QUICK RULES
For any task, roll one d20 die. If the result is highest than the Difficulty number, you succeed; lower, you fail. An exact match is a mixed result. A final roll of a 20 is always a critical success, while a result of 1 is always a critical fumble.
If two or more characters attempt opposing outcomes on the same task, the highest rolled number wins.
For each Trait, Specialty, Tool, or other bonus a character has for a task, one extra d20 is rolled. The highest single result from among all dice rolled for a task is the only number counted for comparison to the Difficulty value, or compared to an opposing character’s result.
A task outcome’s degree of success can be measured by subtracting the task’s Difficulty from the counted roll number. The remaining number equals the Success Points.
Failing at harmful tasks causes a character to earn Hindrance points. Each Hindrance point removes the benefit of one extra d20 rolled for resolving tasks. If Hindrances outnumber bonus dice, two d20s are rolled and only the lower result is counted, even if a “natural 20” is rolled on one of the dice.
In combat, Success Points are multiplied by an attack’s Damage Multiplier to determine how many Hindrances apply to a hit target. On a critical success from a “natural 20,” this multiplier is doubled. A target’s Defense number, typically based on a target’s size or armor, reduces the number of Hindrances taken from each successful hit.
Hindrance points are removed through rest or repairs at a rate of 1 per hour, or more with special Traits or Tools.
After gaining 10 Hindrance points, a character becomes disabled and cannot move or take physical actions. At 20 Hindrance points, a character is destroyed.
GAME RULES
These are tabletop role-playing game rules, a type of interactive play where each player takes on the role of a specific character in a world controlled by one special player, the Game Master (GM). Rules and dice help everyone agree on what characters can and cannot do in the course of the story. Throughout the game, the GM describes a scene and players take turns describing their characters’ responses.
Traits and Hindrances are used to determine how many 20-sided dice are rolled to resolve task actions. Difficulty values determine is a roll results in an outcome measuring success or failure. Players make all dice rolls, both for their own actions and to avoid harm from attacks and hazards.
Terms
* Attack: A task roll, usually with a weapon, where success points will be used to measure damage against a target.
* Character: A player’s persona and list of abilities in the shared story.
* Critical Fumble: A result of a 1 on a task roll, causing the GM to come up with some sort of bad luck immediately affecting a character.
* d20: A 20-sided die rolled to resolve tasks; sometimes noted as 1d20 for a single die roll, 2d20 for two such dice, 3d20 for three dice, and so forth.
* Damage: A measure of harm from attacks and hazards that cause characters to gain Hindrance points.
* Damage Multiplier: The number of Hindrance points caused per each Success Point when hitting a target in a successful attack task roll.
* Defense: A measure of protection that subtracts points of damage from attacks and hazards affecting a character.
* Difficulty: A shorthand for measuring non-player character and hazard threats as well as the target number that must be exceeded to succeed in task rolls.
* Evade: One of three types of options a character may take during a turn in a combat round, granting one Reroll to all rolls made for avoiding attacks and hazards that round.
* Extreme Effort: A way characters gain Reroll bonuses by choosing to gain Hindrance points.
* Game Master (GM): The player narrating the story beyond the characters’ decisions and adjudicating rules decisions during play.
* Hindrance: A count of penalty points that remove Reroll bonuses, can lead to weakened dice rolls, and ultimate cause a character to become disabled or destroyed.
* Initiative Roll: An open task roll made at the start of a combat battle to determine the order in which characters may take turns.
* Non-Player Character (NPC): A character directly narrated by the Game Master.
* Open Task: A type of task roll that only ranks results regardless of success or failure.
* Opposed Task: A type of task roll comparing the results between two or more characters.
* Reroll: Additional dice rolled to resolve a task, using the highest single result.
* Saving Throw: A task roll a player makes for a character to avoid harm from NPC attacks and other hazards. Failure results in damage and, in most cases, gaining Hindrance points.
* Specialty Traits (Specialties): A description of a job or skill a character may know that may grant Reroll bonuses for specific situations, topics, or actions.
* Success Point: The positive difference between a winning task roll and the task’s Difficulty or the result of an opposing task roll.
* Task: Any action requiring a die roll to measure the intended outcome.
* Teamwork: A way characters gain Reroll bonuses by focusing on the same task roll.
* Trait: One of a dozen keywords describing a character’s exceptional qualities and skills.
Characters and Traits
* Each player should have up one or more 20-sided dice and a sheet listing a character’s name, description, background, Traits, Specialties. Additional ways to take notes, such as pencils and paper or an electronic device, are recommended.
* A Trait grants a Reroll, adding one d20 dice roll for a task and using the highest result.
* Traits may be doubled or tripled to reflect greater degrees of ability. For example, Charm (x2) means that character is exceptionally alluring or charismatic, while Charm (x3) suggests breathtaking gorgeous looks or mesmerizing leadership.
* Specialty Traits reflect more limited areas of training or topic knowledge. Each works like a basic Trait for a Reroll bonus but only applies when dealing directly with tasks fitting under that Specialty.
