice as possible equal to or under a task target number set by adding a character’s Attribute score with a character’s Department score. (This sum will range from 7 to 17, with an average target number of about 12 overall.)

After a dice pool is rolled (and perhaps re-rolled based on some special abilities), 1 point toward success is earned for each d20 die rolling under a task target number. Each “natural 1” counts as 2 successes, while a “natural 20” either causes a Complication (a negative trait that can affect later Difficulty numbers or options for actions) or gives 2 Threat to the game master (points for trouble later during play). If a task involves any Focus specialty, each d20 die rolling under the character’s Department number counts as 2 successes instead of 1.

If the number of rolled successes are equal to the task’s Difficulty (a number from 0 to 5), the character’s desired outcome occurs. If successes are greater than Difficulty, the difference is added to the player group’s shared Momentum (up to a maximum reserve of 6 Momentum points). (p. 8, 257)

2d20 Example: A Starfleet medical officer character with Reason 10 (Attribute) and Medicine 4 (Department) who is diagnosing a patient’s observed symptoms needs to make a Reason + Medicine task roll using two 20-sided dice against a Difficulty of 2. The player decides to spend 2 Momentum points from the group’s reserve, adding a third d20 to the dice pool. The dice result in rolls of 2, 11, and 20. Each die rolling 14 or less earns one success point, but since the 2 result is equal to or below the character’s Medicine rating of 4, that die counts as 2 successes. However, the natural 20 result also indicates the game master either adds a Complication or gains 2 Threat. In the final result, the character has three successes (enough to make a correct diagnosis and bank one extra point to the player group’s reserve Momentum), and the player lets the game master impose a Complication. The GM decides to create the Trait “Highly Contagious” regarding this patient’s disease.

STA2e 2d20 Rules Glossary

The below list of terms focuses just on rules, not really much Star Trke lore. Page numbers reference the STA2e Standard Edition’s PDF and print versions (MUH0142401, ISBN 978-1-80281-223-7). Comparisons sometimes reference Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), only because more gamers know those rules than know 2d20 TTRPGs.

Acclaim: A character stat earned through post-mission Reputation rolls, used for certain actions or to purchase Awards (e.g. Medal of Valor, Star Cross). (p. 172)

Armor: Adds to a target’s Resistance/Protection, a damage reduction rule for characters in Personal Conflict (melee and ranged combat). For starship armor, see Resistance instead. (p. 292 for rules, p. 244 for list of armor and protective gear)

Assisted/Assistance: When another character or source adds one d20 roll result to the task leader’s successful results. One other character or source may help for free, but additional helpers contributing to the same task cost +1 Momentum per extra assistant. (p. 255, 300, 301, 303)

Attributes: Character natural talents (Control, Daring, Fitness, Insight, Presence, and Reason), much like Ability Scores in D&D. Attributes are added with Departments to get task roll target numbers to roll under with 20-sided dice. (Rules for Attributes are comparable to how Systems work for starships.) (p. 88)

Augments: Genetically enhanced characters (like Khan Noonien Singh’s family) who may take special Talents during character creation. (Role-playing note: In Star Trek lore, augments historically have faced prejudice ever since Earth’s Eugenics Wars in the 21st century.) (p. 114, 155)

Awards: Special character benefits (e.g. Medal of Valor, Star Cross) purchased with Acclaim points. (p. 173)

Breach: A severe hit on a starship leading to the loss of a specific system or destruction of an entire starship. (See more details under Damage to Starships.) (p. 310, 311)

Break: A character resting for at least half an hour to recover 8 Stress. (p. 278)

Breakthrough Points: Stages in an Extended Task at which a situation changes, such as the effectiveness of a ship’s Shields to stop Shaken and Breach damage results. (p. 272, 330)

Breather: A character resting for a few minutes to recover 4 Stress. (p. 278)

Challenge: A series of Extended Tasks to resolve an effort involving several larger processes. (p. 268, 329, 332)

Challenge Dice: An obsolete rule found in STA RPG First Edition that was dropped from the game’s second edition; just mentioning it here for clarity to players of the previous game. (See the Mophidius blog post)

Complication: A critical fumble from a high task dice roll, typically creating a new negative Trait that usually drives up future task Difficulty scores for specific tasks and situations. A player may choose to avoid causing a Complication by adding 2 Threat to the game master’s Threat pool. (The bad outcome doesn’t happen right away, but twice as much trouble will surface later.) In starship conflicts, attacks lose 1 Damage for each Complication rolled. (p. 258, 309; negative Traits, p. 321)

Consequence: Stages in an Extended Task at which a situation worsens, often with Setbacks triggered at specific points. (p. 331)

Counterattack: If an attack was an opposed task and the target won, the target may either move out of Reach range (if in melee) or spend 2 Momentum to inflict an Injury upon the attacker. Stun Injury or Deadly Injury depends on how the target is armed; an unarmed strike causes only a Stun Injury. The initial attacker can use the Avoid Injury rule and lose Stress equal to the counterattack’s Severity instead of suffering the injury. (p. 290)

Cover: Stuff to hide behind, a possible feature of a Zone that turns an enemy’s ranged attack into an opposed task. (Cover does not provide any Resistance to reduce damage.) (p. 287)

Crew Support: A starship rating equal to its Scale, used to activate minor characters during starship conflicts. (p. 185)

Cybernetics: Bionics, implants, and artificial body parts for cyborgs; rules may grant special Talents or just work as a type of equipment. (p. 114, 155, 245)

d20: Shorthand for a 20-sided die. In STA2e, rolling multiple dice in dice pool counts each roll as a separate result, not as numbers to be added together; 2d20 means rolling two 20-sided dice and looking at the number each one rolled. (This rule differs from D&D, where “2d20” would mean adding two dice to get a single number between 2 and 40.) (p. 8)

