XD6 System Reference Document

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One Basic Rule

Rule 0: to facilitate play, the Referee is the final arbiter for any game-related question.

Basic Rules

Die roll conventions

This ruleset uses common six-sided dice. We note each die you need to roll as a “d6”. For example, “2d6” means “roll two six-sided dice and add the results together”.

D66 is a special die roll, in which you throw two dice, and count one as the “ones” and one as the “tens”. This will produce 36 results from 11 to 66. Just be sure to pick which die is the “tens” and which is the “ones” before rolling the dice.

Another special die roll is 1d3, in which a six-sided die is rolled, and the result divided in two and rounded up, resulting in a 1-3 range of results.

Basic Game Mechanics

The interstellar (or interplanetary) adventurers depicted by these rules are competent. In many situations, possessing the appropriate Archetype or having 1 or more points in a relevant skill will suffice to succeed. For example, a character with the Medic archetype will know how to treat many medical conditions, and even perform routine surgeries, without requiring a die roll. A character with the Pilot archetype will know how to fly and land a starship in common circumstances without rolling dice. The following dice throw mechanic should serve in dangerous cases - such as combat, landing a starship in extreme weather, trauma surgery on a critically-injured patient, and so on - where even professionals risk disastrous failure.

In such dangerous situations, where failure carries dire consequences and where luck plays a major role, throw 2d6: roll two six-sided dice and add the results together, and add the relevant skill level as a modifier. If the total equals or exceeds 8, you succeed. Otherwise, you fail.

Skill notation: "Throw Skill" means roll two dice, add them together and add the relevant skill, and if the total equals or exceeds 8, you succeed.

Note that - as noted above - intrepid interstellar adventurers are competent. If your character has no points in a skill, treat it as “Skill 0”, and simply roll 2d6 on any skill checks, without any modifiers. There is no need to note this on your character sheet or monster description: when a skill is absent, simply assume that it is at 0.

Advantage and Disadvantage Dice

Various circumstances affect the skill roll. In cases where these circumstances are significant, these rules apply Advantage Dice (+1D) and Disadvantage Dice (-1D). When making a skill roll with Advantage and/or Disadvantage Dice, sum up all Advantage Dice and subtract all Disadvantage dice from the sum. If the result is positive, roll 2d6 + skill and an additional number of dice equal to that sum, and choose the highest two dice. If the result is zero, simply roll 2d6 + skill. If the result is negative, roll 2d6 + skill and an additional number of dice equal to the sum, and choose the lowest two dice.

The same applies to any Damage rolls: Roll the normal weapon damage after a successful hit and apply Advantage or Disadvantage dice to the total damage normally.

We note Advantage and Disadvantage Dice as (+1D) and (-1D), respectively. Multiple dice are noted in the same way, for example “+2D” or “-3D”.

Examples: If you have +2D and -3D on a skill throw, the total is -1D, which means you roll 3d6 and choose the two lowest dice. If you have +3D and -1D on a skill throw, the total is +2D, which means you roll 4d6 and choose the highest two dice. A shotgun (4d6 damage) with a +1D damage bonus would roll 5d6 for damage and select the highest four dice.

Some groups enjoy differentiating more difficult tasks from easier ones. This can be easily modeled by adding Advantage or Disadvantage dice accordingly. For example:

Task Difficulty Table

Difficulty Modifier

Easy: (Only required when a task has +1D major risks involved but is otherwise
simple to perform.)

Moderate -

Difficult -1D

Formidable -2D

Impossible -4D

Characters

Characters are defined by their Skills, Archetype, and Talents. This chapter describes how to generate characters and explains the various ability and trait options available to player characters.

Skills

Characters in this ruleset are fundamentally described by seven basic skills: Combat, Knowledge, Physical, Social, Stealth, Vehicles, and Technology. Each is rated from level 0 to 5. These are broad skills meant to encourage adventuring and the quick resolution of tasks. Some skills do have overlapping fields. For example, one could fruitfully argue that Technology governs picking locks. However, the same activity can be governed by Stealth. Either one is appropriate. As usual, the Referee has final say in such matters, but we encourage a spirit of generosity in such rulings.

Combat: This skill governs how competent the character is at committing violence and surviving battle. Use Combat to resolve attacks with any weapon.

Knowledge: This skill describes the character’s general mental acuity and willpower. As well, Knowledge reflects the character’s formal education, and ability to perform tasks related to medicine, history, or astrophysics. This is also the skill that governs psionic power use.

Physical: Whenever a character needs to exert themselves, use this skill. The Physical skill governs heroic feats of athleticism, endurance, and physical hardiness. Use it to resist the harmful effects of toxins and disease.

Social: This skill governs the character’s ability to productively interact with other individuals socially, especially when risk is involved. Use this skill to lie, carouse, or conduct high-stakes negotiations.

Stealth: Use this skill to perform any covert or larcenous activity, such as sneaking, picking locks, or setting up an ambush. This is also the skill most often used to detect whenever such activities are being attempted on the character.

Vehicles: Whenever a character must drive a car, fly an aircraft, or pilot a boat or a starship, use this skill. The Vehicles skill covers routine maintenance and upkeep of vehicles, but not in-depth repairs, unless a character’s archetype or talent dictates otherwise.

Technology: This skill governs the use and repair of technology. Use it to repair starship engines, operate sensors, and hack computers, as well as to build shelters and makeshift traps.

How do I Notice Things?

This ruleset does not have a specific Notice or Perception skill. If the Referee or Players want to know if their characters detect an ambush, clue, or other useful bit of information, roll the skill relevant to that situation. To investigate a crime scene, use Knowledge. To read people’s reactions, use Social. To detect an ambush, use the Stealth skill.

Character creation

Develop a character concept: Think about what kind of character you want to: do you want to play an intrepid interstellar explorer, a grizzled mercenary, a curious scientist - or something completely different?
Distribute Skill Points: If playing a human, distribute 5 points among your seven Skills. Each skill starts at level 0. You may not assign more than 3 points to any single skill. If playing an alien, distribute 4 points instead.
Pick an Archetype: These represent the broad professional training and life experiences that the character has already acquired. They can reflect the character’s Skills, but do not have to.
Pick a Talent: If playing a human, pick one Talent from the section later in this chapter. Talents are special abilities, features, or training your character has developed. Aliens do not receive an initial Talent.
Calculate Stamina: Your character’s Stamina represents their ability to shrug off damage that might incapacitate lesser heroes. Stamina is equal to 14 + 3 times the character’s Physical skill.
Calculate Encumbrance: your character’s carrying capacity is equal to 10 items + twice the character’s Physical skill.
Purchase Equipment: Your character starts the game with 2d6x1,000 Credits worth of items. You may purchase from the equipment list in the Equipment chapter. Alternatively, you may pick the Equipment Package corresponding to your character’s Archetype. The Equipment Packages are found at the end of this chapter. At the Referee’s discretion, your character may also have access to a starship, or to specific equipment or vehicles.
Finalize Your Character: Choose a name, appearance, and develop a personality for your character. Just a few sentences will do. It is also important to develop a motivation for why your character is no longer in their career and has instead chosen a life of dangerous adventuring. Finally, explain how your character knows one or more of the other player characters. Consult your Referee in case they already have something in mind.

Aliens

Some settings feature a wide array of playable alien characters. Unlike humans, aliens only have 4 points to distribute between their skills in character generation rather than 5, and do not gain an initial Talent. However, each alien species has their own special abilities. The task of developing these abilities is left to the Referee, but here are some examples from common science fiction:

Insectoids: These aliens evolved from cockroach-like ancestors. Males gain +1D on Stealth rolls to sneak in dim light or in darkness. Females may fly up to Near range in any direction in one combat round, but their wings must rest for another combat round before flying again. All insectoids gain +1D to resist poison and disease.

Gekkonids: An alien species that evolved from gecko-like ancestors. They can climb walls and walk on ceilings as if walking on solid and horizontal ground. They also have keen night vision and take no penalties to any actions performed in dim light.

Grays: These are the archetypal UFO pilots engaged in scientific research, including the abduction of humans as test subjects. Grays gain two free Psionic powers of the player’s choice, cumulative with the two Psionic powers granted by the Mystic Archetype, if applicable. Grays suffer -1D to all Combat rolls in melee combat.

Reptilians: A proud and brutal warrior species that evolved from carnivorous lizards. Their unarmed attacks cause 2d6 damage.

Archetypes

An Archetype is the basic concept for your character, and the source of many of the character’s special abilities. A character with a given archetype will be knowledgeable in the general skills and competencies of their archetype. For example, a Scout will know about wilderness survival, navigation, and camouflage. A Soldier will know about military procedures, tactics, and formations. An Engineer will be skilled in optimizing engines, making reliable repairs, and rebuilding old vehicles from junkpiles. Some of the archetypes are less skill-oriented than others, but all have broad applicability. In any case, we urge Referees to be generous about when to apply archetype knowledge or capabilities. Most of the archetypes presented here are standard science fiction tropes, but Referees and players are encouraged to develop their own archetypes to suit their own needs for their own campaigns.

Archetypes typically grant the character an Advantage Die in certain situations. This Archetype bonus should apply whenever possible—with the notable exception that they should not apply to Combat rolls. We have listed a just few example situations where the Advantage Die can be applied. This is not a complete list, and Referees are encouraged to be generous in granting the Archetype Advantage Die.

Agent: Spy, Detective, Bounty Hunter, Corporate Troubleshooter. This character is well-versed in espionage, subterfuge, skullduggery, and conspiracies.

Diplomat: Ambassador, Administrator, Liaison Officer, Face. Whatever the title, this archetype is invaluable in all sorts of situations where a lighter touch and smiling face are essential.

Engineer: Gearhead, Techie, Greasemonkey, Miracle Worker. Whenever something needs fixing, building, or optimizing, the Engineer is the one to call. They are especially useful in situations where technology is central to the task at hand.

Merchant: Entrepreneur, Smuggler, Mover and Shaker, Free Trader. Merchants know how to spot a moneymaking opportunity anywhere. Some might even be honest.

Mystic: Spiritual Guru, Religious Leader, Itinerant Preacher, Washed-Up Hippie. This character embraces everything parapsychological and lives life according to an esoteric mystical creed.

Outlaw: Con Artist, Pirate, Bandit, Rogue, Thief. This character is a criminal or has an extensive criminal past. They have shady connections, and even shadier skills. They might only be one step ahead of their questionable past catching up with them.

Outsider: Barbarian, Drifter, Outcast, Exile. This character hails from a technological backwater, or they have spent long years as an outcast on the fringes of society.

Pilot: Flyboy, Rocket-Jock, Tanker, Wheel-girl. This character is a natural with vehicles and knows how to maximize the performance parameters of any vehicle they are operating.

Examples: Gain +1D when attempting any vehicle stunts, flying in dangerous storms, precise and risky maneuvers, plotting challenging courses, or any Pilot Actions in starship combat.

Roughneck: Belter, Ship’s Crew, Prospector, Colonist. Roughnecks are the working stiffs in space, and they are used to doing all the dirty, unpleasant tasks that no one else wants to do.

Scholar: Doctor, Researcher, Scientist. These characters are well-educated and have extensive knowledge in a broad range of esoteric and technical fields.

Scout: Courier, Surveyor, Explorer, Spacer. Scouts are well-versed in surveying, navigation, and starship piloting. They might know a bit about xeno-biology or long-lost human cultures than their colleagues might expect.

Soldier: Marine, Grunt, Mercenary, Officer. This character is a professional, long-service soldier. They are familiar with weapons, tactics, combat in a variety of environments, and military procedures. Soldiers gain one Combat Talent at character generation (see below).

Talents

Talents represent special abilities that a given character has that would differentiate them from their colleagues. Talents tend to be much narrower in their application than Archetypes but are very useful in their specific contexts. Human characters begin play with one Talent each. More are earned through character advancement.

Combat Talents:

These talents make the character a dangerously trained specialist in their field.

Armor Training: This talent allows the character to use armor more effectively. The encumbrance values of all armors are reduced by 1 to a minimum of 0.

Artillery: This character received advanced training in using heavy artillery. Usually, this means acting as a forward observer, but the character is also an expert in artillery gunnery, fuse setting, and demolishing fortifications with artillery. Gain +1D when firing artillery, or acting as a forward observer, or when conducting counter-battery fire.

Assault: Assault specialists receive training in the use of heavy weapons. Gain +1D when using assault weapons, hunting tanks or other large vehicles, or when attacking prepared enemy fortifications.

Berserker: When injured in combat but still conscious, the character may enter a Rage. This grants them +1D to hit and +1D to damage in melee combat, but also grants the character's enemies +1D to hit them. This lasts until the end of that combat encounter.

Blind fighter: The character can ignore -1D penalty for fighting in dim light or darkness.

Bodyguard: This talent allows the character to quickly move into harm’s way and take a hit meant for a comrade. This works as an interrupting action, and uses the bodyguard’s next Action in combat, if they survive.

Evasive Action: This talent reflects innate luck, unconscious skill, or lightning-fast reflexes. Once per battle, the character may avoid an otherwise successful attack and take no damage. They may elect to use this ability after damage is rolled. This talent can apply in vehicle and space combat as well as in personal combat.

Hardy: The damage roll of the first (and only the first) successful attack on the character in a given battle incurs a -2D penalty.

Heavy Hitter: Once per battle, you may opt to inflict maximum damage with an attack. You may use this ability after you have rolled damage.

Hunter: The character is practiced at setting ambushes. Gain +1D on Surprise throws when attacking from ambush.

Leader: Whether a natural, or an experienced, trained leader, this character knows how to motivate people into doing things they might not normally do. They gain +1D when attempting to rally troops and convince others to carry out their orders. As an action in Combat, they may roll Social 8+. If the roll is successful, the Leader generates Hero Points equal to the result of the roll, minus 7 (a result of 8 provides 1 Hero Point). These Hero Points can be distributed as a free action to comrades during the battle but disappear when the fight is over.

Marksman: The character is particularly adept at hitting where it counts most with ranged weapons. After spending one Hero Point, add +2D to damage rolls with ranged weapons.

Martial Artist: Your character is a highly trained martial artist. Their feet and fists are lethal weapons. Add +1D to the damage rolls of all unarmed attacks.

Maverick: A brash, risk-taking combatant, the Maverick has raw talent and little time for rules and personal safety. They may spend a Hero Point to perform an additional action in a combat round. They may use this ability as an interrupting action and act out of initiative sequence. But beware: whenever they use this ability, enemies may target the character with +1D to hit until the character’s next turn.

Quick Draw: If the character has a weapon at the ready—in a quick-draw holster or sheath, or just at hand—then they may make a rapid attack at the start of the first round of combat, before the initiative order is determined. They incur one a -1D penalty on the attack.

Relentless: This talent allows the character to temporarily ignore the effects of one hit in combat. They may use this talent after they have learned what the damage might be. After the combat, roll on the Triage table.

Sneak Attack: This character is well practiced at sneak attacks. When attacking a completely unaware target in melee, gain +1D to hit, and +1D to the attack's damage.

Tactics: At the start of a fight, roll Knowledge 8+. The character’s training and drills provide a number of Advantage Dice equal to the result of the roll, minus 7 (with 8 providing +1D). These Advantage Dice can be spent by the character and their comrades at any time during the combat.

Two-Fisted: The character may wield a one-handed weapon in each hand. They may attack with each weapon once per round. Their second action in the round cannot be used to make another two attacks. The attack from the off-hand weapon is made with a -1D penalty. If the character is also Ambidextrous (see below), then the Penalty Die is removed.

Weak Point: With training and experience, this character can spot an opening in an opponent’s armor or defensive posture. Throw Know 12+ to grant you and your allies +1D to hit against a single enemy during the next round.

Whirlwind: On the character’s turn, they may spend a Hero Point to make another melee attack that round.

Character Talents

Ambidextrous: This character has an innate or learned ability to use their off-hand equally as well as their dominant hand. This is useful in case of injury, among other situations. However, without the Two-Fisted Talent they can’t use a second weapon to attack with their off-hand.

Awareness: Gain +1D on throws to avoid Surprise in combat and when attempting to notice clues or hidden objects. This does not cover setting up ambushes, where the Hunter Talent applies.

Beast Friendship: Gain +1D when identifying flora or fauna, as well as for Reaction rolls with animals.

Big Mouth: This character has a witty retort, insult, or inspiring word at the ready for all occasions. The character gains +1D whenever they are involved in an argument, debate, or they just want to aggravate or antagonize someone.

Charming: This character’s natural habitat is a room full of people. Gain +1D when carousing, networking, or making a good impression in social settings.

Deduction: Spend a Hero Point to ask the GM three yes-or-no questions about any person, place, or object you are investigating or observing.

Determined: Gain one extra Hero Point at the start of each game session.

Eidetic Memory: This character remembers everything their senses receive in raw excruciating detail. They gain +1D whenever they try to remember details of past events.

Empath: This talent represents an innate ability to relate to other sentient beings. The character gains +1D on Reaction throws when interacting with humans and sentient aliens.

Endurance: Your character is used to physical hardship. Ignore the first Penalty Die from fatigue, pain, Wounds (including the Physical roll to keep fighting), or other physical difficulties.

Pet: The character has a special animal companion that is extremely loyal, surprisingly intelligent, but not particularly obedient. Distribute 4 points among Combat, Physical, Social, and Stealth skills, determine Stamina and Lifeblood normally, and select two innate Talents for it. The Referee has final say on which Talents are appropriate.

Immunity: The character has a very strong immune system. They gain +1D on throws to resist the effects of poisons and disease.

Infuriating: The character is a notorious troll. The character may taunt a target as an action: roll Social 8+. If successful, one target creature gains a -1D penalty on their actions for the next round.

Ingenious: The character is talented at improvising with technology and their environmental surroundings in delightfully different ways. Gain +1D when the character uses tools or found objects in an interesting or creative manner.

Insightful: Due to training or intuition, the character gains +1D when attempting to determine if someone is lying to them.

Inspiring: As an Action in combat, they may offer a word of inspiration to a comrade, and grant +1D to whatever action the comrade is attempting.

Intimidating: Gain +1D to rolls made to intimidate and terrify opponents.

Mighty: The character is a physically powerful specimen. Gain +1D to all Physical skill rolls when attempting feats of strength and athleticism.

Runner: The character gains +1D when engaging in foot races, sprints over obstacles, or other feats of athletic speed. This Talent does not apply to changing range bands in combat, unless the Referee allows it in specific situations. In cases where exact distances are required, the Runner talent adds 1d6 to the (roughly) 10m of distance covered with each Move action. The d6 roll is an abstraction to consider rougher terrain and unforeseen obstacles. If both Move actions are used to run, then the total distance is 20 + 2d6m that round.

Status: This character has some sort of innate social status or rank that provides privileges. This may include special treatment, or higher-level security access. The player and Referee should determine what the source of this status is.

Professional Talents

Ace Pilot: When piloting ships or other vehicles, this character gains +1D to Position rolls.

Acrobat: The character is a highly trained gymnast and acrobat and is comfortable operating at great heights. Gain +1D on Physical throws for tumbling, athletics, jumps, and landings.

Animal Handling: Through training or natural affinity, the character is good with animals, and knows how to care for them. This also extends to riding animals. Gain +1D when dealing with animals, or when making throws to ride animals.

Broker: You have an expert eye for merchandise and deal making. Gain +1D when rolling to negotiate trade deals and haggle on prices.

Commando: Commando training covers stealth and sabotage. The character gains +1D when infiltrating enemy positions and when setting explosives to destroy military targets like radar dishes and ammunition depots.

Con Artist: The character is an accomplished liar and has developed false identities. Gain +1D when acting as an imposter, or when running a confidence scheme.

Contortionism: This character is trained in moving their body in very tight confines. The character may throw Physical 10+ to escape from bonds or manacles, or to slip through bars.

Demolitions Expert: This talent grants the character +1D when setting explosives, carrying out controlled demolition operations of buildings, bridges, and other large structures, and disarming explosives or warheads.

Detective: The character has a trained eye for details and is very familiar with investigative and forensic protocols. Gain +1D when looking for clues or conducting interrogations.

Drone Operator: Whether a hard-working asteroid miner, a canny salvager, or a combat photographer, this character is a gifted drone operator. They gain +1D whenever they need to perform difficult tasks remotely with drones or other remotely controlled robots.

Gambler: You know how to play games of chance very well. You also know how to cheat, and how to spot a cheater. Gain +1D for Knowledge throws to win a game. Gain +1D when using the Social skill to cheat, or to spot a cheater.

Ghost: Whenever the character is attempting to sneak under cover of darkness, smoke, or other obscuring cover, they gain +1D.

Hacker: Hackers are not just expert programmers. They are gifted improvisers who understand how to build workarounds on the fly, and make computers do their bidding. Gain +1D when attempting to hack a computer system, break encryption, jam sensors, or counter sensor jamming.

Intelligence Analyst: This character has received specialized training in intelligence gathering and analysis. Whenever they are attempting to make sense of large amounts of data and determining what is actually going on, they gain +1D.

Logistics Expert: This character has gained expertise in making plans and getting resources to where they have to be, on time. Gain +1D when drawing up plans, negotiating with suppliers, and ensuring that things run smoothly.

Medic: This character has received enough life-saving medical training to act as a combat medic. When treating wounded characters, the patients gain +1D to rolls on the Triage Table.

Professional: This character had a well-developed career before becoming an adventurer. They have a non-combat professional background of some kind that might come in useful: cooking, law, accounting, or the like. They gain +1D when practicing their profession.

Rigger: You are an expert at quick battlefield repairs. Gain +1D when attempting to make a spot repair on a vehicle. The repairs will fail after the battle is over; more extensive repairs will have to be made later on.

Scholar: Gain +1D when dealing in a specific field of knowledge, such as biology, physics, history, or mathematics. This includes research, experimentation, and drawing conclusions. This Talent can be taken multiple times, each applying to a different field of study.

Spacer: Some individuals are born in outer space, while others become so acclimated that they could have been born there anyways. This character gains +1D when attempting physical skills in zero-gravity, or whenever they are operating in the vacuum of space.

Streetwise: The character is wise to the criminal element wherever they find themselves. They gain +1D when attempting to fence stolen goods, find illegal work, or make connections with criminals.

Street Thief: This character is a practiced petty criminal. Gain +1D whenever attempting to pick pockets, open locks, hotwire vehicles, or when dealing in stolen goods.

Survivalist: Gain +1D when making skill rolls involving wilderness survival, hunting, and overland navigation.

Tech Specialist: Gain +1D when dealing with a specific technological field of knowledge: electronics, computers, vehicle mechanics, power systems, or weapons systems. This includes repairing devices and designing them.

Tinker: This character spends all their free time tinkering with everyone’s gear. Once per game session, each player character gains +1D when using their personal equipment. How the bonus is applied is up to the player and Referee.

Untraceable: You are especially well-practiced at passing through an area and covering your tracks. Anyone attempting to track you is penalized by -1D to the roll.

Equipment Packages

The regular character design process leaves the purchase of equipment to the players. This is fine for experienced players who have time to select their own gear. However, to expedite this often-time-consuming process, we have pre-selected equipment packages for new players, or for those times when selecting equipment is too time consuming. Each of the equipment packages below began with an average result of 7000 Credits, and whatever money that was left over remains with the player for later spending. These Equipment Packages are based loosely on the character Archetypes, but it is not required that a character with a given Archetype select the same Equipment Package.

Experience

Heroic and determined characters may develop their talents quickly and become living legends. Growing a new character into a fearsome veteran of many adventures is one of the main joys of roleplaying games. To represent this growth potential, this ruleset offers the following experience system.

Characters gain 1 XP per adventure. Every 5 XP, the character rises in Rank. The Ranks are:

1. Experienced (you start here)

2. Expert

3. Veteran

4. Elite

5. Legend

When characters gain a new Rank, they may choose one of the following:

● Gain one skill point to add to any skill; skills may not be raised beyond level 5.

● Gain one Talent.

Gain a Psionic power, assuming that psionics are available for the setting.

● Once per lifetime, a character may gain a second Archetype as a Rank increase.

A player character may increase their Rank up to four times (up to Legend). Even the most competent NPCs do not rise above the Expert level; higher Ranked NPCs are rare and unique.

Optional Rule – Rapid Advancement

If the Referee wishes to allow the characters to reach legendary levels of proficiency within a short campaign, they may grant 1 XP per session rather than per adventure.

Hero Points

Heroic starfarers sometimes survive ordeals that lesser people could not. This innate luck is represented by a currency called Hero Points. These Hero Points can be used for a variety of game effects, described below. Only the Player Characers receive hero points, though some particularly impressive or villainous NPCs might have a few to spend from time to time.

Each player starts each game session with 2 personal Hero Points. The group also has an additional number of Hero Points equal to the number of player characters present that session.

All Hero Point pools reset at the beginning of each session.

A player may use their personal Hero Points, and with the other players' consent, points from the group pool at any time during a game.

By spending Hero Points, a character may:

Reroll any single die throw. The player may choose the more favorable result. This includes damage or penetration rolls, as well as Wound Triage rolls.
Ask the Referee to reroll a single NPC's die throw, including damage or penetration rolls. However, in this case, the second result stands. In this case, only one Hero Point can be spent on any single Referee die roll.
Activate a special Archetype or Talent ability, as noted in its description.
Gain a +1D bonus to any roll.

Psionics

Psionic powers are a staple of many science fiction genres, and we include them here for Referees to run such games with little effort. There are several psionic powers, and Referees should determine if any are to be excluded from their campaign world. Psychic Healing, for example, can drastically change the nature of combat if it is common in a game.

Each time a player character uses a psionic power, throw Knowledge. On a success, they may continue to use it. On a failure, the power is not available for use until the character has rested for 8 hours. Note that the Mystic archetype does not apply their +1D bonus to this Knowledge roll.

Only one psionic power can be used at a time.

If a power requires concentration to use or maintain, the psion must spend one action per round concentrating. If the psion takes damage, the required concentration is immediately broken.

Augmented Speed: The character may move to Far distance in half the number of Move Actions normally required. This power lasts for 3 combat rounds.

Augmented Strength: Gain +1D to Physical throws, as well as all melee and unarmed damage rolls for the rest of the battle.

Blink: The character may teleport once to any point within Far distance, as long as they have line of sight to it, or they have been there previously.

Choke: Telekinetically grab one humanoid creature by its throat (or analogous body part) and strangle them for 1d6 Damage every round, for a maximum of 5 rounds. Ignore armor. The victim may throw Physical each round to break out of the chokehold.

Clairvoyance: This power allows characters to psionically watch and listen at a spot they choose within Far distance. This power ignores solid objects, and the character does not have to be familiar with the location in question. Whether or not a psion can use Clairvoyance to familiarize themselves sufficiently for the Blink power (above) is up to the Referee.

Cryokinesis: Characters with this power may freeze up to 5 cubic meters of material for 10 minutes. Cryokinesis can also be used offensively. Throw Combat to attack a target within Near range, causing 2d6+2 damage, with AV 2d6.

Electrokinesis: This character is able to manipulate electrical energy in their vicinity. They may use this power to recharge batteries, short-circuit electrical devices, or generate spectacular lightshows. They may also attack a target within Near range with lightning! This causes 3d6 damage, with AV 2d6. The target may throw Physical to take half damage. Robots suffer -2D on that roll.

Emotion: This power allows the psion to evoke a powerful emotion in a target at Near range; fear, joy, or friendliness are typical emotions. It is obvious to everyone, affected or not, that something has happened. This power can be used to force a Morale check among enemy (or friendly) forces. This effect lasts until the end of the battle, or for 1d6x10 minutes.

Empathy: Psions may read a target’s emotions and subtly affect them. This includes changing a Near target’s NPC Reaction Roll result by one category up or down, player’s choice.

False Perception: The psion causes a single target within Near range to hallucinate. This effect lasts as long as the psion concentrates to maintain it. The details of the False Perception are left to the psion but can range from a normal illusion or distraction to something that closely resembles a drug-fueled fugue state. The target is permitted a Knowledge throw to shake off the effect after one round.

Hibernation: The character may enter into a trance-like state and meditate for up to 7 days. While meditating, the psychic does not require food, water, or air. They remain aware of their surroundings and may end the hibernation at will.

Inspiration: When the psion uses this power, they gain +1D to their next roll, regardless of what the roll is for. This power may only be used once per day.

Invisibility: The psion is able to conceal themselves from nearby onlookers. While invisible, organic targets within Near range will not see the psion. This power works on electronic sensors and video cameras within Near range. The psion must concentrate for this power to be effective. Attacking any target immediately terminates this effect.

Kinetic Blast: The psion generates a powerful if clumsy blast of telekinetic force! This invisible telekinetic bolt of force does 4d6 damage with AV 3d6. The target may throw Physical (or Vehicles if in a vehicle) to completely avoid the attack.

Kinetic Shield: This power grants the psion 8 points of armor Protection for the duration of the battle. The kinetic shield is not cumulative with worn armor.

Levitation: The Psion may fly at a speed of one Move Action per round, for 5 rounds, in any direction desired.

Life Detection: This power allows the psion to instinctively detect all living beings within a Far radius. This power cannot be used to pinpoint the exact whereabouts of a target but will give a general sense of the location of a hidden interlocutor or sniper.

Memory Block: To use this power, the psion must be within Near range of a target. The target is allowed a Knowledge throw to avoid the effect. If the target fails the throw, the psion may block out up to 15 minutes of the target’s memories. The targeted memories must be targeted as a block for each use of this power. The memories can only be unblocked by another psion using Memory Block on the target.

Microkinesis: The psion gains telekinetic control of small or microscopic objects. Gain +2D on any one Technology throw involving components or systems containing small or microscopic objects.

Mind Blast: This powerful telepathic blast renders a Near target unconscious for 10 minutes. The target is allowed a Knowledge throw to reduce this to being stunned (no actions) for one combat round.

Mind Control: The psion gains control of a Near target, who becomes the psion’s ally for 15 minutes. The target may make a successful Knowledge throw to reduce the duration to 1d6 rounds. The target of Mind Control will only perform tasks a typical ally would do and will not perform any action that would harm themselves.

Mind Lock: A Near target is paralyzed for 2d6 combat rounds and may not move. They may still speak. The target is allowed a Physical throw to resist this power.

Mind Shield: The psion may erect an invisible mental shield that protects themselves and all allies within Near range any mind-affecting power or psionic ability. The Mind Shield will last for ten minutes.

Precognition: This power allows the player to ask the Referee one question about what may happen to their character in the next 24 hours. The Referee must respond truthfully with either “yes” or “no.” Precognition may only be used once per day.

Psychic Healing: This handy power allows the psion to heal 1 Wound on an injured target.

Pyrokinesis: The psion may ignite a flammable object within a Near range. When used to directly attack a target, throw Combat to hit the target. A successful attack does 3d6 damage and has the Fire weapon Aspect. See the Environmental Hazard chapter for details on fire damage.

Regeneration: This power allows a psychic to automatically treat a single Wound Triage Table result as though it were a result of 11: the wound will heal after 10 minutes of rest. Regeneration cannot be used on other targets but may be used after the results of the Triage Table roll are known. The psychic must be able to rest for ten minutes, and Regeneration only works on one wound at a time.

Second Wind: This power allows the psion to ignore the effects of Fatigue for 1 hour.

Suggestion: Psions may use this power to plant a simple hypnotic suggestion in one target. This effect will last until the target has performed their suggested task, or ten minutes have passed. Victims will not obey suggestions to harm themselves directly or indirectly.

Telekinesis: The psion may move objects up to 100kg by the power of their brain. Telekinetics may throw a heavy object at a target at Near range; such an attack requires a Combat roll and causes 4d6 damage, with AV 3d6.

Telepathy: This power allows the psion to read a Near target’s surface thoughts for one minute.

Thousand Faces: The psion may change their appearance and biometric data to those of any target of the same or similar species for 10 minutes. To mimic the specific biometric data of another person, the psion must have a sample of the target’s DNA.

Truth: This telepathic ability forces one Near target to answer questions truthfully. They must be able to speak or communicate to the psion, and the questions can be about anything: the target will fully answer to the best of their ability.

Vampire: The psion must make a normal unarmed attack at Close range. The Vampire power inflicts a Wound on the target, and instantly heals a Wound the psion has suffered.

Zombie: This gruesome power allows the psion to control one body of a creature killed in the past 24 hours. The target creature must be within Near range, and the power lasts for 5 combat rounds. The corpse may act, speak, and attack as the psion desires. The creature’s abilities might be limited depending on the amount and kinds of damage it suffered when it died.

Combat

In their voyages across the stars, characters will encounter all sorts of interesting people. Some will be friendly. Others will not. Hopefully, all will be open to negotiation, trade, and diplomacy. The following personal combat rules are for those unfortunate times when diplomacy fails, and violence is required to solve problems.

Combat Sequence:

1. Throw Stealth for Surprise.

a. If one party succeeds and the other fails, the successful group has surprise and can choose the range of the encounter and has a free round of actions.

b. If both groups succeed or fail, then there is no surprise, and the encounter occurs at a randomly determined range: Roll 1d6 to determine the range of the encounter: 1-4, Far, and 5-6, Near.

2. Initiative: Each character throws Combat as their Initiative score. Characters act in order from highest to lowest.

3. Resolve Actions.

4. End of round, return to 3 until one side has fled, surrendered, or perished.

5. Roll on Wound Triage Table for any characters who took more than their Stamina in damage.

Surprise:

When two potentially hostile parties encounter one another without prior knowledge, there is a chance that either group will be surprised. Each party throws Stealth, using the highest Stealth value in the group. If one party succeeds and the other fails, the successful side surprises the other and can choose the range of the encounter: Far or Near. Once combat begins, the successful side also enjoys one free round of action.

If both parties succeed or fail, there is no surprise. Roll 1d6 to determine the range of the encounter: 1-4, Far, and 5-6, Near. If the encounter occurs indoors, the range of the encounter is automatically Near. Apply +2D to the Surprise throw for any party that has had ample time to set up an ambush. Apply -1D to the Surprise throw for any party that has vehicles or that is a group of over 10 creatures.

1d6 Encounter Range

1-4 Far

5-6 Near

Surprise Modifiers

Time to Prepare an Ambush +2D

Vehicle in group, or group > 10 -1D individuals

Initiative:

At the beginning of combat, each character throws 2d6 and adds their Combat skill for their Initiative score. Characters act in order from the highest to the lowest Initiative score, and keep their Initiative score for the whole combat. Initiative score ties go to Player Characters, unless the enemy has some sort of ability that gives them extra speed.

Time and Actions:

A combat round represents 6 seconds of in-game time. During which, characters have two Actions each. An Action may be an attack, movement, using a Psionic power, or any similar act taking up to 6 seconds.

Interrupting Actions: It is possible for a character to hold their action. They must specify under what conditions they will act. For example, “I hold my action until I see an enemy come around the corner.” When the conditions are met, the character may act instantly, interrupting the target’s action. The character’s new Initiative score is whatever number they acted on when they interrupted.

Movement: In-combat movement is abstracted for purposes of determining ranges to targets. However, in some cases it is useful to have a more concrete measurement. When a character spends an Action moving on foot, they move around 10m.

Falling prone requires no Action and may be done freely on the character’s turn; getting up from a prone position takes one Action.

Attacks of Opportunity: Should a combatant engaged in Close range attempt to move out of combat, their opponent may make a free melee attack if they have a melee weapon at the ready. To safely disengage from Close range, a combatant must spend one action to Disengage, and then they may make a normal movement action without risk.

Attacking: Roll the Combat skill to hit a target with a melee weapon at Close range, to hit a target with a handgun at Close or Near range, or to hit a target with a rifle at Near or Far range. See the Range Table below.

Ranges

To facilitate play and allow “theater of mind” gaming, this ruleset uses abstract ranges:

Close: Up to 2 meters away. Melee range. A character may move this distance without using any Combat Actions.

Near: Pistol range. A character may move anywhere within this distance by expanding one Combat Action.

Far: Rifle range. A character must expend between 2 and 4 Combat Actions to traverse this distance, at the Referee’s discretion.

Distant: Beyond rifle range. A character usually cannot traverse such a distance within the short time span of personal combat.

Ranged Attacks Modifier Table

Weapon Close Near Far Distant

Handgun - - -2D Impossible

Assault -2D - -1D -2D

Rifle -3D - - -1D

Melee - Impossible Impossible Impossible

Heavy Weapon Impossible -1D - -

Thrown Weapons - -1D Impossible Impossible

Two Attacks: Characters may use both actions in a round to attack, in which case the second attack incurs a penalty of -1D to hit. This penalty does not apply to melee attacks.

Aiming: Characters may use one action to aim, and the other to attack, granting +1D to hit. It is possible to begin aiming with a character’s second action in a round and conduct an aimed shot with their first attack the following round. If the aiming character is hurt or distracted before they can attack, the aiming bonus is lost. It is impossible to properly aim automatic fire.

Attack Modifiers: Attacking in dim light incurs -1D. Attacking in full darkness incurs -2D. Attacking a prone target incurs -1D. Attacking an aware target with a Combat skill of 3 or higher incurs -1D. Attacking a character behind cover incurs -2D (this does not stack with being prone).

Ranged Attack Roll Modifiers Table

Automatic Weapons: An automatic weapon may attack twice per Action, using 5 bullets per attack. Note that it is possible to use both attack Actions in a single round to spray down an area with automatic fire: this would mean a total of four attack rolls, using 20 bullets.

Attacking with an automatic weapon incurs a -1D penalty on the first attack action’s two rolls due to recoil. If a second automatic fire attack action is made, the penalty for the next two rolls is increased to -2D.

Suppressive Fire: Instead of shooting at a target, a character may fire an automatic weapon at a designated area to deter enemy movement in an area. Choose a target area. Any combatants within Close range to it suffer an attack at -1D. Apply other modifiers as well. However, do not apply the shooter's Combat skill to this attack. This continues until the weapon runs out of ammunition or until the shooter’s next round. Suppressive fire attacks consume 15 shots’ worth of ammunition.

NPCs who are under suppressive fire must make a Morale check. If this forces them to flee, they suffer another suppressive fire attack!

Characters may only perform one Suppressive Fire action per round.

Thrown Weapons: Thrown weapons, such as grenades, knives, and axes, may only attack at the Close or Near ranges.

Grenades: Accurately throwing a grenade requires a Combat roll. If successful, the target and any additional targets within Close range to the target suffer the grenade’s effect. Targets may throw Physical to reduce the grenade’s Damage roll by -1D. On a miss, the grenade will land in Near range to the target, but in a random direction.

FRENZY! If a character neutralizes an enemy in combat (i.e. the enemy is Wounded and fails the throw to keep fighting), they may move up to 2m and attack another foe. They may do so a number of times equal to their Combat skill per round. In melee combat, Frenzy incurs no additional penalty to the subsequent attack roll for multiple actions. However, Frenzy can only be performed a number of times equal to the character’s Physical skill, per battle. For ranged attacks, apply an additional -1D penalty for firing from the hip to each attack. This is also cumulative with any penalties for using automatic fire, for example.

Frenzy Modifiers Table

Situation Modifier

Additional Melee Attacks None

Additional Ranged Attacks -1D for firing from the hip

Damage and Healing

Upon a successful hit, roll the weapon's damage dice, subtract the Protection rating of any armor, and apply the result to the target's Stamina. If the target’s Stamina is positive, they are not seriously hurt. However, when Stamina runs out, the target is Wounded and typically is out of combat. Player characters may attempt to keep fighting even when Wounded: throw Physical to keep fighting after being wounded. If they fail, they are incapacitated by their wounds for the remainder of the combat.

Any further damage dealt to a Wounded character causes additional Wounds. The character may roll Physical to keep fighting every time they receive a Wound. Apply -1D to the Physical roll to keep fighting for each additional Wound the character receives. More significantly, each additional wound after the first incurs a -1D penalty to the Triage Table roll. This penalty is cumulative for each additional wound suffered.

Damage Dice Result – Armor Protection = Damage Applied to Stamina

Healing Stamina:

When combat is over, characters with Stamina remaining can recover their full Stamina within 10 minutes of catching their breath and resting.

Wounds

Wounded characters roll once on the Wound Triage Table after the combat is over. Each additional wound after the first modifies the roll by -1D, as described above.

Death

Characters that sustain more damage than twice their maximum Stamina (after armor) die immediately. As well, any player character that takes more than three wounds dies immediately.

Healing Wounds

The Wound Triage Table indicates the amount of time wounded characters require to heal. If characters who are healing wounds attempt strenuous physical activity like combat, then they must roll Physical: on success, they take no additional damage. If they fail, they re-open their wounds. Roll the healing period again and add it to the amount of time originally required to heal.

Non-Player Characters and Damage

Depending on the kind of game the Referee is running, it might be more enjoyable to use more streamlined damage rules for NPC combatants. This also helps minimize the bookkeeping when tracking large groups of opponents in a combat scenario.

Heroes and Grunts: For a cinematic game where heroes cut their way through waves of faceless enemies (also called mooks, or occasionally “extras”), the Referee may rule that any successful attack that penetrates armor knocks a grunt out of combat. This does not necessarily mean the death of the grunt unless the damage is massive. However, in such heroic tales, grunts often cower after being hurt, are preoccupied by their wounds, or pass out after being hit by the hero. Reviving such weaklings for interrogation after combat is often easy, though the amount of useful information available from them is often limited.

Any unnamed enemy who takes damage that penetrates their armor is incapacitated. If necessary, roll on the Triage table later to see if they remain alive.
Henchmen or especially tough unnamed opponents can take one armor penetrating hit from a PC and still fight. The second such hit will incapacitate them.
Villains and major enemy NPCs should be treated like player characters with Stamina scores.

Wound Triage Table

2d6 Result

3 or Death
lower

4 Critical Injury: The character is incapacitated but will
recover after 6d6 weeks of medical care. Also, throw Physical
to avoid permanent damage. If failed, throw 1d6: 1-2, suffer
obvious scarring; 3, lose 1d3 fingers; 4, lose an eye; 5, lose
an arm; 6, lose a leg. Cybernetics from the Early Space Age and on may replace lost limbs or organs.

5-7 Severe Injury: The character will recover after 3d6 weeks
of medical care.

8-10 Moderate Injury: The character will recover after 1d6 days
of rest or in one day with proper medical care.

11-12 Flesh Wound: The character will recover within 1 day of
rest or within 10 minutes with a Medkit.

Morale

NPCs and xenofauna rarely fight to the death. Referees should consider rolling a Morale check for monsters and NPCs after they suffer their group’s first death, when they are surprised, after they take more than 50% casualties, and whenever NPCs suffer unduly in combat.

To Check Morale: Both sides throw 2d6 and add their leader’s Social skill; apply -1D if the NPCs’ leader has been killed. If one side’s result is greater than or equal to two times the other side’s result, the losing side of the Morale check will flee. Combatants get a free melee attack against fleeing opponents. PCs do not roll for Morale; however, their NPC allies do.

Computer Hacking

Computers are a natural staple of nearly all science fiction roleplaying and fiction. Leaving aside the deeper philosophical questions of what it means to have artificial brains handling untold amounts of information, Referees and players are often dealing with the nitty-gritty of how to access or hide crucial information on computers. What follows are basic rules for computer hacking for players and Referees who desire more options for this sort of play.

Hacking requires access to a computer. Usually, this is an Omnicomp, or another portable electronic device. Some characters will have cybernetic implants like neural interfaces or vehicle control rigs that will give them access to a great deal of computing power. The details of what computer hacking looks like and how it is carried out are left to the Referee and players.

Hacking Actions

When time is of the essence and a player character must access a computer and make it do something, time should be tracked in combat rounds. In each combat round, a character normally has two actions. Each round, one of these actions can be a Hacking Action. The other action can be performed normally, but hacking actions can only be performed if a character is connected (cybernetically or otherwise) to a computer terminal.

Each hack lasts for 1d6 rounds, plus the Hacker’s Technology skill level. If a computer hacker can plan a hack for 15 minutes before executing it, gain +1D to the duration roll. There are only a few possible Hacking Actions. Each hacking action has difficulty modifiers, listed on the table below. All unplanned hacks (no 15-minute pre-planning time period) are penalized by -1D.