* Special Abilities create rules exceptions or add new options a character may use during play.
Task Rolls
* For each attempted task, a player rolls one 20-sided die (1d20).
* For each Trait related to the attempted task, another d20 dice is rolled. Adding additional dice is called a Reroll. Doubled or tripled Traits add two or three Rerolls.
* Some or all Reroll bonuses are ignored if a character has points of Hindrance.
* A player compares the highest single rolled result to a task’s Difficulty number, ranging from 1 (trivial) to 20 (nearly impossible). Most tasks will be Difficulty 10.
* Each point above the required number counts as one Success. (In other words,best 1d20 roll – Difficulty = Success.) Rolling the exact number needed is a mixed result, while lower results indicate failure.
* On a final result of a rolled 1, the outcome is a Critical Fumble. The GM decided on what bad luck affects the character (causing offense to an audience, falling prone while moving, firearm jams while shooting, or so forth.)
* On a final result of a rolled 20, the number of Successes is doubled.
* Open tasks are task rolls that simply rank character’s efforts without measuring failure or success against a specific Difficulty. Such rolls may be used to determine which character is the first to notice an obvious clue (Awareness) or most impressing competition judges in a performance event (Awareness, Charm). Initiative rolls at the start of combat battles are a type of open task.
* Opposed tasks compare results against two or more character’s task roll totals for success. Examples may include a straight tug-of-war (Physique) or two sides each making a persuasive argument to a jury (Charm, Intellect).
* Teamwork: In some cases, groups of 2 or more attempting the same task each gain 1 Reroll; the highest single result determines outcome for the group.
* Extreme Effort: A character may choose to gain 1 Reroll on a task through intense focus, physical and mental strain, and pure determination. Regardless of success or failure, after the roll is made the extreme effort causes the character to gain 1 Hindrance point.
Hindrance
* Failing at tasks against attacks and hazards may cause the character to suffer damage.
* Defense subtracts damage points from successful attacks and physical hazards. If an Defense value reduces damage to zero or less, the target suffers no harm.
* Any damage points left after subtracting Defense adds Hindrance points to the character.
* Each Hindrance point negates one possible Reroll bonus on all future tasks.
* If current points of Hindrance outnumber Rerolls, that task use the worse of two d20 rolls to measure outcomes.
* A target with 10 or more Hindrance points is Disabled, and those with 20 or more points are Destroyed.
Combat Turn Character Options (Choose One Pair)
* Move 60 feet (18 meters) (choosing to move twice as a run).
* Move 30 feet (9 meters) and make one task roll (such as one attack).
* Move 30 feet (9 meters) and Evade (gain a Reroll to avoid harm).
* Hold ground, Evade, and make one task roll (such as one attack).
* Hold ground and make two task rolls (such as two attacks).
TASK OUTCOMES
* Rolling a 1 is a critical fumble.
* Rolling under a task’s Difficulty number is a failure.
* Rolling exactly a task’s Difficulty is a mixed result.
* Rolling above a task’s Difficulty earns one Success per point above Difficulty. (1d20 – Difficulty = Successes)
* Rolling a 20 doubles the earned Successes.
HOW MANY D20 TO ROLLS PER TASK?
* 5 rolls, use best … four or more Rerolls from Traits
* 4 rolls, use best … three Rerolls from Traits
* 3 rolls, use best … two Rerolls from Traits
* 2 rolls, use best … one Reroll from Traits
* 1 roll, use as rolled … no Rerolls, or Hindrance points equal Rerolls
* 2 rolls, use worst … when Hindrance points outnumber Rerolls
TRAITS
One Reroll is added for each character Trait that fits the type of action related to a task roll. If a character has multiple instances of a Trait, one Reroll is added for each instance. For example, Combat (x2) adds two Rerolls to a character’s attack tasks.
Basic Traits include the following dozen options:
* Awareness: Perception, compassion, insight, and intuition.
* Charm: Persuading others, telling convincing lies, and performing.
* Combat: Fighting, using weapons, and leading others on a battlefield.
* Intellect: Memory, education, intelligence, and reasoning.
* Physique: Great physical strength, toughness, and stamina.
* Power: Channeling supernatural energies and influencing unearthly entities.
* Status: High rank, wealth, and influence in society.
* Stealth: Moving and acting without being detected by direct observation.
* Survival: Familiarity with wilderness, weather, animals, and plants.
* Swiftness: Moving quickly with great dexterity, reflexes and agility.
* Tech: Working with machines, vehicles, electronics, computers, and other such devices.
* Willpower: Mental strength, focus, and personal determination.
Some examples of tasks and Reroll bonuses gained from basic Traits…
* Appraising the value of electronic hardware: Awareness, Tech.
* Appraising the value of fine art: Awareness, Status.
* Attacking with a heavy melee weapon: Combat, Physique.
* Attacking with a light melee weapon: Combat, Swiftness.
* Attacking with a ranged weapon (bow, firearm): Combat, Swiftness.