Damage To Characters: Harm from successful melee and ranged attacks, or dangerous hazards. Typical attack damage is based on a weapon’s Severity, possibly increased by an attacker spending Momentum (+1 Severity for 2 Momentum, or +2 Severity for 4 Momentum). Other modifiers may include Weapon Qualities, certain character Talents, situational Traits, and Minor/Major Actions by the attacker. For each successful hit, Damage is reduced by a target’s Resistance (Protection) (unless the attack has the “Piercing” Weapon Quality). Any remaining Damage will affect the targeted character and cause an Injury, unless the character expends Stress points instead through the “Avoid Injury” rule. (p. 290, 292)

Stun Damage: Unarmed strikes (punches and kicks), anesthetic hypospray, phasers set to “stun.” A Stun Injury leaves the targeted character Defeated (Prone and no more actions for a scene). A successful “First Aid” Major Action (Daring + Medicine versus Difficulty 2) removes this Defeated condition. Once the character is no longer Defeated, all Stun Injuries end.
Deadly Damage: Bladed melee weapons, phasers set to “kill,” disruptors, plasma weapons. A player character choosing to cause deadly damage automatically adds 1 Threat for later use by the game master. A Deadly Injury leaves the targeted character both Defeated (Prone and no more actions for a scene) and Dying (dead if not given medical aid before the end of the scene). A successful “First Aid” Major Action (Daring + Medicine task versus Difficulty 2) removes this Defeated condition. A Deadly Injury can be treated and the Dying condition removed with a successful task of Daring + Medicine versus a Difficulty equal to the Injury’s Severity. Multiple Deadly Injuries require multiple task rolls.
Avoid Injury Option (Lose Stress): Instead of suffering a Stun or Deadly Injury, the “Avoid Injury” rule allows a character to expend Stress equal to the attack’s Damage/Severity and not suffer any injury effects (“the character just narrowly dodged out of the way”). (p. 292)
Non-Player Characters: Minor NPCs are automatically Defeated (and maybe Dying) from any successful attack. Notable NPCs may “Avoid Injury” once per scene by expending Threat. Major NPCs may “Avoid Injury” as long as Threat is available. (p. 291)

Damage To Starships: Harm from successful energy weapon or torpedo attacks, ramming into things, or dangerous space hazards. Typical attack damage is based on a weapon’s damage rating, possibly increased by an attacker spending Momentum (+1 damage for 2 Momentum, or +2 damage for 4 Momentum). Other modifiers may include Weapon Qualities, certain character and starship Talents, situational Traits, and Minor/Major Actions taken through various Stations (crew role positions). In starship conflicts, attacks lose 1 Damage for each Complication rolled.

For each successful hit, Damage is reduced by a target’s Resistance (unless the attack has the “Piercing” Weapon Quality). Any remaining Damage reduces the target’s points in Shields. When a starship loses half its Shields, further hits start to have greater effects (see below). (p. 306, 308, 310, 311)

Shields between 100% to 51%: Successful hits of damage reduce points from the target’s Shields but have no effect on the targeted starship itself (unless a special rule notes otherwise).
Shields at 50% or Less: When damage reduces a ship’s Shields below 50% of its full points, a hit makes the ship Shaken (condition/trait) and forces the ship’s commander to pick a result from the Shaken Minor Damage Results table (lose a Major Action next turn, lose Reserve Power, or suffer a Complication). NPC ships just lose one Major Action the following turn.
Shields at 25% or Less: If Shields are below 25% and the targeted ship is already Shaken, a new hit instead causes a Breach affecting a random system (or the attacker’s choice of system if using the “Targeting Solution” Minor Action). Random System Hits (d20): 1, Communications; 2, Computers; 3 to 6, Engines; 7 to 9, Sensors; 10 to 16, Structure; 18 to 20, Weapons. (p. 307)
Shields at 0%: “Shields are down!” Every hit now causes a Breach.
Regaining Points in Shields: In starship conflict, the “Regenerate Shields” Major Action under the Operations/Engineering Station options allows a ship to use its Reserve Power (if available) and roll a Control + Engineering task versus Difficulty 2 (assisted 1d20 by the ship’s Structure + Engineering). If a ship is at Shields 0, roll versus Difficulty 3 instead. If successful, Shields regain points equal to the task leader’s Engineering department value, or Engineering+2 if also spending 2 Momentum, +4 for 4 Momentum, or +6 for 6 Momentum.
System Breaches: When a single system takes a number of Breach hits equal to half the ship’s Scale (round up), that system is destroyed (i.e. “weapons are offline”).
Total Ship Breaches: If a ship takes an overall number of Breaches equal to its Scale, it suffers Critical Damage (condition/trait), can no longer function, and can take no actions. If its Engines have also been destroyed, a warp core explosion is imminent. (A crew may stabilize the ship’s reactor with a Daring + Engineering or Control + Engineering task versus Difficulty 3, or eject the warp core reactor with Daring + Engineering versus Difficulty 2.)
Patching Breaches: In starship conflict, the “Damage Control” Major Action under some Station options allows a character make a Presence + Engineering task roll versus Difficulty 2, plus +1 Difficulty per additional degree of Potency. If successful, the penalties and effects of one Breach hit are removed.
All Hands, Abandon Ship: A main or supporting character abandoning a Critically Damaged ship takes the “Change Position” Minor Action and rolls a Daring + Conn task versus Difficulty 0 to reach an escape pod (or similar exit method). For non-player characters, half the ship’s NPCs may escape in one round, the other half in a following round.
Ship Destruction: Once at Critical Damage, any further Breach hit destroys the ship and all still aboard.

