Eureka - Ver 0.1.

2 Table of Contents: Heading Chapter Core Mechanics Section On the Nature of Rules Section How We Roll Section Skill Tests Chapter Character Creation Section - Attributes Section - Qualities Section - Aspects Section The Starting Character Section Eureka Points Chapter - Combat Section - Noncombat Section Initial Moves Section Actions in Combat Section Melee Combat Section Ranged Combat Section - Spellcasting Section - Tactics Section Relative Movement Section Surface Movement Section Flanking Section Placing Tactics Features Section Other Maneuvers Chapter - Skills Sprinting Swimming Stealth Acrobatics Lockpicking Sleight of Hand Survival Tracking Riding Carriage Driving Persuasion Bluff Intimidate Socialize Negotiation Background Skills Chapter - Magic Section Gauging Section Casting a Spell Section Learning a Spell Section Spell Effects Section Building a Spell Chapter - Items Section Attacking Objects Section - Equipment Section Carrying Equipment Chapter Vehicles Section Maneuvering Section Escalation Section Components Section Functions Section Example Vehicles Section Collisions Section Falling Off Section Custom Vehicles Chapter - Infiltration Section Rooms Section Obstacles Section Infiltration Encounters Section Detection Section Facility Construction Chapter - Adjudication Section Recovering Routine Wounds Section Recovering Critical Wounds Section Volley Fire Section Exhaustion Section Hunger and Exposure Section - Falling Section Drowning Section Explosions Chapter Contacts Section Attributes Section Qualities Page 2 2 2 2 4 4 5 9 11 12 13 13 13 14 15 15 17 17 21 22 23 23 23 24 26 26 27 28 30 30 31 32 32 33 33 35 36 38 41 42 44 44 44 45 46 50 51 51 52 57 58 58 61 62 63 65 66 66 66 68 68 69 71 72 72 73 73 74 77 78 78 79 80 80 81 81 82

Section Request Factors Section Making a Request Section Receiving Requests Section Tasks Chapter - Organizations Section Personnel Section Facilities Section Policies Section Operations Section Intelligence Section Threats Section Patrols Section Warfare Section Strategy Chapter - World Section Lifestyle

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Chapter - Core Mechanics Section - On the Nature of Rules Over the course of the game, the players' characters will have to struggle against the circumstances and against other characters in order to fulfill their desires. These conflicts should always have outcomes that allow the game's story to progress, or failing that, at least bring it to a satisfying conclusion. However, a game in which events always proceed exactly as narratively appropriate restricts player freedom. If a player knows that his character's success has nothing to do with his capabilities, strategy, or methods, then he'll likely find it difficult and unfulfilling to make his character take actions that make sense within the game's world. Therefore, the conflict resolution mechanics in this book have been introduced to provide a common framework for determining the outcomes of characters' actions. GMs can use it to resolve the actions of characters within the world, and players can use it to know what to expect from their own actions. The use of a common set of rules helps prevent misunderstandings, as players and GMs both understand from a game-mechanical perspective what the possible outcomes of any given action are. For the sake of convenience, these rules emulate the way things work in the real world, so that players can use their common sense to figure out likely outcomes rather than refer to the rules every time they need to make sure that a plan will work. However, there are some situations the rules aren't designed to model. In these situations, the rules might prescribe a counterintuitive outcome that no one would reasonably expect, and so they can be ignored in favor of a more reasonable outcome picked by the GM. Common sense takes precedence over the rules as written. And playability takes precedence even over common sense. In situations where the continuation of the plot depends on a character succeeding or failing a specific roll, the GM is within his rights to declare that action a success or failure without even rolling, or else introduce a coincidental factor that happens to save or doom him. This is an option that should be used very sparingly. When used against the players, it creates a sense of "railroading," of the players being helpless before the GM's plot. When used for the players' benefit, it removes the consequences of their actions, again making their decisions seem meaningless. In any case, the Eureka point mechanic is meant to make such interventions unnecessary. However, if a player's character with a lovingly-crafted backstory fails a few unlucky rolls during his first session and finds himself unceremoniously cut down by the city watch, a good GM ought to be willing to rule that he makes a miraculous recovery and wakes up in the castle dungeon, requiring his friends to stage a daring rescue! Section - How We Roll This game uses a unique type of dice to resolve almost every action. The dice have ten sides each, and each side is labeled with a number from 0 to 5. There are two marked 0, two marked 1, one marked 2, one marked 3, one marked 4, and three marked 5. Every time one of the faces showing "5" is thrown, the die is thrown again with 5 added onto the result. So, if a die is thrown and shows a 5, then is thrown again and shows another 5, then is thrown again and shows a 3, the die's result is considered to be 5+5+3=13. Thus, a single die may reach an arbitrarily high value. Whenever a rule in this book calls for dice to be thrown, it can be assumed that this is the die that is referred to. Most of the time, these dice will be rolled in groups. Each die's result is considered individually, but they may be rolled at the same time. For example, a character rolling a skill test in

which he has five levels would roll five dice. Suppose these come up 0, 3, 3, 5, 5. The fives are rerolled together and come up 0 and 4. So, his final roll would be considered 0, 3, 3, 5, 9. Section - Skill Tests A character's ability to succeed at any given type of task usually based on two factors. Firstly, there is his innate aptitude at the task depending on which mental or physical abilities it requires, represented by his relevant attribute value. And there is usually also the factor of his learned skill at the task itself, represented by the number of skill levels he has. There are four basic types of skill test that the rules use to determine a character's performance at a task. Standard test: The most common type of roll is used when a character is attempting to complete a task with a difficulty represented by a number called its Base Difficulty, or Base DC. The relevant attribute to the test is then subtracted from the Base DC to get the Final DC. If the Final DC would be below 1, it is usually just treated as 1 unless the rules for the task specifically say otherwise. The player then rolls a number of dice equal to his number of skill levels for the task, and every die that has a result equal to or greater than the Final DC is considered a success. Usually, one success is enough for the character to get a satisfactory result, and more successes represent an even better result. Sometimes the number of dice rolled is determined by another factor, such as a species's natural sensory abilities for a Perception test. Opposed test: When two characters' efforts are directly opposing each other, both may individually make their skill tests as described above. The Base DCs will often involve the opponent's relevant attribute as well as any factors that give an advantage to one side or the other. Only the character with more successes is considered to have achieved a useful result, but every success rolled by the loser cancels out one of the winner's successes. If both characters get the same number of successes, then the result may be inconclusive or a second roll might be used to determine which one barely came out on top. Open test: When one character's effort is used to set the bar for anyone else to try and surpass, an open test is usually used. The character rolls a number of dice equal to his relevant skill levels, and the result of the single highest die is taken. To this number, the character adds his relevant attribute as well as other numbers based on the circumstances. The final number is often used as a Base DC for others attempting to beat his effort. Attribute test: When success or failure depends only on a character's raw ability, and there's no skill applicable to the task, then a raw attribute test is used. The Base DC is modified as normal based on the relevant attribute, but if this would bring the Final DC below 1, the task is considered an automatic success. Otherwise, a single die is rolled for the test against the Final DC. Teamwork: When it's reasonable, multiple characters can work together at a task, each rolling independently at the skill test, and all being considered to succeed if even one of them do. However, too many people working together increases the number of places where something can go wrong. Unless it's stated otherwise, each additional roller adds +2 to the DC faced by everyone. In some situations where teamwork is especially helpful (such as multiple surgeons working in an operating room equipped and designed for such a task), the additional DC might be just +1 per helper up to a certain limit. And for other tasks where only one person succeeding individually is enough for the team to succeed (such as listening for the sound of an intruder), everyone can simply roll in a cooperative attempt with no additional DC for other participants. However, in situations where even one failure is enough to have a negative effect (such as a group trying to sneak past a noise sensor), teamwork rolls are not possible. Multitasking: Performing two unrelated tasks at once is difficult. In general, when trying to make more than one skill test at the same time, the base DCs for all skill tests are increased by +4 for every extra action attempted. So, if a character tries to attack twice in one turn, he faces a +4 DC to each attack, and if

he tries to swim, fire a crossbow, and cast a spell all at once, then all three actions suffer a +8 DC penalty.

Chapter - Character Creation Section - Attributes Every character has six attributes that describe his innate aptitude at a category of physically or mentally demanding tasks. The average level of aptitude for a healthy, adult human is an attribute value of 3. The magnitude of the difference represented by a one point of change in an attribute increases exponentially as attribute values go up. No matter the starting attribute value, going up by three points represents roughly a doubling of aptitude, while going down by three points represents cutting aptitude in half. Therefore, someone with a Strength of 4 is about twice as strong as someone with a Strength of 1, someone with Strength 5 is twice as strong as someone with Strength 2, Strength 6 is twice as strong as Strength 3, and Strength 7 is twice as strong as Strength 4 - and therefore four times as strong as Strength 1. Attribute values below 1 or above 6 are very rare among humans. There are three physical attributes - Strength, Dexterity, Fortitude - and three mental attributes Intelligence, Awareness, Willpower. Each attribute's functions are as follow. Strength: This attribute represents one's ability to move one's own body with great force and control. High Strength lets one lift and push more, but it's not just limited to that. Someone with high Strength can punch harder, but can also punch exactly as hard as he intends to punch. High Strength lets a person run faster and jump higher, and also helps with various athletic tasks like climbing walls or riding a horse. Naturally, it also allows a character to use heavier, more powerful weapons with greater effect. Dexterity: This attribute represents one's ability to manipulate one's environment with speed and precision. A character with high Dexterity has quick reflexes that can serve him well in situations where lightningfast reaction is vital. It helps with several skills that require physical precision, from lockpicking to balance to moving stealthily. High Dexterity also helps for using weapons at range, for hitting precisely with any weapon, and for dodging enemies' attacks as well. Fortitude: This attribute represents the durability of one's own body. This attribute is often used for a character's body's innate resistance to various things that can hinder it, from poison to disease to unconsciousness. It's also used in various situations involving pushing a body to its limit for an extended period of time, like sprinting and swimming. Fortitude also plays a large role in resisting physical injury, whether in battle or from other possible hazards. Intelligence: This attribute represents one's ability to analyze information, whether to deduce the past, predict the likely future, or determine how best to act in the present. High Intelligence lets a character analyze a situation both more deeply and more quickly than would otherwise be possible. This analysis also applies to other people, and so high Intelligence is very useful for socially manipulating others. It's also valuable for skills that require problem-solving ability, from medicine to surviving in the wilderness. Finally, it helps a character act more efficiently and resourcefully in combat, coming up with tactics and taking opportunities that others would miss. Awareness: This attribute represents one's ability to perceive the details of the world as they really are, even when distracted or unsuspecting. A character with high Awareness is better at detecting and interpreting the subtler details of perceptions in all five senses, and is also better able to pick out important passing details even when not consciously trying to do so. These gut feelings help in social situations as well, both for sensing the subconscious tells of deception and for taking stock of a social atmosphere in order to blend in seamlessly. In combat, high Awareness also makes a character quicker to pick up on threats and opportunities, giving him a critical fraction of a second edge over his opponents.

Willpower: This attribute represents the durability of one's own mind. It's used to resist factors that threaten to break a character's resolve, from pain to fear. It also determines how much magic a character can use before he reaches his limit. High Willpower is useful in social situations for resisting intimidation, and it can also be useful for putting on a fearless show of force in negotiations. In combat, Willpower lets a character keep pushing himself to fight as hard as he can even when badly wounded. Section - Qualities In addition to attributes, every character also has a number of qualities that define his abilities. Some of these are derived from attributes, while others are based on the character's species and other factors. Health: This is a measure of how much serious damage a character can take before his wounds start to hinder him. A characters Health stat is written as a set of milestones. Circumstances that damage the character give him wound points, and when the wound points pass each of these milestones, he begins to take penalties. When his wound points equal the first milestone or higher, a character takes a +1 penalty to all DCs (aside from Armor DCs) and a -1 penalty to the result of all open tests. Upon the second milestone, these become +2 and -2, and upon the third milestone, they become +3 and -3. The fourth milestone represents taking too much damage to continue fighting. See the section on wounds and healing for the specific effects. Fortitude determines how much damage a characters body takes from any given threat, but Willpower determines how much damage a character can fight through. The wound penalty milestones are arranged as follow: 2/ 3/ 4/ 6/ 8/ 11/ 16/ 23/ 32/ 45/ 64/ 91/ 128/ 181/ 256/ 362/ 512/ 724/ 1k/ 1k424/ 2k/ 3k/ 4k/ 6k/ etc. At Willpower 1, a characters HP milestones are 2/3/4/6. Each additional point of Willpower moves each milestone one spot to the right on this chart. So a character with Willpower 2 has HP 3/4/6/8, and a character with Willpower 6 has 11/16/23/32. Mana: This is a measure of how much magical energy the character has for casting spells. Every spell can take a certain number of Mana points (MP) to cast, depending on how strong it is and how well the character manages to resist the Drain of the spell. If a spell is cast that costs more MP than the character has in reserve, a number of HP are spent equal to the difference with no chance to use Armor to reduce the damage. A character's max MP is based on the attribute he uses to cast his spells. follows: The max MP progression is as

6/ 8/ 11/ 16/ 23/ 32/ 45/ 64/ 91/ 128/ 181/ 256/ 362/ 512/ 724/ 1k/ 1k424/ 2k/ 3k/ 4k/ 6k/ 8k/ etc. At a casting attribute of 1, a character would have a max MP of 6, and every additional point moves the max MP one spot to the right, so a character with a casting attribute of 6 has a max MP of 32. Reaction pool: Reaction pool is a supply of extra dice that represent a character's ability to recognize possible combat opportunities, analyze how best to take advantage of them, and act quickly to seize the chance at the best possible time. Reaction pool can be spent on dodge rolls and tactics rolls. A character's reaction pool is also automatically spent on initiative rolls. Reaction pool spent on a roll is considered "used up" until the pool refreshes, and so if a character with a reaction pool of 6 spends 3 of the dice on a tactics roll, then he can only use up to three more until the pool refreshes again. Maximum reaction pool is equal to Dexterity, Intelligence, and Awareness added together and then divided by two. A character's reaction pool usually refreshes at the start of his turn. Perception:

Whenever a character has a chance of noticing something significant, whether it's a whispered conversation through a doorway, a trap hidden in a wall, or a spy sneaking through the darkness, a Perception roll is used to determine whether the character detects it. The character simply rolls the listed number of Perception dice for his species, Awareness-based, against a DC depending on how difficult it is to pick out. The number of successes rolled determines the amount of information perceived. One success just reveals the presence of something strange, while five successes immediately reveals everything that could possibly be perceived. However, once even one success is rolled, a character might be able to take a closer look if time permits and get the full set of available information. A human has five Perception dice in all situations, while other species might have different numbers of Perception dice for each of the five senses. In situations where the players' characters are looking for something that they won't otherwise come across, the GM should roll Perception dice regardless of whether what's being looked for is there, and re-rolls should not be possible. When dealing with something that will make itself known even if the players fail to find it - such as a trap - Perception dice should only be rolled when a failure means the character triggers the trap. These guidelines are intended to make it unnecessary for players to constantly ask for Perception rolls. A new Perception roll can be made every time something hidden actively presents itself - for example, every time a hidden enemy shoots his crossbow at a group. However, when searching for something passively hidden, a new attempt cannot usually be made more than once in a day. A number of sample Perception DCs follow. Don't apply these to the test made to detect someone using Stealth or Sleight of Hand, or to find traps! Equivalent modifiers are already factored into the listed DCs for beating the open tests or finding a particular kind of trap or poison. Sights: Task/Circumstance DC (Awareness) Base 10 Object size 5-Size =Movement= Movement visible Immobile/Passes within a turn +3 =Cover/Concealment= None Partial +2 Half +4 Majority +6 =Other sights= None Subdued +2 Many +4 Abundant +6 =Character state= Alert Distracted +2 Busy +4 In combat +6 =Instinctive significance= Deep (blood) Great (animal) +2 Some (weapon) +4 None (text) +6 =Range= 10 meters away Every doubling over 10 +6 Every meter less than 10 -1 Movement: An object that's moving is much easier to notice, as long as it doesn't move out of the character's field of view over the course of the turn. Cover/Concealment:

This refers to anything that obstructs a clear view of the object, whether it's another object obstructing the character's line of sight or just an ambient condition like darkness or fog. A completely concealed object cannot be visually spotted. Other sights: This refers to other sights that might make it harder to pick out the object of interest among them. It depends on how well the object itself blends into its surroundings. Character state: This refers to how much attention the character is able to pay to his surroundings. The more distracted he is, the harder a time he'll have spotting anything out of the ordinary. Instinctive significance: This factor measures how sharply a character's subconscious will react to pull his attention toward the sight. Sights that are more disturbing or otherwise provoke someone's subconscious more are easier to spot. Pictures or other visual representations might trigger a reaction just as well as the real thing, but text is too abstract to have this effect. Range: The farther away something is, the harder it is to see. Distances that don't fall into a neat multiple of 10 should receive a DC between the two increments. Sounds: Task/Circumstance DC (Awareness) Base 10 =Exposure= Constant Momentary +3 =Obstacles= None Thin (wooden wall) +2 Thick (multiple walls) +4 Substantial (castle wall) +6 =Relative volume= Higher than background Equal +2 Fainter +4 Barely audible +6 =Character state= Alert Distracted +2 Busy +4 In combat +6 =Instinctive significance= Deep (scream) Great (combat) +2 Some (conversation) +4 None (machinery) +6 =Range= 10 meters away Every doubling over 10 +6 Every meter less than 10 -1 Size: Size is a universal quality that every creature or object in the game has, acting as a rough measure of physical height and breadth. It functions like an attribute in that it's measured on an exponential scale, so that three points of Size difference is equal to a halving or doubling in dimension. However, almost all adult humans are considered to have a Size of 5 - variations in Size between humans are usually not significant enough to warrant a difference for the rules.

Size also plays a part in determining how easy something is to hit with a weapon, how easy it is to see, how heavy it is, and miscellaneous other things. Whenever a rule that is calibrated for dealing with other humans is applied to something else, such as in the rules for attacking an object, the Size of the object is usually directly factored into the DC, but individual rules may prescribe differently. A single object might have two different Sizes for different purposes. For example, the wall of a building might have a Size of 15 for the purpose of hitting it with something, due to its large surface, but only a Size of 1 for the purpose of breaking through it, since it's relatively thin. Speed: This quality measures how quickly a character can move across flat ground without sacrificing much of his ability to swing a sword, shoot a bow, or perform other combat actions. Every value of Speed has an associated walking and running speed, measured in meters per round. Speed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Walking 3 3 4 5 6 8 10 13 17 21 26 33 Running 7 9 11 14 17 22 27 34 43 55 69 87

Note that the movement rates given are only the maximum allowed. A character may always choose to walk or run at a distance per turn lower than those listed, even if this results in running at lower than walking distance per turn. This might represent moving between two points in less time than the three second round, or it might represent taking a serpentine path, weaving and winding to better frustrate ranged attackers. A moving character may always choose to move in this sort of way in order to increase enemies ranged DCs to hit him, as long as he also takes all the associated penalties for that movement type as well. The base Speed for a human is the humans Strength score. determining Speed. Armor: Armor is simply a skill in that cause immediate armor, they can a measure of how well the character holds up against physical damage. It functions like it's the number of dice that are rolled to resist most circumstances that threaten to damage to a character's body. Humans have a base Armor of 5, and by wearing suits of increase this value. Other creatures might have other methods for

Whenever a physical attack hits a character, he rolls his Armor, Fortitude-based, against a base DC that depends on the weapon used and how precisely the attack hit. Every success rolled cuts the damage of the attack in half, down to a minimum of 0. If the DC of the roll would be less than 1, then every point it would have been below 1 instead adds an extra Armor die to the roll. Resistance: This quality determines how well a character resists magical attempts to alter his body or mind. When resisting a spell, the character rolls his Resistance in dice. The DC and the attribute the roll is based upon depends on the spell and its caster, and every success rolled decreases the effect of the spell as described in the spell description. The base Resistance for a human is 5 dice, but spells, equipment, and other factors can change it. Reduction: This quality determines how efficiently a character can use his Mana. Every time the character casts a spell, he rolls his Reduction dice against the Drain DC of the spell, Willpower-based. Every success rolled cuts the mana cost in half, to a minimum of 0. A spell can be cast even if its base Mana cost is

more than the character's Mana reserve, but if too few successes are rolled to reduce the final Mana cost below that amount, then the difference is deducted from HP instead. A spell that's to be sustained for any length of time also deducts the resulting amount of Mana every turn. The base Reduction for a human is 5 dice, but other factors can change it. Section Aspects The division of a characters talents into six attributes is a useful abstraction, but an abstraction nonetheless. A character might have great strength but little athleticism, or a keen mind hampered by terrible social awkwardness. Similarly, a character with low strength might have deadly precision with a blade, or a character without much willpower might still have an impressive stubborn streak. Aspects are used to represent this kind of mental or physical quirk that sets a character apart from all others with the same attributes and skills. Theyre mostly meant for player characters to customize their talents to the players specifications, but they can also be useful in fleshing out important NPCs. Mental Aspects can say a lot about a characters personality, while physical Aspects can offer insight into his past natural talents shape a persons choice of lifestyle, while maimings and disabilities can offer challenges that most people never even face. Aspects are not mandatory, and a player may choose to skip them entirely, but its generally worth browsing through them in case any jump out as especially appropriate for a character. The unit of an Aspects value is called an Aspect Point. Positive Aspects cost Aspect Points, and negative Aspects are worth a certain number of Aspect Points. However, rather than calculating Aspect balance in terms of a characters total positive and negative Aspect Points, each positive Aspect must instead be balanced by a negative Aspect of equal or greater worth. So, a character with two 4-point negative Aspects wouldnt be able to buy a single 8-point positive Aspect. Instead, he could buy two positive Aspects each with an individual value no greater than 4 points. The positive and negative Aspects can come from the same origin, such as a characters poor eyesight leading him to develop a keen sense of hearing, but they dont necessarily have to be. Note that in the case of low Attributes bringing an Aspects cost below zero, a negative cost for a positive Aspect is not the same as a positive value for a negative Aspect. A positive Aspect with a negative cost must be paid for by a negative Aspect with a negative value. Some Aspects are designated as Combat Aspects. A positive Combat Aspect can only be paid for by a negative Combat Aspect, and a negative Combat Aspect can only buy a positive Combat Aspect. All other Aspects can be freely balanced by each other. Aspects are listed in the following format. Name: Aspect name Type: Positive or Negative Cost/Worth: Aspect cost/worth (+/-Additional value per additional time Aspect is taken by the character) Effect: A description of the Aspects meaning and gameplay effect. Skill Aspects: Skill Aspects all follow the same pattern. Any of the following skills may be chosen for a positive or negative Aspect, with a value depending on the listed Attribute. Strength: Dexterity: Fortitude: Intelligence: Awareness: Willpower: Name: Type: Cost: Effect: Name: Type: Acrobatics, Horseback Riding Stealth, Lockpicking, Disarming, Sleight of Hand, Carriage Driving Sprinting, (Swimming?) Medicine, (Survival?), Tracking, Persuasion, Bluff, Intimidate Socialize Negotiate

Good at [Skill] Positive [Attribute] (+1) All rolls with this skill are at -1DC. Bad at [Skill] Negative

Worth: [Attribute]-2 (-1) Effect: All rolls with this skill are at +1DC. Combat Aspects: Name: Type: Cost: Effect: Name: Type: Cost: Effect: Name: Type: Cost: Effect: Name: Type: Cost: Effect: Name: Type: Cost: Effect: Name: Type: Cost: Effect: Name: Type: Cost: Effect: Name: Type: Cost: Effect: Name: Type: Cost: Effect: Swift-footed Positive Strength (+1) The characters Speed is increased by 1. Adroit Fighter Positive Strength (+1) All melee attack rolls are at -1DC. Defensive-minded Positive Dexterity (+1) All Dodge rolls are at -1DC. Precise Shooter Positive Dexterity (+1) All ranged attack rolls are at -1DC. Naturally Durable Positive Fortitude+3 (+1) All Armor rolls are at -1DC. Cunning Tactician Positive Intelligence+3 (+1) All Tactics rolls are at -1DC. Ready for Anything Positive Awareness (+1) All Initiative rolls get +1 to the final result. Careful Combatant Positive Awareness (+1) All melee or cover-circumvention Tactics rolls against this character are at +1DC. Stubbornly Tough Positive Willpower+3 (+1) The characters Willpower is considered to be one point higher for the purpose of HP milestones and healing. Lumbering Oaf Negative Strength-2 (-1) The characters Speed is reduced by 1. Hesitant Fighter Negative Strength-2 (-1) All melee attack rolls are at +1DC. Slow Dodger Negative Dexterity-2 (-1) All Dodge rolls are at +1DC.

Name: Type: Worth: Effect: Name: Type: Worth: Effect: Name: Type: Worth: Effect:

Name: Type: Worth: Effect: Name: Type: Worth: Effect: Name: Type: Worth: Effect: Name: Type: Worth: Effect: Name: Type: Worth: Effect: Name: Type: Worth: Effect:

Bad Shot Negative Dexterity-2 (-1) All ranged attack rolls are at +1DC. Fragile Negative Fortitude+1 (-1) All Armor rolls are at +1DC. Straightforward Fighter Negative Intelligence+1 (-1) All Tactics rolls are at +1DC. Slow to React Negative Awareness-2 (-1) All Initiative rolls get -1 to their final result. Single-minded Negative Awareness-2 (-1) All melee or cover-circumvention Tactics rolls against this character are at -1DC. Glass-jawed Negative Willpower+1 (-1) The characters Willpower is considered to be one point lower for the purpose of HP milestones and healing.

Unlike all other Aspects, multiple combat Aspects may be combined to pay for or be paid for by each other. However, the point values still arent simply added together. Instead, use the following table to determine the combined value of multiple Aspects. The combined Aspects can be used to pay for a single Aspect of the listed value, or they can be used to pay for another set of combined Aspects with equal total value. Any number of Aspects can be combined this way. When combining Aspects, start with the lowest two and work up from there, combining each Aspect with the previous combination Aspect. Higher Aspects cost/value is... Equal to or 2 to 5 less 6 to 9 less At least 10 1 less than lower Aspects cost/value than lower Aspects cost/value than lower Aspects cost/value less than lower Aspects cost/value For Higher Higher Higher Higher Combined Aspects cost/value is... Positive Aspects For Negative Aspects Aspects cost +3 Higher Aspects value +3 Aspects cost +2 Higher Aspects value +2 Aspects cost +1 Higher Aspects value +1 Aspects cost +1 No combination possible

Section - The Starting Character The power a starting player character should have depends on the nature of the campaign that's to be run, but it helps to apply a set of impartial limitations to all created player characters so that each player gets his own time in the spotlight. Some example guidelines follow. First, the character's attributes should be determined. In most campaigns, these should be above the typical level of most NPCs, but not so great that the characters start off with sovereign power over everyone they come across. A good impartial way of setting all the player characters at the same general level of power is to have them each pick from among a set of arrays of six numbers, and let them arrange the six numbers into their attributes. The following arrays are suitable for starting characters in most campaigns: 6/4/4/3/3/3 6/4/4/4/2/2 6/4/4/4/3/1 6/5/3/3/3/2 6/5/4/3/2/2 6/5/4/3/3/1 6/5/4/4/2/1

6/5/5/2/2/2 6/6/3/2/2/2 6/6/3/3/2/1 6/6/4/2/2/1 5/5/5/4/2/1 5/5/5/3/3/2 5/5/4/4/3/2 5/5/4/3/3/3 5/4/4/4/4/2 Starting skills are simpler. A starting character gets 16 free skill levels to spread among his skills as he pleases. Remember that every character gets 1 level in every skill automatically, so these 16 free levels are on top of those. If the skill is at half price due to having a higher neighbor, it costs only half a level. If the character is left with half a starting skill level that he does not want to spend, he starts with 20 extra experience points instead. (Limit starting skills to no higher than 6 levels? But they cost the same after chargen. If starting with Blades 16 isnt allowed, then why is investing your first 500xp into Blades okay? And if it shouldnt be okay, then the balance issue should be addressed rather than just trying to prevent people from exploiting it past a certain point. Should combat be reliant on more different skills? Currently a combatant should arguably be good at both melee and range. Maybe make Acrobatics, Stealth, etc. more important in combat? But then theyd have to be weaker outside of combat to not be worth more than purely noncombat skills. How important is the combat/noncombat division?) Background skills are different. A character gets 15 Background points to be spent on Background skills. Every Background point is worth one level in a Background skill - higher levels do not cost more. However, note that no more dice can be rolled on a Background skill test than the value of the Attribute upon which the test is based. Also note that unlike standard skills, characters do not start with any automatic levels in Background skills. Most characters put 2 or 3 points each in the local geography and politics, with the other points allocated to career, hobbies, and social group. The character also starts with 1500 doux, of which he can spend as much as he likes on adventuring gear, and may also choose to have a lifestyle bought for free with a week's worth of living expenses already paid for. And finally, a starting character gets 3 Eureka points and 600 experience points that can only be spent on spells. Section - Eureka points Eureka points are a mechanic which exists half to represent the bursts of inspiration earned through experience that let one overcome adversity and improve oneself, and half as a way to let players avoid outcomes that would defeat their intentions for their characters and render the game less fun to play. A character that hoards his Eureka points will be safe from any sudden strings of misfortune - but he'll also be less powerful than his more adventurous companions until he spends them. If a player doesn't like the result of a particular roll - whether it was made by himself, by an ally, or even by an enemy - he can spend a Eureka point to reroll as many dice in that particular roll as he desires. So, for example, a player rolls eight dice on an attack and gets two successes, he could spend a Eureka point and reroll the six failed dice, keeping any successes rolled on those six and adding them to the two he already got. Alternately, if another player were on the receiving end of that attack, he could spend a Eureka point to make the attacker reroll the two dice that were successes - and if that roll didn't come up with any successes, then the attack would be considered a clean miss. Alternately, a player can spend a Eureka point after a roll to change the value of a single die by 3, either up or down. This has the same allowances and limitations as spending it on rerolling. The GM should grant his players Eureka points whenever they complete an adventure or overcome a major obstacle or opponent that had been hindering them. The number of Eureka points granted should generally be proportional to the amount of effort (both in-character and out-of-character) required to overcome that obstacle. Capturing a renowned pirate and smuggler in a seaside port the characters are passing through might be worth a Eureka point for each, while defeating an ambush by a footpad might not be worth any at all - but if said footpad murdered a character's friend in a robbery gone wrong and the last five sessions have been dedicated to tracking him down and getting revenge, it might be worth a full 3 Eureka

points. run.

All players should generally be awarded the same amount of Eureka points, at least in the long

GMs can give Eureka points to NPCs, but this should be extremely rare, reserved only for especially heroic (or villainous) characters meant to rival the player characters' own achievements. There's no limit to how many Eureka points can be spent on a single roll, so to go back to the above example, the defender might spend a Eureka point to make the attacker reroll his two successes, and both might then end up as failures. The attacker could then spend a Eureka point to reroll all eight dice again, and come up with four successes. Then the defender could spend another Eureka point to make the attacker reroll those four successes, resulting in only one success, and then the defender could even spend yet another Eureka point to make him reroll that last success in hopes of it also becoming a failure. Either way, after a character's Eureka point is spent, the character gains 10 experience points and 1 Background point. Spending Eureka points is usually the only way to get experience points, and a Eureka point does not grant any experience points until spent. Experience points can in turn be spent to increase attributes, learn skills, and gain and upgrade spells. The costs of spells are listed in the appropriate chapter, and the costs of attributes and skills are as follow. Note that the listed XP costs are the cost to go from the value immediately below the one listed up to the one listed - so if you have a Strength of 4, then it costs 50xp to increase it to 5. Attribute 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 XP cost 25xp 32xp 40xp 50xp 63xp 80xp 100xp 130xp 165xp 210xp 260xp 325xp 445xp 550xp

Skills have a flat cost of 40xp per level. For faster advancement or more powerful characters, the number of XP gained per Eureka point spent may be increased, but 10xp per point is a good starting value. Background points are spent similarly to experience points, but the conversion factor from Background points to Background skills is constant. Every Background point spent increases the level of a chosen Background skill by 1. Note that learning Background skills which are rare, illegal, or otherwise hard to find training in might require extensive in-character searching and justification.

Chapter - Combat Section - Noncombat For the sake of expedience, there is a sharp divide between in-combat and out-of-combat rules. Out of combat, time is measured in seconds, minutes, hours, and days, with the time taken to perform various actions being only vaguely defined as necessary. Within combat, time proceeds along in three-second chunks, called rounds. Out of combat, actions performed by different characters are considered to be essentially simultaneous. Within combat, each character gets his own turn to act in each three-second round, and the resolution of each turn immediately affects all turns after it. The decision for when to begin using combat rules is not always clear-cut. A good guideline is to begin using the combat rules whenever one character tries to directly harm another character or physically stop him from performing some action. Even if no character is actually trying to kill another, the combat rules can provide a good framework for determining who can take control. Similarly, combat can be said to end when no character is capable of or willing to fight any other character that's capable of or willing to fight.

Section - Initial Moves The first thing that must be done is determining in what order the characters will act. Every participating character rolls an open test with his full reaction pool dice, Awareness-based. If a character isn't expecting a fight to break out, then he gets -3 to his result, and if a character's position is unknown to all of his foes, then he gets a +3 to his result. The characters go in order from the one with the highest result to the one with the lowest result, with any ties between characters decided in favor of the one with the higher Awareness, or if they are tied, settled by a second roll between only them. Once the character with the lowest result has acted, the character with the highest result acts again, and the characters continue to go in the same order until combat ends. Before the first character takes his turn, the character or characters who got a higher result than all their enemies decide the initial conditions of combat. Since theyve gotten the drop on their foes, they have some leeway to determine how they approach the battle. The default assumption is that each side is in its own group, all the members in one group 1 meter from each other, with no cover, and there is a set distance between each group. For each character that got a higher initiative result than all foes, subtract the highest foe's initiative roll from their roll, and add these values together. The result is the number of points that may be spent on specifying the initial conditions of the battle, as follow. Condition Double or halve range Enemy is flanked All combatants start in full cover One group of allies starts in partial cover One group of allies starts in half cover One group of allies starts in majority cover Cost 3 5 2 4 6 8

Double or halve range: The default range for a battle between combatants on foot is 16m. In the wilderness, it is doubled, and indoors, it is halved. This option may be bought multiple times to further double or halve the range between the two groups. Alternately, the option can be applied to only some allies, allowing for some allies to start closer to the enemy than others. Enemy is flanked: This option lets the character break his allies into two groups (who each start at the base distance from their foes), both of which flank the enemy (see the rules on tactical movement). This option may be taken multiple times in order to split up into even more groups, each of which flanks the enemy. The distance of the groups from each other is half again the distance of the group from the enemy. All combatants start in full cover: If this option is taken, both sides are entirely out of sight of each other, behind some variety of obstructions. Characters on both sides can voluntarily downgrade their own cover to half, but this only gives them a clear shot at other characters who have voluntarily downgraded their cover. Otherwise, the standard methods for circumventing cover must be used. One group of allies starts in partial/half/majority cover: If this option is taken, a group of allies starts in cover, just as if they found it with a Tactics roll. If there are multiple groups of allies, this option must be taken separately for each group. On the first round of combat, every character's reaction pool is considered to be depleted until it refreshes on his first turn. Therefore, characters who haven't gone yet are more vulnerable than characters who have already begun to fight, and the element of surprise is important for seizing the advantage. If a character is hidden during combat, all his enemies get another Perception roll to attempt to spot him every time he takes a turn. Once someone has spotted a hidden enemy, he can alert everyone else in the battle of that enemy's location. On his turn, a character may choose to delay his action to go just before another combatant. After taking this option, the character will continue to take his following turns just before the combatant he

chose to go before. If two characters each wish to go after each other, then the one who would have otherwise gotten the first action may choose which he'd prefer. Section - Actions in Combat On his turn, a character can both move and act. A character must decide on his movement for the turn before he decides on his other actions, as movement can affect the DC of attacks. Movement of 1 meter or less requires no roll and imposes no penalty to other actions. To move further, the character decides whether he would prefer to walk or run. This sets the maximum number of meters he may move in that turn, and imposes bonuses and penalties to some actions. As long as the character does not end his movement in cover, the increase to attack DCs is applied to all ranged attacks against him until his next turn. For the purpose of cover, a character can perform his action at the start of his movement or at the end of his movement, but not at any point in between - so it's not allowed to walk to a window, fire a shot from your crossbow, then continue your movement to get completely behind the wall. A character may move even faster than his running speed by running and performing the Sprinting action (see the skills section). A character can take any number of actions in a turn, but every extra action taken adds +4DC to all actions that turn. So, for example, if three actions are taken, then all three take +8 to their DCs. Running is not considered to be an action, but using skills that involve movement such as Sprinting and Acrobatics is considered to be an action. Furthermore, if a character is using a skill that takes time to complete, such as Lockpicking, and he tries to perform combat actions during the attempt, then continuing to use the skill is considered to be a single action every turn, and the highest multipleaction penalty taken over the course of the attempt is added to the DC. The following is a list of rules for the various actions that are possible during combat. Section - Melee Combat If a character starts or ends his turn's movement within his melee weapon's range of an opponent, he can perform a melee attack against that opponent. This is resolved as a skill test, with a base DC depending on the weapon used. The attacker may voluntarily increase the DC of his attack in order to deal more damage. This is called a Vital Strike. For every 3 points by which the DC is increased in this way, the attacks damage is doubled. This may only be done against creatures against inanimate objects such as mechanical components of vehicles, a Vital Strike is not possible. If the attack test gets no successes, then the attack simply misses. Otherwise, the target then spends as many reaction pool dice as desired to attempt to dodge the attack. The dodge test uses only the reaction pool dice spent, and is at a DC of 6 plus the attacker's Dexterity, Dexterity-based. Every success on the dodge test subtracts one success from the attack test, and if this reduces the attack test to zero or fewer successes, then the target completely dodges the attack. If the target does not successfully dodge, he must make an Armor test to reduce the incoming damage. The roll uses a number of dice equal to the target's Armor, including any bonuses for worn armor, against a DC of the attack's final number of successes (after subtracting dodge successes) plus the weapon's Armor Piercing value, Fortitude-based. If the final DC would be less than 1, then for every point less than 1 it would be, the target gets another Armor die against the attack. Every success cuts the attack's damage in half, and the resulting number of damage is dealt to the target's HP. Section - Ranged Combat If a character starts or ends his movement in sight of an enemy, he can target that enemy with a ranged weapon. This is resolved as a skill test, with a base DC depending on the weapon used, the range to the opponent compared to the weapon's range increment, the target's cover, and the combatants movement. The attacker can then choose to shoot for a more vulnerable part of the target, doubling the attack's base damage for every +3DC taken to the attack. As with using the Vital Strike option for melee attacks, this does not increase the base damage of the attack for the purpose of attacking inanimate objects. The shot DC modifiers are as follow:

Range modifiers Weapon base range 4m 8m 16m 32m 64m Distance 4m to 5m +1 target 6m +2 8m +3 10m +4 +1 12m +5 +2 16m +6 +3 20m +7 +4 +1 26m +8 +5 +2 32m +9 +6 +3 42m +10 +7 +4 +1 52m +11 +8 +5 +2 64m +12 +9 +6 +3 -

Approximate scale Across an alleyway.