Answer a Specific Question: The hacker looks for a specific piece of information they require. This can be something like a date of birth, address, location of alarms or cameras in a building, a floorplan, or some other specific information.

Full Database Acquisition: This means copying an entire database onto a portable storage device on hand or initiating a discreet transfer to an off-site server. A data vault cybernetic implant also could serve as a destination for a full database acquisition. The data could be anything, but it must be located entirely in the system the hacker is attempting to breach. A full database acquisition takes an hour to complete but can be initiated with a single Hacking Action. To ensure that this hack lasts the entire hour, it is necessary to perform a Subvert System action beforehand. Note that this does mean that the Database Acquisition hack will incur a -1D additional penalty because it is the second hack on the same system in a day.

Gain General Information: Acquire all the basic information about a specific topic from a computer system. This can be a full facility map, or a roster of all the guards on a space station, or all the medical files of a ship’s crew.

Sabotage a System: This action is intended to physically damage a computer, or other hackable electronic device. This hack will cause the system or device to stop working. The damage is permanent, but immediately obvious.

Subvert a System: Hackers use this action to take control of a computer system or device and bend it to their will. This means unsealing doors, taking over weapons systems, disabling gravity, or feeding false information to a security camera. The hacker can use their Hacking action every round to subvert a system. If they leave a system, it follows the last orders the hacker gave it until the hack terminates.

Hacking Action Modifier Situation Modifier

Answer a Question - Unplanned -1D

Full Database -1D Second hack on the -1D cumulative Acquisition same system in a day. for each hack.

Gain General -1D Difficult Encryption Varies: -1D to Information -3D

Sabotage System -1D The alarm was raised -2D

Subvert System -1D

**
**

Environmental Hazards

Not all threats carry weapons. Adventurers must sometimes contend with disease, radiation, and extreme environments whilst exploring the distant stars. This chapter provides simple rules for implementing these hazards in your game.

Fatigue

Fatigue is caused by exposure to various environmental hazards, extreme exertion, or deprivation. When a character is Fatigued, they suffer a -1D to all actions.

Some Causes of Fatigue

Less than 4 hours of sleep per 24-hour period.

Travelling by foot over rough terrain for more than 10 hours.

Strenuous physical work for more than 10 hours: emergency starship repairs, building fortifications, digging a tunnel.

More than one combat encounter per day.

Certain environmental hazards. See below.

Disease and Poison:

When exposed to a disease or poison, throw Physical to avoid the initial Effect. Apply the Virulence Modifier to the roll. If a character is infected by a disease, they suffer the Effect: a roll on the Wound Triage Table with a modifier listed below. After the roll, the character should throw Physical after the listed Interval to shake off the disease, with the same Virulence Modifier. If successful, the character recovers without further damage. If not, the character suffers the Effect again.

Poisons work the same as Diseases, but only affect the target once.

Sample pathogens

+—————–+—————-+—————–+—————-+ | > Pathogen | > Virulence | > Effect | > Interval | | | > Modifier | | | +=================+================+=================+================+ | > Pneumonia | No Modifier | Triage Roll at | > 1d6 weeks | | | | +2D | | +—————–+—————-+—————–+—————-+ | > Anthrax | -2D | Triage Roll at | > 1d6 days | | | | -1D | | +—————–+—————-+—————–+—————-+ | > Biological | -3D | Triage Roll at | > 1d6 hours | | > Weapon | | -3D | | +—————–+—————-+—————–+—————-+ | > Arsenic | -1D | Triage Roll | > - | +—————–+—————-+—————–+—————-+ | > Tranq Gas | -2D | Unconscious | > - | +—————–+—————-+—————–+—————-+ | > Mustard Agent | -2D | Triage Roll at | > - | | | | -2D | | +—————–+—————-+—————–+—————-+ | > Animal Venom, | -1D | Triage Roll | > - | | > Potent | | | | +—————–+—————-+—————–+—————-+

Extreme Temperatures:

Extreme heat or cold can cause great harm to unprotected characters, as noted in the table below. Consult the table for appropriate effects of extreme temperatures. Roll at the start of the listed interval.

+———–+——-+——–+—————————————-+ | > Te | > Ex | > In | > Effect | | mperature | ample | terval | | +===========+=======+========+========================================+ | > -100° | > | > | > Roll on the Wound Triage Table at | | > or less | Deep | Every | > -3D penalty. | | | > | > | | | | space | round | | +———–+——-+——–+—————————————-+ | > -50° | > | > | > Roll on the Wound Triage Table at | | | Mars | Every | > -2D penalty. | | | | > | | | | | minute | | +———–+——-+——–+—————————————-+ | > -25° | > A | > | > Take 1D Stamina damage. When | | | rctic | Every | > depleted suffer Fatigue. After that, | | | | > hour | > Roll on roll on the Wound Triage | | | | | > Table. | +———–+——-+——–+—————————————-+ | > -10° to | > Ty | > None | | | > 40° | pical | | | | | > | | | | | Terra | | | +———–+——-+——–+—————————————-+ | > 50° | > Se | > | > Take 1D Stamina. When depleted, | | | aring | Every | > suffer Fatigue. After that, Roll on | | | > d | > hour | > the Wound Triage Table. | | | esert | | | +———–+——-+——–+—————————————-+ | > 100° | > Bo | > | > Roll on the Wound Triage Table at | | | iling | Every | > -2D penalty. | | | > | > | | | | point | round | | +———–+——-+——–+—————————————-+ | > 200° or | > Me | > | > Roll on the Wound Triage Table at | | > more | rcury | Every | > -3D penalty. | | | | > | | | | | round | | +———–+——-+——–+—————————————-+

Falling

Characters suffer 1D Stamina damage for every 2m fallen. Roll on the Wound Triage Table if a fall depletes Stamina. Halve this damage in low gravity conditions and apply +2D to the Wound Triage roll in low gravities. In high gravity conditions, damage is 2d6 per 2m fallen, and add a -2D penalty to the Wound Triage Roll. Falls inflict no damage in microgravity conditions or very low gravities, such as on small planetoids.

Fire

A target attacked by a weapon with the Fire aspect must throw Physical or catch fire. In this case, they take the weapon’s listed Damage every subsequent round, unless the fire is put out. Putting out a burning character requires two full Actions and a successful Physical throw. If fire-extinguishers or other means of dousing the flames are readily available, the fire is automatically put out in one round.

Radiation

A character exposed to radiation accumulates rads. Unless treated with anti-radiation medication, rads remain forever. Even after a character has recovered from radiation sickness (see below), their accumulated rads level remains. Additional significant exposure will cause more severe sickness as any new exposure accumulates with all previous exposures before determining damage.

Radiation Exposure Levels

Radiation Sickness:

Exposure to radiation might lead to radiation sickness, depending on the amount of rads the character has accumulated. Determining radiation damage is similar to the procedure used for determining damage from disease and poison. Make a Physical skill roll and apply the Virulence modifier corresponding to the total amount of rads the character has accumulated to the throw. If the character fails the throw, they are affected by radiation sickness and must roll on the Wound Triage table with the corresponding modifier to that roll. Throw Physical again, with the same Virulence modifier, after the listed Interval to recover from radiation sickness. If successful, the character recovers without further damage. If not, roll Triage again with the same modifiers.

Radiation Sickness.

+————-+————-+————-+————-+————-+ | > | > Total | > Virulence | > Modifier | > Interval | | Irradiation | > rads | > Modifier | > to Triage | | | | | | > Roll | | +=============+=============+=============+=============+=============+ | > Mild | > 99 or | > None | > None | > None | | | > less | | | | +————-+————-+————-+————-+————-+ | > Low | > 100-199 | > +2D | > +3D | > 1d6 weeks | +————-+————-+————-+————-+————-+ | > Moderate | > 200-599 | > +1D | > +2D | > 2d6 days | +————-+————-+————-+————-+————-+ | > High | > 600-999 | > No | > No | > 1d6 days | | | | > Modifier | > Modifier | | +————-+————-+————-+————-+————-+ | > Severe | > | > -2D | > -1D | > 1d6 hours | | | 1000-10000 | | | | +————-+————-+————-+————-+————-+ | > Extreme | > 10000 or | > -3D | > -2D | > 1 hour | | | > more | | | | +————-+————-+————-+————-+————-+

Starvation and Dehydration

A character requires two liters of water and 0.5kg of food per day to stay healthy. Two days’ worth of food (1kg) and one day’s worth of water are each considered one item for purposes of Encumbrance. Special high-tech rations (Early Space Age or later) are a lightweight and very unappetizing substitute for food that does not count as an Encumbrance item.

A character may go without water for 20 + four times their Physical skill in hours, with no ill effect. After that time has passed, they are Fatigued. After that period has passed again, the character must throw Physical per hour without water or make a Wound Triage Table roll. Apply a cumulative -1D to the Triage roll with each additional check.

A character may go without food for 3 days. After that, they become Fatigued. Each the character must throw Physical per day without food or make a Wound Triage Table roll at +2D. There is a cumulative -1D to the Triage roll with each additional check.

Suffocation

In situations where there is insufficient oxygen, such as being on a ship with failing life support, characters must roll on the Triage Table every minute after the first six minutes. If the character has no access to any oxygen whatsoever, like when a character is being strangled, or has been sucked out into space, the roll on the Triage table every round.

Vacuum Exposure

Contrary to popular belief, vacuum does not kill immediately. A character exposed to vacuum suffers regular suffocation damage (see above). While exposed to space they also suffer 3d6x10 rads of radiation per round. Additionally, at the start of the third round of vacuum exposure, the character must throw Physical each round or fall unconscious from aeroembolisms – the formation of air bubbles in their bloodstream.

Equipment

The following chapter provides details on a wide variety of equipment available at various Tech Eras. The goal of this chapter is to provide a good sample of equipment, not an exhaustive list. Referees are encouraged to add additional equipment from other sources if the gear in question fits within the sort of campaign setting, they are running. In that case, use existing the equipment prices to estimate what the price of an imported piece of kit would cost.

Technological Ages

This ruleset classifies civilizations and worlds by their Technological Age. Each Tech Age provides increasingly complex technology. Each Tech Age consists of two periods, an Early and a Late stage, as noted below. Below is a broad overview of each Tech Age. How Tech Ages function in world building and setting design is covered in the Worlds Chapter.

No Technology: There is no significant tool-using species present in the world.

Early Primitive: Stone tools have been developed. There is no metallurgy, and transportation is limited to human foot or simple watercraft. The culture may be highly elaborate, but technical capabilities are limited.

Late Primitive: This Tech Age represents a period on Earth from Antiquity to the Late Medieval period. Such a culture has mastered non-industrial metallurgy and can build extensive and complex structures. However, most of society is still highly agrarian.

Early Mechanical: This represents an Early Modern to Victorian level of technology. The society has mastered important technologies such as gunpowder, basic mass production, and eventually steam engines, trains, germ theory, and ironclad watercraft.

Late Mechanical: The Late Mechanical Age is equivalent to Earth between 1900 and 1945. There are high levels of industrialization, and plenty of useful inventions such as internal combustion engines, polymer plastics, mechanized warfare, and heavier than air flight.

Early Atomic: With the advent of nuclear fission, the Early Atomic age marks the moment when a society is capable of destroying itself through unlimited warfare. This era is equivalent to Earth between 1945 and 1990. Cheap transistor electronics, advanced vehicles, nuclear energy, and nuclear weapons all make their first appearance. Notably, some cultures are able to achieve limited spaceflight using chemical rockets.

Late Atomic: Equivalent to Earth from 1990 to the near future. The computer has revolutionized information technology, and affordable and portable computers are commonplace and powerful. Genetic engineering becomes a more common technology. While Earth only engaged in highly limited spaceflight in that period, a Late Atomic world may colonize its own star system using nuclear-thermal rockets (NTRs).

Early Space: Probably achieved by Earth in the late 21st century. An Early Space civilization is capable of modifying the human body and efficiently colonizing its entire star system. Fusion power, fusion rockets, cryogenic hibernation, and cybernetics are all increasingly commonplace and affordable. Interstellar travel is possible, albeit only at slower-than-light speeds in generation ships.

Late Space: Societies that are capable of limited faster-than-light (FTL) interstellar expansion first emerge in the Late Space Age. Standard FTL Engines capable of traversing two parsecs per week first become available in the Late Space Age. Man-portable laser weapons, as well as basic powered armor, are also possible in this Age. This is also the period where slow terraforming technologies begin to be applied to entire worlds.

Early Interstellar: The Interstellar Age represents the start of well-developed interstellar societies. Early shipboard gravity and partial inertial dampening technology now permits high-G maneuvers on manned spacecraft. Walker vehicles and powered infantry armor are common. Faster terraforming is now also possible. True Artificial Intelligence emerges at the end of this era, and ushers in the Late Interstellar era.

Late Interstellar: This Tech Age sees further development and refinement of established interstellar societies. Advanced FTL Engines that are capable of traversing 4 parsecs per week become available.

Early Galactic: These civilizations are now capable of colonizing large swathes of their home galaxy. Full inertial dampening in high-G space fighters is standard. Tractor beams, energy shields, and early true artificial intelligence all emerge and revolutionize every aspect of manufacturing, architecture, and warfare. FTL travel is now much faster: a ship with the best Early Galactic drive can travel up to six parsecs, moving at a rate of one parsec every other day.

Late Galactic: Galactic society at its technological peak. Gravity generators small enough to fit into personal vehicles are common. New FTL drives allow vessels to transit a maximum of ten parsecs in ten days. Artificial Intelligences are now well-developed and understood. The emergence of teleportation technology is poised to revolutionize transportation and manufacturing.

Cosmic: The Cosmic Age denotes a time when technology becomes so advanced that it is indistinguishable from magic. Harnessing the fundamental forces of the universe at the sub-atomic level allows for materials to be created that defy the laws of earlier physics. Faster-than-light communications become possible. Defensive shields, later refined to personal shields are developed. Anti-matter weapons are developed, and antimatter power systems revolutionize society again. True AI eliminates the need for most crew positions on spacecraft. Vessels are now powered by inertia-less, reactionless drives, and are capable of instantaneous FTL travel of up to 50 parsecs per day.

Encumbrance

Instead of listing and tracking the mass of each item a character carries, in this ruleset, character may carry a number of items equal to 10 + twice their Physical skill without being encumbered. They may carry up to twice that number, but then will suffer a -1D to all physical tasks. Most items that require one hand to use count as one item. Two-handed items like rifles or heavy tools count as two items. Tiny objects such as needles, compasses, or data-shards do not cost as items for encumbrance purposes, unless dozens of them are carried. Heavy objects such as body armor may count as more than one item when not worn.

Living Expenses and Salaries

Characters not embarked on a starship must pay for lodging and food. Rather than forcing players to track all expenses, player characters must spend a fixed amount per day they spend living planetside. The following table provides costs of living. One column shows a monthly cost of living – assuming long-term rental of lodging and groceries. The second gives daily living expenses, whenever characters or tourists pay for a motel or hotel room and buy prepared food. These costs include various expenses such as taxes and transportation. Unless the characters have extensive contacts on a planet or are themselves locals, they will almost always be paying the Daily rate for living expenses.

The living expenses for characters on a starship are subsumed into the life support costs for each person on board the ship.

Living Expense Table

Starvation living means living in the streets, in a tent, or outdoors and eating just barely enough to keep the character alive. Clothes are basic and always second-hand or worn out. Healthcare, entertainment, and transportation are not included in this level. A character living at starvation levels is always Fatigued.

Subsistence living is the bare minimum for civilized life – a tiny apartment, shanty, or capsule in a "coffin hotel" and simple food and clothing. Subsistence level living includes public transit, minimal entertainment, and generally inadequate healthcare.

Ordinary living is how most people live in city centers: an apartment, public transit or a small personal vehicle, reasonable food and clothing, reasonable entertainment, and modern healthcare.

High living is the good life: a fancy apartment in the city or a small house, eating at restaurants for most meals, a good personal vehicle, partying on a regular basis, fashionable clothes, and good healthcare.

The Elite life means living like royalty: a mansion or penthouse, regular feasts, or upscale restaurants, dressing in the finest clothes, and maintaining a prestigious personal vehicle. Healthcare is the best money can buy.

Salaries

The following table lists salaries for a range of NPC professions and jobs. Three daily rates are given, corresponding to level-0, level-1, and level-2 in their craft. If the NPC is hired by the players to perform a task, roll 2d6 and add their skill level to see if they are successful.

+———————————-+———————————–+ | > Profession | > Daily Salary | +———————————-+———————————–+ | > Artists | > 5/20/150 | +———————————-+———————————–+ | > Programmer/Technician | > 20/50/150 | +———————————-+———————————–+ | > Doctor | > 40/100/1000 | +———————————-+———————————–+ | > Driver | > 10/25/80 | +———————————-+———————————–+ | > Guard | > 10/20/50 | +———————————-+———————————–+ | > Lawyer | 20/50/1000 | +———————————-+———————————–+ | > Scientist/Researcher | 20/50/200 | +———————————-+———————————–+ | > Unskilled Labor | 5/20/50 | +———————————-+———————————–+ | > Private Mercenary | 20/50/500 | +———————————-+———————————–+ | > Native Guide | 20/50/200 | +———————————-+———————————–+

Personal Armor

As weapons become increasingly lethal, armor improves to help those unfortunates enough to be in combat survive the ordeal. The Protection rating of the armor is subtracted from the weapon’s damage roll, as per Damage and Healing.

Personal Armor

Suit Protection Cost Encumb. Tech Age (Credits)

Leather 2 50 1 Early Primitive

Chainmail 4 300 2 Late Primitive

Plate Mail 6 1000 3 Late Primitive

Bulletproof Vest 4 150 1 Early Atomic

Ceramic Plates 8 300 2 Early Atomic

Synthsilk Armor 7 6000 0 Early Interstellar

Energy Shield Special 20000 1 Late Galactic

Envirosuit 4 700 2 Early Atomic

Spacesuit 6 2000 2 Early Space

Spacesuit, 6 4000 0 Early Advanced Interstellar

Spacesuit, Hostile 10 10000 3 Late Space Environment

Envirosuit, 6 5000 0 Early Advanced Interstellar

Encased Armor 10 10000 2 Late Space

Powered Armor 14 200000 0 (when worn) Late Interstellar

Armor Types

Leather: Made from Boiled animal hide or other non-metallic material, this armor can be worn as regular clothing. When facing firearms or other weapons from the Early Mechanical Eras or later, this armor provides 1 point of Protection.

Chainmail: Manufactured from rings of iron or primitive steel woven together. Typically, chainmail covers the upper body and hangs to the knees. When facing firearms or other weapons from the Early Mechanical Eras or later, this armor provides 2 points of Protection.

Plate Mail: A full suit of metal plated armor with a thick woven undergarment to reduce irritation. Plate mail is normally only worn by the wealthy nobles. When facing firearms or other weapons from the Early Mechanical Eras or later, this armor provides 2 points of Protection.

Bulletproof Vest: A lightweight ballistic armor for torso protection. Bulletproof vests are easy to wear under clothes and are quite concealable.

Ceramic Plate: Modern heavy-duty ballistic-cloth armor. Commonly worn by soldiers, well-equipped security, and Atomic Age mercenaries. Ceramic Plate counts as two Items for encumbrance purposes and is not concealable.

Encased Armor Suit: A suit of heavy, full body rigid armor, often used by corporate SWAT and high-end mercenaries. The suit offers environmental protection as an Envirosuit (see below) and includes integrated comms and a Heads-Up Display.

Energy Shield: This high-energy emitter is worn on a belt clip. The energy shield is capable of stopping massive amounts of damage and may be worn with other armor. An energy shield completely negates the first hit it receives in combat but is then depleted. Roll 1d6 every following combat round; on a result of 4-6, the shield regenerates on the wearer’s turn, and may negate another hit afterwards.

Envirosuit: A full body sealed suit with attached filters and ports to attach oxygen tanks as well. The Envirosuit fully protects against airborne toxins and pathogens. An Envirosuit will absorb the first 20 rads of radiation exposure.

Envirosuit, Advanced: This is a much higher-tech version of the Enrivosuit, and works the same way, but is ultra-light. It can absorb 40 rads’ worth of radiation.

Powered Armor: This is servo-assisted, fully enclosed, combat armor. This powerful armor grants +3D to all Physical checks related to brute strength and doubles the wearer’s normal Encumbrance limits. Powered armor grants +1D to all melee damage done by its wearer. It also removes the Bulky aspect from any weapons the wearer is using. Powered Armor protects against vacuum and hostile environments, as a space suit, with 6 hours of life support, and absorbs 50 rads of radiation. Powered armor does not count as an item for encumbrance when worn. It counts as 3 encumbrance items when carried.

Space Suit: This is a standard space suit, much lighter and cheaper than a 20th Century Terran space suit. A space suit carries life support supplies for up to 6 hours. It protects against Vacuum, Tainted, and Exotic atmospheres, as well as airborne pathogens. Absorbs 60 rads.

Space Suit, Advanced: This represents the final evolution of the space suit. An advanced space suit does not count as an item for encumbrance and provides life support for 12 hours. It offers the same environmental protection as a regular space suit.

Space Suit, Hostile Environment: A heavy-duty and reinforced space suit designed for extreme conditions, such as Corrosive and Insidious atmospheres. It protects against vacuum and corrosive atmospheres, as well as airborne pathogens and toxins, and provides 2d6 hours of protection from highly corrosive atmospheres. The Hostile Environment space suit carries life support supplies for 6 hours and absorbs 150 rads’ worth of radiation.

Synthsilk Armor: This advanced personal armor is bio-engineered from spider silk. Synthsilk is easily concealable and does not count as an item for Encumbrance.

Personal and Support Weapons

Interstellar adventurers face their adversaries with blades, bullets, and lasers. Here we present a few common and iconic weapons used by starfarers.

Stat Explanations

Tech Age: The Tech Age when the weapon first becomes available.

Range: The weapon’s range classification: Melee, Handgun, Rifle, or Long-Range, as discussed in the Combat Chapter.

Damage: The number of dice rolled for damage upon a successful hit. This is listed as Xd6, where X is the number of dice rolled. Some weapons will add a modifier to the final roll. 3d6+1 means roll three dice and add one to the final total damage.

Magazine: The amount of ammunition the weapon holds. Reloading takes 1 Action.

Cost: The weapon’s cost in Credits.

Ammunition Cost: The weapon’s ammunition’s cost in Credits, per magazine.

Aspects: Any special weapon characteristics, see below.

Weapon Aspects

Weapons have Aspects describing any special characteristics inherent to the weapon, as noted on the table.

Automatic: This weapon may use automatic fire, as detailed in the Combat chapter.

AV: The weapon is usable against vehicles, and has Anti-Vehicular (AV) dice, as noted after the “AV” Aspect.

Blast: The weapon inflicts damage to all targets within Close range of its impact point.

Blast, Greater: This weapon inflicts damage to all targets within Near range of its impact point.

Bulky: Anyone attacking with this weapon incurs -1D to the Combat roll. Anyone with Physical 1 or more can ignore this penalty for melee weapons. For ranged weapons, only the use of a bipod or a tripod will remove this penalty. It takes 10 combat rounds to set up a tripod, and one Action to set up a bipod.

Fire: This weapon’s attacks cause Fire damage and may ignite the target, as per the Environmental Hazards chapter.

Laser: At the Referee's discretion, laser weapon attacks through difficult atmospheric conditions, such as thick smoke, incur a -1D penalty to attack rolls.

Scattergun: Each attack fills the air with a hail of small projectiles, either flechettes or shot. Scatterguns enjoy a +1D to hit at Near or Close Ranges. Furthermore, scatterguns attack anyone standing within Close range of the target. Roll to hit for each eligible target. Armor ratings are doubled against scattergun attacks.

Stun: These weapons deal non-lethal damage and will incapacitate a living target instead of killing it. If the target suffers a Wound from this weapon, no actual wound is inflicted. Instead, the target falls unconscious.

Throwable: These weapons may be thrown out to Near range.

Two-Handed: This melee weapon requires both hands to wield, precluding the use of a shield. All rifle-sized weapons must be wielded with two hands.

Zero-G: the weapon does not suffer a penalty for firing a weapon in zero-g conditions. Other weapons suffer -1D in such conditions due to recoil. Lasers automatically have the Zero-G Aspect.

Weapon Lists

The following section describes a wide variety of weapons for characters to use when they engage in their violent adventures in the stars.

Melee Weapons

Tried and true melee weapons are commonly available in an interstellar society. Although there are many more efficient forms of inflicting harm, melee weapons provide several advantages. Most polite societies that frown upon armed civilians may be more tolerant towards carrying small melee weapons. Moreover, in the close confines of a starship, it is often the blade, and not the laser rifle, that is the most effective weapon. One-handed melee weapons count as 1 point of Encumbrance. Two-handed weapons count as 2 points of Encumbrance.

+————&md | > Weapon | | > Age | | | | | | | | +————&md | > Axe | Early | | Primitive | | | +————&md | > Greatsword or | Late | > Great-Axe | Primitive | | +————&md | > Dagger | > Early | | > Primitive | +————&md | > Machete | Late | | Primitive | | | +————&md | > Neural Whip | Late | | Interstellar | +————&md | > Shield | > Early | | > Primitive | | | +————&md | > Spear | > Early | | > Primitive | +————&md | > Staff | > Early | | > Primitive | +————&md | > Stun Prod | > Early | | > Space +————&md | > Sword | > Late | | > Primitive +————&md | > Vibroblade | Early | | Interstellar | 1000 | | | +————&md | > Unarmed attack | > - | | +————&md ash;—–+————–+——+—–+——————–+ | > Tech | > ** | > * | > Aspects | | Cost | Dm | | | > in | g* | | | > C | | | | redi | | | | ts** | | | ash;—–+————–+——+—–+——————–+ | > 25 | > | > Throwable | | 2d | | | | 6+1 | | ash;—–+————–+——+—–+——————–+ | > | > | > Bulky, | | 300 | 3d | > Two-Handed | | | 6+1 | | ash;—–+————–+——+—–+——————–+ | > 10 | > | > Throwable | | 2d6 | | ash;—–+————–+——+—–+——————–+ | > 50 | > | | | 2d | | | | 6+1 | | ash;—–+————–+——+—–+——————–+ | > | > | > Stun | 500 | 1d6 | | ash;—–+————–+——+—–+——————–+ | > 20 | > | | | 1d | | | | 6+1 | | ash;—–+————–+——+—–+——————–+ | > 15 | > | > Throwable | | 3d6 | | ash;—–+————–+——+—–+——————–+ | > 10 | 1d | > Two-Handed | | 6+2 | | ash;—–+————–+——+—–+——————–+ | > | 2d6 | > Stun | | 300 | | | ash;—–+————–+——+—–+——————–+ | > | 3d6 | | | 150 | | | ash;—–+————–+——+—–+——————–+ | > | > | | 3d | | | | 6+2 | | ash;—–+————–+——+—–+——————–+ | > - | > | | | | 1d6 | | ash;—–+————–+——+—–+——————–+

Axe: A one-handed ax made from metal or stone, anything from a stone-age tool through a medieval war ax to a modern fire ax.

Greatsword: A large two-handed sword that counts as 2 items for encumbrance purposes. A two-handed Great-Axe uses the same stats.

Cudgel: A large baton, club, or mace.

Dagger: A straight, short knife.

Machete: A simple yet sturdy broad blade used for cutting foliage and foes alike.

Neural Whip: This slaver’s weapon consists of a stocky handle connected to a flexible strap. Each attack from this weapon causes stun damage as above. However, it has two additional vicious effects. First, any target hit by a neural whip must roll Physical or fall to the ground as they suffer from nightmarish pain. They are incapacitated for 2d6 combat rounds. Second, in addition to the stun damage, the neural whip causes 1D physical damage per hit. In its intended role, the neural whip is notoriously effective. The whip is ineffective against anyone in armor.

Shield: A personal shield, with which characters can bash enemies. Its primary use is to protect its wielder, providing a -1D penalty against melee attacks. Anyone carrying a shield can penalize a number of enemy attacks per round equal to their Combat skill -1, with a minimum of 1.

Spear: This weapon comes in all types of construction, from a sharpened shaft to a metal-tipped spear. Regardless of how it was made, a spear is a basic, effective, melee weapon.

Staff: A long wooden shaft used as a bludgeon, sometimes with metal fittings. It must be used with two hands.

Stun Prod: A high-tech anti-riot weapon. The stun prod augments the basic baton’s blunt force with an electric charge capable of stunning opponents.

Sword: One of any variety of medium-sized one-handed blades, including the gladius, cutlass, longsword, and katana.

Vibroblade: An intermediate-sized, one-handed, bladed weapon that uses hypersonic micro-vibrations in the blade to create a deadly cutting edge.

Projectile Weapons

Most interstellar societies are very familiar with projectile weapons, and we present a variety of them that will be encountered in battles across the stars. Most civil societies frown on carrying projectile weapons openly—though this does vary from place to place. The population of a frontier settlement might expect every civilian to carry a pistol for personal defense, for example. However, openly carrying military-grade weaponry will immediately draw the attention of all but the most lax law enforcement personnel. Any weapon with the Handgun range category counts as 1 Encumbrance item. Other weapons are two-handed, and count as 2 or more Encumbrance items.

+———+——–+—–+——-+—-+—–+——–+————–+ | > Pro | | | | | | | | | jectile | | | | | | | | | > We | | | | | | | | | apons | | | | | | | | +———+——–+—–+——-+—-+—–+——–+————–+ | > W | > | > | > | > | > * | > | > | | eapon | Tech | C | Ra | * | Ma | Ammo | Aspects | | | > | ost | nge | D | g | > Cost | | | | Age | > | | mg | | > in | | | | | in | | ** | | > Cre | | | | | > | | | | dits | | | | | Cre | | | | | | | | | dit | | | | | | | | | s | | | | | | +———+——–+—–+——-+—-+—–+——–+————–+ | > | > Late | > 1 | > | > | > 5 | > 100 | > Scope, AV | | Anti-M | > Mech | 200 | Rifle | 5 | | | > 2d6 | | ateriel | anical | | | d6 | | | | | > Rifle | | | | | | | | +———+——–+—–+——-+—-+—–+——–+————–+ | > | > | > | > As | > | > | > 15 | > Auto | | Assault | Early | 300 | sault | 3 | 30 | | | | > Rifle | > | | | d6 | | | | | | Atomic | | | | | | | +———+——–+—–+——-+—-+—–+——–+————–+ | > Bow | > | > | > | > | > 1 | > 10 | | | | Early | 60 | Rifle | 2 | | | | | | > Pri | | | d6 | | | | | | mitive | | | | | | | +———+——–+—–+——-+—-+—–+——–+————–+ | > C | > Late | > | > | > | > 1 | > 10 | | | rossbow | > Pri | 75 | Rifle | 3 | | | | | | mitive | | | d6 | | | | +———+——–+—–+——-+—-+—–+——–+————–+ | > | > | > | > As | > | > | > 15 | > Auto | | Carbine | Early | 400 | sault | 3 | 20 | | | | | > | | | d6 | | | | | | Atomic | | | | | | | +———+——–+—–+——-+—-+—–+——–+————–+ | > | > | > | > As | > | > | > 15 | > Auto, | | Gyrojet | Early | 900 | sault | 3 | 20 | | > Zero-G | | > Rifle | > | | | d6 | | | | | | Space | | | +2 | | | | +———+——–+—–+——-+—-+—–+——–+————–+ | > | > | > | > Ha | > | > 8 | > 10 | > Zero-G | | Gyrojet | Early | 400 | ndgun | 2 | | | | | > | > | | | d6 | | | | | Pistol | Space | | | +2 | | | | +———+——–+—–+——-+—-+—–+——–+————–+ | > Light | > Late | > 1 | > | > | > | > 125 | > Auto, | | > | > Mech | 200 | Rifle | 3 | 100 | | > Bulky | | Machine | anical | | | d6 | | | | | > Gun | | | | | | | | +———+——–+—–+——-+—-+—–+——–+————–+ | > Pulse | > Late | > 1 | > As | > | > | > 30 | > Auto | | > Rifle | > | 000 | sault | 3 | 40 | | | | | Space | | | d6 | | | | | | | | | +3 | | | | +———+——–+—–+——-+—-+—–+——–+————–+ | > R | > | > | > Ha | > | > 6 | > 5 | | | evolver | Early | 150 | ndgun | 2 | | | | | | > Mech | | | d6 | | | | | | anical | | | +1 | | | | +———+——–+—–+——-+—-+—–+——–+————–+ | > Rifle | > | > | > | > | > 8 | > 15 | | | | Early | 500 | Rifle | 3 | | | | | | > Mech | | | d6 | | | | | | anical | | | +3 | | | | +———+——–+—–+——-+—-+—–+——–+————–+ | > | > Late | > | > Ha | > | > | > 7 | | | Semi-Au | > Mech | 150 | ndgun | 2 | 16 | | | | tomatic | anical | | | d6 | | | | | > | | | | | | | | | Pistol | | | | | | | | +———+——–+—–+——-+—-+—–+——–+————–+ | > | > | > | > As | > | > 6 | > Cr10 | > Scattergun | | Shotgun | Early | 200 | sault | 4 | | | | | | > Mech | | | d6 | | | | | | anical | | | | | | | +———+——–+—–+——-+—-+—–+——–+————–+ | > | > Late | > | > | > | > 5 | > 30 | > Scope | | Sniper | > Mech | 800 | Rifle | 3 | | | | | > Rifle | anical | | | d6 | | | | | | | | | +3 | | | | +———+——–+—–+——-+—-+—–+——–+————–+ | > | > | > | > Ha | > | > 6 | > 20 | | | Stealth | Early | 500 | ndgun | 2 | | | | | > | > | | | d6 | | | | | Pistol | Space | | | | | | | +———+——–+—–+——-+—-+—–+——–+————–+ | > Sub | > Late | > | > As | > | > | > 20 | > Auto | | machine | > Mech | 500 | sault | 2 | 30 | | | | > Gun | anical | | | d6 | | | | +———+——–+—–+——-+—-+—–+——–+————–+

Anti-Materiel Rifle: A rifle that fires re-purposed Heavy Machinegun or light cannon ammunition. Some are used as sniper rifles among elite soldiers.

Assault Rifle: The standard military weapon on mid-tech worlds. An automatic rifle that fires an intermediate caliber. At the Referee's discretion, its ammunition, or even magazines, may be interchangeable with those of a Carbine.

Bows and Crossbows: These are muscle-powered ranged weapons. Arrows for a bow or bolts for a crossbow are stored in a quiver of 20, which counts as one encumbrance item. A Bow may fire once per Action. A Crossbow requires 2 actions to reload.

Carbine: This weapon is popular among vehicle crews and light infantry due to its handiness and light weight. Carbines often fire regular assault rifle ammunition, but some fire pistol ammunition. Carbines count as one encumbrance item.

Gyrojet: Designed for use in zero-G environment, gyrojet weapons fire small, self-propelled rocket rounds. They have minimal recoil and work perfectly in hard vacuum as well.

Light Machine Gun: This is the standard mid-tech squad-level support automatic weapon and is typically belt-fed. Light machine guns count as two items for encumbrance purposes.

Pulse Rifle: An advanced automatic rifle that fires electrically ignited, caseless, high explosive, armor-piercing rounds. The ultimate in projectile weaponry. The pulse rifle provides a high rate of fire and a large magazine capacity.

Revolver: A simple handgun that uses a manually loaded rotating drum to feed the action. Revolvers are reliable weapons.

Rifle: The standard military firearm on low-tech worlds. Rifles use larger caliber projectiles and are common hunting weapons on the interstellar frontier.

Semi-Automatic Pistol: This is a handgun fed from a magazine. One pull of the trigger fires one bullet. At the Referee's discretion, its ammunition, or even magazines, may be interchangeable with those of a Submachine Gun.

Shotgun: A smoothbore weapon that fires shot pellets capable of hitting multiple targets at once. Shotguns are effective short-ranged weapons, but are not useful beyond Near Range, or against armored targets. These particulate stats represent a pump-action weapon with an internal magazine.

Sniper Rifle: This rifle is a higher quality version of the standard rifle, with better optics. It fires higher quality ammunition as well.

Stealth Pistol: This is an especially light, discreet, and concealable weapon made from advanced polymers. A stealth pistol can also be disguised as more innocuous items, like comms, digital recorders, and so on.

Submachine Gun: This is a light automatic weapon that fires pistol rounds. It is intended for close quarters combat and counts as one item for encumbrance purposes.

Energy Weapons

Once the Early Space Age begins, energy weapons become viable replacements for many projectile weapons. They have many advantages over their more rugged forebears: energy weapons are lighter and have no recoil. This makes them ideal for shipping over interstellar distances, as no mass is required for ammunition weight. As well, they are suitable for zero-G combat since they produce no recoil. Lastly, the removable batteries that power energy weapons and serve as their magazine are rechargeable from a normal Space Age power grid, which makes logistics much simpler.

+———+——–+——+——-+—-+—-+—–+—————–+ | > * | | | | | | | | | Energy | | | | | | | | | > We | | | | | | | | | apons* | | | | | | | | +———+——–+——+——-+—-+—-+—–+—————–+ | > W | > | > ** | > | > | > | > * | > Aspects | | eapon | Tech | Cost | Ra | * | * | Am | | | | > | > in | nge | D | M | moC | | | | Age | > C | | mg | ag | ost | | | | | redi | | ** | ** | > | | | | | ts | | | | in | | | | | | | | | > | | | | | | | | | Cre | | | | | | | | | dit | | | | | | | | | s* | | +———+——–+——+——-+—-+—-+—–+—————–+ | > | > Late | > | > Ha | > | > | > | Laser, AV 1d6 | | Blaster | > | 5000 | ndgun | 3 | 20 | 100 | | | > | Inters | | | d6 | | | | | Pistol | tellar | | | +2 | | | | +———+——–+——+——-+—-+—-+—–+—————–+ | > | > Late | > 1 | > | > | > | > | Auto, Laser, AV | | Blaster | > | 0000 | Rifle | 4 | 50 | 500 | 2d6 | | > Rifle | Inters | | | d6 | | | | | | tellar | | | +3 | | | | +———+——–+——+——-+—-+—-+—–+—————–+ | > Laser | > Late | > | > Ha | > | > | > | Laser | | > | > | 1500 | ndgun | 3 | 10 | 50 | | | Pistol | Space | | | d6 | | | | +———+——–+——+——-+—-+—-+—–+—————–+ | > Laser | > | > | > | > | > | > | Laser, AV 1d6 | | > Rifle | Early | 3500 | Rifle | 4 | 20 | 100 | | | | > | | | d6 | | | | | | Space | | | | | | | +———+——–+——+——-+—-+—-+—–+—————–+ | > | > | > 1 | > | > | > | > | > Fire, AV 3d6 | | Plasma | Early | 5000 | Rifle | 6 | 10 | 500 | | | > Rifle | > Ga | | | d6 | | | | | | lactic | | | | | | | +———+——–+——+——-+—-+—-+—–+—————–+ | > | > Late | > 1 | > Ha | > | > | > | > Fire, AV 3d6 | | Plasma | > Ga | 0000 | ndgun | 5 | 6 | 200 | | | > | lactic | | | d6 | | | | | Pistol | | | | | | | | +———+——–+——+——-+—-+—-+—–+—————–+ | > | > | > | > As | > | > | > | > Stun, Zero-G | | Stunner | Early | 600 | sault | 3 | 10 | 10 | | | | > | | | d6 | | | | | | Inters | | | +1 | | | | | | tellar | | | | | | | +———+——–+——+——-+—-+—-+—–+—————–+

Blasters: are advanced laser weapons with greater power and penetration. Their power packs are rechargeable from any major power source, such as a ship’s power plant.

Laser Pistol: A handgun-sized directed energy weapon. Its power pack is rechargeable from any major power source, such as a ship’s power plant.

Laser Rifle: A long-range version of the laser pistol, with better armor penetration, range, and even light anti-vehicular capabilities.

Plasma Rifle and Pistols: The ultimate small arms, using miniaturized plasma gun technology to propel magnetically shaped pockets of super-hot ionized plasma at its targets.

Stunner: Firing a precise electromagnetic pulse, this non-lethal weapon disrupts the target's neural processes, leading to incapacitation and potentially unconsciousness. The stunner counts as one item for encumbrance purposes.

Common Small Arm Accessories

The following accessories are commonly available for ranged projectile and energy weapons.

Bayonet (25 Credits, Early Mechanical Age): A dagger-like device attached to the end of any rifle-sized weapon. On its own, a bayonet is identical to a dagger for game statistics. A rifle with a bayonet serves as a melee weapon equivalent to a Spear.

Bipod (50 Credits, Late Mechanical Age): A retractable pair of legs stored under a weapon’s barrel that provide a more stable firing platform. It takes one action to extend the bipod and set the weapon up to fire.

Laser Sight (100 Credits, Early Atomic Age): A laser sight allows the firer to ignore -1D’s worth of penalties when making a ranged attack. This includes making automatic fire attacks. Laser sights only work at Close and Near range.

Scope (250 Credits, Late Mechanical Age): A weapon with a scope removes the penalty for attacking with a rifle at Distant range. The firer must perform an Aimed Shot action before firing to gain this effect.

Silencer (250 Credits, Late Mechanical Age): May be attached to any firearm. Silencers work for single shots or one auto-fire burst per round. Multiple automatic fire attacks in a round negate the silencer’s effect. Silencers incur a -2D penalty for those attempting to detect the gunshot sound.

Smart Weapon (1000 Credits, Late Space Age): Connects to an external Heads Up Display or an implanted OmniComp. Smart Weapons allow the firer to ignore -1D’s worth of penalty on ranged attacks. It also acts as a Scope for any weapon: reduce the range penalty for Handguns at Far range to -1D, but attacks at Distant range are still not possible. Assault weapons reduce the Far range penalty to 0, but attacks at Distant range are unaffected. The Aimed Shot action is still required to gain this benefit. The Smart Weapon mod is not compatible with laser sights.

Tripod (100 Credits, Early Mechanical Age) All Heavy weapons can be fitted with a tripod mount which negates their Bulky aspect. The weapon cannot be moved while mounted on a tripod. Tripods take 10 combat rounds (one minute) to set up.

Secure Weapon (500 Credits, Early Space Age): The weapon is fitted with biometric scanners that prevent non-authorized persons from operating the weapon. Any number of individuals may be authorized to operate the weapon, although the more who are authorized, the less secure the weapon becomes. Hacking the security system requires a Technology throw at -2D.

Heavy Weapons

Heavy Weapons refer to a catchall category of military support weapons for infantry. These are usually high rate of fire weapons like machineguns, or anti-vehicle weapons like rocket launchers. All heavy weapons are considered 2 or more items each for encumbrance purposes. Some are only usable when fired from a tripod or vehicle mount. Ammunition belts, magazines, and individual rockets are each considered one item for encumbrance purposes.

Note that these weapons are often found mounted on vehicles.