Defeated: A condition in which an attacked character becomes Prone (knocked down) and unable to act due to stun or deadly Damage; usually happens when Stress is maxed out (kinda like having “zero hit points” left). Recovering from being Defeated is possible through successful First Aid (Daring + Medicine task versus Difficulty 2), but treating a Deadly Injury (and its related Traits, if any) is a separate roll (Daring + Medicine versus Difficulty equal to the injury’s Severity). (Also see Damage.) (p. 292)

Departments: Broad character skill categories (Command, Conn, Engineering, Security, Medicine, and Science); called Disciplines in STA first edition. Departments are added with character Attributes or starship Systems to get task roll target numbers to roll under with a dice pool of 20-sided dice. (p. 90)

Determination: When one of a character’s Values fits or challenges a task, one Determination point make be expended for dice re-rolls after the task roll, or cause automatic “natural 1” critical success results (2 successes) before the task roll, or gain a one-time use of a Talent the character does not otherwise possess. A new character starts with one Determination point and may gain more Determination by either challenging or complying with that character’s Values during play. A character may hold a maximum of three Determination points at once. (p. 261)

Dice Pool: An ability check method in which a player rolls multiple dice at once to determine the outcome of a task, any action or test where success or failure are interesting to the game’s story. In STA2e, the default dice pool is two 20-sided dice (2d20), but the dice pool could be less (1d20 for an Assistance roll) or more (3d20, 4d20, or 5d20 due to Momentum, Threat, and/or special abilities). (p. 8)

Difficult Terrain: Distances that affect character or starship movement by requiring Momentum to cross. If no Momentum points are available, a “Sprint” Major Action (Fitness + Security versus Difficult 0) may generate the needed Momentum. (p. 286)

Difficulty: The number of success points a character must get on a task roll to have a desired outcome, ranging from 0 (simple and routine) to 5 (epic and nearly impossible). Difficulty 0 tasks typically are just used to generate Momentum for the player group’s reserve. Traits often affect Difficulty, driving this number up or down based on the Trait’s Potency. (p. 254)

Difficulty Example: Ranged attacks in Personal Conflict are Control + Security versus Difficulty 2. A character with phaser attempting to shoot a target at Close range must roll at least two successes in a Control + Security task roll.

Disarm: An optional additional maneuver in personal conflict to make an opponent drop a held object to within Reach range/distance, costing 1 Momentum for a one-handed object (e.g. dagger, Type-1 phaser pistol) or 2 Momentum for a two-handed object (e.g. heavy blade, rifle). (p. 293)

Dying: A condition when a character is taken down by a deadly injury; the character dies at the end of a scene unless helped. (Also see Damage.) (p. 292)

Environmental Hazards: Places rated as Hazardous, Hostile, or Deadly for causing harm due to high radiation, extreme temperatures, corrosive atmospheres, or other dangers. Damage rates vary (replace “X” with a number). (STA2e Game Toolkit, p. 39)

Hazardous: Causes X damage per hour or per day. An environmental suit protects the wearer from this damage.
Hostile: Causes X damage per minute. An environmental suit protects the wearer for up to one hour of exposure before failing and damage begins.
Deadly: Causes X damage per round. An environmental suit fails quickly, but a proper spacesuit protects for short periods of time.

Eras of Play: Suggested setting periods from Star Trek’s future history, each with a different play style (22nd century Archer’s Enterprise NX-01; 23rd century Pike/Kirk’s Enterprise; 24th century Picard’s Enterprise-D; 32nd century post-Burn Discovery). Players can freely set campaign stories outside of Starfleet as well (civilian colonists, Orion pirate crews, Klingon patrol cruiser troops, factions of the Temporal War, warlords of the “Mirror Universe” Terran Empire). (p. 30, 79)

Escalation Costs: A character inventory rule in which dangerous items may be acquired by adding Threat. (p. 239)

Extended Tasks: Multiple task rolls needed to complete some sort of outcome or long-term work, measured with either a Progress track (toward something good) or Trouble track (toward something bad). (p. 268, 271, 329)

Fatigued: A condition when a character exhausts all Stress, suffering +1 Difficulty on all further task rolls and automatically failing any task using one specific “shut down” Attribute (chosen by the character’s player). This condition is much less limiting than Defeated, frequently a different “all out of Stress” problem in which a character cannot even attempt actions until a scene ends. (See Stress, Defeated.) (p. 278)

Focus (Characters): Specific skill specialties (Astrophysics, Gambling, Martial Arts, Transporters/Replicators, etc.) that increase chances for a critical success when making task rolls for characters. When a Focus fits a task, any d20 die rolling equal to or less than the task’s related Department number scores 2 successes instead of 1. (p. 93)

Focus (Starships): Ships do not have specific Focuses but treat every ship-based task roll as if Focus rules applied: Each d20 rolling equal to or less than the ship’s relevant Department number scores 2 successes instead of 1. This rule typically comes into play from 1d20 Assist rolls to affect a character task leader’s success results. (p. 182)

Impact: A measure of tracking successes for Extended Tasks equal to the Department used for that task. Spending 2 Momentum boosts Impact by +1, or 4 Momentum for +2, or 6 Momentum for +3. (p. 271)

Influences: Questions to ask that have a positive and/or negative effect on building a character’s dice pool for a Reputation roll at the end of a mission, earning points of Acclaim or Reprimand. The target number is based on 7 + the character’s Reputation. (Attributes and Departments do not affect this roll.) (p. 171)