Across a room.

Across the road.

Across a wide highway.

Across a city block.

The bolded intervals are the important ones to remember - any distances that fall between them should just be estimated by the GM as falling between the two possible penalties. Micromanaged movements of distances insignificant compared to the total range of the shot should generally make no difference to the DC. Concealment Modifiers Circumstance DC None (well-lit and no obstructions) Light (moonlight or foliage) +1 Heavy (overcast night or smoke) +2 Full (indoors with no light, or behind total cover) +3 (and must know exact position) Cover Modifiers Circumstance DC None Partial (over an overturned table) +2 Half (around a pillar) +4 Majority (through a window) +6 Total None (but see below) Movement Modifiers Circumstance Up to 1m Attacker Walking Attacker Running Defender Running

DC +1 +4 +2

Cover and concealment penalties stack together. An attacker can choose to ignore the cover penalty by shooting right through whatever object is giving cover, but this reduces the damage to whatever fraction is excessive to pierce the cover. This option can be used to hit a target hiding behind total cover, but the penalty for full concealment still applies, and the attacker must have some other way to know the location of the target. Additionally, if the target has attacked or been attacked in melee combat by someone the shooter wishes to avoid shooting since the shooter's last turn, the shooter must take a +2 DC penalty to his shot, or else he has a chance of hitting his ally instead. If he does not take this penalty, and the attack hits, then a single die is rolled. If this die comes up 2 or less, then the attack hits another combatant instead. However, doubled damage from taking a precise shot does not apply to attacks that hit an unintended target in this way. If the attack test results in no successes, then the shot is a clean miss. Otherwise, the target rolls as much of his reaction pool as he wishes to spend on a dodge. The DC for this test is 6 plus the Dexterity of the attacker, Dexterity-based. Every success subtracts one success from the attack test, and if this would bring the attack test to zero or fewer successes, the target moves out of the way of the attack. Otherwise, the target must make an Armor test to reduce the incoming damage. The roll uses a number of dice equal to the target's Armor, including any bonuses for worn armor, against a DC of the attack's final number of successes (after subtracting dodge successes) plus the weapon's Armor Piercing value,

Fortitude-based. If the final DC would be less than 1, then for every point less than 1 it would be, the target gets another Armor die against the attack. Every success cuts the attack's damage in half, and the resulting number of damage is dealt to the target's HP. Section - Spellcasting There are many, many different types of spells, each with their own customizable effects, but they all use a standardized system for being cast in the framework of combat. The following rules are the default for determining how spells are used, but individual spells might have their own options that supersede these, described in the appropriate chapter. Casting a spell in combat is considered an action, and is resolved as a test of the spellcasting skill of the appropriate category against a DC that depends on the options used and based on the caster's spellcasting attribute. If the test fails, the spell is not cast, but the caster still must roll against Mana Drain. If the test succeeds, then the spell works with an effect proportional to the number of successes, with the exact effects described in the section for the appropriate spell. The caster then makes a roll with Reduction dice against the Drain DC of the spell, Willpower-based. Every success cuts the Drain amount of the spell by half, and the resulting Drain amount is deducted from the caster's Mana immediately. If the spell is one that can be sustained, then the caster may then decide on the turn he casts the spell and every one of his turns thereafter whether he wishes to continue to sustain the spell through the following round. Every time he decides to sustain the spell another round, the same reduced Drain amount is again deducted from his Mana, but this does not use up his action for the turn and he does not need to make another spellcasting test to do so. Once he stops sustaining the spell, the effect can only be regained by casting it again with a separate action, skill test, and Drain test. However, when a caster casts a spell while sustaining other spells, the Drain quickly becomes more problematic. The Drain of every spell cast is doubled for every spell already sustained, and when a caster sustains a new spell, all the spells he is already sustaining have their Drain doubled - a spell that is being sustained for no Mana cost gains a Mana cost of 1 per turn. Conversely, when a caster stops sustaining a spell, all the other spells hes currently sustaining have their Drain halved, and spells whose current Drain is 1 are reduced to 0. A caster that runs out of Mana may still cast and sustain spells, but instead loses HP in place of Mana. Section - Tactics This combat system doesn't require a pre-drawn map grid to be played. Locations and distances are considered approximate, and the GM is given some leeway in determining which environmental modifiers apply to each fight. However, when searching for cover, escape routes, improvised weapons, or other useful features of the surroundings, a character's result should depend on how well he can think on his feet and improvise something that fits his needs. To this end, the Tactics roll is used. At the beginning of combat, the battlefield should usually have no useful features beyond the location of each combatant and his approximate range to the other combatants. Before making a Tactics roll, a character specifies what sort of detail he's looking for, and after making his roll, the result is compared to the appropriate table to determine what he finds. A character may make a Tactics roll at any time, even when it's not his turn, and he may call his allies' attention to the useful feature immediately. Making a Tactics roll is not considered to be an action, so it doesn't use up a character's turn and doesn't contribute to or suffer from multiple action penalties. Furthermore, a Tactics roll can be made by one character on behalf of another, to look for useful features near that character - when used in this way, the distance written on the table refers to the distance from that character. However, no single character can make two Tactics rolls without having a turn in between them. A character may always opt to take a lower result than the one he rolled. The result values are calibrated for a standard outdoors urban environment. Areas with more cluttered geometry and junk lying around will tend to receive a positive modifier, while areas that are more simply designed and more well-kept will tend to have a negative modifier, and modifiers can vary between different categories of feature. Furthermore, some results might be simply impossible and be ruled out by the GM as unreasonable. open desert is very unlikely to offer any cover beyond Partial, while a jail cell won't have any alternate escape routes by design. A wide-

Some tables for various categories of feature follow: Cover: Result Feature Less None 5-6 Partial, 32m 7 Half, 32m 8 Partial, 16m 9 Majority, 32m 10 Half, 16m 11 Partial, 8m 12 Majority, 16m 13 Half, 8m 14 Partial, 4m 15 Majority, 8m 16-17 Half, 4m 18+ Majority, 4m As always, a character may take a lower result in order to find a lower grade of cover closer at hand or better grade of cover further away. However, one tactics roll never actually results in more than one feature that can provide cover, and only one character at a time can effectively take cover behind each feature found in this way. The cover is only useful against attacks from one direction, and foes who strike from a substantially different angle of attack might be able to ignore the cover. In general, a location with less open lines of sight over long distances is better for searching for cover, but as long as the ground isn't completely flat and uniform, some form of cover can usually be improvised. Some sample modifiers to the roll follow: Location Modifier Indoors +6 Collapsed rubble +4 City alleyways +2 City main street City rooftops -2 Town main street -4 Farmland -6 Cover circumvention: Result 6 + Penalty 9 + Penalty 12 + Penalty 15 + Penalty Distance 32m 16m 8m 4m

This allows a character to find a spot from which he can ignore an enemy's cover. The penalty referred to in the table is the penalty the cover imposes on incoming shots. So, the more complete the cover, the more difficult it is to circumvent. For the purpose of this calculation, full cover is considered to impose a penalty of +8. Improvised weapons: Result 11 or less 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Weapon parameters None 16 Damage, DC11, 8AP 16 Damage, DC10, 7AP 16 Damage, DC13, 10AP 32 Damage, DC12, 6AP 32 Damage, DC16, 10AP 32 Damage, DC14, 9AP 64 Damage, DC15, 8AP 64 Damage, DC18, 12AP 64 Damage, DC17, 11AP 128 Damage, DC19, 11AP 128 Damage, DC22, 15AP

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

128 256 256 256 512 512 512 1k

Damage, Damage, Damage, Damage, Damage, Damage, Damage, Damage,

DC20, DC21, DC25, DC23, DC24, DC26, DC28, DC27,

13AP 12AP 16AP 15AP 14AP 17AP 19AP 17AP

When an improvised weapon is found, it can be used immediately picking it up is not considered an action, and so does not impose a multiple action penalty. Most improvised weapons are tools of some sort or another, so it's easiest to find one where people live and work. Natural improvised weapons are usually rocks of just the right shape and size, and are harder to find. Some sample modifiers to the roll follow: Location Modifier Inside workshop +6 Inside a store +4 Inside a home +2 City streets City rooftops -2 Farmland -4 Wilderness -6

When searching for an improvised weapon, the character declares what sort of proper weapon he wants it to resemble. The weapon type comes with the associated melee Tactics benefits, but it also must be used with the associated skill. The Brawling skill is the exception to this rule it may be used for all improvised weapons. There are two possible types of improvised weapon. finds after the roll is made. Mobile: This represents something that can be picked up and swung at a foe, like a table or a handheld tool. However, its not built to withstand the stresses of combat, so using it as an improvi sed weapon quickly degrades it. Every time this type of improvised weapon is used in an attack, regardless of whether the attack hits or not, its Damage parameter is halved. Environmental: This type of improvised weapon just represents making use of a nearby feature to harm foes. It might be anything from the sharp corner of a nearby building to a hanging kettle of molten iron. This type doesnt degrade upon use, but it also cant be carried around. A character can only continue to use this type of weapon if he doesnt move from the spot where he found it. Escape routes: Result Feature 5 32m, DC15 6 32m, DC11 7 32m, no test 8 16m, DC15 9 16m, DC11 10 16m, no test 11 8m, DC15 12 8m, DC11 13 8m, no test 14 4m, DC15 15 4m, DC11 16 4m, no test A player may decide which type his character

The DC referred to on the table is the Acrobatics DC required to get through the escape route, and might represent jumping, climbing, or other Acrobatics-linked tasks. A character can take a -3 to the roll to search for an escape route that uses another skill, as long as the GM agrees that it's reasonable. In any case, if the test is successful, the character is able to break the line of sight any foes have to him, and may hide or search for another escape route to put more distance between him and his pursuers. To regain line of sight, pursuers must travel to the location found by the Tactics roll. Melee openings: This option allows a character to use Tactics to gain the upper hand over a foe in melee. By exploiting the blind spots in a foes technique, the character can force him in a disadvantageous position. These tactics all require the target to be in melee combat, and they must be made in conjunction with a melee attack. Once the user commits to using his action on a melee attack, he first rolls as many of his reaction pool dice as desired against a DC starting at the targets Awareness and increasing depending on the tactics chosen. The tactics success is independent of the attacks success even if one fails, the other might still succeed. Whats important is that the threat of the attack is there. The user does not necessarily have to be the person in melee combat with the target by watching the battle carefully and calling out advice, he can influence the flow of battle without lifting a finger. A combatant in melee can choose to abide by one (and only one) allys melee openings Tactics roll in lieu of making one for himself, and thus allowing him to save his reaction pool. The user in this case rolls at +3DC, and the ally gets the full effects of the Tactics roll as though he himself made it. Multiple options may be chosen, and a single option may be taken multiple times on the same roll, but this increases the DC. For most options, the number of successes rolled is the number of rounds the effect lasts. Any melee tactics effects created by a character should be kept track of, and every round after his turn the number of rounds remaining for each should be reduced by one. Melee tactics effects all add to each other if a character is taking a +1 to the DCs to attack everyone but one foe, and a +2 to the DCs to attack everyone but a second foe, then he takes a +2 to his DC against the first, a +1 to his DC against the second, and a +3 to his DCs against anyone else. Similarly, if a character gets a -1 bonus that lasts 3 rounds, and then another -1 bonus that lasts 2 rounds, then on the third round he has a -2 bonus. The list of possible melee openings to find are as follow. Option name Seize Advantage Create Opening Interfere Crippling Blow Nonlethal Blow Block Escape Relocate Negate Modifier DC modifier +3 +2 +2 +3 +1 +1 +2 Variable

Seize Advantage: This option allows the user to attack tactically to move his foe into a more vulnerable position. Starting on the users next turn (that is, it does not benefit the attack the tactic was made with), the user gets a -1 to his attack DC as long as this effect lasts. Create Opening: This option has the user fight with a mind to taking advantage of his allies. He positions himself in such a way that even if he cant take down the target alone, his presence gives his friends the opening they need. Anyone else attacking the target in melee gets a -1 to their DCs to hit the target. Interfere: By distracting the target with constant attacks, the user makes it difficult for him to turn his attention to the users allies. The target gets +1 to his DCs to attack anyone other than the user.

Crippling Blow: The user aims his strikes to leave lasting damage. If the target is not critically wounded after the attacks damage is dealt, this option has no special effect. If the target is critically wounded, then this option causes the weapon to be treated as if it dealt twice as much damage for the purpose of determining Impairment effects. The target also takes a +3 to his DC to act while critically wounded. Nonlethal Blow: The user aims his strikes to bring the target down without dealing lasting harm. If the target is not critically wounded after the attacks damage is dealt, this option has no special effect. If the target is critically wounded, then this option causes the weapon to be treated as if it had dealt half as much damage for the purpose of determining Impairment effects. The target also takes +1 to his DC to act while critically wounded. Block Escape: The user tries to corner the target, positioning himself so his attacks block off any means of escape. If the target moves at all, the user gets a free attack against him outside the initiative order. If this option is taken multiple times, the user gets multiple free attacks. Relocate: This option allows the user to compel the target to move with bodily force. It makes the target use up an amount of his turns movement equal to the users walk speed. The user can attempt to make the target use that movement to go in a particular direction, or he can simply keep the target from using that movement at all. If the user goes with the former option, the target can opt to simply take the hit and refuse to move in that case, this option gives the user a number of automatic undodgeable successes on his attack equal to the successes on the Tactics roll. Alternately, the target can choose to drop prone and not move at a ll a prone target is never subject to automatic successes from this option. If the target does allow himself to be moved, then he moves immediately, even though its not his turn. The movement is subtracted from the targets allowed movement for his next turn. For the purpose of actions that depend on movement type, such as ranged attacks, the target is considered to be walking if his used up movement plus his turns movement is greater than 1m, and he is considered to be running if his used up movement plus his turns movement is greater than his walking speed. If the target is forced to use up more movement than his running speed, he falls prone before using up his entire running speed anyway. To use this option, the user must move within melee range of the targets initial position, and then to within melee range of the targets final position. This is an exception to the rule that an action cannot be performed in the middle of movement. If the user would not be able to reach within melee range of the final position, then he cannot even attempt to move the target to that final position, regardless of how many times this option is taken. Negate Modifier: This option seeks to turn the tables on a tactics-using foe and negate the effects he has created. The DC modifier for this option is equal to the sum of the modifiers of the effects the user wants to negate. Each success rolled shortens the duration of the effect by one round. If this would bring the remaining duration below zero, the effect ends immediately. Spotting: To a lesser degree, its possible for a character to use Tactics to help an ally make difficult ranged attacks. This works similarly to a Vital Strike in that the aided allys attack damage is doubled for one particular attack. The spotter must spend an action to make this Tactics roll. He delays his action so that he goes simultaneously with the character making the ranged attack, then he rolls as many reaction pool as desired against a DC of 10 plus the targets Awareness plus 3 for every attempted doubling he wishes to add. Alternately, he may add 4 to the DC in order to attempt to lower the ranged attackers attack DC for this attack by 1. Either way, the attacker still cannot benefit from more than one spotter at once, and he must

decide which spotter to accept the aid of before the spotter makes his Tactics roll. targeting a vehicle, use the main pilots Awareness. Section Relative Movement In order to keep play fast and simple without requiring the use of a some details of how characters are positioned relative to each other environment. Rather than tracking angles and shapes in two- or even distance of every character from every other character is kept track

If

combat map, this game simplifies and to features of their three-dimensional space, only the of.

In theory, this results in a common-sense reckoning of how each movement affects where a character is relative to everyone else, but in practice, its good to have the guidelines explicitly laid out so that players can know what to expect. You can usually go with your first instinct to determine the results of your movement, and only check these rules if theres disagreement over what should happen. Relative movement can be boiled down to four simple rules. 1) Moving closer to X automatically moves you closer to every Y thats closer to X than to you. So, suppose Xavier and Yvonne are 8 meters from each other. Zack is 16 meters from Xavier and 12 meters from Yvonne. Zack wants to move 10 meters closer to Xavier. For the first 4 meters, this brings Zack closer to both, until hes 12 meters from Xavier and 8 meters from Yvonne. But then Yvonne isnt any closer to Xavier than she is to Zack, so for the last 6 meters, Zack only gets closer to Xavier. Zacks final position is 6 meters from Xavier and 8 meters from Yvonne. 2) Your maximum distance from any X is your distance from any Y plus Ys distance from X. Now suppose Zack had wanted to move 10 meters closer to Yvonne instead. By Rule 1, the first 4 meters would bring him closer to both, so that hes 12 meters from Xavier and 8 meters from Yvonne. The next 4 meters bring him closer only to Yvonne, so that hes 12 meters from Xavier and 4 meters from Yvonne. But then he runs into Rule 2, since 4+8=12. Moving the last 2 meters must also move him closer to Xavier in order to maintain the maximum distance, so he ends up 10 meters from Xavier and 2 meters from Yvonne. 3) Your minimum distance from any X is Xs distance from any Y minus your distance from Y. Xavier and Yvonne switch places. Theyre still 8 meters from each other, but now Zack is 2 meters from Xavier and 10 meters from Yvonne. Zack wants to move 5 meters towards Yvonne. By Rule 1, the first 2 meters move him closer to both, so that hes 0 meters from Xavier (right next to him) and 8 meters from Yvonne. But now moving further towards Yvonne invokes Rule 3 moving closer to Yvonne must move him further away from Xavier, or else their distances to Zack would somehow add up to less than 8 without bringing them closer than 8 meters apart. Zack ends up 3 meters from Xavier and 5 meters from Yvonne. 4) A character may choose to make a movement that increases his distance from everyone else equally. Starting from the initial situation, with Zack 16 meters from Xavier and 12 meters from Yvonne, while Xavier and Yvonne are 8 meters from each other, suppose that Zack wants to get as close as he can to Xavier without getting any closer to Yvonne. To do this, he moves 16 meters towards Xavier, then 4 meters away from everyone. So, the first 4 meters towards Xavier also take him towards Yvonne by Rule 1 (hes 12 meters from Xavier and 8 from Yvonne), the next 12 meters of movement take him only towards Xavier (hes 0 meters from Xavier and 8 from Yvonne), and the last 4 meters of movement take him away from both (hes 4 meters from Xavier and back to 12 meters from Yvonne). To get any closer to Xavier, Rule 2 would require him to also get closer to Yvonne. The total maneuver costs him 20 meters of movement. Put more intuitively, Rule 1 just says that when youre moving towards a target in a group, you also move towards the group, Rules 2 and 3 say that the distances between people have to add up in a way that makes sense, and Rule 4 says that by default you can always run away from everyone. There are some exceptions to these rules: for example, when someone is flanked, or when dealing with the location of very large objects. Section Surface Movement

Sometimes a battlefield is divided by a large plane, and each sides placement relative to the plane is tactically important. The two most common examples of this are people on foot fighting a flying enemy (those on foot are confined to the plane of the ground), and land bound units fighting an enemy at sea (the two sides are divided by the vertical plane of the coastline). In these cases, each character has a distance to that plane at any given moment in time. This distance is treated a bit differently from the distances between characters. Use the following rules when dealing with planes. P5) When dealing with characters on the same side of the plane as you are, your maximum and minimum distance from the plane is determined by your distance to other characters and their distance from the plane, but your maximum and minimum distance from other characters is not determined by your distances to the plane. So, if Yvonne is 10 meters from the shore, and Xavier is 5 meters from Yvonne, Xavier must be from 5 to 15 meters from the shore. But if Yvonne is 10 meters from the shore and Xavier is 5 meters from the shore, Xavier might have any distance at least 5 meters from Yvonne. P6) When dealing with characters on the opposite side of the plane as you are, your minimum distance from such a character is your distance from the plane plus their distance from the plane. The plane doesnt determine maximum distance. If Yvonne is in a boat 50 meters from the coast, and Xavier is 30 meters inland, then Xavier and Yvonne cant be less than 80 meters apart, but they could well be farther apart than that. P7) When moving towards or away from a character, your distance from the plane does not change. When moving towards or away from the plane, your distance from other characters does not change. The only exceptions are when this would conflict with the minimum and maximum distances in the two rules above.

Section Flanking Several circumstances can cause a character to become flanked by other characters. When a character is flanked, his movement options are limited. Use the following two rules for moving a flanked character. F8) When youre being flanked by at least one other character, every meter of your movement must be to approach one of the characters flanking you. F9) A character ceases to flank you if the distance between you and the flanking character increases for any reason, or if you or the flanking character attack each other in melee. So, a flanked character cant use the option in Rule 4, but a flanking character also cant use the option in Rule 4 without ceasing to flank his target. Section Placing Tactics Features When a character uses a Tactics roll to find a useful feature some set distance away from him, its distance from every other character also needs to be determined. By default, every characters distance to the new feature is the same as that characters distance to the Tactics user. By taking a -3 to the rolls result (which may be decided after the roll is made), a character may choose one of the following options. Firstly, the feature can be in the same direction as some target. This is only allowed if the feature wont end up being closer to the target than it is to the Tactics user. It makes it so that the distance from the target to the feature is the minimum possible, and so if the Tactics user then moves towards the feature, he also moves towards the target. Secondly, the feature can be in the opposite direction from some target. This puts the feature at its maximum possible distance from the target, which means that if the Tactics user moves towards the feature, he must also be moving away from the target. Section - Other Maneuvers Drawing a Weapon:

A character who wishes to use a weapon he doesn't have out and ready has to use an action to draw it. Drawing a weapon is a Dexterity attribute test, DC1, which suffers from and imposes the usual penalties for multiple actions in a single turn. Blocking: Instead of dodging out of the way of an incoming attack, a character can attempt to block it with something held. A blocking character will still take some damage from the force of the attack, but if he blocks well, it shouldnt do any more than bruise him. Every shield has a number it reduces the usual dodge DC by, as well as a damage and AP value its rated to beat. A character may freely choose whether to dodge an incoming attack or block it. If he opts to dodge, then his shield provides no benefit. If he opts to block, then he rolls as though making a dodge test, but reduces the DC by the shields rating. If his number of block successes isnt greater than or equal to the number of attack successes, then they simply reduce the Armor DC as normal, and the shield provides no additional benefit. However, if he does roll at least as many block successes as attack successes, then he successfully gets the shield between himself and the attack, which has the following effects. The damage and AP value of the weapon used is compared to the damage and AP value the shield is rated for. If both the shields damage and AP are greater than or equal to th e enemys weapons values, then the defender gets two automatic successes on his Armor roll. If one of the shields rated damage or AP values is less than that of the attacking weapon, then the defender gets only one automatic success for his Armor roll. If both the shields rated damage and its AP value are less than the attacking weapons, then the defender gets no automatic Armor successes. However, any attack thats successfully blocked, as long as the shield is rated for at least one eighth of the incoming damage, does not impose any critical wound effects even if the defender takes more wound points than his HP value, he remains no worse off for it, and can continue fighting until he takes an attack that is not blocked. A character may also choose to block with a held weapon. Most weapons only apply a -1 to the dodge DC, and the damage and AP values a weapon is considered to be rated for are its own damage and AP when attacking. When comparing damage values for blocking, any damage increases from the use of the Vital Strike option are ignored. A character can never block with more than one item at once. Dropping Prone: A character may drop prone as part of his movement for the turn, laying himself flat on the ground and becoming harder to hit with ranged attacks. This doesn't require an action, but a character dropping prone is considered to be running for the purpose of the penalties he faces even if he does not actually use any movement. The start of his movement is considered to be his starting position, standing up, and the end of his movement is considered to be his ending position, prone. A prone character is considered to be in cover one category higher than he would otherwise have. So a prone character in the open is considered to have Partial cover, while a prone character in Half cover is considered to have Majority cover. A prone character in Majority cover is considered to be in Total cover, so he usually can't shoot or see through what he's taking cover behind. If a character who begins his turn prone does not make any other movement, he may stand up from prone position without further penalty. If a character wishes to both stand up and move, this requires a Dexterity attribute test, DC1, which is considered an action and so imposes the standard penalties for multiple actions. Aiming: If attacking a motionless target, like an inanimate object or a sleeping person, a character can spend a turn aiming at his target. Note that this is not an action, and so it can not be done multiple times in one turn. Furthermore, if the character takes any other movement or action, or if he spends any reaction pool, all his accumulated aiming bonuses are lost afterwards. Every turn spent aiming reduces the DC of an attack to hit the motionless target by 1. This reduction cannot exceed the attacking character's number of skill levels with the weapon he's using.

Chapter - Skills

Where attributes are used to represent basic talent, skills are used to represent practice and expertise at specific tasks. Each skill applies to a much more narrow selection of tasks conceptually, there could be infinitely many skills, but only the ones most useful for adventuring are defined here. All other skills are handled by the Background skill system. Unless success at a task depends only on innate ability, a character attempting it rolls a number of dice equal to his number of levels in the relevant skill. Every character is considered to have 1 level in every skill to start, and additional levels are gained by spending experience points, representing many hours of practice. NPCs with a career based on a task will have at least 3 skill levels in the associated skill, but only rarely more than 5. Skills are arranged into four circles. In each circle, the skills are arranged around the rim so that they each have two neighbors. If one skill is already known at a given level, then raising its neighbors up to that level is at half cost. So, for example, if one skill is known at level 3, and the other is still at level 1, then buying that skill to level 2 and then level 3 costs half. Raising either skill above the other is at normal cost. If both neighbor skills are known at a higher level, then raising the skill is completely free. So, if one neighbor is at level 4 and the other is at level 3, raising the middle skill to 3 is free, raising it to 4 is at half cost, and raising it higher is at normal cost. Weapon Circle Brawling Chains Blades Maces Polearms Throwing Bows Crossbows Ranged spell targeting (Brawling) Adventuring Circle Acrobatics Stealth Sleight of Hand Lockpicking Survival Tracking Carriage Driving Horseback Riding Sprinting/Swimming (Acrobatics) Social Circle Persuasion Bluff Socialize Negotiate Intimidate (Persuasion) Magic Circle Striking Debuffing Buffing Healing Sense Control Fabrication (Striking) Sample tasks: A list of tasks, their associated base DCs, and the attributes they're based on make up the following section. If a character has enough dice, and his final DC is low enough, then the task is considered a rote action. The character can forego actually rolling the test, and instead just take a single automatic success. The character can still attempt to get more successes by actually rolling, in which case there is no additional bonus for being a rote action if the actual roll gets no successes, the test is still a failure. Note that for this purpose, a final DC that would be brought below 1 is distinct from a final DC equal to 1.

Final DC Less than 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Minimum dice for rote automatic success 2 3 5 7 10 13 17 22 29

Sprinting: Speed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Extra distance per success 0.75m 1m 1.25m 1.5m 1.75m 2m 2.25m 2.5m 2.75m 3m 3.5m 4m

Sprinting is used to try to run a bit faster than one's Strength would normally allow. It is considered an action in its own right, so attempting to sprint while also performing another action imposes all the usual penalties to both. Additionally, every turn spent sprinting deals 1 point of damage to the sprinting character. A character cannot sprint if he would have a wound penalty after taking the damage. The roll is Fortitude-based, at a base DC of the characters Speed plus 3. Every success increases the characters running speed by the listed amount. A separate roll must be made every turn to determine the characters new speed. Swimming: Task/Circumstance Water condition Controlled water (indoor pool) Calm water Rough water Stormy water Attempted action Moving no more than base swim speed Attempting a surge DC (Fortitude) 3 4 5 7 +Strength

Speed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Base distance 1.25m 1.5m 2m 2.5m 3m 4m 5m 6m 8m 10m 13m 16m

Surge distance +0.25m per success +0.5m per success +0.75m per success +1m per success +1.25m per success +1.5m per success +2m per success +2.5m per success +3m per success +4m per success +5m per success +6m per success

Swimming is usually considered an action in its own right, so attempting to swim while performing another action applies the usual penalties to both the swimming test and the other attempted action. If a character is in water too deep to stand in, and he doesnt have something floating nearby to hang onto, then he must make some sort of swimming test every turn. If he fails this roll, or is not able to attempt it, then he sinks 1 meter below the surface that turn. Swimming base speed:

A character can travel through water at a pace depending on his Strength as long as he gets at least one success on a Swimming roll every turn. This is a rote action, so for characters with a high enough Fortitude, this doesnt even need to be rolled. Swimming on the surface and swimming underwater are equally easy, but a character swimming underwater has to worry about drowning (see the Adjudication chapter). Surging: When a burst of speed is required, this works similarly to Sprinting on land. Unlike Sprinting, this doesnt require a separate action beyond what would normally be required for Swimming. However, every attempt still deals 1 automatic damage to the swimmer, and it may still not be attempted if the character would have a wound penalty after the damage is dealt. Stealth: Task/Circumstance Final Modifier (Dexterity) =Speed= Completely still +6 1m or less per turn +3 Up to half walking speed Up to walking speed -5 Up to running speed -10 =Cover/Concealment= Total +6 Majority/Peeking +3 Half Partial -5 None -10 =Background= Garish/Raucous +6 Busy/Noisy +3 Average Simple/Quiet -5 Featureless/Silent -10 =Enemy alertness= Nearly asleep/In combat +6 Busy/Distracted/Unconcerned +3 On watch Recently put on high alert -5 Saw subject enter hiding spot -10 =Range= 10 meters away Every doubling over 10 +6 Every meter less than 10 -1 When a character tries to hide from or sneak past another, he makes an open Stealth test, Dexterity-based. The result is modified by the numbers above and then used as the DC any searchers must meet to find him, using their Perception dice, Awareness-based. Speed: This must reflect not just the character's movement speed across the ground, but also any other actions taken by the character. Slowly peeking over the top of a wall would be equivalent to moving less than 1m per turn, while fighting would be equivalent to running at full speed. Cover/Concealment: This refers not just to obstacles between the character and whoever's trying to detect him, but also to conditions that limit visibility in general. Total darkness usually only occurs in windowless indoor areas, while moonlight or deep shadow is equivalent to half cover. Background: This refers to how easily the character can be picked out from the background, both by sight and by sound. This refers not just to how noisy and complex the background is, but also how well

the character fits into that background. A jungle might be Average for someone dressed in street clothes, Garish for someone dressed in the appropriate camouflage, and effectively Featureless for someone dressed in bright orange. Flying shapes against a starry sky might be considered Busy, while hiding in a crowd could be anywhere from Garish to Featureless depending on the thickness of the crowd and how well-suited the character is to blending into it. Enemy alertness: A more alert enemy is harder to sneak past than a less alert one. The "recently put on high alert" category means that the opponent is either actively searching, or has been notified that someone is likely going to try to sneak past him within roughly the next ten minutes - it's not usually possible to maintain a heightened state of alert longer than that. The "saw subject enter hiding spot" modifier applies if the character is trying to sneak through an area that the opponent knows he will have to go through, and also if the opponent has the character's location pointed out by someone who has already succeeded at finding the sneaking character. Range: These modifiers assume normal, unenhanced vision, and are subject to some adjustment depending on the circumstances. A spotter using a telescope with ten times magnification can usually reduce the effective distance to a tenth, and if the distance falls between two of the listed increments, the DC used might be between the two listed DCs. Acrobatics: JumpingCircumstance High jump Long jump Standing start Running start Jump Mod +0 +5 +0 +3 Base jump distance 1m 1.25m 1.5m 2m 2.5m 3m 4m 5m 6m 8m 5m 6m 8m 10m 13m 16m

Strength + Jump Mod 5 or less 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Open Jump test result (Strength) 8 or less 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

Additional jump distance None 0.25m 0.3m 0.4m 0.5m 0.6m 0.8m 1m 1.25m 1.5m 2m 2.5m 3m 4m 5m 6m 8m 10m 13m 16m

28 29 30

20m 25m 32m

The distance given is in length for a long jump, or in height for a high jump. In order for a jump to be considered a running jump, the character must get a 10 meter running start. If a jump is 2 meters or less short of its goal, a character may immediately make a Climbing check to grab on. Note that on a missed high jump, the character takes falling damage as normal from the peak of his jump. ClimbingTask/Circumstance DC (Strength) =Handhold/foothold width= Ample (ladder, rooftop) 0 Majority (craggy rock) 2 Half (windowsill) 5 Minority (uneven bricks) 9 Slim (even bricks) 14 None (completely smooth) 20 =Circumstantial= Pillar-shaped -4 Pole-shaped -7 Pipe-shaped -8 Per five degrees from vertical -1 Aided by helper -2 Cannot use legs +3 Catch while falling +2 Risk speed +1 or more A successful roll lets a climber climb until he reaches his destination. The base climbing speed is 1m per turn, but a character can decide before he rolls his test to increase his DC in order to climb faster. Speed risked 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Distance climbed per turn 1m 1.25m 1.5m 2m 2.5m 3m 4m 5m 6m 8m 10m

On a failed roll, the character falling damage. If a character must make another climbing test determine how fast he makes the

falls when halfway to his destination, potentially taking takes damage or tries to take another action while climbing, he afterwards, and he uses the new distance climbed per turn to remaining climb.