* Avoiding a hazard that can be dodged: Swiftness, Survival.
* Avoiding a hazard that can be resisted by fortitude: Physique, Survival.
* Breaking free from being grappled: Combat, Physique, Swiftness.
* Calming a nervous wild animal: Charm, Survival.
* Climbing a shear rocky surface: Physique, Swiftness.
* Convincing someone to lend aid: Charm, Status.
* Detect an approaching creature: Awareness, Survival.
* Distracting someone: Charm, Stealth.
* Escaping from restraints: Physique, Swiftness.
* Firing drone weapons at a remote target: Combat, Tech.
* Flying an airplane through a narrow canyon: Swiftness, Tech.
* Foraging for food outdoors: Awareness, Survival.
* Giving medical aid to an injured person: Intellect, Survival.
* Grappling an enemy to prevent it from moving: Combat, Physique.
* Hacking a computer network to access secure files: Awareness, Tech.
* Locating a nearby invisible creature: Awareness, Power.
* Looking for clues at the scene of a crime: Awareness, Intellect.
* Maintaining concentration after taking damage: Physique, Power, Willpower.
* Picking open a mechanical lock: Intellect, Swiftness, Tech.
* Picking pockets, lifting items off someone: Swiftness, Stealth.
* Repairing a damaged vehicle: Intellect, Tech.
* Resisting contagion after exposure to a disease: Physique, Survival.
* Resisting mind control: Intellect, Power, Willpower.
* Seducing a potential lover: Awareness, Charm.
* Sneaking pass alert guards: Stealth, Swiftness.
* Swimming in rough open water: Physique, Survival.
* Winning a tug-of-war contest: Physique.
* Winning while gambling at poker: Awareness, Charm, Intellect.
Specialty Traits are less common and reflect more limited areas of training or topic knowledge. Each work like basic Traits but only apply when dealing directly with tasks related to that Specialty.
Modern Specialities may include…
* Antiquarian: Finding and researching old books, hidden lore, and works by obscure scholars.
* Artist: Creating paintings, sculptures, or other works of art.
* Authority: Special powers to overrule certain laws or social rules and arrest individuals.
* Clergy: Knowledge of a religious communities’ doctrine, dogma, rites, and sacred lore.
* Detective: Analyzing clues, recogniting counterfeits, knowing local criminals and police.
* Dilettante: Fine arts, rare goods, popular artists, the latest fashion trends.
* Disguise: Changing makeup, clothing, body language, gestures, and speech patterns to pass as someone else.
* Escape Artist: Getting out of restraints including handcuffs, nets, straitjackets, and other forms of physical binding.
* Espionage: Ciphers and codes, reading SIGINT photo images, brainwashing, and using electronic surviellance gear.
* Farmer: Managing crops and other agriculture, raising livestock, getting goods to market.
* Finance: Investing, evaluating companies and budgets, and moving money among accounts.
* Hacker: Accessing secure digital networks, copying or altering data, sabotaging electronics.
* Journalist: Writing stories or broadcast scripts, interviewing sources, research, finding topic exerts.
* Languages: Effectively communicating with anyone in the world. (This Specialty cannot help understand ciphers, codes, or dead languages.)
* Law: Legal rulings, legislation, court proceedings, and contracts.
* Martial Arts: Techniques maximizing the impact of strikes, throws, and grappling in unarmed combat.
* Medical Expert: Diagnosing and healing, forensics, knowledge of drugs, and biological research.
* Military Tactics: Camouflage, cartography, demolitions, and electronic countermeasures.
* Musician: Singing, playing musical instruments, composing songs, and performing before live audiences.
* Natural Sciences: Biology, chemistry, physics, geology, astronomy, and other such fields.
* Occult: Secret societies, cults, rituals, supernatural beings, and “things man was not meant to know.”
* Pilot: Operating aircraft of all types, aviation rules, navigation maps and systems.
* Social Sciences: Psychology, anthropology, sociology, economics, and politics.
* Streetwise: Dealing with locals, gambling, and gathering information from informal contacts.
* Trade: Assessing cargo value, negotiating commerce deals, conducting transactions.
Specialties in science-fiction stories might include…
* Belter: Mining asteroids, living long-term in a weightless vacuum.
* Psionics: Knowledge of ESP, telepathy, telekinesis, and other psychic powers.
* Robotics: Designing and repairing androids, cybernetics, and robots.
* Starship Ops: Maneuvering large and small spacecraft, plotting interstellar faster-than-light travel, and using sensors.
* Time Travel: Temporal physics, paradox avoidance, and operating time machines.
* Xenology: Understanding alien biology, physiology, cultures, and homeworlds.
COMBAT
Rolling For Initiative
* Rounds of combat last about 6 seconds. Characters act in order of initiative task rolls: open task, Rerolls are gained from Awareness, Combat, and Swiftness traits.
During each round, every character gets a turn to perform two actions or moves, or one action or move and Evade. A single move covers a distance of 30 feet (9 meters) in a round. Taken together, a character’s options in a turn include:
Combat Turn Character Options (Choose One Pair)
* Move 60 feet (18 meters) (choosing to move twice as a run).