Injury/Injuries: An effect of attacks and hazards; measured by a Severity to determine Difficulty to treat, and if left untreated, increases the Difficulty of longer-term healing. (See Damage to Characters for more details). (p. 292)

Lifepath: STA2e’s term for the steps of character creation. Stats and abilities are determined by a player’s decisions on several factors: Species (including augment or cyborg options), Environment and Upbringing (homeworld and surrounding culture during youth), Career Path (including Command, Operations, or Sciences if in Starfleet), Experience (novice, experienced, or veteran), two different Career Events, and Finishing Touches (final customizations). In addition, a character’s role (position or job aboard a starship) also provides abilities and typically assigns a Station (crew role) of special Minor Actions and Major Actions for starship conflicts. (p. 98)

Main Character: A player’s core character, often a member of a Starfleet ship’s bridge crew or senior staff. (Compare to Supporting Characters, Non-Player Characters.) (p. 98)

Minor Action/Major Action: Options available to characters during a social, personal, or starship conflict (i.e. movement, attacks, creating new traits, and various other rules). Typically only one Minor Action and one Major Action may be done in each character’s turn, but spending 1 Momentum allow a character to do one extra Minor Action, or for 2 Momentum do one extra Major Action woth +1 Difficulty to tasks. Talking between characters is a free action not counted as either a Major or Minor Action. (p. 288, 289)

Mission Profile: A property of starships that adds features and bonuses to a spaceframe matching a ship’s primary role (e.g. Battlecruiser, Explorer, Survey). (p. 212)

Momentum: A pool of up to 6 points shared by all players to spend during play to gain extra d20s on task rolls, take extra actions, enhance various effects, or perform special abilities. (Think of Momentum as the party’s “bank of optional modifier currency.”) Momentum points are earned each time a player character’s task dice earn successes exceeding the minimum Difficulty needed for a task. Any additional Momentum earned beyond the party’s maximum reserve total of 6 points are lost. A player’s temporary Bonus Momentum does not count toward the 6-maximum group limit, so technically there could be a situation where more than 6 Momentum (group reserve points plus character’s temporary points) are used for one task result. (See Bonus Momentum for “immediate use only” rules; also, compare to Threat.) (p. 259)

Momentum Example: A character rolling four successes on a Difficulty 2 task would add two Momentum points to the players’ shared Momentum reserve for later use. A minute later, another player attempts a task roll and draws one Momentum point from the group’s reserve to add one 20-sided die for results, rolling three dice (3d20) instead of two (2d20) and thus gaining a greater chance of earning successes (but also possibly more Complications).

Natural 1/Natural 20: When a 20-sided die (d20) rolls a result of 1 or 20, resulting in a critical success (for a 1) or added Complication or +2 Threat (for a 20). More complicated tasks may score a Complication on dice rolling results less than 20. (p. 258)

Non-Player Character (NPC): A character or creature controlled by the Game Master (compare to Major Characters and Supporting Characters). An adversary NPC spends Threat for bonuses, while an ally NPC may add or spend from the player group’s Momentum reserve pool. NPCs never get Determiniation but may spend 3 Threat to gain the same benefits when needed. Some NPCs may have Talents, including NPC-only options (p. 349) and special feature rules (p. 350). NPCs generally fall into three categories (noted below). (p. 86, 291, 346)

Minor NPCS: Rank-and-file personnel, ordinary people, minions, bystanders (“background actors”) with simple stats (no Focuses or Values). No personal Threat available. Instantly Defeated by anything causes an Injury.
Notable NPCs: Dedicated and resourceful skill specialists (“actors with a couple lines of dialouge, maybe a name”) with max. Stress equal to half Fitness (rule of thumb, 4 Stress), a few Focuses, and one Value. Typically has 3 Personal Threat. Can “Avoid Injury” one per scene by spending Threat equal to an attack’s Severity.
Major NPCs: Leaders, regular allies, or recurring adversaries with a wide range of skills and abilities (“actors with their names in the opening credits”) with full stats like players’ Main Characters. Typically has 6 Personal Threat. Can “Avoid Injury” as much as needed as long as there is enough Threat available.

Obstacles: Objects, walls, or gaps that affect a character’s movement by requiring Momentum to cross. If no Momentum points are available, a “Sprint” Major Action (Fitness + Security versus Difficult 0) may generate the needed Momentum. (p. 287)

Opportunity Costs: A character equipment inventory rule in which Momentum is used to acquire items and gear. (p. 239)

Opposed Tasks: Two characters and/or NPCs make task rolls against each other to determine a task outcome. (p. 256)

Personal Conflict: Character-to-character (or character-to-target) combat, melee and ranged attacks, with a goal of causing damage. (See Weapons and Weapon Attacks, Damage to Characters.) (p. 284)

Potency: A measure of how much a given Trait may affect Difficulty for task rolls. (p. 321)

Prone: A condition (trait) often caused by a character becoming Defeated (condition/trait) due to an injury. Being Prone make a target +1 Difficulty to hit with a ranged attack from Medium distance or further; if also in a Zone with Cover, target gains +1 Protection. Melee and Ranged Attacks at Close range against a Prone character gain 2 Bonus Momentum only for immediate use against a Prone target. “Stand/Drop Prone” is a Minor Action. A Prone character may not attempt movement-related Major Actions. (p. 288)

Protection: A damage reduction rule for characters, gained from armor or special abilities, that improves a target’s Resistance. (p. 292 for rules, p. 244 for list of armor and protective gear)

Reprimands: Special character penalties (e.g. court martial, demotion, detention) used to expend Reprimand points earned from post-mission Reputation rolls. (p. 175)

Reputation: A character stat used to measure influence, oppose accusations, and boost post-mission Reputation rolls; starting player characters begin with a Reputation rating of 3. (p. 169, 170, 171)