Even if a character chooses not to risk any increase in the DC, rolling additional successes also speeds up a climb. Every success after the first increases the effective speed risked by 1. Handhold/foothold width: The "handhold/foothold width" category of modifiers represents how much of the climbing character's hand and foot surface he is able to use to climb. If he's able to get his hands and forearms up on the surface he's climbing onto, while pushing himself up with full leverage from his heels, then the surface is considered "ample," and smaller surfaces lead to correspondingly greater penalties. Shape:

A pillar-shaped surface is considered to be one that's rounded enough that the climber can wrap his arms around the majority of it, hugging the surface to gain additional leverage. A poleshaped one is similar, but even slimmer, so that the climber can wrap his hand around it - a rope falls into this category as well. A pipe-shaped surface is one that allows the climber to brace himself against opposite surfaces - the surfaces must be closer together than half the climber's armspan. This means that for most climbers, they must be less than a meter apart to qualify. Aided by helper: This requires that the climber be able to brace either directly or by rope. The helper doesn't and it can in fact be nothing more than a piton holding the climber independent of his effort. up, then the standard rules for lifting burdens Running start: This modifier can only apply to climbs that can be completed in a single turn, and requires that the climber is able to run for 10 meters before using his momentum to move more speedily up the surface. Cannot use legs: This modifier applies when the climber can't get as good a foothold as he has for his handhold. This usually applies when the climber is hanging from a ledge of some sort and has to pull himself up. Catch while falling: A character who fails a climb or jump test immediately begins to fall. If the character was jumping, then he usually has to make a test with this modifier to grab onto a handhold. Most often, the DC for this starts at 6 (0 for Ample handhold, +3 for no foothold, +3 for. The character can try to grab onto whatever surfaces are nearby every turn he falls, but by attempting to do so, the strain of bringing himself abruptly to a stop is entirely inflicted upon his arms. A character trying to stop himself from falling like this must first resist the falling damage (see the section on Adjudication) with only his base Armor dice before worn armor, and any wound penalties apply to the climbing test. BalanceTask/Circumstance DC (Dexterity) 50cm width 3 Decrease by half +3 Moving up to 1m/turn Up to half walking speed +4 Up to walking speed +8 Above walking speed +12 This test is used whenever a character has to move across a path 50 or less centimeters in width, with a drop to one or both sides. Lockpicking: The DCs related to this task are special. The base DC depends on the quality of the lock being picked, and it's modified both by the lockpicker's Dexterity and by the quality of the lockpicker's equipment. Each lock also has a base amount time required to pick it. If the lock is successfully picked, then the time required to pick it is reduced for each extra success rolled. Even on a failed test, most locks can be attempted again and again as long as time permits, but some are equipped with traps to punish failed attempts. Locks are usually encountered during Infiltration, which has its own chapter. Sleight of Hand: This skill is used for swift, deceptive hand movements that either misdirect detection or avoid it completely. The basic system is the same as the Stealth system above - the user of Sleight of Hand makes himself on a helper holding him from above, actually have to lift to qualify for this bonus, driven into the rock, as long as it's actively If the helper tries to actually lift the climber are used.

an open Sleight of Hand test, Dexterity based, and anyone who might notice the deception rolls his Perception dice against that result modified by the situational modifiers below, Awareness-based. The modifiers below are for attempting to make something "disappear," taking it and hiding it on oneself without visibly appearing to do so. If the target fails his Perception test, then he doesn't notice that the object's gone until it's unclear who's responsible for taking it. If there are multiple targets attempting to spot a single object being stolen, then the Sleight of Hand user rolls a single test to determine the DC, and all observers roll against that DC to spot the attempt. Regardless of how low the Sleight of Hand test is rolled, the object is taken anyway - the roll only determines how difficult it is to determine that the object was taken. Circumstances Final Modifier (Dexterity) =Object proximity= Peripheral vision +6 Seen at distance +3 Seen at arm's length Worn on clothes -5 Touching skin -10 =Object size= Fingertip +6 Palm +3 Fist Handful -5 Both hands -10 =Target attention= Dozing/In combat +6 Busy/Conversing +3 Normal state Attention on object -5 Attention on user -10 =Interference= Broken LoS +6 Major distractions +3 Other sounds/sights Quiet, peaceful -5 Featureless -10 Object proximity: This category of modifiers refers to how well the target can see or feel the object that's to be stolen, regardless of whether his attention is actually on it. Object size: The larger an object is, the more difficult it is to discreetly take. Regardless of the object's size, the thief must be able to keep the object out of sight from all observers simultaneously to attempt to steal it, either by putting it in a pocket, in a coat, hiding it behind a a hand, or holding it behind his back. Target attention: This refers to where the target's attention is focused. If the target is occupied by something else, then he's less likely to notice the object being taken, but if he's consciously keeping watch on the object, or watching the user's every movement, then it will be much more difficult to fool him. Interference: This modifier reflects outside factors that make it more or less difficult for the target to keep an eye on the object. A broken line of sight means that there's something periodically blocking the view of the object, such as a moving crowd of people walking by. Survival: Reducing wound penalty-

The base DC of this roll is the patients Willpower plus 9. This roll has a base time of four minutes. Every success reduces the target's effective wound penalty by 1. If the number of successes rolled is greater than the target's base wound penalty, then the time taken to perform the action is cut in half once for each extra success. Every time a character treated in this way takes further damage from any source, one point of his previous wound penalty returns. After a character uses this skill to treat a target, he may not treat the same target again until the target takes further damage (in which case he may not reduce the wound penalty to a smaller value than it was after his last attempt) or heals completely. A character with this skill can attempt to treat someone who has already been treated by someone else, but in that case, the effects of the initial treatment are lost and the target must take the result of the new treatment, whether it is better or worse. Aiding healingThe Survival skill is used to help wounded characters recover. the specific rules used. Wilderness livingSee the Adjudication chapter for

This skill is also used to be self-sufficient when it's not possible to simply buy food and shelter. See the Adjudication chapter for the specific rules used. Tracking: Task/Circumstance DC (Intelligence) =Surface type= Snow 1 Mud 3 Dirt 6 Underbrush 10 Stone 15 =Tracker trails by= Up to 1 hour 3 hours +1 9 hours +2 1 day +3 3 days +4 1 week +5 =Disturbances in meantime= Traffic (per person) +1 Rain (per hour) +1 Snow (per hour) +3 =Target details= 1 person on foot Per extra person on foot -1 Per person on horseback -2 Per carriage -4 This skill allows a tracker to follow a group of targets along a path across the wilderness. It is rolled once per day, against a DC based on the highest DC terrain the targets spent a significant amount of time travelling through - usually at least an hour. A tracker must sacrifice a base value of half his overland movement to make this check, but every success on the tracking roll after the first cuts the amount that must be sacrificed in half (so a tracker that rolls three successes can move at 7/8 of his normal overland movement for the day). If the tracker fails the check, he can try again at the same location the next day. Vehicle skills are used for maneuvering vehicles. Within combat, they are used in the open test to obtain Maneuver Points, and they are also used to navigate obstacles both in and out of combat. Riding: Different mounts have different base DCs for various tasks, depending on their training. All DCs are Strength-based, and any wound penalties affecting the mount also affect attempts to control the mount, stacking with any wound penalties against the rider. Success only causes the mount to attempt the

desired action, and the mount can get no more successes on its roll than the rider got on the Riding roll. Some base DCs for horses follow. The DC is reduced by the horse's Maneuver Rating, and if the horse is wounded, its wound penalty also increases the DC. Task/Circumstance DC (Strength) Navigate obstacle 10 Move into battle 12 Attack target 14 The Riding skill is also used during vehicle combat for tactical positioning. Vehicles for more information. Carriage driving: The DCs for this task are based on the components used to build the carriage and the total Maneuver Rating of the vehicle. This skill is also used for tactical positioning during vehicle combat. See the chapter on Vehicles for more information. -Social groupingPersuasion: The skill of Persuasion is used to appeal to a target's reason and self-interest to show him that a particular course of action would be wisest to take. It involves showing the target that his previously intended course of action was inferior, and so more intelligent targets are more likely to have already considered and discarded the persuader's arguments, or to have taken into account factors that the persuader hadn't realized. Thus, the roll is Intelligence-based, against a base DC of the target's Intelligence, with modifiers based on the circumstances. On a success, the target realizes the error of his ways and changes his course of action. On a failure, the target either considers the persuader's arguments to be insufficient, stubbornly refuses to hear the arguments in the first place, or even believes that the persuader is lying or deluded. Targets of a failed attempt might also glean the true motivations behind the persuaders words, though only the most general gist of the persuaders motivations can be uncovered in this way. If the persuader bases his argument on a lie of some sort, he must first pass a Bluff test for the lie, and can roll no more dice on the Persuasion test than successes rolled on the Bluff test. A persuasion test usually takes a base time of about 1 minute, with the base time being cut in half for every success after the first. The number of successes also determines how long the target remains committed to his new course of action. Once that time has elapsed, he begins to reconsider his decision. If, in this time, he's managed to get himself into a situation where he can't take back his decision, then he'll continue to carry on, but otherwise, he'll usually try to return to the other course of action. This time is approximate, and might be cut short if a new factor that makes the course of action less appealing presents itself to the target. Successes Time 1 1 minute 2 30 minutes 3 8 hours 4 1 week 5 no limit If the test fails, a retry is usually not possible unless circumstances greatly change. rejects the persuader's argument only becomes more committed to his course of action. A target who See the chapter on

This skill should be used by NPCs whenever they wish to express to the PCs that they would prefer a change in the PCs course of action. This skill is not magical mind control, and so it can never force players to modify their characters' behavior in a way that they believe to be unfitting. Instead, on a successful roll by an NPC using this skill, the GM should outline the NPC's argument in a way that he expects the PCs will find enticing - and he should only include information the NPC does not believe in this argument if the NPC followed the procedure for lying during persuasion above. On a failed roll by

an NPC, the GM should make no particular effort to be persuasive, and should give indications as to the NPCs true motivations. Circumstance DC (Intelligence) =Target believes current course of action is= Practially suicidal +0 Disastrous +1 Annoying +2 Neither harmful nor beneficial +3 Pleasant +4 Majorly beneficial +5 =Persuader claims current course of action is= Practially suicidal +0 Disastrous +1 Annoying +2 Neither harmful nor beneficial +3 Pleasant +4 Majorly beneficial +5 =Persuader claims suggested course of action will be= Majorly beneficial -4 Pleasant -2 Neither harmful nor beneficial +0 Annoying +2 Disastrous +4 Practically suicidal +6 =Relevant information= Persuader has/fabricates something target doesn't know -3 Persuader has incomplete information +5 =Target's investment in the current course of action= Little to none +0 Hours of effort / Sentimentality +3 Weeks of work / Loyalty +6 Years of dedication / Personal devotion +9 =Target's feelings about persuader= Friendship -4 Good impression -2 Neutral +0 Rivalry +2 Enmity +4 =Target's esteem for persuader= Admiration -4 Respect -2 Undecided +0 Disregard +2 Contempt +4 Target's opinion on current course of action: This modifier reflects how satisfied the target is with his current course of action. his current situation, the more open he'll be to being convinced to take a new path. Persuader's statement on current course of action: This is a separate modifier from the previous one because the persuader's argument might be based around the target unwittingly getting himself into a bad situation. If the persuader is lying about how bad he believes the consequences of the target's current course of action will be, then he has to roll a Bluff first as described above. Persuader's suggested course of action: This factor reflects the quality of the alternative course of action the persuader proposes. Again, if the persuader knows that it will not be as good as he says it will be, then use the procedure for bluffing above. Relevant information: The worse

If the target has a reason for making his decision that the persuader isn't aware of, it becomes much harder to persuade him to abandon it. Similarly, if the persuader has some new information that the target wasn't aware of, it might be easier to convince him to change his mind - this piece of information can be a lie, but this again requires the Bluffing procedure above. Target's investment: This factor reflects the target's emotional attachment to his current course of action. The largest factor will likely be either how much effort the target has already put into pursuing it (someone who's spent his life's savings on acquiring a cursed artifact isn't going to be eager to give it up), and loyalty or attachment to others (a dedicated soldier might be willing to fight to the end, even in a hopeless battle). The GM should use whichever is more appropriate. Target's feelings about persuader: The target will be more inclined to listed to the persuader if they're good friends, and vice versa. Target's opinion about persuader: This is not necessarily tied to the previous factor - even if the target and the persuader are bitter enemies, the target still might have a great degree of grudging respect for him. Bluff: The skill of bluffing is used to convince a target that the bluffer is being sincere when the bluffer is in fact being deceptive. It requires the bluffer to be careful and calculate exactly what words and mannerisms will falsely convey a sense of sincerity, without being overt enough for the target to pick up that something is off. The roll is Intelligence-based, against a base DC of the target's Awareness. Note the distinction between convincing someone of some objective fact and convincing him of one's own sincere belief in that objective fact. The Bluff skill doesn't force the target to believe anything - it only makes him perceive that the bluffer himself isn't being deceptive. A bluffer who succeeds on his test to tell an impossibly outlandish story only makes his listener perceive that the bluffer is a fool though even that much can be useful. Even if a Bluff test is successful, it won't necessarily have the desired effect on the target's behavior. A guard might be convinced that the bluffer isn't the real criminal, but he'll still take him down to the guard house for the sake of following proper procedure. A Persuasion or Intimidation test is necessary to directly modify the behavior of an NPC, and if that attempt to modify the behavior of the NPC involves deception, then a Bluff test must be made first, and no more dice may be rolled on the Persuasion or Intimidation roll than successes rolled on the Bluff test. The time taken to make a Bluff check can vary widely depending on just how closely the target inspects the bluffer, and is usually not dependent on number of successes rolled. The main benefit of rolling multiple successes on a Bluff roll is that the number of successes rolled caps the number of dice that may be used on Persuasion and Intimidation tests that use the bluff as described above. Bluff tests can't be retried - either the target perceives that you're being sincere or he doesn't. However, even a failed Bluff test doesn't prove to the target that the bluffer is lying - most targets of failed Bluff tests will still entertain the possibility that the bluffer is telling the truth, even if they expect that he's lying. Players targetted by successful Bluff tests are free to have their characters believe whatever they wish - in fact, the GM should make Bluff tests against player characters in secret so that they're unaware of whether a given NPC is being truthful or is just a good bluffer, and similarly for whether an NPC is a bad bluffer or just has a shifty personality. Even a failed Bluff test leaves some small room for doubt, although GMs should use truthful characters who appear to be lying very sparingly. Circumstance =Likelihood of fact= 90% or more About 60% 25% 10% DC (Intelligence) +0 +2 +4 +6

3% +8 1% or less +10 =Evidence to contrary= None +0 Circumstantial +3 Significant +6 Conclusive +9 =Consequence of false accusation= None -0 Inconvenience -2 Moderate punishment -4 Extreme punishment -6 =Reward for true accusation= None +0 Minor reward +2 Major reward +4 Extreme reward +6 =Familiarity with bluffer= None +0 Acquaintance +2 Regular contact +4 Personal relationship +6 =Esteem for bluffer= Neutral -0 Respect/Disregard -3 Admiration/Contempt -6 =History with bluffer= Has caught bluffer in similar lie +5

Likelihood of fact: This represents the sheer mathematical likelihood of the fact being true, absent all other factors. If one in ten people are werewolves, then convincing the guards that you aren't one is a +0 modifier; and convincing the thugs that have you cornered that you are one is a +6 modifier. Evidence to contrary: This refers to the strength of any specific evidence that suggests that the bluffer is lying. Anything at all that contradicts the bluffer's story to one degree or another falls into this category. Consequence of false accuasion: This refers to what the target believes will happen if he accuses the bluffer of being a liar, but is in fact wrong. The target will be less likely to risk it if a false accusation would lead to great retribution or other consequences. Reward for true accusation: On the flipside, if the target hopes that the bluffer is lying, he'll be more inclined to call the bluff. Familiarity with bluffer: If the bluffer and target already know each other, then the target is more likely to pick up on the bluffer's tells. Esteem for bluffer: A target who holds the bluffer in high regard is less likely to even consider that he could be lying, and a target who has contempt for the bluffer is likely to consider him beneath his notice - either way, it makes the bluffer's job easier.

History with bluffer: If the bluffer has been caught in a lie similar to the one he's attempting to tell, the target is likely to be much more cautious about believing him. Intimidate: This skill is used to scare a target into a moment of weakness. It relies on a careful, calculated approach toward inciting fear in the target, and it can only be resisted by sheer subconscious stubbornness. Therefore, it's an Intelligence-based roll against a base DC of the target's Willpower. Intimidation isn't magical mind control, either. Essentially, it aims to disturb the target on a subconscious level to make him act without thinking - and once he regains his senses, he might reconsider whether to continue to be intimidated. The intimidator should often plan to be out of reach by that time. Note that all listed modifiers are from the target's point of view. This means that an ignorant target might be harder to intimidate than a knowledgeable one, but it also means that a skilled Bluff can make Intimidation much easier. On an Intimidation attempt involving deception, a Bluff test must be rolled first, and no more dice can be rolled for Intimidation than successes rolled on the Bluff test. So long as it continues to succeed, Intimidation can usually be used without limit, but a target who resists an intimidator's attempt is usually immune to further intimidation until a day has passed, even in the most dire situations. Intimidation usually requires a single action to perform, and cannot be performed at the same time as a directly hostile action against the target of the intimidation. Any combat action against the target also cuts short the period of intimidation. The number of successes rolled determines how long the target spends involuntarily trying to avoid confrontation with the intimidator. This might entail obeying the intimidator's verbal commands, but also might result in unintended methods that the intimidator didn't consider. If the intimidator is just aiming to leave a lasting impression rather than compel immediate action, the table of times for Persuasion above can be used instead. Successes Time 1 1 action 2 1 round 3 2 rounds 4 5 rounds 5 1 minute 6 10 minutes 7 1 hour 8 8 hours Intimidation operates on a subconscious level, and so unlike most social rolls, it is as capable of compelling player character obedience as it is of controlling NPCs. However, for longer intimidation times, players should be given more leeway in how they roleplay their reactions. Immediately after being intimidated, a player character might be forced to drop his weapon, turn and flee, or even blurt out a secret, but beyond that, it should be the player's choice how his character tries to remove himself from the danger of the intimidator. Circumstance DC (Intelligence) =Relative circumstances= Intimidator dominant -2 Intimidator advantaged Roughly even +2 Target advantaged +4 Target dominant +6 =Numerical advantage= Intimidator, overwhelming -2 Intimidator, significant Roughly even +2 Target, significant +4 Target, overwhelming +6 =Threatened consequence= Death, harm to loved ones -2

Permanent serious damage Wounds, property damage Pain, humiliation Inconvenience =Intimidator renown= Universal terror Fear and respect Unknown/Moderate Considered harmless Widespread contempt Relative circumstances:

+2 +4 +6 -2 +2 +4 +6

This is a very broad, blurry category, but it changes depending on what kind of conflict is threatened between the intimidator and the target. It takes into account the skill and attribute relevant to that conflict, which could mean Strength and melee weapon skill in a cramped alleyway, Dexterity and crossbow skill for a rooftop standoff, or Intelligence and Persuasion for a meeting of the royal council. It's also possible for the skills and attributes to be different for each side. In either case, if the skill and attribute of one side both exceed the skill and attribute on the opposite side, the former side is considered to have an advantage over the other. If the attribute also exceeds the opponent's attribute by three points, or the advantaged side also has twice as many skill dice as the opponent, then the advantaged side is also considered dominant. If the target has seen the intimidator make the relevant skill check before, then it can be assumed that the target has a good enough understanding of their relative prowess to use the proper modifier. However, if the target can only guess at the intimidator's abilities, then an appropriate figure should be used based on how things appear to be - a shirtless thug might be obviously very muscular, but that same thug in a greatcoat might not appear so strong. There are also some situations where relative advantage has little to do with relative skills and attributes. For example, a prisoner almost always considers his captor dominant, except in cases where the prisoner has reason to expect imminent escape, in which case the captor might be only advantaged. In situations like these, an appropriate figure should be chosen freely by the GM. Numerical advantage: One side is considered to have a significant numerical advantage if they have at least 50% more people than the other. The advantage is considered overwhelming if one side has at least twice as many people as the other. Threatened consequence: The greater the consequences the target expects the intimidator to be capable of inflicting, the easier it is to intimidate him. Note that this factor is subjective - if the target believes that the intimidator is unwilling or unable to go so far, this factor will contribute more to the DC. Intimidator renown: This factor represents how scary the target believes the intimidator to be. A successful Bluff test can be useful for making the target believe that the intimidator is someone more terrifying than he is. Socialize: The Socialize skill represents the fine art of subtly feeling out a social contact without being obvious about one's own motives. It's the skill of weaponized smalltalk, of making polite conversation to trick one's target into unknowingly revealing his own personal details while simultaneously obscuring just what it is that one is fishing for. This skill can be defeated by the target simply refusing to speak - it does not compel a response, and with no response, the skill cannot be used. However, if the target or targets deign to reply in kind, the following special rules are used for Socialize tests.

Any number of people can participate in a Socialize roll, and the DC that all roll against is equal to the highest Awareness among the participants plus 3, Awareness based. Therefore, the participant with the highest Awareness rolls against a final DC of 3. Before rolling, however, all participants secretly submit their list of priorities to the GM, taken from the following list and ordered from highest priority to lowest priority. Each possible priority has an associated point cost, and the number of points worth of priorities picked cannot exceed the number of dice that the participant will be rolling. The same priority can be picked multiple times to get a more reliable result. Priority Point Value =Regional background= Local or not 1 Country of origin 2 Broad history 3 =Career background= Caste 1 Field 2 Specialization 3 =Hostile intent= Toward user 1 Toward those present 2 Toward those not present 3 =Tension= Virtually carefree 1 Business-level worries 2 Life or death worries 3 =Hide purpose= One per point 1 =Purpose of conversation= Equal to points to be read Varies =Give false impression= Equal to points offset Varies The GM rolls a hidden Socialize test for all parties, then marks a number of points worth of priorities on each participant's priority list equal to the number of successes that participant rolled, starting from highest priority and going down to lowest priority. These marked priorities are considered successful. Note that successes in "Give false impression" subtract from opponents' successes, as described below. If a character's successes in a category, after adjusting for attempts to mislead him, are less than the total required for the information he wanted, then he only receives the information that he got enough successes for. Additionally, if a character succeeds at obtaining any of the higher-valued information within a category, he also receives the lower-valued information within the same category in his report from the GM. In any desired category where too few successes were obtained, but the adjusted number of successes is still not less than zero, the character receives a report of "inconclusive." If the adjusted number of successes is negative, then the deception attempt succeeds completely the character receives a false report according to the opponent's wishes, with as much detail as the opponent desires to give, but never more than the character would expect to receive if all priority points succeeded. Therefore, if a character invests no priority points at all in a category, any successes at deceiving him about that category are wasted - the character doesn't care enough about the subject to even pick up the false clues. After the roll, the GM gives all players involved in the test their own private reports of what they perceived, and considers all NPCs involved in the test to have perceived whatever information their report would give them. PCs may use this information however they like, and NPC strategies with this skill tend to vary based on the social situation. This skill is often used as a matter of course by NPCs at routine social gatherings. Such NPCs will usually spread their priorities out among all categories, and as long as their report doesn't give them anything unexpected, they tend to assume that their target is nothing more than he appears to be, and will be willing to trust him to some small degree - getting the NPC to reveal any truly secret things might require Persuasion, though. If the NPC detects some details that seem suspicious, he might be unwilling to talk more, or even excuse himself to go summon the guards depending on the circumstances. The skill is also often used by spies trying to infiltrate a gathering, or performing counterespionage against the same. The former will focus on obscuring his own details as

necessary, while the latter will focus entirely on one or two lines of inquiry based on what sort of infiltration he expects. The nature of this skill is such that it's difficult to completely throw a counterspy off the trail during social interaction, but as long as he doesn't get a result that indisputably indicates foul play, a counterspy will usually just add his target to the list of suspicious people to keep checking up on. When crafting reports for players in which they've been deceived by an NPC, GMs are encouraged to keep in mind what the player will expect based on his own priority sheet. If he appears to have failed his highest priority yet gotten a full dossier of information for his lowest priority, then the player will assume that he's been fooled - so, GMs should feel free to reduce or even eliminate reports of false information in situations where this is a danger. There is no need to do so for NPCs - they're considered not to have access to such metagame methods. Regional background: This category involves subtly finding ways to provoke the target into revealing his mannerisms, etiquette, and accent in order to determine just where he's from. The user picks a target to apply the successes to, and every net success over the opponent's deception attempt up to three yields additional information. The first success yields only simple information - whether the target is local or not. The second yields the main country of origin, and might perhaps yield more specific information with a successful relevant Background test related to the area. The third success goes further, revealing multiple countries if the target has spent significant time in them, and with appropriate knowledge checks, can reveal which cities the target has lived in for long periods of time, along with approximate dates relative to each other. Career background: This category involves carefully probing to find which subjects the target seems most familiar with, which kinds of social situation he seems to be adapted to, and the general evidence of his class and upbringing. The user picks a target to apply the successes to, and every net success over the opponent's deception attempt up to three yields additional information. The first success just gives the basics of the target's social class - peasant, artisan, priest, noble, or any similarly broad category as applicable to the society. The second narrows down the target's field of expertise in broad terms, such as whether he works with numbers, fights, or gives orders for a living. The third success gives yet more information - whether the fighter is a soldier or an assassin, whether the number cruncher is a gambler or an architect. Hostile intent: This category involves discreetly confronting the target with various subjects that are likely to stir his bile and make him subconsciously reveal his feelings if he has any particular hostility toward oneself, one's company, or anyone else that comes up in conversation. This skill only detects hatred of a degree that the target is willing to act to harm its subject the question is not if the target would hurt the subject, but rather whether he's been given the chance to. The user picks a target to apply the successes to, and every net success over the opponent's deception attempt up to three yields additional information. The first success determines only whether the target wishes ill toward the user himself, for what that's worth - it could mean that he hates the user personally, that he's prejudiced against the user's culture or profession, or even that he hates an organization the user is a member of. The second success also similarly gives the target's negative feelings toward all those present, including any organizations represented at the gathering. The third also gives the target's negative feelings about any people or organizations known by both the target and the user. Tension: This category is just a matter of exposing and observing the target's tells for feeling moments of stress, and determining whether he's exhibiting those tells just by being at the present place and time. It reveals broadly how much the target believes to be at stake with his every word and action, and so can be useful for finding someone who seems a bit too shifty and nervous to be innocent (or by ruling out the same). If the user rolls enough net successes, then his

report includes the target's exact level of stress. If he fails to roll enough, then his report is simply inconclusive, and he has no way of knowing just how many successes he rolled. With one success, the user can determine whether the target is more or less carefree. If the target is more concerned than that, then the result is inconclusive. With two successes, the user can determine whether the target's stress is merely a matter of wealth and prosperity at stake. If the target is yet more stressed, then the result is inconclusive. With three net successes, the user always knows the exact stress level of the target, including whether or not he believes that a life or death situation is upon him. Hide purpose: This priority can be assigned to any number of slots by a user who wishes to be very discreet about his priorities - if the priority succeeds, then it simply cancels out one of every opponent's "Purpose of conversation" successes against the user, starting with the opponent's lower priority ones. Purpose of conversation: This priority is used to watch a given opponent and figure out just what he's trying to drive at with his questions and conversation. The user picks a target to apply the successes to, and the first success reveals the allocation of the target's lowest priority point. Every additional success reveals the allocation of the next lowest priority point. Note that knowing what the target's priority points were used for does not stop the target from successfully gaining information from them, and also note that only the category in which the priority point is being spent is revealed. If a priority point in the Hostile Intent category is revealed, then the user has no way of knowing whether that's the third point the target has invested in that category or the only point invested in that category. If Give False Impression is revealed, the user is only told which category the target is trying to obscure. Give false impression: This priority is used to obscure the details about oneself, or even try to give fake The user picks one of the categories of information above to apply the successes to, successes are subtracted from all opponents' attempts to discern those details about If any opponent is left with negative successes in that category, his report instead whatever cover story the user submitted along with this command, as described above. Negotiation: This skill is the art of give and take, used when two parties each have something the other wants, and backed up by sheer force of will. Negotiation requires drawing a line in the sand and refusing to cross it, trusting that your show of force will make the opponent back down, even if the truth is that you'd be willing to give everything to get what he has. Negotiation is always bilateral, and both sides need to have some tangible item or power that the other side wants. It works differently than other social skills, as described below. The first step of the negotiation system is for each player to work with the other to compile a list of things he wants and the other player is willing to bargain away. One of the lists may be much longer than the other, and the relative value of the two lists is unimportant. If something doesn't clearly belong to either party yet, but both wish to have it, then it goes on both lists. Next, each player organizes his list of items he desires by priority, so that the top of the list is the items he wants most and the bottom of the list is the items he wants least (but still would like to get, or else they wouldn't be on his list in the first place). After that, the GM assigns each item on a list a point value based on the following table, but keeping in mind reasonable player input about their characters' priorities. The base point value is 3. Factor Point Value =List placement= First +2 Second +1 =Opponent value of item= details. and any the user. gives

Precious Valued Moderate Low Uncaring Opponent value of item:

+4 +2 -1 -2

This factor is somewhat subjective, as it refers to how greatly the current holder of the item values it. Note that while "precious" is the ceiling here, the character must be willing to sell this item for what's being displayed in order for it to be put on his opponent's list in the first place. An NPC won't put his life savings on the bargaining table unless there's something of equivalent value on the other side. Similarly, a king is unlikely to be willing to negotiate with a peasant for anything at all unless they're both in a situation where their relative wealth is irrelevant. When it's prudent to treat money as an item in the above system, the amount of money that falls into each category will usually depend on how much income the character makes. "Precious" is equivalent to life savings, "Valued" is equivalent to a year's wages, "Moderate" is equivalent to a month's wages, "Low" is equivalent to a day's wages, and "Uncaring" is equivalent to less. However, see the section on bartering for using Negotiate in basic business transactions. Once each item on the list has been assigned a point value, each party rolls a Negotiation test against a DC of 3 plus the Willpower of the higher-Willpower participant, Willpower-based (so the participant with the higher Willpower usually just rolls against a final DC of 3). Next, the player with fewer successes can grant himself extra successes, but for every extra success he grants himself, his opponent gets two extra successes. After that, the other player gets the same opportunity - if both players have the same number of successes to start, the one that goes first is determined by a coinflip. Neither can take successes to make his opponent's successes go over the number of points worth of bargaining items he has listed. Each participant's successes "fill up" the priority points on their lists, starting from highest priority and going down. If both parties vying for a single unowned item have successes in all points associated with it, the player with fewer successes must choose to either scratch out the disputed item and move all successes from it to the next-lowest priorities, or else scratch out at least one of the other successful priority points, reassigning it to the disputed item. The other player then gets this same option, and if he chooses to assign more points to the item, he must assign at least as many extra as his opponent just did. If both participants got the same number of successes, then the one who gets the choice first is decided by coinflip. The decision continues back and forth until one participant or the other opts to scratch out the disputed item. If any item has only a fraction of its points filled in, then the item is skipped over and the points go into the next item or items on the list. The items with their points filled in are those that are to be exchanged for each other. If the negotiation ends with one side having no items completely filled in, then the negotiation fails - neither side can come to a compromise.

A player never has to take the final deal if he doesn't want to, but NPCs will not consent to another attempt, and may think less of the player character for backing out. -Background SkillsThe list of skills up to this point composes the core skillset of a party of adventurers. However, there is any number of other areas of expertise that players and NPCs alike can specialize in. By necessity, this book doesn't even attempt to make a comprehensive list of these specializations, and so the Background skill system is designed to allow these skills to be tailor-made to each individual character. Each Background skill covers a variety of tasks and knowledge. The breadth of subjects covered by a single Background skill can be as wide or as narrow as desired, but a narrower focus causes rolls within that focus to have a lower DC. A Background skill roll is most often made for a character to recall knowledge related to the subject, such as a character with the Ithen Geography Background skill wanting to know how to get to a given city

or a character with the Hirarilan Politics background skill trying to recall details about a nobleman whose name he overheard. Background skills can also be rolled to perform physical tasks, as is the case with most crafting professions. However, note that a Background skill can never be used in place of a standard skill - if skill within a Background would imply skill at a task that's covered by a standard skill, then the character should also buy the standard skill. Otherwise, it's assumed that the Background knowledge is too purely theoretical to be of any real use in the field. Most Background skill rolls are Intelligence-based. However, using them professionally often involves rolling based on a physical attribute, and any Background skill can be rolled Awareness-based if familiarity with a particular sight, sound, or sensation is required. The number of Background skill dice rolled can never be more than the Attribute on which the roll is based - so if a character has a Background skill of 5, an Intelligence of 6, and a Dexterity of 4, he can roll all five dice for Intelligence-based Background skill rolls, but only four dice for Dexterity-based ones. The base DC for a Background skill is usually based on two factors: firstly, how common the aptitude or knowledge is; and secondly, how relevant the aptitude or knowledge is to the skill's field. Commonality of the proficiency in question is based on how fundamental it is among those who specialize in its field, even if the Background being rolled isn't in that field. Relevancy of the proficiency in question is based on how closely the Background skill matches up to the field used in the first factor. This represents the way that gaining knowledge and skill in one field tends to lead to incidental bits of trivia picked up in another. Some guidelines and samples for DC modifiers follow. Every roll should take a base DC from the Commonality table and modify it by a value from the Relevancy table. In ambiguous cases, a DC between two of the values can be used. Commonality Fundamental Primary Secondary Terciary Base DC 4 6 8 10 Definition Things that one must know before knowing essentially anything else on the subject Things necessary for some practical application of the subject Precise knowledge of a major application of the subject Precise knowledge of a minor aspect of the subject Example Ithen Geography: Location of the capital city Hirarila Ithen Geography: Which region of the continent has which biome; good routes to take from one location to another Ithen Geography: Population of any of the major Ithen cities Ithen Geography: Population of any minor Ithen city

Relevancy Direct Subset Superset Similarity

DC Mod +2 +4 +6

Definition Background skill directly relates to subject Subject is a more specific subset of the Background skill Background skill is within the same category as the subject Subject and Background skill deal with different aspects of one entity

Example Ithen Geography to Ithen Geography Ithen Geography to Skelkim Plains Geography Ithen Geography to World Geography Ithen Geography to Ithen Politics

Note that the Relevancy modifiers can be chained together to reach more distant subjects, although the DC quickly becomes very high. For example, Yarkrin Geography is a subset of World Geography, which is a superset of Ithen Geography, meaning that one could use one's knowledge of Ithen Geography on the subject of Yarkrin Geography at a (+2 +4) = +6 DC modifier to what someone with the Yarkrin Geography skill would face. Or as Hirarilan Politics is a subset of Ithen Politics, which is similar to Ithen Geography, the modifier for using Ithen Geography for Hirarilan Politics would be (+6 +2) = +8.

Unlike standard skills, Background skills do not start from a base of 1 level. If a character wishes to attempt a Background skill roll he does not have, then he must use a chain of Relevancy links to get there from a Background skill he does have. The first Background point spent on a Background skill gives it 1 level, and every point thereafter adds another level.

When using a Background skill to recall or recognize items of knowledge, one success yields basic information about the subject, enough to fill in the blanks as long as the character knows basically what he's looking for. Two successes also gives enough context to the information to make clear whether it's applicable to the current situation, and three or more successes gives the most precise and detailed information possible. Background skills should be rolled for knowledge whenever a character's knowledge of the game universe is important. Making a character roll the local Navigation skill to find his way to the market every time he wants to buy something is pointless, as failure would at worst mean taking a bit of extra time or having to ask for directions. However, if the character needs to get across the city in a hurry, or to impress a foreigner, or when he risks wandering into a bad neighborhood after dark, the GM should require such a roll.