+————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > | > | > | > * | > * | > | > ** | > Aspects | | Weapon | Tech | C | Ran | Dm | | Ammo | | | | > | ost | ge | g | * | > | | | | Age | > | | | * | Cost | | | | | in | | | M | > in | | | | | > | | | a | > C | | | | | Cre | | | g | redi | | | | | dit | | | * | ts** | | | | | s** | | | * | | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > Ant | > | > | > H | > | > | > | > AV 3d6 | | i-Aircraft | Early | 10 | eavy | 4d6 | | 500 | | | > Rocket | > | 000 | > We | | \ | | | | > Launcher | Atomic | | apon | | - | | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > | > Late | > | > | > | > | > - | > Blast, | | Disposable | > Mech | 200 | Ass | 4d6 | | | > Bulky, AV | | > An | anical | | ault | | 1 | | > 4d6 | | ti-Vehicle | | | | | | | | | > Rocket | | | | | | | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > Fl | > Late | > 1 | > | > | > | > 25 | > Bulky, Fire | | amethrower | > Mech | 000 | Ass | 3d6 | | | | | | anical | | ault | | 5 | | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > General | > Late | > 1 | > R | > | > | > | > Auto, | | > Purpose | > Mech | 500 | ifle | 3d | | 150 | > Bulky, AV | | > | anical | | | 6+3 | 1 | | > 2d6 | | Machinegun | | | | | 0 | | | | | | | | | 0 | | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > Grav | > Late | > | > H | > | > | > | > Greater | | > Launcher | > | 20 | eavy | 6d6 | | 100 | > Blast, | | | Inters | 000 | > We | | 1 | | > Bulky, Fire | | | tellar | | apon | | | | > AV 5d6 | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > Grenade | > Late | > | > R | > | > | > - | > Bulky | | > Launcher | > Mech | 400 | ifle | By | | | | | | anical | | | > g | 6 | | | | | | | | ren | | | | | | | | | ade | | | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > Guided | > | 4 | > H | > | > | 200 | > Blast, AV | | > | Early | 000 | eavy | 5d6 | | | > 5d6 | | Anti-Tank | > | | > We | | 1 | | | | > Missile | Atomic | | apon | | | | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > Heavy | > | 2 | > H | > | > | 200 | > Auto, AV | | > | Early | 000 | eavy | 5d6 | | | > 3d6 | | Machinegun | > Mech | | > We | | 1 | | | | | anical | | apon | | 0 | | | | | | | | | 0 | | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > Plasma | > Late | 20 | > R | > | > | > | > Bulky, | | > Gun | > | 000 | ifle | 6d6 | | 2500 | > Fire, AV | | | Inters | | | | 4 | | > 5d6 | | | tellar | | | | 0 | | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > Rocket | > | 2 | > H | > | > | > | > Greater | | > Launcher | Early | 000 | eavy | 4d6 | | 150 | > Blast, | | | > | | > We | | 1 | | > Bulky, AV | | | Atomic | | apon | | | | > 3d6 | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > Support | > | > 5 | > H | > | > | > | > Bulky, AV | | > Laser | Early | 000 | eavy | 5d6 | | 200 | > 3d6+1 | | | > | | > We | | 2 | | | | | Space | | apon | | 0 | | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > Un | > | > 1 | > R | > | > | > - | | | der-barrel | Early | 000 | ifle | By | | | | | > Grenade | > | | | > g | 1 | | | | > Launcher | Atomic | | | ren | | | | | | | | | ade | | | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+

Disposable Anti-Vehicle Rocket: A cheap, single-use, portable rocket launcher. These are often the only anti-tank weapons available to infantry. Note that this weapon cannot make attacks at Close range, despite using the Assault weapon range modifiers.

Flamethrower: These terrifying weapons spew a stream of fire 3m wide at its far end. All targets within this cone suffer damage and catch fire (see the Environmental Hazards rules). The tank for the flamethrower itself holds enough fuel for five full attacks and counts as two items for encumbrance.

General Purpose Machine Gun: A belt-fed medium machine gun. These are often mounted on vehicles but are also portable, although they are 3 items of encumbrance. Usually they are crew-served.

Grav Launcher: Advanced micro-gravitic technology allows this weapon to guide a floating plasma bomb to its target without having to account for ballistic trajectories or inertia. Once launched, the bomb travels 50m per combat round. Its operator can move it in any direction and can also stop it and have it hover in mid-air. Detonation is on command. The bomb's internal battery allows for 10 rounds of gravitic flight.

Grenade Launcher: Grenade launchers fire grenades over long distances. The grenades used in a grenade launcher are not interchangeable with hand grenades.

Grenade Launcher, Under-Barrel: This weapon greatly increases the firepower of an infantry team. The under-barrel grenade launcher can be mounted under most two-handed firearms in the Early Atomic Age or later. It is not Bulky and can fire a single grenade before reloading. In the Late Space Age, the weapon has a 3-shot magazine.

Guided Anti-Tank Missile: This is a portable guided missile system, like the older AT-3 Sagger, or present-day Javelin and Eryx systems. These weapons must be fired from a fixed stationary position. However, the gunner need not be adjacent to the missile’s firing position.

Plasma Gun: A high-energy, anti-vehicular, portable weapon firing magnetically contained plasma bolts. It requires a backpack-mounted, rechargeable power pack that counts as two Items for encumbrance purposes.

Rocket Launcher: A portable rocket launcher utilizing unguided munitions. Rocket launchers are unsafe to fire in enclosed spaces. Rocket payloads are considered high explosive and are not particularly effective against armored vehicles. Armor piercing rockets cost 500 Credits per rocket: trade the Greater Blast for AV 4d6, Blast. Rocket launchers can also be mounted on vehicles, where they usually have 12 or even 24 shots before requiring reloading.

Anti-Aircraft Rocket Launcher: This is a portable anti-air defense system designed to shoot down enemy aircraft with a self-guided rocket. It is not particularly effective against armored vehicles: reduce AV dice to 2d6.

Support Laser: This is a heavy directed-energy portable weapon for fire support and light anti-vehicular duties. Its backpack mounted power pack counts as two Items for encumbrance purposes.

Heavy Machinegun: This is the largest portable support weapon in the Mechanical and Atomic ages. These weapons are usually mounted on vehicles but can be mounted on fixed tripods. If they are carried, they count as four items of encumbrance and each ammo pack is two items of encumbrance.

Grenades and Explosives

Roll Physical to land a grenade near its target. Grenades may be thrown out to Near range.

Roll Technology to properly set up an explosive charge for simple demolition. More complex or larger explosions, like setting a directional shaped charge blast, require a Technology roll at -1D (or more).

+————+———–+——–+——–+————————-+ | > | > Tech | > | > * | > Aspects | | Grenade | > Era | Cost | Dmg | | | > or | | > in | | | | > E | | > Cre | | | | xplosive | | dits* | | | +————+———–+——–+——–+————————-+ | > | > Late | > 50 | > | > Blast, AV 3d6 | | Anti-Armor | > M | | 2d6+1 | | | | echanical | | | | +————+———–+——–+——–+————————-+ | > Dynamite | > Early | > 75 | > 2d6 | > Blast | | | > M | | | | | | echanical | | | | +————+———–+——–+——–+————————-+ | > EMP | > Early | > 50 | > 4d6 | > Blast, Stun | | | > Space | | | > (Machines), AV 3d6 | +————+———–+——–+——–+————————-+ | > | > Late | > 30 | > | > Blast, Stun | | Flashbang | > M | | 3d6+1 | | | | echanical | | | | +————+———–+——–+——–+————————-+ | > Fra | > Early | > 30 | > | > Blast | | gmentation | > M | | 3d6+3 | | | | echanical | | | | +————+———–+——–+——–+————————-+ | > | > Late | > 30 | 3d6 | > Blast, Fire | | Incendiary | > M | | | | | | echanical | | | | +————+———–+——–+——–+————————-+ | > Molotov | > Early | > 5 | 2d6+1 | > Blast, Fire | | > Cocktail | > M | | | | | | echanical | | | | +————+———–+——–+——–+————————-+ | > Plasma | > Late | > 250 | > 4d6 | > Blast, Fire, AV 4d6 | | | > Int | | | | | | erstellar | | | | +————+———–+——–+——–+————————-+ | > | > Late | > 200 | 2d6+2 | > Greater Blast | | Plastique | > M | | | | | | echanical | | | | +————+———–+——–+——–+————————-+ | > Smoke | > Early | > 15 | > - | > Greater Blast (smoke) | | | > M | | | | | | echanical | | | | +————+———–+——–+——–+————————-+

Anti-Armor Grenade: Anti-tank grenades use a focused blast to penetrate armor. This grenade can only be fired from a grenade launcher.

Dynamite: A low-tech explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay) and stabilizers. Dynamite is typically used for demolition but can also be thrown with a lit fuse as a "grenade".

EMP Grenade: This Electro-Magnetic Pulse grenade emits a powerful magnetic pulse capable of disrupting electronics. It causes full damage to robots but is otherwise harmless to humans. Characters with implanted cybernetics are vulnerable to EMP but reduce the damage from an EMP grenade by -2d6. Non-cybered organic beings are immune to this stun damage. This grenade’s AV dice are effective against Late Atomic Age or later vehicles.

Flashbang Grenade: A non-lethal stun grenade emitting a powerful flash and deafening noise upon detonation.

Fragmentation Grenade: The basic anti-personnel hand grenade that explodes into a hail of shrapnel.

Incendiary Grenade: A military-grade fire-bomb grenade.

Molotov Cocktail: These are home-made incendiary bombs, commonly made with a glass container filled with highly flammable liquid and lit with a rag.

Plasma Grenade: A plasma explosive device in a grenade-sized package.

Plastique: This generic, multi-purpose plastic explosive is a favorite of military units, terrorists, demolition teams, and adventurers across known space.

Smoke Grenade: This grenade dispenses a cloud of thick smoke upon impact. Apply -1D to all attacks passing within Near range of its detonation point. Smoke also penalizes attacks by laser weapons by an additional -1D. The smoke stays in the air for 1d6+1 combat rounds.

Vehicle Weapons

These weapons are too large and bulky to be carried by individuals and are only mounted on vehicles.

+————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > | > | > | > * | > * | > | > | > Aspects | | Weapon | Tech | C | Ran | Dm | | Am | | | | > | ost | ge | g | * | mo | | | | Age | > | | | * | > | | | | | in | | | M | > ** | | | | | > | | | a | Cost | | | | | Cre | | | g | > in | | | | | dit | | | * | > C | | | | | s** | | | * | redi | | | | | | | | | ts** | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > A | > Mech | | > H | > | > | > | > Auto, AV | | utocannon, | anical | | eavy | 5d6 | | 1000 | > 3d6+1 | | > Light | | | > We | | 1 | | | | | | | apon | | 0 | | | | | | | | | 0 | | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > A | > Mech | | > H | > | > | > | > Auto, AV | | utocannon, | anical | | eavy | 5d6 | | 2000 | > 3d6+2 | | > Heavy | | | > We | | 5 | | | | | | | apon | | 0 | | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > Cannon, | > Mech | | > H | > | > | > | > AV 4d6+1 | | > Light | anical | | eavy | 5d6 | | 2000 | | | | | | > We | | 4 | | | | | | | apon | | 0 | | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > Cannon, | > Mech | | > H | > | > | > | > AV 5d6 | | > Heavy | anical | | eavy | 6d6 | | 3000 | | | | | | > We | | 2 | | | | | | | apon | | 0 | | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > Heavy | > Late | > 1 | > R | > | > | > 25 | > AV 2d6, | | > Fl | > Mech | 000 | ifle | 3d6 | | | > Fire | | amethrower | anical | | | | 5 | | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > Grenade | > Late | > | > R | > | > | > - | | | > Launcher | > Mech | 400 | ifle | By | | | | | | anical | | | > g | 5 | | | | | | | | ren | 0 | | | | | | | | ade | | | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > Guided | > | > 4 | > H | > | > | > | > Blast, AV | | > | Early | 000 | eavy | 5d6 | | 200 | > 5d6 | | Anti-Tank | > | | > We | | 4 | | | | > Missile | Atomic | | apon | | | | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > Laser | > | | > H | > | > | > | > AV 4d6+2 | | > Cannon | Early | | eavy | 5d6 | | 100 | | | | > | | > We | | 1 | | | | | Space | | apon | | 0 | | | | | | | | | 0 | | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > Laser, | > | > 5 | > H | > | > | > | > AV 3d6+1 | | > Support | Early | 000 | eavy | 5d6 | | 100 | | | | > | | > We | | 1 | | | | | Space | | apon | | 0 | | | | | | | | | 0 | | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+ | > Rocket | > | > 2 | > H | > | > | > | > Greater | | > Launcher | Early | 000 | eavy | 4d6 | | 150 | > Blast, AV | | | > | | > We | | 1 | | > 3d6 | | | Atomic | | apon | | | | | +————+——–+—–+——+—–+—+——+—————+

Autocannon, Light: This weapon can fire bursts of shells at high rates of fire. It is common to find this mounted on aircraft as a dogfighting weapon, as well as on light armored vehicles as a support weapon for infantry.

Autocannon, Heavy: A larger version of the light autocannon, often found on light armored vehicles, naval vessels, and ground attack aircraft.

Cannon, Light: A multipurpose support weapon usually mounted on a vehicle or gun carriage.

Cannon, Heavy: This cannon is a main battle tank’s primary weapon. It is often used as field artillery as well.

Flamethrower, Heavy: A brutal close-in anti-infantry weapon used to flush out fortifications and defend against infantry attack in built-up areas. Vehicles that carry flamethrowers are usually the first to be targeted by enemy infantry.

Grenade Launcher: A light support weapon mounted on many vehicles. This version has a 50 round belt magazine. Many vehicles mount smoke grenade launchers as defensive weapons.

Guided Anti-Tank Missile: This vehicle mounted version of the portable anti-tank missile launcher has a magazine of four missiles. A system like this is often mounted on a light vehicle to give it significant anti-armor punch.

Laser Cannon: The Early Space Age’s replacement for all but the heaviest cannons, this vehicle weapon is highly efficient, and can be recharged from any power grid. This makes it the darling of logistics officers in any military where it is found.

Laser, Support: This vehicle mounted version of the portable support laser lacks auto fire capabilities but has a nearly inexhaustible ammunition supply.

General Exploration Equipment

The following adventuring equipment is readily available at starports of the appropriate Tech Age.

Artificial Gill (4000 Credits; Early Space Age): This device allows unlimited underwater activity on worlds with otherwise breathable atmospheres.

Auto Doc (10000 Credits, Early Interstellar Age): A large device normally carried in a vehicle or space craft, the Auto Doc uses advanced AI and sensors to heal almost any disease, poison, or injury. The Auto Doc provides a +1D advantage on any Triage rolls or any roll to resist poisons or diseases. It can serve as a qualified nurse or doctor for the purposes of supervising healing from Wounds.

Autokitchen (10000 Credits, Early Interstellar Age): An automated kitchen which can store and prepare meals. The standard kitchen can prepare 25 meals from internal supplies. The mass of the kitchen is 100 kg. Resupply costs depend on the quality of ingredients desired and can be determined using the Cost-of-Living table above.

Autokitchen, Emergency (5000 Credits, Early Interstellar Age): A smaller and much more restrictive version of an autokitchen, this emergency kitchen provides no-frills survival food for 10 meals. This unit weighs 5kg, or two items of Encumbrance.

Backpack (10 Credits; Early Primitive Age): A backpack does not count as an item for encumbrance when worn. The items in the backpack still count towards encumbrance. It takes one Action to remove an item from a backpack while in combat.

Binoculars (50 Credits; Early Mechanical Age): A standard piece of survival and exploration equipment. At the Early Mechanical Age, they are ruggedized for extended wilderness use, and come equipped with a compass and scaled optics. Beyond the Late Atomic Age, hand-held binoculars become integrated into high-tech optical sensors like the Night Visor.

Bioscanner (5000 Credits; Early Interstellar Age): This handheld device provides data on an organic body’s composition, chemistry, physiology, and life signs. A Knowledge roll is required to properly interpret the data. Cr900.

Breather Mask (100 Credits; Late Mechanical Age): A dual-purpose gas/filter mask apparatus that condenses thin atmospheres for comfortable breathing. It also filters out tainted atmospheres and provides protection against airborne toxins. Attachments for oxygen bottles make the Breather useful for operating in oxygen-poor or poisonous atmospheres.

Chameleon Suit (2500 Credits; Late Interstellar Age): This full body suit can shift its color patterns to blend in with the surroundings. It does not make a wearer invisible, but at medium and long ranges the wearer will be almost impossible to see and gains +2D to Stealth tests. It includes infra-red cloaking. The same technology can be applied to an Encased Armor Suit for an additional cost of 10000 Credits.

Cold Weather Clothing (50 Credits; Early Primitive Age): These protect against inclement weather. When wearing Cold Weather Clothing, characters can survive in Arctic environments without taking any damage (see the Environmental Hazard Chapter). The Early Interstellar Age version costs 800 Credits and does not count as an item for encumbrance. Note that surviving in a harsher environment, like one that is far colder than a typical arctic climate, may require additional protection, like a space suit.

Compass (10 Credits; Early Mechanical Age): This is a standard piece of equipment in all wilderness survival kits. By the Early Space Age, they incorporate gyroscopic and electronic features that make them usable on any world, given a few minutes of calibration.

Desert Suit (1000 Credits, Later Space Age): an all-in-one suit that traps the bodies moisture and recycles it as drinking water. It includes a hood, breather mask, and goggles.

Disguise Kit (500 Credits; Early Mechanical Age): This kit consists of highly personalized collections of makeup, clothing, wigs, and other accouterments that allow a skilled user to not be recognized, or even pass as someone else. At more advanced Tech Ages, Disguise Kits may include 3-D printed latex masks (Late Atomic Age), retina scanner spoofers (Early Space Age), or even holographic enhancements designed to spoof facial recognition algorithms (Early Interstellar Age). Increase the kit’s price by 100% for each of these listed features.

Emergency Beacon (1000 Credits, Early Space Age): A portable device that can be activated and will transmit an emergency signal up to a 1000 km. The device has an internal battery that will last for 48 hours. Most vehicles at Late Space Age and above include one automatically, but this portable version can be easily carried along with other survival supplies.

Exoskeleton (20000 Credits; Early Space Age): This marvel of robotics grants wearers +2D to athletics-related Physical checks. It also allows the wearer to jump up to 2m vertically or 5m horizontally. Soldiers wearing exoskeletons may march their normal cross-country speed while tiring at half the rate. The exokeleton’s batteries are good for 48 hours of activity before requiring replacement. At higher tech levels, exoskeletons are often replaced by cybernetics.

Field Radio (100 Credits, Late Mechanical Age): A radio transmitter and receiver with a 100 km range. At the Late Mechanical Age is counts as 2 items of Encumbrance, reduced to 1 item at Early Atomic, and 0 encumbrance at the Late Atomic Age.

Field Rations (5 Credits; Late Primitive Age): These are foodstuffs specially prepared to stay edible for 6 months. Each ration counts as a single item for encumbrance. Early Space Age field rations are much lighter: 25 field rations count as one item, and they last for 6 decades.

Glidesuit (500 Credits, Early Space Age): A form-fitting suit that includes adjustable wings that allow the wearer to glide. Flapping provides limited flight. The Glidesuit reduces a person’s falling rate in half. Roll Physical to avoid injury when landing. Wearers use their Physical skill to make complex maneuvers.

Handcuffs (50 Credits; Early Mechanical Age): An item commonly used by bounty hunters and law enforcement officers. Escaping properly applied handcuffs requires a Physical roll at -3D. Palming the key and keeping it hidden until the right time is a standard Stealth roll.

Hotsuit (200 Credits, Early Space Age): A reflective suit designed to protect the wearer from temperatures up to 100^o^C. The suit is clumsy and imposes a -1D disadvantage on all physical activity while wearing it. At Early Interstellar Age, the suit is form-fitting and is not clumsy to wear and does not count as an item of encumbrance.

Intelligent Rooms (Double Cost, Late Space Age): Fully integrated rooms, houses, or apartments with voice activated commands controlling lighting, heating, and general appearance controlled by an Independent robotic brain. Smartwalls provide 3-D entertainment. At Early Interstellar Age, Low Simulated AI rooms are expected even at the subsistence quality of living and are included in the listed prices.

LED Flashlight (5 Credits; Late Atomic Age): A hand-held, rubberized, sturdy light source with a variable light aperture. The 2m cone of light has a range of 50m, but it can be adjusted to illuminate a 5m radius. Smaller, more expensive (20 Credits) versions can be mounted on weapons or clipped to armor. A Late Atomic Age LED Flashlight’s battery will last for 24 hours. By Early Interstellar Age, the battery will last for a decade of continual use.

Lockpicks (50 Credits; Late Primitive Age): A collection of specialized tools for opening locks, in a handy carrying pouch. Attempting to pick a lock without lockpicks penalizes the attempt by -2D.

Map Box (3000 Credits, Late Space Age): Designed for wilderness exploration, this self-contained nav-computer system provides scalable maps of a world’s surface based on known data and any additional data obtained by the exploration team. Most inhabited worlds have detailed map drives which can be inserted and provide up to street-level details of any explored area and high-level maps of the entire surface. Map boxes count as 2 items of Encumbrance. At Early Interstellar, it is 1 item.

Medkit (100 Credits; Early Mechanical Age): This is standard issue in all survival kits and can be found in ship’s lockers across known space. Medkits contain all the necessary equipment and compounds to deal with minor trauma and easily treatable emergencies.

Medkit, Advanced (1000 Credits, Early Space Age): Containing advanced scanners and additional medications, the advanced version of the medical kit provides a +1D advantage when rolling on the Triage table.

Multiscanner (2500 Credits; Late Space Age): This hand-held sensor suite is a combination of several functions: it can detect radiation, electromagnetic emissions, metals, and a limited set of chemicals and biological compounds. It can also perform standard blood tests. A Knowledge roll is required to make real use of the data, but basic analysis is possible with the use of on-board software.

Night Visor (300 Credits; Late Atomic Age): This stylish set of eye wear combines low-light and infra-red vision goggles into one handy device. Safety features prevent blindness if the light level suddenly changes. Wearing a Night Visor eliminates the disadvantages of working in dim light and reduces the penalty for total darkness to -1D.

OmniComm (50 Credits; Early Space Age): Today’s smartphones will eventually evolve into the OmniComm, which handles all your telecom needs in one device, with holographic augmented reality capability. The OmniComm can automatically integrate with whatever telecommunication networks are present on a given world. Batteries last for a few days in the Early Space Age. By Early Interstellar, batteries will last for months, if not years.

OmniComp (250 Credits; Early Space Age): A hand-held, light-weight computer which evolved from both the laptop and the tablet computer. It functions much like an OmniComm but is intended for more advanced content production and computing tasks. Early Space Age batteries for these devices last for a few days; Early Interstellar Age batteries last for months between recharging.

Omnitool (500 Credits; Late Space Age): An auto-adjusting, auto-fitting repair tool. The Omnitool will fit exactly to any kind of bolt, screw or fastening device, it doubles as wire-cutters, small hacksaw, flashlight, and a myriad of other tools. All this is packed into one item’s worth of encumbrance!

Oxygen Tank (100 Credits, Late Mechanical Age): An oxygen tank that can be attached to a space suit or breather mask to provide 90 minutes of breathable air. Each tank is 2 items of encumbrance. At the Late Space Age, the tanks are only 1 item of encumbrance.

Personal Reentry Capsule (15000 Credits, Late Space Age): Used as a last-ditch survival tool, the personal capsule allows for reentry into an atmosphere and a relatively safe landing on a world’s surface. The capsule includes a primitive autopilot and a small reentry thruster to make a soft landing. The occupant has no control over the capsule. The autopilot will attempt to land on flat, dry land if possible. All uses must make a Physical check at +1D to avoid 2d6 damage upon landing.

Personal HUD (1500 Credits, Early Interstellar Age): A personal Heads-Up-Display (HUD) can be fitted to any pair of goggles or a helmet visor. At the Late Interstellar Age, it can be fitted as a contact lens. The HUD interfaces with an OmniComp displaying information and messages. The HUD can also be synched to any Smart Gun system (see the Weapons Accessories section).

Portable Fusion Generator (20000 Credits; Early Interstellar Age): A marvel of interstellar technology, and a crucial piece of equipment for colonies across the galaxy. Fusion generators are also very useful for mercenary outfits that rely on energy weapons. These generators are small (20kg, roughly 2 Encumbrance), rugged, and designed to last for decades.

Portable Generators (1000 Credits; Late Mechanical Age): A ubiquitous device still used across the galaxy to generate electricity far away from central power grids. Most runoff refined hydrocarbons that can be sourced locally. This one is 15kg and consumes 4 liters of fuel per hour. Higher tech level versions are smaller and more fuel efficient.

Prefab Space Base (50000 Credits; Early Space Age): This is a pressurized, modular, temporary structure that is capable of housing 6 persons. It has a single airlock and requires 12 person-hours to assemble. Life support lasts for 24 hours without a portable generator to power atmoscrubbers.

Pressure Tent (5000 Credits; Early Space Age): This basic survival shelter lacks an airlock and must be depressurized to enter or leave; it can house up to 2 people and requires an external oxygen tank.

Radiation Detector (150 Credits; Early Atomic Age): A matchbox sized device that displays radiation levels in a 10m radius. It also indicates the type of radiation if that is important. The detector can also serve as an alarm, chiming loudly when radiation levels are dangerous to humans. This feature can be shut off.

Responsive Clothes (200 Credits, Late Space Age): Clothing that can adapt to a wearer, fitting them perfectly. The clothing is self-cleaning and can change color and pattern within limits. Not quite one-size-fits-all, but almost.

Rope (5 Credits; Early Primitive Age): At the Early Primitive Age, rope can hold 50kg. By the Late Atomic Age, the rope is fully synthetic, and can support 500kg of mass before breaking. Roughly 100m of rope is the equivalent of one encumbrance item.

Rope, Advanced (10 Credits for 10m, Early Interstellar Age): This synthetic rope is incredibly light and strong. 10m of this rope can support 1000 kg before breaking.

Sensor Gloves (4000 Credits, Late Interstellar Age): Thin gloves that incorporate sensitive tactile, pressure, chemical, and bioscanner sensors. They can interface with an OmniComp and provide detailed information about weight, mass, composition, even recent users. They can sense residual heat and chemical signatures for up to an hour after the object was used. The gloves provide a +1D advantage on checks for information where they would apply.

Sentry Gun (750 Credits, Late Space Age): This security system consists of a weapons tripod mounted with a processor and sensor array. It can be fitted with a support weapon. The operator sets the sentry’s gun’s parameters for when and who it opens fire on. It has a Combat skill of 1.

Sleeping Bag (30 Credits; Late Primitive Age): A cloth or synthetic padded bag for one person. It provides insulation while sleeping. In the Early Atomic Age, cold weather bags are available. Regular sleeping bags are effective to zero degrees centigrade, while cold weather bags, costing 50 Credits, are insulated to negative 30 degrees centigrade.

Smart Clothes (500 Credits, Early Interstellar Age): Responsive clothes that incorporate microelectronics providing the equivalent of an Omnicomp and allowing images and messages to be displayed on the clothing if desired.

Super Adhesive (20 Credits, Late Atomic Age): A powerful adhesive that bonds two materials together and dries in one combat round (6 seconds). The adhesive bond is limited by the strength of the weaker of the two objects. 20 Credits buys a small tube that can cover 1 square meter of surface.

Survival Kit (50 Credits, Early Atomic Age): A standard-issue item in most aircraft, explorer vehicles, and spacecraft across known space. The survival kit’s contents vary over Tech Age but consist mainly of the basic supplies to keep a small group of humans alive, fed, and healthy for a few weeks. A kit usually contains thermal tarps, LED flashlights, fire starters, water filter and decontamination pills, magnesium flares, and a radio/flash rescue beacon. They count as one item for Encumbrance.

Technical Toolkit (300 Credits; Early Atomic Age): This toolkit is fully equipped to handle almost any technical job that doesn’t require a full workshop. As the Tech Ages increase, many of the tools become self-modifying smart omnitools that can reconfigure depending on what the tech needs. This greatly reduces the bulk of the toolkit: Space Age Tool Kits are 2 Encumbrance points, while all but the largest Interstellar kits are 1 Encumbrance point.

Thruster Pack (5000 Credits; Early Space Age): This wearable harness allows maneuvering in zero-G conditions at normal movement rates. Characters and objects moving by thruster pack are still subject to the laws of motion.

Trauma Tab (500 Credits, Late Space Age): A single-use medical application that automatically allows a character who has suffered a Wound to continue to fight. However, the strain adds a -1D penalty to the Wound Triage table roll after the fight. At Late Interstellar age, this penalty is dropped.

Water Purification Tablets (10 Credits; Late Atomic Age): A pack of 50 tablets that are standard issue in survival kits. Each tablet can sterilize up to 1L of water and make it fit for drinking.

Welder, Laser (3000 Credits; Early Space Age): This portable workshop tool uses a focused laser beam to perform cutting and welding operations. It can cut through a reinforced bulkhead in 1d6 starship combat rounds (6-36 minutes). Roll Technology to reduce the time to one starship combat round (6 minutes). As a weapon, the laser welder is inaccurate and clumsy, but extremely dangerous: it does 4d6 (or AV 3d6) damage with a range of Close and has energy for 5 attacks. When used as a weapon, the laser welder gains the Fire Weapon Aspect.

Pharmaceuticals

Mass produced drugs become common in the Late Mechanical Age. The following is a very small sample of pharmaceuticals that are common in interstellar markets.

Pharmaceuticals

Drug Tech Age Cost

Antirad Early Space 1000

Fast Forward Early Space 200

Hyper-space Early Space 50

Ice Early Space 20

Panacea Late Space 50

Slow Motion Late Space 300

Antirad: Administering this drug before exposure to radiation will prevent the accumulation of rads for 1d6 hours. After being exposed to radiation, it removes 2D6 rads.

Fast Forward: This emergency life support drug dramatically slows the subject’s metabolism; this drastically reduces life support costs and can keep a subject alive for 1D days without the use of any cryogenic medical technology.

Hyperspace: A dangerous drug that allows a person to go 72 hours without sleep at full alertness and functionality. The subject ignores Fatigue for the full duration. Afterwards, the subject must sleep for 24 hours. Another dose of Hyperspace before the 24 hours is up forces a roll on the Wound Triage Table.

Ice: A combat drug used by many professional mercenaries; Ice gives a +2D bonus to all morale checks. It is rumored that prolonged use of Ice will result in lack of empathy and sociopathic behavior. Ice manufacturers vehemently deny such calumnies.

Panacea: When using this drug, roll Knowledge 8+ to cure most diseases or poisons. This drug does not work on tailored viruses or biological weapons.

SlowMo: This drug will heal one Wound in 10 minutes. This metabolic accelerator can only be used safely once per week. It gets its name because those who take it spend ten minutes watching the world go by very, very slowly. If it is used more than once per week, roll on the Wound Triage Table with a -2D penalty.

Cybernetics

Cybernetic implants, a major theme in science fiction tales, replace or upgrade body parts with biomechanical technology. Using advanced material science and cutting-edge knowledge of the neural system, cybernetics augment the human body, adding capabilities beyond those given to humanity by evolution.

Installing cybernetics takes a number of days equal to the implant’s Loss statistic. Cybernetics should only be implanted in sanitary, properly equipped medical facilities. After implanting, the character should take time with therapists to learn how to properly adjust to their new hardware. This sound medical advice is not always heeded.

Cybernetic Loss

A character may install as many cybernetic implants as they like, but each implant increases a character’s Loss: the slow degradation of humanity that accompanies putting more and more chrome into a meat body and becoming more machine than human. Some implants will increase Loss more than others: an internal omnicomm is a much less invasive cybernetic implant than a full nervous system reconstruction.

When a character’s total Loss exceeds 2 + their Social skill level, they are at risk of cyber-dissociation or even a full cyber-psychotic break. Upon installing implants that cause cybernetic Loss to exceed their Loss threshold, the character must make a Social skill check. If successful, the character must apply a -1D penalty to Social skill checks when attempting to be friendly or trustworthy. This is a permanent result. If the Social skill check is failed, roll on the following table and apply the result. If more cybernetics are implanted, make the same Social skill check. If successful, the -1D penalty to Social skill checks is NOT reapplied (but it remains). On failure, roll on the table again.

Cyber Loss Result

1D 1D Result

1-3 1 Death Wish: The character is prone to increasingly risky behavior and does not have any fear of death: for themselves or their compatriots.

2 **Poor Impulse Control**: The character's whims are out of control. They are able to maintain focus, but they do not take direction from anyone else, ever. 3 **Voracious Appetite**: The character binges regularly, and takes their vices to grotesque levels. 4 **Overconfidence/Inability to Imagine Consequences**: The chrome makes the character feel better than any obstacle. There is nothing they can't do now. 5 **Need for Stimulation**: The human-machine interface has desensitized the character to normal sensory inputs. They need more, better, more intense, more often. 6 **Pathologically Manipulative**: The character sees friends and acquaintances as pawns on a chessboard, to move around to some end. The character is not paranoid, they just think they're superior enough to pull this off.

4-6 1 Lack of Remorse: The character is incapable of feeling guilty.

2 **Violent Tendencies**: The character's temper flares regularly and they lash out at the slightest provocation. 3 **No Empathy**: The character is incapable of understanding the feelings of other human beings. Everyone is just a bag of meat to be managed. 4 **Cold and Distant**: The character does not have the patience to interact with other humans for any extended period of time. They would rather be alone. 5 **Murderous**: Violence and killing are now so enjoyable and necessary that the character simply cannot stop! 6 **Paranoia**: Everyone else is plotting to usurp or murder the character. Fortunately, no one is as capable as the cybernetically enhanced character...

Cybernetic Implant Descriptions

Advanced Cyberarms: The arms are replaced by obvious cybernetic appendages. This implant grants +2D for brute strength tasks involving the arms. Unarmed attacks do 3d6 damage. Both real arms have to be replaced to provide proper structural support.

Advanced Cyberlegs: The subject’s legs are replaced by obvious cybernetic versions. The hips and spine are reinforced to deal with the additional strain. The subject gains the Runner Talent, with a 15+2d6m base rate. As an action, the character may throw Physical to jump 10m horizontally in any direction or 3m upwards. The subject also ignores fall damage for any falls less than 10m.

Artificial Gill: This implant permits the subject to breathe underwater with no difficulty. Diving too deep will still be lethal. The artificial gill runs off the character’s own energy and does not need recharging.

Bastet Frame Upgrade: This series of implants represents a radical reconstruction of the entire organic body to grant superhuman agility and speed. The Bastet upgrade grants +1D to all Physical and Stealth skill rolls related to speed and agility. The Bastet Frame Upgrade is incompatible with the Hercules Frame Upgrade.

Chem Injector: An assassin’s implant par excellence, this cybernetic is mounted in the user’s fingertips or canines. Different chemicals are available, but typically they amount to lethal or non-lethal poisons. Attacks against unsuspecting targets are automatically successful. In combat, or against a wary target, roll Combat normally to hit. Targets must roll Physical to avoid the effects of the poison. See the Disease and Poison section for more information.

Control Rig Implant: This is a highly specialized implant designed to give elite vehicle pilots even more of an edge. The control rig allows the operator to fully interface their minds with vehicles. The control rig gives the character +1D on Vehicles skill throws with suitably modified vehicles. Position rolls remain unaffected. The Control Rig requires that the operator to be in the vehicle, and “plugged in.” Modifying a vehicle to work with a control rig increases its cost by 10%. When the vehicle takes any damage, the plugged in pilot must roll Physical to avoid taking 1D damage from electrical feedback—this damage ignores any armor the pilot may be wearing.

Cosmetic Modification: It is a simple matter to effect changes to a person’s appearance with cybernetics. Small modifications cost 500 Credits; a general makeover costs 1000 Credits; and exotic options—for example, changing your body to resemble that of your favorite animal—cost 5000 Credits and upwards.

Cybernetic Eye: Both eyes are replaced with artificial versions. Cybereyes are considered to have internal Night Visor upgrades (low light and infrared optics). They also come with x4 image intensification, and anti-flare protection which provides a +1D bonus against flash-bang grenades and other similar effects.

Cyber-Blades: The character’s arm carries a blade that can be extended or retracted at will. The blade does 2d6+1 damage. Internal blades are made with ceramic composites to avoid detection and cannot be detected by any means short of exploratory surgery.

Data Safe: This secured electronic storage device secures encrypted files in a small data chip implanted in the character’s skull. The data safe cannot be detected by a cursory sensor scan, but a medical scan will reveal its presence. The safe’s capacity is very large and can store (not run!) even advanced AI software. Data must be uploaded and downloaded from the data safe by means of a Neural Interface. The safe can be set so that failed attempts to break the encryption cause it to shut down and be safely dissolved by the subject’s body.

Filtration System: This lung filtration implant protects from airborne and pathogens. It requires a few minutes of maintenance after every month of use, but otherwise draws its power from the subject’s own electrical impulses. Certain extremely high-tech artificially designed chemical agents might degrade the filtration system very quickly.

Gekko Implants: Miniature gravitic generators are implanted in the character’s hands and feet. This allows them to climb sheer surfaces and run along walls or ceilings. Earlier versions (same price, Late Space Age) deploy biomimickry micro-hairs that provide the same performance but require bare hands and feet to use.

Glow Tattoos: These advanced tattoos consist of smart bioluminescent skin grafts implanted in complex patterns across the subject’s skin. Patterns and designs are up to the subject. The subject may activate or deactivate the tattoos at will.

Head bomb: A tiny remote-controlled explosive device implanted in the brain. They are designed so that the bomb’s detonation will kill the subject without breaking the skull: no collateral damage! These devices are rarely implanted voluntarily.

Hercules Frame Replacement: A radical reconstruction and replacement of the entire organic body grants superhuman endurance and might. The Hercules Frame grants the character +1D to all Physical rolls related to brute strength and doubles their Encumbrance capacity. All melee damage rolls gain +1D as well. The Hercules Frame also provides +10 Stamina. The Hercules frame upgrade is incompatible with the Bastet Frame Upgrade.

Hibernation Suite: This emergency cybernetic implant puts the character into a medical coma upon command. The user appears dead and has no need of any air, food, or water while in suspended animation. The Hybernation Suite also pauses any healing and prevents the spread of poisons or disease. The length of hybernation is determined by the user before it begins, and the maximum duration is four weeks. The Hybernation Suite cannot be used for a week after the user is woken from their coma.

Hypercosmetic Surgery: Perfect body sculpting and implanted synthetic pheromone glands radically reconstructs the subject’s body to be perfectly attractive to other members of their species. Grants +1D to all Social skill rolls in situations where physical attractiveness matters.

Neural Booster: This invasive augmentation to the character’s nervous system and adrenal glands grants the character super speed and reaction times for very short periods of time. Once per combat, the character may go twice, for a total of four actions per combat round rather than the usual two. As well, they may use this ability as an interrupt action, going before anyone else in the round.

Neural Interface: The basic method a dedicated hacker connects with a computer system, the Neural Interface allows for rapid upload of code directly from a hacker’s mind. There is no need to use bulky and slow computer keyboards or other user interfaces. The hacker can now access a computer directly, allowing both combat actions per round to be used as hacking actions. The Neural Interface is a simple wire jack that extends from the hacker (usually a compartment on the wrist, but any location is available) that is plugged into a computer terminal.

Neural Interface, Military Grade: The ultimate interface between the human brain and a machine. In addition to all the benefits of the regular Neural Interface, this implant grants +1D to all throws made to hack computers and tamper with electronics.

Omnicomm, Internal: This implant functions as an Omnicomm but with a neural interface, allowing communication without audible speech. This implant allows the subject to send and receive images and videos as well. Nearly every operator in the starfaring future has such an implant.

Omnicomp, Internal: This implant provides full Omnicomp capabilities to any operator, but with a neural interface. Dedicated hackers tend to eschew this implant, as it is difficult to constantly upgrade with custom modifications.

Oxygen Supply: This implant provides 3 hours of oxygen. This means that the subject can avoid breathing tainted air without any other implants. It is also an excellent emergency oxygen backup supply for spacers operating in dire circumstances.

Prehensile Tail: This implant provides the subject with an additional grasping and manipulating appendage. The tail is not easily concealed but can be made to look like anything the character desires. The character still only has two actions per combat round. The tail is strong enough to support the weight of the owner.

Prosthetic Limb/Organ: This entry covers a variety of medical cybernetics intended to replace missing or damaged hands, eyes, fingers, arms, legs, feet, or internal organs. These prosthetics are cosmetically indistinguishable from the real thing, but close inspection will reveal the truth.

Smart Gun, Internal: Some gun-bunnies need to project their aiming reticule all the time. This cybernetic implant grants the standard Smart Gun advantages to all weapons the user fires, as long as the weapon itself has the Smart Gun sensors. The character must have Cybernetic Eyes or an Omnicomp implanted to benefit from the Internal Smart Gun. Modifying a weapon to work with an Internal Smart Gun costs 100Cr.

Storage Pouch: This is a discreet abdominal pouch accessible via a well-concealed sphincter. Stows items up to 0.5 kg in weight and 0.5 liters in volume: one Encumbrance point’s worth of items.

Subdermal armor: This implant consists of subtle bone reinforcement and flexible mesh implants that provide 4 points of Protection. Subdermal armor is detectable upon visual inspection, but only if the subject removes their clothing. Subdermal armor is added to the Protection of any worn armor.

Vacuum Adaptation: This implant turns the user into a natural spacer. Internal oxygen reserves, micro-seals, and metal weave skin permit the character an hour of operation in vacuum without a spacesuit. An integral grav unit allows short-range maneuvering in low and microgravity. The grav unit is too weak to maneuver in any gravity beyond 0.05g. This augment also provides 4 points of integral armor Protection and reduces radiation by 10 rads. The Vacuum Adaptation implant is visible upon medical inspection or sensor scan but is otherwise quite discreet. The Vacuum Adaptation requires 1d6+1 hours to recharge after use.

Weapon, Internal: The character carries a concealed weapon in an internal arm mounting. This can be any pistol-sized weapon, according to the tech age of the society installing the cybernetic: stealth pistol, gyrojet pistol, gauss pistol, laser pistol, blaster pistol, or stunner. The weapon’s magazine is half normal capacity, but it can be reloaded normally via a retractable magazine holder. The cybernetic’s price is 5000 Credits, plus twice the weapon’s cost. Internal weapons can be detected with medical scans or detailed physical inspections. Internal weapons are made to be automatically compatible with a Smart Gun system (internal or external).

Wound Triage Booster: An implanted autodispenser of emergency combat drugs that stabilize wounds and minimize pain. Characters with this implant gain a +1D to Wound Triage rolls after combat. As well, they do not die until they suffer 4 Wounds in combat.

Cybenetics Table

Name Cost Loss Tech Brief Description Age

Advanced cyberarms 20000 2 Late Space Inhuman arms for punching and power

Advanced cyberlegs 50000 2 Late Space Inhuman jumping, running

Artificial gill 2500 1 Early Space Unlimited underwater operations.

Bastet Frame 1 million 3 Late Space Become the most graceful Upgrade and most stealthy.

Chem Injector 10000 1 Early Space Attack with a chemical sting!

Control Rig 1 million 1 Late Space Enhanced piloting Implant abilities.

Cosmetic varies 0.25 Early Space Full resculpting Modification available.

Cybernetic Eyes 7500 0.5 Early Space Military-grade optics

Cyber-Blades 5000 0.5 Early Space Retractable arm and foot blades

Data safe 5000 0.5 Early Space For electronic couriers

Filtration System 3000 0.5 Early Space Avoids harmful contaminants.

Gekko Implants 25000 0.5 Late Climb sheer surfaces with Interst. ease.

Glow Tattoos 100 0 Early Space Fancy customizable body art

Head bomb 3000 0.25 Early Space Enforce obedience.

Hercules Frame 1 million 3 Late Space Full body reconstruction Replacement for strength.

Hibernation Suite 100000 1 Early Internal cryo-stasis. Interst.

Hypercosmetic 1 million 2 Late Space Become the apotheosis of Surgery popularity.

Neural Booster 1 million 3 Late Space The ultimate in speed implants: act faster, more often.

Neural Interface 10000 0.5 Late Space A basic way to jack into a computer.

Neural Interface, 1 million 0.5 Late Space The ultimate jack. Military Grade

Omnicomm Implant 5000 0.25 Early Space An implanted comm device.

Omnicomp Implant 10000 0.25 Early Space An implanted full computer.

Oxygen Supply 4000 0.25 Early Space 3 hours of air in an internal tank.

Prehensile Tail 15000 1 Early Space An appendage with full manipulation abilities.

Prosthetic 5000 0.25 Early Space Basic medical replacements Limb/Organ: for body parts.

Smart Gun, 15000 1 Late Space Internal targeting systems Internal for firearms.

Storage Pouch 2000 0.5 Early Space Discreet stealth pouch.