* Move 30 feet (9 meters) and make one task roll (such as one attack).
* Move 30 feet (9 meters) and Evade (gain a Reroll to avoid harm).
* Hold ground, Evade, and make one task roll (such as one attack).
* Hold ground and make two task rolls (such as two attacks).
Evade
* Choosing to Evade grants one Reroll to every task roll made to avoid attacks and hazards targeting the character that round.
* The benefit from Evade ends at the start of that character’s next turn, or if the character becomes Disabled or Destroyed.
Making An Attack
* Attacks unarmed or with hand-held weapons are only possible within Close range, before or after a move or while holding ground.
* Weapons with the Heavy Trait may gain Rerolls from Combat and Physique Traits.
* Weapons with the Light Trait may gain Rerolls from Combat and Swiftness Traits.
* Ranged weapon, including bows and firearms, gain Rerolls from Combat and Swiftness Traits.
* Artillery weapons gain Rerolls from the Combat and Intellect Traits.
* An attack task roll result must beat a target’s Difficulty rating to cause damage. If targeting a player’s character, the default Difficulty is 10.
Range Bands
* Distances between attackers and targets are measured with range bands, beginning at the maximum distance of the next lower band and going to the stated limit distance. For example, Near range goes from just over 5 feet/1.5 meters to 50 feet/15 meters.
* Ranged attacks may be made with thrown objects up to Near range, or up Far range if designed to the thrown such as javelins.
Personal Attack Ranges
* Touching (0 distance): Any attack possible when in direct contact with a target
* Close (up to 5 feet/1.5 meters): Hand-to-hand and hand-held weapon melee attacks
* Near (up to 50 feet/15 meters): Thrown melee weapons
* Far (up to 500 feet/150 meters): Thrown javelin; shooting range of bows, pistols
* Distant (up to 1,500 feet/450 meters): Shooting range of rifles
Regional Attack Ranges
* Close Region (up to 3,200 feet/1,000m): Shooting range of tripod-mounted cannons
* Near Region (up to 6 miles/10km): Shooting range of small and medium artillery
* Far Region (up to 60 miles/100km): Shooting range of large to huge artillery
* Distant Region (up to 600 miles/1,000km): Shooting range of small missiles
Attacks suffer one Hindrance for each of the following condition:
* Attacker has taken damage from a weapon with the Stunning trait.
* Target is in the maximum range band for the attacker’s ranged weapon.
* Target is taking Evade as an option during a turn.
* Target is 75% or more behind effective cover.
* Target is invisible to the attacker.
Attack Damage
* For attack tasks, each Success point over the target’s Difficulty causes 1 damage point.
* Most attacks cause physical damage, but magic or horrific occurrences can cause mental or spiritual damage. Defense is only effective against physical damage unless noted otherwise.
* Some Traits may multiply Success points for greater damage. For example, Deadly (x2) causes 2 damage per Success point.
* Defense values subtract from damage points (not from Success points).
* Some Special Abilities may cut damage points by half in specific circumstances.
* Each remaining damage point after reductions for Defense adds one Hindrance point to the target. If Defense negates all damage, the target is unharmed.
* For characters, creatures, or vehicles, each Hindrance point subtracts a Reroll from all further tasks.
* A character with more Hindrance Points than Rerolls one a task uses two 20-side dice and compares the lowest number rolled for results.
* A target with 10 or more Hindrance points is Disabled. A disabled target may not move, Evade, take physical actions, or speak louder than halting whispers.
* A target with 20 or more Hindrance points is Destroyed – dead, broken into debris, or otherwise permanently beyond recovery.
Recovery From Damage
* For living characters, Hindrance points are removed by resting for eight hours and then making a task roll against a Difficulty of 10. Rerolls are granted for Physique and Willpower Traits. One Hindrance point is removed for each Success scored by rolling over 10.
* For non-living objects, repairs are needed to remove Hindrance points. The default Difficulty is 10, taking eight hours of work in the task and removing one point per Success scored by rolling over 10. Reroll bonuses depend on object being repaired; for example, machines usually use Intellect and Tech, damaged weapons may use Combat and Tech, and rebuilding a forest cabin might use Survival, Physique, and Tech.
Weapon Traits
* Advanced: The weapon is enhanced or superior to others of its kind and adds one Reroll when used for attack tasks.
* Artillery: Attack tasks gain Rerolls from Combat and Intellect Traits.
* Deadly (x#): A successful task roll causes # damage per Success point.
* Heavy: Attack tasks gain Rerolls from Combat and Physique Traits.
* Light: Attack tasks gain Rerolls from Combat and Swiftness Traits.
* Neglected: The weapon is poor condition and removes one Reroll bonus when used.
* Ranged (Distant): Suffers a Hindrance if the target is within 500 to 1,500 feet (150 to 450 meters), and cannot hit targets further away.