Chapter - Magic (Flavor text goes here. attribute varies.) Section - Gauging As everyone has some ability and understanding of magic, the ability to determine the magical nature of items is also universal. Characters can instinctively recognize whether an object has a magical nature or not by sight, though this passive perception does not reveal anything about the magic's origin or purpose. Note that this doesn't extend to the effects of temporary spells sustained with mana - the magic must be inherent in the object itself. To gain more detailed information, a character must physically touch an object with his bare skin and spend a point of Mana to Gauge it. This gives him understanding of how the object differs from a mundane object of its type. The precise details of the magic are made known in full, but this does not give any information about how or why the magic came to be there in the first place. Section - Casting a spell **Strength: +3DC to casting while moving **Dexterity: Casting depletes reaction pool it cant be used on melee options either **Fortitude: One quarter of Drain taken is always applied as Health damage **Intelligence: +2DC to first time using a spell each combat **Awareness: +3DC if reaction pool was used on previous turn (applies to first turn) **Willpower: -2 Reduction If the target wishes to resist a spell, he rolls his Resistance dice, but the attribute this roll is based on varies from spell to spell. All Striking spells are resisted with Fortitude, but a spell with another primary type may use any attribute. When a spell is bought, the caster chooses which of the six attributes the target will always use for Resistance rolls. Each spell the caster buys may target a different attribute if the caster wishes. However, each choice of attribute targeted changes how the target resists the spell, as follows. **Strength: Target gets additional Resistance roll every turn successes add up **Dexterity: +3 bonus dodge dice, even if the spell targeting normally disallows dodging **Fortitude: Target rolls Armor dice instead of Resistance **Intelligence: -2DC if the target has seen the caster use that exact spell before **Awareness: Spell only takes effect on casters next turn **Willpower: -1DC always In game terms, spells are bought and upgraded with experience points. In theory, the boundaries of magic are limitless, but for the purpose of keeping characters balanced with each other, each spell feature has a particular associated experience cost. It's impossible for any list of spell features to include every conceivable magical effect, but most conceivable effects can be simplified a bit to fall into one of the categories. For the sake of simplicity, most magic is resolved by going through the same few steps as follow: Explains that everyone has different casting methods and so Spellcasting

1: The caster makes a test with the appropriate Spellcasting skill, with the DC based on his Spellcasting attribute. Every type of spell has its own spellcasting skill, and spells with multiple types use the base spell type's skill. If no successes are rolled, then the spell fails, but the caster still must take Drain from the following step. 2: The caster makes a Drain Reduction test, Willpower-based, and every success cuts the rate at which he takes Drain from the spell by half. 3: If the spell has a range of Melee or Ranged Touch, the caster must roll an attack test with the appropriate skill. Ranged Touch spells use the Ranged Targetting skill, and have a base range of 4 meters. Melee spells can use any melee combat skill, as long as the weapon for the skill used is held . Reaction pool may be spent on melee combat Tactics before Melee spells just like for a normal attack test. The base DC to hit is equal to the base Spellcasting DC minus 2. If used on a willing or inanimate target at melee range, or if the spell uses the Line of Sight targeting option, the targeting successes are considered to be equal to the Spellcasting successes (so that the total successes are equal to Spellcasting successes times 2). 4: If the spell has a range of Melee or Ranged Touch, the target may roll as many Reaction Pool as desired against a DC of 6 plus the caster's Dexterity, Dexterity-based, to try to dodge the spell. The caster's number of targetting successes are reduced by the number of dodge successes. If, after this step, the number of targeting successes is 0 or less, the spell misses completely. 5: The target can resist the spell, usually with either Armor or Resistance dice. For Striking spells, the base DC is equal to the spells Armor Piercing plus the sum of the Spellcasting and targeting successes. For other spells, the base DC is simply 4 plus the sum of the spellcasting successes and targeting successes. If the final DC would be below 1, then an extra die is added for every point below 1 it would be. Section - Learning a spell (Insert more flavor here about how learning magic works in-character.) In game terms, this means that anyone can learn a spell with any combination of effects just by spending the appropriate number of experience points. The method of producing the effect might vary based on what theme the character's magic follows, but two spells with the same combination of effects will be identical for most purposes. Only in cases where there could be some reasonable secondary consequences to the spell that aren't covered by the rules should two spells with the same effects work differently for example, a fire spell might be able to catch especially flammable objects on fire, or a poison spell might leave inanimate objects completely unharmed. Each character knows a number of distinct spells, and each spell must have features and upgrades bought separately for it. Applying an upgrade costs experience points, and also can raise the spellcasting difficulty and Drain. However, a caster can always cast a spell as if it had the same features, but bought to a lower level. Note that Area of Effect does not fall under this rule, as different areas of effect are considered to be different features, and also note that Line of Sight range is considered to be a separate feature than Self/Touch/Ranged Touch. As a general rule, buying a new feature for an existing spell never prevents the caster from continuing to use the spell without that feature. The cost of a spell is determined by a two-step process. Every combination of spell effects results in a Magnitude for the spell, and once the Magnitude of the spell is determined, the XP cost is found on the following table: Magnitude 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Cost 20xp 45xp 77xp 117xp 167xp 230xp 310xp 410xp 530xp 695xp 905xp 1165xp 1490xp 1935xp 2495xp

When upgrading an existing spell, subtract the cost of the old spell from the cost of the new spell. Only this difference must be paid. Section - Spell Effects

Feature Striking 8 damage, 7 AP +2AP x2 damage, -2AP Buffing Up to 5 Up to +1 more Debuffing Up to 3 Up to +1 more Control 1 Str, 1 Dex telekinesis +1 Str, +1 Dex +1 Str, -1 Dex -1 Str, +1 Dex Healing Person, 1hp per round x2 points per round Sense 25m range x2 range Fabrication Size 0 block, 5 Durability +3 Size +1 Durability +1 visibility -1 visibility Drain modifiers:

Magnitude 1 +1 1 +1 1 +1 4 +1 2 +2 3 +1 4 +1 +1 +1 +1

Spellcasting DC 2 +1 +1 5 +1 5 +1 9 +1 +1 +1 7 +2 7 +1 7 +1 +1 +1 +1

Drain 2, DC4 x2/+2 2, DC5 x2/+2 2, DC5 x2/+2 4, DC7 x2/+2 4, DC5 x2, +2 32 x2/+2 8 x2 +1 +1 +1

Modifiers listed as a multiplier (x2 or x4, for example) modify the base Drain amount. Modifiers listed as additions (+1 or +2, for example) increase the DC. Modifiers separated by a comma are both applied every time the option is taken. When the modifier x2/+2 is taken the first time, treat it as x2. The second time, treat it as +2. The third time, treat it as x2, and so on and so forth, alternating between the two. Striking Damage: Damage is resisted just the same as damage from physical weapons. Note that all Striking spells are resisted with the targets Fortitude attribute, and so are resisted with Armor dice, not Resistance. The amount of AP traded off for Damage must be decided when the spell is bought, and the balance can only be changed when buying an increase to the Magnitude. Buffing an attribute: The Magnitude of the effect determines how high the final value of the attribute may become. Every success rolled increases the targets attribute by 1, up to this maximum. The increase lasts as long as the caster willingly continues to take Drain. An entirely new spell effect must be bought for every attribute that the caster wants to be able to increase, but Buffing spell effects can be combined with each other just like any other spell effects. If the target

attempts to resist the spell, then it has no effect. This spell can increase the targets HP, and if any of his HP milestones are moved past his current damage, then he temporarily ignores those wound penalties. He might even cease to be critically wounded for a time, though he still suffers the effects of any Impairments he has yet to heal. Increases in the targets max reaction pool provide an equal number of bonus reaction pool dice immediately, and decreases in the targets max reaction pool immediately subtract an equal number of reaction pool dice as if they had been spent. If a Buff and an Aspect would each provide a bonus to performing a task, then only the better bonus should be used they are not added together. Debuffing an attribute: The Magnitude of the spell effect determines the maximum level of attribute this spell can affect without penalty. For every point beyond this value the targets attribute starts at, the base number of points the attribute is decreased is reduced by 1. The base number of points the attribute is decreased is 5, and every success the target gets on his Resistance roll reduces the number of points actually decreased by 1. The debuff lasts as long as the caster willingly continues to take Drain. A completely new spell must be bought for every attribute that the caster wants to be able to decrease. This spell can decrease a characters HP, and if any of his HP milestones are moved past his current damage, then he temporarily faces a greater wound penalty. He might even become critically wounded, though any Impairments sustained while under the effects of this spell will go away if hes not still critically wounded when his HP returns to normal. Decreases in the targets max reaction pool immediately subtract an equal number of reaction pool dice as if they had been spent, and increases in the targets max reaction pool provide an equal number of bonus reaction pool dice immediately. Controlling an object with telekinesis: Basic telekinetic manipulation effectively gives the caster a "hand" with the Strength and Dexterity scores listed. If the caster wishes to exchange Strength for Dexterity or vice versa, this must be decided when the spell is learned and can only be changed by one exchange of +1 to one attribute for -1 to the other every time the spells Magnitude is increased by 1. Neither the spells maximum Strength score nor the spells maximum Dexterity score may be less than -3. AoE versions of the spell do not allow the caster to simultaneously give different instructions to different objects, but all affected objects may be manipulated in the same way together. Multi-target versions of the spell let the caster give different instructions to each target. The total weight of the lifted objects still cannot exceed the associated lifting weight for the spell's Strength value. If the caster attempts to use any skills through telekinetic manipulation, the maximum number of dice he may use is equal to the number of successes on the spellcasting roll, and if the skill is Strength- or Dexterity-based, the attribute of the "hand" is used in place of his own. If used against an unwilling target, every success on the Resistance roll reduces the effective value of the spell's Strength and Dexterity by 1 each. Healing a person: The Magnitude of the spell effect determines how much HP will be healed every turn the spell is sustained. The spell may only be sustained as many turns as the total successes. The first round does not count towards this time limit, and the first round of healing happens immediately. The minimum Drain of the spell, regardless of the number of successes on the Reduction roll, is equal to the HP healed per turn. If the target attempts to resist the spell, then the spell has no effect. A character who ceases to be critically wounded due to this spell can act as normal, but still suffers the effects of any Impairments sustained while critically wounded. Sensing a distant location visually: The caster specifies a position in space he wants to see from, anywhere up to the maximum distance he's purchased. Alternately, he may give this sense to another upon casting the spell. If successful, the magic creates a spectral second body for the subject at the location specified. As long as the caster sustains the spell, the subject's field of vision is instead the field of vision of the second body. This body cannot interact with the world physically, but it can move around at a rate equal to spellcasting successes rolled in meters per turn, and it can use Line of Sight spells normally. It cannot travel through walls or objects, and is visible, though not audible. Any damage dealt to the body is dealt to the caster, who resists any damage taken with Resistance dice instead of Armor dice, Willpower-based, at +3 to the base

DC. If the spell is cast on multiple subjects, then a second body is created for each. this spell effect does nothing to an unwilling target. Fabricating a shape:

However,

When the spell is bought, the character decides whether he wants to create a solid object or an intangible field. A separate spell must be learned to create the other. A solid object has Durability 5 and begins obeying physical laws (such as gravity, being destroyed by attacks, being impossible to simply walk through) immediately upon its creation, and cannot be created in a space already occupied by something solid. An intangible field floats, does not impede movement, and cannot be destroyed by mundane means. Either way, the basic shape is transparent, unless the caster has also learned to make it increase visibility (in which case it glows) or decrease visibility (in which case it is only partially transparent). Increases to visibility apply only inside the shape, while decreases to visibility apply to anyone who has to look through the shape. [Presumably it must be made completely opaque before it can start to look like other materials?] Beings near the created shape can resist its creation a nearby character may choose to make a Resistance roll against the spell, and if he succeeds, no shape is created around him in a sphere with a radius equal to the number of successes in meters. Once the shape is created, however, it may be moved into the vicinity of hostile characters with no opportunity for a Resistance roll. Augmentation Range Self Melee Ranged touch 4m x2 range LoS Targets One Extra targets Area of effect None 5 meters 20 meters Other Explosive Extended Delayed Subtle +2 +1 +1 +1 +3 +1 +1 +1 x2, +2 +1 +1 +2 +1 +2 x2, +1 x4, +2 +3 +3 x2, +3 +1 +2 +1 +3 +1 +2 +1 +3 +1 +2 +1 +3 Magnitude Spellcasting DC Drain

Self: A spell with a range of "Self" does not give the the caster himself. This is not compatible with with an area of effect spell. In this case, the caster. All range options also allow the caster Melee: A range of "Melee" means that the caster must touch the target of the spell. To touch an unwilling target, the caster must succeed at hitting with a melee attack at a base DC equal to the base Spellcasting DC minus 2. The melee attack does not do any damage aside from the effects of the spell. When touching a willing target, no roll is made, and the number of targeting successes is taken to be the number of Spellcasting successes. A spell that can be cast at Melee range can also be cast on oneself. Ranged touch: caster a choice of target. It always affects a multiple target spell, but it is compatible area of effect is always centered on the to cast on himself.

A ranged touch spell produces a concentration of manifested mana that the caster must then launch toward the target with a special ranged magic skill test, Dexterity-based. This is resolved as a standard ranged combat test, using the skill of Ranged Spell Targeting with a base range of 4m. The base DC is equal to the base Spellcasting DC minus 2. A spell may be bought with increased base range for the cost listed. Note that this test still must be made even if the target is making no attempt to avoid it. If this option is bought for a spell, then that spell may also be cast like a Melee spell or on oneself. Line of Sight: A spell with a range of "Line of Sight" must be cast at a visible target. Any penalties to a ranged attack due to visibility or cover also apply to the spellcasting roll, but no second targeting roll is necessary. For the purpose of determining the spells effect, its assumed that the number of targeting successes is equal to the number of Spellcasting successes. A Line of Sight spell may be cast on oneself, but it may not be cast like a Melee or Ranged Touch spell. Targets of a spell: One target: This is the default option, and allows only one target to be specified based on the Range bought. Extra targets: Every time this option is bought, it allows the spell to be cast on an additional target in the same casting. This option cannot be bought for a spell with a Range of "Self." It can be bought with Area of Effect in order to produce an area of effect around each target. The spellcasting roll only needs to be made once, but if the spell requires an targeting roll, then a separate roll must be made for each target. If the same target is within multiple overlapping areas of effect, then he feels the effects of only the one with the most targeting successes. If Extra Targets is bought for a combination spell, then each effect may be used on multiple targets. So if Extra Targets is bought once, then each effect may be used on two different characters, if its bought twice then each effect may be used on three different characters, and so on. Area of Effect: Every spell must be bought with an area of effect the default option only affects targets directly hit by the spell. Every area of effect option after the first has an additional cost. The listed range is the maximum distance a character or object can be from the target directly hit by the spell in order to be within the affected area. Spellcasting successes rolled on an area of effect spell apply equally to all targets, but targeting successes must be distributed between all targets in the area, with at least one targeting success allocated to each potential target. Note that for LoS spells, the targeting successes are equal to the Spellcasting successes rolled. If there are more potential targets than targeting successes, each potential target is treated as though there was one targeting success against him. Explosive: Explosive is an option that can only be bought for spells with a Striking effect. It causes the spells damage to use the explosion rules in the appropriate section of the book. The explosions Power is the spells AP plus the Spellcasting successes rolled. Note that this is separate from the Area of Effect option, and both may be bought on the same spell in this case, everyone within the Area of Effect treats the spell as if the spell were not explosive, and those outside the Area of Effect treat their distance from the Area of Effect as their distance from the explosion. Extended: This option allows any spell to be sustained, even one that normally cannot be. A sustained instantaneous spell (such as a Striking spell) has its effect happen every round on the casters turn. Delayed:

A spell with this option need not take effect immediately upon being cast. The caster may choose to delay the spell as long as he likes. This is treated as sustaining it, but at no mana cost. His Drain for casting other spells is still doubled as though he were sustaining another spell while he does this. The caster does not make his Spellcasting or Drain test until he chooses to have the spell take effect. He may trigger the spell at any time out of combat, or during his turn within combat. This does not require an action. Subtle: A caster may always try to manipulate the magical energies of a spell in such a way as to avoid notice. The base Perception DC to notice a spell being cast, before distance is factored in, is the spells Magnitude. Every time the Subtle option is taken, this DC is increased by 5 (plus one more for the increase in Magnitude required to use this option in the first place). Mitigation Unwieldy Hindering Magnitude -1 -1 Spellcasting DC -1 -1 Drain -1 -1 Requirements Strk/Debf, non-LoS Buff

Unwieldy: A spell with this mitigation is more difficult to target. Increase the base DC for all targeting rolls for this spell by 1 each time this mitigation is taken. Hindering: A spell with this mitigation makes it more difficult for the target to do some tasks. The target loses two points worth of attributes (chosen at the time this mitigation is bought) as long as the spell is active, just as if he had been hit by a debuff. A resisting target does not suffer this attribute loss. Section Building a Spell Determining the final parameters of a spell is a six step process. 1. Choose Base Spell Effects To get the base spell effects, take one or more of the base spells in bold and apply the options under it as desired. If multiple bolded effects are desired, each is treated separately at this point. 2. Determine Spell Category Look at the spell category of the bolded spell effect with the highest Magnitude. spells category, which determines which Spellcasting skill is used to cast it. 3. Apply Mitigations Now take all the mitigations desired and apply the listed changes to the applicable bolded spell effects. 4. Apply Augmentations The changes to the traits by each spell effects augmentations are applied. 5. Combine Traits For each of Magnitude, Spellcasting DC, Drain, and Drain DC, combine the pair of the lowest traits according to the following rules: This is the

Lower trait is For Magnitude, Spellcasting DC, or Drain DC Equal to or 1 less than higher trait 2 to 5 less than higher trait 6 less than higher trait or lower For Drain

New trait is For Magnitude, Spellcasting DC, or Drain DC [Higher trait] +3 For Drain

Equal to higher trait Half higher trait

[Higher trait] x2 [Higher trait] x2 [Higher trait]

[Higher trait] +2

Quarter of higher trait or lower

[Higher trait] +1

Repeat this process until you are left with only a single Magnitude, Spellcasting DC, Drain, and Drain DC. If multiple bolded spell effects are combined in this manner, then they may target different characters for no extra cost. However, the same effect cannot be used on multiple characters unless the Extra Targets augmentation has been bought. The final spell is then bought at the XP cost indicated by its final Magnitude. If its an upgrade to an existing spell, then only the difference between the former and current XP costs must be paid. At GMs discretion, during a long in-character downtime in which the caster works on retraining his abilities with a different focus, a spells augmentations, mitigations, and even base effects may be changed at no additional cost so long as Magnitude remains constant, but this should not be possible in the middle of an adventure, and it does not allow XP spent on spells to be redeemed by decreasing a spells Magnitude. However, when buying new spells, the time required to train with a spell can be disregarded entirely, and a new spell might be discovered even in the middle of combat, as long as the XP cost is paid.

Chapter - Items Section - Attacking Objects Dealing damage to an object isn't the same as dealing damage to a living creature. Where damage to a living being represents disrupting the delicate balance of biological processes that keep him alive, damage to an inanimate object usually just represents breaking its structural integrity. Therefore, skill with a weapon matters less to the amount of damage dealt to an inanimate object, though it can still be critical in hitting the object in the first place. Every object has a Size and Durability. The object's Size determines how hard it is to hit. To hit the object with an attack, the attacker rolls an attack as normal, but subtracts the object's Size from the attack's DC. If any successes are rolled, then the attack hits - there is no further benefit for multiple successes. Note that the Size used should be the Size across the object's smallest visible dimension - a barn would have a Size much larger than its thickness, while a rope would have a Size much smaller than its length. Some sample targetting Sizes follow. Targeting Size Object -15 Hangman's rope -12 Walnut -9 Apple -6 Booklet -3 Satchel 0 Backpack 3 Window 6 Carriage 9 Hut 12 Barn

15

Castle

The object's Durability then determines how much of it is destroyed by the attack. If the attack is a melee attack, then the attacker's Strength is added directly to the Armor Piercing value. For ranged attacks, the Armor Piercing value remains unmodified. If this armor piercing value is greater than the object's Durability, then the attack's full damage is dealt to the object. Otherwise, the damage is halved for each three points of Durability (round up) the object has over the attack's modified Armor Piercing value. Some sample Durabilities follow. Durability Object 8 Glass 10 Textiles 12 Wood 13 Stone 18 Metal The remaining Damage of the attack determines how much material is broken and dislodged from the object. An attack dealing 64 damage creates a Size 0 hole, and every doubling or halving of damage increases or decreases the Size of the hole by 3. This means that the hole's depth is roughly equal to the damage dealt in centimeters. If the size of the hole is larger than the targeted object, then the object is damaged beyond recognition. If the thickness of the object is less than that of the hole created, then the hole goes right through the object - the attack's damage is divided by the amount necessary to pierce the object's thickness and the attack's Armor Piercing value is reduced by the object's Durability. This can result in a negative Armor Piercing value. Some sample object thicknesses follow. Thickness Size -18 (1cm) -15 (2cm) -12 (4cm) -9 (8cm) -6 (16cm) -3 (32cm) 0 (64cm) Section - Equipment (The prices in this section have been roughly balanced with respect to each other, and with respect to the wealth that NPCs should probably have access to, but it's all still very approximate. Final prices will probably be adjusted by practical usefulness to players and in-character value as a commodity. In the final version, prices of items within a category shouldn't be nearly so standardized.) Melee weapons: Name Unarmed Base (club or something?) H L HH HL LL HHH HHL HLL LLL HHHH HHHL HHLL HLLL LLLL HHHHH HHHHL HHHLL HHLLL HLLLL LLLLL HHHHHH HHHHHL Price 1 doux 1 doux 1 doux 8 8 8 8 64 64 64 64 64 512 512 512 512 512 512 doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux Damage 16 Damage 8 Damage 16 Damage 8 Damage 32 Damage 16 Damage 8 Damage 64 32 16 8 64 32 16 8 Damage Damage Damage Damage 128 Damage Damage Damage Damage Damage 256 128 Damage Damage Damage Damage Damage Damage 512 256 Damage Damage Attack DC DC6 DC6 DC8 DC7 DC10 DC9 DC8 DC12 DC11 DC10 DC9 DC14 DC13 DC12 DC11 DC10 DC16 DC15 DC14 DC13 DC12 DC11 DC18 DC17 AP AP0 AP5 AP5 AP7 AP5 AP7 AP9 AP5 AP7 AP9 AP11 AP5 AP7 AP9 AP11 AP13 AP6 AP7 AP9 AP11 AP13 AP15 AP6 AP8 Size -6 -5 -7 -4 -6 -8 -3 -5 -7 -9 -2 -4 -6 -8 -10 -1 -3 -5 -7 -9 -11 0 -2 Rarity 6 6 6 6 6 6 8 8 Object Paper pamphlet Glass pane Interior door Exterior door Thin wall Thick wall Reinforced wall

64 32 16 8

4,100 doux 4,100 doux

HHHHLL HHHLLL HHLLLL HLLLLL LLLLLL HHHHHHH HHHHHHL HHHHHLL HHHHLLL HHHLLLL HHLLLLL HLLLLLL LLLLLLL HHHHHHHH HHHHHHHL HHHHHHLL HHHHHLLL HHHHLLLL HHHLLLLL HHLLLLLL HLLLLLLL LLLLLLLL HHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHL HHHHHHHLL HHHHHHLLL HHHHHLLLL HHHHLLLLL HHHLLLLLL HHLLLLLLL HLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLL

4,100 4,100 4,100 4,100 4,100 32,800 32,800 32,800 32,800 32,800 32,800 32,800 32,800 262,000 262,000 262,000 262,000 262,000 262,000 262,000 262,000 262,000

doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux

64 32 16 8

128 Damage Damage Damage Damage Damage

DC16 DC15 DC14 DC13 DC12 DC20 DC19 DC18 DC17 DC16 DC15 DC14 DC13 DC22 DC21 DC20 DC19 DC18 DC17 DC16 DC15 DC14 DC24 DC23 DC22 DC21 DC20 DC19 DC18 DC17 DC16 DC15

AP9 AP11 AP13 AP15 AP17 AP6 AP8 AP10 AP11 AP13 AP15 AP17 AP19 AP6 AP8 AP10 AP12 AP13 AP15 AP17 AP19 AP21 AP6 AP8 AP10 AP12 AP14 AP15 AP17 AP19 AP21 AP23

-4 -6 -8 -10 -2 1 -1 -3 -5 -7 -9 -11 -13 2 0 -2 -4 -6 -8 -10 -12 -14 3 1 -1 -3 -5 -7 -9 -11 -13 -15

8 8 8 8 8 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14

1k Damage 512 256 Damage 128 Damage 64 Damage Damage 32 Damage 16 Damage 8 Damage 2k Damage 1k Damage 512 256 Damage 128 Damage 64 Damage Damage 32 Damage 16 Damage 8 Damage 4k Damage 2k Damage 1k Damage 512 256 Damage 128 Damage 64 Damage Damage 32 Damage 16 Damage 8 Damage

2,100,000 2,100,000 doux 2,100,000 doux 2,100,000 doux 2,100,000 doux 2,100,000 doux 2,100,000 doux 2,100,000 doux 2,100,000 doux 2,100,000 doux doux

The above weapons are balanced for use with two hands. One-handed versions may be bought at half cost and with -1AP and -2 Size. One handed weapons may either be used with one in each hand, in which case the multiple action penalty for each attack after the first is only +1 to all DCs, or else they may be wielded opposite a shield, which adds +1DC to incoming attacks. The shown stats are for swords and knives. They are used with the Blades skill, and they get no special Tactics modifiers. Other types of weapon can be obtained by applying a set of modifications to one of the listed blades. Each additional weapon type can only be built from a particular balance of Heavy and Light weapon upgrades, but they also get bonuses to particular types of melee Tactics rolls. The other weapon types are as follow. Mace: This weapon types maximum Heavy upgrades is equal to Light upgrades +1. It deals half damage, but gets -2 attack DC and +1AP. Any melee Tactics rolls including at least one Block Escape or Relocate option are at -1DC. Chain: This weapons maximum Light upgrades is equal to Heavy upgrades +1. It gets +2 attack DC and 1AP, but deals double damage. Any melee Tactics rolls including at least one Create Opening or Interfere option are at -1DC. Polearm: This weapons maximum Heavy upgrades is equal to Light upgrades -1. It gets +1 attack DC and +6 Size, but also +2AP. Any melee Tactics rolls including at least one Seize Advantage, Crippling Blow, or Nonlethal Blow option are at -1DC. Knuckles: This weapons maximum Light upgrades is equal to Heavy upgrades -1. It gets -1AP, but also -1 attack DC and -6 Size. Knuckles get no special melee Tactics bonuses, but attacking with them uses the Brawling skill.

Bows: Name Base D S DD DS SS DDD DDS DSS SSS DDDD DDDS DDSS DSSS SSSS DDDDD DDDDS DDDSS DDSSS DSSSS SSSSS DDDDDD DDDDDS DDDDSS DDDSSS DDSSSS DSSSSS SSSSSS DDDDDDD DDDDDDS DDDDDSS DDDDSSS DDDSSSS DDSSSSS DSSSSSS SSSSSSS DDDDDDDD DDDDDDDS DDDDDDSS DDDDDSSS DDDDSSSS DDDSSSSS DDSSSSSS DSSSSSSS SSSSSSSS DDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDS DDDDDDDSS DDDDDDSSS DDDDDSSSS DDDDSSSSS DDDSSSSSS DDSSSSSSS DSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSS Price 1 doux 1 doux 1 doux 8 8 8 8 64 64 64 64 64 512 512 512 512 512 512 4,100 4,100 4,100 4,100 4,100 4,100 4,100 32,800 32,800 32,800 32,800 32,800 32,800 32,800 32,800 262,000 262,000 262,000 262,000 262,000 262,000 262,000 262,000 262,000 doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux Damage 8 Damage 16 8 Damage Damage 32 16 Damage 8 Damage Damage 64 32 Damage 16 Damage 8 Damage Damage 128 64 Damage 32 Damage 16 Damage 8 Damage Damage 256 128 Damage 64 Damage 32 Damage 16 Damage 8 Damage Damage 512 256 Damage 128 Damage 64 Damage 32 Damage 16 Damage 8 Damage Damage 1k 512 Damage 256 Damage 128 Damage 64 Damage 32 Damage 16 Damage 8 Damage Damage 2k 1k Damage 512 Damage 256 Damage 128 Damage 64 Damage 32 Damage 16 Damage 8 Damage Damage 4k 2k Damage 1k Damage 512 Damage 256 Damage 128 Damage 64 Damage 32 Damage 16 Damage 8 Damage Damage Attack DC DC6 DC8 DC7 DC10 DC9 DC8 DC12 DC11 DC10 DC9 DC14 DC13 DC12 DC11 DC10 DC16 DC15 DC14 DC13 DC12 DC11 DC18 DC17 DC16 DC15 DC14 DC13 DC12 DC20 DC19 DC18 DC17 DC16 DC15 DC14 DC13 DC22 DC21 DC20 DC19 DC18 DC17 DC16 DC15 DC14 DC24 DC23 DC22 DC21 DC20 DC19 DC18 DC17 DC16 DC15 Strength 0 0 2 0 2 4 0 2 4 6 0 2 4 6 8 0 2 4 6 8 10 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 AP AP5 Piercing AP5 AP7 AP5 AP7 AP5 AP5 AP7 AP9 AP11 AP5 AP7 AP9 AP11 AP13 AP6 AP7 AP9 AP11 AP13 AP15 AP6 AP8 AP9 AP11 AP13 AP15 AP17 AP6 AP8 AP10 AP11 AP13 AP15 AP17 AP19 AP6 AP8 AP10 AP12 AP13 AP15 AP17 AP19 AP21 AP6 AP8 AP10 AP12 AP14 AP15 AP17 AP19 AP21 AP23 Range 4m 4m 8m 4m 8m 16m 4m 8m 16m 32m 4m 8m 16m 32m 64m 4m 8m 16m 32m 64m 128m 4m 8m 16m 32m 64m 128m 256m 4m 8m 16m 32m 64m 128m 256m 512m 4m 8m 16m 32m 64m 128m 256m 512m 1km 4m 8m 16m 32m 64m 128m 256m 512m 1km 2km Size -4 -3 -5 -2 -4 -6 -1 -3 -5 -7 0 -2 -4 -6 -8 1 -1 -3 -5 -7 -9 2 0 -2 -4 -6 -8 -10 3 1 -1 -3 -5 -7 -9 -11 4 2 0 -2 -4 -6 -8 -10 -12 5 3 1 -1 -3 -5 -7 -9 -11 -13 Rarity 6 6 6 6 6 6 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14

2,100,000 2,100,000 doux 2,100,000 doux 2,100,000 doux 2,100,000 doux 2,100,000 doux 2,100,000 doux 2,100,000 doux 2,100,000 doux 2,100,000 doux doux

The listed Strength requirement is for using the bow properly. Every point of Strength the wielder falls short, the bows AP is reduced by one and its range is halved. Crossbows: A crossbow is equivalent to a bow, but it has one more point of Armor Piercing, its Size is two points larger, and its Strength requirement works differently. Every crossbow has a winding DC three points higher than the equivalent bows Strength requirement. A crossbow is meant to be wound in between each firing, which is considered an action and so imposes the usual multiple action penalties to both the winding and the firing if both are attempted in the same turn. If fired immediately, all crossbows have 3 AP. Winding the crossbow requires a Strength attribute test at the listed DC. On success, the crossbow may be fired at its full AP value. On failure, the AP for the next shot increases by 1 and the DC for the next

Strength test decreases by 1. succeeds. Throwing weapons:

If the base DC of the winding test is 3, then it automatically

A set of throwing weapons may be bought at the cost of a bow but three points smaller. Drawing and throwing a throwing weapon is need to take a multiple action penalty for using one even if the start of the turn. As always, its assumed that enough throwing running out a non-issue. Cannon: Armor: Name Animal hide Leather Leather Coat Coat Coat Coat of of of of plates plates plates plates Price 16 doux 16 doux 128 doux 16 128 1,000 8,000 128 1,000 8,000 64,000 512,000 1,000 8,000 64,000 512,000 4,100,000 8,000 64,000 512,000 4,100,000 doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux Armor Dice Bonus 1 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 128, DC24, AP14?

with two less AP and a Size a single action, so there is no weapon was not in hand at the weapons are carried to make

Reaction Pool Penalty 0 -1 0 -3 -2 -1 0 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 -6 -5 -4 -3 -7 -6 -5

Rarity 6 8 6 8 10 12 6 8 10 12 14 8 10 12 14 10 12 14

Brigandine Brigandine Brigandine Brigandine Brigandine Chainmail Chainmail Chainmail Chainmail Chainmail Lamellar Lamellar Lamellar Lamellar Platemail Platemail Platemail

64,000 doux 512,000 doux 4,100,000 doux

The listed Armor bonuses are added to the character's base Armor dice, and the reaction pool penalties reduce the character's maximum reaction pool. Shields:

Name 0-0 0-1 1-0 0-2 1-1 2-0 1-2 2-1 3-0 1-3 2-2 3-1 4-0 2-3 3-2 4-1 2-4 3-3 4-2 5-1 3-4

Price 4 doux 4 doux 32 doux 32 doux 32 doux 256 doux 256 doux 256 doux 2,050 2,050 2,050 2,050 doux doux doux doux

DC Bonus -3 -2 -4 -1 -3 -5 -2 -4 -6 -1 -3 -5 -7 -2 -4 -6 -1 -3 -5 -7 -2

Rated Damage 16 64 8 256 32 4 128 16 2 512 64 8 1 256 32 4 1k 128 16 2 512

Rated AP 6 5 9 4 8 12 7 11 15 6 10 14 18 9 13 17 8 12 16 20 11

Size -3 -2 -4 -1 -3 -5 -2 -4 -6 -1 -3 -5 -7 -2 -4 -6 -1 -3 -5 -7 -2

Rarity 6 6 6 8 8 8 8 10 10 10 12 12 12 12 14

16,400 doux 16,400 doux 16,400 doux 131,000 131,000 131,000 131,000 doux doux doux doux

1,050,000 doux

4-3 5-2 6-1

1,050,000 doux 1,050,000 doux 1,050,000 doux

-4 -6 -8

64 8 1

15 19 23

-4 -6 -8

14 14 14

Other gear: Name Clothing Peasants clothes +1 modification +2 modifications +3 modifications +4 modifications +5 modifications Lodging Inn (1 night) Skill equipment 1 meter rope Lockpicks 15 120 960 7,700 61,000 490,000 Price doux doux doux doux doux doux Features The bare minimum for modesty Allows an extra feature to be bought Allows two extra features Three features Four features Five features Size -3 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 Special 9 8 7 12 -2 Rarity 6 8 10 12 6 8 6 8 Special 6 6 6 6 8 10

50 doux 5 doux 4 doux 32 doux 260 doux 2,000 doux 4 doux 32 doux 260 doux 2,000 doux Special 150 500 10 500 3 20 150 10 1,000 100 2,000 300 7,500 1,500 40,000 100,000 doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux

-2 -3 -4 -5

Medical kit

to to to to -2 -3 -4 -5

Lockpicking Lockpicking Lockpicking Lockpicking to Medicine to Medicine to Medicine to Medicine

DCs DCs DCs DCs DCs DCs DCs DCs

Grappling hook Vehicles Draft Horse Warhorse Mule Passenger Carriage Food 1 day 1 day 1 day 1 day (cheap) (solid) (lavish) (ration)

Real estate 1 acre farmland Cottage (1 year) Cottage (buy) Small house (1 year) Small house (buy) Large house (1 year) Large house (buy) Mansion (buy)

The possible clothing features are as follow: Name Bulky Grade 1 Bulky Grade 2 Bulky Grade 3 Bulky Grade 4 Bulky Grade 5 Bulky Grade 6 Camouflage Grade 1 Camouflage Grade 2 Camouflage Grade 3 Camouflage Grade 4 Hidden pocket Grade 1 Hidden pocket Grade 2 Hidden pocket Grade 3 Hidden pocket Grade 4 Many pockets Grade 1 Many pockets Grade 2 Many pockets Grade 3 Many pockets Grade 4 Style Grade 1 Style Grade 2 Style Grade 3 Style Grade 4 Style Grade 5 Cost doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux doux Effect Conceals one die of worn armor Conceals two dice of worn armor Conceals three dice of worn armor Conceals four dice of worn armor Conceals five dice of worn armor Conceals six dice of worn armor Improves Stealth Background factor Conceal an item of Size -7 or smaller Conceal an item of Size -6 or smaller Conceal an item of Size -5 or smaller Conceal an item of Size -4 or smaller Maximum insignificant item Size +1 Maximum insignificant item Size +2 Maximum insignificant item Size +3 Maximum insignificant item Size +4 Suitable for a citizen Suitable for a skilled artisan Suitable for a respected knight Suitable for a wealthy noble Suitable for high royalty

5 40 320 2,600 20,000 160,000 400 3,200 26,000 200,000 150 1,200 9,600 77,000 200 1,600 13,000 100,000 120 960 7,700 61,000 490,000

Bulky - Every time this feature is taken, an additional soak die of armor bought separately can be concealed within. This type of feature cant be bought multiple times for the same set of clothes. Camouflage - Every time this feature is taken, the clothing can be made to improve the Background factor for stealth tests within a single type of environment by 1. This feature can be bought multiple times the effects dont stack within the same environment, but a second or third environment can be chosen. Hidden pocket Every time this feature is taken, one of a characters equipment slots gets a hidden pocket that conceals an item of the listed Size from view, but it can be pulled from this pocket without requiring an action. Many pockets This feature increases the threshold beyond which items are considered small enough not to require a specific body slot. It cant be taken multiple times for the same set of clothes. Style This feature makes a set of clothes as fine and stylish as would be expected from a character of a higher social class. It might be required wearing to get into some social venues, and it often provides better circumstances for some social rolls. Additionally, unless this is bought at a Grade at least as high as the outfits Bulky, Camouflage, or Many Pockets feature, those features will be obvious to anyone seeing the clothes. Grappling hooks: Buy a set of grappling hooks as a normal ranged weapon, but with 1 less AP. The amount of damage the hook must deal to a surface in order to lodge in firmly enough to support a characters weight depends on the surfaces existing handhold width. Handhold width Ample (ladder, rooftop) Majority (craggy rock) Half (windowsill) Minority or less Section Carrying Equipment Even a wealthy character is limited in how much he can actually carry with him on an adventure, and hes limited even further if he wants to hide that hes carrying something or carry a lot without hindering his movements. Whenever leaving home, and especially whenever adventuring into the unknown, each player should make sure to specify what theyre bringing and where theyre keeping it. A characters ability to carry an object usually depends only on its Size. As noted in the section on the Size attribute, one object can have multiple Sizes for different purposes. The Size listed for buyable items is always the Size used for carrying the object. When carrying other objects, their Size for this purpose can generally be estimated as their targeting Size. In other words, width is more important than length or thickness when determining how unwieldy an object is. The pockets on a characters clothes or armor always let him store a number of items of Size -10 or below. Its usually not necessary to specify where exactly theyre being kept, but if it seems like it might be unreasonable for a character to carry a very large number of small objects, the rules at the end of this section for combining sizes can be used. If they add up to Size 0 or above, then a container is probably necessary to carry them all, but otherwise theres no need to track them. Larger items take up significant space and must be specifically worn what clothes or armor are worn, its always possible for a character following sizes onto the following parts of his body. However, this showing the item to everyone who sees the character. Some dangerous weapon, are illegal to carry, and even the legal ones draw attention being barred from locations where theyre not welcome. Slot Right forearm Left forearm Right shoulder Left shoulder Right side Left side Right hip Left hip Max Size -7 -7 -6 -6 -5 -5 -3 -3 on some part of the body. No matter to strap an item no larger than the has the disadvantage of obviously items, especially some kinds of and might result in a character Minimum Damage to lodge 1 2 4 8

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Some types of clothes come with large hidden pockets that make it possible to carry items without notice. Some types of clothes also have many smaller pockets that let a character carry essentially any number of items even above Size -10. It is also possible to carry items up to three points larger than the max Size for the body part, but the bulkiness will slow the character down. Every such item carried reduces the characters max reaction pool by 1. Note that if a character wears armor that would bring his reaction pool below 1, then he loses a number of points of Armor equal to the number of points below 1 it would be brought (but this cannot bring his Armor below its natural value). A bag may be carried on any of these body parts, and any number of items that add up to no more than the bags own Size may be kept inside (use the below method for adding item Sizes to see what fits). This provides a significant penalty to any attempts by other characters to determine whats inside the bag without opening it, but it also makes the item harder to get at. Opening a bag and pulling an item out requires a Dexterity test, DC1, and is considered an action, so it suffers from and contributes to multiple action penalties. It is also a separate action from drawing a weapon from its sheath taking a weapon from inside a bag, readying it, and then attacking with it requires three actions total. When packing items together, two items of the same Size become one item with that Size +1. Add up the smallest items first and work up from there. If two items with different Sizes have to be added together, then the total Size is just that of the larger item.