Subdermal armor 30000 0.5 Early Space 4 points of Protection.

Vacuum Adaptation 1 million 2 Late Emergency vacc suit. Interst.

Weapon, Internal 5000 1 Early Space Implanted firearm and ammunition.

Wound Triage 15000 1 Early Space Emergency medical Booster injector.

Cosmic and Galactic Technology Catalogue:

Below is a small sample of extremely advanced technology that might not be appropriate for campaigns set in a standard Space Age or Interstellar Age campaign. The following devices can be used to represent “artifacts” from advanced societies that have long since disappeared. Or they can serve as advanced prototypes for characters to chase after.

Atmosphere Generator (12000 Credits; Cosmic Age): A large, but portable unit that creates a gravity bubble in a 25m radius. Inside the bubble, the local atmosphere is replaced by one more amenable to the user. The generator is perfect for setting up a camp, or for establishing a work site. The bubble has an endurance of 1 week, before requiring a recharge.

Broadcast Power Field (2 million Credits; Cosmic Age): This large, vehicle-mounted antimatter power plant can beam its power out across a wide area. It can be used to remotely power any Cosmic Age equipment that requires power to operate. Its operating field has a range of 1 km indefinitely, or 10 km if it is refueled after one week.

Cloak Generator (20000 Credits; Cosmic Age): A development of the chameleon suit, this heavy generator can throw out a perfect visible light wave field that effectively renders anything within it invisible, from all angles. The objects inside the field still exist, and can be touched and interacted with normally. Rain, fog, smoke and the effects of lights shone into the field may outline the object at the referee’s discretion. The field has a radius of 100m, and if unconnected to a power source, has an endurance of 12 hours.

Cloaking Device, Personal (10000 Credits; Late Galactic Age): This belt-mounted device permits its user to become practically invisible. The light-distorting gravitic lensing of the cloak affects all visible light for organic and mechanical eyes. However, the target still emits infrared heat radiation.

Force Shield Generator (1 million Credits; Cosmic Age): This large portable emitter can generate a phased, resonance repulsor field with a radius of 30m. This has the effect of negating all small arms attacks (both projectile and energy weapons) and reducing Anti-Vehicular dice (AV) or starship Guns by 5d6. Each starship or anti-vehicle weapon attack that hits the force shield will disable it on 11+ on 2d6. The field can be extended to 100m, but this reduces the field’s effectiveness: small arms are still defeated, but heavier weapons are reduced by 3d6.

FTL Communicator (120000 Credits; Cosmic Age): This portable base station is capable of communication between worlds that are in the same or distant star systems, instantly. Range is 1-6 parsecs, depending on the version used. Cost is 120000 Credits per parsec of range.

Gravitic Communicator (2800 Credits; Late Galactic Age): A powerful communications system that uses a gravity ripple effect for communications. Gravitic comms are able to pass through solid bodies, water or underground, and out into space. The base station has a range of 50,000 km, handheld transceivers have a range of 1,000 km. The base station costs 2800 Credits. Each handheld transceiver is 700 Credits.

Holographic Belt (3500 Credits; Early Galactic Age): This belt-worn holographic projector can throw a field around the wearer, creating the illusion of someone or something else. At Close range, or in darkness, the nature of the hologram is very obvious. Make a Knowledge throw to detect a hologram, seen briefly or at distance, +3D if within 3m or at night. The projector has an endurance of 20 minutes.

Medical Regenerator (5000 Credits; Cosmic Age): This small handheld medical tool is a marvel of the Cosmic Age. It repairs organic tissue and is especially useful in trauma surgery. As an action in combat, it can repair a single Wound immediately, or grant +1D to Triage Table rolls after the fight.

Mobile Tractor Unit (10000 Credits; Cosmic Age): A large but portable unit that, once set up, can be used to move objects around using focused gravity beams. It has an operating range of 30m and is used in mining, construction, and cargo loading. The tractor beams have a maximum capacity of 10000kg. By halving the capacity, the range can be extended to 60m.

Psionic Detector (15000 Credits, Early Galactic Age): A hand-held device that can detect any psionic activity within 1000 meters and any psionic capable person or creature within 20 meters.

Psionic Shield (4000 Credits, Early Galactic Age): A helmet device that protects the wearer from all psionic activity. It does not protect them from the effects caused by psionics such as a rock thrown at them by a telekinetic.

Radiation Shield (500000 Credits, Early Galactic Age): This 1000 kg unit can set up a field that blocks harmful radiation, up to protecting from a small nuclear explosion. The device protects against particulate radiation, not energy such as lasers or blasters. The Shield can be extended up to 10 meters from the unit in all directions, including underground.

Ring Laser (1000 Credits, Early Galactic Age): A low-powered laser mounted in a device wearable as a ring. The laser is too weak to serve as a weapon but is useful for simple cutting and welding work. The internal battery can power the laser for 10 minutes of continuous use. Use Technology when using this as a tool. The Ring Laser can be used as a painful intimidation device granting a +1D to the Social skill check when used for intimidation or torture.

Slipshape Tool (120 Credits; Cosmic Age): This is a memetic metallic tool that can change its shape upon voice or key command. It can take the shape of any hand-held, unpowered tool that it has stored in its memory, from ax to wrench, screwdriver to saw, and more.

Stasis Bomb (500 Credits; Cosmic Age): Using phase technology, the stasis bomb isolates everything in the blast radius from the effects of time. The air, the people, insects—even microbes, are frozen in time until the effect wears off in 2d6 minutes. This makes the stasis bomb an ideal non-lethal weapon. Use the rules for throwing a grenade, with a similar blast radius.

Survey Drones (12000 Credits; Late Galactic Age): This is a set of four grav-powered spherical survey drones, each 20cm in diameter. Between them they can conduct a rapid, automated aerial survey of 1 square km, in 5 minutes. The survey is topographical and includes camera, radar and laser imaging data, which creates a full 3d6 survey map of the area. The drones can also split up to explore tunnels, buildings, or the accessible parts of a starship interior. A replacement drone costs Cr4000.

Timescanner (50000 Credits; Cosmic Age): With a Knowledge throw, this hand-held device will detect echoes of the past in a specific location after 10 minutes of study. The echoes may be indistinct, such as sounds, ghost images, and so on. Scanning for 12 hours may produce more detailed imagery from a point in the past. The user must specify the point in time to be studied or spend an hour scanning the timeline looking for a possible event.

Universal Translator (1000 Credits; Early Galactic Age): A hand-held learning translation system which works in real time with all known languages. In the Cosmic Age, the translator is badge-sized and can be worn. It takes 1d6 days for a scientist to translate the speech of a previously unknown alien language.

Vehicles

Vehicles are a staple of science fiction adventure roleplaying. This chapter provides rules on how vehicles operate in combat, as well as a sampling of vehicles at varying technology ages. If Referees require more vehicle statistics than those provided, we recommend using the sample vehicles as a guide and simply assigning statistics to whatever vehicle is required.

Vehicle Statistics

Agility: The vehicle’s maneuverability. A vehicle’s Agility score modifies its Position rolls in combat as a fixed modifier, like a character’s skills. It also modifies Vehicles skill rolls when attempting stunts or other difficult maneuvers in a vehicle. In this ruleset, Agility is zero-averaged: most vehicles should not have a significant Agility score. Having more than a +1 Agility or less than a -1 Agility indicates that a given vehicle is especially nimble or clumsy, respectively.

Armor: The vehicle’s resistance to damage, whether arising from bulk or armor plating. Armor is defined by two numbers Light Damage/Critical Damage: the first number is the minimum number an attack’s AV dice require to cause a Light Damage result. The second number is the AV dice result necessary to inflict Critical Damage on the vehicle.

Cargo: The amount of cargo (in kilograms or tons) the vehicle can carry.

Crew/Passengers: How many crew and passengers the vehicle can carry.

Force: A vehicle’s Force represents its ability to cause damage in a crash or when ramming. This reflects its size and bulk.

Range: The maximum distance the vehicle can travel in kilometers, before requiring refueling.

Speed: The vehicle’s top speed in km/h.

Tech Age: The Tech Age the vehicle may be manufactured in.

Tonnage: The number of tons required to transport the vehicle on a spacecraft. Aircraft, Helicopters, and Jets take up three times this number unless they are carried disassembled.

Weapon: The weapons commonly mounted on the vehicle.

Common Vehicles

The following vehicles are a small sample of the sorts of vehicles that are available in most science fiction settings. The Referee is welcome to vary the statistics of any vehicle to make it suit a specific context, or to reflect different designs or the condition of a very badly maintained vehicle, for example.

Ground Vehicles

Most of these vehicles need very little introduction, as they are common in our Early-to-Late Atomic Age society here on Earth in the early 21^st^ Century. Most of these vehicles need good roads to operate safely at high speeds. On rough terrain, halve or even quarter the listed speeds. Note that most of these ground vehicles can take weaponry mounted on pintle mounts or ersatz tripod mounts.

Ground Car

Agility 0 The ground car is popular with civilians on many worlds due to its rugged and simple construction. They are ubiquitous with models for sale or rental everywhere.

Armor 6/8

Cargo 250kg

Cost 10,000Cr

Crew/Passengers 1/4

Force 0

Range 400km

Speed 160km/h

Tech Age Early
Mechanical

Tonnage 2 Tons

Weapon None

Pickup Truck

Agility 0 A bigger version of the ground car with a flat-bed cargo bay instead of passenger seating. Any passengers would sit in the open bay. This is a ubiquitous vehicle and has a notable reputation for being able to go anywhere, and in any condition. Many mercenary teams desperately get their hands on pickup trucks and fit any manner of weapons onto their flatbed. Some manufacturers are happy to see a new market for their vehicles. Others are less enthusiastic.

Armor 6/8

Cargo 1000kg

Cost 15,000Cr

Crew/Passengers 1/6

Force +1

Range 400km

Speed 120km/h

Tech Age Early
Mechanical

Tonnage 4 Tons

Weapon None,
typically

Armored Personnel Carrier

Agility -1 Introduced in the Mechanical Age, Armored Personnel Carriers are essential to modern warfare, allowing infantry to keep pace with armored units.

Armor 12/16

Cargo 2 tons

Cost 177,250

Crew/Passengers 2/8

Force +2

Range 400km

Speed 60km/h

Tech Age Late
Mechanical

Tonnage 5 tons

Weapon Heavy
Machinegun
(Damage 5d6,
Auto, AV 3d6). Some mount a
Light
Autocannon
(Damage 5d6,
Auto, AV 4d6)

Light Tank

+————+————–+——————————————+ | * | -1 | The light tank is popular in various | | Agility* | | low-tech worlds for internal security | | | | and counter insurgency. In wartime they | | | | are used to reconnoiter for heavier | | | | armored vehicles. | | | | | | | | Later models include IR sensors and fire | | | | suppression systems for the crew. | +============+==============+==========================================+ | Armor | 14/20 | | +————+————–+——————————————+ | Cargo | 1 ton | | +————+————–+——————————————+ | Cost | 1,180,250 Cr | | +————+————–+——————————————+ | C | 4/0 | | | rew/Pass | | | +————+————–+——————————————+ | Force | +2 | | +————+————–+——————————————+ | Range | 500km | | +————+————–+——————————————+ | Speed | 60km/h | | +————+————–+——————————————+ | Tech | Late | | | Age | Mechanical | | +————+————–+——————————————+ | * | 10 | | | Tonnage* | | | +————+————–+——————————————+ | Weapon | Heavy | | | | Machinegun | | | | (Dam 5d6, | | | | Auto, AV | | | | 3d6), Light | | | | Cannon (Dam | | | | 4d6, AV 4d6) | | +————+————–+——————————————+

Sports Car

Agility 0 The sports car is popular with the wealthy on many worlds due to its speed and comfort.

Armor 5/7

Cargo 200kg

Cost 14,825

Crew/Passengers 1/1

Force +1

Range 360km

Speed 240km/h

Tech Age Late
Mechanical

Tonnage 2

Weapon

Explorer:

+—————+————-+—————————————+ | Agility | -2 | Explorers are popular ground vehicles | | | | in Early Interstellar Age cultures. | | | | It is powered by a Fusion pack which | | | | provides effectively unlimited range. | | | | The Explorer carries a driver, a | | | | sensor technician, and two passengers | | | | in cramped seats. The sensor operator | | | | has dual controls for driving. Two | | | | bunks allow sleeping in rotation to | | | | recover from fatigue. Life Support | | | | lasts indefinitely. The ample cargo | | | | bay, rest accommodations, and | | | | amenities make the Explorer very | | | | popular with survey crews. | | | | | | | | Sensors: IR, Radar, Ladar, | | | | Dynamometer | +===============+=============+=======================================+ | Armor | 7/10 | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Cargo | 1500kg | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Cost | 159,300 | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Crew | 2/2 | | | /Passengers | | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Force | +2 | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Range | Unlimited | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Speed | 60km/h | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Tech Age | Early | | | | I | | | | nterstellar | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Tonnage | 10 | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Weapon | | | +—————+————-+—————————————+

Hovercraft

Hovercraft may be built in the Early Atomic Age. They travel on a cushion of air and can move over land, water, mud, or any other relatively smooth terrain. Hovercraft do require an atmosphere to operate, but this does not necessarily have to be a breathable atmosphere. They can use fuel up to twice as fast in hills and rough terrain.

Hovercraft:

Agility -1 Hovercraft can travel over virtually any terrain or water. This civilian hovercraft has an unarmored chassis, and transports five passengers in cramped seats alongside the driver. This vehicle also has a waterproof body, allowing it to float.

Armor 6/8

Cargo 1750kg

Cost 40,800

Crew/Passengers 1/5

Force +1

Range 400km

Speed 160km/h

Tech Age Early Atomic

Tonnage 10

Weapon

Watercraft

Many human-friendly worlds are covered in part, or entirely, by oceans (usually of water). Boats, rafts, and barges were the first human vehicles built in prehistory. By the Early Mechanical Age, they were popular and economical and only superseded by Thrusters in the Interstellar Age.

Cabin Cruiser

Agility -2 The Cabin Cruiser serves for fishing and other leisure activities. It also can be fitted with weapons and used for security duties (shown in the example). The below-deck area is popular with crew, though a galley is not provided. A skipper, gunner, and three passengers are carried above deck. There are two bunks below-decks. The civilian version removes the weapon station and adds 0.5 tons of cargo. The price drops to 13,600 Credits.

Armor 6/8

Cargo 2000kg

Cost 25100

Crew/Passengers 2/3

Force +2

Range 1080km

Speed 15 km/h

Tech Age Late
Mechanical

Tonnage 10

Weapon GP Machinegun: Damage 3d6+3,
Auto, AV 2d6

**
**

Speedboat: Late Mechanical Age; 14750 Credits; 2 tons

Agility 0 The Speed Boat was designed for harbor and coastal patrol, as well as for leisure activities during the Late Mechanical Age. There is no below deck area. A skipper and four passengers are carried above deck.

Armor 6/8

Cargo 750kg

Cost 14750

Crew/Passengers 1/4

Force 0

Range 600

Speed 120km/h

Tech Age Late
Mechanical

Tonnage 2

Weapon

Submarines

Submarines require a pressure hull, which became practical in the Late Mechanical Age. They also benefit from battery power. A battery the size of the sub’s engine will propel it underwater at half speed for two hours. Recharging a battery takes 30 minutes for a battery the same size as the engine.

Mini-Sub

+—————+————-+—————————————+ | Agility | -3 | This mini-sub can carry a pilot and | | | | four passengers in cramped seats. It | | | | has no airlock. Underwater, the | | | | mini-sub travels at 20kph up to two | | | | hours before having to surface and | | | | recharge its batteries. It has a | | | | maximum diving depth of 100 meters. | +===============+=============+=======================================+ | Armor | 9/12\ | | | | (pressure | | | | hull) | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Cargo | 1150kg | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Cost | 358000 | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Crew | 1/4 | | | /Passengers | | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Force | +1 | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Range | 1080km | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Speed | 40km/h | | | | surface, | | | | | | | | 20km/h | | | | submerged | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Tech Age | Late | | | | Mechanical | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Tonnage | 10 | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Weapon | | | +—————+————-+—————————————+

Aircraft

Heavier-than-air aircraft became feasible in the Late Mechanical Age. These vehicles generate lift through some combination of rotors, propellers, or jet engines, and all require an atmosphere to operate, unlike later Thruster vehicles. Aircraft are purpose-built for their homeworld and will malfunction in a radically different environment (throw Technology to avoid a crash or a restart).

Biplane

Agility +1 Biplanes are simple aircraft, using twin wings to generate lift. They have a maximum speed of 250km/h, and a Stall Speed of 80km/h. Armed variants carry machineguns, while unarmed variants gain 100kg of cargo space.

Armor 6/9

Cargo Negligible

Cost 61000

Crew/Passengers 1/1

Force 0

Range 1000km

Speed 250km

Tech Age Late
Mechanical

Tonnage 2

Weapon GP Machinegun: Damage 3d6+3,
Auto, AV2d6

Propeller Plane

Agility +1 The propeller-driven monoplane soon supersedes the biplane in the Late Mechanical Age. This variant is used for urgent errands on frontier planets, and can carry a pilot, co-pilot, and four passengers (one being a gunner). This aircraft has a stall speed of 120km/h and requires a landing strip.

Armor 7/10

Cargo 500kg

Cost 166000

Crew/Passengers 2/3

Force 0

Range 2000km

Speed 400km/h

Tech Age Late
Mechanical

Tonnage 10

Weapon GP Machinegun: Damage 3d6+3,
Auto, AV2d6

Cargo Plane

Agility 0 This is a medium sized cargo plane driven by two, three, or four propellers. It is very reliable and rugged and can be found on any world where aircraft are useful and cheap to operate.

Armor 8/11

Cargo 4000kg

Cost 250000

Crew/Passengers 2/20

Force +1

Range 2000km

Speed 400km/h

Tech Age Late
Mechanical

Tonnage 20

Weapon

Helicopter

Agility +1 Introduced in the Late Mechanical Age, the Helicopter is the first heavier-than-air aircraft capable of hovering and vertical flight. It is popular on Earth-like worlds for search and rescue, law enforcement, and supply runs to remote settlements since it doesn’t need a landing strip.

Armor 7/10

Cargo 500kg

Cost 193500

Crew/Pass 1/1

Force +1

Range 2100km

Speed 250km/h

Tech Age Late
Mechanical

Tonnage 10

Weapon

Jump Jet

+—————+————-+—————————————+ | Agility | +1 | Jump Jets became feasible in the | | | | Early Atomic Age. They provide the | | | | high speed and high-altitude flight | | | | of normal jet aircraft, as well as | | | | the hovering, take-off, and landing | | | | capabilities of a helicopter. | | | | | | | | This version carries a pilot, flight | | | | engineer/electronics specialist, and | | | | three passengers. | | | | | | | | A commercial passenger version | | | | removes the advanced sensors and | | | | carries a pilot and 8 passengers with | | | | 1.5 tons of cargo. It costs 647000 | | | | Credits. | +===============+=============+=======================================+ | Armor | 7/10 | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Cargo | 1250kg | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Cost | 656000Cr | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Crew | 2/3 | | | /Passengers | | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Force | +1 | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Range | 2500km | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Speed | 800km/h | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Tech Age | Early | | | | Atomic Age | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Tonnage | 12 | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Weapon | | | +—————+————-+—————————————+

Jet Fighter

+—————+————-+—————————————+ | Agility | +1 | Jet fighters are a crucial defense | | | | against raiders and invasion. First | | | | introduced in the Early Atomic Age, | | | | they continue to improve until the | | | | Interstellar Age and are vital to | | | | planets with little or no space | | | | presence. This fighter has a crew of | | | | two: a pilot and electronics | | | | specialist, who both must wear oxygen | | | | masks. | | | | | | | | Jet fighters require extensive | | | | landing strips and maintenance to | | | | keep them flying. The aircraft’s | | | | stall speed is 300km/h, and they | | | | cannot reach their top speed without | | | | being at very high altitudes. | | | | | | | | Sensors: IR, Radar | +===============+=============+=======================================+ | Armor | 7/10 | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Cargo | Nil | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Cost | 454000 | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Crew | 2 | | | /Passengers | | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Force | +1 | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Range | 5000km | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Speed | 2000km/h | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Tech Age | Early | | | | Atomic | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Tonnage | 10 | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Weapon | Light | | | | Autocannon: | | | | 5d6, Auto, | | | | AV 3d6+1, | | | | 2x | | | | Anti-Tank | | | | Missile: | | | | 5d6, Blast, | | | | AV 5d6, 2x | | | | An | | | | ti-Aircraft | | | | Missile: | | | | 4d6, Blast, | | | | AV 3d6. | | +—————+————-+—————————————+

Ionic Thruster Vehicles

Jet engines were replaced by ionic thrusters in the Early Space Age. Advanced automatic pilots that pick or generate flight paths are included with the controls. This is the first Age when civilian flying vehicles are mass produced. The vehicle’s autopilot will take over and land or hover in the event of pilot or mechanical failure.

Sky Car

+—————+————-+—————————————+ | Agility | +2 | This Space Age Skycar or “Buzzer” is | | | | a small, lightly armored vehicle. | | | | Skycars are often used by the | | | | authorities, emergency services, and | | | | the super-rich. This vehicle can | | | | hover in place. It holds a pilot and | | | | three passengers in cramped seats. | | | | | | | | Sensors: Radar, IR | +===============+=============+=======================================+ | Armor | 7/9 | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Cargo | 500kg | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Cost | 170000 | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Crew | 1/3 | | | /Passengers | | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Force | +1 | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Range | 8000km | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Speed | 800km/h | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Tech Age | Early Space | | | | Age | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Tonnage | 5 | | +—————+————-+—————————————+ | Weapon | | | +—————+————-+—————————————+

Gravity Drive

Gravitic Impellers are produced by Late Galactic Age cultures. They are powered by integral fusion Packs and require no fuel. They allow vertical flight. Impellers generate an earth standard internal gravity field for the comfort of passengers.

Grav Car:

Agility +2 The Grav Car is civilian transportation in the Late Galactic Age. It is built on a small, unarmored chassis. Its gravity drive gives it an impressive top speed and allows hovering or vertical flight. The grav car can reach orbit in 1d6 hours. Its cabin is sealed.

Armor 7/9

Cargo 1750kg

Cost 170000

Crew/Passengers 1/5

Force +1

Range Unlimited

Speed 1000km/h

Tech Age Late Galactic

Tonnage 5

Weapon

Vehicle Combat

Basic Procedure

In most cases, vehicle combat is a chase and is played out in turns. Each side throws 1d6 + Vehicles + the vehicle’s Agility; the vehicle with the higher result has better Position for that turn. The Pursuer wins on a tie. A vehicle with Position may attack normally, using the Combat skill to operate the vehicle’s weapons, or their own weapons if they can shoot out a window. A vehicle without Position can still attack, but all attacks are penalized by -2D. Range modifiers are not included, as they fall under the general purview of Position in these rules. A chase lasts until one side is caught or their vehicles are disabled, or 5 turns pass without either being destroyed, at which point the Quarry escapes.

Optional Rules: Vehicles with Range Bands and Movement

In some circumstances, it is more desirable to run vehicle combat like personal combat, with range bands and tracking relative vehicle positions in complex terrain. In these cases, each driver or pilot throws Initiative: 2D + Vehicles skill + the vehicle’s Agility. Each passenger can act on the driver’s initiative number, and combat proceeds as personal combat does, with a few changes.

Ranges: most vehicle combats occur at Far or Distant ranges using the Heavy Weapons range modifiers.

Movement: unless the terrain is not amenable, most vehicles can move from Far range to Near or Close range using one Action. Vehicles require two Actions to move from Distant to Near or Close range. Referees may require a Vehicle skill roll to traverse particularly difficult terrain, or to prevent a vehicle from overshooting in some cases. Note that most vehicle-mounted weapons are not designed to attack targets at Near range and cannot attack adjacent targets at Close range.

Vehicle Damage*:*

Upon a successful hit, throw the weapon's AV dice. If the result of the throw is greater than the vehicle’s first listed armor number, throw on the Regular Damage table. If the result is greater than the second listed armor number after the slash, throw on the Critical Damage table. For example, a Light Autocannon (5d6 AV 3d6+1) attack on an Armored Personnel Carrier (Armor 12/16) would roll 3d6+1 to determine damage. Any roll of 12 or less would result in no damage. A roll of 13-16 would result in a roll on the Regular Damage column of the Vehicle Damage Table. A roll of 17 or more would result in a roll on the Critical Damage column of the Vehicle Damage Table.

Vehicle Damage Table

2d6 Regular Critical

4- Breach Knocked Out

5 Cargo Knocked Out

6 Crew Knocked Out

7 Weapon Crew

8-9 Locomotion Crew

10 Electronics Crew

11 Power Plant Destroyed

12 Critical Destroyed

Breach: The vehicle’s atmospheric seal is compromised. NBC protection fails; a small watercraft will sink within 1d6 rounds unless repaired.

Cargo: 1Dx10% of the vehicle’s cargo is destroyed.

Crew: Each crew or passenger must throw Physical or suffer a Wound.

Weapon: One randomly determined weapon is disabled. A second hit on the same weapon destroys it.

Locomotion: The vehicle suffers a hit to its movement systems. All Vehicles rolls suffer a -1D penalty. The pilot must roll Vehicles to remain in control of the vehicle. Loss of control means the vehicle will crash at the end of the round. A second hit to Locomotion renders the vehicle completely immobile. Aircraft crash and are Destroyed unless the pilot rolls Vehicles to land safely (if at all possible).

Electronics: The vehicle’s electronics are fried, all Technology and Combat throws using the vehicle’s weapons and sensors suffer -2D. A second hit to Electronics destroys them entirely.

Power Plant: The vehicle’s engine or power transfer systems are damaged. All Vehicles and Technology rolls suffer a -1D penalty. Energy-based weapons cannot be used. A second hit knocks the power plant out: the vehicle cannot move and weapons cannot fire. Aircraft crash and are Destroyed unless their pilot rolls Vehicles to land safely.

Critical: Roll on the Critical Damage column instead.

Knocked Out: The vehicle is rendered inoperable and is completely out of combat. The crew takes no damage. Aircraft crash and are destroyed, but crew and passengers can throw Physical to bail out in time.

Destroyed: The vehicle is destroyed. Apply a Wound to all crew and passengers unless they throw Physical to bail out in time.

Repairing Vehicles

Once combat is over, a character may roll Technology to return a damaged or disabled system back to functionality. This consumes 1d6 units of mechanical or electronic parts (as relevant). The Referee may decide that certain repairs require a workshop or unique parts. Knocked Out vehicles can be salvaged or possibly towed for repair in a workshop. Destroyed vehicles are unsalvageable.

During combat, a character may attempt to make quick repairs as an action. Only one such repair action may be attempted per round. Roll Technology. The repair will fail in 1d6+1 rounds and will require regular post-combat repairs should the vehicle (or mechanic) survive combat.

Incendiary Weapons

Incendiary weapons are often used in vehicle combat. A vehicle hit by an incendiary attack rolls 1d6. 1-3 indicates the fire has gone out at the end of the turn. 4-5 indicates the fire continues to burn and another roll is made at the start of the next turn. On a 6, the fire has found its way into the vehicle: roll one Regular Damage result. The crew must immediately make a Morale roll. A failed roll means the crew bails out of the burning vehicle.

A crewmember can extinguish the fire with a successful Technology roll. Once the fire has done internal damage it continues to burn for 1d6 turns or until extinguished. All crew actions except fire extinguishing are penalized by -1D while inside a vehicle that is on fire.

Sinking

Any watercraft that suffers a Breach damage result begins to take on water. The vehicle will sink in 3d6 turns unless a Technology roll is made. A waterborne vessel that takes a Knocked Out or Destroyed Critical damage result will sink in 1d6 rounds. Ground vehicles and aircraft that crash into water sink in 1d6 rounds.

Force and Collision

A vehicle with a higher Position result may attempt to force a target off the road, or into a collision with a fixed object. If one or more vehicles have the same Position result, then the result is a free-for-all where any of the vehicles at the same Position may attempt this maneuver.

Each side throws Vehicles + the vehicle’s Force; the vehicle with the higher result has forced the other to evade a hazard, stop, or to crash: the losing vehicle in the Force contest should throw Vehicles + Agility to avoid taking damage, if appropriate. See the section on Ramming Fixed Objects, below.

In a chase or dogfight, the losing vehicle of a Force maneuver automatically loses Position against the vehicle that successfully performed the Force maneuver during the next turn.

Getting Stuck

Force is also used as a modifier to avoid hazards like snow, mudslides, and rock falls. These hazards require a Vehicles roll to avoid immobilization. A failed roll may be re-attempted once. A second failed roll means the vehicle needs a tow truck to get unstuck, and the driver must roll on the Regular Damage table.

Ramming Fixed Objects

Some objects are inconsequential to ram and only require a Vehicles throw, modified by the vehicle’s Force rating, to knock down without ill effect. These sorts of obstacles include picket fences, fruit stands in crowded market streets, small bushes, and other light obstacles. Drivers who ram light obstacles and fail the Vehicles roll suffer -1D to their Position roll next turn.

If a vehicle is Forced into colliding with a heavier object, like a concrete berm, parked car, or highway overpass, the result might be much more consequential. In these cases, roll AV dice according to the table below. Apply damage normally. Aircraft that collide with anything on the ground are Knocked Out.

After a collision, the vehicle’s driver must also make a Vehicles skill check to avoid getting stuck.

Object/Obstacle AV Dice

Wooden Wall, Chain Link Fence, 2d6 Billboard

Brick or Stone construction 3d6

Concrete, Reinforced Construction, 5d6 Street Lamp, Guard Rail, Parked Car

Steel Barricade, or something that no 6d6 normal vehicle should expect to breach

Stunts

Instead of shooting or ramming an opponent, a driver can attempt to perform a stunt. This can be used to accomplish many things, including gaining Position in the next round, or even to escape a chase or dogfight. The player describes a stunt, and the Referee decides on any Penalty Dice based on how difficult the stunt is, and the likelihood of success. The player throws Vehicles + the vehicle’s Agility. Vehicles performing a stunt are too unstable to allow weapons fire. Only one stunt can be performed per round.

Failure means that the stunt does not work. The Referee may incur further penalties as appropriate.

Gaining Position/Evading Fire: If a player wishes to attempt a stunt to gain Position in the next round of a chase or dogfight, they must describe their stunt and roll Vehicles accordingly. The Referee should roll the opponent’s Vehicles skill + Agility as well, with the same Penalty Dice as the player’s roll. If the player’s result is higher than their opponent’s, they are successful, and will automatically gain Position in the next combat round. If the opponent’s result is higher, then the stunt fails, and Position is rolled normally next round. This procedure can also be used to evade all attacks from an opponent in the next round.

Attempting this stunt against multiple opponents requires that the Referee roll only once, using the most agile vehicle among the opponents. The player’s Vehicles roll is penalized by -1D for every additional opponent after the first (to a maximum of -4D).

Escape: It is also possible to use a Stunt to end a chase early if desired. Both the prey and pursuer must throw Vehicles + vehicle’s Agility skill like a normal stunt. However, if the prey is successful and the pursuer fails the stunt roll, the prey may immediately roll Vehicles + vehicle’s Agility again. If successful, they have evaded pursuit.

The Referee can rule a stunt is not possible for a given vehicle. As well, in some cases failing the Vehicle throw might mean a roll on the Regular Damage table (at least).

Jumping from Vehicle to Vehicle: It is possible for passengers to leap from one vehicle to another, if the vehicle attempting to get close enough to allow passengers to jump has a higher Position result than the other vehicle.

The actual jump requires a Physical roll. Failure means the person making the leap falls and takes 4d6 damage, with a Physical throw to halve the damage. This assumes that the vehicles are not at high altitudes. We leave adjudicating damage from high altitude falls to Referees.

Characters clinging to vehicles may be hit by any attacks that hit the vehicle. Roll 1d6: the character takes damage from the attack on a result of 1 or 2.

Robots

Robots are a staple of science fiction, along with spaceships and blasters. They may even be more achievable than blasters and spacecraft. Some societies on today’s Earth are making great strides with machine intelligence and robot bodies. In science fiction, robots can be many things: from droids in a far off Galaxy, to artificially intelligent beings that inhabit vehicles. This chapter details robots, drones, and androids: their construction, and the rules for their use in gameplay.

A robot is a self-contained machine that is mobile, equipped with some features to interact with the environment, and a computer brain to direct its actions in carrying out instructions. These rules assume that robots have near-human analogues to visual and audio sensors. However, there can be exceptions: a robot designed to pilot an aircraft might be wired directly into a control console and lack arms and legs. These rules also differentiate between robots and drones. Robots possess some form of rudimentary intelligence and are capable of independent action. Conversely, a drone is an electronic and mechanical chassis without an advanced computer brain, directed via remote control without its own initiative and programming.

Robot Construction

Robots are built starting with a Chassis. The chassis can have a pair of arms and legs or another means of getting around: rotors, multiple legs, and anti-gravity systems for extremely advanced robots in the Galactic Age. A robot also needs a brain, lest it be a mere drone (both follow the same construction rules). There are many other specialized pieces of equipment available.

Chassis

All robots have a chassis. The size of the chassis determines the cost and basic survivability of the robot.

Robots are treated as characters in personal combat, and have Durability, which works like Stamina, as well as Protection, which functions as normal personal armor. A robot that loses all Durability is shut down until it receives major repairs. A robot that takes damage equal to double its Durability is typically destroyed, though it may be salvageable depending on the Referee’s ruling.

Encumbrance: Robots may carry a number of items equal to their Durability + twice their Physical skill without penalty. They may carry up to twice this Encumbrance amount but suffer a -1D to all Physical rolls.

Robot Chassis Table:

Chassis Type Cost Durability Protection Tech Age

Tiny - small dog-sized 8000 6 2 Early Space

Small - child-sized 6000 10 4 Early Space

Medium - human-sized 10000 14 4 Late Atomic

Large - Bear-size 20000 18 6 Late Mechanical

Giant - 3 meters tall 25000 22 6 Late Mechanical

Note: Larger robots are treated as vehicles and will be covered in a later supplement.

Locomotion

Most robots need a way to get around. The different types of locomotion modify the cost of the chassis. A robot without locomotion gets a -30% cost reduction. Small robots carried about by their operator in a harness or case count as two items of Encumbrance, Tiny robots count as one item.

The movement rates listed below are given in Move Actions: a wheeled robot’s Move Actions count as double those of a human’s, for example. This typically means that on open ground, a wheeled robot will be able to move to Far Range with one Move Action. However, wheeled robots can’t easily negotiate stairs or very difficult terrain. A robot with legs can manage any terrain about as well as a human. Travel speeds

Robot
Locomotion

Locomotion Cost Travel Movement Rates and Notes Tech Age Type Modifier Speed

Wheels -10% 40km/h Double movement rates on open ground. Late Some terrain impassable, or very Mechanical slow.

Tracks +0% 30km/h Human speeds, some terrain Late impassable. Mechanical

Two legs +10% 10km/h Human speeds Late Atomic

Multiple legs +20% 10km/h Human speeds; can climb walls at half Early Space speed.

Rotors/\ +50% 100km/h Double movement; flies Late Atomic thrusters

Anti-Grav +100% 200km/h Triple movement; flies Early Galactic

Rotor-equipped and those robots with anti-grav propulsion may fly to Far Range with one Move Action. Rotors require an Earth-like (in terms of density) atmosphere to function.

Plasma thrusters use cold gas rockets and have enough propellant for a half hour of use. They allow flight to Far Range with one Move Action, even in a vacuum. They can be refilled in any ship, or the robot may use an umbilical to allow indefinite maneuvering with a 30m range. After the Late Atomic Age, robots with plasma thrusters do not need umbilicals and have flight ranges measured in days.

Arms

Most robots have arms and manipulators (hands) to use human tools and operate tools or even some vehicles. Arms are generally bought in pairs. If a single arm is bought, all Physical and Combat rolls for melee attacks are penalized by -1D.

Robotic manipulators are designed for general use but are not capable of fine manipulation unless they are humaniform manipulators.

A robot with Light Arms, Tentacles or Multipurpose Arms using specifically human tools makes Technology rolls at -1D penalty. A robot with Work arms using human tools has all Technology rolls penalized by -2D.

Alternatively, robot-adapted tools cost the same as human tools. However, humans using them make all Technology rolls at -1D penalty.

Robot Arms

Arm Type Cost Tech Age Notes

Light Arm 500 Late -1D when lifting. Arms do 1d3 damage Mechanical in melee.

Work Arm 1000 Late +1D when using its arms for lifting. Mechanical 1d6 damage in melee.

Combat Arm 2000 Early Space 3d6 damage/2d6 AV in melee. Requires Large or Giant Chassis.

Tentacle 1500 Early Space Robots may use tentacles to climb. +1D when grappling; 1d3 damage in melee.

Multi-Purpose 2500 Early Space The arm ends in tools or a basic Arm manipulator. 2d6 damage in melee combat.

Humaniform 5000 Late Space Can use human equipment without Manipulators penalty. Humaniform manipulators do 1d6 damage in melee.

Robot Brains and Drones

A robot without a computer brain is called a drone. Drones require an operator to make a Technology roll to perform difficult actions with drones under their control. A referee may modify the Technology roll by -1D or more for delicate tasks. Drones will obey their orders until they are completed, or the drone destroyed. An operator can be a human, android or even another robot with Low Simulated Intelligence or better. Drones require constant supervision.

An operator can handle a number of drones equal to double their Technology skill, though they can only give one command to one drone per Action. An operator with Technology 0 can still handle one drone.

Robot Brains

Once a computer brain is installed in a chassis, the result is a robot. A variety of brains exist at different technology eras. As one may expect, higher technology eras produce computer brains capable of increasingly sophisticated behavior. At the highest technology eras, computer brains surpass human cognitive ability.

Limited: The robot follows commands in a literal fashion. Figures of speech may confuse it. It needs constant supervision for unusual jobs (herding chickens, putting out a fire, chasing a deadbeat). It has 1 Skill point to allocate. They usually have a handler close by. Handlers can mind a number of Limited bots equal to triple their Technical skill. Unskilled tasks are penalized by -3D.

Independent: The robot can be left alone to perform routine tasks. Emergency conditions require an operator to assume control. Handlers can mind a number of Independent bots equal to four times their Technical skill. Limited bots need no supervision for routine tasks. The robot has 2 Skill points to allocate and may only allocate 1 to a given skill. Unskilled tasks are at a -2D.

Simulated and Artificial Intelligence:

At this level of sophistication, robots begin to act increasingly like humans, if required.

Robots with Simulated Intelligence brains have some self-awareness. They may retreat from a hopeless situation and try to find another way to carry out orders. Otherwise, robots never check morale. Simulated and Artificial Intelligences can learn from their experiences. Artificial Intelligences can figure out new approaches to problems, while Simulated Intelligences usually require some instruction in new situations. Artificial Intelligences can sometimes anticipate problems but they tend to work better in concert with humans.

Low Simulated Intelligence: This level of intelligence allows the robot a limited ability to function in a crisis. Robots with low simulated intelligence computer brains have 3 Skill points to allocate and can allocate a maximum of 2 to any given skill. Unskilled tasks are penalized by -1D.

High Simulated Intelligence: The robot has some ability to function in a crisis. High Simulated Intelligence brains grant 4 Skill points to allocate to skills, to a level 2 maximum in a skill. Unskilled tasks are penalized by -1D.

Low Artificial Intelligence: The robot can behave and function in a similar fashion to a human and can easily impersonate a human. The robot has 5 Skill points to allocate and can allocate 2 levels to any given skill. All unskilled tasks are penalized by -1D. A robot with this advanced brain can gain experience and operate as a player character if the Referee allows it.

High Artificial Intelligence: This brain allows the robot to function in a crisis in a superior manner than a human normally would. A High AI has 5 Skill points to allocate and can allocate a maximum of 3 levels to any given skill. High AIs do not suffer any unskilled penalty. High Artificial Intelligences are also able to re-allocate their skill points with a successful Technology roll and 1d3 combat rounds of time. A robot with this advanced brain can gain experience and operate as a player character if the Referee allows it.

Robot Brains

Brain Type Cost Tech Age

Limited 500 Late Atomic

Independent 1000 Early Space

Low Simulated 2000 Early Interstellar Intelligence

High Simulated 3500 Late Interstellar Intelligence

Low Artificial 5000 Early Galactic Intelligence

High Artificial 10000 Late Galactic Intelligence

Brain Modifications

These specific modifications to robot intelligence allow for a variety of interesting options.

Brain
Modifications

Modification Cost Tech Age

Ghosting 100,000 Late Galactic

Hardwired 5,000 Early Interstellar

Modular Brain 5,000 Early Interstellar

Skill Board Special Early Interstellar

Ghosting: At the Late Galactic Tech Era, a badly injured or otherwise terminal organic life form may have their mind downloaded into a High AI brain. This procedure requires a fully equipped hospital. The consciousness transfer requires a Technology throw penalized by -2D. Depending on the setting, the legal status of such beings remains dubious: is it possible for a person to inherit their own estate after their physical body dies but their mind is conserved in a High AI brain? These questions may already be answered in certain settings, or they may be hot issues.

Hardwired: The brain is very durable, housed in a nearly impervious casing. It will survive even if the rest of the robot is reduced to scrap or even partly melted. If the robot takes enough damage to be destroyed (Referee’s call), the brain will survive on Physical roll at +4D.

Modular Brain: The brain is designed to quickly be inserted into a body with the Shell upgrade (see below).

Skill Board: A less advanced brain can modify its skills like a High Artificial Intelligence brain. This is done by inserting skill chips into a port in a skill board. This requires no Technology rolls and takes 1d3 combat rounds to affect the skill change. A skill board costs half the price of the brain it is attached to. Skill maximums are unchanged. Skill chips cost 100 Credits for skill 0, 500 Credits for skill 1, and 1,000 Credits for skill 2. Skill chips must be bought for each different skill. Skill 3 chips are available in the Early Galactic Age for 10,000 Credits.

Weapons and Equipment

Robots often mount integral weapons and equipment. Any piece of equipment in the Equipment chapter is viable on a robot. All equipment and weapons cost double to install, and Encumbrance is tracked normally for items installed on a robot chassis. Ammunition costs are doubled as well. Additional ammunition can be pre-purchased and reloads automatically. Each reload counts as a point of Encumbrance.

Some sample equipment includes:

Equipment Cost Description

Bioscanner 10000 Perfect for an advanced science or medical robot operating in the field or serving as the medic on board a small starship.

Medkit 200 This would make the robot a walking medicine dispensary, as well as being well-equipped to assist in trauma medicine.

Multiscanner 5000 This is a useful device to install on any remotely operated drone expected to operate in harsh environments.

Night Visor 600 Standard issue for military and exploration robots and drones.

Omnicomm 100 A standard Early Space Age communications array suitable for most robots.

Omnitool 1000 Robots dedicated to ship maintenance or vehicle repairs would have these installed for daily use in a variety of tasks.

Welder, Laser 6000 A useful tool for heavy salvage robots operating in space.

Armor

Robots have an armor Protection rating, and Durability, which acts like Stamina. They may add armor to their chassis. The cost of any armor upgrades is given in the Upgrades section below.

Repairs and Maintenance

Robots take damage to their Durability (like Stamina for organic beings). Damage to Durability is considered minor. Repairing the robot requires a Technology roll and costs 2d6 x 1% of the robot’s full cost. Repairs take 2d6 combat rounds. If Durability is reduced to zero, the robot becomes inoperable and requires significant repairs: 3d6 hours of repair time and 2d6x10% of the robot’s full cost. Robots require 500 Credits’ worth of maintenance twice a year. Maintenance takes 2d6 hours and can be conducted at any world of Early Atomic Age or higher.

Upgrades

Upgrade Tech Age Cost

Armor Late Atomic Age 1 point of Protection costs 100 Credits per point of the robot’s Durability

Cargo Early Atomic 1000 Credits per Encumbrance point. Age

Electronic Late Atomic Age 500 Credits Interface

Humanoid Late 100-1,000 Credits per Durability point, Interstellar see below.