Reserve Power: A special feature of player characters’ starships (not NPC ships), used to do certain actions (regenerate shields, reroute power, or engage warp). (p. 185, 296)

Resistance: A damage reduction rule in which Resistance points are subtracted from incoming damage. Resistance is based on character’s Protection (armor, special abilities), or on a starship’s (Scale/2) + Structure modifier. (p. 185, 308, 331)

Scale: A relative rating of a starship’s size, ranging from 1 (a small shuttlecraft) to 8 or more (a huge starbases or space station). Scale factors into determining a ship’s Shields and survival against multiple Breach hits (heavy damage in starship combat). (p. 182)

Severity: A degree of damage or other type of effect, often used as a Difficulty to avoid an effect or repair the outcome of something harmful. The most common example is the Severity of an Injury, used as the base Difficulty for medical treatment tasks. If a character suffers multiple wounds, each must be treated individually at its own Severity. (p. 277)

Shaken: A condition from hits on a starship once Shields have dropped to 50% or less. Possible effects include losing use of a major action, losing reserve power, or driving up a negative trait via a Complication. (p. 308)

Shields: A track of a starship’s forcefield points based on a ship’s Structure + Scale + Security. Successful attacks on a starship reduce the ship’s points of Shields. A ship’s Resistance value reduces Damage before subtracting points from Shields. (Note that unlike in some Star Trek RPGs, STA2e rules do not distinguish areas of shield coverage such as “forward,” “aft,” “port,” “starboard,” “dorsal,” or “ventral.”) When a starship loses half its Shields points, further hits start to have greater effects (see Damage to Starships). (p. 185, 303, 309)

Example: A 23rd century Klingon D7 battlecruiser has a Shields rating of 17. This means…

Shields 8 to 17 points: No risk to the battlecruiser itself.
Shields 5 to 7 points: Battlecruiser becomes Shaken, suffering various possible hindrances.
Shields 1 to 4 points: Battlecruiser becomes Shaken, or if already Shaken, starts taking Breach hits (severe damage that can knock systems offline and, if equalling a ship’s Scale, makes a ship vulnerable to blow up from further damage).
Shields 0 points: Every new hit causes a Breach.
Regaining Points in Shields: In starship conflict, the “Regenerate Shields” Major Action under the Operations/Engineering Station options allows a ship to use its Reserve Power (if available) and roll a Control + Engineering task versus Difficulty 2 (assisted 1d20 by the ship’s Structure + Engineering). If a ship is at Shields 0, roll versus Difficulty 3 instead. If successful, Shields regain points equal to the task leader’s Engineering department value, or Engineering+2 if also spending 2 Momentum, +4 for 4 Momentum, or +6 for 6 Momentum.

Sleep: A character resting and eating a meal over several hours to recover all Stress. (p. 278)

Social Conflict: Combat-like rules for persuasion, deception, intimidation, and negotiation opposed task rolls. When a character fails a social task against an opponent, they must either yield to the opponent’s request or lose Stress equal to the number of successes the opponent achieved in the opposed roll. In some cases a Trait may be created, such as stating a lie is now considered by most to be true after a deception task success. (p. 278)

Spaceframe: A property of starships comparing scale size and base features in a class of ship (e.g. Constitution-class, Galaxy-class, Klingon D7). (p. 195)

Species: A character’s genetic ancestry or biological nature (sometimes called “alien race” in other older RPGs). The STA2e core book includes rules for Andorian, Aenar, Bajoran, Betazoid, Cardassian, Denobulan, Ferengi, Human, Klingon, Orion, Romulan, Tellarite, Trill, and Vulcan characters. Additional species options are found in other STA sourcebooks. (p. 99)

Starship Conflict: Ship-to-ship combat; characters’ lists of available Minor and Major Actions are based on bridge station or other roles. The conflict goal is typically to wear down a target’s Shields to cause breach hits and disable specific systems, or simply exceed a target’s Scale size rating with breach damage and destroy it. (See Damage to Starships, Shields.) (p. 294)

Stations (Starship Crew): Character roles in starship conflict (space combat), each with unique sets of Minor and Major actions. Station roles includes Command (typically the captain), Communications, Helmsman, Navigator, Operations, Sensor Operations (typically the science officer), and Tactical. During a turn, a character may switch to a different Station role by doing the “Change Position” Minor Action or “Overrride” Major Action (Difficulty +1). (p. 299)

Stress: A track of points expended by failed social conflicts and avoiding injuries from personal combat, risking a character becoming Fatigued. (Kinda like “hit points” from other TTRPGs.) Stress is based on a character’s Fitness rating. Lost points in Stress may be recovered by a Breather (few minutes for recovering 4 Stress), Break (half hour or more for 8 Stress), Sleep (full sleep plus meal for all Stress), or spending Momentum (2 per each point of Stress recovered). (p. 93, 277)

Successes: The number of d20 task dice rolling equal to or less than a character’s target number (one Attribute + one Department). For each task, the rules and/or game master sets the number of Successes needed to get an intended outcome (noted as a task’s Difficulty number). (p. 259)

Success At Cost: A rule allowing a player character to automatically succeed at a task but then automatically create a new Complication. Dice are still rolled for possible successes or more Complications. Momentum may not be used for modifying tasks following this rule. (p. 259)

Supporting Characters: Quick minor characters controlled by players, often used to represent staff from the rest of a starship’s crew besides the Main Characters, who are often senior staff or bridge crew. This rule can add more numbers for a small player group or fill a skillset that none of the Main Characters possess. (p. 144)