Chapter Vehicles The standard combat and movement rules are intended for individual creatures, each acting alone in a more or less static environment. When characters are riding horses, carriages, or more fanciful vehicles, these mechanics start to become inconvenient. A horse galloping at full speed cant easily stop, change direction, or navigate around obstacles, but tracking every units facing and acceleration every turn is impractical. So, this chapter introduces special rules for use when vehicles enter the battlefield. When one side of a battle has only vehicles, the standard rules for movement, cover, and tactics can usually be ignored. When one side has both vehicles and combatants on foot, then both sets of rules are used simultaneously when combatants on foot use vehicle maneuvers, they apply only against other vehicles, and standard combat actions like movement or cover do not apply against vehicles, but do apply against other combatants on foot. Section Maneuvering Instead of tracking speed, facing, and geometric relationship of opponents and obstacles, this system uses the Maneuver score to measure relative tactical advantage. Every on-foot combatant and every pilot of a vehicle has a Maneuver score. At the beginning of combat, each starts with a Maneuver score of Intelligence plus Awareness. Initiative is rolled as normal, but at the start of his turn, every character with a Maneuver score can choose to make a Maneuver roll. This is an open test. A character on foot gets his Sprinting skill in free dice if running, or else he gets no free dice. Pilots of vehicles get as many free dice as their vehicle skill if they spend an action to control the vehicle, or else they get no free dice. A character moving on foot or piloting a vehicle may add as many reaction pool as desired to this roll, but a character on foot who is standing still must take a roll of 0. Combatants on foot add their Strength and Intelligence to the result. Pilots of vehicles add their Intelligence and the vehicles Maneuver Rating. Anyone with no dice for their Maneuver roll is considered to have rolled a 0 (but Intelligence and Maneuver Rating are added to this as normal). If this roll is not at least as high as the current Escalation Level, the vehicle crashes. Otherwise, the highest Maneuver score among all foes is then subtracted from the roll, and the result becomes the characters new Maneuver score. Points of Maneuver score can be spent to change the circumstances of the battle. Most of these changes last until changed by further Maneuver point expenditure. Unlike movement, Maneuver point expenditure may be divided between before and after the character acts. So, for example, it would be legal to move from 64 to 32 meter range, attack, and then move back to 64 meter range. Any Maneuver points a character doesnt spend are factored in to how much h is enemies must subtract from their Maneuver rolls to find their new Maneuver point totals, so it is often smart to leave some Maneuver points unspent in order to keep the enemy from turning the situation to their advantage.

When fighting vehicles and foes on foot at the same time, any Maneuver points a character spends have no effect on his non-vehicular enemies. Efforts to hide from vehicles arent so effective against enemies that arent limited by a vehicles mobility, and angling to hit an enemy behind static cover doesnt use Maneuver mechanics. On the other hand, while a character on foot must move in order to make use of Maneuver dice, that movement doesnt necessarily take him closer or farther away from his foes on foot, and if hes already found cover, it can be assumed that his Maneuver roll includes finding a way to stay protected by it. The Maneuver point cost for different circumstances changes depending on the type of vehicle used. are as follow. On foot: Circumstance Approaching/Distancing 1m (or collision)<->4m 4m<->8m 8m<->16m 16m<->32m 32m<->64m Interposing/Exposing Interpose Expose Maneuver Points 1 1 4 7 10 1 1 They

Horseback: Circumstance Approaching 128m->64m 64m->32m 32m->16m 16m->8m 8m->4m 4m->2m 2m->1m (collision) Distancing 1m->4m 4m->8m 8m->16m 16m->32m 32m->64m 64m->128m Interposing/Exposing Interpose Expose Maneuver Points 12 9 6 4 3 3 4 1 1 3 6 9 12 2 3

Horse-drawn carriage: Circumstance Approaching 128m->64m 64m->32m 32m->16m 16m->8m 8m->4m 4m->2m (collision) Distancing 2m->4m 4m->8m 8m->16m 16m->32m 32m->64m 64m->128m Interposing/Exposing Interpose Expose Maneuver Points 14 11 9 7 5 5 1 2 5 8 11 14 4 8

Motorcycle: Circumstance Approaching 1km->512m Maneuver Points 10

512m->256m 256m->128m 128m->64m 64m->16m 16m->8m 8m->4m 4m->2m 2m->1m (collision) Distancing 1m->64m 64m->128m 128m->256m 256m->512m 512m->1km Interposing/Exposing Interpose Expose

7 4 1 1 1 2 3 4 1 1 4 7 10 2 2

4+ wheeled vehicle: Circumstance Approaching 2km->1km 1km->512m 512m->256m 256m->128m 128m->64m 64m->16m 16m->8m 8m->4m 4m->2m (collision) Distancing 2m->64m 64m->128m 128m->256m 256m->512m 512m->1km 1km->2km Interposing/Exposing Interpose Expose Maneuver Points 12 9 6 3 1 1 2 3 4 1 1 3 6 9 12 3 4

Treaded vehicle: Circumstance Approaching 512m->256m 256m->128m 128m->64m 64m->32m 32m->16m 16m->8m 8m->4m 4m->2m (collision) Distancing 2m->8m 8m->16m 16m->32m 32m->64m 64m->128m 128->256m 256m->512m Interposing/Exposing Interpose Expose Maneuver Points 14 11 8 5 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 5 8 11 14 4 6

Helicopter: Circumstance Approaching 2km->1km Maneuver Points 16

1km->512m 512m->256m 256m->128m 128m->64m 64m->32m 32m->16m 16m->8m 8m->4m (collision) Distancing 4m->32m 32m->64m 64m->128m 128m->256m 256m->512m 512m->1km 1km->2km Interposing/Exposing Interpose Expose

13 10 7 4 1 2 2 3 1 1 4 7 10 13 16 5 5

Jet: Circumstance Approaching 8km->4km 4km->2km 2km->1km 1km->512m 512m->256m 256m->128m 128m->64m 64m->32m 32m->16m 16m->8m 8m->4m (collision) Distancing 4m->64m 64m->128m 128m->256m 256m->512m 512m->1km 1km->2km 2km->4km 4km->8km Interposing/Exposing Interpose Expose Maneuver Points 17 14 12 10 8 6 6 7 7 8 9 1 1 2 5 8 11 14 17 5 8

Approaching/Distancing: This option is used to move closer to or further away from a target or group of targets. Vehicle movement uses the same geometry rules as standard movement. If moving closer to one target would also move you closer to another target, use the distance from whichever vehicle will end up closest to you. Interposing/Exposing: This mechanic represents vying for tactical advantage in ways more abstract than range. By interposing, a vehicle tries to make itself harder to hit, whether by getting behind an obstruction, by moving too quickly to be easily hit, by moving to a position where enemy weapons will have a harder time reaching him, or by any other methods. By exposing, a vehicle tries to overcome these factors. Every time a vehicle buys the Interpose option, it gains an interposition counter. Every interposition counter a vehicle has adds +1DC to all attempts to attack or locate the vehicle, but also adds +1DC to all the vehicle's own attack or location attempts. Every time a vehicle buys the Expose option, that vehicle (and only that vehicle) can choose to ignore one of a single target's interposition counters. However, this doesn't reduce the target's penalty from its own interposition counters. A vehicle may choose to give up all its interposition counters at any time, even right before it makes an attack. This also negates all Expose options used against it up to that point.

Section Escalation As vehicles maneuver around each other for advantage, their speed increases and they begin performing ever more hazardous maneuvers in order to gain the advantage against each other. This is represented by the Escalation mechanic. Every vehicle has an Escalation Level that shows how difficult it is to stay in control with the current speed and hazards. When vehicle combat begins, each class of vehicle starts at a different Escalation Level. Vehicle On foot Horse Carriage Motorcycle 4+ wheeled vehicle Treaded vehicle Helicopter Jet Starting Escalation Level 0 5 14 10 8 15 18 23

If a vehicles Maneuver roll (before being reduced by the highest Maneuver score among all opponents) is ever less than its Escalation Level, it takes crash damage equal to the damage it would take from crashing into an equivalent vehicle. The Armor DC is increased by the number of points by which the Maneuver roll fell short of the Escalation level, and the component targeted by the crash is the one with the lowest number of Armor dice. If more than one component is tied for lowest number of Armor dice, target the one thats taken the least damage. If more than one component is tied for having taken the least damage, target the one with the lowest first damage threshold. If there is still a tie, target the first component listed in the vehicle stat block. When a vehicles Maneuver roll falls short of its Escalation level, its Maneuver score becomes 0. Every vehicles Escalation Level increases when any vehicle rolls above the battles Escalation Threshold. The Escalation Threshold is a number thats shared between all the vehicles in a battle. To find its starting value, look at all the types of vehicles in the battle and pick the highest applicable value from the following table. Vehicle On foot Horse Carriage Motorcycle 4+ wheeled vehicle Treaded vehicle Helicopter Jet Starting Escalation Threshold 24 15 25 15 19 32 24 29

Every time a vehicle makes a Maneuver roll equal to or greater than the battles Escalation Threshold, every vehicles Escalation Level is increased by 1, and the battles Escalation Threshold is also increased by 1. As always, a vehicles operator can choose to take a lower result on his open test in order to play it safe and stay below the Escalation Threshold. Section Components Most vehicles are large enough that something which damages one component wont necessarily have an effect on the other components. Each component of a vehicle is specialized for its own purpose, and anything that damages that component will hinder the vehicles operation somehow. Every type of vehicle has its own component list, and each component has its own attributes for determining how hard it is to damage and what the results of damaging it are. Everything a vehicle can do is linked to its components, and the only way to damage a vehicle is to destroy its components. Each component has 7 attributes: type, health points, armor, hardness, targeting mod, distances, and functions. Some attributes are given as two numbers the first is the attribute when all other components of the machine are functioning properly, and the second in parentheses is the base attribute before the functions of other components are factored in. The meanings and uses of these attributes are as follow: Type:

There are four types of components. Mechanical components are devices made out of inert material that must be controlled from elsewhere within the vehicle. Creature components are living creatures that are being harnessed and controlled somehow creature components can act as individual creatures when not being controlled, but as long as theyre being used as part of the vehicle, they do not act on their own. Operator components give orders to the other parts. Usually theyre a person sitting on or inside the vehicle. Passenger components are places where passengers can safely ride the vehicle and act separately from the vehicle itself. Structure points: This works similarly to an individual creatures HP. The milestones serve the same function as for individual creatures. The first imposes a -1 damage penalty, the second imposes a -2 damage penalty, and so on. Damage penalties apply to all rolls made for functions of the component, and for functions where a direct roll is not made, damage penalties reduce the functions rating. Different components might have different numbers of milestones before their destruction. If multiple components contribute to a single function, then the function takes a damage penalty equal to the number of milestones passed regardless of whether the component is destroyed or not. So, for example, if a vehicle has two Maneuver components with SP milestones 4/6/8, and one component is destroyed while the other has taken 4 damage, the vehicle takes a -4 penalty on Maneuver rolls. However, once all components that contribute to a function are destroyed, the vehicle cannot use the function at all. Armor: This works identically to an individual creatures Armor. rolled to reduce incoming damage. Hardness: This works similarly to an individual creatures Fortitude. roll to reduce incoming damage. Targeting mod: This modifies the attack DC when targeting the component. It is given in the format ranged/melee. Against operator and passenger components, this usually represents the cover the vehicle gives him. Against other components, the base value represents the Size of the component making it easier or more difficult to hit. As with normal inanimate objects, the modifier is 5 minus Size. A dash indicates that it is simply not possible to directly target the component (probably due to another component Enclosing it). Connections: This shows the distance in meters from the component to every other component it's directly connected to. If the component is targeted by an explosive weapon, add up the distances from the target component to every other component to determine the damage dealt by the attack. If the destruction of a component causes an operator to have no connection to other components, then these components fall off the vehicle and are considered destroyed as far as the main vehicle is concerned. On larger vehicles, some distances are given in the format #/#i or #/#o. This means that for someone onboard the vehicle, there is a walkable path from one component to the other with the length specified in meters. An i indicates that the path is internal, and ranged weapons cant be used beyond a range of 1m. An o indicates that the path is on the outside of the vehicle, so ranged weapons can be used freely. Functions: This shows what purpose the component has in the vehicle. Everything a vehicle can do comes from the functions across all its components, and when a component is damaged or destroyed, the vehicles ability to perform those functions is similarly affected. See the relevant section for a full description of possible functions. Section Functions The following is a list of functions each component can have, as well as an explanation of the notation used to describe the function. Most functions are followed by a rating that describes how effective the It decreases the DC of the Armor It is the number of dice that are

component performs the function. component's function ratings. Attack:

Any damage penalties suffered by a component are subtracted from the

All operators and passengers can engage in combat with handheld weapons against boarding foes as described in the above section on the Distances attribute, but this function indicates that the component is positioned to attack external foes. Each weapon on the vehicle is described in the vehicle description. Any other details on the weapon are noted in the vehicle description. Rather than decreasing the rating, damage penalties to a component capable of Attacking increase the DC of the attack roll. Note that some vehicles have external pathways between components, and a passenger on such a pathway can engage in ranged combat with distant foes, but such passengers have no protection against crash damage. Cargo: This function gives the vehicle the ability to internally carry items apart from what any operators or passengers have on their person. Treat this as a pocket with a Size equal to the function's rating. If the function's rating is decreased by damage, smaller items will fall out of the vehicle until the combined Size of the items is no greater than the function's new rating. Use the standard method of combining Sizes for items held in the Equipment section. Cover: This function indicates that the component is shaped to provide cover to the vehicles other components. This cover can only apply to ranged attacks. The components covered by this function are listed in parenthesis. Damage penalties reduce the cover provided, and if the component with this function is destroyed, it provides no more cover. If the cover provided is reduced to zero, this function ceases to operate. A ranged attack may ignore the cover by firing through it in that case, treat this function as Enclose. Dodge: This function allows the component to be moved at a moment's notice out of harm's way. The operator of such a component can spend reaction pool to make a dodge test against any attacks sent at the component. The number after the function name is the base DC of the dodge roll. As always, this increased by the attacker's Dexterity, and the roll is based on the operator's Dexterity. Note that anything that decreases the vehicle's Maneuver Rating increases this number by the same amount, and damage to the component itself does not necessarily change its Dodge rating. If (Main) is written after the number, the component's operator can make a dodge test against an attack targeted at any part of the vehicle at all. If the targeted component can also dodge separately, then successes from both dodge tests stack. All passengers can always dodge at a base DC of 6 plus the attackers Dexterity. Enclose: This function indicates that the component completely surrounds another component, and so to attack the surrounded component, the enclosing one must be shot through. This cannot be done with a melee weapon. To attack the inner component, the attacker rolls a standard attack against the surrounded components base targeting DC (the one in parenthesis, before modifiers from other components are applied). This first deals damage to the enclosing component. The enclosing component reduces the damage with an Armor roll as normal. If the attack deals at least as much damage as the enclosing components first damage milestone in one blow, the attack goes through, and the inner component then makes its own Armor roll at the same base DC, but against the number of damage that the enclosing component actually took. Otherwise, the attack does not make it through. Once the enclosing component begins to take a damage penalty, it may be treated as Cover 7 that is, the cover it provides is equal to 7 minus the damage penalty, but only after it takes enough damage to have a damage penalty in the first place. If the enclosing component is destroyed, then the inner component receives no more protection from it. A boarding attacker may ignore this function as long as he has a walkable path to the surrounded component. Maneuver:

This function indicates that the component is used to maneuver. The component's damage penalty reduces the vehicle's overall Maneuver Rating. If all components that contribute to the Maneuver Rating of a vehicle are destroyed, the vehicle can no longer make Maneuver rolls. Operate: This function is usually performed by operator components. This function comes with a list of other components that this operator component operates. An operator can spend his turn to use any of the functions enabled by any of these components. Each function uses the operator's skills and attributes in different ways, but wound penalties taken by the operator increase his DCs as normal. If the function is followed by (Maneuver #), then this operator is the vehicle's main pilot and the number is the vehicle's full base Maneuver Rating. Section Example Vehicles Terms in [brackets] refer to attributes of the operator, passenger, or creature acting as the component. Warhorse (500 doux): Name Type SP Armor Hardness Target mod Connections Functions Horse 2 Attack [held weapon] Operate (Horse) (Maneuver 5) Maneuver Dodge 7 (Main)

Rider Operator [HP]

[Armor] [Fortitude] +0/+0

Horse Creature 16/23/32/45 13

-3/-3

Rider 2

Draft Horse (150 doux): Name Type SP Armor Hardness Target mod Connections Functions Horse 2 Attack [held weapon] Operate (Horse) (Maneuver 4) Maneuver Dodge 8

Rider Operator [HP]

[Armor] [Fortitude] +0/+0

Horse Creature 16/23/32/45 9

-4/-4

Rider 2

Mule (10 doux): Name Type SP Armor Hardness Target mod Connections Functions Mule 2 Attack [held weapon] Operate (Mule) (Maneuver 3) Maneuver Dodge 7 (Main)

Rider Operator [HP]

[Armor] [Fortitude] +0/+0

Mule

Creature 8/11/16/23 9

-2/-2

Rider 2

Passenger Carriage (500 doux): Name Type SP Armor Hardness Target mod +2/+0 (+0/+0) Connections Functions

Driver

Operator

[HP]

[Armor] [Fort]

Main Body 1 R Pass 1/1o L Pass 1/1o

Attack [held weapon] Operate (Horses, Main Body) (Maneuver 5) Attack [held weapon]

R Pass

Passenger

[HP]

[Armor] [Fort]

+2/+0 (+0/+0)

Main Body 1 Driver 1/1o

L Pass

Passenger

[HP]

[Armor] [Fort]

+2/+0 (+0/+0) -6/-6

Main Body 1 Driver 1/1o Driver 1 R Horse 2 L Horse 2 R Pass 1 L Pass 1 FR FL BR BL Wheel Wheel Wheel Wheel

Attack [held weapon] 2 Cargo 6 2 Dodge 9 (Main) 2 Cover 2 (Driver, 2 R Pass, L Pass)

Main Body

Mechanical 45/64/91/ 128/181/

10

10

R Horse

Creature

16/23/32/45 9

-4/-4

Main Body 2

Maneuver Dodge 8 Maneuver Dodge 8 Maneuver Maneuver Maneuver Maneuver

L Horse

Creature

16/23/32/45 9

-4/-4

Main Body 2

FR Wheel FL Wheel BR Wheel BL Wheel

Mechanical 4/6 Mechanical 4/6 Mechanical 4/6 Mechanical 4/6

2 2 2 2

10 10 10 10

+4/+4 +4/+4 +4/+4 +4/+4

Main Body 2 Main Body 2 Main Body 2 Main Body 2

Section Collisions When the pilot of one vehicle wishes to collide it against another, he must first close range to the distance indicated on his vehicles maneuver table. Damage is then dealt to both vehicles based on the class of the smaller one. Class On foot Horse/Motorcycle Carriage/4+ Wheeled/Treaded Helicopter/Jet Damage 128 256 512 1k

The initiator of the collision selects one component of his own vehicle to hit one component he selects on the other vehicle. A component cannot be selected if it is Covered or Enclosed by another component. No attack roll is made instead, each component makes an Armor roll with a base DC equal to the other components Hardness plus the lower of the Escalation Levels between the two vehicles. The initiator may spend additional Maneuver points to skew things in his favor. One Maneuver point may be spent to increase both Armor DCs by one, or one Maneuver point may be spent to decrease the Armor DC faced by the initiators component by one. Resolve the damage in the order of component with lowest Hardness to component with highest Hardness. In the case of a tie, resolve damage simultaneously. If a component is destroyed by the collision, note the amount of damage that the component took from the collision after reduction by its Armor roll. All components that were connected to the destroyed component must then resist that amount of damage at the same base DC. If any of these components are destroyed, they in turn pass the final damage along to all components connected to them in the same way. However, no component ever has to take damage from a collision more than once. If the component whose Hardness is determining the enemys Armor DC is destroyed, its Hardness is no longer used to determine the Armor DC the opposing vehicle faces instead, use the highest Hardness among all components the destroyed component was connected to. Characters on a connection between two components also must resist the first damage dealt to one of the components theyre on the path between (but dont take any more damage after that). Whenever a collision is initiated and one of the colliding components is a person, it is possible for the character to board the other vehicle. This requires an Acrobatics test, Strength based, at a DC of the other vehicles Escalation Level. The damage from the collision is dealt before this, and any wound penalty caused by the collision applies. It is not considered an action to attempt this, so a character can try even when its not his turn, and can do so without incurring a multiple action penalty. If the component has a walkable path to another component, then the boarding character can climb aboard. Otherwise, the character must make an Acrobatics test every turn to continue climbing across the surface of the vehicle, Strength-based, with base DC of the vehicle Escalation level. Success allows the character to move from component to component with a speed of 1m, but he may roll at a higher DC to

increase this speed, as described in the section on climbing. and falls from the vehicle. Section Falling Off

Failure means the character loses his grip

If someone on a moving vehicle is made to jump off in the middle of combat, hes likely to take damage from it. The base damage dealt by falling off a moving vehicle is 128, and the characters Armor roll is at a base DC of the vehicles Escalation Level. If the vehicles pilot made a Maneuver roll on his previous turn, or if the person jumping off the vehicle is himself the pilot, then the pilot may choose to either increase or decrease the DC by his Intelligence. If the jumping character takes no damage from the fall, he lands on his feet, but otherwise he lands prone. Section Custom Vehicles By mixing and matching components, new vehicles can be created. When designing custom vehicles, components are bought in packages, and each component package can be attached to a specific selection of other component packages. Each type of vehicle requires some minimum amount of components to function, but some vehicles can also take optional component packages. The individual components within a component package each have their own attributes, and each component package can also have a more general effect on the vehicle as a whole (for example, changing the maneuver rating). Carriages: These require a main body, a team, and wheels to function. Main Bodies: Package Name Driver Type Operator SP [HP] Armor [Armor] Hardness [Fort] Target mod +2/+0 (+0/+0) Main Body, Type: Passenger, Cost 100 doux Connections Main Body 1 R Pass 1/1o L Pass 1/1o Functions Attack [held weapon] Operate (Horses, Main Body) (Maneuver 5) Attack [held weapon] Attack [held weapon] Cargo 6 Dodge 9 (Main) Cover 2 (Driver, R Pass, L Pass)

R Pass L Pass Main Body

Passenger Passenger Mechanical

[HP] [HP] 45/64/91/ 128/181/

[Armor] [Armor] 10

[Fort] [Fort] 10

+2/+0 (+0/+0) +2/+0 (+0/+0) -6/-6

Main Body 1 Driver 1/1o Main Body 1 Driver 1/1o Driver 1 FR R Horse 2 FL L Horse 2 BR R Pass 1 BL L Pass 1

Wheel Wheel Wheel Wheel

2 2 2 2

This is the main package of the vehicle. package and any 4-wheels package. Teams: Package Name R Horse L Horse Type Creature Creature SP 16/23/32/45 16/23/32/45

It has a base Maneuver score of 0.

It can connect to any Team

Team, Type: Draft Horse, Cost 300 doux Armor 9 9 Hardness 6 6 Target mod -4/-4 -4/-4 Connections Main Body 2 Main Body 2 Functions Maneuver Dodge 8 Maneuver Dodge 8

This package adds +3 to Maneuver score.

Wheels: Package Name FR Wheel FL Wheel BR Wheel BL Wheel Type Mechanical Mechanical Mechanical Mechanical SP 4/6 4/6 4/6 4/6 Armor 2 2 2 2 Hardness 10 10 10 10 Wheels, Type: Wooden 4-wheels, Cost 100 doux Target mod +4/+4 +4/+4 +4/+4 +4/+4 Connections Main Body 2 Main Body 2 Main Body 2 Main Body 2 Functions Maneuver Maneuver Maneuver Maneuver

This package adds +2 to Maneuver score.

Chapter Infiltration When a character wants to pass through an area controlled by hostile guards, and he cant simply fight his way through them all, it becomes necessary to measure his ability to sneak against the guards ability to detect him. Sometimes it even requires the skills of a fully party of infiltrators to crack the defenses of a guarded facility. This chapter provides rules for these situations. All infiltration ultimately runs into two complicating factors. The first is obstacles that must be must be passed through, like locked doors, high fences, and wide open courtyards. The second is the risk of the alarm being raised, brought about by patrolling guards and potentially other ways an infiltrator can be detected. The main purpose of the obstacles is just to hold any infiltrators in place long enough for patrolling guards to find them, though some security systems have traps to maim or kill anyone who triggers them. The major factor that stops people from making their security systems completely impenetrable is that the facilities being guarded must still remain usable by the people authorized to use them. So, for the owner of a facility, there is a balance to strike between keeping the facility usable and keeping the facility secure. Authorized people need a way inside, the process of determining whos authorized and whos not must be simple enough to let people through quickly, and the guards cant shut the whole place down for every half-heard footstep. These are the necessities that infiltrators must exploit. Section - Rooms In game mechanical terms, every facility is divided up into a collection of Rooms and Obstacles. An Obstacle is anything thats difficult to pass through usually requiring a skill test. A Room is any region of space divided from its neighbors either by Obstacles or by exits from the facility. Every Room has six attributes: Tolerance, Patrol Threshold, Traffic, Extent, Shadows, and Cover. Tolerance: This attribute represents how sensitive the sensitive the Rooms guards are to any unexpected disturbances. A Room might have high Tolerance because its right next to a public area, and any strange noises or half-seen movement might have come from a stray animal or a group of people just passing nearby. A Room might have a low Tolerance because its deep within the facility where no one has any business being, so any disturbance at all is worth investigating. A Rooms Tolerance is used to determine how many Detection Points (DP) a party inside it has in a manner identical to how Willpower determines a characters HP. As with HP, there are four milestones, and a party in a Tolerance 1 Room has a DP of 2/3/4/6. The effects of these milestones are detailed later. Use the following progression. 2/ 3/ 4/ 6/ 8/ 11/ 16/ 23/ 32/ 45/ 64/ 91/ 128/ 181/ 256/ 362/ 512/ 724/ 1k/ 1k424/ 2k/ 3k/ etc. Patrol Threshold: This attribute shows how frequent encounters with guards are in the Room. This value is itself used as the base DC for rolls to determine whether guards show up, so a lower value means more frequent guards. A facility has only a limited number of guards to work with, so it usually sets most of its guards to patrolling the most important Rooms.

Traffic: This attribute of people that each one. The as someone who Extent: This attribute is a measure of how large and sprawling the Room is. A larger Room offers more places to hide, and is harder for guards to completely clear. A Rooms Extent determines the starting distance for encounters based on the following table. Extent -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 Starting distance 2m 3m 4m 5m 6m 8m 10m 12m 16m 20m 26m 32m 42m 52m 64m shows how many authorized personnel move through the Room. If the Room has a lot need to move through, that limits how thorough the guards can be in investigating higher this attribute, the easier an infiltrator will find it to pass himself off belongs there.

Shadows: This attribute measures the ambient light level in the Room. A high Shadows attribute means the room has plenty of dark, hidden places to hide. A low Shadows attribute means that its been specifically designed with light sources to illuminate every last nook and cranny. The Shadows attribute can never go higher than 6 or lower than -10. Each Room also has a note by this attribute indicating whether the Room is outdoors (O), windowed (W), or interior (I). Depending on this value, infiltrators can tamper with the Room to make it easier to hide in, but this can itself draw the notice of the guards. Shadows -10 -5 0 3 6 Comparable amount of light Daytime outdoors Twilight Moonlight Overcast night Windowless, lightless room

Cover: This attribute shows how many objects to take cover behind are in the Room. A high Cover attribute means theres plenty of furniture and corners for infiltrators to conceal themselves in. A low Cover attribute means the Room is kept clear so the guards can see it all with a glance. The Cover attribute can never go higher than 6 or lower than -10. Cover -10 -5 0 3 6+ Value of cover in combat None +2 (partial) +4 (half) +6 (majority) Total

All six of these attributes are defined such that a lower value makes for a harder infiltration, and a higher value makes for an easier infiltration. Section Obstacles

Staying hidden in one Room is often easy, but a party of infiltrators usually needs to reach some destination within the facility, and that means going through Obstacles. Circumventing an Obstacle requires an infiltrator to go out in the open and expose himself to any patrolling guards, and the longer it takes to defeat the Obstacle, the more likely it is that a patrol will arrive. Lock: This security measure is straightforward in its aim. Most anyone can pick a lock, if they know what theyre doing, but Lockpicking takes time. The longer a character is working in front of a door, the more likely it is that a patrol will walk by and see him. A locks quality is measured by two attributes: firstly, the base DC to successfully pick it, and secondly, the base time to successfully pick it, measured in Patrol rolls. Each base time is the number of Patrol rolls made if the character gets one Lockpicking success. Every additional success reduces the number of Patrol rolls made, as shown. Base rolls 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 12 16 20 2 successes 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 12 16 3 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 12 4 0 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 5 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 4 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

While picking the lock, the lockpicker is completely exposed (-10 Cover modifier to Stealth). If a patrol arrives, the lockpicker can only use the Rooms Cover if he goes before all the guards, and in doing so, his Movement modifier to Stealth becomes +0 instead of +3. Once the guards have passed, he may resume picking the lock where he left off. On a failed Lockpicking roll, the same number of Patrol rolls are made as for a 1 success attempt. If a patrol does arrive, then the lockpicker can abandon his attempt right there and start anew once theyre gone. Otherwise, he can start a new attempt once all the Patrol rolls are made. Wall: This security measure poses a double threat. On one hand, a failed attempt at scaling a wall has the threat of falling. On the other, a character caught in the middle of climbing will have a very difficult time hiding from any guards who arrive. For a party to climb over this obstacle, every member must succeed on a climbing test. The higher the wall, longer it takes to climb, and the more risk there is of a patrol arriving. However, before an infiltrator rolls, he may voluntarily increase the DC to represent taking more risks in order to climb more quickly, as shown on the following table. Height 10m 20m 30m 40m 50m 60m 70m 80m 90m 100m Base rolls 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DC increase for 1 less roll +3 +3 +2 +1 +1 +1 2 +6 +5 +3 +2 +2 +1 +1 +1 +1 3 +8 +6 +4 +3 +2 +2 +2 4 +9 +7 +5 +4 +3 +3 +2 5 +10 +8 +5 +4 +4 +3 6 +11 +8 +6 +5 +4 7 +11 +9 +7 +5 8 +12 +10 +7 9 +13 +10 10 +13

An infiltrator who rolls more than 1 success also climbs faster. Every success over 1 that is rolled is treated as if the climber had taken an additional +1 to his DC. Multiple characters can climb at the same time, but its also a valid strategy for most of the infiltrators to hide in the Room while their most skilled climber scales the wall in order to

throw down a rope once hes reached the top. The height that must be climbed remains unchanged, but the base climbing DC then depends only on the rope. On a failed roll, the climber falls from half the walls height and must resist falling damage, as detailed in the section on falling. A character can also attempt to jump from the ground all the way to the top of the wall, but a failure deals falling damage based on the height jumped. Drop A drop is simply a wall seen from the other side. If traveling in one direction requires scaling a wall, then traveling in the other direction requires scaling a drop. The heights, DCs, and times required are the same as for a wall, but the alternate options for circumventing it are different. A character may move through a drop by deliberately falling from the top. In this case, he rolls Acrobatics as though making a standing high jump, and the height his roll would allow him to jump is subtracted from the height of his fall for the purpose of falling damage. Additionally, while a character is scaling a drop, rather than being visible from the Room hes leaving, he is instead visible from the Room hes entering. Guarded passage: Some passages have guards stationed constantly to keep anyone unwanted from getting through. Infiltrators will usually want to find an alternate route, but it is sometimes useful to try to bluff the guards into believing you belong. This is resolved as a Bluff test, using the best Awareness among the guards to determine the base DC. The Likelihood of fact factor is equal to the lower of the Traffic values among the two rooms this Obstacle divides. Guards bluffed in this manner usually wont just let the character through unsupervised depending on the facility, they might be escorted to wherever they say they need to go. [This mechanic needs more specific ways to determine what happens.] Section Infiltration Encounters The last major variable of a facilitys security system is the quality of the guards themselves. Every facility should have a set of attributes and equipment for each guard in each possible number of Patrol successes. Any guard force that recruits from the general population will have members whose attributes and skills are average tightly centered around 3, with any 4s likely placed in Strength or Awareness. Their equipment, being bought and owned by whoever is hiring them, might be better than what the guards could afford for themselves, but likely doesnt exceed 1000 doux per guard. When a party infiltrates a facility, speed and stealth are the highest priorities. Anything that could attract attention risks drawing curious guards, and even a silent party faces the possibility of stumbling across a foe while moving to a new room, or finding themselves in the path of a patrol while picking a lock or climbing a wall. In game mechanical terms, certain circumstances require an infiltrating party to make a Patrol roll. The above Obstacle rules detail some of those circumstances. A Patrol roll must also be made every time a party moves from one Obstacle to another, and whenever the party spends a round taking one or more combat actions shooting or throwing a grappling hook counts as a combat action for this purpose, though dropping a rope from above does not. A Patrol roll uses a number of dice depending on the facility. The DC is equal to the Rooms Patrol attribute value. If no successes are rolled, then no guards arrive. If some successes are rolled, then the patrol that arrives depends on the number of successes every facility has a patrol detailed for every possible number of successes. Higher numbers of successes tend to lead to a more formidable patrol. When a patrol arrives, each guard will be making a Perception roll to spot the infiltrators, but before that, the infiltrators have a chance to react to the guards approach and position themselves more advantageously though if theyre not careful, the guards might end up surprising them instead. An initiative roll is made as normal, but the point costs for setting up the initial conditions are somewhat different, as shown on the following table.

Initial condition Effective Extent +/- 1 (max +3) Effective Cover +1 (max Rooms Cover attribute)

Point cost 2 1

Infiltrators waiting for their allies to bypass an Obstacle are considered to automatically start with Cover equal to the Rooms Cover attribute. Infiltrators moving into the Room are considered to start with 0 Cover, even if the Room theyre moving into has a max Cover below 0. Infiltrators picking a lock or climbing a wall are considered to start with -10 Cover, and those climbing a wall also cant gain additional Cover by any means short of completing the climb. Infiltrators that have already bypassed an Obstacle are considered to be in the next room for the purpose of Patrol rolls a separate Patrol roll is made for them, and they must separately deal with any patrols that pass through their Room. Any infiltrators that take their turns before all of the guards may act as normal. If theyre in the middle of an action, they may stop and become completely still. Alternately, they may move and search for Cover with Tactics rolls as normal, though the maximum Stealth benefit they can get from any Cover is equal to the Rooms Cover attribute. Once it becomes the first guards turn, all infiltrators make an open Stealth test, Dexterity-based, with the following modifiers. Circumstance Movement Completely still (or waiting for allies to bypass Obstacle) 1m or less per turn (or picking lock) Up to half walking speed (or climbing wall, or moving to new Room) Up to walking speed Up to running speed Cover/Concealment Shadows/Cover Background Garish/Raucous Busy/Noisy Average Simple/Quiet Featureless/Silent Enemy Alertness Standard patrolling Called by disturbance or high alert Range Result (Dexterity) +6 +3 +0 -5 -10 Use value that is better for Infiltrator +6 +3 +0 -5 -10 +0 -5 Extent

A characters Background factor during infiltration is almost always Average. Camouflage can be bought to increase this factor to a better level in a particular type of Room, but it might also decrease this factor to a worse level in Rooms unsuited to that type of camouflage. Once all infiltrators have made this test, take the lowest value among them. This is the base DC for a Perception roll from the guards, Awareness-based. Each guard rolls individually. One success means the guard increases the partys Detection Points by 1. Two successes means an increase of 2, three successes means an increase of 4, four successes means an increase of 8, and five successes means an increase of 16. Unless the DP increase brings the facility to high alert, the guards will then move along in their patrol. If theyre stopped from leaving the Room, the DP increase from their Perception successes is negated, but once a party has taken a guard off his patrol, they cease to recover DP. If a Patrol roll results in no Perception successes (either due to no guards arriving, or due to the guards simply rolling no successes), then the partys DP is reduced by 1. Section Detection Small increases in a partys DP have no effect aside from making further Perception rolls more likely to result in the DP climbing above one of the milestones. When a milestone is breached, it means the guards are getting suspicious at the trail of disturbances moving through the facility. After the first milestone, rooms the party is in have their Patrol attribute effectively reduced by 1. After the second, its reduced by 2, and after the third, the Patrol attribute is considered 3 points lower than it normally is. However, for any other parties infiltrating the facility, the guards divided attention can be exploited. Any infiltrators who havent breached any DP milestones get an increase to their Rooms effective Patrol attribute equal to the greatest decrease among any other simultaneous infiltrators.