Remote Control Late 500/1,000 Credits Atomic/Late
Space Age

Self-Repair Early 5,000 Credits Interstellar

Shell Late Space Age 5,000 Credits

Armor: A robot can increase its Armor Protection up to double its original value. For example, a Tiny robot could increase its Protection by 2 to 4 total. This would cost 100 Credits times Durability 6 per point: 1,200 Credits for 2 additional points of armor.

Cargo: The robot has additional space devoted to carrying extra cargo. It may increase its Encumbrance by 1 each time this upgrade is purchased. Cargo carrying capacity can only be increased up to half the robot’s base Durability. For example, a robot with Durability 10 would be able to increase its Encumbrance capacity by a maximum of 5.

Electronic Interface: The robot can communicate with other robots or people and can interface with properly equipped devices using encrypted radio transmissions. The robot must be granted permission or know the proper password. Electronic interfaces let a robot access databases, communicate with other machines, and access sensors.

Humanoid: Robots can be made to resemble humans. This requires the robot to have two legs and two arms. Humanoid robots are covered in synthetic, articulated skin to provide some modicum of similarity to humans. A humanoid robot must be large or medium sized. Humanoid robots automatically include Humaniform Manipulators and any other arm features (tools or weapons) retract and are concealed. The robot requires at least a Low AI brain to mimic human behavior.

The cost of a humanoid robot depends on how well it can pass for human. There are three tiers: At the lowest tier, humanoid robots cost 100 Credits per Durability point (1400 for medium, 1800 for large). Anyone encountering such a robot must roll Technology to realize it is a robot. For 500 Credits per Durability point, the roll is made with a -1D penalty. For 1,000 Credits per point the roll is penalized by -2D. Medical scanners give +1D to this roll. Surgery will reveal the truth immediately.

Remote Control: Robots usually operate with some autonomy, but a remote control allows a handler (human or not) to exercise total control over it. This is done via radio in the Late Atomic Age, and there is a risk that a third party might be able to hijack control of the robot. Roll Technology with a -1D penalty to seize control of a remotely controlled robot. The robot’s original controller can similarly attempt to regain control, and this electronic battle can go back and forth until the Late Space Age (see below). Remote controls are limited in range: Far Range or 250m, depending on the situation.

The Late Space Age version of the controller uses laser communications. This requires a line of sight to the robot, which can limit the robot’s movements. However, the signal cannot be detected or hijacked.

Self-Repair: The robot can reroute power, compensate for broken components, and keep functioning after taking damage. The robot may regenerate Durability, if it is above zero, at the rate of 1 point per combat round as an Action. If the robot is reduced to 0 Durability it continues to function if it throws Physical. The robot continues to function additional rounds by throwing Physical at the start of every round. Once it fails a throw it’s inoperable until repaired.

Shells: A robot chassis can be fitted to swap specially modified robot brains. This allows the rapid transfer of robot brains from a damaged chassis into a new chassis, or more versatile robotic capabilities with a single robot brain. Transferring a brain to a body takes 1D rounds.

Common Robots

Jewel: an
omnipresent
assistant and
advisor.
(12120Cr,
Early
Interstellar
Age)

Size: Small Durability 6

Speeds: Rotors (x2 movement Protection 4 speeds)

Brain: Low AI: Social 1, Upgrades and Light Arm (1d3), Electronic Knowledge 1, Equipment Interface, LED Flashlight, Technical 1 Omnicomp

Chrome; A
deceptive
assistant and
bodyguard.
Appears as a
small human.
(41500cr, Early
Interstellar)

Size: Medium Durability 14

Speeds: 2 legs, normal Protection 10 movement

Brain: Low AI: Combat 2, Upgrades and 2x Multi-Arms (2d6), Physical 1, Social Equipment Omnicomm, Self-Repair, 1, Technology 1. Increased Armor

Moto-Bot:
Urban
Reconnaissance
Robot (Late
Space Age,
12,520cr)

Size: Medium Durability 14

Speeds: Wheeled (x2 Protection 4 movement)

Brain: Low SI: Physical 2 Upgrades and Omnicomm, Self-Repair, Equipment Increased Armor, LED Flashlight

Ingot:
Armored
Paramilitary
Robot (53700cr
Late Space
Age)

Size: Large Durability 18

Speeds: Multi-Legged Protection 12 (normal speeds, can
climb walls)

Brain: Low SI: Combat 2, Upgrades and 2x Combat Arms (3d6 Physical 1 Equipment damage/2d6 AV), Omnicomm, Self-Repair, Night Visor, Pulse Rifle (3d6+3, Auto)

Pathfinder
Android:
settler’s friend
(30600, Early
Interstellar).

Size: Medium Durability 14

Speeds: Two legs Protection 4

Brain: High SI: Combat 1, Upgrades and 2x Humaniform Manipulators, Physical 1, Equipment Night Visor, Electronic Knowledge 1, Interface, Multiscanner Technology 1

Starship Design

With the advent of fusion power in the Early Space Age, the planets and stars open up to civilization.

While the principles of rocketry do not change, the capabilities of a fusion rocket permit reasonable travel times between bodies in a star system and a good amount of maneuvering capability. However, such spacecraft are still subject to the real constraints of physics. The tradeoffs between thrust, propellant, and payload are inevitable when designing a starship.

Note that the rules in this chapter refer to spacecraft in the Space, Interstellar, and Galactic Ages, where the typical game takes place. Atomic Tech spacecraft are much more limited, and may be covered by a future supplement. Cosmic Tech permits breaking the rules of physics and thus are beyond the scope of these rules.

Starship Construction

When starships use rockets, every gram of armor, weapons, crew, cargo, or anything else the ship carries requires propellant to move it. It is always possible to add more propellant to move the ship faster, but this becomes self-defeating after a while. Adding more propellant means that you are increasing the mass of the ship and thus negatively affecting maneuvering performance. This tyranny of physics lies at the heart of these rules.

A starship has three basic components describing its capabilities: Agility, Propellant, and Payload.

Agility is determined by the size of the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s engines, which produce acceleration and maneuverability. Generally bigger and heavier ships have lower Agility.

Propellant affects the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s Travel Multiplier, which is a multiplier of the time it takes to travel interplanetary distances. A ship with a Travel Multiplier of 2 will take twice as long to go somewhere as a ship with a Travel Multiplier of 1. A ship with more propellant can reach a higher top speed (before having to decelerate) and thus lower its Travel time, though it may take longer to reach that top speed than a ship with higher Agility.

Payload covers everything the ship carries that are not Engines or Propellant. In game terms, this includes Endurance (supplies and fuel), Armor (structure and defenses), Crew, Cargo, and Guns. Various specific systems, such as mining machinery, laboratories, FTL engines, or anti-ship missiles, can all be carried instead of cargo or guns.

Ship Construction Checklist

1) Choose the Tech Age of the Ship

The Tech Age is usually determined by the campaign setting, but many ships common to a given setting might be built on older technology.

a) Tech Age affects maximum Agility, FTL range, and whether the ship can carry Artificial Intelligence or other equipment (Technologies and Further Modifications).

2) Choose the Hull Size

3) Modify the Hull as needed. Modifying the hull is simple: each increase on one column of the Ship Construction Table must be offset by an equivalent decrease on the Ship Construction Table, under a different column, except for Propellant, which has its own costs.

a) Note there are maximums for modifying Agility and Endurance

c) Determine if the ship has to reduce its Payload because it carries FTL engines.

d) Reduce Guns rating for special equipment such as torpedoes, sensors and mining equipment.

e) Determine if the ship carries shuttles

4) Calculate Costs: Each ship hull has a base cost, which is modified depending on how many adjustments were made to Payload and other characteristics.

a) Increasing or decreasing the Guns and Armor one step will increase or decrease the cost +/-20% (note reducing the Guns rating for sensors, torpedoes or mining equipment does not affect price).

b) Increasing or decreasing Cargo one step modifies the base cost +/- 5%.

c) Increasing or decreasing other Payload categories, as well as Propellant, modifies the base cost +/-10%.

d) Determine the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s operating expenses by starting on the base hull[’]{dir=“rtl”}s row and moving up or down according to how many times the Crew, Travel Modifier, and Endurance columns were modified.

5) Give the ship class a name and the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s intended function. For example: Calypso class Research Picket.

Hull Sizes

Below are the spacecraft hull sizes used by these rules. Note that the actual size of a vessel might be larger if it has more Propellant or larger Engines than standard.

Hull Size Description Common Uses

Pod Large enough to contain one Repair modules, infiltration person. Barely so. drop pods, escape pods.

Micro The size of an early 21st Escape pods, mini fighters, century space capsule. The racing ships. smallest hull fit for a short journey to orbit or to a far
moon.

Small As large as a mobile home. Fighter craft, racing ships, personal yachts.

Scout A longer-range craft with Small merchant ships, amenities for four or more exploration vessels, torpedo and a common area for boats, fast couriers. relaxation. Typically, the
largest hull affordable by
player characters.

Picket The size of several subway Long voyage explorers, merchant cars. freighters, patrol gunships.

Destroyer About the size of a modern Small bulk carriers, passenger mega-yacht. liners, patrol frigates.

Cruiser A bit larger than a 21^st^ Light Carriers, ships of the century wet navy destroyer. line, large bulk freighters, luxury cruise liners.

Battleship The size of a large 20^th^ Heavy warships, carriers, century warship. mega-freighters.

Carrier The size of a 21^st^ century Carriers, Flagships, Mobile aircraft carrier or larger. Dockyards.

Payload

Payload includes everything needed to operate a rocket and help it perform its mission and keep the crew alive, other than the engine or propellant.

The following categories of Payload are included:

Agility represents the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s thrust and capacity of the engines for acceleration. Because higher Tech levels permit inertial modulation, there are hard limits on acceleration in given Tech Eras. Although Agility is strictly not a payload item (it is a result of the acceleration power of the engines), it is included here to better incorporate it into the ship construction rules. One of the benefits of installing FTL drives in a hull (as if faster than light travel wasn’t enough!) is that they allow a ship to exceed the normal Tech Age Agility limit by +1.

Tech Age Maximum Agility – Any Ship

Space +2

Interstellar +3

Galactic +4

Armor: Larger ships can take more damage due to their size. Their hulls can also be strengthened at the expense of other payload categories.

Cargo: Capacity in spaces. One space is roughly one ton of cargo.

Crew: This is the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s standard crew complement. On ships with more than one crewmember, having less than half this number gives a -1D to all actions. Increasing the crew category permits carrying passengers or ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s troops.

Endurance: This is a measure of the supplies and stores the ship holds. It also represents how much fuel is available for the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s power plant—which is different from propellant! Endurance is also the measure of the available volume for the crew to live in. Endurance also represents how long the ship can travel without major maintenance, resupply, or mental or physical damage to the crew.

Guns: This represents the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s armament in very abstract terms. A ship that has double the number of Guns dice compared to another ship may have more than twice the number of weapons.

Design Tradeoffs

A ship may only carry so much payload, engines, and propellant. Whenever a designer wishes to increase one of these categories, this change comes at the expense of another category. Reducing the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s statistic in one category allows the designer to increase another statistic in another category. Unless otherwise stated, no category can be increased or decreased by more than three steps.

The categories on the Ship Construction Table below can each be increased at the cost of reducing another category on the table. The only exception is Propellant, which is discussed below.

Ship Construction Table

Hull Endurance Armor Crew Cargo Guns Agility Type

Pod 12 Hours 2/4 1 0.5 1d6 +4

Micro 1 Day 7/9 1 2 2d6 +4

Small 1 Week 14/17 3 8 4d6 +3

Scout 1 Month 18/21 4 16 5d6 +2

Picket 3 Months 21/24 10 32 6d6 +2

Destroyer 6 Months 25/28 25 64 7d6 +1

Cruiser 1 Year 29/33 100 125 8d6 +0

Battleship 2 Years 32/35 200 250 9d6 -1

Carrier 4 Years 35/39 300 500 10d6 -2

Further x2 +3/+3 x2 x2 +1d6 - Upgrades

Travel Time and Propellant

As noted above, the Travel time multiplier is a function of the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s propellant mass. It is possible to increase propellant capacity at the expense of payload, or add payload at the expense of propellant, as given in the following table. Given enough space, it is possible to add or remove as much Propellant as the designer likes.

Travel Time Multiplier Cost Table

Travel Time Multiplier Cost in Payload Categories

x3 +6 Payload

x2 +3 Payload

x1.5 +1 Payload

x1 (Default) -

x0.75 -3 Payload

x0.5 -7 Payload

x ⅓ (Maximum) -15 Payload

Modifying Payload

The specific rules for increasing or decreasing specific Payloads are listed below. Unless otherwise stated, no single Payload category can be modified by more than three steps.

Agility: Agility can be increased or decreased by a maximum of two by adding or removing engines or simply modifying the mass of your ship. To gain extra Payload space by dropping Agility, it is necessary to actually change the Agility value: +1 Agility costs one point of Payload. Lowering Agility by 1 gains one point of Payload to use elsewhere.

Travel Time Multiplier: can be modified but not on a one for one basis (see the Travel Time Multiplier Table, above) by replacing payload with propellant, or vice versa.

Endurance: Endurance can only be decreased by a maximum of one step, since it covers room for crew. Endurance may be increased as far as permitted by payload availability.

Armor: Larger ships can take more damage due to their size. Their hulls can also be strengthened at the cost of more payload.

Crew: Crew can only be reduced if the ship design incorporates robot brains like Simulated or Artificial Intelligences (see the Technologies and Further Modifications section below). Crew may be increased as far as permitted by payload availability to provide for replacement crew, passengers, or troops.

Cargo: Cargo holds can be increased or decreased in size accordingly. Note that specific jobs may require a certain amount of cargo space.

Guns: Reducing a ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s armament will increase available payload for other things. Some systems, like torpedoes, mining equipment, or special sensors, also require reducing Guns by one step or more. Guns may be decreased as far as permitted by payload availability, but may not be increased by more than three steps.

Technologies and Further Modifications

Advancing technology permits improving starships. The following technological modifications are available:

Advanced Sensors: Standard ship sensors change by tech age, but they allow a ship to have a good chance to detect other vessels, avoid hazards, and glean some information about their surroundings. Advanced Sensors include sensitive devices suitable for scientific research or specialized detection arrays for intelligence gathering. Advanced sensors cost one step of payload and 5% of the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s base hull price.

Antimatter Fuel (Early Galactic Age): replacing the standard fusion power plant with an antimatter power source greatly improves a ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s performance. Increase Agility by one and reduce the Travel multiplier by one step. The downside is highly destructive antimatter fuel; every time the ship takes a Critical hit, roll twice and take the worst result. Antimatter fuel doubles the cost of the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s propellant and fuel.

Automation (Late Interstellar Age): Using advanced Simulated or Artificial Intelligence systems permits reducing the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s Crew requirement by one step. This frees up one step of Payload, and costs 10% of the hull[’]{dir=“rtl”}s base price.

Cryo-Tubes (Late Space Age): These devices are common on many spacecraft looking to save money on life support costs and still take passengers. They are also useful emergency medical units that will preserve a mortally wounded person for as long as they remain in suspended animation. Cryo-tubes cost 1000Cr and take up half a cargo space per tube.

Disintegrators (Late Galactic Age): A ship equipped with disintegrators eats away at a target[’]{dir=“rtl”}s Armor. Every Breach result lowers the target[’]{dir=“rtl”}s armor by one step. If a number is reduced to zero, the ship is destroyed. Adding disintegrators is a fixed cost of 5% of the hull[’]{dir=“rtl”}s base price.

Double FTL Drive (Early Interstellar Age): Any FTL drive can be fitted as a double drive. The ship can make an FTL trip and then a second one without a recharge. Ships use it to pop into a possibly dangerous situation and depart quickly if the danger turns out to be real. This requires the sacrifice of an additional Payload step. Unfortunately, FTL drives must recharge in real space, which means that there is no way to cycle between double FTL drives to guarantee many weeks of sustained travel.

Easy to Maintain: This ship hull is beloved by engineers and maintenance crews. It is easy to maintain and repair. Unfortunately, this means that the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s development costs were higher. This raises the base hull cost by +10%. However, reduce maintenance costs by one-half. Battle repairs costs are reduced by 10%.

FTL Engines (varied tech Age): The hulls described by these rules do not come equipped with a standard Faster-Than-Light engine. Adding FTL capabilities costs 1 payload step, and 10% of the base hull price. FTL Engines increase the Tech Age Agility limit of a ship by +1, but does not confer a free +1 bonus to Agility for installation.

FTL Engine Ranges depend on Tech Age. See the Starship Operations chapter (reference) for more details.

Made by the Lowest Bidder: The ship is cheaply designed or worse still, over-engineered. This reduces the initial base hull cost by 10%, but increases maintenance costs by 50%.

Mining Equipment (Late Atomic Age): This modification adds the heavy machinery required for mining asteroids and other planetoids. This also allows a vessel to mine ice from asteroids to use as fuel. Mining equipment reduces the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s Guns by two steps, but does not add to costs.

Organic Hull (Late Galactic Age): An organic hull can automatically seal hull breaches and other damage. After a vessel suffers a Breach, roll 1d6: the organic hull will heal and seal it on a result of 6. This roll is made every turn until the Breach is sealed. This modification also repairs armor damaged by disintegrators in the same manner.

Point Defense Grid (Late Atomic Age): The threat of numerous tiny ships armed with torpedoes resulted in the development of a close-in defense system, filling a ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s vicinity with projectiles designed to kill incoming missiles and torpedoes. Installing a Point Defense Grid reduces a ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s Guns by one step, but does not increase any costs.

Torpedoes (Late Atomic Age): Torpedoes are heavy anti-ship rockets of great range and power compared to smaller missiles. These projectiles are small rockets powered by powerful engines and have a variety of large warheads. The term torpedo itself is a misnomer, but naval terminology is difficult to abandon, even in the far future.

Torpedo tubes take up space in or on a ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s the hull. Reducing a ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s Guns or Cargo by one step will add a number of torpedo launchers equal to its original number of Guns dice. For example, Cruisers mounting torpedoes would mount eight for every reduction in its Guns. You may reduce Guns or Cargo up to two steps in this manner (a Micro hull can mount one torpedo). Torpedoes do 5d6 damage. For every six rolled, that die is rolled again and added to the total. If it comes up six again, it is rolled again until it comes up five or less. Even a small ship has the potential to damage a much larger ship if it gets lucky. Torpedoes cost 10,000cr each.

Shuttles (Late Atomic Age): Ships up to and including Picket-sized may land on planets. Larger vessels require shuttles which take up cargo room for the clamps and required amenities. Ships built in the Early Galactic Age and onward can ignore this limitation and can enter atmosphere regardless of size. Torpedoes can also be carried as cargo for reloading a ship’s torpedo bays. Torpedo reloads cost 10000Cr per torpedo.

Shuttle Hull Size Cargo Spaces Required

Torpedo 0.125 (8 torpedoes per space)

Pod 2

Micro 8

Small 24

Scout 64

Ship Costs

Once the ship is designed, its construction and operating costs must be determined. Much like the design process, determining the costs of a ship uses a table. The Ship Cost Table has the Base Hull Price, Endurance, Maintenance, Salaries, and Propellant values for the base hull types.

Base Hull Price: This is a fixed value, but each increase or decrease on the Payload table increases or decreases the price by a certain percentage value of the Base Hull Price.

Reducing a Payload category one step takes 10% off of a ship’s base price. Upgrading a category one step adds 10% to a ship’s base price. The exceptions are Guns and Armor. Increasing Guns or armor adds 20% to a ship’s base price. Reducing them only lowers the base price 10%. Increasing Cargo one step adds 5% to a ship’s base price and reducing it one step doesn’t reduce the ship’s price. Increasing or decreasing the Travel Multiplier does count towards this calculation: +/-10% for each increase or decrease in the Travel Multiplier.

Payload Modification Cost Table

Payload Cost to Upgrade One Cost to Downgrade One Type Step Step

Guns +20% -10%

Armor +20% -10%

Cargo +5% -5%

Other +10% -10%

Endurance: This is a monthly cost that incorporates the fuel and supplies the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s operators must pay for to keep it working. If a payment is not made, then the ship will have 1d6 week[’]{dir=“rtl”}s worth of fuel and supplies remaining before it cannot operate.

Maintenance: The amount of spare parts and supplies required to keep the ship operating efficiently. If this amount is not paid monthly, the ship will have 1d3 weeks before all rolls suffer a -1D penalty. This includes the Engineer[’]{dir=“rtl”}s rolls to engage and shepherd the FTL drive.

Propellant: The cost given is the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s monthly cost of propellant for in-system travel. For every increase of the Travel Multiplier, increase the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s propellant cost by one step. For every decrease of the Travel Multiplier, decrease the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s propellant cost by one step.

Salaries: How much a competent NPC crew must be paid to operate the vessel, per month. For ships crewed entirely by Player Characters, the salaries may be deferred. However, NPC crew will expect to be paid, and promptly. Crew salaries can be reduced by incorporating artificial intelligence systems into the ship design, as discussed above.

Ship Cost Table

Hull Base Endurance Maintenance Salaries Propellant Monthly Type Hull (per month) (per month) (per (per month) Total Price month)

Pod 60000 15 45 4000 600 4660

Micro 700000 175 525 4000 2500 7200

Small 2.5 625 1875 12000 8000 22500 million

Scout 8 million 2000 6000 16000 15000 39000

Picket 28 million 7000 21000 40000 30000 98000

Destroyer 100 25000 75000 100000 64000 264000 million

Cruiser 350 87500 262500 400000 125000 875000 million

Battleship 1.1 275000 825000 800000 250000 2150000 billion

Carrier 4 billion 1 million 3 million 1200000 500000 4620000

Common Ships

The Ship Construction Table above serves a dual purpose: it is the baseline for creating ships, but also provides samples of very generic ships for Referees to use in cases of extreme improvisation or lack of motivation. With the exception of the largest ships that often have special features, it is possible to use the Scout Hull as a basic scout ship with a month’s Endurance, Armor 18/21, 5d6 worth of Guns, and +2 Agility. No one will be the wiser.

All these vessels are designed for the Interstellar Tech Age and obey the maximum Agility Cap of +3 for non-FTL vessels. All monthly costs include just the minimum crew salaries, not any passengers.

Merchant

+——–+———+——+——+——-+——+——–+——–+ | Hull | Endu | * | Cr | Ca | Gu | Agi | T | | Type | rance | Arm | ew | rgo | ns | lity | otal | | | | or* | | | | | | +========+=========+======+======+=======+======+========+========+ | Picket | 3 | 1 | 10 | 125 | 4d6 | 0 | | | | Months | 8/21 | (15) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | FTL | | | | | | | | | drive | | | | | | | +——–+———+——+——+——-+——+——–+——–+ | Steps | +1 | -1 | +1 | +3 | -2 | -2 | 0 | +——–+———+——+——+——-+——+——–+——–+ | Cost | +10% | -10% | +10% | +15% | -20% | -20% | ** | | | | | | | | | -15%** | +——–+———+——+——+——-+——+——–+——–+ | Travel | | | | | | | | | Multi | | | | | | | | | plier: | | | | | | | | | x1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | FTL | | | | | | | | | Drive | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Cost | | | | | | | | | 23.8 | | | | | | | | | m | | | | | | | | | illion | | | | | | | | | C | | | | | | | | | redits | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | M | | | | | | | | | onthly | | | | | | | | | Cost: | | | | | | | | | 98000 | | | | | | | | +——–+———+——+——+——-+——+——–+——–+ | Me | | | | | | | | | rchant | | | | | | | | | p | | | | | | | | | ickets | | | | | | | | | are | | | | | | | | | bought | | | | | | | | | ou | | | | | | | | | tright | | | | | | | | | by | | | | | | | | | mid | | | | | | | | | -sized | | | | | | | | | indep | | | | | | | | | endent | | | | | | | | | comp | | | | | | | | | anies. | | | | | | | | | They | | | | | | | | | carry | | | | | | | | | vital | | | | | | | | | su | | | | | | | | | pplies | | | | | | | | | to new | | | | | | | | | co | | | | | | | | | lonies | | | | | | | | | and | | | | | | | | | out | | | | | | | | | posts, | | | | | | | | | som | | | | | | | | | ething | | | | | | | | | no | | | | | | | | | large | | | | | | | | | corpo | | | | | | | | | ration | | | | | | | | | wants | | | | | | | | | to | | | | | | | | | deal | | | | | | | | | with. | | | | | | | | | They | | | | | | | | | are | | | | | | | | | often | | | | | | | | | st | | | | | | | | | ripped | | | | | | | | | down | | | | | | | | | former | | | | | | | | | mi | | | | | | | | | litary | | | | | | | | | ships. | | | | | | | | | The | | | | | | | | | l | | | | | | | | | argest | | | | | | | | | hull | | | | | | | | | c | | | | | | | | | apable | | | | | | | | | of | | | | | | | | | la | | | | | | | | | nding, | | | | | | | | | they | | | | | | | | | are | | | | | | | | | very | | | | | | | | | handy | | | | | | | | | for | | | | | | | | | fr | | | | | | | | | ontier | | | | | | | | | w | | | | | | | | | orlds. | | | | | | | | | Many | | | | | | | | | ca | | | | | | | | | ptains | | | | | | | | | crew | | | | | | | | | these | | | | | | | | | ships | | | | | | | | | at | | | | | | | | | half | | | | | | | | | st | | | | | | | | | rength | | | | | | | | | to | | | | | | | | | carry | | | | | | | | | five | | | | | | | | | more | | | | | | | | | pass | | | | | | | | | engers | | | | | | | | | and | | | | | | | | | make | | | | | | | | | an | | | | | | | | | extra | | | | | | | | | 40000 | | | | | | | | | C | | | | | | | | | redits | | | | | | | | | a | | | | | | | | | month. | | | | | | | | | This | | | | | | | | | a | | | | | | | | | mounts | | | | | | | | | to | | | | | | | | | w | | | | | | | | | orking | | | | | | | | | the | | | | | | | | | crew | | | | | | | | | to the | | | | | | | | | point | | | | | | | | | of | | | | | | | | | bur | | | | | | | | | n-out. | | | | | | | | | Crew | | | | | | | | | tu | | | | | | | | | rnover | | | | | | | | | on | | | | | | | | | these | | | | | | | | | v | | | | | | | | | essels | | | | | | | | | is | | | | | | | | | excee | | | | | | | | | dingly | | | | | | | | | high. | | | | | | | | +——–+———+——+——+——-+——+——–+——–+

Explorer

+——-+————+——+—–+———–+——+——-+——+ | * | E | * | ** | Cargo | Gu | * | * | | Hull | ndurance | Arm | Cre | | ns | Agil | Tot | | T | | or | w | | | ity** | al** | | ype** | | | | | | | | +=======+============+======+=====+===========+======+=======+======+ | P | 6 Months | 1 | 10( | 64 | 4d6 | 0 | | | icket | | 8/21 | 15) | | | | | | | FTL drive | | | Adv. | | | | | | | | | Sensors | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (Shuttle) | | | | +——-+————+——+—–+———–+——+——-+——+ | St | +2 | -1 | +1 | +2 | -2 | -2 | * | | eps | | | | | | | 0* | +——-+————+——+—–+———–+——+——-+——+ | C | +20% | -10% | + | +10% | -20% | -20% | -1 | | ost | | | 10% | | | | 0% | +——-+————+——+—–+———–+——+——-+——+ | T | | | | | | | | | ravel | | | | | | | | | M | | | | | | | | | ultip | | | | | | | | | lier: | | | | | | | | | x1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | FTL | | | | | | | | | Drive | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Adv | | | | | | | | | anced | | | | | | | | | Se | | | | | | | | | nsors | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Cost: | | | | | | | | | 25.2 | | | | | | | | | mill | | | | | | | | | ion + | | | | | | | | | Sh | | | | | | | | | uttle | | | | | | | | | 2.5 | | | | | | | | | mi | | | | | | | | | llion | | | | | | | | | T | | | | | | | | | otal: | | | | | | | | | 27.7 | | | | | | | | | mi | | | | | | | | | llion | | | | | | | | | Cr | | | | | | | | | edits | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Sh | | | | | | | | | uttle | | | | | | | | | c | | | | | | | | | ounts | | | | | | | | | for | | | | | | | | | 24 of | | | | | | | | | the | | | | | | | | | 64 | | | | | | | | | total | | | | | | | | | cargo | | | | | | | | | s | | | | | | | | | paces | | | | | | | | | (40 | | | | | | | | | s | | | | | | | | | paces | | | | | | | | | remai | | | | | | | | | ning) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Mo | | | | | | | | | nthly | | | | | | | | | Cost: | | | | | | | | | 116 | | | | | | | | | 000 + | | | | | | | | | 22500 | | | | | | | | | (shu | | | | | | | | | ttle) | | | | | | | | | = | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | 38500 | | | | | | | | +——-+————+——+—–+———–+——+——-+——+ | The | | | | | | | | | Exp | | | | | | | | | lorer | | | | | | | | | is an | | | | | | | | | un | | | | | | | | | der-g | | | | | | | | | unned | | | | | | | | | p | | | | | | | | | icket | | | | | | | | | hull | | | | | | | | | that | | | | | | | | | poss | | | | | | | | | esses | | | | | | | | | incr | | | | | | | | | eased | | | | | | | | | Endu | | | | | | | | | rance | | | | | | | | | but | | | | | | | | | re | | | | | | | | | duces | | | | | | | | | the | | | | | | | | | arm | | | | | | | | | ament | | | | | | | | | even | | | | | | | | | more. | | | | | | | | | Prope | | | | | | | | | llant | | | | | | | | | is | | | | | | | | | sacri | | | | | | | | | ficed | | | | | | | | | as | | | | | | | | | well | | | | | | | | | to | | | | | | | | | allow | | | | | | | | | a | | | | | | | | | suite | | | | | | | | | of | | | | | | | | | adv | | | | | | | | | anced | | | | | | | | | sen | | | | | | | | | sors. | | | | | | | | | The | | | | | | | | | 15 | | | | | | | | | passe | | | | | | | | | ngers | | | | | | | | | are | | | | | | | | | expl | | | | | | | | | orers | | | | | | | | | and | | | | | | | | | s | | | | | | | | | cient | | | | | | | | | ists. | | | | | | | | | The | | | | | | | | | sh | | | | | | | | | uttle | | | | | | | | | can | | | | | | | | | ferry | | | | | | | | | field | | | | | | | | | teams | | | | | | | | | a | | | | | | | | | round | | | | | | | | | a | | | | | | | | | p | | | | | | | | | lanet | | | | | | | | | being | | | | | | | | | inv | | | | | | | | | estig | | | | | | | | | ated. | | | | | | | | | Some | | | | | | | | | mis | | | | | | | | | sions | | | | | | | | | forgo | | | | | | | | | this | | | | | | | | | for | | | | | | | | | more | | | | | | | | | cargo | | | | | | | | | and | | | | | | | | | s | | | | | | | | | imply | | | | | | | | | land | | | | | | | | | the | | | | | | | | | ship. | | | | | | | | +——-+————+——+—–+———–+——+——-+——+

Gunship

+————-+———–+——+——+——-+—–+——+——+ | Hull | En | * | Cr | Ca | ** | A | * | | Type | durance | Arm | ew | rgo | Gun | gili | Tot | | | | or | | | s | ty** | al** | +=============+===========+======+======+=======+=====+======+======+ | Picket | 3 Months | 1 | 1 | 32 | 6d6 | 1 | | | | | 8/21 | 0/15 | | | | | | | FTL Drive | | | | | | | +————-+———–+——+——+——-+—–+——+——+ | Steps | +1 | -1 | +1 | 0 | 0 | -1 | * | | | | | | | | | 0* | +————-+———–+——+——+——-+—–+——+——+ | Cost | +10% | -10% | +10% | 0 | 0 | -10% | ** | | | | | | | | | 0%** | +————-+———–+——+——+——-+—–+——+——+ | Travel | | | | | | | | | Modifier: | | | | | | | | | x1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Cost: 28 | | | | | | | | | million | | | | | | | | | Credits | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Monthly | | | | | | | | | Cost: 98000 | | | | | | | | +————-+———–+——+——+——-+—–+——+——+ | The gunship | | | | | | | | | is a vessel | | | | | | | | | much-loved | | | | | | | | | by pirates. | | | | | | | | | Small | | | | | | | | | enough to | | | | | | | | | land on a | | | | | | | | | planet for | | | | | | | | | a raid of | | | | | | | | | o | | | | | | | | | pportunity, | | | | | | | | | yet with | | | | | | | | | large | | | | | | | | | enough guns | | | | | | | | | to | | | | | | | | | terrorize a | | | | | | | | | small | | | | | | | | | convoy or | | | | | | | | | space | | | | | | | | | station. | | | | | | | | | Its light | | | | | | | | | armor does | | | | | | | | | mean that | | | | | | | | | it must | | | | | | | | | flee when | | | | | | | | | larger | | | | | | | | | escorts | | | | | | | | | arrive. The | | | | | | | | | 15 | | | | | | | | | passengers | | | | | | | | | comprise | | | | | | | | | the | | | | | | | | | board | | | | | | | | | ing/looting | | | | | | | | | party. The | | | | | | | | | gunship is | | | | | | | | | an | | | | | | | | | all | | | | | | | | | -too-common | | | | | | | | | sight on | | | | | | | | | the wild | | | | | | | | | frontier. | | | | | | | | +————-+———–+——+——+——-+—–+——+——+

Starship Operations

The Universe is full of adventure, treasures, artifacts, and mysteries! Other stars may have friendly or hostile beings, ruins of ancient species long vanished, and amazing planetary bodies for explorers to chart. Merchants buy and sell, and fortunes can be made or broken among the stars. Wars rage between the stars.

Starship voyages are how humanity travels the universe. Advanced technologies let these vessels exceed the speed of light, and thus travel between the stars takes weeks instead of centuries. Players will beg, buy, or steal only the best for their characters and guard their transportation jealously. In the course of a campaign a ship may become a patchwork of improvements, repairs, and modifications. These unique vessels may become characters themselves.

A note on Abstraction

The rules in this chapter, like all other rules, are an attempt at abstraction. While we tried to retain the overall concept and feel of space travel using rockets, we have abstracted much of the mathematics involved to help facilitate gameplay. These rules do not simulate reality exactly, even when fusion rockets are involved. Furthermore, for the sake of convenience, we abstracted three-dimensional interstellar space into two-dimensional sector maps, neatly divided into familiar parsec-sized hexagons.

FTL Travel

The technologies developed in the Space, Interstellar, and Galactic Technology Ages permit faster than light (FTL) travel. FTL engines traverse a parallel dimension known as hyperspace, allowing the ship to travel faster than the speed of light. A gravity well, such as one generated by a star, is required on both ends of an FTL transit.

Standard FTL engines, available at the Late Space Age, permit a ship to travel up to 2 parsecs in one transit. This takes a week and requires no additional fuel. The ship, however, must recharge its FTL engine after each such transit, which requires another week. Most captains use this recharging time to travel through the local star system via the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s rocket engine, potentially docking with space stations or landing on planets. More advanced FTL engines, available during the Late Interstellar Age, permit traversing up to 4 parsecs per week-long transit, but are usually unavailable to civilians. Galactic FTL engines, available during the Late Galactic Age, may traverse up to 10 parsecs per transit. Cosmic Age Stargates let a starship travel up to 50 parsecs within a day and are beyond the scope of these rules.

Faster than light travel is usually pretty boring. However, when it isn’t boring, it’s a harrowing adventure. Strong magnetic fields or radiation may interfere with FTL drives, requiring a Technology throw to avoid a mishap (see below). Computers may be hacked or sabotaged to override a course and deposit a ship in the middle of an ambush. Some ancient alien ruins or derelict ships may contain malfunctioning arcane devices that warp space and hyperspace in unpredictable ways. Although it is reliable and efficient, faster than light travel is never completely safe.

FTL transit may be initiated anywhere outside an atmosphere. FTL transit typically deposits the starship within 500,000km of a known and predetermined target world, which means that it will have to travel at least 1d3 days to reach its destination. This travel time is modified by the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s Travel Multiplier.

FTL Travel Speeds, Ranges, and Recharge Times

Tech Age Speed Transit Range Recharge Time

Late Space 1 week per 2 parsecs 1 week transit

Early 1 week per 3 parsecs 1 week Interstellar transit

Late Interstellar 1 week per 4 parsecs 4 days transit

Early Galactic 2 days per parsec 6 parsecs 2 days

Late Galactic 1 day per parsec 10 parsecs 1 day

Making the FTL Transit:

These rules assume relatively safe interstellar faster-than-light travel. Aside from a ship with a functional FTL drive, only three things are really required to make an FTL transit: gravity wells at the origin and destination, a competent drive engineer, and an accurate navigation route (nav route).

Navigation Routes: The main thing pilots (and players) must worry about when making an FTL journey is having a valid nav route. It is possible to plot a nav route; this takes two space combat turns. Out of combat, it takes about thirty minutes. The navigator (usually the pilot) must make a Vehicles skill check. If they fail, they do not plot a valid course, and must try again. Only very well-trained navigators plot their own routes, as any miscalculation can be catastrophic. Many planets in interstellar societies will sell standard nav routes for a modest fee. This makes typical interstellar travel within civilized regions of space a matter of buying the right nav route, loading it into the ship’s navigation computer, and following the computer’s instructions.

Destinations: FTL drives need a gravity well to draw them back into real space. This means that there is no way to plot a course to an empty parsec. Usually, a star or stellar object like a black hole are used as gravity wells. However, the gravity wells of brown dwarf stars and rogue planets will typically suffice, albeit at a -1D penalty to the navigation roll.

Drive Engineer: An engineer is needed to monitor the FTL drive before and during the transit. As well, after the transit, the engineer must monitor the recharging cycle. These are not particularly difficult tasks: roll Technology to ensure that the FTL transit has gone smoothly. If the roll is failed, roll 2d6 again: a mishap occurs on a natural result of 2.

FTL Transit Mishap Table

2d6 Result Roll

2 The vessel emerges from FTL transit 1d6+6 months late, in a random location with a gravity well, D66 parsecs away from the point of departure. Roll on the Regular Damage Table: 1d6+3 systems on board are disabled from the energy surges and rough re-entry into real space.

3-4 The vessel emerges from FTL at the system nearest the transit’s origin. 1d6 systems have taken damage, and 1 system is disabled. If the power plant is disabled, treat as a result of 2.

5-7 The ship emerges at its destination. One ship’s system is disabled.

8-9 The ship is off-course. Spend one week in transit, then roll Vehicles to restore the transit.

11 The transit is successful but takes twice the normal time.

12 The ship emerges from FTL transit on time and in the right location through blind luck!

Gravity Control

In the Late Space Age, a ship equipped with an FTL engine can modulate its inherent inertia, and thus permit higher-G maneuvers compared to ships with more primitive technologies. However, these early FTL engines do not cancel inertia; thus high-G maneuvers still require acceleration couches and, in some instances, specialized drugs. Without them, the ship might survive, but the crew would all be killed by strokes and other severe medical emergencies.

In the Interstellar Age, an FTL drive can generate a local gravity field. This permits constant shipboard gravity. In the Early Interstellar Age, a starship equipped with an FTL engine can reduce inertia to a greater degree than in the Late Space Age, permitting higher-G maneuvers and removing the need for acceleration couches and G-medication. However, non-FTL-capable spacecraft still lack this advantage. Once technology enters the Galactic Age, all spacecraft enjoy shipboard gravity and full inertia modulation, and gravitic modules are available for installation on other structures as well, permitting flying vehicles, robots, and even flying cities.

Real-Space Travel

Travel time in Real-Space (i.e., when not performing an FTL transit) depends on the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s available propellant mass and the distances involved. As the various bodies within a star system are in constant motion, travel times are determined by dice rolls to abstract some extremely complex orbital mechanics. See the table below for sample travel times. All ships departing from the same planet for the same destination use the same roll. Make a new roll after every trip for the inner planets of a given system. Any rolls for travel to the outermost reaches of a system can stand for an entire campaign or be rolled every year at most.

To determine the actual travel time for a ship to make a trip, multiply the ship’s Travel Multiplier by the given travel time on the table below. For example, a ship with a Travel Multiplier of x1.5 is making the trip from its FTL entry-point to a planetary surface. This is about the distance from a planet to a typical moon, and the Referee must roll 1d3 for the travel time and multiply the result by 1.5. If a 2 is rolled for travel time, for example, such a ship would take 1.5 x 2 = 3 days to complete the voyage. A ship with a Travel multiplier of x0.75 would make the trip in 0.75 x 2 = 1.5 days.

Note that the Travel Multiplier and a ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s Agility are not directly related. A ship with very low Agility could have a very high Travel Multiplier. All this means is that it takes more time to reach cruising speed. A ship with high Agility will win a short race, a ship with a larger Travel Multiplier will win a long race.

Interplanetary Travel Times

Mission Example Duration

Lift off - the first part of any flight! 2d6 to 6d6 minutes

Semi-ballistic travel between locations on the 1 hour same planet

100-1,000 Km orbit: typical space station 2d6 hours

1,000-50,000 Km communications satellites 3d6 hours

50,000-500,000 Km typical moon 1d3 days

1-2 AUs. Inner System 1d3 weeks

2-5 AUs. Inner System to close gas giant 2d6 Weeks

5-30 AUs Inner System to far gas giant 3d6 Months

30-100 AUs Inner System to the Oort Cloud 4d6 Months

Typical Ship Travel Multipliers

Travel Multiplier Typical Vessel

x3 (Minimum) Average Commercial

x2 Fast Commercial

x1.5 Average military

x1 (Default) Fast military

x0.75 Very fast military or government courier

x1/2 Interceptor

x⅓ (Maximum) Racing ship

Finances

Ship prices can vary considerably, but they are not cheap. There are several options for Referees and players to consider when they decide to purchase a ship.

Mortgage

The simplest way to own a ship is to take out a loan from a bank. The bank will make a small fortune in interest, but this is often the only way for a small operator to gain access to an interstellar vessel. To calculate mortgage costs and payment, simply double the ship’s purchase price, and then divide by 240. This is the monthly payment that must be made for twenty years until the ship is paid off.

Government Firesales and Subsidies

As a world progresses in technology, its military and businesses will dispose of older ships for a fraction of their initial cost. Former military vessels are almost always demilitarized and might only have a fraction of their former firepower, if any. A used ship sold in this manner will usually go for about half of its listed price. Those buying used government ships must be fully credentialed and approved by the government.

As well, many governments have programs to help subsidize ship ownership. The rationale being that the increased tax revenues from having more small traders flying is worth the cost in subsidies. These subsidies are either one-time payments or made in connection with the bank offering a mortgage on a ship. Subsidies usually amount to about 30% of the ship’s purchase price. Some governments will offer the grant but will require the ship’s owner-operator agree to perform services for the government using the ship in emergency situations.

Salvage and Payment for Services

A patron might offer a ship as payment for a service, especially if the patron expects to enjoy a friendly relationship with the crew and additional services in the future. We leave this to the Referee and players to sort out the details.

Salvage is another popular means of obtaining a ship. However, salvaged ships require a great deal of work to make them operational, and the use of non-standard parts installed in non-standard ways might cause any number of strange quirks and irregularities to emerge in the ship. The ship will usually require about 10-20% of its listed price to make it spaceworthy again. Roll Technology with a -2D penalty to avoid any serious flaws. If the roll fails, roll 1d6 to determine of the number of flaws. Each flaw is represented by a step in the negative direction on the Payload Table. They can be repaired only through a full replacement of the system at a starport.

The ship will have a number of quirks equal to the Referee’s whimsy, or 1d6, whichever is lower.

Random Ship Quirks Table

1d6 1d6 Quirk

1-3 1 Strange smells in air filtration system.

**2** Lights blink out at awkward times. **3** Landing gear sticks: -1D to landing in the wild (not starports). **4** Airlock sticks: 2-in-6 chance any airlock needs a Technology roll to open. **5** FTL Drive causes nausea: Roll Physical or be sick for 1d6 hours in FTL. **6** Engine vibrations can be extremely loud.

