RULES CHARACTERS

PLAY: Players describe what their characters do. ► Choose your character’s specialty.
The GM advises when their action is impossible,
OFFICER: Increase (d8) any 1 of Navigation,
requires extra steps, demands a cost, or presents
Engineering, Meteorology, Astronomy, History.
a risk. Players only roll to avoid risks.
Increase any 1 social skill. Take 1 ship upgrade of
ROLLING: Roll a d6 skill die—higher with a your choice.
relevant skill, or d4 if hindered by injury or
CREW: Skilled in Engineering (d8) and Gunnery
circumstances. If helped by circumstances, roll
(d8). Take two tool sets of your choice.
an extra d6; if helped by an ally, they roll their skill
die and share the risk. Take the highest die. SCHOLAR: Skilled in any two science skills (d8).
Take a laboratory upgrade for the ship.
1–2 Disaster. Suffer the full risk. GM decides if
you succeed at all. If risking death, you die. ► Choose your character’s origin.

3–4 Setback. A lesser consequence or partial IMPERIAL MILITARY: Increase (d8) any 1 of
success. If risking death, you’re maimed. Intimidation, Connections, Firearms plus 1 skill of
your choice. Take 1 weapon. What was your role?
5+ Success. The higher the roll, the better.
URBANITE: Increase (d8) any 1 of Fast Talk,
If success can’t get you what you want (you make
Persuasion, Connections plus 1 skill of your
the shot, but it’s bulletproof!), you’ll at least get
choice. Take +1¤. What was your profession?
useful info or set up an advantage.
HINTERLANDER: Skilled (d8) in Firearms plus 2
LOAD: Carry as much as makes sense, but more
skill increases. Why did you leave?
than one bulky item may hinder you at times.
CLOCKWORK: Creatures made of gears and
ADVANCEMENT: After a job, increase a skill
pulleys in a roughly human shape. Take a skill
(none➜d8➜d10➜d12), gain d6 credits (¤).
increase, then either a chassis upgrade (provides
DEFENSE: Say how one of your items breaks to defense as armor) or a mechanical computer
turn a hit into a brief hindrance. Broken gear is upgrade for an additional skill upgrade. Who
useless until repaired. made you?

HARM: Injuries take time and/or medical aid to ► Choose or invent skills (if prompted by origin).
heal. If killed, make a new character to be
Navigation, Engineering, Fast Talk, Oratory,
introduced ASAP. Favor inclusion over realism.
Intimidation, Persuasion, Connections, Gunnery,
RUNNING THE GAME: Lead the group in setting Demolition, Firearms, Agility, History, Meteorology,
lines not to cross in play. Fast-forward, pause, or Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Physics,
rewind/redo scenes for pacing and safety, and Meteorology, Archaeology, Psychology
invite players to do likewise. Present dilemmas
and problems you don’t know how to solve. Move
the spotlight to give everyone time to shine. Test
periodically for bad luck (e.g., run out of ammo,
or into guards) — roll d6 to check for (1–2)
trouble now or (3–4) signs of trouble. Offer
rulings to cover gaps in rules; double back during
a break to revise unsatisfying rulings as a group.
 EQUIPMENT DETAILS
► Take a Trinket and ¤2. Most items and upgrades
► Choose, invent, or roll for details.
cost ¤1 each. Ignore small transactions like a
knife or a meal. SURNAME
ARMOR: Vest (break up to 2× for defense), helmet 1 Millwright 6 Vélez 11 Roth 16 Gearborn
(break once), full suit (bulky, break up to 3×). 2 Cooper 7 Cielos 12 Kühn 17 Steelarm
Upgrade any with camouflage. 3 Shepherd 8 López 13 Voigt 18 Diskspin
4 Brewer 9 Vega 14 Schultz 19 Latcheye
TOOL SETS: Repair kit (bulky), medical bag,
5 Mason 10 Mercado 15 Lorenz 20 Goldlever
survey pack (climbing gear, flare gun, tent; bulky),
aerite scanner, rigging harness (bulky), parachute,
portable science lab. FORENAME

WEAPONS: Pistol, rifle (bulky), shotgun (bulky), 1 Landry 6 Lupe 11 Kyler 16 Prime
stun baton, tranq gun. 2 Blake 7 Paz 12 Ulf 17 Theorem
3 Jordan 8 Río 13 Klein 18 Integer
► Airships have basic versions of these functions;
4 Terry 9 Salinas 14 Romy 19 Matrix
upgrades cost ¤10 each. In emergencies, players
5 Sydney 10 Beltrán 15 Baden 20 Complex
pick a function to do or help with.