Systems (Star System): Planets, moons, and other objects in orbit around one or multiple stars. Planets are often named for their position within a star system (i.e. “Ceti Alpha V is in the fifth planetary orbit of the Ceti Alpha system”). A system is bigger in scale than a planet but smaller than a sector, quadrant, or galaxy. (p. 64)

Systems (Starships): Essential functions of a starship’s intrinsic capabilities (Comms, Computers, Engines, Sensors, Structure, and Weapons), much like Ability Scores from D&D. Systems are added with Departments to get task roll target numbers to roll under with 20-sided dice. (Rules for Systems are comparable to how Attributes work for individual characters.) (p. 180)

Talents: Rules for character and starship special abilites (“when X happens, you may do Y”), typically granting dice re-rolls for certain tasks or special rules for Momentum. (Kinda like Class features or Feats from D&D5e, or playbook-specific Moves from Powered by the Apocalypse RPGs.) (p. 95)

Threat: A spendable resource that game masters may use to make situations more difficult or give bonuses to non-player characters (NPCs). Players may decide to give the game master more Threat in exchange for points they may immediately use in place of Momentum for tasks and actions. Player characters also may add to a GM’s Threat reserve through their actions, such as initiating an attack to cause Deadly Damage or using Momentum to acquire dangerous weapons or gear. Unlike for player group Momentum, there is no maximum limit to how much Threat a game master may hold at once. (p. 264, 292, 317, 323)

Turn Order: A way to determine when characters are taking actions during a round of conflict, typically flipping turns between player characters and game master-controlled non-player characters (NPC), unless either side spends Momentum to take two or more turns in a row during the same round. (Similar to Initiative in D&D.) (p. 277)

Traits: Brief condition notations on characters, scenes, or settings that may change task Difficulty ratings up or down, or may prevent certain actions until the Trait is changed. (p. 87, 250, 321)

Treknobabble: Science-fiction nonsense words players may use to sound more “Starfleet-ish” (i.e. “I need to modify the macroscopic chroniton frequency compensator”). (p. 252)

TTRPG: Shorthand for “tabletop role-playing game,” any collaborative storytelling game where players assume the roles of characters and use rules, dice, and imagination to navigate challenges and situations in shared narrative world described by group’s “game master” player. (p. 4)

Values: Short statements about character’s guiding principles (kinda like “Ideals/Bonds/Flaws” from D&D5e 2014). A Value is used with Determination for changing task dice roll outcomes, using unusual Talents, and earning more Determination (up to a individual maximum of 3 at any given time). When a character chooses to “challenge” a Value in play, that Value may end up being changed at the conclusion of a mission. (p. 87, 322)

Weapons and Weapon Attacks (Character Personal Conflicts): A weapon attack task roll is based either on an unarmed strike or melee weapon against a target within reach (using Daring + Security versus Difficulty 1), or shooting/ranged weapon a target within sight (using Control + Security versus Difficulty 2). A target in a Zone that provides Cover turns the attack into an Opposed Task. Damage from successful attacks is based on a Weapon’s Severity, possibly plus attacker Momentum spending or Weapon Qualities. Main characters attacking to cause Deadly Damage add 1 Threat for the game master to use later. (Also see Damage, Counterattack) (p. 290, 292; list of personal weapons on p. 243)

Weapon Qualities: Extra rules (targeting, damage, other features) that apply when using specific weapons. (See examples below.) (p. 241 for personal combat weapons, p. 226 for starship weaponry)

Charge: The “Prepare” Minor Action before attacking adds one of the following qualities to the attack: Area, Intense, or Piercing. If you choose Area, the attack’s Severity is reduced by 1.
Hidden #: A Minor Action can conceal this weapon. Any search for the weapon requires an Insight + Security or Reason + Security task with a Difficulty of the Hidden quality’s number (#).
Piercing: A successful attack with this weapon ignores the target’s Protection rating.

Weapon Severity: A measure of how much Damage a weapon causes and the level of Difficulty needed to treat Injuries created by that weapon. In a successful attack task roll, a weapon’s Severity can be increased by an attacker spending Momentum (+1 Severity for 2 Momentum, or +2 Severity for 4 Momentum). Weapon Qualities may affect a weapon’s Severity. (See examples below.) (p. 241, 243, 293)

Unarmed Strike: Melee, Stun Damage, 2 Severity
Blade: Melee, Deadly Damage, 3 Severity
Phaser Type-1: Ranged, Stun or Deadly Damage, 3 Severity, charge and hidden 1 qualities
Phaser Type-3 (Phaser Rifle): Ranged, Stun or Deadly Damage, 5 Severity, 2-handed, accurate and charge qualities

Weapon Systems (for Starship Conflicts): Either energy beams (e.g. phasers, disruptors, tetryon beams) or torpedoes (e.g. photon, photonic, gravimetric). Each differs in range, “to hit” Difficulty, damage, and weapon qualities (like Talents for attacks). Spending 2 Momentum increases an attack’s Severity by +1, while 4 Momentum increases by +2. For 2 Momentum, a starship may make a devastating attack that hits one additional ship’s system. (p. 226, 307)

Zone: An abstract measure of range distance; Reach (for characters) or Contact (for starships) is basically touching; Close is a character’s or ship’s same zone/0 zones away, Medium is an adjacent zone/1 zone away, Long is 2 zones away, and Extreme is 3 or more zones away. (p. 286, 295)

Quickest 2d20 Rules

TASKS

Task Dice Pool: 2d20 base, or 3d20, 4d20, or 5d20 with 1, 3, or 6 Momentum and/or Threat.
Dice: Results based on each die result, not totals of dice added together.
Task Target Number: One character Attribute number + one character Department number.
Difficulty: How many rolled d20s must be equal or less than a task’s target number for the character’s intended outcome to happen.
Natural 1 Roll: Each d20 rolling a 1 counts as 2 toward success.
Task Within Focus (Skill Specialty): Each d20 rolling equal to or under the task’s Department number counts as 2 toward success.
Natural 20 Roll: Adds one Complication or 2 Threat for the game master’s use later.
Assistance: The first helper makes a task roll with just 1d20; the result only counts if the task leader got 1 or more successful d20 results. Additional helpers cost 1 Momentum each.
Success d20s Above Difficulty: Each extra successful d20 adds one point to a group’s reserve of Momentum (holding up to maximum of 6 points at once).