1d6 1d6

4-6 1 Sensor glitches: roll 1d6: on a 1-3: -1D to all sensor rolls for 24 hours.

**2** Someone thinks they own part of the ship because they recognize parts from their old stolen ship! **3** Armor is Brittle: -1 to Regular damage threshold. **4** Fire Control Initialization Problems: -1D to first Gunnery action of the combat. **5** Ship's Computer has un-erasable files that are deeply horrible. **6** Vermin infestation: Tet crabs or something else relatively harmless but very annoying.

Theft and Piracy:

Should the players decide, they may attempt to steal a ship. Sneaking into a starship and absconding with it is no easy feat and should be the subject of one or more high-stakes adventures. Using force to board a ship, subdue or kill the crew, and then assume control of the ship is a much more serious crime: piracy is generally frowned upon by most governments. Capturing a vessel and going pirate is also best left to adventuring. In either case, the theft or piracy of a starship would certainly mean that the players would have many enemies interested in retrieving the ship.

Sponsorship

Some players may decide to look for sponsorship. This is usually a government or corporation with deep pockets and many assets, like a fleet of starships that need crews. The sponsor will provide a ship and are responsible for operating expenses and crew salaries. The sponsor also receives half of all profits after expenses. This arrangement will stay in effect until the crew can save up enough to purchase the ship in full.

Starship Operational Expenses

Starships have monthly operational expenses, determined when they are designed. These are discussed in the Starship Design chapter, above. However, it is worth discussing some of the details of these operating costs.

Endurance: This represents power plant fuel and crew supplies. If a payment is not made, then the ship will have 1d6 weeks[’]{dir=“rtl”} worth of fuel and supplies remaining before it cannot operate. These expenses can be paid in advance for an extended expedition.

Maintenance: The amount of spare parts and supplies required to keep the ship operating efficiently. If this amount is not paid monthly, the ship will have 1d3 weeks before all rolls suffer a -1D penalty. This includes the Engineer[’]{dir=“rtl”}s rolls to engage and shepherd the FTL drive while in transit.

Salaries: How much a competent NPC crew must be paid to operate the vessel. For ships crewed entirely by Player Characters, the salaries may be deferred or substituted with the satisfaction of a job well done. However, NPC crew will expect to be paid, and promptly. Salaries assume one quarter of the crew are officers or specialists. Officers draw an average salary of 4,000 Credits per month and crew are paid on average 2,000 Credits per month. This includes uniforms and basic gear.

Propellant: This is the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s monthly cost of propellant for in-system travel. Obviously, a ship in orbit for a month does not expend propellant.

Fuel, Propellant, and Refueling

Fuel is what goes into the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s power plant. Propellant is what is heated or combusted to make a starship move. Confusing the two will tell any spacer you[’]{dir=“rtl”}re a dirtsider trying to pose as a spacer.

The exact nature of fuel and propellant is purposely left vague. In some settings, hydrogen is used for both. Certain ships can even refuel from the atmospheres of a gas giant. In other settings water can be used as propellant and for generating hydrogen powered fusion.

Fuel may be purchased at starports. Alternatively, a ship piloted by a character with a relevant Archetype, such as Pilot or Roughneck, may refuel from gas giants. Ships may also refuel from frozen moons or asteroids if they carry mining equipment. Generally speaking, only the toughest and most self-reliant spacer crews attempt this on a regular basis, as the whole process takes 1d6+1 days to complete.

Fuel Cost Multipliers

Fuel refers to fissionables, Helium 3, hydrogen, antimatter, or other exotics a ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s reactor requires to turn hydrogen into lots of energy. Propellant is rocket fuel and is usually hydrogen or even water and costs very little. The Travel Multiplier is the main determinant of how much the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s monthly Propellant costs are. A ship traveling at a lower speed will use less propellant, operating the engines for a shorter time. A ship with a greater speed uses its engines for a longer time and uses more propellant. To determine the monthly propellant costs of a ship, multiply its base Propellant cost from the Starship Costs Table by the Fuel Cost Multiplier found below.

Propellant Cost Multipliers Table

Travel Multiplier Propellant Cost Multiplier

x3 x0.25

x2 x0.5

x1.5 x1

x1 x1.25

x0.75 x1.75

x1/2 x4

x1/3 x8

Passengers, Trade, and Shipping

Starships can generate revenue by hauling freight or engaging in speculative trade by buying cargo in one place, and hopefully selling it for a profit somewhere else. Ships can also take on passengers.

Hauling Freight:

This is the simplest and least risky way for ship crews to make money as they travel. Freight is loaded into the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s cargo hold in sealed containers, and is brought to a destination starport. There, the crates are unloaded, the crew is paid a standard rate, and the transaction is concluded. A unit of cargo space will generate 500 Credits when used for hauling freight.

Speculative Trade:

Speculative trade refers to the time-honored business of buying goods at a cheap price, moving them across the stars, and then selling them somewhere else for a much higher price. It is a very risky way to generate income, but can be very lucrative.

Speculative Trade Procedure:

1. At each port of call, the ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s broker can roll Social to develop contacts and find local sellers of bulk goods for trade. A success means that the broker has found cargo worth shipping. If the broker fails the Social roll, they must wait 1d6 days before trying again.

2. The players then choose the cargo they would like to purchase, and the Referee rolls what their prices are. There are three types of cargo:

Cheap Bulk Goods: Cargoes like this include unprocessed raw materials like ore or grains, unrefined plant products, common mass produced commercial goods, and the like. Roll 2d6x10 to determine the purchase price per cargo hold space.

Finished Manufactured Products: These cargoes include goods like furniture, electronics, industrial tools, machine parts, and other essential products that have markets to reach in their final forms. Roll 2d6x100 to determine the purchase price per cargo hold space.

Luxury Items: These include jewelry, high tech items, exotic spices, and very expensive luxury goods. Roll 2d6x1000 to determine the purchase price per cargo hold space.

3. The ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s broker can haggle on the given price with a Social skill roll. Success earns a 1d6x5% discount on the price. However, once the cargo is in the crew[’]{dir=“rtl”}s possession, roll 1d6. If they haggled on the price, on a result of 1, there is a problem with the cargo that will need solving if the player characters are to make any money on the cargo.

4. Once the players’ []{dir=“rtl”}ship has reached a new port of call, the broker may roll Social again to find a buyer for the cargo. Failure means that they must wait 1d6 days before trying again.

5. Selling the cargo works much the same as buying it. Simply re-roll the prices, but add one to the result before multiplying. If the selling price is not acceptable, it is possible to find new buyers, or haggle. Roll Social with a -1D penalty. On success, the players may re-roll the selling price, and take the better result. If the selling price is still not to their liking, they may roll Social again, but with an additional -1D penalty (-2D total). It is not possible to re-roll the second Social skill check. However, it is also not mandatory that the players sell their cargo.

If the Players haggled or looked for other buyers, roll 1d6. On a 1, there is a problem with the deal that the players need to deal with.

The [”]{dir=“rtl”}Oh What Now? Why Can[’]{dir=“rtl”}t Things Go Smoothly?" Table

1d6 1d6 The Deal Has Gone Bad 1d6 1d6 The Main Antagonist Because… Is…

1-3 1 The cargo consists of 1-3 1 A rival speculative trader stolen goods. with deep pockets and a grudge.

**2** The cargo is highly **2** A local crime boss. regulated, and you don't have the right permits. **3** The local rulers want a **3** An interstellar crime larger cut than normal. boss! **4** The cargo is **4** Another local broker who intentionally damaged. is insulted. **5** The cargo is **5** A seemingly unbribable contaminated, but government official. salvageable. **6** The dockworkers local is **6** A very greedy, very on strike. bribable, customs officer.

4-6 1 The payment for the cargo 4-6 1 Inclement weather was less than promised. threatens to ruin the cargo.

**2** The cargo must be **2** One of the PCs' allies collected from somewhere betrays them over the inconvenient or deal. dangerous. **3** The local criminal **3** The PCs are wrongfully (or elements are interested correctly) accused of in acquiring the cargo. cheating the local merchant. **4** The cargo is illegal **4** A natural disaster goods. strikes! **5** The cargo is a cover for **5** A critical piece of smuggling illegal goods equipment fails during the loading/offloading of cargo. **6** The cargo is twice as **6** A rebellion breaks out on valuable as originally the planet, and the locals thought, but now the blame offworlders for seller is angry their problems!

Passengers:

If a ship has the space, it can take on passengers to generate additional income. There are three different kinds of interstellar passages based on their ticket price. Luxury tickets cost 5000Cr per person but take up two berths on a ship. Regular tickets cost 2000Cr each and take up one berth each. Steerage tickets cost 800Cr each, and each berth can accommodate two Steerage passengers. Interplanetary trips generally cost 100 Credits per day on board.

Naturally, more desperate, or questionable passengers may be willing to pay more for discretion.

Ship Damage and Repairs

Starship crews that survive combat or other hazards may have to repair the damage their ship almost certainly has suffered.

Repairs are possible while the ship is in space but are more difficult and time-consuming than repairs carried out in a starport or other suitable facility. However, some damage is beyond the ability of even the most talented ship[’]{dir=“rtl”}s engineer to handle.

Spacecraft Repairs Table

The following table lists the different Regular Damage results from Space combat, and what is required for repairs. Note that Destroyed components are not repairable. They must be replaced entirely.

Times given are for repairs in a facility. Double repair times if performing the repairs in the field. Roll Technology to successfully accomplish a repair in the given time. It is possible to attempt to repair a damaged component multiple times. The time and money costs must be spent each time. It is only possible to attempt to repair a disabled component once. If it cannot be repaired, it must be replaced, at five times the cost of a disabled component.

Regular Damaged Disabled Damage

Breach Breaches can be repaired
in 1d6 hours. Each breach
costs 1d6x1000Cr to fix.

Cargo There is no way to easily
recover lost cargo, but
damaged cargo holds can be repaired as breaches,
above.

Weapon 2d6 hours and 2d6x2000Cr 1d6 days and 2d6x10000Cr to to repair 1d6’s worth of bring disabled guns back Guns. online.

Engine 2d6 hours and 4d6x1000Cr 1d6+1 days and 2d6x5000Cr to to repair damaged engines. repair engines that have been disabled.

Electronics 1d6 hours and 1d6x10000Cr 1d6 days and 3d6x10000Cr to to repair a specific restore an electronics system. system.

Power Plant 3d6 hours and 3d6x1000Cr 2d6 days and 3d6x10000Cr to to repair a damaged power restore a disabled power plant. plant.

Ships that have suffered a Knocked Out result are salvageable for parts, but must be towed to a starport to fully strip. Destroyed ships cannot be repaired.

Space Encounters

Space is vast, but most starships tend to congregate in a few locations: within 500,000km of inhabited planets, near hydrogen-rich gas giants, and close to stations and other artificial structures. When the players' ship enters or prepares to leave a star system, there is a simple method to see if the PC ship encounters another vessel:

1. Roll 3d6 on the Ship Encounter Table below, using the appropriate column depending on the system[’]{dir=“rtl”}s Settlement level: Core, Settled, Frontier, or Conflict. Apply any modifiers depending on the systems[’]{dir=“rtl”} Trade Class. The Settlement and Trade classes are in the World Generation chapter.

2. Roll for the Encounter Posture, meaning whether or not the PC vessel is surprised, or is in a better position relative to the encountered vessel.

3. Roll for NPC Reaction Result, which will inform the Referee regarding how the NPC vessel will act in context.

1. Ship Encounter Table

+——-+———-+———+———–+————+————+ | ** | Core | Se | F | ** | Un | | 3d6 | | ttled | rontier | Conflict** | explored** | +=======+==========+=========+===========+============+============+ | > 6 | > No | > No | > No | > No | > No | | > or | > E | > En | > | > | > | | > l | ncounter | counter | Encounter | Encounter | Encounter | | ess | | | | | | +——-+———-+———+———–+————+————+ | > | > | > | > No | > No | > No | | 7 | Salvage | Salvage | > | > | > | | | | | Encounter | Encounter | Encounter | +——-+———-+———+———–+————+————+ | > | > Scout | > M | > Salvage | > No | > No | | 8 | | erchant | > | > | > | | | | | (Pirate) | Encounter | Encounter | +——-+———-+———+———–+————+————+ | > | > F | > Liner | > Trader | > Trader | > No | | 9 | reighter | | > | | > | | | | | (Pirate) | | Encounter | +——-+———-+———+———–+————+————+ | > * | > | > Fr | > Liner | > Scout | > No | | 10* | Merchant | eighter | | | > | | | | | | | Encounter | +——-+———-+———+———–+————+————+ | > * | > | > | > Scout | > Patrol | > No | | 11* | Merchant | Salvage | | | > | | | | | | | Encounter | +——-+———-+———+———–+————+————+ | > * | > Yacht | > | > Liner | > Patrol | > Scout | | 12* | | Salvage | | > | | | | | > ( | | (Hostile) | | | | | Pirate) | | | | +——-+———-+———+———–+————+————+ | > * | > F | > Fr | > Corsair | > Corsair | > Scout | | 13* | reighter | eighter | > | > (Pirate) | | | | | | (Pirate) | | | +——-+———-+———+———–+————+————+ | > * | > Liner | > Liner | > Patrol | > Trader | > Corsair | | 14* | | | | | > (Pirate) | +——-+———-+———+———–+————+————+ | > * | > F | > Liner | > Scout | > Warship | > Trader | | 15* | reighter | | | > | | | | | | | (Friendly) | | +——-+———-+———+———–+————+————+ | > * | > Patrol | > Yacht | > | > Warship | > Yacht | | 16* | | | Freighter | > | | | | | | | (Hostile) | | +——-+———-+———+———–+————+————+ | > * | > Patrol | > | > Patrol | > Patrol | > Corsair | | 17* | | Patrol | | > | > (Pirate) | | | | | | (Friendly) | | +——-+———-+———+———–+————+————+ | > ** | > | > | > | > Patrol | > Research | | 18+** | Warship | Pirate | Research | > | | | | | | | (Hostile) | | +——-+———-+———+———–+————+————+

Note that Space encounters in Unexplored regions are only those for regions where it is feasible to encounter other vessels that are also boldly going where no one has gone before. Otherwise, unless the Referee is planning to introduce a spaceflight-capable alien species, it might be best to avoid ship encounters in Unexplored regions.

Ship Encounter Table Modifiers:

Apply any relevant modifiers to the 3d6 Encounter roll above.

Trade Class: Modifier

Poor -2

Non-Agricultural -1

Non-Industrial 0

Agricultural -1

Industrial +1

Rich +2

Encounter Descriptions

Patrol: A patrol encounter denotes "friendly" legal authorities. Use the NPC Reaction Roll to determine if the patrol ship will demand to board the PCs[’]{dir=“rtl”} vessel for inspection. On a result of 7 or less, the patrol ship will accelerate to intercept and board the PCs[’]{dir=“rtl”} ship. The Referee should modify this roll based on the PCs[’]{dir=“rtl”} reputation, their affinity with the local security forces, and the system[’]{dir=“rtl”}s government and laws.

Hostile: This represents an encounter with hostile enemy craft. Depending on its mission and orders, as well as the results of the Reaction Roll, it may attempt to attack or board the PCs[’]{dir=“rtl”} ship, or even ignore it.

Friendly: These are naval forces engaged in a military action against an enemy that they somehow share with the PCs. Unless their orders are to inspect civilian ships, they will likely leave the PCs alone.

Pirate: Any ship marked ["]{dir=“rtl”}pirate" will attempt to overpower the PCs[’]{dir=“rtl”} vessel and rob the crew, given the opportunity. Use the Reaction Result to determine the likelihood of civilian vessels turning pirate. Corsairs are vessels whose raison d’être is piracy, and will very likely attack any weaker ship they encounter.

Ship Descriptions

Encounters need not be limited to the ship and system types described below. GMs should feel free to develop their own encounter tables for their most often visited systems and substitute the appropriate ship types accordingly.

Ship Encounters Description

Scout Small ubiquitous ships transporting information or something more tangible.

Salvage/Miner Common system ships that locate raw or recyclable materials and extract them. Grimy and unglamorous.

Research Advanced ships with high tech toys, staffed with bored crew and science nerds.

Yacht A plaything for the very wealthy. Usually unarmed and filled with luxuries. Some are very advanced.

Liner Large ships designed to haul large numbers of passengers. Some are little more than glorified long-haul buses, while others are spectacularly opulent cruise ships.

Merchant A class of ships encompassing independent free traders and small corporate ships hopping from system to system.

Freighter A large merchant vessel, usually corporate property, hauling bulk cargoes on the space lanes.

Patrol Smaller military or police vessels that keep the peace and discourage piracy. Usually, pickets or destroyers.

Warship Dedicated combat vessels, including small battlegroups.

Pirate This represents a full-blown pirate or privateering warship: a corsair or other heavy gunboat dedicated to piracy.

2. Determine the Encounter Circumstances

Once the Referee has determined if there is an encounter and what sort of encounter it is, the circumstances of the encounter should be determined. The comms officer on each ship should roll Technology to attempt to detect the other ship. A ship that is lying in ambush should apply +1D. Subtract -1D or more if there is major background radiation, heat signatures, or other interference. Different ships might have additional bonuses and penalties depending on the state of their sensor suites.

If both parties succeed or fail the Technology roll, the ships detect each other in combat range. If they are hostile to one another, they should roll Position as normal.

If one ship succeeds in detecting the other ship, but the other ship fails, then the successful ship has favorable encounter circumstances—it catches the unaware ship somewhat unprepared. It automatically gains higher Position for the first round of combat. After which, combat continues normally with both sides rolling Position each round.

Alternatively, if the ship that succeeded on the Technology roll does not wish to have an encounter (and possible combat), then it may maneuver to avoid the encounter. In this case, the ship that failed the Tech detection roll has one more opportunity to detect the fleeing ship. If it is successful on this second detection attempt, then a chase can ensue.

Chases:

The two opposing ships roll 1d6 + Vehicles + Agility. If the pursuer has a higher roll, then combat ensues. If the prey has a higher roll, then combat is avoided. A ship chase in this case should last between 1 and 3 rounds, depending on the Referee[’]{dir=“rtl”}s call and the capabilities of the vessels involved.

3. NPC Reaction Roll

The table below includes standard NPC Reactions on a 2d6 roll, but we have modified it specifically for space encounters. We have included some examples of likely attitudes and actions for each Reaction result to help as Referee prompts. Remember to use common sense and interpret the NPC Reaction roll in the context of the specific encounter. For example, in space, the NPC Reaction roll will determine if a patrol vessel boards a PC ship, or if it will only contact it via radio. Similarly, the NPC Reaction roll can help the Referee determine if an opportunistic pirate in an armed merchant trader will try their luck attacking the PCs[’]{dir=“rtl”} ship. Referees are encouraged to use the NPC Reaction Roll to differentiate between otherwise similar encounter results and keep the players guessing.

NPC Reaction Table (Roll 2d6)

2d6 Result Attitude Possible Actions

2 Hostile The NPC will Attack, interfere, escape, immediately attack or flee. The NPC vessel will act actively spoil at cross-purposes to the PCs. whatever plans the PCs Patrol vessels will board the have. PC ship. Hostile vessels and pirates will attack. If the PCs are obviously more powerful, the NPC will evade.

3-5 Unfriendly The NPC will do Unarmed NPC ships will evade anything short of the PCs. Patrol ships will outright hostile board the PC vessel. Hostile action. They are ships will attack. Pirates will unhelpful and likely attack unless the PCs untrustworthy. are better armed.

6-8 Indifferent The NPC is The NPC ship will not evade but uninterested in will remain wary when helping or hindering responding to hails. Patrol the PCs. vessels will scan the ship and request clearance codes and cargo manifests. Pirates may attack if the PC ship is not well-armed.

9-11 Friendly The NPC is cooperative Unarmed NPC ships will respond and friendly. to hails and chat. Patrol ships will request clearance codes and manifests. Pirate and hostile ships might still attack but can usually be persuaded to avoid hostilities.

12 Helpful The NPC is interested Patrol ships will hail the PCs, in helping or but no further action is cooperating with the needed. Unarmed ships might PCs fully. wish to trade. Pirates and hostile ships might still attack but will call off hostilities once the PCs identify themselves.

Space Combat

Danger lurks among the stars, not only in the form of alien beasts and blaster-wielding mercenaries, but also from pirate ships and hostile enemy craft. This chapter covers the rules used when combating such threats.

Space Combat Basics

Space combat is run as a chase and is played in Turns. Each ship’s Pilot throws 1d6 + Vehicles skill + the ships Agility; the result of this throw is called the Position. The spaceship with the higher roll has Position. A spaceship with Position may attack normally: the ship’s Gunner throws Combat to hit a target. A spaceship without Position can attack a ship with Position at a -2D penalty. Two ships with the same Position may attack each other at -2D. Torpedoes are not affected by Position. A chase lasts until one side is disabled, surrenders, or 5 turns pass without either being destroyed. In this latter case, either side may break off the combat and escape.

Space Combat Actions

There are five potential positions on a starship’s bridge: Captain, Pilot, Gunner, Sensor Operator, and Engineer. Each has a role to play in each combat round. A single person may occupy more than one position, but may only act once per turn. The exception for this is that a Pilot always rolls for Position, and may take an additional action each turn. The different positions on a starship can act in any order, though it may be helpful to have certain crew positions act before others in many circumstances. However, the Pilot must roll for Position before the action begins each round.

Captain’s Actions

The ship’s captain is an optional position, as in many cases the Pilot fulfills this role in addition to piloting the ship. However, having a captain is useful to ships in combat, especially larger ones. A Captain does not require a specific Archetype to function. The Captain always acts first in each space combat turn.

Aid the Fleet: Throw Knowledge. If successful, the Captain gains 2 bonus dice, of +1D each, which may be distributed to other vessels on the same side of the fight as the Captain’s vessel. Each of these dice may be applied to any one roll another vessel makes in their coming turn. For example, the Captain may grant a +2D to a single fighter’s Position roll, or +1D each to two separate ships attacking a common foe.

Magnificent Bastardo! The Captain uses some tactical acumen to make a daring maneuver! The Captain’s ship needs to have the highest Position in the battle to use this action. Roll Knowledge or Vehicles (player’s choice), with a -2D penalty. If successful, the Captain has managed to take advantage of the ship’s position to great effect: only the Captain’s ship may act this turn. In effect, the Captain’s crew gets a free turn’s worth of actions. New Position rolls are required after this maneuver is executed. The Captain can only be a Magnificent Bastardo once per battle.

Lead Crew: Throw Social. If successful, gain 2 bonus dice, of +1D each, which the Captain may distribute in the current turn. For example, the Captain may grant a +2D bonus to a difficult shot the gunner wishes to perform, or a +1D bonus to the Pilot’s next Position roll and a +1D bonus to an Engineer’s Damage Control Roll.

Self-Sacrifice: The Captain leads damage control efforts to prevent damage to the ship, at great personal risk. After an attack does Regular or Critical Damage, the Captain may opt to take a Wound instead. After the battle, roll on the Triage table with a -1D after having sacrificed for a Critical Damage result (cumulative with other Triage Table roll modifiers). The Self-Sacrifice action can only be performed once per battle.

Pilot’s Actions

The Pilot is a mandatory position; each spacecraft must have at least one Pilot, though this crewmember does not need the Pilot archetype. They are required to know how to pilot a ship, which might require specific Talents or character training. The Pilot throws for Position every turn, and may perform one of the following actions as well:

Attack Vector: Throw Vehicles and apply the ship’s Agility as a bonus; if successful, the maneuver grants +1D to the Gunner’s next attack roll.

Disengage: The Pilot may attempt to escape the combat chase prematurely. To do so, the escaping Pilot throws their Vehicles skill + their ship’s Agility, and the most agile enemy ship’s Pilot throws their Vehicles skill + their ship’s Agility. If the escaping Pilot’s roll is higher, they move to the edge of effective combat range. The next round, the Pilot must perform a second successful Disengage action to escape combat. Otherwise, the combat continues until 5 combat turns have elapsed.

Evasive Maneuvers: Throw Vehicles, modified by the ship’s Agility, at -2D penalty. On a success, the Pilot gains a pool of dice equal to half their Vehicles skill (rounded up). They may apply the dice as Disadvantage Dice against different enemy attacks on their ship. The pool lasts until it is depleted, at which point another Evasive Maneuvers action can be attempted in a later round.

Engage FTL: The Pilot may attempt to prepare for faster-than-light transit. This requires the Pilot’s attention for 2 turns, during which the Pilot may only throw for Position. After that, the Pilot throws Vehicles to initiate an FTL transit, escaping combat. Failure means the Pilot will have to retry the roll. For this action to work, the ship must have a valid destination. It is possible to rush this action and engage the FTL in one round: the Vehicles roll is penalized -1D.

Gunner Actions

On small spacecraft, the Pilot may fire the ship’s guns, but may not conduct another Piloting action on the same turn (other than throwing for Position). A separate Gunner allows for more complex gunnery actions alongside the Pilot’s complex piloting actions. Note that these rules do not treat each turret separately; there is usually only one attack roll per ship, made by its chief Gunner and using the ship’s Guns rating for damage.

Fire Guns: The Gunner throws Combat. On a success, they hit the target ship and apply full damage according to the attacking vessel’s Guns rating.

Launch Torpedoes: A ship may launch as many as half its full supply of torpedoes per turn (round up). Torpedoes take that turn to travel to their targets and roll to hit normally at the end of the next turn. Torpedoes ignore their target’s Position. You must have a Weapons Lock (see below) to attack a target with torpedoes.

Point Defense: Each turn, a Gunner on a ship may engage a number of torpedoes equal to the number of the ship’s Guns dice rating. This is a free action for ships with Point Defense Grids. Roll a number of d6s equal to the Guns rating. On 4+ on each 1d6, one torpedo is destroyed. For example, a Scout-sized vessel with a Point Defense Grid and 5d6 guns may engage 5 torpedoes per turn. Ships without a Point Defense Grid may use their weapons to shoot at Torpedoes, but this uses up the Gunner’s action for the round.

Splitting Fire: by default, a spacecraft fires its weapons once per turn. However, a ship may divide its Guns dice among different targets during a turn. Any single attack must use at least 2d6 worth of Guns. For example, a ship with 6d6 in Guns could make up to three attacks, each with 2d6 worth of Guns for damage. Each attack is resolved separately.

Combining Fire: Two ships may combine their fire into a single more powerful attack. Their Gun ratings must be within one die of each other. For example, if one ship has 5d6 and the other 6d6, the two ships can combine their fire. One to-hit roll is made with the highest Combat skill of the two ships’ Gunners, with +1D to the roll. Each ship then rolls their individual Damage roll but use the higher of the two results to determine the damage.

Sensor Operator’s Actions

Ships with a crew of four or more must have a Sensor Operator. On smaller ships, the ship’s Pilot may fulfill this role, but remember that the Pilot must then choose between piloting actions and sensor operation actions each turn.

Spoof Torpedoes: Throw Technology to spoof an incoming torpedo, neutralizing it. Each turn, the Sensor Operator may attempt this for each incoming torpedo, up to a number of torpedoes equal to the Sensor Operator’s Technology skill.

Jam Sensors: The sensor operator may engage in electronic warfare to provide “cover” for their ship. Both the ship’s Sensor Operator and the enemy ship’s Sensor Operator throw their Technology skill. If the Sensor Operator who initiated the jamming has a result that is equal to or greater than the target’s, the target ship’s Gunnery Officer suffers a disadvantage dice penalty equal to the Sensor Operator’s Technology skill to their next attack.

Scan: Throw Technology to detect vessels and other objects not already in combat. In combat, the Scan action can be used to determine information about another vessel (enemy or otherwise). As well, a Scan might be able to detect reinforcements before they arrive, or ambushes before they are sprung.

Target Systems: Throw Technology. If successful, the ship’s Gunnery Officer may target a specific system on the enemy ship in their next attack, choosing which system the damage is applied to, if the attack is successful.

Weapons/Sensor Lock: Throw Technology. If successful, all Guns attacks by the Sensor Operator’s ship and any allied ships against the target vessel enjoy +1D for the round. Weapon Locks are required to fire torpedoes at a target. The torpedo attacks do not gain the +1D bonus when they roll to hit the following round.

Break Sensor/Weapons Lock: throw Technology. If successful, an enemy’s sensor or weapons lock on the ship is removed.

Engineer’s Actions

Any character may perform basic engineering or maintenance actions on any ship. However, only a character with the Engineer Archetype or relevant technical Talents (Spacer, Rigger) may fill the Engineer bridge position and perform one of the following actions per turn. The effects of the action last until the ship’s next turn.

Brace for Impact: The Engineer manages to get all available crew to reinforce systems and stand by with spares. All successful subsequent attacks against the ship have their Guns dice reduced by -1D until the start of the ship’s next turn.

Damage Control: The ship’s Engineer may attempt to overcome damage to ship systems by circumventing them and using backups, or by mobilizing assistant engineers for damage control tasks. Throw Technology: on a success, a single damaged or disabled system is completely—albeit temporarily—repaired. The system will fail again within 1d6 hours due to the temporary nature of such repairs.

Optimize System: The Engineer is able to divert computing and electrical power to a specific system: Sensors, Communication, Fire Control, or something unique to the ship. Any subsequent rolls with that system are made at +1D until the ship’s next turn.

Overcharge Weapons: The Engineer disables the safeties on the ship’s guns, increasing available Gun dice by 1d6 for the next attack. This requires a successful Technology roll.

Redline Engines: the Engineer may throw Technology to increase the ship’s Agility by +1 until the ship’s next turn.

Special Cases:

Multiple Player Characters in One Crew Position:

Usually, only one player character may assume a crew position. However, player characters being who they are, there may be a case where two characters take up the same position, subject to Referee approval. In this case, the second PC is able to perform a separate crew action in that department. Due to diminishing returns, there is no way to triple up on a given crew position.

Non-Player Character Vessels:

To reduce bookkeeping and emphasize the central role the player characters generally take in a roleplaying game, we suggest that NPC vessels are treated with less detail than the player characters’ vessel. NPC vessels can be classified according to their experience, number of actions, and skill levels. Referees are encouraged to modify the values according to their needs.

Ship Type Number of Actions Crew Skill

Civilian Ships & 2 1 Fighters

Military Ships & 3 1 Pirates

Native Spacers & 4 2 Powerful Warships

The Finest NPC 5 3 Crews

For a truly difficult encounter, the Referee might opt to run a unique rival or enemy NPC ship as a player character ship. This should be a rare event.

Damage

To determine damage, roll the dice indicated for the ship’s Gun rating. Compare the total to the target’s Armor. If the total exceeds the first (left-most) armor number, roll on the Regular Damage Column. If it exceeds the second (right-most) number, roll on the Critical Damage Column.

Spacecraft Damage Table

2D Regular Damage Critical Damage

4 or less Breach Knocked Out

5 Cargo Knocked Out

6 Crew Knocked Out

7 Weapon Crew

8-9 Engine Crew

10 Electronics Destroyed

11 Power Plant Destroyed

12 Critical Destroyed

Results

Regular Damage results have three levels: when a system takes a single Regular Damage hit, it is damaged. This means it is still somehow functional, though at a suboptimal level. After two hits, the system is disabled: it no longer functions, but can be restored by a damage control team while in combat. Finally, after three hits, a system is completely destroyed. It can only be replaced.

Breach: The craft’s hull is compromised. A spacecraft will be fully exposed to vacuum within 1d6 turns unless the breach is repaired. Anyone not wearing a spacesuit will perish unless they make a Physical throw to don vacuum gear in time. All actions by the crew in the turn the breach occurs and the following turn are at -1D as they secure the ship and deal with the pressure loss. It is standard procedure for all crew to don space suits when combat is expected.

Cargo: The cargo bay is hit. Roll 2d6-2 and multiply the result by 10. This is the percentage of cargo destroyed. For example, a roll of (8 – 2) x 10 = 60% of the ship’s cargo has been destroyed. This includes food and water supplies for the crew. If there is no cargo on board, treat this result as a Breach.

Crew (Regular): 1d6 crew and passengers must throw Physical. Apply a Wound to those who fail. Roll on the Triage table after the combat is over.

Weapon: The ship’s Guns rating is reduced by 1d6. A second and all subsequent Weapon damage results reduce the ship’s Guns rating by another die. When the ship’s Guns dice are depleted, the weapons are disabled. If another Weapon hit occurs, the ship’s weapons are completely destroyed.

Engine: The vessel’s engines have been damaged. Subsequent Piloting and Position rolls suffer a -1D penalty until repairs are carried out. A second Engine hit disables the Engines: the ship is unable to alter its course or speed. In addition to the -1D penalty from engine damage, the ship’s Agility is not counted for Position or Piloting rolls. A third Engine hit destroys the Engine. The ship is dead in space and has a Position value of zero.

Electronics: Some of the ship’s electronics are fried. Roll 1d6 and consult the table below. A second hit on a given system (Comms/Sensors/Fire Control/Power) disables the system.

D6 Damaged Disabled

1-2 Communications are spotty. The ship cannot communicate with Actually, making contact with any other vessels. other ship requires a Technology
roll penalized by -1D.

3 Sensors are damaged: -1D to all The ship is flying blind. No Sensor Operator actions. Sensor Operator actions are permitted.

4 Fire Control is damaged: -1D to Fire Control is offline. No all attacks. Gunnery actions.

5-6 Internal Power distribution is Internal Power distribution is hit: -1D to all ship actions. badly damaged: -2D to all ship actions.

Power Plant: The spacecraft suffers the effects of an Engine hit for one turn, then back-up power is restored. However, Agility suffers a -1 penalty and reduce Guns by 1d6. A disabled powerplant means that no weapons may be fired, and no Sensor Operator actions are possible. However, the ship can still maneuver due to its engines being self-contained systems.

Critical: roll on the Critical Damage column instead:

Knocked Out: the craft is rendered inoperable and is completely out of combat. The crew takes no damage, but life support systems are out, and the ship has begun to lose atmosphere. Time to find an escape pod!

Destroyed: the craft is destroyed. All crew and passengers must throw Physical to abandon the ship in time. If they fail, they receive a Wound. They may try again the next round, and may receive another Wound if they fail again.

Crew (Critical): the vessel’s crew are hit by shrapnel, energy discharges, or intense bursts of ionized gas. All crew and passengers roll Physical. Apply a Wound to those who fail the roll. About one quarter (25%) of NPCs on board (crew and passengers) are assumed to be rendered incapacitated with each Crew hit result.

Worlds

Science fiction Referees need strange and exciting locations to serve as the backdrops for their epic adventures. In this chapter Referees will find a set of easy-to-use rules to build worlds, with an emphasis on developing memorable settings for memorable adventures.

Sectors and Stars

Interstellar space is conveniently divided into Sectors. Sectors are represented in two-dimensions as an 8x10 grid of hexes. (See figure x). Each hex represents a region of space approximately one parsec (3.26 light-years) in width. While real space is obviously three-dimensional, using a 2-D representation is more than sufficient for most games, has been used for decades in science fiction games.

Determine Star System Locations

For a sector of regular density, a star system is present about 50% of the time in most hexes. Roll 1d6 for each hex in the Sector: on a 1-3 there is a star system present. Otherwise, the hex represents an empty parsec of space. Different regions of space may have different stellar densities. Within a much denser Cluster, systems might be present on 1-5 on a 1d6 roll. While in sparse Rift areas, stars might only be present on a 1 on a 1d6, or even less. Referees should adjust the stellar density of their sectors for their needs.

Density 1d6: Star Is Present On

Normal 1-3

Cluster 1-5

Rift 1

Sector Settlement Levels

Sectors, or areas within a sector, can be divided into five broad categories of colonization and settlement: Core, Settled, Frontier, Conflict, and Unexplored.

Core regions are the well-settled centers of civilization. These regions can be as small as a single home world, or encompass several sectors, depending on the size of the interstellar polity. Several different core regions can exist within very large empires.

Settled regions are a mix of different levels of settlement and are ripe for adventures. Within these large regions, planets can have highly varied population levels, as well as a very broad range of technologies. Settled regions often cover more than 75% of a civilization’s explored space.

Frontier regions are on the bleeding edge of exploration. They are not well explored, and many worlds may not have even been fully evaluated yet, if at all. Adventures centered on exploration and early colonization are best set in Frontier regions.

Conflict zones are areas where more than one faction are contesting control of the region or world. These conflict zones can be as small as one region of one world to entire sectors being contested by large interstellar empires. Conflict zones can include any of the other regions listed above, adding tension and conflict to any area of the map.

Unexplored space is the entirety of the universe that has not been explored. The only inhabited worlds will be those with native species. Unexplored space can include vast areas that could contain entire undiscovered civilizations, with their own Core, Settled, and Frontier regions.

World Generation

World Generation Checklist

Use the following checklist to generate worlds:

0. Optional: Pick the Settlement levels of the hexes in the sector: Core, Settled, Frontier, Conflict, and Unexplored.

a. Referees should do this if they have a sense of what they would like their sector to look like. If they do not, go to 1.

1. For a given system, roll 2d6 for the System’s Trade Class. Apply modifiers to the roll if the Habitation levels are already known.

2. Locate the world’s specific Trade Class Description Table and roll on it to determine the main Physical Characteristic of the world.

3. Roll the World’s Population, as found in its Trade Class Description.

4. Determine the world’s Tech Age.

5. Determine two World Tags.

6. Based on the results of the world generation process, determine the Settlement Level of the Planet.

The Referee should determine which areas of their Sector consist of Core, Settled, Frontier, Conflict, and Unexplored. Not all settlement levels need be included. Once the regions have been determined, the Referee can generate information about each system. For simplicity, consider each system to have a single world with most of the population and industry. While there are almost always multiple worlds in each star system, only the most important world needs to be detailed. If secondary worlds are important to an adventure, the Referee is free to determine their characteristics as needed.

Trade Class

Each world, whether it has been colonized or not, has a Trade Class. These Trade Classes are not intended to be all-inclusive. Two worlds with the same Trade Classes could be very different. The world’s Trade Class provides a snapshot of the world’s economy: what the population of that world does for a living, and why.

To determine a system’s Trade Class, throw 2D on the Trade Class Column. If the system is known to be Unexplored, use the Unexplored column.

Trade Class Table

2D Trade Class Unexplored

2 or Garden Poor less

3 Resource Garden

4-5 Poor Garden

6 Non-Agricultural Resource

7 Non-Industrial Resource

8-9 Agricultural Poor

10-11 Rich Poor

12 or Industrial Poor more

Optional: If the Referee already knows the system’s Settlement level, it is possible to apply modifiers to the Trade Class Table roll.

System Settlement Level Modifier

Core +2D

Settled 0D

Frontier -1D

Conflict +1D

NOTE: Referees should place intelligent alien life on worlds as they desire for their setting. We recommend no more than one or two alien native species per sector.

Characteristics

In addition to a Trade Class, each world has a physical characteristic. These characteristics are general descriptions of the world’s geography, hydrography, and atmosphere. Characteristics are, by necessity, very general. Characteristics serve to provide players and Referees a general first impression of the world. No world can easily be described by a single word, despite the tendency to think of “desert planets” and “forest moons” in many science fiction settings. On a given planet the majority of the land mass might be covered by steaming jungles, but there has to be oceans to provide the rainfall needed to keep the jungle thriving. The same planet’s polar regions will not be tropical and will still likely have ice caps, even if they are very small. Only the oldest, tectonically inactive worlds will not have mountain ranges: jungles don’t exist at very high altitudes. Thus, although we use one-word descriptors for the planetary characteristics, this should never be interpreted as the only possible characteristic of the entire world. Referees should expand on the characteristic however they like to flesh out the details of a world using its Trade Class and World Tags.

A given world’s Characteristic is determined by rolling on the table below that corresponds to the world’s Trade Class.

Characteristic Descriptions

The following world characteristics are used in these rules.

Asteroid: The world is a belt of small rocky and icy planetoids.

Corrosive: The world has an atmosphere that can harm people on contact and slowly destroy equipment. Special protective equipment is required to operate in this atmosphere.

Desert: The world has very little or no water or ice. The atmosphere has very little moisture.

Iceball: The world has no, or minimal, atmosphere and is composed of a mixture of ice and rock.

Inert: The atmosphere of this world does not contain oxygen but is otherwise not harmful. Oxygen masks must be worn.

Marginal: This world has an oxygen atmosphere, but not enough, or too much, for a person to breathe safely without an oxygen mask or other environmental protection. Conditions on the surface can vary greatly.

Ocean: The world has little or no dry land. The entire world is covered by an ocean.

Prime: The world is very similar to Earth, with an atmosphere that is breathable without assistance, a good mixture of land and water. Prime worlds are the most desirable for colonization.

Primordial: The world does not have oxygen in the atmosphere but does have life. Often, that life is primitive. Given several hundreds of millions of years, this world might develop into a Prime world. Primordial worlds are young, and often have valuable resources for easy exploitation.

Rockball: The world is a small ball of rock and metals. Rockballs have little or no atmosphere, but often have easily accessible natural resources. Earth’s moon and Mercury in the Sol system are examples of rockball worlds.

Tainted: The atmosphere of this world has a breathable amount of oxygen, but it is contaminated with either a chemical or a biological substance that must be filtered out to be breathable.

Trade Class Descriptions and Characteristic Tables

Once the Referee has determined the world’s Trade Class, find its corresponding Characteristic Table below, and roll to determine the world’s Characteristic.

Agricultural

The sector breadbaskets. Agricultural worlds produce food that can feed billions and their products are in demand all over the sector. Agricultural worlds have breathable atmospheres, a population in the hundreds of millions spread out over the world’s surface on large farms. The spaceports are usually of good quality, but the planet is lacking in any real manufacturing capability. Agricultural worlds must import most of their manufactured goods. Primitive civilizations have this Trade Class by default, even if they cannot produce significant food for export. Roll 1d6 on the table below to determine the characteristic of the Agricultural world.

Population: Roll 1d6 x 50,000,000

1d6 Agricultural Characteristic

1 Prime

2 Prime

3 Tainted

4 Tainted

5 Marginal

6 Ocean

Garden

Garden worlds are uncolonized worlds that have breathable atmospheres and are prime candidates for colonization and exploitation. Roll 1d6 on the table below for the Garden world characteristic.

Population: None.

1d6 Garden Characteristic

1 Prime

2 Tainted

3 Marginal

4 Ocean

5 Desert

6 Primordial

Industrial

These worlds have been taken over almost entirely by the manufacturing, processing, and production of finished goods. The environment of an Industrial world, if there is any left, is filled with industrial pollution and toxic waste. While the world may be less than desirable for habitation, the population produces manufactured goods used throughout the sector at a prodigious rate, and for great profit. Industrial worlds have populations in the hundreds of thousands, or even millions, with good spaceports. Depending on the Tech Age, Industrial worlds will usually have extensive spaceship manufacturing capabilities as well. However, Industrial worlds must import food and resources to keep their technicians fed and their manufacturing facilities working. Roll 1d6 on the table below to determine the characteristic of an Industrial world.

Population: Roll 2d6 x 500,000,000

1d6 Industrial Characteristic

1 Asteroid

2 Rockball

3 Marginal

4 Tainted

5 Tainted

6 Iceball

Non-Agricultural

Non-Agricultural worlds are those worlds that don’t easily fit into another category. These worlds usually have a population in the millions but are unable to produce enough food to be considered an agricultural world, nor does the industrial base have enough manufacturing capacity to be an industrial world. Generally, these worlds are places where people live because they have nowhere else to go. Non-Agricultural worlds must import food and manufactured goods to avoid economic or civil collapse. Roll 1d6 on the table below to determine the non-agricultural world’s characteristic.