When a guards Perception roll brings a partys DP above the fourth milestone, hell immediately shout out an alert and attempt to subdue them. When a partys DP is above the fourth milestone and theyre in the same room as any guards who have rolled any Perception successes against them at all, the shouts and sounds of fighting will cause a Patrol roll to be made every round. If the infiltrators flee from combat with any guards, leaving them behind to report the intrusion, then each guard left in this manner is considered to have rolled 5 successes on his Perception roll for the purpose of DP increase. This will almost certainly result in tightened security around the facility. Section Facility Construction The cost to guard a facility is often very important. Organizations will only spend as much to guard something as that thing is worth to them, and a character with thorough knowledge of a facilitys security measures might be able to guess at the value of whats being protected within. A players character might even want to set up a guarded fortress of his own, and so its important to know just how much that costs. Using the following rules, a facility and its security measures can be built from the ground up. Organizations get a facility budget based on the valuables inside, and players can build whatever they can pay for. Structures: Type Wood, open Wood, closed Stone, open Stone, closed Base cost 440,000 doux (Extent -8 divided by 5, 2.5 meters thick, 10 meters tall)

Guards: Attribute array 3/2/2/2/1/1 4/3/3/3/2/2 5/4/4/4/3/3 6/5/5/5/4/4 7/6/6/6/5/5 Cost (monthly) 17 doux 130 doux 1,100 doux 8,500 doux 68,000 doux Cost (indefinite) 4,000 doux 32,000 doux 260,000 doux 2,000,000 doux 16,000,000 doux

The above costs are what is required to attract a career guard of the listed attributes to take a job at the facility. The number of guards that must be hired depends on the Guard Points required for each patrol. Recruiting guards in this way is no substitute for the Service Contact tasks, as these hired guards can take over a month to join the facility, and generally arent willing to do tasks beyond their routine patrols for these prices. The guards an Organization hires to defend a facility are always paid for with the indefinite amount. Player characters who wish to fund their facility on a monthly basis may pay the monthly cost every month, but the indefinite cost covers the investment of making sure there is always a guard on duty, regardless of retirements, injuries, or other complications.

Chapter Adjudication There are some circumstances that come up often enough in play that its useful to be able to refer to a set of rules for how they turn out when making plans or resolving disputes. These rules must be a simplified abstraction in order to be resolved without bogging down the flow of play, but they still must be complex enough to lead to reasonable outcomes. GMs should feel free to disregard some of the outcomes proscribed in this section when they defy the reasonable expectations of the players. Alternately, in games where these circumstances come up often, it might be useful for GMs to make their own house rules for how they turn out. Section Recovering Routine Wounds

Any wounds a character takes that dont damage him enough to impose a wound penalty are mostly superficial. 8 hours of rest are enough to restore the character to full HP, though the bruises and cuts might take longer than that to completely disappear. More severe damage takes longer to heal, though medical attention can speed things up somewhat. Every day, usually upon waking up in the morning, a character facing a wound penalty makes a Fortitude attribute test to see if he recovers. Because the amount of physical damage a wound penalty represents increases with how much Willpower a character has, the DC for the Fortitude attribute test depends on the characters Willpower, as follows. Wound Penalty +1 +2 +3 DC to Heal Willpower+15 Willpower+10 Willpower+6

On success, the characters wound penalty is reduced by 1, and his damage is reduced to the highest amount that could inflict the new wound penalty. This means that upon successfully healing a +1 wound penalty, the character wakes with 1 less point of damage than his first wound milestone, and the day after that, the character wakes fully healed. So, a badly wounded character doesnt need to rest too long before being in decent shape, but it takes a longer while to completely recover. On failure, the DC for the next days roll is equal to the DC for the current days roll minus 1. A Medicine skill roll can be used to speed the process of healing. Every day a character is treated, the one treating him makes a Medicine roll, Intelligence-based, at a DC of twice the treated characters Willpower plus 4. Every success reduces the treated characters Fortitude DC to heal the following morning by one. Section Recovering Critical Wounds When a character has taken an attack that increases his damage beyond his max HP, he is considered to be critically wounded. A character in this state is on deaths door, unable to move, fight, or even defend himself effectively. Most critically wounded NPCs, unless facing certain execution should they surrender, will not even attempt to fight they should be assumed to drop to the ground and lay still until some help hopefully arrives. Similarly, when a players character is critically wounded and doesnt attempt any other actions, NPCs should assume that hes out of the fight and they can turn their attention to his allies. However, a character can attempt to do some things while critically wounded, if hes willing to take the risk. On his turn, a character may make a Willpower attribute test with a base DC equal to the number of Impairment effects suffered (see below). The characters wound penalty applies to this test. Success allows the character to act normally for one round, albeit still affected by his wound penalty. Otherwise, the character cannot attempt any actions or skill tests, move, spend reaction pool, cast or sustain spells, or even stand. Every round a character struggles to act like this, regardless of whether he succeeds, the Medicine DC to treat his wounds increases by 1, to a maximum of +3 per Impairment effect suffered. Furthermore, a character struggling to act like this risks being finished off by any enemies who wish to deal with him for good. It is an option that should not be taken lightly. Every time a critically wounded character takes damage (including the damage that brought him to critically wounded state in the first place), he takes an Impairment based on the weapon used, the damage dealt, and his own Fortitude. Each type of weapon has its own Impairment table. An Impairment table lists each amount of damage that can be taken next to an Impairment effect. When a character takes damage while critically wounded, refer to the damage taken and then move up a number of rows equal to the characters Fortitude. The result is the Impairment effect the wound deals. Blade, thrown weapon, exposure, drowning: None Scar Scar -1 Str -1 Str Anemia Anemia Death Death

1 2 4 8

16 32 64 128 256 512 1k

Death + severe scar Death + severe scar Death + amputation Death + amputation Death + bedridden Death + bedridden As above, but +1 to Medicine DCs +1 more " " " " "

Polearm, bow, crossbow: 1 2 4 8 16 32 64 128 256 512 1k None Scar Scar -1 Str -1 Str Gut shot Gut shot Death Death Death + severe scar Death + severe scar Death + gouging Death + gouging Death + bedridden Death + bedridden As above, but +1 to Medicine DCs +1 more " " " "

Mace, chain, fists, improvised weapon, vehicle crashes, falling: 1 2 4 8 16 32 64 128 256 512 1k None None Scar Scar -1 Dex -1 Dex Concussion Concussion Death Death Death + severe scar Death + severe scar Death + broken limb Death + broken limb Death + bedridden Death + bedridden As above, but +1 to Medicine DCs +1 more " " "

However, even if a character takes a wound that risks one of these Impairments, he might still avoid the worst of the effect with skilled medical attention. The Medicine skill may be used up to five times on any given set of wounds. Every success rolled downgrades one of the Impairment effects. Effects less severe than Death are downgraded to a normal scar, effects at least as severe as Death are downgraded to a severe scar, and scars are removed completely. Getting a full five opportunities to heal does require speedy treatment, though. Each use of the Medicine skill must be made within a specific timeframe, and only one use of the Medicine skill may be used in each timeframe. The longer after the initial wounding the treatment takes place, the more difficult it is to make a difference. Timeframe Up to 1 round after becoming critically wounded Between 1 round and 5 minutes (100 rounds) Between 5 minutes and 8 hours Medicine DC (Intelligence) Willpower +7 Willpower +10 Willpower +13

Between 8 hours and 1 week 1 week

Willpower +16 Willpower +19

So, if takes 10 minutes for help to reach a critically wounded character, his friends have missed the chance to make the first two Medicine rolls, but theyll still be able to make the last three attempts: once immediately when they find him, once at least 8 hours later, and then a final one in a week. If a character takes damage while critically wounded multiple times, then he might take multiple copies of the same Impairment effect, each of which must be healed separately. If a character is critically wounded, healed through proper medical treatment, and then critically wounded again, the Impairment effects from the second critical wounding get their own timeframes in which to be treated by up to five Medicine rolls, completely separately from the first. If a character has not received proper medical treatment at the end of any timeframe aside from the first, he may instead make a Fortitude attribute roll in its place at the same base DC. Success allows the player to downgrade one Impairment effect of his choice. Until an Impairment effect is removed, the character must face its consequences. each Impairment are as follow. Scar: This is the most minor Impairment, as the only lasting evidence of the wound is cosmetic. A normal scar is not particularly prominent and is easy to cover up with ones clothes, but it does provide evidence that a serious wound was taken. The exact form and location are up to the GM. Impairments below scar but above death on the weapons Impairment chart still leave scars even when healed, unless a second Medicine success is spent to remove them. Severe scar: This is a scar thats larger, more obvious, and more clearly indicates the level of trauma that was suffered. Severe scars show up on the face, head, neck, or hands, and probably extend across more of the body as well. A character must go out of his way if he wants to hide a scar of this magnitude. Death and all Impairments listed below it on the weapons Impairment chart leave severe scars even when healed, unless a second Medicine success is spent to remove them. -1 Str/Dex: This represents damage to a characters muscles and bones that prevents him from moving with as much force and coordination as he otherwise could. The characters attribute is treated as lower for all purposes until the Impairment is healed. The penalty is cumulative with other Impairments, even copies of the same Impairment. Anemia: If a character experiences severe blood loss, the effects can be devastating. The characters health becomes weak and fragile, and the character takes an additional +2 penalty to all Strength and Fortitude DCs unlike normal wound penalties, this applies even to Armor rolls. The penalty is cumulative with other Impairments, even copies of the same Impairment. Gut shot: The character takes a deep wound to the innards, and the internal bleeding and leaking stomach acid is both dangerous and painful. He suffers an additional +1 wound penalty and cannot heal at all until this Impairment is healed. The penalty is cumulative with other Impairments, even copies of the same Impairment. Concussion: The character is badly rattled by a blow to the head, and suffers a +2 penalty to all Intelligence and Awareness DCs. The penalty is cumulative with other Impairments, even copies of the same Impairment. Amputation: The game effects of

A severe wound to an appendage can render it useless or even destroy it entirely. When this Impairment is suffered, roll a die. On a 3 or higher, an arm is badly damaged. Any Strength- or Dexterity-based rolls for tasks that work best with two arms are made at +3DC. Otherwise, a leg is badly damaged. The character cannot walk, and any rolls for tasks that are best used with both legs (such as Dodging or using Athletics to climb) are at +3 DC. The penalty is cumulative with other Impairments, though the loss of both limbs of one type might make some actions simply impossible. Gouging: Damage to the sensitive organs in the head can impair the senses and make some actions difficult. When this Impairment is suffered, roll a die. On a 0, an ear is struck. Rolls involving hearing, including Initiative rolls, are made at a +3 penalty. On a 1, damage is dealt to the nose and mouth. Actions requiring talking, tasting, or smelling are all made at +3DC. On a 2 or higher, an eye is badly damaged. Ranged attack rolls and visual Perception rolls are made at +3DC. The penalty is cumulative with other Impairments, though the loss of both organs of one type might make some actions simply impossible. Broken limb: A broken bone keeps a limb from functioning as it should, though some movements are still possible. When this Impairment is suffered, roll a die. On a 3 or higher, an arm is broken. Any Strength-based rolls for tasks that work best with two arms are made at +3DC use of any bows that are not explicitly one-handed also suffer this penalty. The characters Strength is treated as being 3 points lower for the purpose of determining Speed, and any rolls for tasks that are best used with both legs (such as Dodging or using Athletics to climb) are at +3DC. The penalty is cumulative with other Impairments. Death: The character has taken a potentially mortal wound. He might yet recover, but his life hangs in the balance. If the character does not heal this Impairment after his fifth and final opportunity to use a Medicine roll on it, his wounds claim his life. Even before then, as long as a character has this Impairment, he cannot heal beyond a +3 wound penalty. Bedridden: The character is helpless in both mind and body. He cant stand, and he slips in and out of consciousness at times. Effectively, he is treated as always being critically wounded until this Impairment is healed. Note that healing this Impairment might be a higher priority even than healing Death at times after all, even a character with Death hanging over his head can stagger off to try and get some help. A critically wounded character recovers to one point of damage short of his last wound milestone after 8 hours of sleep. Alternately, he ceases to be considered critically wounded when all his Impairments (including scars downgraded from other Impairments) are healed, regardless of how much damage hes taken. After one week has passed, a character may spend a Eureka point to miraculously recover from any Impairment effect. A Eureka point may even be spent immediately after the final Medicine roll to escape Death. Eureka points may not be spent to simply negate Impairments before the final Medicine roll, but they can be spent to influence the Medicine or Fortitude attribute rolls as normal. Alternately, a player may opt to have his character keep an Impairment. In this case, the Impairment is considered a negative Aspect, so a positive Aspect with an equal cost may be chosen to come with it. Section Volley Fire (This will use essentially the same system as autofire in the futuristic setting. a skill roll for the commander to see how many shots he can coordinate?) However, maybe require

Most of the time, it makes sense to resolve individual attacks individually, but when multiple archers work together to fire a volley of arrows, bolts, or other projectiles, they can all be considered part of the same attack. To perform a volley attack, the archers must delay their actions so that all act together. They also should all be using the same kind of weapon if not, treat them as having a weapon with the lowest damage and lowest AP among them. One archer is designated the leader, and all the others

make their attack rolls as normal. However, the target does not have to dodge or roll Armor against these individual attacks, and there is no benefit for multiple successes instead, count the number of archers that rolled at least one success. The rules for rote actions in the Skills chapter may be used to determine if essentially all the archers can be assumed to succeed. The leader then makes an attack roll with his volley leadership skill. This uses the same base DC and modifiers as the archers face, but with an additional reduction to the DC based on how many (including the leader) succeeded on their attacks. Minimum successful attacks 1-2 3-9 10-29 30-99 100-299 300-999 1,000-2,999 3,000-10,000 Damage multiplier X1 X2 X4 X8 X16 X32 X64 X128 Net successes to dodge/block 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6 -7

The target then dodges and resists the weapons damage times the multiplier for the number of archers. The number of successes used is the number of successes on the volley leadership roll. Unlike a normal attack, large volleys of fire can hit even if the dodge roll reduces the attacks net successes below 1. If the volley leadership roll gets no successes, then the attack simply misses, but if it gets any successes at all, then it is difficult to dodge. The table above shows how many net successes the attack must be reduced to in order to miss or be blocked. So, for example, if a target tries to dodge a 10-shot volley, he needs to get 2 more successes on his dodge roll than the attacker got on his volley leadership roll. If he gets only 1 more success than the attacker got on his volley leadership roll, then his base Armor DC is equal to the weapons AP minus 1, but the attack still hits. The volley leader can sacrifice doublings of damage in order to instead hit a wider area and potentially affect multiple targets. For half damage, he can hit any number of targets who are all within 1 meter of each other. For each additional halving of damage, the area of effect doubles. He cannot halve the damage below the weapons base damage. Section Exhaustion Characters with exceptionally high Fortitude and Willpower can push themselves to stay awake for very long periods of time, but this comes at a price. First, it will start to have an impact on the characters health, then it will have an impact on his concentration, and then it cannot be held off anymore. Characters may safely a put off number of hours of sleep based on their Fortitude. This doesnt let them get by with less sleep in the long run every 24 hours, if a character has spent less than 6 hours sleeping, the difference becomes a sleep debt that must be repaid later. A character cannot heal at all until the night after that sleep debt is completely repaid. Fortitude 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Max safe sleep debt 3 hours 4 hours 5 hours 6 hours 8 hours 10 hours 12 hours 19 hours 24 hours 30 hours 38 hours 48 hours

Once a character exceeds his max sleep debt, he begins taking damage. immediately, then 1 more for every 6 hours past this he stays up. Section Hunger and Exposure

He takes 1 point of damage

Living within a Lifestyle (see appropriate section), returning to the same home every night, and buying food and other necessities lets a character ignore the difficulties of survival. However, when living

outside a Lifestyle, a character needs to hunt for food, avoid being hurt by the environment, and otherwise use his skills to get by. The hazards of the wilderness are resolved as potential damage to each character trying to survive, dealt every day. A character with the Survival skill can reduce this damage in a manner similar to an Armor roll. The DC of the Survival roll depends on the surrounding conditions, and the base damage depends on the character affected. Circumstance Resource Abundance Very high (city) High (jungle) Moderate (seaside) Low (tundra) Very low (desert) Climate Temperate Hot/Cold Freezing/Blistering Party Size One Every doubling DC (Intelligence) 5 7 9 11 13 +1 +3 +2

The base damage is 4, modified by the following circumstances for each character. Circumstance Stationary Traveling Forced march Previous wound penalty Critically wounded Multiplier x2 x4 x2 per +1 x2 per day spent in this state

If the DC would be reduced below 1, then for every point it would be below 1, the roller of the Survival skill gets an extra die. As with Armor rolls, every success cuts the damage in half, to a minimum of 0. Every member of the party can roll Survival and pool their successes together, and every success rolled by the party collectively reduces the damage to all members. If a character is damaged by exposure during the day, he does not heal from his rest the following night. Section Falling Several circumstances can cause a character to fall. He might slip while climbing, be pushed from a ledge during combat, or jump from a high place to escape pursuers. Refer to the following table to find the consequences of the fall. Minimum Distance 1m 2m 3m 4m 5m 7m 8m 10m 12m 15m 18m 21m 25m 30m 35m 40m 45m 55m 65m 80m 97m 115m 135m 160m Armor DC 1 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Velocity per turn per turn per turn per turn per turn per turn per turn per turn per turn per turn per turn per turn per turn per turn per turn per turn per turn per turn per turn per turn per turn per turn per turn per turn Time

11m 17m 20m 23m 26m 30m 33m 37m 40m 51m 55m 59m 64m 70m 75m 80m 89m 98m 107m 117m 127m 137m 148m 160m

Half a turn

1 full turn

1.5 turns 2 full turns

Distance: This column can be used to find the fall damage in the most simple cases. If a character falls from a height and there arent any other complicating factors, use the row for the height fallen (round down). However, if a characters fall is impeded or interfered with, use the Velocity column. Armor DC: Falling damage is treated as an attack with a base damage of 128. roll as normal, against the listed DC. Velocity: Whenever a character is falling from a great height, keep track of his falling speed. Falling characters automatically move towards the plane of the ground, which is resolved as follows. At the beginning of a characters turn, if hes falling, move him his current falling speed towards the plane of the ground. If he hasnt hit the ground yet, he then takes his turn as normal, though its not usually possible to walk or run while falling, and a falling character is considered to be running for the purpose of actions that are penalized by it, such as shooting a bow. At the end of his turn, increase his fall speed by 80 meters per turn, up to a maximum of 160 meters per turn. Beyond 160 meters per turn, wind resistance stops a character from being accelerated any further. Ultimately, its the speed at which youre falling when you hit the ground that determines your Armor DC for reducing fall damage. If something interferes with a characters fall, round down his velocity to the nearest listed increment and use the matching Armor DC. Time: This gives a measure of how much time it takes to fall the listed distance. If a character uses his movement or action to purposefully fall from a height, then his fall speed increases to 80m at the end of his turn. If a character is pushed or otherwise made to fall on another characters turn, then at the beginning of his next turn, hes considered to have fallen the listed distance for half a turn and his fall speed is set to 40m. At the beginning of the turn after that, use the listed distance for 1.5 turns to see how far hes fallen. Beyond that, he hits the maximum fall speed and can be treated the same as any other falling character. When purposefully falling from a height, a character can roll Acrobatics as an open test, Dexteritybased, using the modifiers for a standing high jump. The resulting height is subtracted from the fall distance. Section Drowning If a character cant breathe, whether due to being submerged underwater, being choked, or trying to avoid the effects of some airborne poison, he can hold his breath safely for a length of time depending on his Fortitude. Fortitude 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Breath holding limit 1 minute (20 rounds) 1 minute 15 seconds (25 rounds) 1 minute 30 seconds (30 rounds) 2 minutes (40 rounds) 2 minutes 30 seconds (50 rounds) 3 minutes (60 rounds) 4 minutes (80 rounds) 5 minutes (100 rounds) 6 minutes (120 rounds) 8 minutes (160 rounds) 10 minutes (200 rounds) 12 minutes (240 rounds) This is reduced by an Armor

If a character takes no movement or action at all, not even swimming, he can conserve his air better. Time spent remaining inactive like this only counts as half the time actually elapsed for the purpose of the above limit.

Once this time has elapsed, if the character still cant get a breath of air, he takes 16 damage with no Armor roll to reduce it. Every full minute (20 rounds) thereafter, if he still cant breathe, he takes damage again. This damage is equal to the damage he took last minute, doubled. Section Explosions Not every source of damage is as direct as a fist or sword. Some items or magics create a destructive pressure wave that spreads outward from the point of origin, damaging everything around it, but less so as it spreads out further. Every explosion has a Damage and a Power. For a Striking spell, the Power is the number of Spellcasting successes plus the spells AP. If the explosion was used as part of an attack roll, and the attack missed completely even before the target used reaction pool to dodge, note how many points more the attack DC was than what was rolled. The attack still deals damage, but it is assumed to fall somewhat off target, so the damage is reduced. If the roll yielded some successes, but the target successfully dodged, then treat the target as being 1 meter away from the explosion for the purpose of determining damage. Any dodge successes in excess of the attack roll instead reduce the Power. If the attack hit even after the targets dodge attempt, the target reduces the damage with an Armor roll at a DC of the Power plus the net attack successes. All those not directly hit by the explosion can still choose to dodge it, and every success reduces the effective Power against them by 1. They then resist the attack at a base DC of just the Power, but at reduced damage depending on range and how far short the attack roll fell of the needed DC, as shown on the following table. Explosion damage multipliers Attack roll missed by: 0-1 2-3 4 5-6 7 8-9 10 11-12 Approximate scale 1m 1/2 1/4 1/8 1/16 1/32 1/64 1/128 Arms length 2m 1/2 1/4 1/8 1/16 1/32 1/64 1/128 1/256 Just beyond arms length 3m 1/4 1/8 1/16 1/32 1/64 1/128 1/256 1/512 Distance 4m 1/8 1/16 1/32 1/64 1/128 1/256 1/512 1/1k Across an alleyway. to 6m 1/16 1/32 1/64 1/128 1/256 1/512 1/1k 1/2k Explosion 8m 1/32 1/64 1/128 1/256 1/512 1/1k 1/2k 1/4k Across a room. 11m 1/64 1/128 1/256 1/512 1/1k 1/2k 1/4k 1/8k 16m 1/128 1/256 1/512 1/1k 1/2k 1/4k 1/8k 1/16k Across the road. 23m 1/256 1/512 1/1k 1/2k 1/4k 1/8k 1/16k 1/32k 32m 1/512 1/1k 1/2k 1/4k 1/8k 1/16k 1/32k 1/64k Across a wide highway. 45m 1/1k 1/2k 1/4k 1/8k 1/16k 1/32k 1/64k 1/128k 64m 1/2k 1/4k 1/8k 1/16k 1/32k 1/64k 1/128k 1/256k Across a city block.

Chapter Contacts A Contact is a special type of NPC. When a player character and an NPC do business often enough that they build up a sense of mutual trust and expectation of future dealings, that NPC can be statted up as a Contact. To the player character, a Contact represents a known quantity, someone with a reliable set of skills that has demonstrated a willingness to work together. To the Contact, the player character represents a valuable resource, someone to barter with in order to increase the Contacts own power and influence. More nuanced relationships between player and Contact might exist within the game, especially as the player character and the Contact get to know each other on a personal level, but as a general rule a Contact associates with a player character because its mutually beneficial. The player character can ask for favors from the Contact, but the Contact will want payment, either by money or by another favor in kind. And when the Contact comes to the player character with something he wants in turn, the player character should endeavor to work out a deal, or else the Contact might seek out more profitable associates to replace him. Section - Attributes

A Contact is an NPC with attributes and skills like any other, but Contacts also have six additional Contact attributes to describe their usefulness at the types of services that player characters will ask of them. These attributes are Service, Acquisition, Discretion, Influence, Information, and Prowess. Service: This attribute represents how well the Contact can obtain the services of other loyal NPCs for the character. This is often used to bring in hired muscle for guard duty, but can also be used to find professionals with various mundane skillsets. Contacts with a high Service rating tend to either have membership in a larger organization bound by strong mutual loyalty or else legitimately employ a large workforce with a varied skillset. Acquisition: This attribute represents how well the contact can acquire rare and valuable goods. This can be used to smuggle illegal goods that cant be bought legitimately, but is also used for finding items of such rarity and quality that there is no common market for them. Contacts with a high Acquisition rating usually have connections to the criminal underworld, as well as contacts of their own in distant lands to widen the search for rare items. Discretion: Discretion is unlike most other attributes tries to trace a Contacts actions back to the foe rolls against. Contacts with high alone or else have very loyal subordinates Influence: Influence measures a Contacts ability to subvert existing organizations. Methods might range from bribery to intimidation to calling in favors from old acquaintances, and the results can range from getting the City Watch to look the other way to securing the return of some stolen goods from the Thieves Guild. Contacts with a high Influence rating tend to have friends in high places. Information: Information is the attribute for when a Contact is used to seek out hidden information or otherwise investigate something. This is applied to ferreting out secrets, locating hidden people and stolen property, and finding out the true motivations behind mysterious events and actions. Contacts with a high Information rating need a web of informers across all stations of life to report to them. Prowess: Prowess represents the Contacts own personal abilities, independent of his allies and underlings. It is a unique attribute in that it is not commonly rolled. Instead, every point of Prowess guarantees that the Contacts attributes and skills are up to a certain level. A Contact with Prowess 1 is an average person, assumed to have an attribute array of 4/3/3/3/2/2 and three skills with three levels each. At Prowess 2, this becomes 4/4/3/3/3/2 and one of the skills gains a fourth level. At Prowess 3, this becomes 4/4/4/3/3/3 and another of the skills gains a fourth level. At Prowess 4, this becomes 5/4/4/4/3/3 with all three skills having four levels each, and the pattern repeats but with each value one point higher. However, Prowess necessarily brings with it skill in other Contact fields. Prowess cannot be a Contacts highest or second highest Contact attribute, nor can it be tied for either of those positions. Section - Qualities The above six Contact attributes define the Contacts abilities at any task he tries. If multiple characters use the same Contact, or if a Contact attempts to do something on his own initiative, the Contact attributes remain the same for everyone. However, there are three Contact qualities that are unique to each relationship the Contact has. These are Social Capital (SC), Favor, and Stance. Furthermore, there are two other qualities that influence how the Contact behaves toward anyone who wants his help. These are Interests and Grade. in that its usually used defensively. When a foe him, the Contacts Discretion rating modifies the DC Discretion ratings usually either prefer to work to keep the important information from leaking out.

Social Capital: This quality represents how willing the Contact is to work with any given character. It fluctuates frequently over the course of play. Every time the Contact and the other character exchange favors, it increases, and every time the other character fails to satisfy the Contact, it decreases. Once SC goes above or below a certain point, the Contacts Favor toward the other character changes. Favor: Favor is the measure of how far the Contact is willing to go to help any given character. It determines the base number of dice the Contact rolls to complete any task for the other character, but it also determines how much the Contact seeks the other characters help in turn. Favor only changes when SC reaches a certain point, as described by the following table. Current Favor 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 SC to go down 0 2 4 8 16 32 64 SC to go up 4 8 16 32 64 128 -

A Contact whose Favor goes below 1 ceases to work with the character. He will no longer attempt to complete the characters requests and will no longer ask the character for favors in return. If a good reason to begin working with the character again presents itself, the Contact will return at Favor 1 and SC 2. Stance: Though all character-Contact relationships follow a similar pattern, the particulars can vary, and these variations can influence which skills are important for the character to manage the Contact as well as what the Contact expects from the other character. In game terms, every character-Contact relationship has three traits, and each of these traits has two possible values. This results in a total of eight different relationship Stances. Each Stance also provides a bonus to rolls made with two different social skills in the process of working out a deal with the Contact. The Stance traits are as follow. Frequent vs. Fallback: A Fallback Contact is considered to have a Grade one point higher per point of Favor for the purpose of determining price (but not for the purpose of determining Risk or up-front payment). However, a Fallback Contact also allows one reroll per point of Favor on every Request roll. Rerolls neither increase the price nor lower the DC. Business vs. Social: A Social Contact is willing to pay for a characters favors with favors in turn. After working out a deal for the characters time, a character may make a Request whose base cost (up-front cost plus zero-Request-failure cost) is less than or equal to the payment the Social Contact would give the character. Instead of paying the character, the Social Contact will instead take the Request, with no Request rolls or other exchanges of money necessary. Mutual vs. One-sided: A One-sided Contact only asks for the characters time when its important. If a One-sided Contacts weekly roll to request the characters time gets less than half the Contacts Favor (rounded down) in successes, the Contact does not actually offer the character any deal. However, if the Contact does offer a deal, the price the Contact offers is as if the character rolled one additional success. (This stacks with the bonus from using Negotiation on the final roll.) Each of a characters Contacts has one Stance, but a Contact held by multiple characters might have a different Stance towards each. A Contacts Stance towards any one character usually stays the same, but if the player thinks it would make sense for one of his Contacts to change Stances, it costs a number of Favor points equal to the number of changed traits to do so. This also causes the Contacts SC to go down by the number of points necessary to drop the Contacts Favor to that level.

The traits and skills associated with each Stance tend to suggest a certain in-character relationship, but this should be considered a guideline for choosing Stances to reflect a given relationship, not a requirement to change an existing relationship to fit within a Stance. The eight Stances are as follow. Backer Traits: Fallback, Business, Mutual Skill affinity: Persuasion, Bluff The Backer is a businessman who might or might not have affection for the character, but at the very least has faith in his abilities. As such, he sees the character as a very lucrative business opportunity. Hes driven about finding ways the character can be useful to him, and hes shameless about charging as much as the character is willing to pay for the Contacts help, but if the Backer can be convinced that his investment is in danger, hell pull out all the stops to help out in any way he can. High SC means the Backer is confident in the characters abilities and satisfied with the return on his investment. Low SC means the Backer is thinking about cutting his losses and ending the relationship. Benefactor Traits: Fallback, Social, One-sided Skill affinity: Socialize, Intimidate The Benefactor is someone who cares about the character. He wont casually bankrupt himself at the characters whim, but profit isnt his only concern. Hell hire the character before those that might work for less money, offer his help to the character for a big discount, and not expect much help in return. If the character is unscrupulous about exploiting the Benefactors friendship, the Benefactor might end up operating at a loss without complaint. High SC means the Benefactor is satisfied with the characters friendship. Low SC means the Benefactor is fed up with the characters neglect. Broker Traits: Frequent, Business, Mutual Skill affinity: Persuasion, Negotiate The Broker connects the character with those who can use his skills, mediating a price with each and making a fair profit from the difference. The character can use his position as one of the Brokers agents as leverage to get the Broker to complete other tasks for him at a good price, but in return the Broker will always expect the character to be ready to take a job. High SC means the Broker is happy with the characters work. Low SC means that the Broker is reconsidering the profitability of their arrangement. Exploitee Traits: Fallback, Business, One-sided Skill affinity: Bluff, Intimidate The Exploitee is someone that the character is in a position of power over, either legitimately or simply as a matter of circumstance or intimidation. For whatever reason, the Exploitee is both reluctant to turn down any requests and reluctant to ask for much in return. So long as the Exploitee can keep the character from bothering him too much, he is content. High SC means the Exploitee trusts the character to be reasonably fair and keep to his word. Low SC means the Exploitee is beginning to wonder whether it would be better to cut the character off and face whatever consequences await him. Mentor Traits: Frequent, Social, One-sided Skill affinity: Socialize, Negotiate The Mentor prefers to be the first person the character comes to with his problems. If the Mentor can find a solution, hell ask for a relatively small favor in return. The Mentor might or might not have motive beyond the characters wellbeing, but either way he rarely asks for anything when he hasnt already been called upon. High SC means the Mentor is pleased with his role in the characters life. Low SC means the Mentor feels hes being thoughtlessly exploited. Merchant Traits: Frequent, Business, One-sided Skill affinity: Bluff, Negotiate

The Merchant has access to things the character wants, and all he asks in return is a steady stream of money. The arrangement is ideally a simple one. The Merchant prefers not to make things personal, but he will try harder to satisfy an established, well-paying customer. High SC means the Merchant knows his efforts will be appropriately rewarded. Low SC means the Merchant has marked the character as an unreliable customer. Partner Traits: Frequent, Social, Mutual Skill affinity: Persuasion, Socialize The Partner considers the character a trustworthy problem-solver, and seeks to fulfill the same role for the character as well. He prefers to do frequent business entirely in exchanged favors, if possible, in the understanding that someone you know well can be more safely relied upon. High SC means the Partner is comfortable relying on the character for a great many things. Low SC means he doesnt think the character can be trusted to handle many things. Rival Traits: Fallback, Social, Mutual Skill affinity: Persuasion, Intimidate The Rival has a degree of respect and perhaps even friendship toward the character. Hell try to help the character when asked and ask for help when he needs it, but hes not the sort to let himself be casually used. However, when the character is truly in need, the Rival will go to great lengths for very little compensation just as a matter of pride. High SC means the Rival considers himself indebted to the character. Low SC means the Rival considers the character unworthy of his time. Interests: All Contacts have other loyalties and ambitions beyond their role as problem solver for other characters. To represent this, Interest points are used. A Contacts Interests are defined as the organizations, causes, or principles that he would prefer not to act against. If a request would hurt one of a Contacts Interests, then the number of dice used to attempt that request is reduced by the number of Interest points the Contact has in that Interest. As a Contact becomes more skilled, he picks up more Interests. A Contact with no Contact attributes above 3 has no Interest points. Every time a Contact attribute is raised above 3, the Contact gains a number of Interest points equal to the number of points above 3 the attribute is. So, a Contact with attributes of 5/4/4/3/2/1 has 5 Interest points. Grade: There is one last Contact quality that is used to determine the Contacts overall skill level. This is called the Contacts Grade, and it is derived from the Contacts attributes. The value starts at the sum of the Contacts three highest attributes. For each of the Contacts lowest three attributes thats no more than 3 points below the highest attribute, it is increased by another point. Section Request Factors The main reason for a player to keep a group of Contacts is that they can accomplish things that his character alone would not be able to do. Something that a character wants his Contacts to do for him is called a Task, and the act of asking a Contact to perform the Task is called a Request. Most dealings with Contacts are handled on a weekly basis. At the start of every week, the character decides what Requests, if any, he wishes to make of his Contacts. There is no limit to how many Requests one Contact can handle in a week, and the same Request can be given to multiple Contacts, but one Contact cannot attempt the same Task multiple times in a single week. After a character has decided which Requests he wishes to make for the week, he can begin to resolve them each in turn. The cost and difficulty of making a Request depends on the three factors that describe its Task: these are Type, Risk, and Difficulty. Type:

Most Tasks use a single Contact attribute. Even if a Task involves minor components that technically fall under other attributes, there is usually one main aspect of the Task that can be considered the most important one. See the list of Tasks at the end of this chapter for examples of what kind of Task falls into which category. Risk: Some Tasks, if they were to become known, might anger other individuals or organizations, and that anger might cause them to strike back at the Contact. If the Contact fears retribution, hell ask for a higher price, and require a higher up-front payment before hell even attempt to complete the Task. Every Task has an associated Risk factor to represent this. If someone would seek to strike back at the Contact for performing the Task, whether its law enforcement, organized crime, or just a disgruntled individual, subtract the Contacts Grade from their Grade and modify the result by the severity of retribution as indicated on the following table. Retribution Minute (1 months income) Small (3 months income, loss of prestige) Moderate (1 years income, personal injury) Severe (5 years income, permanent injury) Absolute (20 years income, death) Risk Modifier +6 +12 +18 +24

Risk most often comes from an Organization, either because the Organization has a policy of punishing the Task, or because the Task can be considered an attack against the Organization. The Organizations chapter provides rules for determining what actions cause an Organization to pose a Risk, as well as for determining the severity of that Risk. If this number would be below 0, or if no entity would seek retribution against the Contact, then instead treat it as 0. If multiple different entities would seek retribution against the Contact, then use the one that would result in the highest value. The resulting number is the Risk factor for the Task. Difficulty: The Tasks Difficulty is simply the base DC the Contact will roll against to successfully perform it. Note that this is the DC before modification by the Contacts own attributes. To determine this value, see the list of Tasks at the end of this chapter. Section Making a Request Once the Type, Risk, and Difficulty of a Task have been determined, the character must convince the Contact to carry out the Task. This is resolved as a skill test with any one of the five social skills. The base DC of the test is equal to seven plus the attribute the Contact will use for the Task plus the Risk of the Task. If the skill used is one of the Contacts two skill affinities, then the DC is reduced by three. If this test fails, the character fails to reach an agreement with the Contact, but he may try again as many times as he likes, and may choose to use a different skill for each attempt. Every failure on a Request roll reduces the DC of the following attempt by 1. Upon success, note the number of failed attempts, as this modifies the cost of the Request. Additionally, the skill used in the successful attempt and the number of successes rolled have other effects, as follow. Persuasion: If this is the skill used on the successful attempt, then every success rolled increases the characters effective Favor by 1 for the purpose of determining the number of dice the Contact rolls to attempt the Task. Bluff: If this is the skill used on the successful attempt, then every success rolled decreases the effective Risk factor for the purpose of determining the up-front payment by 1. This cannot bring the Risk factor below 0. Socialize:

If this is the skill used on the successful attempt, then every success rolled increases the SC bonus for paying for a successful Task by 1. Intimidate: If this is the skill used on the successful attempt, then every success rolled decreases the SC penalty for choosing not to pay for a successful Task by 1. This cannot result in a negative SC penalty. Negotiate: If this is the skill used on the successful attempt, then every success rolled decreases the effective Difficulty of the Task for the purpose of determining the cost by 1. It has no effect on the base DC that the Contact actually rolls against to complete the Task. If the negotiation doesnt go well, a character usually does not need to choose whether to accept the Contacts offer immediately. He may go through the same process for multiple different Contacts and send the Request to whichever Contact gives him the best deal. There is no penalty for deciding not to use a Contact after reaching an agreement, but a Contact will not re-negotiate once a price has been set. Before a Contact even attempts a Task, the character must pay the Contact an up-front cost that depends on the Risk of the Task as well as the Contacts Grade, according to the following table. Contact Grade 1 8 11 14 17 22 28 36 45 58 73 93 120 150 190 240 310 400 500 640 820 1,000 1,300 1,700 2,100 2,700 3,500 2 10 13 17 21 27 35 44 56 71 90 120 150 190 240 300 380 490 620 790 1,000 1,300 1,600 2,100 2,600 3,300 4,300 3 13 16 21 26 33 42 54 69 88 110 140 180 230 290 370 470 600 760 970 1,200 1,600 2,000 2,500 3,200 4,100 5,200 4 16 20 25 32 41 52 67 85 110 140 170 220 280 360 460 580 740 940 1,200 1,500 1,900 2,500 3,100 4,000 5,100 6,500 5 19 25 31 40 51 64 82 100 130 170 210 270 350 440 560 720 910 1,200 1,500 1,900 2,400 3,000 3,900 4,900 6,300 8,000 6 24 30 39 49 62 79 100 130 160 210 260 340 430 540 690 880 1,100 1,400 1,800 2,300 2,900 3,700 4,800 6,000 7,700 9,800 7 29 37 47 60 77 98 120 160 200 260 330 410 530 670 850 1,100 1,400 1,800 2,200 2,800 3,600 4,600 5,900 7,400 9,500 12,000 8 36 46 58 74 94 120 150 190 250 310 400 510 650 830 1,000 1,300 1,700 2,200 2,800 3,500 4,500 5,700 7,200 9,200 12,000 15,000 9 44 56 72 91 120 150 190 240 300 390 490 630 800 1,000 1,300 1,600 2,100 2,700 3,400 4,300 5,500 7,000 8,900 11,000 14,000 18,000 10 55 70 88 110 140 180 230 290 380 480 610 770 980 1,300 1,600 2,000 2,600 3,300 4,200 5,300 6,700 8,600 11,000 14,000 18,000 22,000 11 67 86 110 140 180 220 290 360 460 590 750 950 1,200 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,200 4,000 5,100 6,500 8,300 11,000 13,000 17,000 22,000 28,000 12 83 110 130 170 220 280 350 450 570 720 920 1,200 1,500 1,900 2,400 3,100 3,900 5,000 6,300 8,000 10,000 13,000 17,000 21,000 27,000 34,000

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Task Risk

Contact Grade 13 100 130 170 210 270 340 430 550 700 890 1,100 1,400 1,800 2,300 3,000 3,800 4,800 6,100 14 130 160 200 260 330 420 530 680 860 1,100 1,400 1,800 2,300 2,900 3,700 4,700 5,900 7,500 15 150 200 250 320 410 520 660 830 1,100 1,400 1,700 2,200 2,800 3,500 4,500 5,700 7,300 9,300 16 190 240 310 390 500 630 810 1,000 1,300 1,700 2,100 2,700 3,400 4,400 5,500 7,000 9,000 11,000 17 230 300 380 480 610 780 990 1,300 1,600 2,000 2,600 3,300 4,200 5,400 6,800 8,700 11,000 14,000 18 290 370 470 590 760 960 1,200 1,600 2,000 2,500 3,200 4,100 5,200 6,600 8,400 11,000 14,000 17,000 19 360 450 570 730 930 1,200 1,500 1,900 2,400 3,100 3,900 5,000 6,400 8,100 10,000 13,000 17,000 21,000 20 440 560 710 900 1,100 1,500 1,900 2,400 3,000 3,800 4,900 6,200 7,900 10,000 13,000 16,000 21,000 26,000 21 540 680 870 1,100 1,400 1,800 2,300 2,900 3,700 4,700 6,000 7,600 9,700 12,000 16,000 20,000 25,000 32,000 22 660 840 1,100 1,400 1,700 2,200 2,800 3,600 4,500 5,800 7,400 9,400 12,000 15,000 19,000 25,000 31,000 40,000

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Task Risk

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

7,800 9,900 13,000 16,000 20,000 26,000 33,000 42,000

9,600 12,000 16,000 20,000 25,000 32,000 41,000 52,000

12,000 15,000 19,000 24,000 31,000 39,000 50,000 64,000

15,000 18,000 23,000 30,000 38,000 48,000 62,000 78,000

18,000 23,000 29,000 37,000 47,000 60,000 76,000 96,000

22,000 28,000 36,000 45,000 58,000 73,000 93,000 120,000

27,000 34,000 44,000 56,000 71,000 90,000 110,000 150,000

33,000 42,000 54,000 69,000 87,000 110,000 140,000 180,000

41,000 52,000 66,000 85,000 110,000 140,000 170,000 220,000

51,000 64,000 82,000 100,000 130,000 170,000 210,000 270,000

Contact Grade 23 820 1,000 1,300 1,700 2,100 2,700 3,500 4,400 5,600 7,100 9,100 12,000 15,000 19,000 24,000 30,000 38,000 49,000 62,000 79,000 100,000 130,000 160,000 210,000 260,000 340,000 24 1,000 1,300 1,600 2,100 2,600 3,300 4,300 5,400 6,900 8,800 11,000 14,000 18,000 23,000 29,000 37,000 47,000 60,000 77,000 97,000 120,000 160,000 200,000 260,000 320,000 410,000 25 1,200 1,600 2,000 2,500 3,200 4,100 5,200 6,700 8,500 11,000 14,000 17,000 22,000 28,000 36,000 46,000 58,000 74,000 94,000 120,000 150,000 190,000 250,000 310,000 400,000 510,000 26 1,500 1,900 2,500 3,100 4,000 5,100 6,500 8,200 10,000 13,000 17,000 22,000 27,000 35,000 44,000 56,000 72,000 91,000 120,000 150,000 190,000 240,000 300,000 390,000 490,000 630,000 27 1,900 2,400 3,000 3,900 4,900 6,200 7,900 10,000 13,000 16,000 21,000 26,000 34,000 43,000 55,000 69,000 88,000 110,000 140,000 180,000 230,000 290,000 370,000 480,000 610,000 770,000 28 2,300 2,900 3,700 4,800 6,000 7,700 9,800 12,000 16,000 20,000 26,000 33,000 42,000 53,000 67,000 85,000 110,000 140,000 180,000 220,000 280,000 360,000 460,000 590,000 750,000 950,000 29 2,800 3,600 4,600 5,900 7,400 9,500 12,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 32,000 40,000 51,000 65,000 83,000 110,000 130,000 170,000 220,000 280,000 350,000 450,000 570,000 720,000 920,000 1,200,000 30 3,500 4,500 5,700 7,200 9,200 12,000 15,000 19,000 24,000 31,000 39,000 49,000 63,000 80,000 100,000 130,000 160,000 210,000 270,000 340,000 430,000 550,000 700,000 890,000 1,100,000 1,400,000

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

If Bluff was the skill used to convince the Contact to accept the Request, then the Risk factor for the purpose of this table is reduced by 1 point per success rolled. Once the character pays the up-front cost, the Contact begins to attempt the Task. The Contact rolls his Favor for the character, minus any conflicting Interests. If Persuasion was the skill used to convince the Contact to accept the Request, then the Favor for the purpose of this roll is increased by 1 per success. If this would result in less than one die used, then roll only one die, but increase the base DC by 3 per point below 1 the number of dice would be. The DC, the attribute upon which it is based, and the time taken to make the attempt all depend on the type of Task. See the end of the chapter for a full listing. On failure, the Request process ends. The Contact reports his failure to the character, and no further payment is expected, but the up-front cost is not refunded. There is no change in SC. On success, the Task is completed successfully, and the Contact expects to get paid. The amount to be paid depends on the Contacts Grade, on the Difficulty of the Task, and on the number of failed Request rolls, as shown on the following table.

Task Risk

Contact Grade 1 55 70 89 110 140 180 230 300 380 480 610 780 990 1,300 1,600 2,000 2,600 3,300 4,200 5,300 6,800 8,600 11,000 14,000 18,000 23,000 29,000 37,000 47,000 2 62 79 100 130 160 210 260 340 430 540 690 880 1,100 1,400 1,800 2,300 2,900 3,700 4,800 6,100 7,700 9,800 12,000 16,000 20,000 26,000 33,000 42,000 53,000 3 71 90 110 150 190 240 300 380 490 620 790 1,000 1,300 1,600 2,100 2,600 3,300 4,200 5,400 6,900 8,800 11,000 14,000 18,000 23,000 29,000 37,000 47,000 60,000 4 81 100 130 170 210 270 340 430 550 700 890 1,100 1,400 1,800 2,300 3,000 3,800 4,800 6,100 7,800 9,900 13,000 16,000 20,000 26,000 33,000 42,000 54,000 68,000 5 92 120 150 190 240 310 390 490 630 800 1,000 1,300 1,600 2,100 2,700 3,400 4,300 5,500 7,000 8,900 11,000 14,000 18,000 23,000 30,000 38,000 48,000 61,000 78,000 6 100 130 170 210 270 350 440 560 710 910 1,200 1,500 1,900 2,400 3,000 3,900 4,900 6,200 7,900 10,000 13,000 16,000 21,000 26,000 34,000 43,000 54,000 69,000 88,000 7 120 150 190 240 310 390 500 640 810 1,000 1,300 1,700 2,100 2,700 3,400 4,400 5,600 7,100 9,000 11,000 15,000 19,000 24,000 30,000 38,000 49,000 62,000 79,000 100,000 8 130 170 220 280 350 450 570 720 920 1,200 1,500 1,900 2,400 3,100 3,900 5,000 6,300 8,000 10,000 13,000 17,000 21,000 27,000 34,000 43,000 55,000 70,000 89,000 110,000 9 150 190 250 310 400 510 650 820 1,000 1,300 1,700 2,200 2,700 3,500 4,400 5,600 7,200 9,100 12,000 15,000 19,000 24,000 30,000 39,000 49,000 63,000 80,000 100,000 130,000 10 170 220 280 360 450 580 730 930 1,200 1,500 1,900 2,400 3,100 4,000 5,000 6,400 8,200 10,000 13,000 17,000 21,000 27,000 35,000 44,000 56,000 71,000 91,000 120,000 150,000

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Difficulty plus Request failures

Contact Grade 11 200 250 320 410 520 660 830 1,100 1,400 1,700 2,200 2,800 3,500 4,500 5,700 7,300 9,300 12 220 280 360 460 590 750 950 1,200 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,200 4,000 5,100 6,500 8,300 11,000 13 250 320 410 520 670 850 1,100 1,400 1,700 2,200 2,800 3,600 4,600 5,800 7,400 9,400 12,000 14 290 370 470 590 760 960 1,200 1,600 2,000 2,500 3,200 4,100 5,200 6,600 8,400 11,000 14,000 15 330 420 530 680 860 1,100 1,400 1,800 2,300 2,900 3,600 4,600 5,900 7,500 9,500 12,000 15,000 16 370 470 600 770 980 1,200 1,600 2,000 2,600 3,300 4,100 5,300 6,700 8,500 11,000 14,000 18,000 17 420 540 690 870 1,100 1,400 1,800 2,300 2,900 3,700 4,700 6,000 7,600 9,700 12,000 16,000 20,000 18 480 610 780 990 1,300 1,600 2,000 2,600 3,300 4,200 5,300 6,800 8,700 11,000 14,000 18,000 23,000 19 550 700 880 1,100 1,400 1,800 2,300 2,900 3,800 4,800 6,100 7,700 9,800 13,000 16,000 20,000 26,000 20 620 790 1,000 1,300 1,600 2,100 2,600 3,400 4,300 5,400 6,900 8,800 11,000 14,000 18,000 23,000 29,000

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Difficulty plus Request failures

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

12,000 15,000 19,000 24,000 31,000 39,000 50,000 64,000 81,000 100,000 130,000 170,000

13,000 17,000 22,000 28,000 35,000 45,000 57,000 72,000 92,000 120,000 150,000 190,000

15,000 19,000 25,000 31,000 40,000 51,000 65,000 82,000 100,000 130,000 170,000 220,000

17,000 22,000 28,000 36,000 45,000 58,000 73,000 93,000 120,000 150,000 190,000 240,000

20,000 25,000 32,000 41,000 52,000 66,000 83,000 110,000 140,000 170,000 220,000 280,000

22,000 28,000 36,000 46,000 59,000 74,000 95,000 120,000 150,000 200,000 250,000 320,000

25,000 32,000 41,000 52,000 67,000 85,000 110,000 140,000 170,000 220,000 280,000 360,000

29,000 37,000 47,000 59,000 76,000 96,000 120,000 160,000 200,000 250,000 320,000 410,000

33,000 42,000 53,000 67,000 86,000 110,000 140,000 180,000 220,000 290,000 360,000 460,000

37,000 47,000 60,000 77,000 98,000 120,000 160,000 200,000 260,000 330,000 410,000 530,000

Contact Grade 21 710 900 1,100 1,500 1,800 2,400 3,000 3,800 4,800 6,200 7,800 10,000 13,000 16,000 21,000 26,000 33,000 42,000 54,000 68,000 87,000 110,000 140,000 180,000 230,000 290,000 370,000 470,000 600,000 22 800 1,000 1,300 1,700 2,100 2,700 3,400 4,300 5,500 7,000 8,900 11,000 14,000 18,000 23,000 30,000 38,000 48,000 61,000 78,000 99,000 130,000 160,000 200,000 260,000 330,000 420,000 530,000 680,000 23 910 1,200 1,500 1,900 2,400 3,000 3,900 4,900 6,300 8,000 10,000 13,000 16,000 21,000 27,000 34,000 43,000 55,000 69,000 88,000 110,000 140,000 180,000 230,000 290,000 370,000 480,000 610,000 770,000 24 1,000 1,300 1,700 2,100 2,700 3,500 4,400 5,600 7,100 9,000 12,000 15,000 19,000 24,000 30,000 38,000 49,000 62,000 79,000 100,000 130,000 160,000 210,000 260,000 330,000 430,000 540,000 690,000 880,000 25 1,200 1,500 1,900 2,400 3,100 3,900 5,000 6,300 8,100 10,000 13,000 17,000 21,000 27,000 34,000 44,000 55,000 71,000 90,000 110,000 150,000 180,000 240,000 300,000 380,000 480,000 620,000 780,000
1,000,000

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

26 1,300 1,700 2,200 2,800 3,500 4,500 5,700 7,200 9,200 12,000 15,000 19,000 24,000 31,000 39,000 49,000 63,000 80,000 100,000 130,000 160,000 210,000 270,000 340,000 430,000 550,000 700,000 890,000
1,100,000

1,000,000 1,300,000

27 1,500 1,900 2,500 3,100 4,000 5,100 6,400 8,200 10,000 13,000 17,000 21,000 27,000 35,000 44,000 56,000 72,000 91,000 120,000 150,000 190,000 240,000 300,000 390,000 490,000 620,000 790,000

1,100,000 1,500,000

28 1,700 2,200 2,800 3,600 4,500 5,800 7,300 9,300 12,000 15,000 19,000 24,000 31,000 39,000 50,000 64,000 81,000 100,000 130,000 170,000 210,000 270,000 340,000 440,000 560,000 710,000 900,000

1,000,000 1,300,000 1,700,000

29 2,000 2,500 3,200 4,000 5,100 6,500 8,300 11,000 13,000 17,000 22,000 28,000 35,000 45,000 57,000 73,000 92,000 120,000 150,000 190,000 240,000 310,000 390,000 500,000 630,000 810,000

1,200,000 1,500,000 1,900,000

30 2,200 2,800 3,600 4,600 5,800 7,400 9,400 12,000 15,000 19,000 25,000 31,000 40,000 51,000 65,000 82,000 100,000 130,000 170,000 220,000 270,000 350,000 450,000 570,000 720,000 920,000

Difficulty plus Request failures

If Negotiation was the skill used on the successful Request roll, then the Difficulty of the task for the purpose of determining the price is treated as 1 point lower per success on the Request roll. If the character pays the price in full, he gains 1 SC with the Contact. If he also used Socialize on the successful Request roll, then he gains 1 additional SC per success. Alternately, the character can choose to owe the Contact a favor and not pay the price. This costs 1 SC plus 1 SC per failed Request roll. If Intimidate was the skill used on the successful Request roll, then every success rolled negates 1 point of SC loss. Either way, this concludes the Request process. Section Receiving Requests Just as Contacts make themselves available to complete the characters Tasks, they will also expect the character to be available to complete their own errands. The more Favor a Contact has for the character, the more the Contact will prefer to use the character to complete whatever errands he has. However, Contacts will also pay well for these errands, and a character with the skills to drive a hard bargain can turn this obligation into a constant source of income.

Contact Requests are handled on a weekly basis, and are one of the main things that characters will spend their weekly free time on. Every Request received from a Contact requires a certain number of hours to be spent on it, and if the character does not have enough time left in the week, he must either buy more time or else turn down the request. At the start of every week, all a characters Contacts roll their Favor in dice against an unmodified DC of 3. On a failure, theres nothing they want from the character this week. On a success, the number of successes rolled determines how many hours of the characters time they want, as shown on the following table. Successes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Time hours hours hours hours hours hours hours hours

2 8 18 32 50 72 98 128

To determine how much each Contact will pay for the characters time, a process similar to that for a Request roll is used. The character begins by rolling a social skill of his choice against whichever base DC would give him a final DC of 5. If the social skill is not one of those that the Contact has an affinity with, the base DC is increased by 3 beyond this point. On success, the character may roll again with a social skill of his choice against the same base DC. Every three successful rolls, the base DC is increased by 1. This continues until the character fails one of his rolls. The social skill used has an additional effect, described as follows. Persuasion: When rolling Persuasion, the character gets one free reroll if he fails. However, after taking this reroll, he may only roll Persuasion for the rest of the attempt. Bluff: When rolling Bluff, each success after the first lets the character skip the following roll, and he is considered to have automatically succeeded. Socialize: If the failed roll used Socialize, then if the character accepts the Contacts offer, their relationship gets an additional +1 SC bonus. Intimidate: If the failed roll used Intimidate, then if the character refuses the Contacts offer, the SC penalty for doing so is reduced by 1. Negotiate: If the failed roll used Negotiate, the character is considered to have made one more successful roll for the purpose of determining his price. The price the Contact offers for the characters time is determined by the base DC at which the character failed his roll, the number of previous successful rolls he made at that DC, and the number of hours the Contact wants from the character, as shown on the following table

Hours desired 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 2 3 5 7 10 15 21 30 43 62 90 130 190 270 390 560 800 1,200 1,700 2,400 3,400 4,900 7,100 10,000 15,000 21,000 31,000 44,000 63,000 91,000 130,000 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 3 4 6 8 12 17 24 35 50 73 100 150 220 310 450 650 930 1,300 1,900 2,800 4,000 5,800 8,300 12,000 17,000 25,000 36,000 51,000 74,000 110,000 150,000 220,000 320,000 460,000 660,000 18 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 8 11 16 23 33 48 68 99 140 200 290 420 610 880 1,300 1,800 2,600 3,800 5,400 7,800 11,000 16,000 23,000 34,000 48,000 70,000 100,000 140,000 210,000 300,000 430,000 620,000 890,000 1,300,000 1,800,000 32 0 1 1 1 2 3 4 6 8 12 17 25 35 51 73 110 150 220 320 450 650 940 1,400 1,900 2,800 4,000 5,800 8,400 12,000 17,000 25,000 36,000 52,000 75,000 110,000 150,000 220,000 320,000 460,000 660,000 960,000 1,400,000 2,000,000 2,900,000 4,100,000 50 1 1 2 3 4 5 8 11 16 23 33 48 69 100 140 210 300 430 620 890 1,300 1,800 2,600 3,800 5,500 7,900 11,000 16,000 24,000 34,000 49,000 70,000 100,000 150,000 210,000 300,000 430,000 630,000 900,000
1,300,000 1,900,000 2,700,000 3,900,000 5,600,000 8,000,000

6-0 6-1 6-2 7-0 7-1 7-2 8-0 8-1 8-2 9-0 9-1 9-2 10-0 10-1 10-2 11-0 11-1 11-2 12-0 12-1 12-2 13-0 13-1 13-2 14-0 14-1 14-2 15-0 15-1 15-2 16-0 16-1 16-2 17-0 17-1 17-2 18-0 18-1 18-2 19-0 19-1 19-2 20-0 20-1 20-2

72 2 2 3 5 7 10 14 20 29 42 60 86 120 180 260 370 530 770 1,100 1,600 2,300 3,300 4,800 6,900 9,900 14,000 20,000 29,000 42,000 61,000 88,000 130,000 180,000 260,000 380,000 540,000 780,000 1,100,000 1,600,000 2,300,000 3,400,000 4,800,000 7,000,000 10,000,000 14,000,000

98 3 4 6 8 11 17 24 34 49 71 100 150 210 300 440 630 910 1,300 1,900 2,700 3,900 5,600 8,100 12,000 17,000 24,000 35,000 50,000 72,000 100,000 150,000 220,000 310,000 450,000 640,000 920,000 1,300,000 1,900,000 2,800,000 4,000,000 5,700,000 8,200,000 12,000,000 17,000,000 25,000,000

128 4 6 9 13 19 27 39 56 80 120 170 240 350 500 720 1,000 1,500 2,100 3,100 4,400 6,400 9,200 13,000 19,000 27,000 39,000 57,000 82,000 120,000 170,000 240,000 350,000 510,000 730,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 2,200,000 3,100,000 4,500,000 6,500,000 9,300,000 13,000,000 19,000,000 28,000,000 40,000,000

After working out a deal with each Contact, the character can decide which ones to actually take. If the character takes a Contacts deal, then his relationship with the Contact gains a +1 SC bonus. Otherwise, there is an SC penalty equal to the number of successes corresponding to the number of hours that would have been required. Once his Contacts demands on his time have been settled, the character can decide what to do with the rest of his time.

Base DC at failure

Section Tasks This section lists the factors that go into the base DCs for each type of task. After applying the modifiers listed in this section, the base DC is used with the Request roll for determining the Contacts price. The base DC is then modified by the relevant Contact Attribute to determine the final DC the Contact rolls against with his Favor dice. If the base DC would be below 2, treat it for all purposes as being equal to 2.

Service: Recruiting helpers: Attribute Desired 3 (children, beggars) 4 (laborers, apprentices) 5 (craftsmen, journeymen) 6 (experts, masters) 7 (grandmasters) Number Desired One Every doubling Days Desired One Every doubling DC -23 -14 -5 4 13 +3 +3

This Task is used to bring in loyal guards, workers, servants, or other useful people to do the characters bidding for a given length of time. The price the Contact asks for covers their payment. They wont willingly die for the character, but the Contact ensures that theyll work honestly and competently at whatever is desired of them. The attribute desired is assumed to be the helpers highest attribute. They can additionally have one other attribute and two skills guaranteed to be one point lower than this number. Acquisition: Finding items: For items with a Rarity above zero, the base DC to locate and purchase one is simply equal to the items Rarity. Note that in this case, the Contacts price does not cover the cost of the item. The character must pay the items cost in addition to the Contacts price f or the Task of finding it. Influence: (Pending organization rules) Information: Uncover hostile action: This Task reveals the specifics of other Tasks or Operations being carried out by other Contacts or Organizations. (Specific time known, connection to target

Prowess: Personal task: If a Task is to be completed with a Contacts own skills and attributes as guaranteed by his Prowess, the pricing of the task is always as a Task with a base DC of 2. However, the Request DC is based on the attribute the Contact will actually be rolling for the test the character desires him to make. Additionally, if the test requires the Contact to personally put himself in harms way, the Tasks Risk will reflect this instead of the risk of retribution.

Chapter Organizations When a great number of characters organize together for a common cause, it becomes less practical to work out that organizations interactions with the rest of the world in terms of the actions of each individual member. Furthermore, players might wish to have interactions with the organization that go beyond dealing with its individual members. An organizations policy regarding the players characters will depend on their interactions with the organization as a whole, and damage to an organizations assets will have repercussions throughout the whole organization. Players eventually might even want to lead an organization for themselves. For these reasons, the Organization rules should be used when dealing with any large groups of characters. An Organization is any group of characters whose actions are all coordinated to some degree. An Organization can be composed of very few people or very many, and the degree to which their actions are coordinated can also vary immensely. One individual character can be a part of many Organizations, even if he doesnt usually think of himself as working for them. Similar to Contacts, Organizations have six attributes of their own to represent their abilities. Depending on their purposes, Organizations can have some very different attribute arrays, as some kinds of tasks simply dont fall under a particular Organizations purview. The Organization attributes are as follow. Manpower: This attribute represents roughly how many people the Organization can draw upon. An Organization can usually hire outsiders when its Manpower falls short of that needed for a task, but this is expensive, unreliable, and generally just less effective than using in-house experts. However, for some kinds of tasks, an excessively large group of people is a hindrance. The Manpower table is used to measure how many members the Organization can devote to any given task. It gives a number roughly equal to the Organizations total number of members, but its not exact, and theres generally no need to try to keep track of every last member of the Organization. Instead, the Manpower table is most often modified by other attributes and circumstances and then used to determine how many members are in a given facility, task force, or other group. Manpower -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Members 1 2 4 8 16 32 64 128 256 512 1,000 2,000 4,000 8,000 16,000 32,000 64,000 128,000 256,000 512,000 1 million 2 million

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

4 8 16 32 64 128 256 512 1 2 4 8 16

million million million million million million million million billion billion billion billion billion

Capital: This attribute represents how wealthy the Organization is. It includes the value of all equipment and structures owned, especially those that are used to generate more wealth in turn, rather than just money in the bank. The Capital table can be looked at as a rough approximation of the Organizations total net worth, but as with Manpower, its more often used to find the total value of the equipment or structures for a particular facility or task force. Capital -13 -12 -11 -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Wealth 1 doux 2 doux 4 doux 8 doux 16 doux 32 doux 64 doux 128 doux 256 doux 512 doux 1,000 doux 2,000 doux 4,000 doux 8,000 doux 16,000 doux 32,000 doux 64,000 doux 128,000 doux 256,000 doux 512,000 doux 1 million doux 2 million doux 4 million doux 8 million doux 16 million doux 32 million doux 64 million doux 128 million doux 256 million doux 512 million doux 1 billion doux 2 billion doux 4 billion doux 8 billion doux 16 billion doux 32 billion doux 64 billion doux 128 billion doux 256 billion doux 512 billion doux 1 trillion doux 2 trillion doux 4 trillion doux 8 trillion doux

Secrecy: This attribute indicates how difficult it will be for outsiders to find important details about an Organization and its operations. Unlike the previous two attributes, theres no concrete quantity this attribute can be equated to, but its frequently compared to other individuals or Organizations Information or Intelligence attributes to determine how much about the Organization is known.

Training: This attribute represents how much effort it puts into making sure its members are all up to some minimum standard. This includes recruiting from only the best of the general populace, training them extensively, instilling loyalty by any means possible, and drilling them frequently to keep them ready on a moments notice. Because it represents the total effort spent, it can mean very different things depending on how many members its divided between. When Training is equal to Manpower, that means that the members are regular people with average attributes, but they specialize in whatever their role in the Organization is. At higher Training, even the average member is more talented than most non-members, and has a significant degree of loyalty as well. At lower Training, most members actually have only a tenuous connection to the Organization, perhaps only working there parttime for a bit of extra money, and it shows in their quality and commitment. Intelligence:

Scope: The Scope attribute determines just how influential the Organization is. There are two factors that contribute to this. The first is how many people the Organization has in its sphere of influence. This includes members of the Organization itself, as well as people living in areas directly influenced by the Organization. Outside this sphere of influence, the Organization needs to make a special effort to have any effect. The second factor is how deep they want their sphere of influence to be. The base population for a given Scope is assuming the Organization has no effect on the day-to-day lives of the people. If an Organization is to exert some constant influence, such as through laws or political control, its Scope must be even higher. The section on Policies outlines just how much higher it must be. Scope -19 -18 -17 -16 -15 -14 -13 -12 -11 -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Base population covered 1 2 4 8 16 32 64 128 256 512 1,000 2,000 4,000 8,000 16,000 32,000 64,000 128,000 256,000 512,000 1 million 2 million 4 million 8 million 16 million 32 million 64 million 128 million 256 million 512 million 1 billion 2 billion 4 billion 8 billion 16 billion

(Make rules for using vehicles as facilities!!!)

Section Personnel When individuals from an Organization enter the game, its important to have their skills and attributes ready. Depending on the needs of the Organization, it will recruit mostly people with a particular level of ability and a particular type of skill. Its usually sufficient to pick out attributes and skills for the average member that the players characters are most likely to encounter, as well as the elite members dispatched to important operations. An Organizations Training attribute determines how much effort it puts into keeping its members up to some minimum standard. However, the more members an Organization has, the more difficult it is to train them all. So, the quality of an Organizations baseline members is determined by subtracting its Manpower attribute from its Training attribute. This determines the attribute arrays and skills known as follows. Training minus Manpower -3 or lower -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 and higher Quality 4/3/3/3/2/2, 2 skills at level 2 4/3/3/3/2/2, 3 skills at level 2 skill at level 3, 2 skills at level 2 4/3/3/3/2/2, 3 skills at level 3 each skill at level 4, 2 skills at level 3 skills at level 4, 1 skill at level 3 5/4/4/4/3/3, 3 skills at level 4 skill at level 5, 2 skills at level 4 skills at level 5, 1 skill at level 4 6/5/5/5/4/4, 3 skills at level 5 (pattern repeats)

4/3/3/3/2/2, 1 4/4/3/3/3/2, 1 4/4/4/3/3/3, 2 5/5/4/4/4/3, 1 5/5/5/4/4/4, 2

Any characters that make up the general rank and file of the Organization should be built with the attributes and skills shown. For example, an Organization might have a Standard Guard and Standard Laborer pre-made, and whenever the players characters encounter a guard or laborer from the Organization, the appropriate pre-made attributes and skills are used. Some situations also call for Elite and Boss members to be encountered. Elite members are built as though the Organizations Training attribute were three points higher, and Boss members are built as though it were six points higher. Training also determines how loyal the personnel are to the Organization. The Training minus Manpower factor is applied without modification, regardless of the eliteness of the member, to attempts to get a member of the Organization to knowingly act against it. Section Facilities Every Organization must necessarily be run from a number of home bases. These facilities will be located near wherever the Organization conducts its operations, and most of the resources of the Organization will be kept in and deployed from them. The more powerful the Organization, the more resources it has to create and defend these facilities, but the greater the Organizations sphere of influence, the more thinly these resources are spread. The full rules for creating facilities are in the chapter on Infiltration, but the construction of each facility depends on the Organization that builds it. An individual character that has a facility built and run can pay for each component separately, but an Organization gets a budget of personnel and items to use for each facility. Each budget is determined by subtracting one attribute from another and referring to the table entry for the result. Personnel per facility: To find the number of standard members at the facility, subtract the Organizations Scope from its Manpower and refer to the corresponding value on the Manpower table. To find the number of Elite members, repeat the process but treat the Manpower as though it were 3 points lower. To find the number of Boss members, repeat the process again but treat the Manpower as though it were 3 points lower than that, and continue doing this to find members of higher and higher skills and attributes until it results in less than 1 member of that level being present. Equipment per member: To find each members equipment budget, subtract the Organizations Manpower from its Capital, subtract 5 more points, and refer to the corresponding value on the Capital table. As with the above method, finding the budget for Elite, Boss, and higher members entails treating the

Manpower as though it were 3 points lower until this would result in no members of that level being present. Infrastructure per facility: The budget that is to be spent on construction, countermeasures, and other components of the facility itself is found by subtracting the Organizations Scope from its Capital and referring to the corresponding value on the Capital table. The above method is used to generate a standard facility for the Organization. An Organization with Scope 1 has only one such facility, and every +1 Scope doubles the total number of facilities held. At Scope 3, one of the facilities is designated a Level 1 Headquarters and the Organizations Scope is considered 1 point lower for the purpose of determining the personnel and infrastructure there. The number of Headquarters also doubles with each point of Scope, and at Scope 5, one of the four Level 1 Headquarters is instead designated a Level 2 Headquarters whose Scope is treated as 2 points lower for the purpose of determining personnel and infrastructure there. This pattern repeats, so that for every two points of Scope increase, the size of its main Headquarters relative to its standard facilities also increases. Section Policies Even same time that when an Organization is headed by a single autocratic ruler, it still cant make decisions in the way an individual can. An Organization has to be a thousand places at once, and members dont have to ask their superiors what they should do in each situation. So, each Organization has policies determine how it behaves.

An Organization without any policies does nothing but observe, and sometimes not even that. However, policies decrease an Organizations effective Scope for the purpose of determining how many people the Organization can have in its sphere of influence, so if an Organization must cover a particular city or country, its Scope determines how many points worth of policies it can have. An Organizations policies are directly related to its purpose in the game world, and they indicate what kinds of operation the Organization most often performs. They also determine under what conditions the Organization attacks other Organizations, and under what conditions the Organization is itself attacked. See the section on Threats for a full description of how this works. Policies can change over time. They can be added as a result of the Organizations plotting to expand its influence, and they can be removed when the Organization folds under pressure from those who find the policy inconvenient. Every policy causes a decrease to the Organizations attributes when ceased, even if adopting the policy didnt increase the Organizations attributes in the first place. The policies and their point values are as follow: Monopoly Type: If ceased: Effects: Options:

Provokes:

Commerce -1 Capital One type of item has its cost doubled within the scope per point. This may be used multiple times on the same type of item to further double the cost. All items related to a single skill may be affected. This includes weapon skills and vehicle skills. Armor and drugs are considered separate types of item, while camouflage and pocket upgrades to clothes are considered to be related to Stealth and Sleight of Hand respectively. Dependent on item type monopolized. Provoked by monopolizing... any item already monopolized weapons, armor, lockpicking, drugs, pockets drugs weapons, armor, vehicles, medicine weapons, armor, vehicles, tracking drugs weapons, armor acrobatics, lockpicking, tracking, camouflage weapons, armor, tracking any equipment for skill used

Organization type Commerce Extortion Hospitality Soldiering Enforcement Aristocracy Mercenary Espionage Punishment Guilds Distribution Type: If ceased: Commerce -1 Manpower

Effects:

Vulnerability: Privileges Type: If ceased: Effects:

The Organizations Capital is treated as one point lower for the purpose of facility defenses and equipment, and the lost funds are put into distribution infrastructure. If this policy has only one point in it, the room with this distribution infrastructure must have a Size 5 path to the outside. Every additional point invested in this policy increases the required Size by 3. The Organization takes double damage from Attack Organization operation.

Provokes: Blackmail Type: If ceased: Effects:

Extortion -1 Manpower This causes an encounter with a patrol from the Organization to replace the most probable encounter within the scope, bumping all other encounters one slot up on the encounter table. If taken multiple times, the policy fills multiple slots, continuing to bump other encounters further up. If multiple Organizations have this policy, then their encounters alternate on the table, starting with the one with the highest Grade, or randomly arranged in case of a tie. The patrol is made of baseline members of the Organization, and to find the number of them in a patrol, subtract the Organizations Scope from its Manpower, subtract 3 from this value, and then refer to the corresponding value on the Manpower table. Patrols will try to steal as much as they can get away with from the encountered characters, but they can be intimidated into inaction. Other Extortion, Hospitality, Enforcement

Vulnerability: Privacy Type: If ceased: Effects: Provokes: Public Type: If ceased: Effects:

Extortion -1 Intelligence Each facility must have a document storage room with a Traffic 10 path out of the facility. Every time this policy is taken the required Traffic value is decreased by 1. An infiltrator that reaches this room and has time to browse the contents can use the Organizations Intelligence roll to find any desired information, with a penalty to the roll equal to the Organizations highest Headquarters level minus the Headquarters level of the facility (so if the documents at the Organizations highest level facility are used, there is no penalty). If the document room is destroyed, it costs the Organization money equal to the facilitys full value, doubled every time this policy is taken. The Organization takes double damage from Attack Organization operation.

Hospitality -1 Secrecy The Organization facilitates general secrecy for its patrons. Any Information or Intelligence rolls made to find information about an individual or Organization not in conflict with this Organization is at +1DC per policy point invested. Enforcement, Espionage, Punishment

Vulnerability: Borders Type: If ceased: Effects:

Hospitality -1 Manpower The Organizations Capital is treated as one point lower for the purpose of facility defenses and equipment, and the lost funds are put into public rooms. These rooms must have a path to the outside, and each point along the path must have a Traffic attribute of 6. Every additional point put into this policy decreases the required Traffic attribute by 1. The Organization takes double damage from Attack Organization operation.

Options:

Provokes: Camps Type: If ceased: Effects:

Soldiering -1 Manpower The Organization cordons off a particular region, and moving in or out of the region requires moving through one of the Organizations facilities. Such facilities must have two exits, and the path between them will have Traffic 0 (for districts), Traffic 3 (for cities), or Traffic 6 (for countries). The policy must be taken once to cordon off a district, twice to cordon off a city, and thrice to cordon off a country. In each case, moving through a level zero Headquarters is required to pass across the cordon. The policy can be taken multiple times, either to create a second cordon, or to upgrade an existing one. Every extra policy point spent on an existing cordon increases the level of the Headquarters that must be moved through by 1 (up to a maximum of the highest level Headquarters the Organization has). Any other Organization whose scope extends to both sides of the cordon.