* Ranged (Far): Suffers a Hindrance if the target is within 50 to 500 feet (15 to 150 meters), and cannot hit targets further away.
* Ranged (Near): Suffers a Hindrance if the target is within 5 to 50 feet (1.5 to 15 meters), and cannot hit targets further away.
* Stunning: Instead of the first 5 points of normal physical damage, target suffers up to 5 temporary Hindrance points on the next turn’s task rolls. The temporary Hindrance is removed at the the end of the target’s next turn. If the target exceeds 10 temporary and normal Hindrance points combined, the target falls unconscious for 8 hours. Any damage over 5 caused by this attack is ignored.
Sample Weapons (Weapon Traits)
* Punch, Kick (Light)
* Dagger (Deadly x2, Light)
* Spear (Deadly x2, Light, Ranged (Near))
* Longsword (Deadly x3, Heavy)
* Longbow (Deadly x2, Ranged (Far))
* Pistol or Shotgun (Deadly x3, Ranged (Far))
* Rifle (Deadly x3, Ranged (Distant))
* .50 cal. Machinegun (Deadly x4, Ranged (Far))
* Rocket Launcher/Light Anti-Tank Weapon (LAW) (Deadly x5, Ranged (Far))
* Thrown Grenade (Deadly x5 in 10 foot/3 meter blast radius, Range (Near))
* Mortar (Deadly x6, Ranged (Near Region))
* Tank Cannon (Deadly x10, Ranged (Near Region))
Science-Fiction Weapons (Weapon Traits)
* Star Wars Lightsaber (Light, Deadly x4)
* Star Wars Blaster (Deadly x4, Ranged (Far))
* Star Wars Blaster Rifle (Deadly x4, Ranged (Distant))
* Star Trek Hand Phaser (toggles between Stunning or Deadly x4, Range (Far))
* Traveller Laser Rifle (Deadly x3, Range (Close Region))
* Traveller Advanced Combat Rifle (ACR) (Deadly x4, Range (Distant))
* Traveller Gauss Rifle/Coilgun (Deadly x5, Range (Close Region))
* Traveller Plasma Gun Man Portable (PGMP) (Deadly x6 at Range (Near), Deadly x2 at Range (Far))
* Men In Black Neuralyzer (targets in Near range must make a Difficulty 15 task roll (Rerolls from Combat and Willpower); failure means target loses all memory of the previous 5 hours)
AVOIDING ATTACKS FROM NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
To avoid an attack, a character makes a Defense task roll against the Difficulty number of the attacker. Combat and Swiftness Traits grant Rerolls, as do each of the following conditions:
* Attacker has taken damage from a weapon with the Stunning trait.
* Target character is in the maximum range band for the attacker’s ranged weapon.
* Target character is taking Evade as an option during a turn.
* Target character is 75% or more behind effective cover.
* Target character is invisible to the attacker.
A character suffers damage if the task roll is a failure, counting one attack Success per point below Difficulty. Success points may be multiplied for higher damage depending on the NPC’s method of attack. For example, a wolf bite does damage equal to Success points, but a grizzly bear’s mighty claws and bites cause Succes x2 physical damage.
Other rules for Defense subtracting damage and remaining points adding Hindrance apply to characters as normal.
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GAME MASTER’S SECTION
EXPANDED RANGES
Personal Ranges
* Touching (0 distance): Any attack possible when in direct contact with a target
* Close (up to 5 feet/1.5 meters): Hand-to-hand and hand-held weapon melee attacks
* Near (up to 50 feet/15 meters): Thrown melee weapons
* Far (up to 500 feet/150 meters): Thrown javelin; shooting range of bows, pistols
* Distant (up to 1,500 feet/450 meters): Shooting range of rifles
Regional Ranges
* Close Region (up to 3,200 feet/1,000m): Shooting range of tripod-mounted cannons
* Near Region (up to 6 miles/10km): Shooting range of small and medium artillery
* Far Region (up to 60 miles/100km): Shooting range of large to huge artillery
* Distant Region (up to 600 miles/1,000km): Shooting range of small missiles
Orbital Ranges
* Close Orbit (up to 6,000 miles/10,000km): Upper atmosphere, ICBM range
* Near Orbit (up to 60,000 miles/100,000km): Geostationary orbit
* Far Orbit (up to 600,000 miles/1 million km): One light-second, range to moons
* Distant Orbit (up to 6 million miles/10 million km)
System Ranges
* Close System (up to 60 million miles/100 million km): One light-minute
* Near System (up to 600 million miles/1 billion km): One astronomical unit
* Far System (up to 6 billion miles/10 billion km)
* Distant System (up to 60 billion miles/100 billion km)
Sector Ranges
* Close Sector (up 600 billion miles/1 trillion km)
* Near Sector (up to 6 trillion miles/10 trillion km): One light-year
* Far Sector (up to 60 trillion miles/100 trillion km): One parsec, neighboring systems
* Distant Sector (up to 30 parsecs): Systems at the edge of the sector
Galaxy Ranges
* Close Galaxy (up to 300 parsecs): Neighboring sectors
* Near Galaxy (up to 3,000 parsecs): Average width of a galactic area “ring”
* Far Galaxy (up to 30,000 parsecs): About width of the galaxy, range to near galaxies
* Distant Galaxy (up to 300,000 parsecs): Beyond the known galaxy
Cosmic Ranges
* Close Cosmos (up to 3 million parsecs): Distance betw. galaxy groups
* Near Cosmos (up to 30 million parsecs): Distance betw. galaxy clusters
* Far Cosmos (up to 300 million parsecs)
* Distant Cosmos (up to 3 billion parsecs): Farthest object seen from Earth
* Edge of Everthing (up to 14 billion parsecs): Limit of the observable universe
WORLD BUILDING
TECHNOLOGY
EXTREMELY LOW: Stone Age. Crude tools made out of natural materials (stone, wood, bones, fur/pelts). Domesticated livestock, simple shelters, transition from hunting-gathering to agriculture. Tribal gatherings, shamanistic religions and medicine, barter for trade.