Population: Roll 1d6 x 200,000,000

1d6 Non-Agricultural Characteristic

1 Asteroid

2 Rockball

3 Iceball

4 Marginal

5 Tainted

6 Inert

Non-Industrial

These worlds are blessed with an abundant natural resource ripe for extraction: mines and similar facilities dominate any settled regions. The settlement pattern is often spotty, as communities will spring up around readily exploitable resources. They will subsequently die out in a Boom-Bust cycle. Spaceports are usually of poor or average quality with minimal repair facilities. The corporations that usually run these worlds focus on profit, not the population’s comfort. Most of these worlds have populations under a million people. However, some have too many people, causing untold social and economic problems. Roll 1d6 and consult the table below for the characteristic of the world.

Population: Roll 2d6 x 50,000

1d6 Non-Industrial Characteristic

1 Asteroid

2 Rockball

3 Rockball

4 Iceball

5 Marginal

6 Inert

Poor

Poor worlds, and their associated star systems, have nothing of value to offer a spacefaring culture. There are no garden worlds, and any resources that are present are not easily extracted. Most often these systems are ignored by interstellar society unless they are strategically important. If Poor worlds have any population, it will be under a thousand: usually lonely miners scraping by, or a small commercial spaceport serving the infrequent passing ship. Roll 1d6 and consult the table below for what characteristic there is within the poor system.

Population: (2d6-8) x 500 if explored, none if unexplored

1d6 Poor Characteristic

1 Rockball

2 Rockball

3 Iceball

4 Asteroid

5 Inert

6 Corrosive

Resource

Resource systems represent those yet-uncolonized worlds with readily exploitable resources but does not have a breathable atmosphere. These worlds quickly become non-industrial worlds as corporations move in to exploit the resources with little concern about the planet itself. Roll 1d6 and consult the table below for the Resource world’s characteristic.

Population: None

1d6 Resource Characteristic

1 Asteroids

2 Rockball

3 Iceball

4 Marginal

5 Inert

6 Corrosive

Rich

Rich worlds are the most desirable worlds to live on. They have a breathable atmosphere, plenty of water, a vibrant culture, and a strong balance of industry and agriculture. These worlds represent the ideal type of settlement: one that is able to serve as a trade and service hub, as well as a manufacturing and agriculture powerhouse. Rich worlds often become the focus of an interstellar civilization as large tracts of the world can remain pristine. Industry is moved off-world into orbit or onto moons or secondary worlds. As a result of this off-world industry, spaceports are generally very good and are capable of building and repairing all kinds of spacecraft. Rich worlds have populations in the tens of millions to a few billion, spread throughout the star system. Roll 1d6 on the table below to determine the Rich world’s characteristic.

Population: Roll 4d6 x 100,000,000

1d6 Rich Characteristic

1 Prime

2 Prime

3 Tainted

4 Tainted

5 Marginal

6 Ocean

Determining Tech Age

Once the Trade Class and Physical Characteristics have been determined, the world’s Tech Age must be determined. These rules give two options to Referees who are building settings:

Option 1: The setting is not established at all, and interstellar civilization may or may not extend to any or all worlds. If this is the case, roll on the Random Tech Age column. Referees should use this method when generating fully emergent sectors with no assumptions about Settlement Regions or anything else.

Option 2: Referees often have a general sense of what their overall setting might look like in mind, and thus need a baseline Average Tech Age that the entire sector has. If this is the case, then the Referee should determine the Average Tech Age of the sector, and roll on the Civilized Tech Age column, below.

Note that for option 2, it is not necessary that the Average Tech Age be at a level that can sustain interstellar civilization. Only a few worlds in the sector might be at a high enough Tech Age to build FTL drives and explore the stars.

Note that Unexplored worlds or any world without population will have no inherent Tech Age level.

2d6 Random Tech Average Tech Age Age

2 Early Primitive Two steps lower

3 Primitive One step lower

4 Mechanical One step lower

5 Atomic One step lower

6 Early Space Average

7 Late Space Average

8 Early Average Interstellar

9 Late Interstellar Average

10 Early One step higher Interstellar

11 Early Galactic One step higher

12 Late Galactic Two steps higher

Astute readers will note that there are no modifiers to the Tech Age roll based on a world’s Trade Class or Physical Characteristic. Our goal is to increase variety: if something does not make sense initially, it might be useful to determine the World Tags and then return to the Tech Age and see if the result makes sense. Referees can also reroll any result.

Note that the Cosmic Tech Age is excluded from this table. This is intentional. Since Cosmic is so vastly different from the other Tech Ages, we recommend that Referees include a world with the Cosmic Tech Age only based on their whim, or the result of a World Tag roll, below.

Tech Ages

Technology and its impact on humanity is at the very heart of science fiction and science fiction roleplaying games. The trappings and effects of technology permeate every aspect of daily life in technologically complex societies, and this trend does not seem to be abating any time soon. However, for the purposes of a roleplaying game, much of the technology of everyday life can be glossed over—at least after the first encounter with it. Instead, every civilization on every world has a baseline level of technology. This is called the Technology Age, or Tech Age.

This ruleset uses Tech Ages as a general guide for how technologically advanced a society has become. These Tech Ages are generalizations, and only reflect technological development, not social or cultural development. Tech Ages also reflect the most advanced technology a society can produce on its own with its own resources. The availability of local resources is the basic determinant for technological development, but it is not the only one. Depending on wealth, resources, legal, social, and cultural factors, the planet’s most advanced technology might be fairly distributed across a civilization. In most cases, it will be concentrated in the hands of the wealthy and powerful.

As a telling example, the Earth in the early 21^st^ Century is in the Late Atomic Tech Age. The citizens of the most affluent nations have access to Early Atomic technology. However, many, if not most regions are in the Mechanical Age, and a few isolated regions remain in the Primitive Age.

Once a civilization spreads to the stars, any single world might not be able to produce the civilization’s most advanced technology, but they will know it exists, and the world’s aforementioned wealthy and powerful will certainly strictly control the importation of off-world high-tech equipment.

Also, many sectors tend to have an average Tech Age that most of the worlds will have attained. Some worlds will be slightly higher and some slightly lower, but Primitive Age worlds surrounded by Galactic Age societies will be rare indeed. If such a situation exists, the Referee should spend time to figure out why a Primitive society would exist in close proximity to Galactic Age societies, and make it work for their setting.

Each Tech Age is divided into two steps: Early and Late. A civilization progresses up the steps through the Tech Ages. Once a civilization reaches the Mechanical Age it will rarely regress back below Mechanical for very long. A society that learns how to apply scientific discoveries to technology in a systemic fashion will find that difficult to unlearn. Even in the darkest of long nights, interstellar societies rarely revert to the Stone Age.

World Tags

World tags are those aspects of a world that make it unique for the purposes of adventure design and setting development. World tags serve two main purposes: they help Referees develop the world’s NPCs, adventures, and events. They also help players who are arriving to the world for the first time get a very quick grasp of the world and what’s important about it for their purposes.

World tags are intended to take the Settlement, Trade Class, Characteristic, and Tech Age of a world and pass it through a filter that is most useful for Referees in adventure and setting design. If a world tag does not immediately match with the already determined results, Referees should take a moment and reflect on how this world tag can be used. Sometimes, an unexpected World Tag can make for something exciting and new. Other times, the Referee might discard the result and roll again.

Each world has two world tags. Roll a d66 twice, and refer to the tables below. We recommend that a Referee roll once on each table, but randomly determining the reference table is possible as well. Other world tags may be added or created as desired by the Referee.

World Tags and Descriptions:

World Tags 1:

D66 Name Description

11 Alien Ruins The world contains one or more sites of strange alien ruins. These may be recent, ancient, benign, or dangerous.

12 Ancient Ruins There are ruins of an extinct human civilization dotting the planet. They may be thousands of years old and predate space travel.

13 Battleground The world is on the front lines of a war between two or more major armies. This is a very unsafe environment.

14 Capitalist The dominant culture of this world is obsessed with making money and profit.

15 Caste System Citizens are assigned a job or social status at birth with no way to change.

16 Civil War Two or more local factions are fighting over the control of this world.

21 Corporate The world is run as a corporation, with every citizen being an employee or shareholder.

22 Declining The infrastructure of the world far exceeds the Population needs of the population. Many families have no children, and the population is declining with each generation.

23 Desert The majority of the world is dry and without access to water.

24 Feral World There is no law and order on this planet. Small, brutal gangs fight over available resources in a brutal battle for survival.

25 Forbidden Tech Some technology in common use on this world is banned or not used on most other worlds.

26 Glaciers Much of the world is covered in ice. Global temperatures are low and only areas near the equator might be temperate.

31 Historical Civilization here has deliberately shaped itself to Culture mimic a historical age. There may not be any historical accuracy or basis for this effort.

32 Honorable Society here is driven by ideas of honor and avoiding shame. Individuals are expected to keep their word and defend their good names.

33 Impending Doom A disaster of some sort is about to befall this world. The locals know of their impending doom. Whether or not they are doing anything about it depends on their outlook.

34 Liberal The people of this world strongly believe in individual liberties and personal expressions of opinions. Laws restricting art, speech, and economic activity are unknown.

35 Mercenaries The world is known for producing large numbers of mercenary units.

36 Misandry/\ One sex dominates the culture with the other being Misogyny considered inferior and second-class citizens at best.

41 Multiple More than one intelligent race occupies this world. Species

42 Nomads The people of this world spend most of their time moving between locations, usually following resources or food.

43 Peaceful The people of this world are known for being peaceful. They consider violence and conflict to be utterly abhorrent, even taboo.

44 Police State The citizens are ruled by a government that uses intimidation and surveillance to limit personal freedoms and enforce obedience. Informing on one’s neighbors is considered normal.

45 Psionics The people of this world have embraced psionics. Those with psionic powers are considered special and often form the ruling class.

46 Radioactive Large parts of the surface have dangerous levels of radiation. This radiation can be natural, or the result of a war.

51 Restrictive The world has extremely restrictive laws that are Laws strictly enforced.

52 Robots The people make excessive use of robots – they are everywhere.

53 Segregated One or more population sub-groups are located in physically different places, or there is a large group second-class citizens whose status is strictly enforced.

54 Separate There are two or more distinct cultures on the Cultures world, even though they are ruled by a single government.

55 Superstitious The people of this world believe in things that science cannot explain. They also believe that rituals can change how nature acts.

56 Terraforming The planet is being modified to be more habitable. Regions of the world may be very uninhabitable, and conditions change by the year.

61 Trade Hub The world operates as a clearinghouse for goods from other worlds.

62 Underground Most of the inhabitants of this world live in large Cities underground complexes.

63 Unusual Tech The people have embraced a technology that is not normal but isn’t unknown either.

64 Utopia The climate and society on this world are perfect! Everyone says so! This is only a superficial assessment.

65 Xeno-\ The world is focused on exploring or exploiting archeology something from the past. This focus could be on natural or artificial objects.

66 Xenophobia Off-worlders are considered dangerous. They are hated and feared.

World Tags 2:

D66 Name Description

11 Altered The humans living on this world have been modified Humanity to better fit their environment. This may have unfortunate side-effects.

12 Athenian Every citizen votes directly on government policy Democracy and laws. Citizenship may or may not be universal.

13 Beautiful Some part of this world is renowned throughout the sector for its beauty.

14 Captive The world is ruled by another world and the locals Government have little or no input in how their government works.

15 Charismatic The autocratic ruler of the world is very popular Dictator with the citizens.

16 Cold War Two or more powers on the world are competing for dominance without engaging in direct warfare with one another.

21 Cyborgs The use of cybernetics is very popular on this world and almost everyone has implants.

22 Democracy The government is run by elected officials. Policies, and even laws, can change after each election.

23 Eugenics The people of the world are trying to improve the human species via government enforced selective breeding or genetic modification.

24 Feudal The ruling structure of the government consists of a hierarchal network of personal loyalties. Usually, landowners comprise the ruling class.

25 Freak Weather The weather on this world changes very quickly and can be quite violent. This is caused by some natural or artificial phenomenon.

26 Gladiators The culture of this world is fixated on gladiatorial fights or duels. These fights do not have to be lethal, but they are a major social activity.

31 Holy War The people of this world are engaged in a religious war to conquer or convert others. It may be others on their world, or they may be looking at other worlds to convert.

32 Hostile Space The area around this world is dangerous to space travel. The cause of this danger could be natural or artificial.

33 Jungle World Most of the land area is covered in dense, hot, tropical forest.

34 Megafauna There are really large creatures roaming the world.

35 Minimal Laws The world has only a few laws. However, these are often strictly enforced. Customs and etiquette govern most social situations.

36 Multiple The world has several different governments or Governments factions, all competing for power and resources.

41 Night/Day The world has an extremely long or short day/night cycle.

42 Oceans The vast majority of the surface of this world is covered in liquid water.

43 Pleasure The world bases its economy on tourists and tourism, World providing pleasure for offworlders. Most of the population is temporary.

44 Primitives Most or all of the people on this world live at the Early Mechanical Age or earlier.

45 Quarantined The world has been blockaded to prevent something from leaving or entering the planetary environment. This is temporary, but the stigma of a quarantine can last for generations.

46 Religious The majority of the population of this world has strongly held religious beliefs. The government may not be theocratic, but religion and religious institutions has a great deal of influence.

51 Rigid Culture The people here believe in keeping things the way they are. Innovation and change are frowned upon.

52 Salvage The world has is recovering from a disaster or is a Economy repository for other societies’ waste products. Most people are engaged in recovering what was, rather than creating what is new.

53 Seismic The world is subject to a lot of earthquakes and Instability related natural disasters.

54 Slavery Some of the people on this world are considered property to be bought and sold. Slaves could be prizes from off-world, or they might be members of a specific sub-group of the local population.

55 Taboo Custom A behavior normally practiced on this planet is seen as unacceptable, or worse, by people on other worlds.

56 Theocracy The world is ruled by the leaders of a religion.

61 Transhuman The people of this world are evolving, naturally or cybernetically or some combination of both, into something that isn’t human anymore.

62 Unusual Something the people of this world do is not normal. Custom It is not taboo, just very strange.

63 Unusual Something about this world, or part of this world, Weather creates distinctive weather.

64 Warlords The world is ruled by a group of military leaders who fight among themselves for territory and power.

65 Xenophiles The people of this world are very accepting of people from other worlds. Off-worlders are seen as minor celebrities and the locals emulate their behaviors and cultures.

66 Zombies Some unusual technology or alien contaminant has turned the population here into inhuman, flesh-eating monsters.

World Presentation

Worlds in a sector may be presented in these rules using the following format:

Name Location (Row and Trade Class Characteristic Column)

Population Tech Age World Tag 1 World Tag 2

Description/Details/Adventure
Ideas

Social Encounters

This chapter provides the Referee with tools to generate useful encounters with NPCs in a variety of social contexts. Our intent is to assist the Referee in developing a sense of verisimilitude in their campaign world and increase the variety and spontaneity in NPC interactions with the player characters. We divide this chapter into two main parts: the first part is a series of encounter tables for a variety of contexts, while the second consists of tables and generators to help Referees make their NPCs more useful, motivated, and colorful.

Encounter Settings:

These encounter generation rules use the descriptions presented in the Worlds chapter to help Referees design encounters within the context of the world the PCs are currently on. Each world is described according to its category of Colonization: Core, Settled, Frontier, Contested, and Unexplored. As well, each world has a Trade Class, which describes its overall economic and material development. Finally, each world will have two World Tags that describe the world narratively and help the Referee generate adventures there.

How Colonization, Trade Class, and World Tags all interact is a complicated question that cannot fully account for every conceivable situation and interaction. However, these rules are still designed to give Referees a set of guidelines to help them develop the sorts of encounters that are interesting and surprising.

The table below combines the Colonization category and Trade Class of a given world, producing 28 different combinations of worlds for encounters. These combinations can help Referees establish the context of random encounters they generate. Included are brief descriptions of each combination. These descriptions are intended to help the Referee in developing encounters. Because they do not include the World Tags, they are only guidelines.

Core Settled Frontier Contested Unexplored

Garden x x x

Resource x x x

Poor x x x x x

Non-Agricultural x x x

Non-Industrial x x x

Agricultural x x x x

Industrial x x x x

Rich x x x

Garden, Frontier: This garden world is just on the edge of known space, and is in the process of being explored.

Garden, Contested: This world is being explored by two or more factions looking to settle it. Whichever faction loses a contest over such a valuable world will suffer enormously. Thus, all the knives are out, and no trick is too dirty here.

Garden, Unexplored: Jackpot. This planet is perfect for colonization and settlement. An unexplored garden world is very valuable, and the PCs have stumbled upon one.

Resource, Frontier: This inhospitable world is nevertheless inhabited because the resources that are present are too valuable to ignore, despite the inherent costs of extraction. Worlds like this are often home to corporate or government outposts.

Resource, Contested: Whichever resource is present here is valuable enough that multiple factions are vying for control. Anyone visiting this place should expect trouble.

Resource, Unexplored: This world has ample resources, just waiting for exploitation. An encounter here means that there could be some unwelcome competition for mineral rights, or just the fame of finding the place in the first place.

Poor, Core, and Settled: Any poor world in the Core of an interstellar civilization is a place to be bypassed or otherwise ignored. These are the sorts of places troublemakers are sent for punishment: backwater military outposts, prison planets, or uncomfortable scientific research stations.

Poor, Frontier: There are plenty of poor frontier worlds, often the by-product of decades of resource extraction and boom-and-bust cycles. Now that the mines have played out and the corporations have left, there is little here for the handful of residents who were not savvy enough to leave when it was easy and simple to do so.

Poor, Contested: The only reason to fight over a poor world is its strategic location along space-lanes, or its position along the border. No one is happy to be fighting and dying here.

Poor, Unexplored: Any explorer is bound to be disappointed when they stumble onto a poor world. Still, there might be interesting bacterial life for a scientist’s research project.

Non-Agricultural, Settled: This world could be in a state of flux, as it is either developing into an industrial or agricultural world, or is in a state of decline towards poverty.

Non-Agricultural, Frontier or Contested: A frontier world that is non-agricultural has to be so for a reason: there is either a strategic or economic reason why it is inhabited at all.

Non-Industrial, Settled: These are the wealthiest and most stable of non-Industrial resource extraction planets. There is enough of value to be extracted from here, and for a long enough time that the population on the world is well-established.

Non-Industrial, Frontier: A classic resource extraction planet on the interstellar frontier. Here, fortunes can be made in the boom-and-bust cycles of rapacious exploitation. The sky is the limit!

Non-Industrial, Contested: Two or more factions are fighting over the resources and resource extraction infrastructure currently on this planet. Anything can happen here, and it could lead to interstellar war.

Agricultural, Core and Settled: A quiet, stable agricultural planet whose bounty supplies much of the food for many millions across known space. Aside from farming, the only thing to do here is leave.

Agricultural, Frontier: This planet represents a promising new start for many immigrants and refugees from across space. What danger and problems lurk here depends on the World Tags associated with this world.

Agricultural, Contested: This farming colony’s output is important enough for multiple factions to fight over it, or the planet is in an important strategic location. Either way, this otherwise quiet world is getting more exciting.

Industrial, Core and Settled: The formidable economies of these worlds are dominated by resource refining and manufacturing for export across the sector. Often, this comes at great environmental cost, depending on the World Tags.

Industrial, Frontier: Industrial worlds on the frontier are rare, but sometimes an entrepreneurial group will establish major manufacturing centers away from government scrutiny.

Industrial, Contested: This world is a prize for all the factions vying for it. Perhaps the factories here are producing war materiel, or goods that are competing a little too well in already established markets. Either way, the stakes here are high.

Rich, Core, and Settled: These ideal worlds for human habitation are where the people, institutions, and corporations that are in charge make the big, sector-wide decisions that affect the lives of millions, if not billions. These worlds are usually safe and stable.

Rich, Contested: This prosperous planet is up for grabs, and who wouldn’t make a play for it? A rich world that is contested is usually not going to remain rich for long, unless the conflict over the world is settled in a peaceful way.

Encounter Types

There are 5 basic types of encounters: Routine, Legal, Random, Patron, and Animal.

Routine Encounters:

These represent ordinary day-to-day encounters with people performing their routine jobs: technicians in starports, clerks in stores, and bartenders in saloons. The Referee should not be overly concerned with checking for routine encounters, as common sense will dictate whether or not a starport bar will have a bartender and a server or two (it will). Instead, the Referee should use the NPC Reaction Table as well as the One-Roll tables presented below to provide color to any routine encounter.

Legal Encounters:

These are a specific kind of random encounter where one or more player characters interact with law enforcement officials. Depending on what the PCs are up to, the society’s government type, and the NPC Reaction Roll result, legal encounters can run the gamut from minor inconveniences, downright harrowing, to the full evening’s adventure if things go horribly wrong. PCs can expect to be bothered by local law enforcement on worlds that are more highly colonized, wealthier, and ruled by more authoritarian regimes.

To determine if the PCs have any unwelcome legal entanglements, the Referee should throw 2D and consult the Legal Encounter Table below. Roll every day, or whenever the PCs are attempting to do something illegal and the Referee wishes to ratchet up the tension. Depending on what the PCs are doing, a legal encounter could be a routine stop by a patrol officer, a particularly zealous customs inspection at the local starport, or something more sinister if law enforcement is determined to discourage offworlders from trying any shenanigans. Use the NPC Reaction Roll Table, below, to determine the initial attitudes of the law enforcement officers when they encounter the PCs.

Legal Encounter Table

2d6 Core Settled Frontier Contested

6 or less None None None None

7 Yes Yes None None

8 Yes Yes None Yes*

9 Yes Yes None Yes

10 Yes Yes Yes None

11 Yes Yes Yes Yes

12 Yes Yes Yes Yes*

*Consider these encounters as military or paramilitary groups that are more heavily armed than normal law enforcement.

The Referee should modify the roll based on the World Tags associated with the world. For example, any world with the Police State, Restrictive Laws, or Quarantined Tags would mean that the PCs will almost certainly have run-ins with law enforcement or even paramilitary groups. On a world with Multiple Governments, roll for a Legal Encounter more frequently if the PCs are visiting a state with a more repressive government.

Random Encounters:

There are two main benefits to incorporating random encounters into any gaming session. The first is that it is possible to use random encounters to dynamically generate an evening’s adventure. At the end of a game session, it we recommend that the Referee ask what the players intend to do and where they intend to go in the next session. This allows the Referee to prepare random encounters beforehand, and players should be strongly encouraged to keep to their stated plans.

This way of doing things may seem strange: aren’t random encounters supposed to occur randomly during play? This is one way of running things, but it means that the Referee will be forced to work on the fly to generate a random encounter. Usually this limits the number of random encounters the PCs will interact with in any session to a maximum of one. This works counter to the second benefit of incorporating randomly generated encounters, which is to establish a sense of verisimilitude: the illusion that the game world exists beyond the characters' experiences and actions. If players know they will have only one random encounter in an evening, they may not even wish to interact with the randomly generated NPC. However, if they encounter a fully formed randomly generated NPC and are unsure if the NPC is going to provide the evening’s adventure, they might be more engaged.

The Referee should roll 1d6 once per day. On a six, the PCs have a random encounter. Roll on the Random Encounter Table below to determine what sort of encounter this is. Then, refer to the various tables in this chapter to determine what sort of NPC is encountered. Enterprising Referees might develop their own random encounter tables for specific locales.

Random Encounter Table

1d6 Encounter

0 High Society

1 Business

2 Military

3 NGO

4 Government

5 Citizens

6 Criminals

7 Roughnecks

Modify the roll by +1 on Non-Industrial, Industrial, Poor, Non-Agricultural, Frontier, or Contested worlds. This modifier is only applied once.

Modify the roll by -1 on Rich, Agricultural, Industrial, Core, or Settled worlds. Only apply the modifier once.

Once the Random Encounter is determined, consult the specific tables below to further develop the encounter. Remember to roll on the NPC Reaction Roll Table to set the tone of the NPC for the encounter.

Patron Encounters:

Patrons are those valuable NPCs that provide tools, money, or other support to player characters. Referees are encouraged to use patrons as a means to engage PCs in adventures. Typically, the patron represents the hook that is the basis of the adventure and provides the reward at the end of it—if the player characters were successful, of course.

The Referee should roll 1d6 once per week. On a 5 or 6, the player characters have encountered a patron. Make the 1d6 roll in addition to whenever player characters use skills like Social to locate patrons themselves. Referees should consult the Patron encounter table to begin developing the encounter and use the other NPC generation tables to further develop the patron. Although patrons will be looking to hire or otherwise engage the PCs in a job, it will be helpful to roll on the NPC Reaction Table to flavor the patron’s attitudes towards the PCs.

Animal Encounters

Rules for randomly encountering animals are in the Xenofauna Encounters chapter.

Reaction Roll

The table below includes standard NPC Reactions on a 2d6 roll. As well, we have included some examples of likely attitudes and actions for each Reaction result to help as GM prompts. Remember to use common sense and interpret the NPC Reaction roll in the context of the specific encounter. The NPC Reaction roll should drive much of the initial interaction between the PCs and the encounter. GMs are encouraged to use the NPC Reaction Roll to differentiate between otherwise similar encounter results and keep the players guessing.

NPC Reaction Table (Roll 2d6)

2d6 Result Attitude Possible Actions

2 Hostile The NPC will Attack, interfere, escape, flee. immediately attack Whatever the PCs are doing, this (roll Morale), or NPC is against it. If the PCs are actively spoil whatever obviously more powerful, the NPC plans the PCs have. will leave.

3-5 Unfriendly The NPC will do Avoid, insult, lie, misdirect, anything short of mislead, waste time. The NPC is outright hostile unwilling to resort to direct action. They are action. unhelpful and
untrustworthy.

6-8 Indifferent The NPC is uninterested Any socially acceptable neutral in helping or hindering action. The NPC will act in a the PCs. socially predictable or wary manner.

9-11 Friendly The NPC is cooperative Chat, offer limited help, give and friendly. information. The NPC will not act against the PCs.

12 Helpful The NPC is interested Heal, aid, support. The NPC will in helping or join the PCs' cause with very cooperating with the little convincing. PCs fully.

NPC Encounter Tables

Referees should use these tables to generate encounters with NPCs in a variety of settings. These tables should be used with the tables for Detailing NPCs at the end of this section, as well as the NPC Reaction Roll table, above. Roll once on each column and combine the various results to generate the specific NPC.

Military Encounter Table

Use this table to detail a PC encounter with members of the planet’s military. How the Referee interprets the results of this table depend in no small part on the world’s Tech Age. Note that a military encounter is not intended to result in a fight. However, PCs are encouraged to be more cautious than normal in these circumstances. After all, if anyone has access to the best weaponry and countless allies, it’s the members of a planet’s military.

1d6 Military 1d6 Rank 1d6 Their Orders Branch

1 Army 1 Enlisted 1 None. They’re between assignments right now.

2 Space Navy 2 Senior NCO 2 Just posted to this place, and are learning the ropes

3 Air Force 3 Junior 3 A long-term service member: they Officer are practically natives to this place now

4 Space Marines 4 Colonel 4 About to ship out to a routine deployment

5 Wet Navy 5 Brigadier 5 About to ship out on an emergency mission

6 Local Militia 6 General 6 3d6 day furlough!

What Are They Really Doing?

1d6 1d6 Encounter

1-3 1 Fishing for bribes in exchange for eventual access to military equipment

**2** Looking to find an outside source of some equipment that their unit lacks **3** Trying to make connections with criminal elements **4** Hiring a third party to get dirt on their superior officer **5** Selling black market weapons to whoever has the cash **6** Looking to find civilian backers for a gambling ring

4-6 1 Hiring themselves out as bodyguards or security for extra side cash

**2** Whistleblowing abuse within their unit **3** Doing PR work for a recruitment drive among the local population **4** Drinking and/or partying through a difficult tour **5** Looking for a romantic partner **6** Figuring out a way to desert off world and leave the military behind

Business Encounter Table

Use this encounter table to generate business contacts of varying import and resources. Use the Business Contact Details Tables below to further flesh out the NPC.

1d6 What Business 1d6 Yes, But More 1d6 What Would They Say Their Are They In? Specifically… Greatest Strength Is?

1 Brokerage 1 Insurance 1 They work exceptionally long hours

**2** Starships **2** Their reputation is impeccable **3** Off-World Trade **3** They are utterly devoted to their firm **4** Real Estate **4** They raised themselves up from nothing **5** Stocks and Bonds **5** They've got nowhere else to go **6** Commodities **6** They are hyper-organized

2 Legal 1 Criminal 1 They can think quickly

**2** Corporate **2** They are excellent abstract thinkers **3** Legal Activism **3** They are punctual NGOs **4** Divorce **4** They are polite and well-mannered **5** Ambulance Chasing **5** They have impeccable taste in clothing and style **6** Entertainment Law **6** They are creative thinkers

3 Service 1 Tourism 1 They are good when working in teams

**2** Restaurants **2** They are better when working alone **3** Marketing **3** They can work unsupervised for long periods **4** Research **4** They are detail-oriented **5** Office Management **5** No one can out argue them in a debate **6** Headhunting **6** They are without ego

4 Retail 1 Clothing 1 They have great self-esteem

**2** Vehicles **2** They are friendly and outgoing **3** Housewares **3** They are observant and cautious **4** Electronics **4** They work well under pressure **5** Groceries **5** They have a great sense of humor **6** Luxury Foods **6** They know when to take charge

5 Manufacturing 1 Robotics 1 They know when to back off

**2** Vehicles **2** They are efficient **3** Starships **3** They have effective time management skills **4** Building **4** They are not overly Construction intellectual **5** Commercial Goods **5** They try hard to stay humble and occasionally succeed **6** Weapons **6** They can stay focused

6 Entertainment 1 Talent Management 1 They are fun and vivacious

**2** Venue Owner **2** They are flexible in the workplace **3** Marketing **3** They have personal initiative **4** Studio Owner **4** They can take constructive criticism very well **5** Artist/Musician **5** They are so detail oriented that they see that this is a repeated entry **6** Actor **6** They know when not to answer rhetorical questions.

Business Contact Details

Sometimes trading goes smoothly. Other times, adventures happen. Referees can use the following tables to generate an NPC supplier, buyer, or broker. Simply pick up a handful of dice, roll them all, and develop a business contact to interact with or otherwise antagonize the player characters.

1d6 Trustworthiness

1 They intend to completely screw over the PCs.

2 They intend to pay but will deduct unforeseen expenses and any damages from the PCs.

3 They’ll hold up their end of the deal but will cause endless aggravation with lawyers.

4 They’ll pay without any problems.

5 They’ll pay more than was originally bargained for, for future favors.

6 They’ll pay generously and will give bonuses and information for free.

1d6 Why did they want to make the deal?

1 They need cash to pay off debts/they need the goods - immediately

2 They want to corner the market on the good

3 They have an inside scoop on supply or demand for the good

4 Their creditors insist that they make the transaction

5 They are under pressure from the government

6 They have a line on another deal, and need to make some cash

1d6 1d6 Who is their most important ally?

1-3 1 An old war veteran buddy

**2** Local law enforcement agent **3** A government bureaucrat who has been thoroughly bribed **4** The local shakedown gang **5** The Planetary Chamber of Commerce **6** A priest known for humility and charity

4-6 1 A starport customs inspector

**2** A crime boss **3** A union local leader with a large and muscular membership **4** A hungry journalist for the local news media outlet **5** Their lawyer who is on retainer **6** The business they purchase most of their stock from

1d6 1d6 Who is their most notorious enemy?

1-3 1 A business rival with deep pockets and many friends

**2** A local gang running a protection racket **3** A crime boss who has a stake in the business! **4** A corrupt---or incorruptible---starport master **5** The starport dockworker or technician union. **6** The manufacturer of the good the merchant is trying to sell

4-6 1 A local police officer looking into illegal trade networks

**2** A government agent investigating tax evasion or other white-collar crime **3** An aggressive creditor who has few reservations about getting their money back **4** A jilted lover who knows all about their secret, shady deals **5** A crusading investigative reporter exposing corruption **6** A Vocal and forthright politician trying to make a name for themselves

1d6 1d6 A Rumor About Them

1-3 1 They are utterly unable to pay their debts

**2** They have ties to the secret police **3** Their business is a front for a larger criminal organization **4** The trader is a member of a detestable cult **5** They have psychic powers **6** They killed the last trader who crossed them

4-6 1 They have a side business trading in drugs

**2** The local government has a mole in their business **3** They secretly allied to anti-government revolutionaries **4** They have truly detestable sexual proclivities **5** They trade in slaves **6** Their weakness is a very expensive addiction

1d6 1d6 Their Most Notable Characteristic

1-2 1 Suffers from a chronic illness

**2** Visible scarring **3** Has a physical deformity **4** Adorned with religious trinkets and paraphernalia **5** Exceptionally well, or exceptionally poorly dressed. **6** Waxes nihilistic about existence at the drop of a hat

3-4 1 Openly racist and bigoted against a minority group on the world

**2** Madly in love with someone who does not reciprocate those feelings **3** A craven coward **4** Even greedier than the average businessman **5** Devoted to a noble, if doomed, cause **6** Incredibly attractive

5-6 1 Refers to themselves in the third person

**2** Ill-mannered and brusque **3** Has a very quick temper **4** Extremely polite **5** Brave: a good person to have by your side in a fight **6** Exceptionally quiet and soft-spoken

Criminal Encounter Table

Usually, PCs encounter criminals in the course of their adventures. However, sometimes a random encounter with a criminal can provide all sorts of entertainment. Use the NPC Reaction Roll and the NPC Details tables to better understand what sort of NPC this is and why they are dealing with the PCs. Referees should remember that most criminals will not openly advertise their profession.

D66 Encounter D66 Encounter

11 Drug Dealer 41 Corrupt Cop

12 Gang Lookout 42 Bounty Hunter

13 Gang Members 43 Crime Syndicate Rep

14 Prostitute (if prostitution 44 Petty Thief is illegal)

15 Pimp or Madame 45 Terrorist Operative

16 Thugs 46 Organ Harvester

21 Operator 51 Black Market Broker

22 Fence 52 Syndicate Accountant

23 Hitman 53 Drug Trafficker

24 Scout 54 Drug Manufacturer

25 Courier 55 Con Artist

26 Slave Merchant 56 Burglar

31 Human Trafficker 61 Hacker

32 Smuggler 62 Forger

33 Black Market Merchant 63 Unscrupulous Defense Attorney

34 Pirate Crew 64 White Collar Criminal

35 Shakedown/Extortion Crew 65 Rogue Spy

36 Drifter 66 Serial Killer

What’s their Angle?

1d6 1d6 Their Angle:

1-3 1 They know where some grey market gear falls off the back of a loading bay

**2** Protection racket: depending on how the encounter goes, the PCs might have to pay up **3** Someone in their crew is a mole, and they'd like some help figuring out who **4** They need a legitimate front for their illegitimate operation. Are the PCs interested? **5** A grave injustice! One of their friends is behind bars for a crime they did not commit! **6** The local cops are in their pocket, and you have to pay to operate legitimately here

4-6 1 A rival has moved in on their operation, and they need some extra muscle to stop this incursion

**2** They need a third party to make a drop. Are the PCs interested? **3** Some friends of theirs need help getting off-world discreetly, and the PCs have a ship... **4** They alert the PCs to an impending atrocity. They might be crooks, but they're not evil! **5** Their criminal activities are for a righteous political cause **6** Their criminal activities are actually a deep cover sting operation by local law enforcement

Government Encounter Table

Roll on this table to randomly develop a government official’s branch, rank, and their current assignment. Meeting a high-ranking official could mean something serious is in store for the PCs. Conversely, encountering a lower-ranking government official might represent something more mundane. Note that the willingness of a government official to take a bribe can be determined by detailing the NPC using the appropriate tables further below, as well as the NPC Reaction Roll table, above.

1d6 Government 1d6 Rank 1d6 Their Present Task Branch

1 Health 1 Analyst 1 On sabbatical!

2 Customs & 2 Supervisor 2 Conducting a thorough policy Immigration analysis

3 Trade 3 Manager 3 Surviving an external audit of their department

4 Education 4 Director 4 Looking for consultants to assist with a project

5 Revenue & 5 Executive 5 Planning a feasibility study Taxation Director

6 Interior 6 Assistant 6 Investigating a complaint made Ministry Deputy against the PCs Minister

Why is a Bureaucrat Interested in the PCs?

1d6 Encounter

1 They need outsiders to find blackmail material on their supervisor

2 They’ve discovered a spy ring in their department, and they don’t know who else they can trust

3 A threat has been made against their life, and they need help

4 The government has a new outreach program to recruit contractors for additional work

5 They’re an old friend and they need a favor

6 They’re bored out of their mind at their job and are looking for some adventure

Citizens Encounter Table

A random encounter with a citizen could mean almost anything, and we have endeavored to provide a wide cross-section of possible encounters. The trick for generating a meaningful encounter here is to use the NPC Reaction roll and other detailing tables to make the NPC memorable—someone who the PCs might look up again if they’re ever in the neighborhood.

D66 Encounter D66 Encounter

11 Disgraced Noble Drifter 41 Retired Sergeant

12 Shop Clerk 42 Local Priest

13 Poor Immigrant 43 Itinerant Peddler

14 Orphaned Street Urchin 44 Minor Local Government Official

15 Actress 45 Exhausted Nurse

16 Struggling Actor 46 Neighborhood Doctor

21 Common Spacer 51 Nosey Matchmaker

22 Toothless Beggar 52 Ambitious Merchant

23 Line Cook 53 Stout Farmer

24 Manual Laborer 54 Tourist

25 Factory Worker 55 Journeyman Technician

26 Loan Shark 56 Underground Artist

31 Delivery Driver 61 Offworld Missionary

32 Off-Duty Soldier 62 Criminal Goon

33 Homemaker 63 Union Organizer

34 Servant on Errands 64 Local Beat Cop

35 Apprentice Technician 65 Office Drone

36 Threadbare Professor 66 Petty Thief

High Society Encounter Table

PCs should take great care as there can be a great deal of money, reputation, and power riding on an encounter with the rich and famous.

D66 Encounter D66 Encounter

11 Diplomat 41 Celebrity Entertainer or Artist

12 Judge 42 Senior Entertainment Agent

13 Noble 43 Entertainment Critic

14 Government Minister 44 Venue Owner

15 Civil Service Operator 45 Film Producer or other Patron of the Arts

16 Political Leadership 46 Notorious Mistress

21 Senior Military Officer 51 University Administrator

22 Middle/Junior Rank Military 52 Senior Faculty Officer

23 Intelligence Agency 53 Visiting Foreign Academic Administrator

24 Defense Industry Magnate 54 Revered Academic Genius

25 Police Chief or Commissar 55 Grant and Funding Administrator

26 Military Scientist 56 Famous Journalist

31 Local Business Magnate 61 Rakish Dilettante

32 Corporate Financier 62 Spymaster

33 Shipping Magnate 63 Exiled Noble/Pretender to a Throne

34 Important Trade Broker 64 Psychic Academy Headmaster

35 Senior Law Firm Partner 65 High Priest or Other Religious Leader

36 Industrial Researcher 66 Head of State

Plots of the Rich and Famous Generator

The NPC Reaction Roll table and the NPC Details table might not be sufficient for a high society encounter. Here are six plot hooks to get the ball rolling.

1d6 Description

1 The NPC is involved in a scandalous secret relationship with another very important person. The PCs are paid by an insulted third party—a spouse, another lover, or a political rival—to uncover the affair.

2 At a party, the NPC is poisoned! The quick intercession by the PCs save their new friend’s life. But who poisoned this NPC, and why?

3 A duel! The two parties involved are looking for seconds. The PCs might be able to help. Or worse, a PC is challenged to a duel by a high society NPC, and dueling is illegal.

4 The PCs are hired to find or create some incriminating evidence of the NPC at their behest. It’s a setup, but to what end?

5 The PCs are asked to aid the NPC in some strange, possibly laughable, but extremely challenging competition. It could be a mountaineering expedition, a hover-bike race across an inhospitable desert, or something suitably extreme, difficult, and so lavish that only the ultra-wealthy could afford it. The PCs will be paid in future favors.

6 A wealthy and powerful NPC has decided to make one of the PCs their personal playthings. This level of unhealthy fixation and attraction might be fun for a while, but it probably won’t end well.

Roughnecks Encounter Table

This represents any interaction with blue-collar spacers, others who work predominantly in space, drifters, and some criminals.

D66 Encounter D66 Encounter

11 Belter crew 41 Settlement Police

12 Cargo loader operator 42 Medic

13 Cargo technician 43 Local guide

14 Robotics specialist 44 Space marine

15 Drone operator 45 Corporate manager

16 Cargo shuttle pilot 46 Security corporation goon

21 Starship salvage captain 51 Space hitchhiker

22 Wrecker crew 52 Drifter

23 Space scavenger 53 Itinerant Scout

24 Ship salvage operator 54 Young station rat

25 Spacer crew 55 Station squatter

26 Belter engineer 56 Belter pilot

31 Belter asteroid surveyor 61 Mining Claim Jumper

32 Asteroid geological 62 Pirate crew prospector

33 Asteroid miner 63 Smuggler captain

34 Explosives expert 64 Belter pirate captain

35 Mining technician 65 Belter political activist

36 Mining settlement colonist 66 Belter revolutionary agitator

Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Encounter Table

This table can be used to generate individuals who work with NGOs of various types. Depending on where this encounter occurs, some of these NPCs might be engaged in their organization’s activities when encountered.

D66 Encounter D66 Encounter

11 Obnoxious student 41 Trauma Doctor activists

12 Volunteer carrying flyers 42 Epidemiologist

13 Activist leader with a 43 Trauma Nurse bullhorn

14 Rally marcher holding a 44 Health educator sign

15 Rowdy radical activists 45 Pediatrician providing vaccines

16 Social media activists in 46 Xenobotanist environmental scientist the crowd

21 NGO office worker 51 Veteran battlefield journalist

22 NGO lawyer 52 Camera man without fear

23 Local community leader 53 Investigative journalist

24 NGO press agent 54 Gonzo journalist full of fear and loathing

25 Organization CEO 55 Neophyte journalist fresh out of school

26 Wealthy corporate donor 56 A videographer looking to capture scenes

31 Humble clergyman 61 Crime syndicate money man using the NGO as a front

32 Grassroots organizer 62 Black market weapons suppliers

33 Civilians being helped by 63 Foreign government insurgency the NGO trainers

34 Aid workers distributing 64 Member of the armed wing of the NGO food

35 Teacher volunteering with 65 Radical saboteur activist the NGO

36 Driver with a truck full 66 Armed radical terrorist of aid materiel

NGO Generator

Use this table to outline the basic facts about a Non-Governmental Organization.

1d6 1d6 Their Cause 1d6 1d6 Their Methods 1d6 Their Reach

1-3 1 Free Journalism 1-3 1 Hard-hitting 1 This City investigation only

**2** Human Rights **2** Grassroots meetings and **2** This world charity drives **3** Environmentalism **3** Legal action and **3** 1d6 worlds political lobbying **4** Wealth Equality **4** Social media marketing **4** A sector campaigns **5** Food Insecurity **5** Direct action against **5** 1d6 sectors opponents, including violent confrontation and property damage **6** Emergency Medical **6** Operating in contested **6** 3d6 sectors! Relief areas

4-6 1 Free Speech 4-6 1 Mass protests and
Activism demonstrations

**2** Anti-poverty **2** Organizing sit-ins **3** Religious freedom **3** Buying up corporate stocks and taking over boards **4** Species Equality **4** An organized crime operation for fundraising **5** Government **5** Shaming workers watchdog **6** Refugee advocacy **6** Terrorist tactics: kidnapping, assassination, and bombings.