Also…

Traits: May raise or lower Difficulty on some tasks.
Talents: Triggers special rules for various specific situations.
Values: Brief statements of beliefs, morals, ideals.
Determination: If a task fits or contrasts a Value, a character may expend Determination to re-roll d20s after a roll, automatically score a “1” result on one d20 before the roll, or gain a one-time use of a new Talent.
Momentum: A reserve of up to 6 points shared by among all player characters, to be spent for enchanced dice rolls, performing extra actions, or gaining other benefits. (Think of is as “a bank of modifier currency.”)
Threat: A reserve of points controlled by the game master to enchance rival NPC dice rolls and add trouble to adventures. (Players pick when to add Threat in exchange for temporary character benefits or to avoid triggering immediate complications.)

TASK EXAMPLES

Pilot a starship through asteroids (Control + Conn)
Use a transporter (Control + Engineering)
Climbing or swimming (Fitness + Security)
Influence a hostile foe (Presence + Command)
Diagnose observed symptoms (Reason + Medicine)
Research unfamiliar topics (Reason + Science)

PERSONAL CONFLICTS (CHARACTER VERSUS CHARACTER COMBAT)

Combat Turns: Alternates between player characters and opposing NPCs.
Combat Actions: One Minor Action and one Major Action per turn.
Combat Ranges: Reach (within touch), Close (same zone), Medium (an adjacent zone), Long (two zones away), Extreme (3 or more zones away).
Movement: Go to Medium range (to adjacent zone) as a Minor Action, or Long (two zones away) as a Major Action.
Fighting/Melee Attacks: Daring + Security versus Difficulty 1.
Shooting/Ranged Attacks: Control + Security versus Difficulty 2.
Weapon Damage: Reduced by Resistance/Protection, then damage reduces Stress or causes an Injury.
Stun Injury: Defeated (drop prone, no more actions in scene).
Deadly Injury: Defeated and Dying (dead unless medically helped before end of scene).

STARSHIP CONFLICTS (SHIP VERSUS SHIP COMBAT)

Starship Combat Turns, Actions, Ranges: Same as Personal Conflict rules above.
Stations: Lists of Minor and Major Action options for a specific crew position role.
Energy Weapon Attack: Control + Security versus Difficulty 2.
Torpedo Attack: Control + Security versus Difficulty 3.
Starship Attack Complications: Each complication triggered by high starship attack task rolls lowers that attack’s weapon damage by 1.
Starship Attack Assistance: 1d20 for ship’s Weapons + Security, only counts if the attack’s leader got one or more successful d20 results.
Starship Damage: Reduced by Resistance, then damage reduces Shields.
Shields 50%: If Shields are under 50%, a ship is Shaken (light damage).
Shields 25%: If Shields are below 25% and a ship is already Shaken, a hit causes a Breach (heavy damage) harming a random system on the ship.
Shields Down: If Shields 0%, every hit causes a Breach.
System Outage: Any system taking a number of Breaches equal to half the ship’s Scale is destroyed.
Ship Destruction: When the total number of Breach hits equals the ship’s Scale, the whole starship is destroyed.

Momentum Costs

List does not include options only available in specific Talents or other special abilities.