Soldiering -1 Training This policy allows infiltrators to Bluff their way past guards at -1DC. policy is taken, another -1DC is applied.

Every time this

Vulnerability: Contraband Type: If ceased: Effects:

The Organization takes double damage from Attack Organization operation.

Options:

Provokes:

Enforcement -1 Capital This policy makes it known that the Organization will come down on those dealing in a particular subset of items with some sort of penalty, fine, or even bodily harm. Contacts will consider securing these items to be a Risk related to the Organization, and the Organization gets to make a free Manhunt roll to find the location and time of the exchange. The affected items all must be of one type (the types are listed under the Monopoly policy), but not all items within that type need be affected. If this policy is taken once, any number of items within the type with Rarity 15 or higher may be affected, with the penalty being Death/20 years income (+20 Risk factor). The minimum Rarity may be decreased 1 point by decreasing the Risk factor by 1 category (5 points to a minimum of 0), by allowing the item to be owned with permits. The minimum Rarity may also be decreased by 2 points by investing another policy point in the group of items. Policy points may also be spent on illegalizing a completely separate group of items, either within the same type or within a different type, which must have its Rarity brought down separately. Dependent on item declared contraband. Provoked by declaring contraband... any item monopolized weapons, armor, lockpicking, drugs, pockets drugs weapons, armor, vehicles, medicine (unless permit is allowed) weapons, armor, vehicles, tracking all items (unless permit is allowed) weapons, armor acrobatics, lockpicking, tracking, camouflage weapons, armor, tracking any equipment for skill used

Organization type Commerce Extortion Hospitality Soldiering Enforcement Aristocracy Mercenary Espionage Punishment Guilds

Protection Type: If ceased: Effects:

Vulnerability: Chilling Effect Type: If ceased: Effects:

Enforcement -1 Intelligence Whenever characters engage in combat with witnesses watching, the Organization makes a Manhunt roll to get a patrol there as soon as possible. However, characters can also guarantee that a patrol will arrive with a false report. Characters caught by the Organization will face a punishment in proportion to the harm they inflicted on others. Every point invested in this policy causes another Manhunt roll to be made, and multiple patrols can arrive together. The Organization takes double damage from Attack Organization operation.

Provokes: Luxury Type: If ceased: Effects:

Aristocracy -1 Secrecy People within the Organizations scope are less willing to talk, lest they say something that can get them punished. All Information or Intelligence rolls to find out about an individual or Organization not in conflict with this Organization is considered a Risk of angering this Organization. The Risk is considered Minute (1 months income, +0 modifier), but every point after the first invested in this policy increases the Risk by one category (+5 Risk factor). Extortion, Enforcement, Espionage

Vulnerability: Contracts Type: If ceased: Effects:

Aristocracy -1 Capital The Organizations Capital is treated as one point lower for the purpose of facility defenses and equipment, and the lost funds are put into treasure hoards. These hoards must each have a Traffic 15 path to the outside. The number of hoards the treasure must be divided between is equal to the number of points in this policy. The Organization takes double damage from Attack Organization operation.

Provokes:

Mercenary -1 Training Whenever another Organization succeeds in a Manhunt roll, it may choose to send one of this Organizations patrols instead of one of its own. The maximum number of successes on the Manhunt roll that can be carried over is equal to the number of policy points invested. Other Mercenary, Extortion, Enforcement

Expansive Type: If ceased: Effects: Vulnerability: Informants Type: If ceased: Effects: Provokes: Cells Type: If ceased: Effects: Vulnerability: Bounties Type: If ceased: Effects:

Mercenary -1 Capital The Patrol attribute for all Rooms in all the Organizations facilities is increased by one point per policy point invested. The Organization takes double damage from Attack Organization operation.

Espionage -1 Intelligence All Information and Intelligence rolls within the Organizations scope are at -1DC per policy point invested. Other Espionage, Extortion, Aristocracy

Espionage -1 Secrecy The Organizations Training attribute is considered to be one point lower for the purpose of determining response time per point invested in this policy. The Organization takes double damage from Attack Organization operation.

Provokes: Jails Type: If ceased: Effects:

Punishment -1 Intelligence Characters will consider bounty amounts when determining how to behave towards wanted persons. To find the base bounty amount an Organization offers, subtract 10 from its Capital and refer to the corresponding amount on the Capital table. This is the amount offered for the live capture of the target. Half this amount is offered for killing the target. The amount can be doubled once for every policy point after the first invested this doubling happens whenever a wanted character advances a row on the Organizations Threats table. Extortion, Mercenary, Espionage

Vulnerability: Schools Type: If ceased: Effects:

Punishment -1 Training The Organizations Capital attribute is considered to be one point lower for the purpose of facility defenses and equipment, and the lost funds are put into jail cells. The base number of cells required is one. This is doubled for every level of headquarters and every policy point invested after the first. The Organization takes double damage from Attack Organization operation.

Options: Provokes:

Guilds -1 Training Contacts rolling Service to obtain users of a skill within the Organizations specialty charge a price as if the task DC were 1 point higher per point invested in this policy. Additionally, if the Organizations specialty is Artisans, the number of Background skills covered is equal to the number of policy points invested. Every policy point goes in one of five specialties: Warriors, Thieves, Diplomats, Mages, or Artisans. One Organization can have points in multiple specialties, but multiple points may also be invested in a single specialty in order to represent greater focus. Dependent on the Organizations skill specialty. Skills All weapon skills All adventuring skills All social skills All magical skills Background skills numbering points invested Organization types provoked Existing Warriors Guild, Enforcement, Mercenary Existing Thieves Guild, Enforcement, Aristocracy Existing Diplomats Guild, Aristocrats, Extortion Existing Mages Guild, Enforcement, Aristocracy Existing Artisans Guild for same skill or Commerce monopolizing items produced by skill

Specialty Warriors Thieves Diplomats Mages Artisans

Mysteries Type: If ceased: Effects:

Vulnerability:

Guilds -1 Secrecy The Organizations Capital attribute is considered to be one point lower for the purpose of facility defenses and equipment, and the lost funds are invested in equipment appropriate for the specialty. These equipment rooms must have Traffic 5 paths that lead to the outside. The number of rooms required is equal to the number of policy points invested. Any equipment with a value up to one tenth of the equipment rooms value may be found by infiltrators. The Organization takes double damage from Attack Organization operation.

Section Operations An Organization is not a static entity. It might be more reactive than active, especially when compared to an adventurer, but an Organization always has a plan for further expanding its power, whether because its leaders feel they have an important mission or simply for powers sake itself. These plans are called operations. Every week, an Organization gets 10 Operation Points (OP) to spend. These points are invested in one or more operations and carry over from week to week. Once an operation has enough OP invested, it is completed. An Organization can have any number of operations in progress at any given time. However, every operation in progress loses 1 OP every week. The effects of an operation can be different depending on the Organizations area of expertise. Some policies have a particular type, like Enforcement or Business. An operation can have additional benefits depending on how many policies of a particular type the Organization has. If the operation adds a new policy when completed, this policy point is not counted for determining the effect. Most operation costs also have a random component. This component is determined by rolling the number of dice indicated and adding them together, rather than taking the highest. It is rolled when the Organization starts the operation, and the same value is used even if the Organization discontinues the operation and then restarts it later. However, if an operation is completed and then performed a second time, the random component is rerolled. The operations an Organization can perform are as follow: Secure Monopoly Cost: Description:

Effect:

20 plus 5 dice This operation represents the Organization using its leverage in the mercantile world to become essentially the sole purveyor of a particular good within its scope. An Organization with established commercial might can leverage this position by raising the price on that good for a huge profit, but this will anger those affected by the price gouging. +1 Scope (used to buy a Monopoly policy point) If already holds at least 3 policy points within the Commerce category: +1 Capital

Construct Distribution Infrastructure Cost: 20 plus 5 dice Description: This operation lets the Organization modify its facilities for moving goods across its scope. This means marketplaces, warehouses, docks for seaside facilities, and plenty of provisions for a constant flow of wagons and laborers in and out of the facility. A commercially strong organization can use this to bring in plenty of new employees, but it does come with a necessary relaxing of security. Effect: +1 Scope (used to buy a Distribution policy point) If already holds at least 3 policy points within the Commerce category: +1 Manpower Grant Privileges Over Populace Cost: 20 plus 5 dice Description: This operation tightens the Organizations control over the people within its scope, giving its members some free rein to bully and steal from them. This predictably causes resentment from the people so bullied, but it can also draw waves of fresh recruits eager to get a taste of that power for themselves. Effect: +1 Scope (used to buy a Privileges policy point) If already holds at least 3 policy points within the Extortion category: +1 Manpower Gather Blackmail Material Cost: 20 plus 5 dice Description: This operation represents a concentrated effort to gather plenty of pieces of information that various influential people would prefer not to see become public. For an Organization in the right position to take advantage of it, this can offer a valuable perspective for long-term intelligence, but it also makes the Organization a target for those with an interest in the information gathered. Effect: +1 Scope (used to buy a Blackmail policy point) If already holds at least 3 policy points within the Extortion category: +1 Intelligence Maintain Private Havens Cost: 20 plus 5 dice Description: By going to great lengths to allow people in its facilities to speak without fear of being overheard, the Organization can naturally conduct its own operations more secretly as well. However, some might consider the Organization complicit in any nasty plots its

Effect:

discretion shelters, and others might simply find the existence of such a secure place a hindrance. +1 Scope (used to buy a Privacy policy point) If already holds at least 3 policy points within the Hospitality category: +1 Secrecy

Improve Public Service Cost: 20 plus 5 dice Description: An Organization can open up portions of its facilities to serve the public, and once its well-established in this sort of work, doing so can allow the Organization to expand considerably. Naturally, this comes with significant security difficulties. Effect: +1 Scope (used to buy a Public policy point) If already holds at least 3 policy points within the Hospitality category: +1 Manpower Establish Border Security Cost: 20 plus 5 dice Description: If the populace within its scope considers an Organization to be in charge of its national security, the Organization can bring in additional manpower to control the flow of traffic in and out of that scope. Anyone who regularly needs to cross that border will be irritated, however. Effect: +1 Scope (used to buy a Borders policy point) If already holds at least 3 policy points within the Soldiering category: +1 Manpower Construct Training Camps Cost: 20 plus 5 dice Description: By dedicating a substantial portion of each facility to the recruitment and training of new members and maintaining rigorous standards for those who wish to stay in the Organization, the standard level of competence and loyalty can be increased. The disadvantage is that the constant flow of new members makes it difficult to do a complete background check on each one. Effect: +1 Scope (used to buy a Camps policy point) If already holds at least 3 policy points within the Soldiering category: +1 Training Illegalize Contraband Cost: 20 plus 5 dice Description: This operation represents an attempt by the Organization to drum up support for the populace within its scope to consider it the legitimate enforcer of a prohibition (or an intensification of an existing prohibition) against a particular class of items. If the Organization is already considered a legitimate enforcer of such laws within its scope, this can be used to secure more funding, but those who already deal in the contraband will be very opposed. Effect: +1 Scope (used to buy a Contraband policy point) If already holds at least 3 policy points within the Enforcement category: +1 Capital Protect Subjects Cost: 20 plus 5 dice Description: By pledging to protect people from each other and intervene in violent situations before they escalate, an Organization with an established reputation as a capable enforcer can make sure that citizens come to them first with any concerns or suspicions about upcoming disturbances. However, this responsibility is taxing on the Organization, and it can be exploited. Effect: +1 Scope (used to buy a Protection policy point) If already holds at least 3 policy points within Enforcement category: +1 Intelligence Induce Chilling Effect Cost: 20 plus 5 dice Description: With the cooperation of the power players within its scope, the Organization can create some legal consequences for people who leak certain bits of information. As the Organization is behind these efforts, it can be especially sure to suppress information it doesnt want known, and the power players it cooperates with are also served by the measure, but those who make a living from trafficking information will seek to put it to an end. Effect: +1 Scope (used to buy a Chilling Effect policy point) If already holds at least 3 policy points within the Aristocracy category: +1 Secrecy Flaunt Luxury Cost: Description:

Effect:

20 plus 5 dice Making an extravagant display of ones wealth is an effective form of posturing for position among the upper classes, and an Organization with the right connections can use this operation to draw even more wealthy backers to its cause. However, such displays of wealth are a drain on resources that could be used elsewhere, not to mention a tempting target for thieves. +1 Scope (used to buy a Luxury policy point) If already holds at least 3 policy points within the Aristocracy category: +1 Capital

Contract Security Services Cost: 20 plus 5 dice Description: By contracting its services to outsiders, the Organization can support additional facilities and make sure its members get plenty of experience and practice for when the Organization itself is in danger. However, the Organization must pick its clients carefully, as the enemies of its allies become its enemies as well. Effect: +1 Scope (used to buy a Contracts policy point) If already holds at least 3 policy points within the Mercenary category: +1 Training Expand Operations Abroad Cost: 20 plus 5 dice Description: The Organization can contract out larger and larger portions of its security force, bringing in even more money as the number of guards staying in the base earning nothing is decreased. Obviously, this does pose a security risk, as the Organizations facilities are then more lightly guarded. Effect: +1 Scope (used to buy an Expansive policy point) If already holds at least 3 policy points within the Mercenary category: +1 Capital Deepen Informant Network Cost: 20 plus 5 dice Description: By focusing its efforts on expanding its informant networks, the Organization can make it easier to gather intelligence in the future. The operation is self-sustaining to some degree because the extra information the informants find can be sold to cover the cost of keeping the informants around in the first place, but those who have a vested interest in keeping secrets hidden. Effect: +1 Scope (used to buy an Informants policy point) If already holds at least 3 policy points within the Espionage category: +1 Intelligence Adopt Cell Structure Cost: 20 plus 5 dice Description: This operation allows the Organization to split itself up into semi-autonomous cells, each of which knows only about a few others. This makes it difficult for the Organization to bring its full might to bear against any threats, but it also makes it more difficult for enemies to find out anything about the Organization itself. Effect: +1 Scope (used to buy a Cells policy point) If already holds at least 3 policy points within the Espionage category: +1 Secrecy Post Bounties Cost: Description:

Effect:

20 plus 5 dice By maintaining a network of contacts who can inform interested parties about rewards for capturing or killing certain targets, an Organization can make sure its among the first to hear about many interesting developments. However, by aiding manhunts it has no part in, the Organization can also end up making new enemies. +1 Scope (used to buy a Bounties policy point) If already holds at least 3 policy points within Punishment category: +1 Intelligence

Construct Jails Cost: Description:

Effect:

20 plus 5 dice The ability to safely take enemies prisoner is often useful, and an Organization recognized as a trustworthy, competent option for detaining prisoners can often get support from other Organizations to ensure that their guards and facilities are up to the task. This requires the Organizations facilities to have prison functions built, and it also turns the Organization into a target for those planning a jailbreak. +1 Scope (used to buy a Jails policy point) If already holds at least 3 policy points within the Punishment category: +1 Training

Construct Guild Schools Cost: 20 plus 5 dice Description: This operation allows the Organization to use its facilities to promote the advancement of a particular skill naturally, this also includes making it difficult for anyone to practice the skill outside the Organizations purview. This can cause friction with those who dont want to pay the Organizations fees to hire users of the skill. Effect: +1 Scope (used to buy a Schools policy point) If already holds at least 3 policy points within the Guilds category: +1 Training Conceal Guild Mysteries Cost: 20 plus 5 dice Description: An Organization with established trade secrets will always face pressure to better hide them from the public, and doing so naturally brings with it greater secrecy in general. However, the more advanced the equipment and techniques they hide, the more tempting their facilities are for thieves and looters. Effect: +1 Scope (used to buy a Mysteries policy point) If already holds at least 3 policy points within the Guilds category: +1 Secrecy

Organize Manhunt Cost: 10 Description: This operation allows an Organization to search for a wanted individual whose location isnt already known. If the operation results in the target being found, then a patrol is immediately sent after it. Effect: See the Intelligence section Attack Organization Cost: Variable Description: This operation allows the Organization to damage the operations of an enemy Organization, whether through force of arms, trade embargoes, or appeals to the legal authorities. Its only used when two Organizations are at war. Effect: See the Warfare section Recoup Losses Cost: Description: Effect:

1 This operation is used to recover from damage dealt to an Organizations personnel or infrastructure. It may be performed multiple times over the course of one week. The Organizations attributes determine how much damage is recovered per OP spent. See the Threats section

Refocus Resources Cost: 10 plus 3 dice Description: By releasing unneeded personnel, selling unused equipment, abandoning superfluous facilities, or some similar method, the Organization can turn its focus in a different direction. Note that ceasing a policy has other effects, noted in the policys writeup. Effect: An attribute may be reduced by 1 in order to increase by 1 an attribute that was at least 1 point beneath it. -OrTwo attributes may be reduced by 1 in order to increase by 1 an attribute that was no more than 2 points greater than the lower of the two. Section Intelligence When theres a development that an Organization would prefer to react to, its important to determine whether word of the development reaches the Organization. An Organization can mount an operation to pursue something outside its usual sphere of influence, but it also automatically has a chance to uncover some things. These automatic Intelligence rolls are usually linked to an Organizations policies, but an Organization also always has a chance to uncover threats and actions taken against the Organization itself. Every time someone takes an action that an Organization would seek to stop and punish, two Intelligence rolls are made. The first is made before the action is performed, to see if the Organization has been warned beforehand and is ready to respond. The second is made after the action is complete, to see how much the Organization is able to find out about the perpetrators and how decisive the Organizations response can be. The Organization can also undertake operations to hunt down those who have previously antagonized it, in which case the second roll is made alone. All Intelligence rolls use 5 dice, and the DC is based on the Organizations Intelligence attribute. The number of successes determines the quality of the information obtained, as described below each list of factors. The mechanics for each type of Intelligence roll are as follow. Violation of policy: Factor Contact used Number of people involved (including Contacts) 1 2 Every doubling Time spent preparing (probably equal to time since Contact was given task) Spontaneous (less than 5 minutes) 6 minutes 8 minutes 10 minutes 13 minutes 16 minutes 20 minutes 25 minutes DC modifier +Discretion rating

+0 -3 -3

+50 +49 +48 +47 +46 +45 +44 +43

32 minutes 40 minutes 50 minutes 60 minutes 80 minutes 100 minutes 2 hours 3 hours 4 hours 5 hours 6 hours 8 hours 10 hours 13 hours 16 hours 20 hours 24 hours 30 hours 38 hours 2 days 3 days 4 days 5 days 7 days 9 days 11 days 2 weeks 3 weeks 1 month

+42 +41 +40 +39 +38 +37 +36 +35 +34 +33 +32 +31 +30 +29 +28 +27 +26 +25 +24 +23 +22 +21 +20 +19 +18 +17 +16 +15 +14

This roll is made when a group of characters acts against an Organization, either directly through infiltration or indirectly through doing something that the Organizations policies would cause it to want to prevent. Success gives the Organization some advance warning, with the degree of warning depending on the number of successes rolled as follows. Successes 0 rolled 1 Effects The Organization is completely unprepared. The Organization knows that there will be trouble, but not exactly where or when. The facilitys minimum Detection Points is set to 1, or characters on the way to the exchange will encounter one basic patrol that must be bluffed or fought. The Organization knows basically where the trouble will be, but not exactly when. The facilitys minimum Detection Points is set to 2 with a basic patrol stationed at the missions critical points and every adjacent room, or a basic patrol is hidden near the exchange location, with one member watching and ready to tell his squad when to jump out and make the arrest. The Organization knows exactly where the trouble will be. The facilitys minimum Detection Points is set to 4 with a level 2 patrol stationed at the missions critical points and a basic patrol stationed in every adjacent room, or a level 2 patrol is hidden near the exchange location, with one member watching and ready to tell his squad when to jump out and make the arrest. The Organization knows exactly where and with some certainty when the trouble will be. The facilitys minimum Detection Points is set to 8 with the highest level patrols available stationed at the missions critical points and the adjacent rooms, or a level 3 patrol is hidden near the exchange location, with one member watching and ready to tell his squad when to jump out and make the arrest. The Organization knows exactly where and when the trouble will be. The facility is considered to be in high alert, with the highest level patrols available hiding at the missions critical points and all adjacent rooms, jumping out when they know the infiltrators will be there. Or, a level 3 patrol is completely hidden near the exchange location, ready to jump out when they know the characters will be there.

The exact numbers on the Intelligence roll should be recorded, as should the time that would have to elapse for the Organization to have gotten 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 successes. If the meeting or infiltration lasts long enough for the Organization to get extra successes, then the increases to the security apply immediately. The missions critical points are considered to be the infiltration point, the objective point, and the exfiltration point. If multiple Contacts are used, then the Discretion rating modifier should only consider the Contact with the lowest Discretion rating.

The Time spent preparing category refers to any actions which, if one were to find out about them, could only be interpreted as preparations for the infiltration or violation of the Organizations policy. There actually arent many actions that fall into this category. A character can spend weeks gathering weaponry and manpower, and his assault on an Organizations facility can still be considered completely spontaneous if the merchants and warriors he was dealing with had no idea what he intended to do with them. Similarly, conversations between characters about an upcoming infiltration only count if the Organization could conceivably overhear or intercept the communications somehow. Generally, only Contact actions unavoidably count for the purpose of this table. Any warning further in advance than one month gives no advantage over one month of warning. Identify target: Factor Exposure Home (Noble) Home (Courtier) Home (Citizen) Home (Peasant) Home (Squatter) Home (Vagrant) Public Organizations Facility Contact used Each witness Each victim Wounds taken Outside Organizations territory DC modifier 50 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 +Discretion rating -3 -1 -highest wound penalty +hours minimum travel time

The Home set of base DCs should only be used if the Organization is actively trying to find someone, not passively investigating an action against them. If the Organization is investigating a violation of its policy in public, then the Public row is used, and if the Organization is investigating a break-in, then the Organizations Facility row is used. If the Organization is investigating a break-in or a violation of its policy, and a Contact was enlisted to aid in the operation, then its also assumed that the Contact has made an effort to cover his tracks, and so his Discretion rating increases the DC faced by the Organization. However, a character can also enlist a Contact to divert suspicion from him even while simply staying at home. Even if the character was not working with a Contact while doing whatever it was that antagonized the Organization, he can still get the benefit of a Contacts shelter by enlisting the Contacts help by the time the Organization begins its investigation. Witnesses are considered to be those that see the perpetrators in the act of doing whatever it is the Organization is pursuing them for and live to tell the tale. Victims are those that are attacked but who dont have any knowledge of their attackers either because they never got a chance to see who was attacking them, or because they were killed. When an Organization is pursuing a group of characters, the DC for each character might be different. The Organization should roll once, and compare the result to each DC. The degree of information it finds about each character might similarly be different. The number of successes rolled determines the Organizations result as follows. Successes 0 1 Effects The Organization finds nothing it might not even realize the event happened. The Organization determines the number of culprits and some of their basic features. Those that have acted against the Organization under their current Lifestyle in the past have the TP from this offense added to the Organizations dossier on them, and those who have not get a new dossier that any future offenses under their current Lifestyle are added to. A patrol will be sent to the home of any characters whose home location for that Lifestyle is already known.

3 4 5

The investigation turns up the culprits home for the Lifestyle he was working under. If it was not previously known to the Organization, the character will notice the Organizations agents asking around his neighborhood a couple of hours before a patrol arrives. The investigation easily turns up the culprits home for the Lifestyle he was working under. A patrol will arrive without warning. The characters daily routine is mapped out to the last detail. A patrol will ambush the character at the most inopportune moment possible. As the four-success result, but the Organization also collects enough data on the characters spending habits to identify all the characters current Lifestyles within its scope and send a patrol after him no matter which of these Lifestyles he currently lives under. If the Organization previously believed these Lifestyles to belong to different people, then all are now merged and the highest TP total among them is kept. The character must purchase a new Lifestyle if he wishes to have one unknown to the Organization.

The patrol that is sent depends on how many Threat Points the Organization currently considers the character to have. If the character has no Threat Points, then the sent patrol is the Organizations lowest-level one. If the character never comes home, then the patrol will lie in wait for him, and if the character evades or destroys the sent patrol, then a new one will be sent to that Lifestyle every day. The only way to escape is to lie low in other Lifestyles long enough for the characters TP to return to zero, or else take the fight to the Organization and force them to concede to allow the character to live in peace. Section Threats Organizations can get enormously powerful, but there are practical limits to how well they can focus that power. An Organization that tried to come down with its full force on anyone who defied it would quickly find itself overwhelmed. So, an Organization is assumed to be somewhat prudent about how it handles its enemies. This prudence takes the form of the Threats system. The amount of trouble a character has caused for the Organization is measured with a Threat Point (TP) value. A character who runs afoul of one of the Organizations policies receives a small envoy to demand compliance. If the character continues to defy the Organization, or especially if he damages the Organizations property and personnel, he begins to accumulate TP, and the Organization begins taking greater and greater measures to bring him to heel. If the Organization finds itself outmatched, it can even determine that avoiding further conflict with the character by any means possible is the smartest course of action. The actions that cause a character to gain TP are as follow. Neutralizing personnel: To find the number of personnel that must be neutralized for each TP, subtract the Organizations Training from its Manpower, subtract 3 more points, and refer to the corresponding value on the Manpower table. For every point the resulting value is below -4, double the number of TP gained for neutralizing one member. A member need not actually be killed in order to be considered neutralized any members brought into Critically Wounded status are considered neutralized for this purpose. During infiltration, an Elite member is considered equivalent to 8 members, Boss members are considered equivalent to 64, and higher levels are considered equivalent to 512, 4,096, and so on. During manhunts, a member of a patrol is considered to be equivalent to the number of member slots he takes up. Destroying property: To find how much property damage one must deal in order to gain one TP, subtract the Organizations Scope from its Capital, subtract 3 more points, and refer to the corresponding value on the Capital table. This damage can be either in the form of destruction or of theft. It only includes equipment used by defeated personnel if the equipment is destroyed or stolen. Taking facilities:

If a character manages to drive the Organization completely out of one of its facilities, he gains 20TP. This value is doubled for every Headquarters level of the facility, so a level 2 Headquarters grants 80TP. This is in addition to any TP gained by neutralizing the facilitys personnel and destroying its infrastructure. Whenever any damage is dealt to an Organization, the resulting TP are always rounded up. So, any property or personnel damage at all always results in at least one TP. Any TP gained by any member of the party is gained by the whole party. The TP is not divided among them, but rather is given in full to each member. Characters automatically lose TP at the rate of 1 per week, and Contacts can also influence the gain and loss of TP. The number of TP a character has for an Organization corresponds to a Threat Level, and this Threat Level determines how the Organization behaves towards him. Threat Levels are divided into Subdue (S) and Appease (A) types, and they are numbered from highest priority to lowest priority. The number of Threat Levels an Organization has is equal to its Scope. An Organization with Scope 1 has only a single Threat Level, S-1, which goes up to 50TP. At Scope 2, it gains a second Threat Level, A-1, which goes up to 100TP. Every odd Scope point doubles the upper bound of all existing Threat Levels and adds a new Subdue level that goes up to 50TP. Every even Scope point doubles the upper bound of all existing Appease Threat levels and adds a new Appease level that goes up to twice the highest Subdue level. So, a Scope 3 Organization has the following levels. 50/100/200 S-2/S-1/A-1 A Scope 4 Organization has these levels. 50/100/200/400 S-2/S-1/A-2/A-1 And a Scope 5 Organization has these levels. 50/100/200/400/800 S-3/S-2/S-1/A-2/A-1 These are the maximum TP for each level, so a character with 70TP towards a Scope 5 Organization is considered Threat Level S-2. If a characters TP exceeds the A -1 level for an Organization, then the Organization dissolves due to each members fear of being his next victim. If a character is at a Subdue Threat Level, and the Organization has located a home of his, then it will send a patrol after him every day. If the Organization knows that multiple characters with a Threat Level are staying together, then it will send a number of patrols after them equal to the number of characters there. If the Organization has not located a home of his, then it will engage in a Manhunt operation every week. The fraction of its OP it will spend on the Manhunt is equal to 1 over the priority level towards the character. So, against a Threat Level S-3 character, the Organization will spend 1/3 of its OP on the Manhunt, either 3 or 4 per week. The patrol it sends is the most basic patrol at the lowest priority level, and every priority level above that doubles the number of members in the patrol and doubles the money the patrol has to spend on equipment. If a character is at an Appease Threat Level, the Organization will cease its Manhunt operations against him, but will continue to make Intelligence rolls and send a single retaliatory patrol for every action taken against it. This patrols level will be the same that is sent after Threat Level S-1 characters. An Organization will also be willing to make concessions to characters at Appease Threat Levels. At the lowest-priority Appease Threat Level, an Organization will be willing to give up one point of Scope, either by abandoning its control over half its current sphere of influence, or by discontinuing one of its policy points. Each Threat Level over that is one additional point of Scope the Organization will be willing to sacrifice. Alternately, an Organization can liquidate its assets and pay tribute to those that threaten it. the tribute paid, subtract the priority level from the Organizations Capital and refer to the To find

corresponding value on the Capital table. decreased by one afterwards.

When an Organization pays tribute like this, its Capital is

A group of characters at an Appease Threat Level can demand for either a reduction of Scope or a payment of tribute at any time, but after they receive it, the Organization will no longer be willing to make any concessions even if the characters continue to attack. Section Patrols Facilities build their patrols from a limited budget of manpower and money, but a simplified system is used for determining the strength of the enforcers that an Organization sends out after its enemies. To find the number of member slots a basic patrol has, subtract the Organizations Scope from its Manpower and refer to the corresponding value on the Manpower table. To find the amount of money those members have to spend on their equipment, subtract the Organizations Scope from its Capital and refer to the corresponding value on the Capital table. The effective Training of a member of the patrol may be increased by 1 in exchange for doubling the number of member slots in the patrol that member takes up. For example, if a member is built as though his Training were two points higher, then he takes up four of the patrols member slots. If subtracting the Organizations Scope from its Manpower would result in the patrol having less than one member, then simply treat the patrol as having one member slot. However, a member cannot have his effective Training increased if this would require more member slots than the patrol has to spare. A level two patrol is built as though its Scope were three points lower, and a level three patrol is built as though its Scope were six points lower. Section Warfare Its possible for heroic characters to singlehandedly fight an Organization on its own terms, but Organizations are more often opposed by other Organizations. When making new policies, an Organizations first concern is how other Organizations will react whether theyll become hostile and seek to end the policy, or whether the policy will cause the Organization to be less able to fight its existing enemies. However, all Organizations are willing to tolerate some troublesome policies from their neighbors, as otherwise they would spend all their time either wasting effort on small inconveniences or else picking fights far above their weight class and getting smacked down for it. To represent this, the Provocation Counter is used. One Organization might be hostile to another one when the latter Organization has a policy whose description states that it provokes the former Organizations type. To find out if they actually go to war, calculate the Provocation Counter as follows. Subtract the lower Grade from the higher Grade. Then, subtract the number of policy points each Organization has whose descriptions state they provoke the others type. Next, subtract the number of policy points of said type. Finally, if the higher Grade Organization has a higher Intelligence than the lower Grade Organizations Secrecy, subtract the difference between those scores, and if the lower Grade Organization has a higher Intelligence than the higher Grade Organizations Secrecy, add the difference between those scores. If the resulting number is less than 0, the Organizations go to war. War between Organizations is handled in a very abstract manner. Rather than going into the details of military tactics or courtroom drama, Organizations instead perform the Attack Organization operation, which represents whatever method of attack makes the most sense. Every time this operation is completed, it causes the target Organization to regard the user with some extra Threat Points, representing how the damage dealt causes the target Organization to regard its attacker as more and more of a threat, eventually to the point where its willing to make concessions in order to avoid further attacks. This damage is also reflected in the Organizations behavior on the individual level. Aside from the drain on the Organizations Operation Points, Organizations can also gain and lose territory as a result of the war. For every 50TP one Organization has dealt over the others total, it can take over one of the other Organizations basic facilities. Alternately, it may devote 100TP of its lead to taking over a level 1 Headquarters, 200TP to taking over a level 2 Headquarters, 400TP to taking over a level 3 Headquarters, and so on. Every war between Organizations starts with each Organization spending the minimum OP, 2 per week, on the Attack Organization operation against the other. However, just as with TP totals against individuals,

the fraction of its OP the Organization spends on the operation is equal to one over the Subdue priority level. Organizations at Appease Threat Levels continue fighting each other with their full OP , but as soon as one or both are at a high enough Appease Threat Level for both sides concessions to bring the Provocation counter back to 0 or higher, they make those concessions and the fighting stops. The Attack Organization operation has variable cost and effect, as follows. The base cost is 10OP, doubled for every point by which the attackers Manpower is less than the defenders Manpower. The random cost is 3 dice, doubled for every point by which the attackers Capital is less than the defenders Capital. The TP dealt is 50, doubled for every point by which the attackers Training is greater than the defenders Training, and also doubled for every point of vulnerability the defenders policies contribute. Section - Strategy

Chapter - World Section Lifestyle Weapons, armor, and adventuring gear arent the only things on which a character might want to spend money. Many adventurers are motivated by the prospect of living a life of luxury, with all the benefits that brings. A character with more money to spend on his Lifestyle can be healthier, maintain more Contacts, and have more free time for pursuing interests beyond the daily necessities. Every grade of Lifestyle has its own costs and benefits. The main benefit to purchasing a higher Lifestyle is that it frees up time to spend on other pursuits. Poorer characters have to haggle for their own food, fetch their own water, patch up their own clothes, deal with their own hygiene, see to their own comfort and safety, and generally take care of themselves in a very time-inefficient manner. Even wealthier characters have to devote some time to managing servants and keeping track of their own finances. Characters who cant spend the time required to keep up their Lifestyle will have to lose extra money in the form of fees, fines, and theft, and characters who cant spend the money will have to buy a lower Lifestyle. Every Lifestyle has an associated Startup Cost, Weekly Cost, and Free Time. The Startup Cost is the price that must be paid to upgrade a characters current Lifestyle to that Lifestyle. Starting characters may choose to start with a Lifestyle, for which they dont have to pay this cost. The Weekly Cost is simply the amount that must be spent each week to retain the Lifestyle. If this cannot be paid, the character must buy a new Lifestyle, Startup Cost included. Starting characters do not have to pay the first week of their Weekly costs. Free Time is the amount of time that the character has to devote to other pursuits every week. If a character wants to spend more time than he has, he must either hire others to take care of his obligations, or else strain himself past the point of sustainability. The cost of the first option is the Weekly Cost of the Lifestyle that would give him the necessary time (which must be paid in addition to the Weekly Cost of the current Lifestyle), and the cost of the second option is detailed in the section on sleep deprivation. Name Vagrant Squatter Peasant Citizen Courtier Noble Startup 0 100 250 600 1500 3000 Cost doux doux doux doux doux doux Weekly See 10 30 85 260 750 Cost Text doux doux doux doux doux Free Time 14 hours* 35 hours 56 hours 77 hours 98 hours See Text

A vagrant pays no weekly cost for his lifestyle, but must make Survival rolls every day appropriate to the environment hes living in. On a failure, he begins to suffer the effects of deprivation, and he automatically fails the days roll if he spends more than 2 hours of it doing other activities. A character paying for a noble Lifestyle can never violate his Free Time limit, but still might begin to suffer the effects of sleep deprivation anyway if he spends more than 18 hours per day (126 hours per week) on other activities. Vacation:

A character whos not using his Lifestyle but still wants to keep it ready for his return can vacate it, paying only half the Weekly Cost every week that he doesnt actually live there. Lodging: As a temporary accommodation when travelling, a character can stay at an available inn or resort. Costs can vary widely, but the below figures are representative of what most adventurers will find in a city. Rates are daily instead of weekly, and characters who want all of their needs taken care of at an inn when no resort is available must pay twice what they would at a resort. As always, a character paying for no Lifestyle or Lodging must get by using Survival. Lodging Inn Resort Daily Rate 50 doux 150 doux Free Time 14 hours No Limit

(Note: Rules for several features still need to be made, including damage from circumstances like fire, using Negotiate to barter, ritual magic over several turns, alternate magic targetting methods, organization stats, figuring out what to do with the clairvoyance spell, mechanics for poison, and equipment modules, among many, many others.) (+1 Grade = +2 Rarity) (Adding an accessory is +1 Grade, accessories themselves have independent Grade. (weapons?) automatically have one accessory.) Maybe some items

(Strategic spell option that allows rolling some Spellcasting dice before deciding whether to actually cast the spell.) (Straight +1 maneuver rating increase ~8x increase in cost. on foot, calibrate other options for facing equal foe.) (Poker resolution mechanic: discard/switches?) Calibrate speeds for facing average humans

skill level is initial cards, attribute level is number of allowed

(Arrange object dimensions in order of biggest/middle/smallest? Biggest relevant for using the object to reach something, middle relevant for targeting, smallest relevant for destroying it.) (Reaction pool no longer halved? (Trap rules) Requires higher DCs for all reaction pool stuff.)