Random Starport Encounter Table

D66 Encounter D66 Encounter

11 Ship Arrives or Departs 41 Reporter

12 Patrolling Law Enforcement 42 Researcher

13 Maintenance Robot 43 Street Vendor

14 Pilgrims 44 Pirate Shorewatcher

15 Technicians 45 Thugs

16 Courier 46 Tourists

21 Belters 51 Interstellar Traders

22 Alien Starship Crew 52 Pickpocket

23 Fugitives 53 Mendicant Preacher

24 Government Official 54 Ship Crew on Shore Leave

25 Cleaning Crew 55 Passengers Looking for Ship

26 Local Performers 56 Street Food Vendor

31 Local Merchants 61 Drunk Crew

32 Military Personnel on Leave 62 Taxi Driver

33 Noble with Retinue 63 Cargo Loaders

34 Political Dissident 64 Starport Official

35 Potential Patron 65 Refugees

36 Public Demonstration 66 Broker

Random Encounters at a Bazaar, Market, or Shopping Mall

D66 Encounter D66 Encounter

11 Space Salvage Merchant 41 Used Vehicle Salesperson

12 Spice Trader 42 Noble with Retinue

13 Ship Crew 43 Dissident on Soapbox

14 Caravan Leader 44 Reporter

15 Local Law Enforcement 45 Potential Patron (Roll on table)

16 Food Truck/Stand 46 Sandwich Board Person

21 Unsupervised Children 51 Farmer

22 Researcher 52 Doctor

23 Urchin 53 Technician

24 Attorney 54 Criminal (Roll on table)

25 Mercenary 55 Government Inspector

26 Arms Dealer 56 Tax Collector

31 Street Performers 61 Snake Oil Merchant

32 Unusual Alien 62 Grocer

33 Rowdy Youth 63 Drunk Stumbling to or from Saloon

34 Street Preacher Looking for 64 Corporate Rep Converts

35 Bored Food Stand Worker 65 Diplomat

36 Pirated Music Merchant 66 Freelance Broker

Corporation Generator

Referees can use this table to help generate some details for a corporation that could serve as a PC patron, or antagonist.

1d6 1d6 Specialization 1d6 1d6 Culture 1d6 Relative Size

1-3 1 Pharmaceuticals 1-3 1 Labyrinthine 1 Continental Bureaucracy

**2** Biotech/Cloning **2** Fosters a cult-like **2** Planetary workplace environment **3** Weapons **3** Closed off and **3** Solar System secretive in the extreme **4** Starship design and **4** Underlings work to **4** Multi-System manufacturing replace their Reach superiors ruthlessly **5** Consumer goods **5** Obsessed with public **5** One Sector relations **6** Financial services **6** Fixated on transhuman **6** 1d6+1 Sectors values no one understands

4-6 1 Food and Agriculture 4-6 1 Brutal and violent if
you cross them

**2** Refining and Heavy **2** Byzantine internal Industry politics with no accountability **3** Mining and Surveying **3** Self-righteous and self-important when dealing with the public **4** Media/Entertainment **4** Decentralized: the left hand knows not what the right hand is doing **5** Energy Production and **5** Crumbling and Distribution inefficient, most of the time **6** Robotics and **6** Obsessed with finesse Cybernetics and minimizing open conflict.

Detailing NPCs

What follows are a number of tables to assist GMs in developing NPCs and providing them with memorable traits that will help everyone in the game remember specific NPCs and interact with them more effectively. The goal of these random tables is not to supplant GM creativity, but to inspire GMs who might otherwise be stuck for a new NPC, or who may have fallen into a rut without realizing it.

When using one-roll tables, take a bunch of D6s and roll them to get some random surprises about your NPCs. Then interpret the results of the tables accordingly.

1d6 1d6 What Is This NPC’s Problem?

1-3 1 Has enemies at work

**2** Is being blackmailed **3** Drug or alcohol addiction **4** Adheres to the wrong religion, or is a heretic **5** Is afflicted with a chronic illness **6** Hounded by debt collectors

4-6 1 Has a horrible secret

**2** Romantic overtures have failed **3** Overly ambitious beyond their capabilities **4** Their job or position is being threatened **5** Their spouse is being unfaithful **6** Utterly incompetent in their given field and knows it

1d6 1d6 What Motivates this NPC?

1-3 1 Lust or Desire

**2** Unspeakably evil appetites **3** Idealism **4** Wishes to please others **5** Religious obligations **6** They need money

4-6 1 Fame and glory

**2** Desire to lead others **3** Murderous Hatred **4** Well-defined burning revenge **5** Help their friends **6** They want answers

1d6 General NPC Physical Build

1 Short, slender, or frail

2 Stocky, compact, or small

3 Average height and weight

4 Out of shape, soft, or voluptuous

5 Built, Bulky, or Large

6 Tall, lanky, or boney

D66 Their Most Notable D66 Their Most Notable Characteristic Characteristic

11 Cannot sit still 41 Drunkard or drug addict

12 Waxes nihilistic about 42 Profoundly ugly existence at the drop of
a hat

13 Terrible taste in 43 Exceptionally quiet and soft-spoken clothing

14 Missing limb or physical 44 Brave: a good person to have by deformity your side in a fight

15 Stutters 45 Suffers from a chronic illness

16 Unusual accent 46 Visible scarring

21 Very neat and well-kept 51 Refers to themselves in the third person

22 Slovenly dressed 52 Incredibly attractive

23 Aggressive demeanor 53 Missing an eye

24 Mumbles asides to 54 Ill-mannered and brusque themselves

25 Carries many religious 55 Has a very quick temper symbols

26 Wears thick glasses 56 Extremely polite

31 Easily confused or 61 Openly racist and bigoted against a forgetful minority group on the world

32 Perpetually distracted 62 Madly in love with someone who does by datapads not reciprocate those feelings

33 Chronic and deep cough 63 A craven coward

34 Conspiracy monger 64 Even greedier than the average businessman

35 Carries themselves very 65 Devoted to a noble, if doomed, stiffly cause

36 Very old or young for 66 Ends all statements in the form of their position a question?

Random Patron Encounters

When generating Patron encounters, Referees can generate a Random NPC using the preceding encounter tables. However, if all that is needed is a quick Patron, we have produced the following table for rapid Patron generation.

D66 Encounter D66 Encounter

11 Government Official 41 Antiquities Collector

12 Financier 42 Art Thief

13 Well-Connected Broker 43 Con Artist

14 Planetary Bureaucrat 44 Smuggler

15 Off-world Diplomat 45 Rich Noble

16 Corporate Executive 46 Disgraced Archaeologist

21 Eccentric Researcher 51 Espionage Agent

22 Starship Engineer 52 Information Broker

23 Corporate R&D Specialist 53 Black Marketeer

24 Investigative Journalist 54 Crime Syndicate Boss

25 Medical Doctor 55 Crusading Moralist

26 University Professor 56 Religious Leader

31 Tough Belter 61 Scout/Courier

32 Free Trader Captain 62 Insurance Assessor

33 Explorer/Surveyor 63 Disgraced Noble

34 Frontier Colonist 64 Conspiracy Member

35 Naval Officer 65 Bored Dilettante

36 Mercenary Captain 66 Alien Diplomat

Patron Details

Patrons are usually central figures in a GM’s adventure. It is important to make them unique, so that the players easily remember them. If possible, GMs should do their best to take on the verbal or physical mannerism that the tables here mention. As well, the patron’s motivations, especially towards the PCs, are very useful to have beforehand.

1d6 Trustworthiness

1 They intend to completely screw over the PCs.

2 They intend to pay but will deduct unforeseen expenses and any shortcomings from the PCs.

3 They’ll hold up their end of the deal, but only if forced to.

4 They’ll pay without any problems.

5 They’ll pay more than was originally bargained for.

6 They’ll pay generously and will give bonuses for good performances.

1d6 Why did they hire the PCs?

1 They needed an outside third party to avoid local political complications.

2 The PCs’ reputation preceded them.

3 The patron has an unsavory reputation and no one else will work for them.

4 The patron is pressed for time and the PCs were available.

5 The patron needed anyone—the job is a diversion.

6 The patron has a particular interest in this group…

1d6 1d6 What is the patron’s most important asset or capability?

1-3 1 Contacts: the patron is well-connected and can put the PCs in touch with others.

**2** Extended Family or Clan: blood ties are usually trustworthy... **3** Profession: the patron's career or occupation provides tools and skills. **4** Money: financial resources that can make any problem less demanding. **5** Information: leverage, intelligence, blackmail, knowledge is power for this patron. **6** Force: a personal army, heavy weapons, or just the will to use extreme force.

4-6 1 Society: the patron’s position in society grants them power.

**2** Starships: the patron can put one or more ships at the PCs' disposal. **3** Moral Leverage: the patron has sympathetic allies **4** Influential: this patron has social influence over many people **5** Debt: the patron has many people in his or her financial or moral debt **6** Unique: artifacts, psychic powers, or other strange, rare abilities give the patron power

1d6 1d6 Who is the main antagonist or opposition on this job?

1-3 1 Unscrupulous business owner

**2** Offworld intelligence agents **3** Amoral terrorist group **4** A local government official **5** Well-connected political operator **6** Elite military unit

4-6 1 Organized crime organization

**2** Mad eugenics cult **3** Anti-government rebels **4** Cutthroat corporation **5** Secretive cell of aliens **6** All-seeing artificial intelligence

1d6 1d6 What is the basic goal of the job?

1-3 1 Assassinate a target

**2** Steal from a target **3** Retrieve data from a secure location **4** Discredit a target **5** Retrieve plunder **6** Establish a base of operations

4-6 1 Sabotage a target

**2** Transport goods or a person: quickly, secretly, or securely, pick two. **3** Depose a local authority **4** Investigate a crime **5** Investigate a target **6** Explore a location

1d6 1d6 Their Most Notable Characteristic

1-2 1 Cannot sit still

**2** Ugly **3** Terrible taste in clothing **4** Missing limb **5** Stutters **6** Unusual accent

3-4 1 Very neat and well-kept

**2** Slovenly dressed **3** Aggressive demeanor **4** Mumbles asides to themselves **5** Carries many religious symbols **6** Wears thick glasses

5-6 1 Easily confused or forgetful

**2** Perpetually distracted by datapads **3** Chronic and deep cough **4** Conspiracy monger **5** Carries themselves very stiffly **6** Very old or young for their position

Sample NPCs

These NPCs are basic templates for Referees to use when necessary. Don’t hesitate to add additional skills or abilities if an NPC does not have the skill that the Referee thinks they should.

Character Combat Knowledge Physical Social Space Stealth Tech

Petty Thug 1 0 1 1 0 0 0

Pistol (2d6), Stun Prod (2d6), Leather Jacket

Gang Boss 2 0 2 1 0 1 0

Pistol (2d6), Knife (2d6), Bulletproof Vest (4)

Guard 2 0 1 1 0 0 0

Assault Rifle (3d6), Bulletproof Vest (4), Comm

Veteran Guard

3 1 2 1 0 1 0

Assault Rifle (3d6), Ceramic Places (8), Comm

Police Officer 2 1 1 2 0 1 1

Stunner (3d6+1), Pistol (2d6), Bulletproof Vest (4), Comm

Police Detective 2 3 1 3 0 1 1

Stunner (3d6+1), Pistol (2d6), Bulletproof Vest (4), Comm

Technician 0 2 0 1 1 0 2

Toolkit, Comm

Spacer Crew 1 1 1 1 2 0 2

Toolkit, Space Suit (6), Gyrojet Pistol (2d6+2)

Veteran Spacer 2 1 2 1 3 0 3

Tookit, Pistol (2d6), Space Suit (6)

Ship Officer 2 2 1 2 1 0 1

Gyrojet Pistol (2d6+2), Cutlass (3d6), Comm, Space Suit (6)

Belter 1 1 2 0 2 0 2

Blade, Space Suit (6)

Noble 1 1 1 2 0 1 0

Sword (3d6+1), Comm, Synthsilk Armor (7)

Diplomat 0 2 1 3 0 2 0

Stealth Pistol (2d6), Comm, Bulletproof Vest (4)

Combat Knowledge Physical Social Space Stealth Tech

Investigative Journalist 1 2 2 2 0 2 1

Comm, Stealth Pistol (2d6)

Scientist 0 2 0 1 1 0 2

Hand Computer, Comm

Elite Bodyguard 4 1 3 1 0 2 1

Laser Pistol (3d6), Synthsilk Armor (7), Comm, Medkit, Subdermal Armor (4), Internal Blade (2d6+1)

Entertainer

0 1 2 2 0 0 0

Comm

Free Trader 0 2 1 2 2 0 1

Comm, Space Suit (6) Free Trader starship

Local Guide 2 2 1 1 0 1 0

Rifle (3d6+3), Blade (2d6+1)

Elite Mercenary 4 1 3 1 0 2 1

Pulse Rifle (3d6+3), Encased Armor (10), Comm, Blade (2d6+1), Frag Grenades (3d6+3), Cybereye (with Low-Light)

Mercenary Gunman 2 0 2 0 0 1 1

Pulse Rifle (3d6+3), Ceramic Plate Armor (8), Comm, Blade (2d6+1), Frag Grenade (3d6+3)

Xenofauna Encounters

The Universe is teeming with life. Most of it is non-sentient and indeed microbial. A fair percentage can still be pets, workers, threats, or meals!

Referees may use these rules to quickly create a creature encounter, or if desired, create an entire encounter table for random encounters spread out over days. While the rules use random tables to create a creature, the Referee is free to choose whatever attributes, or create new ones, to make whatever kind of creature they desire.

Creating an animal

Determine the terrain type.

Determine a creature’s niche.

Determine a size for your animal. This will give the rough size and dice to roll for the number appearing, Stamina, Armor, and Damage.

Determine two Traits for the creature.

Determine Special Abilities, if any. These are more powerful than Traits.

Assign four skill points to Combat, Physical, Stealth and Social.

If desired, determine the reason for the encounter with the creature.

Terrain

Each world has varied terrain with differing weather and temperatures. The number of ways a world’s terrains could be classified would require a book of its own. For these rules, we have chosen several broad terrain types that should cover the majority of encounter locations needed. Referees are free, and strongly encouraged, to add new terrain types to fit their vision of the world and setting. For the most part, the terrain types listed here are common to Earth-like worlds. More exotic terrains, such as vacuum can be created if the Referee wants to have those kinds of encounters in their game.

The Terrain type is not determined randomly, the Referee must decide what the terrain is for the encounter. Once the terrain is known, apply the given Advantage or Penalty Dice to the Niche and Size rolls when creating a creature.

Terrain Modifiers Table

Terrain Type and Description Niche Size Modifier Modifier

Cave – Any underground region with no light, a - -1D cavern or labyrinth, possibly the bottom of a deep
canyon.

Coast – The land side of where land meets +1D - ocean.

Desert – Any very dry region with minimal -1D -1D rainfall but occasional oasis.

Forest – Any heavily wooded area with tall +1D +1D trees and little undergrowth.

Jungle – Any wet, humid, tropical forest with +1D +1D layers of life from the sunlit treetops to the dark
ground.

Mixed – This represents a terrain of open areas - - and clumps of trees. Mixed terrains usually lie at
the boundaries of other types of terrains, for
example, between a forest and savannah.

Mountain – Tall rock surfaces with life -1D -1D clinging to the sides or on small plateaus.

Ocean – The deep waters. The ocean terrain -1D +1D means near the surface, not the ocean floor
kilometers below.

River – Freshwater moving from higher ground to +1D - lower ground. Most creatures cluster near water.

Ruins – Structures that are abandoned by - -1D people. Animal and plant life has taken it back,
creating a diverse terrain.

Savannah – A dry, grassy region with seasonal - +1D rains and long dry spells. Most animals migrate with
the seasons.

Shallows – The water side of a coast, including +1D - reefs. Shallows have the most biodiversity of any
terrain.

Swamp – Wetlands that are filled with shallow +1D +1D pools of either fresh or salt water. Swamps contain
the most biodiversity on land.

Niches

A Xenofauna is defined by its ecological niche: predator, herbivore, opportunist, or prey. Predators hunt other creatures for food. Herbivores eat plant life or unresisting minuscule animals, such as a whale eating krill. Opportunists will eat plants or animals or anything else they can catch. They also scavenge kills. Prey are those innocuous little creatures at the bottom of the food chain, mostly herbivores.

The table below can be used to determine the ecological niche a creature occupies. Use the modifiers on the Animal Niche Table when rolling on the Animal Characteristics Table below.

Animal Niche Table

2d6 Niche Size Number\ Stamina Armor Damage Modifier Appearing

2 Prey -3D +4D -2D -3D -2D

3 Prey -2D +2D -2D -3D -2D

4 Prey -2D +2D -1D -2D -2D

5 Opportunist -2D -1D - - +1D

6 Opportunist -1D - +1D +1D +1D

7 Herbivore -1D +3D +1D +1D -1D

8 Herbivore - +2D +1D - -

9 Herbivore +1D +1D +2D - -

10 Predator -1D - +1D - +1D

11 Predator - - +2D +1D +1D

12 Predator +1D - +3D +1D +2D

Creature Characteristics

Use the table below to determine the general size and other characteristic of each creature on the encounter table. For the table below, roll 2d6 to determine the animal’s Body Size, applying the appropriate Advantage and Disadvantage dice modifiers from the Terrain Table. Referees may want to apply additional modifiers based on their preferences.

Once Body Size is determined, use that row and roll the indicated number of dice to determine the Number Appearing, Stamina, Armor, and Damage of a given creature. Where necessary, modify the rolls with the indicated bonus or penalty dice from the Animal Niche Table above. However, in this case, just increase or decrease the total dice pool, and add the result normally, without selecting the best results.

Animal
Characteristics
Table

2d6 Body Size Number Stamina Armor Damage Appearing

2 Tiny (rat-sized) 3d6 1d6 0d6 -2d6

3 Small (cat-sized) 3d6 2d6 0d6 -1d6

4 Small (large 2d6 2d6 1d6 -1d6 dog-sized)

5 Small (child sized) 2d6 3d6 1d6 -1d6

6 Medium (human-sized) 2d6 3d6 0d6 -1d6

7 Medium 2d6 4d6 1d6 -

8 Medium 2d6 4d6 1d6 -

9 Large (big cat-sized) 1d6 5d6 2d6 +1d6

10 Large (horse-sized) 1d6 6d6 2d6 +1d6

11 Giant (hippo-sized) 1d6 6d6 3d6 +2d6

12 Titanic 1d6 8d6 4d6 +3d6 (tyrannosaur-sized)

Dice pools or results reduced to 0d6 for Number Appearing and Stamina indicate that only one creature will be encountered, and it will have between 1-3 points of Stamina.

Body Size

Many factors contribute to the size of a creature. Generally, thriving healthy ecologies produce larger animals. Harsher environments will produce smaller creatures. Based on the general description of a planet, the referee may want to apply Advantage or Disadvantage dice to the size roll in addition to the modifiers from the terrain type.

Number Appearing

This is the roll to determine the number of dice appearing.

Stamina

Roll the indicated number of dice to determine the creatures Stamina.

Armor

Roll the number of dice shown to determine the armor value of the creature.

Damage

The indicated number is the number of D6 damage the creature inflicts, modified by creature niche and terrain types as well as traits and special abilities.

Traits and Special Abilities

A creature’s special abilities and traits should be useful in its environment. A desert is unlikely to produce strong swimmers for example. A heavy gravity world would make flyers rare.

Traits: Each animal has two Traits. Roll twice on the D66 table below to determine the traits. Alternatively, roll three times, and choose the two results that make the most sense.

Special Abilities: A given animal may or may not possess a special ability. Roll 2D, on 2-7 the creature has no special abilities, 8-9 it has one special ability and 10-12 it has two special abilities. Roll on the D66 table below to determine the special ability or choose it.

D66 Traits Special Abilities

11 Ambushes Carapace

12 Amphibious Charm

13 Armor Cling

14 Automaton Cool Temperature

15 Brachiator Corrosive

16 Burrows EMF Sense

21 Caustic Spray Fast Attack

22 Claws/Teeth Fur/Hide

23 CLAWS/TEETH Glue Spray

24 Climb Hyper Touch

25 Crude Hands Initiative

26 Enhanced Hearing Invisible

31 Fly Iron Stomach

32 Glide Medicinal Properties

33 Herd/Pack Mind Blast

34 Hibernates Nimble

35 Hive Mind O2 Storage

36 Marks Territory Ovipositor

41 Mimic Plays Dead

42 Motion Sensor Poisonous

43 Night Vision Pyro Weapon

44 Pack Rat Regenerates

45 Paired Shapeshifter

46 Pheromone Communication Shock Attack

51 Piercing Slime

52 PIERCING Sonar

53 Prehensile Tail Speed

54 Proto Sentient Stinger

55 Pursuer Surprise

56 Rapid Thermal Sense

61 Roar Triphibious

62 Stealth Tunneler

63 Swimmer Venom

64 Tracks Scent Web

65 Trample Whip Tail

66 Trunk Yummy

Trait Descriptions

A trait listed in all-capital letters is a more powerful version of an ability.

A Suggested complimentary trait or special ability that may be chosen instead of rolled are shown in italics.

Ambushes: The animal gets +1D Advantage to hit and damage rolls if it gains Surprise. Glide, Burrower or Swimming.

Amphibious: The creature is equally at home on land or in the water. It suffers no disadvantages in water and can hold its breath or breathe either medium for 2 turns at least. Oxygen Storage.

Armor: +1D additional armor above what was rolled for creature size.

Automaton: Automatons are mindless eating machines. They are immune to any psionic powers that don’t have physical damage effects and will attack despite noise and other distractions. They never check morale.

Brachiator: Move from Far to Near with two combat actions if trees or elevated terrain present. Climb.

Burrower: This creature burrows into the ground and charges. Any target in the way have a 1-in-6 chance per turn of stumbling or falling. The target incurs -1D penalty to actions in melee combat against this creature. Tunneler, Oxygen Storage.

Caustic Spray: The creature can spray a horrific eye irritant out to Near range. A character hit with it suffers -2D to any attacks for that encounter and may be unpopular afterwards.

Claws/Teeth: +1D to damage. Note that this works like normal Advantage dice.

CLAWS/TEETH: +2d6 to damage. Note that this works like normal Advantage dice.

Climb: The animal can scale any suitably rough surface, rocks, a brick wall or a bank of machinery. Brachiator, Prehensile Tail.

Crude Hands: The creature can manipulate human equipment, opening doors or cages, firing weapons and more. Proto Sentient.

Enhanced Hearing: The species can hear extremely faint noises. People attempting to surprise the creature suffer -1D. Ambush, Stealth.

Fly: Move from Far to Close range with a single combat action*. Climb, Ambush.*

Glide: Move from Far to Close with two combat actions. Climb, Stealth.

Herd/Pack: Double the number of animals appearing. Hive Mind, Pheromone Communication.

Hibernates: The creature spends all or part of a season in sleep to conserve food. It often sleeps in caverns or other natural shelters and is very cranky if woken. Surprise, Ambush.

Hive Mind: While not in direct mental communication, the animals act as a single force, swarming opposition, clearing all obstacles, and working tirelessly together. They never check morale, fighting to the last. Herd/Pack, Pheromone Communication.

Marks Territory: The species is very territorial and marks its turf. Markers may be piles of stone or sticks or uprooted trees, according to the size of the beast. Proto Sentient.

Mimic: This ability allows a creature to duplicate the cries of other creatures, or even repeat snatches of human speech. Stealth, Ambush.

Motion Sensor: The creature has an acute awareness of air currents and may use them to track any movement. Characters trying to surprise the creature are penalized by -1D. Enhanced Hearing, Stealth.

Night Vision: The creature can see in dim light. It ignores penalties for all but total darkness. Thermal Sense, Enhanced Hearing.

Pack Rat: The creature is attracted to small items and may steal them. Herd/Pack, Stealth.

Paired: The animals appear in pairs, instead of the numbers given. These duos co-ordinate well.

Pheromone Communication: The species uses chemical markers to be aware of events. Killing one will alert all others in the vicinity (predators may mount an attack, herbivores will flee the area.) Herd/Pack.

Piercing: Ignore 1d6 worth of Armor when attacking. Roll this when creating the creature.

PIERCING: Ignore 2d6 of Armor when attacking. Roll this when creating the creature.

Prehensile Tail: A prehensile tail allows the creature to hang by it or grab nearby objects. Whip tail. Climb.

Proto Sentient: The creature is extremely bright, about as smart as a human toddler or child. The creature may be quite curious and may have an emerging personality. Crude Hands, Pack Rat.

Pursuer: Also known as an endurance predator. This creature simply does not give up. It will continuously appear to frighten and frustrate its prey and cause it to waste ammunition. Ambush, Stealth.

Rapid: The life form takes two moves for each action.

Roar: +1D Advantage to first attack unless character throws Social. Ambush, Claws.

Swimmer: Move and attack in water with no disadvantages. The creature’s actions on land are penalized by -1D. Whip Tail, Stealth.

Stealth: The creature has Stealth 3 at no cost.

Trample: The creature gains a free attack if it starts at Near range and closes to Close range. Creature is one size class larger, Armor.

Tracks Scent: The creature is like a bloodhound, able to follow prey by scent. Prey can try to escape it by traveling through water. Even vehicles can be tracked. Pursuer, Herd/Pack.

Trunk: A trunk is an elongated facial feature allowing a creature to manipulate human equipment, opening doors or cages, flipping switches and more. It is not as obvious a feature as Crude Hands.

Special Ability Descriptions

Carapace: All attacks against this creature incur -2D to damage rolls. This is not cumulative with Armor or Fur/Hide.

Charm: The creature has a latent psionic ability or is simply mesmerizing. A single target at Close range must make a Social throw or take no actions until the creature attacks or takes damage. Mind Blast, Ambush.

Cling: The creature can use nails, sticky pads, or similar features to scale sheer surfaces. Most insects and smaller animals can do this for free, so this ability really only applies for anything with a Body Size result of 4 or more. Ambush, Surprise.

Cool Temperature: The creature reduces its heat emissions to match the environment for 1-3 minutes. It will not show up on heat sensors or thermal sense. Such creatures find suitable environs to match their body temperature. Attacks using thermal sensors are made at -1D to hit. Thermal Sense, Stealth.

Corrosive: Attacks striking the creature have a 1 in 6 chance to cause it to spurt its corrosive blood or other fluid, doing 2d6 damage to a character at Close range.

EMF Sense: The animal can detect radio waves and may be attracted or enraged by them.

Fast: The xenofauna gets three actions per round!

Fur/Hide: The creature has very thick hide or fur and receives an additional 1D’s worth of armor Protection. Roll this when creating the creature.

Glue Spray: The beast may fire off a spray or line of a sticky substance at any target at Near range. A target that is hit must roll Physical or be dragged towards the creature and be at Close range next round. Alternatively, the attack immobilizes the target until they spend an entire round to roll Physical with a -1D penalty to break free. Cling, Web.

Hyper Touch: The animal can sense other creatures moving by ground vibrations. They gain a +1D bonus when rolling for Surprise. The creature doesn’t suffer penalties from darkness against moving targets. The ability is useless against flyers and swimmers. Web.

Initiative: The creature gains +1D to Initiative rolls. Rapid, Fast Attack.

Invisible: The animal can obscure its image, whether psionically, holographically, or via skin manipulation. Attacks against it suffer -2D to hit at Near or Close range. The creature is impossible to see at Far range. It loses this benefit when it attacks. Stealth, Surprise.

Iron Stomach: The beast will try to eat anything. It will eat alien organisms or equipment of no nutritional value. This is a valuable ability in a food animal and may be genetically engineered.

Medicinal Properties: A rare medical drug can be produced from the creature, one of its organs, or byproducts. This may fetch a high price for the animals, be they living specimens or otherwise.

Mind Blast: As the psionic power. The creature may use the power once every three rounds. Charm.

Nimble: There is a 1-in-6 chance an attack that the creature dodges any successful attack. Fast, Initiative.

Ovipositor: On a to-hit result of 12, the creature implants an egg in the target. If left untreated, the egg will hatch, after 6d6 days, causing a Triage Table roll with a -1D penalty. Treatment means diagnosis and surgical removal of the egg. The physician must roll Knowledge at -1D penalty. On a failure, the patient’s Triage Table roll is made at a total of -2D penalty.

Oxygen Storage: This ability allows the animal to function in an otherwise unbreathable atmosphere or underwater for 1d6 minutes. Swimming, Tunneler.

Plays Dead: After receiving a wound the animal feigns death. The next round it has a 3-in-6 chance of getting a free attack! Regenerates, Surprise.

Poisonous: The creature’s skin secretes a contact poison. Anyone touching it is Fatigued until they succeed on a Physical roll. They may attempt the roll every hour.

Pyro Weapon: The creature spews a fiery spray. This does 2d6 damage with the Fire Weapon Aspect. Armor, Claws.

Regenerates: The life form has a 1-in-6 chance of healing a wound each round. Plays Dead, Iron Stomach.

Shapeshifter: A shapeshifter can modify its size sufficiently to be able to slip through crevasses and cracks. It can also alter the texture of its skin to match its surroundings, which gives it a +1D bonus to Surprise rolls. Invisible, Stealth.

Shock Attack: The creature can generate an electric shock causing 2d6 damage to any target at Close range. The attack ignores any unsealed armor.

Slime: This beast can slip between bars or into ducts. The slime gets everywhere: any characters fighting this creature at Close range must roll Physical or slip, losing their next action.

Sonar: This creature uses sound waves to locate objects or life forms and works in darkness, smoke. or muddy waters. The creature suffers no penalties from darkness or similar conditions. Swimmer, Thermal Sense.

Speed: The animal can move from Far to Close with two combat actions. Rapid, Initiative.

Stinger: A the creature has a stinger attack that injects venom with an attack roll of 12. Use the Environmental Hazard rules to determine the Virulence of the venom.

Surprise: The creature gains +1D to its Surprise roll. Rapid, Initiative.

Thermal Sense: The creature can sense heat sources: a warm body, a recently fired weapon, a campfire, or recently heated food. It may attack without penalties in darkness. Cool temperature, Night Vision.

Triphibious: This power combines the Fly and Amphibious traits. The creature is a threat in water, on land, and in the air.

Tunneler: A tunneler can dig almost effortlessly through soil. It can travel from Far to Close range using four move actions and burst through the ground under prey. The prey must roll Combat or fall, losing all actions until next round.

Venom: The creature injects a venom with every hit. Any hit that penetrates armor inflicts a poison attack unless the victim makes a successful Physical roll. Use the Environmental Hazard rules to determine the Virulence of the poison.

Web: The creature creates webs as a means of trapping prey. Anyone touching the webbing must roll Physical to avoid getting tangled or stuck. They must spend an entire round to attempt to break free. They must roll Physical to break free at the end of the round. The webs are often camouflaged. Hyper Touch.

Whip Tail: Any attack that hits a target will knock it to the ground unless they roll Physical. Prehensile Tail.

Yummy: Humans (and possibly others) find this species delicious. The taste may be addictive.

Xenofauna Encounter Tables

If characters are spending a lot of time in a locale, then the referee may want to create an encounter chart of pre-generated creatures for that locale. Using the Xenofauna generation rules above, the Referee can select the appropriate terrain type for the locale, and then create a number of creatures that the player characters are likely to encounter.

There are many ways of creating encounter tables. We present two here.

2d6 Bell Curve Encounter Tables:

These rely on the fact that the most likely result of rolling 2d6 is 7 (when adding the rolls together). Simply place the most likely xenofauna encounter on the number 7 entry, and then add less common encounters to the other entries, with the 2 and 12 entries being the most rare. This method has the benefit of being the most realistic in modeling what individuals may come across during their travels. However, it is also likely that the player characters will only ever encounter the creatures on the entries for rows 6-8.

Sample 2d6 Bell Encounter Table

The below table is a sample encounter table for a Mixed terrain between a river and forest. An appropriate creature was created using these rules for each niche.

Mixed
Terrain
Encounter
Table Sample
1

2D Niche Creature

2 Prey

3 Prey

4 Opportunist

5 Opportunist

6 Herbivore

7 Herbivore

8 Herbivore

9 Predator

10 Event or Feature

11 Predator

12 Predator

2d6 Equal Distribution Encounter Table

It is easy to create a 2d6 table that does not have a bell curve distribution. Each die has a column on the table. The first die has only two results: 1-3 and 4-6. The second die has twelve possible results, but depending on the result of the first die, read the first six or the second six. This format of table gives each entry the same probability of occurring. While slightly less realistic, this can make for more memorable encounters.

Sample 2d6 Equal Distribution Encounter Table

The below table is a sample encounter table for the same Mixed terrain as in the previous example. However, an equal distribution method was used.

Mixed
Terrain
Encounter
Table
Sample 2

1D 1D Niche Creature

1-3 1 Prey

**2** Prey **3** Opportunist **4** Opportunist **5** Herbivore **6** Event or Feature

4-6 1 Herbivore

**2** Herbivore **3** Predator **4** Event or Feature **5** Predator **6** Predator

Note: The Event or Feature entry represents some non-xenofauna event or object that might be encountered. A sample of events and features are listed below.

**
**

Sample Xenofauna:

These creatures were all created using the generation rules in this chapter, and are meant to serve as basic examples for the sorts of creatures that can be encountered in a remote planetary wilderness.

+————+————–+——–+——————————–+ | Name: | * | | | | | Catamount* | | | +============+==============+========+================================+ | Niche: | Predator | Armor: | 6 | +————+————–+——–+——————————–+ | No. | 1D | D | 3D | | Appearing: | | amage: | | +————+————–+——–+——————————–+ | Size: | Giant | S | Combat: 2, Physical: 2 | | | | kills: | | +————+————–+——–+——————————–+ | Stamina: | 35 | Abi | Amphibious, Piercing (6), | | | | lities | Hibernates. | | | | | | | | | | Their environment often gives | | | | | them a +1D Advantage to | | | | | surprise rolls. | +————+————–+——–+——————————–+ | The | | | | | Catamount | | | | | is a | | | | | furred | | | | | river | | | | | creature | | | | | that can | | | | | wander far | | | | | from | | | | | water, | | | | | likened to | | | | | a mangy | | | | | hippo | | | | | sized | | | | | otter. | | | | | They are | | | | | usually | | | | | solitary. | | | | | Catamounts | | | | | wallow in | | | | | mud holes | | | | | and water | | | | | holes, | | | | | waiting | | | | | patiently | | | | | for prey. | | | | | They | | | | | hibernate | | | | | and | | | | | sometimes | | | | | plants | | | | | take root | | | | | in the mud | | | | | and dirt | | | | | in their | | | | | fur, | | | | | sprouting | | | | | and aiding | | | | | their | | | | | c | | | | | amouflage. | | | | | For | | | | | unknown | | | | | reasons, | | | | | they hate | | | | | robots and | | | | | androids | | | | | and go out | | | | | of their | | | | | way to | | | | | crush | | | | | them. | | | | | Fo | | | | | rtunately, | | | | | they are | | | | | not faster | | | | | than a | | | | | human or | | | | | most | | | | | robots. | | | | +————+————–+——–+——————————–+

Events and Features

Events and features are not xenofauna encounters but are instead happenings or items that can represent a puzzle or hazard to the characters. The number of events or features that could be included are almost infinite. Below is a sample list to inspire creativity by the Referee. Which terrains these features and events could exist is also listed.

Referees are strongly encouraged to come up with a few options, perhaps a simple 1d6 table, of possible events and features for each encounter table they create.

Sample Events or Features Table

Roll on the table below to determine the type of event or feature encountered.

Event or
Feature Table Sample

1D Feature or Event

1 Strong Storm (Hail 1D)

2 Fire (2d6 damage for 3 rounds)

3 Cliff (4m tall)

4 Prairie-Cat City

5 Flash Flood (2d6 damage)

6 Razorgrass (1d6 damage, 30m)

Event and Feature Descriptions:

Strong Storm: These can occur in most terrains. Strong storms can also include lightning, strong winds, and torrential rain or hail. Items that are not securely tied down will be blown away and possibly even permanently lost. If hail is falling, it is possible that every unsheltered person could take 1d6 or 2d6 damage per combat round for 2d6 rounds.

Fire: A common problem on savannahs and in forests during dry seasons, fires can start after storms, or by a careless character. Fires move quickly, very quickly if there is a strong wind, and can cause fire damage of 1d6 to 3d6 for 2d6 rounds.

Prairie-Cat City: An area up to a square kilometer is size is home to a small prey animal. Their tunnels extend several meters under the ground but may not be detectable from the surface unless a relevant skill check is made to notice it. The surface of the city is unstable and any creature over 10kg will fall through and become trapped. If the Prairie-Cats are not prey animals, but carnivores, then the trapped creature becomes food, and suffers 1d6 to 3d6 damage each round. It will take a successful Physical check for a character to extricate themselves from a Prairie-Cat hole.

Cliff: A shear vertical surface extends for kilometers in either direction. The cliff can be a few meters to a few dozen meters high and might require special equipment to climb safely. Cliffs can appear is just about any terrain but are common in mountains and savannahs. They pose a major obstacle to characters on foot or limited to ground cars.

Flash Flood: After a heavy rain, possibly in a different area, the ground becomes soaked and excess water moves downhill. Floods can be extremely dangerous if the characters are caught in a canyon, depression, or other feature that makes it difficult for them to get away. Floods are always possible along riverbanks, but can also occur in almost every type of terrain during a wet or rainy season.

Razorgrass: an innocuous plant whose leaves have extremely sharp edges or long thorns. These defensive adaptations can penetrate clothing and simple armor. Damage is usually 1d6 to 2d6 per 10m traversed. Razorgrass can be found in many terrains, but are most common in forest and mountain environments.

Encounter Frequency and Reasons

Normally an animal encounter should be rolled every 12 hours. In terrain with abundant life, the chance of an encounter is 3 in 6, modified by the terrain type. If a character is hunting, they can roll a relevant skill to find an animal suitable for eating. Referees are free to provide additional modifiers based on the amount of life on the planet.

Once a creature has been encountered, roll on the Encounter table to determine what creature it is. Each encounter can be further embellished using the Encounter Reason table below. Animals seldom stand around waiting to be shot. Nor do they normally attack adventurers en masse. The following table can add some color to encounters for player characters that are traveling in the wilderness.

1d6 1d6 Encounter Reason

You Hear
Something?

1 1 It’s Too Quiet An apex predator is stalking its supper.

1 2 Scat Tracks, waste, and other traces of an animal are found.

1 3 Remains Bones and other leftovers from a predator’s meal, possibly human.

1 4 Cries The roars, growls, and calls of a pack of predators is heard.

1 5 Ambush A lone, outcast opportunist or predator decides humans are easy prey!

1 6 Supper The group encounters animals sharing a Interrupted kill. An attack is likely if they don’t retreat.

Young Animals

2 1 Babies One or more orphaned or outcast young animals.

2 2 Not Your Baby!! A young creature or two are found seemingly abandoned. However, their mother is nearby. Momma may take issue and pursue adventurers to teach them a lesson.

2 3 Eggs/Larvae Eggs or extremely young creatures are found abandoned.

2 4 Young Bloods A duo or trio of younglings practice their hunting, skills on an adventurer. They aren’t very good at it.

2 5 Help! A large and fierce parent approaches the group -for help. Their young are trapped in a fissure or sinkhole. It will not attack unless attacked first.

2 6 Momma! Some young animal is menaced by another creature or a natural hazard, like a flood or rockslide.

Food

3 1 Hunting The group interrupts one or more predators about to pounce. They may be startled and flee or change targets.

3 2 Grazing Herbivores are peacefully grazing.

3 3 Hunting Humans A predator decided it either likes or could learn to like human meat.

3 4 Non-Compatible The animal’s biology is not compatible with human biology. It will ignore or avoid humans who just smell or taste wrong. Humans will find local meat inedible, nauseating, or poisonous.

3 5 Gathering A group of opportunists gathers fruits, nuts, and berries, stripping an area bare.

3 6 Cache The group stumbles upon a buried store of food in varying degrees of freshness.

Love

4 1 Mating Combat Two males, or females or whatever are fighting for mating rights with the best partners.

4 2 Mating Dance Similar to Mating Combat but more a display of artistry and the suitor’s best features.

4 3 Mating Throng As in mating dance but a several herds/packs are doing this at once and possibly blocking travel.

4 4 Nesting Area A very large area is crowded with nests where a species is caring for their young, again possibly blocking travel.

4 5 Rogue Bull A single exceptionally large and ticked off animal lost at the mating game and will attack any intruders. It has -1 Armor and +1 Damage.

4 6 Home Schooling A parent is teaching its young about the world. It may be showing them humans are not safe or are easy prey depending on its size and ferocity.

Altercations

5 1 Stealing An animal steals a valued piece of equipment or possession, “The Scoundrel stole the Duke’s seal! After it!”

5 2 Vandalism Animals deface, soil or damage possessions or supplies.

5 3 Watchful A predator or opportunist is watching the group. Just watching

5 4 Sabotage A vehicle or base was damaged by a creature. Proto sentients can be very clever at this, or it could be a matter of a small animal sucked into an intake.

5 5 Mooch An animal hangs around the group, begging for food. This can be adorable, or scary.

5 6 Stampede! An otherwise harmless herd of animals has panicked due to a predator or fire. It is running right at the adventurers

The Weird

6 1 Kaiju Breakdown A large creature fissions into several smaller animals -possibly smaller versions of itself, or another species

6 2 Assimilation Several animals clump together to make a larger animal.

6 3 Phoenix A newborn animal, or several emerge from a dead animal carcass. Is it a birth cycle or a parasitic infestation?

6 4 The Cycle An animal undergoes a metamorphosis into another life form. In other words, two species are really one.

6 5 Cryptobiosis A creature is in a form of stasis until conditions improve for it. This could be a matter of food becoming more plentiful, like adventurers.

6 6 Evolution An animal transforms as part of their life stages into a more intelligent form, gaining Proto Sentience or full sentience.

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Character	Combat		Knowledge		Physical		Social		Space		Stealth		Tech
Petty Thug	1		0		1		1		0		0		0
Pistol (2d6), Stun Prod (2d6), Leather Jacket

Gang Boss	2		0		2		1		0		1		0
Pistol (2d6), Knife (2d6), Bulletproof Vest (4)

Guard	2		0		1		1		0		0		0
Assault Rifle (3d6), Bulletproof Vest (4), Comm

Veteran Guard	3		1		2		1		0		1		0
Assault Rifle (3d6), Ceramic Places (8), Comm

Police Officer	2		1		1		2		0		1		1
Stunner (3d6+1), Pistol (2d6), Bulletproof Vest (4), Comm

Police Detective	2		3		1		3		0		1		1
Stunner (3d6+1), Pistol (2d6), Bulletproof Vest (4), Comm

Technician	0		2		0		1		1		0		2
Toolkit, Comm

Spacer Crew	1		1		1		1		2		0		2
Toolkit, Space Suit (6), Gyrojet Pistol (2d6+2)

Veteran Spacer	2		1		2		1		3		0		3
Tookit, Pistol (2d6), Space Suit (6)

Ship Officer	2		2		1		2		1		0		1
Gyrojet Pistol (2d6+2), Cutlass (3d6), Comm, Space Suit (6)

Belter	1		1		2		0		2		0		2
Blade, Space Suit (6)

Noble	1		1		1		2		0		1		0
Sword (3d6+1), Comm, Synthsilk Armor (7)

Diplomat	0		2		1		3		0		2		0
Stealth Pistol (2d6), Comm, Bulletproof Vest (4)

	Combat		Knowledge		Physical		Social		Space		Stealth		Tech
Investigative Journalist	1		2		2		2		0		2		1
Comm, Stealth Pistol (2d6)

Scientist	0		2		0		1		1		0		2
Hand Computer, Comm

Elite Bodyguard	4		1		3		1		0		2		1
Laser Pistol (3d6), Synthsilk Armor (7), Comm, Medkit, Subdermal Armor (4), Internal Blade (2d6+1)

Entertainer	0		1		2		2		0		0		0
Comm

Free Trader	0		2		1		2		2		0		1
Comm, Space Suit (6) Free Trader starship

Local Guide	2		2		1		1		0		1		0
Rifle (3d6+3), Blade (2d6+1)

Elite Mercenary	4		1		3		1		0		2		1
Pulse Rifle (3d6+3), Encased Armor (10), Comm, Blade (2d6+1), Frag Grenades (3d6+3), Cybereye (with Low-Light)
Mercenary Gunman		2		0		2		0		0		1	1
Pulse Rifle (3d6+3), Ceramic Plate Armor (8), Comm, Blade (2d6+1), Frag Grenade (3d6+3)

Published: January 1, 1