VERY LOW: Bronze, Iron, Medieval ages into the Industrial Revolution. Manufactured materials (metals, glass, cement, concrete). Rise of science, mathematics, study of anatomy. Astronomy, telescopes, navigation by star positions in the sky. Ocean travel in ships. Kingdoms, city states, some use of cannons in warfare. Written texts and laws, broad literacy.
LOW: Mechanized, Broadcast and Atomic ages. Widespread use of electricity to power tools, processed oil to power vehicles. Manufactured materials (plastics, fiberglass, titanium). Biochemistry, viral science and vaccines, mapping of DNA. Regional broadcast signals first in audio, later adding video. Industrial robots. Travel by aircraft common. Continent-wide nations and alliances, global trade. Widespread use of personal firearms. Use of orbital satellites for global communications.
MODERATE: Information Age into early stellar/fusion age. Multiple methods of generating electrical power (nuclear, geothermal, solar). Micro-manufacturing of new materials. Bionic and cybernetic prosthetics, artificial organ replacements. Audio-commanded robots. Arcologies on planet’s surface, permanent settlements in orbital stations. Global digital data networks, broad computer literacy. Sublight spacecraft explore local system.
HIGH: Interplanetary Age. Slow FTL travel (up to a half dozen light years per day), grav vehicles and structures (starships, hovertanks, air/raft, speeders, floating cities). Fusion power local and common. Manufacturing of superdense materials. Nanosurgery, advanced medicines, growth quickening, implanted neural computers, personality recording. Robots with low autonomy. Instant multilingual translators. Starship meson and fusion weapons. Planet-wide weather control, regional terraforming.
VERY HIGH: Interstellar Age. Moderate FTL travel (dozens of light years per day). Grav belts for personal flight, whole grav-mobile cities. Industrial nanotechnology. Fast cloning of whole bodies, memory erasure, temporary personality transfers, brain transplants. Robots with high autonomy. Pseudo-reality chambers. Meson communicators, starship x-ray laser weapons. Global terraforming (ecopoiesis on barren worlds).
EXTREMELY HIGH: Intergalactic Age. Fast FTL travel (hundreds of light years per day). Self-aware starships. Exotic custom lifeforms. Artificial people with original minds or permanent copies from previous recordings. Short-range matter transport for cargo and people (regional teleporters). Starship disintegrators, tractor beams, absolute force fields around elite military starships.
ULTRA-HIGH: “Indistinguishable from magic.” Extreme FTL travel (thousands of light years per day). Multi-parsec matter transports for starships. FTL drive range up to hundreds of parsecs. Construction of whole artificial worlds (first small planets, later ringworlds then dyson spheres). Fields to block FTL drives. Mobile planets. Hand-held disintegration weapons.
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EXAMPLE ADVERSARIES
* Specific tasks are often noted with Difficulty, related Traits, and time to complete. For example, foraging for food in the outdoors (Difficulty 10, Awareness, Survival, two hours).
GOBLIN (Difficulty 6)
* Armored: You subtract 1 damage point from each attack that causes you physical damage.
* Puny: Your small and weak body makes hits from attacks hurt more. You take double damage from all physical attacks.
* Sneaky: When attempting any task that grants the Awareness trait to notice your movement, location, or intensions, you are considered Difficulty 12 for task rolls.
FROST GIANT (Difficulty 10)
* Armored: You subtract 5 damage points from each attack that causes you physical damage.
* Strength of a Giant: You gain 3 Rerolls for any task based on physical strength, including Heavy melee weapon attacks to cause physical damage.
* Huge: Your great size makes hits from attacks less meaningful. You take half damage from all physical attacks.
* Cold-Proof: You are adept to extremely cold temperatures. You ignore freezing hazards, and attacks based on cold cause you no damage.
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EXAMPLE CHARACTERS & SAMPLE ADVENTURE IDEAS
BUT WE DESTROYED DRACULA, DIDN’T WE?
A story set in 1915 London could include these characters, about seven years after the destruction of the vampire Count Dracula.