General Uses
1	Buy 1 Extra d20/Create Opportunity: Add one extra d20 to a task dice pool (up to a maximum pool of 5d20). (p. 260)
3	Buy 2 Extra d20s/Create Opportunity: Add two extra d20 to a task dice pool (up to a maximum pool of 5d20). (p. 260)
6	Buy 3 Extra d20s/Create Opportunity: Add three extra d20 to a task dice pool (up to a maximum pool of 5d20). (p. 260)
2	Create or Alter a Trait: Change, increase potency, or remove a scene trait related to a task. (p. 260)
0	Assist Another’s Task (1 Helper): Allow a single helping character to roll a 1d20 versus task Difficulty, possibly added success or Complication to the successful result of the task leader character’s outcome. (If the task leader got zero successes, ignore Assist results.) (p. 255)
1	Assist Another’s Task (2 Helpers): Allow two helping characters to each roll a 1d20 versus task Difficulty, possibly added success or Complication to the successful result of the task leader character’s outcome. (If the task leader got zero successes, ignore Assist results.) (p. 255)
2	Assist Another’s Task (3 Helpers): Allow three helping characters (as noted above) (p. 255)
3	Assist Another’s Task (4 Helpers): Allow four helping characters (as noted above) (p. 255)
4	Assist Another’s Task (5 Helpers): Allow five helping characters (as noted above) (p. 255)
1	Take Extra Minor Action: Do one extra minor action during a turn. (p. 260)
2	Take Extra Major Action/Swift Action: Do one extra major action during a turn, but tasks are Difficulty +1. (p. 260)
1	Obtain Information (1 Question): Ask a question related to a task and the GM must answer. (No cost if reply is “I don’t know.”) (p. 260)
2	Obtain Information (2 Questions): Ask two questions. (p. 260)
3	Obtain Information (3 Questions): Ask three questions. (p. 260)
2	Recovery (+1 Stress): A character instantly regains 1 Stress. (p. 278)
4	Recovery (+2 Stress): A character instantly regains 2 Stress. (p. 278)
6	Recovery (+3 Stress): A character instantly regains 3 Stress. (p. 278)
2	Reduce Time (Half Duration): Cut the duration of a task in half. (p. 260)
2	Reduce Time (Cut Interval): Remove an interval from a Challenge (p. 269)
2	Additional Impact Progress (+1): Add 1 to an extended task’s Impact. (p. 271)
4	Additional Impact Progress (+2): Add 2 to an extended task’s Impact. (p. 271)
6	Additional Impact Progress (+3): Add 3 to an extended task’s Impact. (p. 271)
Acquiring Equipment, Suiting Up For Hazard Duty
0	Opportunity Cost (Standard Issue): Acquire a standard issue, easily obtainable item. Examples: Communicator, PADD, Universal Translator. (p. 239)
1	Opportunity Cost (Easy Replication): Acquire an easily replicated item or something found in storage lockers. Examples: Mass spectrometer, plasma torch, holgraphic imager, medical monitoring device, emergency surgical kit. (p. 239)
2	Opportunity Cost (Bulk Object): Acquire an item that is bulky, cumbersome, highly specialized, or hard to set up. Example: Anti-grav sled (a levitating cart). (p. 239)
0	Opportunity Cost (Minimal Armor): Acquire an Armored Vest (Protection 1). (p. 244)
1	Opportunity Cost (Personal Forcefield): Acquire a Personal Forcefield (Protection 3), plus add 2 Threat. (p. 244)
1	Opportunity Cost (Spacesuit): Acquire an Environmental Suit (Protection 1). (p. 244)
2	Opportunity and Escalation (Body Armor): Acquire Body Armor (Protection 2), plus add 1 Threat. (p. 244)
Acquiring NPC Support Teams (Science, Medical, Security)
1	Personnel Support (Non-Combat): Gain a team of a half-dozen staff from a single department (works as a Trait). (p. 240)
1	Personnel Support (Combat): Gain a team of a half-dozen staff from the Security department (works as a Trait), also adds 1 Threat. (p. 240)
Personal Movement (Character Combat Moves)
1	Bypassing an Obstacle (Minimal) Wall or barrier up to waist height, or a short jump. (p. 287)
2	Bypassing an Obstacle (Moderate): Wall or barrier up to chest height, or a long jump. (p. 287)
3	Bypassing an Obstacle (Significant): Wall or barrier taller than you, or a long jump with a run-up. (p. 287)
1	Crossing Difficult Terrain (Minimal): Thick mud, loose sand, stairs. (p. 287)
2	Crossing Difficult Terrain (Moderate): Swamp, unstable rubble. (p. 287)
3	Crossing Difficult Terrain (Significant): Steep slope, fast-flowing water. (p. 287)
Personal Conflict (Character Combat Options)
2	Keep the Initiative: Allow your side to take two turns in a row during a conflict. (p. 277)
2	Increase Severity (+1): Add 1 to the damage of a successful attack. (p. 293)
4	Increase Severity (+2): Add 2 to the damage of a successful attack. (p. 293)
6	Increase Severity (+3): Add 3 to the damage of a successful attack. (p. 293)
2	Counterattack: Injure an attacker after winning an opposed Personal Challenge attack task. (p. 290)
1	Direct: Make one ally immediately perform a Major Action to which you assist with Control + Command. (p. 289)
1	Disarm (1-Handed): Make an opponent drop a one-handed held object to within Reach range/distance. (p. 293)
2	Disarm (2-Handed): Make an opponent drop a two-handed held object to within Reach range/distance. (p. 293)
Starship Movement
1	Difficult Terrain (Minimal): Planetary gravity well, dust cloud, debris field (p. 297)
2	Difficult Terrain (Moderate): Stellar Gravity well, dense nebula, comet tail (p. 297)
3	Difficult Terrain (Significant): Singularity gravity well, strange space anomaly (p. 297)
Starship Conflict (Tactical Options)
2	Keep the Initiative: Allow your side to take two turns in a row during a conflict. (p. 277)
2	Add Damage (+1): Add 1 to the damage of a successful attack. (p. 307)
4	Add Damage (+2): Add 2 to the damage of a successful attack. (p. 307)
6	Add Damage (+3): Add 3 to the damage of a successful attack. (p. 307)
2	Devastating Attack: Roll an additional system in an attack, causing half damage on a successful attack. (p. 307)
1	Direct (Command Station Role): Make one ally immediately perform a Major Action to which you assist with Control + Command. (p. 289)
1	Regenerate Shields (Operations/Engineering Station Role): Increase Shields recovery to Engineering department +2. (p. 302)
Weapon Qualities
1	Area (+1 Target): Effect includes one additional target in the same zone as the first target. (p. 226)
2	Area (+2 Targets): Effect includes two additional targets in the same zone as the first target. (p. 226)
3	Area (+3 Targets): Effect includes three additional targets in the same zone as the first target. (p. 226)
1	Intense: Add 1 to the damage of a successful attack. (p. 227)
1	Persistent Weapon (1 Round): Cause half a weapon’s damage rating (round up) at the end of the next round. (p. 227)
2	Persistent Weapon (2 Rounds): Cause half a weapon’s damage rating (round up) at the end of the next two rounds. (p. 227)
3	Persistent Weapon (3 Rounds): Cause half a weapon’s damage rating (round up) at the end of the next three rounds. (p. 227)
1	Spread: Roll an additional system in an attack, causing half damage on a successful attack. (p. 227)