London, 1915. The Great War rages into its second year as Germany launches a naval blockade of Great Britain. A mixed group of foreigners and natives have taken to meeting at the Salon du Mystere, a private social club in London’s East End. Some of these regulars have confronted supernatural horror before… and after a string of Jack the Ripper-like murders, perhaps now something has returned…
* Adam Angel, a hulking, heavily scarred vagabond
* Jonathan Harker, a solicitor from England
* Mina (Murray) Harker, a vampirism survivor from England
* Mata Hari, the world-famous exotic dancer and performer
* Harry Houdini, the world-famous escape artist and illusionist
* John Raymond Legrasse, a police inspector from New Orleans
* Dr. John Seward, the head of a mental asylum in London
* Maria Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer, a traveling Mohawk pilot
* Richard Surrey, an eccentric tinkerer in London
* Abraham Van Helsing, a visiting Dutch professor of law
A theater thought to have become a front for a cult, actually aliens as “fifth column” invasion in London? Time-travelling vampire morlocks summoned by a German necromancer, kidnapping prostitutes in an echo to Jack the Ripper?
John Smythe, mercantile importer (aka Agent Helmuth Johannes von Scholz)
~ ~ ~
ABRAHAM VAN HELSING
(source: Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,”” 1897)
A Dutch man in his late 60s, with white hair and round glasses. Lived in London for about a decade. A professor in law and philosophy. Devoutly Catholic. Studies metaphysics. Estranged from wife since the death of their son.
Traits
* Awareness: Perception, compassion, insight, and intuition.
* Intellect: Memory, education, intelligence, and reasoning.
* Status: High rank, wealth, and influence in society.
* Willpower (x2): Mental strength, focus, and personal determination.
Specialties
* Law: Legal rulings, legislation, court proceedings, and contracts.
* Natural Sciences: Biology, chemistry, physics, geology, astronomy, and other such fields.
* Occult: Secret societies, cults, rituals, supernatural beings, and “things man was not meant to know.”
~ ~ ~
DR. JOHN SEWARD
(source: Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” 1897)
An Englishman in his mid-40s, with thick brown hair and a mustache. Head of the Carfax Asylum, a mental institution in London. Once a staunchly scientific humanist, experiences a decade ago while confronting an actual vampire opened him up to learning about the occult.
Traits
* Awareness: Perception, compassion, insight, and intuition.
* Intellect (x2): Memory, education, intelligence, and reasoning.
* Tech: Working with machines, vehicles, electronics, and other such devices.
* Willpower: Mental strength, focus, and personal determination.
Specialties
* Medical Expert: Diagnosing and healing, forensics, knowledge of drugs, and biological research.
* Occult: Secret societies, cults, rituals, supernatural beings, and “things man was not meant to know.”
* Social Sciences: Psychology, anthropology, sociology, economics, and politics.
~ ~ ~
JONATHAN HARKER
(source: Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” 1897)
An Englishman in his early 40s, pure white hair. A solicitor from Exeter in South West England. Suffered greatly after delivering real estate contracts to Count Dracula at the vampire’s castle in Transylvania a decade ago. Escaped and later joined the group that hunted down the vampire in London. Married to Mina Harker, father to son Quincey Harker.
Traits
* Awareness (x2): Perception, compassion, insight, and intuition.
* Intellect: Memory, education, intelligence, and reasoning.
* Physique: Great physical strength, toughness, and stamina.
* Power: Channeling supernatural energies and influencing unearthly entities.
* Willpower: Mental strength, focus, and personal determination.
Specialties
* Law: Legal rulings, legislation, court proceedings, and contracts.
~ ~ ~
MINA (MURRAY) HARKER
(source: Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” 1897)
A woman in her mid-30s of possible Scottish descent, faint scar on her forehead and long blonde hair streaked with gray. Grew up an orphan and became a schoolteacher in South West England. Traveled to Budapest to rescue her then-fiance Jonathan Harker after his escape from Castle Dracula. Became a victim of vampirism during a group’s hunt to destroy Count Dracula in London, but recovered after the vampire’s destruction. Now married to Jonathan, mother to son Quincey Harker.
Traits
* Awareness: Perception, compassion, insight, and intuition.
* Intellect: Memory, education, intelligence, and reasoning.
* Physique: Great physical strength, toughness, and stamina.
* Power (x2): Channeling supernatural energies and influencing unearthly entities.
* Willpower: Mental strength, focus, and personal determination.
Specialties
* Antiquarian: Finding and researching old books, hidden lore, and works by obscure scholars.
~ ~ ~
ADAM ANGEL
(source: Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus,” 1818)
A tall, massively built man with terrible surgical scars all over his face and body. Assembled and reanimated 100 years ago from dead body parts stolen by Swiss medical scientist Dr. Victor Frankenstein. Self-educated, articulate, and often manipulative to meet his own needs. Has wandered the arctic north and various parts of Europe as a vagrant for decades.
Traits
* Physique (x3): Great physical strength, toughness, and stamina.
* Stealth: Moving and acting without being detected by direct observation.
* Survival: Familiarity with wilderness, weather, animals, and plants.
Specialties
* Streetwise: Dealing with locals, gambling, and gathering information from informal contacts.
Special Abilities
* Natural Armor: Unusual body resists trauma, granting Armor 3 protection against physical damage at all times.
~ ~ ~
MARIA KAHSENNENHAWE SKY-DEER
(source: quasi-historical)
An indigenous Mohawk woman in her mid-30s. Born on the Kahnawake reservation in Quebec to a family of steelworkers. Grew up commuting with “skywalker” brothers working to build skyscrapers in New York City. Married a pilot who taught her flight skills before his death in a plane crash five years ago. Now travel internationally.
Traits
* Awareness: Perception, compassion, insight, and intuition.
* Survival: Familiarity with wilderness, weather, animals, and plants.
* Swiftness: Moving quickly with great dexterity, reflexes and agility.
* Tech (x2): Working with machines, vehicles, electronics, and other such devices.
* Willpower: Mental strength, focus, and personal determination.
Specialties
* Languages: Effectively communicating with anyone in the world. (This Specialty cannot help understand ciphers, codes, or dead languages.)
* Pilot: Operating aircraft of all types, aviation rules, navigation maps and systems.
* Streetwise: Dealing with locals, gambling, and gathering information from informal contacts.
~ ~ ~
HARRY HOUDINI
(source: historical, 1874-1926)
A Hungarian-American man in his mid-40s, wavy graying hair. A world-famous escape artist and master stage illusionist. Born Ehrich Weiss to a poor Jewish family. Remains deeply loyal to his mother and generous to strangers. Has home in New York City but travels Europe often.
Traits
* Awareness: Perception, compassion, insight, and intuition.
* Charm (x2): Persuading others, telling convincing lies, and performing.
* Intellect: Memory, education, intelligence, and reasoning.
* Physique: Great physical strength, toughness, and stamina.
* Status: High rank, wealth, and influence in society.
* Swiftness: Moving quickly with great dexterity, reflexes and agility.
* Tech: Working with machines, vehicles, electronics, and other such devices.
Specialties
* Escape Artist: Getting out of restraints including handcuffs, nets, straitjackets, and other forms of physical binding.
~ ~ ~
RICHARD SURREY
(source: H.G. Wells’ “The Time Traveler”)
An eccentric Englishman in his mid-50s, a former scientist and gentleman inventor. Current name is an alias based on his birthplace of Richmond, Surrey. Born in the Victorian Age but spent life across various cultures and time periods: the peaceful Eloi and ape-like subterranean Morlocks of A.D. 802,701, red crab-like beings of A.D. 30 Million, and more. Currently living in modern London, he works as a tinkerer while seeking rare crystals to repair his broken Time Machine.
Traits
* Charm: Persuading others, telling convincing lies, and performing.
* Intellect: Memory, education, intelligence, and reasoning.
* Physique: Great physical strength, toughness, and stamina.
* Swiftness: Moving quickly with great dexterity, reflexes and agility.
* Tech (x2): Working with machines, vehicles, electronics, and other such devices.
Specialties
* Time Travel: Temporal physics, paradox avoidance, and operating time machines.
~ ~ ~
MATA HARI
(source: historial, 1876-1917)
An exotic-looking woman of allegedly royal Indian descent. (Actually a Dutch woman named Margaretha Geertruida Zelle.) A dancer famed for performing in Europe and North America, she currently secretly serves as a double agent spy for both the Germans and the French during World War I.
Traits
* Awareness: Perception, compassion, insight, and intuition.
* Charm (x3): Persuading others, telling convincing lies, and performing.
* Status: High rank, wealth, and influence in society.
* Swiftness: Moving quickly with great dexterity, reflexes and agility.
Specialties
* Languages: Effectively communicating with anyone in the world. (This Specialty cannot help understand ciphers, codes, or dead languages.)
~ ~ ~
INSPECTOR JOHN RAYMOND LEGRASSE
(source: H.P. Lovecraft’s “Call of Cthulhu,” 1928)
A “commonplace-looking middle-aged man” with a gray mustache. Head of the New Orleans Police Department’s (NOPD) homicide division. Wears his blue police uniform while on duty in his hometown. Recently found strange letters postmarked from London in the possession of Cthulhu cultists exposed in rural Louisiana.
Traits
* Awareness: Perception, compassion, insight, and intuition.
* Combat: Fighting, using weapons, and leading others on a battlefield.
* Physique: Great physical strength, toughness, and stamina.
* Swiftness: Moving quickly with great dexterity, reflexes and agility.
* Willpower: Mental strength, focus, and personal determination.
Specialties
* Authority: Special powers to overrule certain laws or social rules and arrest individuals.
* Detective: Analyzing clues, recogniting counterfeits, knowing local criminals and police.
* Streetwise: Dealing with locals, gambling, and gathering information from informal contacts.
Equipment
* Pistol (Deadly x3, Ranged (Far))
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