COMMS: Short-range wireless telegraph. Upgrade LOOK

with long-range, voice communications,
1 Greasy coveralls 11 Completely shaved
ship-to-ship.
2 Plain uniform 12 Tattooed all over
CRAFTS: Comes with escape chutes. Upgrade 3 Sleeveless shirt 13 Heavily scarred
with parasite biplane up to 4×. 4 Bowler and suit 14 One-eyed
5 Lab coat 15 Prosthetic limb
EQUIPMENT: Has mooring hook and spyglass.
6 Worn-out leathers 16 Jittery
Upgrade with skyhook, polished optics, aerite drill,
7 Black trenchcoat 17 Ramrod straight
magneto-sensors, electrical coils.
8 Silk vest 18 Hunched
PROPULSION: Helium-filled balloons and 9 Cotton tunic 19 Hirsute
oil-fueled engine. Upgrade with canvas envelope, 10 Furs and chaps 20 Well-muscled
fiber coating, multi-propeller, experimental engine,
aerite reactor.
SHIP NAME
SPACES: Includes bridge, cargo hold, barracks,
galley, life support. Upgrade with brig, lounge, 1 Heaven’s Jewel 11 Unity
living quarters, medical bay, secret compartments, 2 Cloud Queen 12 Strength
laboratory. 3 Rapid Wind 13 Loyalty
4 Passing Storm 14 Order
WEAPONS: Machine gun turrets. Upgrade with 5 Free Lightning 15 Faith
military-grade turrets, bomb bay, rocket launchers, 6 Kestrel 16 It’ll Buff Out
improved sights. 7 Eagle 17 Look To The Stars
8 Falcon 18 Time Is Not Yet
9 Kite 19 You Saw What Now
10 Hawk 20 Learn To Soar
 You are the crew of an independent airship. Will ► Roll d6 to find a job. Spend ¤1 to re-roll.
you fight with or against the Empire? Do you
1–2 Nothing. Spend to re-roll, or risk debt.
want to raid or explore sky islands? What is the 3–4 Found a job, but there’s a catch.
mysterious aerite that holds them up? 5–6 Choose between 2 jobs.

► Roll d20 for a Location ► Roll d20 for a Job

1 Sky island containing balloon wreckage 1 Ferry a scientist to a remote research station
2 Imperial aerodrome 2 Recover a marooned balloon pilot
3 Museum of Aerial History 3 Smuggle supplies out to a resistance base
4 Crashed sky island 4 Provide aerite to an airship manufactory
5 Hidden resistance base on a sky island 5 Catalog all the plants on a sky island
6 Emberton, small farming town 6 Hunt a Feathered Devil
7 Airship graveyard 7 Salvage a forgotten wreck
8 Temple of the Heavenly Motes 8 Stop a Suppression Squadron raid on a town
9 Dawnstorm University 9 Search and rescue for a lost explorer
10 Crankhold, a pirate aerodrome 10 Investigate rumors of an enormous skeleton
11 Wreckage of Rapid Jewel 11 Rescue a resistance spy from the Empire
12 Sky island with exposed aerite above 12 Find the saboteur on a civilian airship
13 Explosives depot 13 Locate samples of a valuable aerite isotope
14 Lair of enormous leathery-winged beasts 14 Test out an autorigger for airship repair
15 Meteorological research station NM-571 15 Clear a bounty on an ally’s head
16 Sky island with unknown aerite isotopes 16 Steal munitions from an Imperial facility
17 Netherbury, an illicit research laboratory 17 Return eggs of a newly-discovered species
18 Brassward, capital of the Brass Empire 18 Escort a research vessel
19 Tempest, largest pirate airship in the world 19 Warn a professor of impending arrest
20 Withered Cathedral, a monastery of heretics 20 Explore an ancient temple
► Roll d20 for a Trinket ► Roll d20 for a Complication

1 Patch from the Imperial Aerial Militia 1 Propeller shatters in flight

2 Locket from an imprisoned lover 2 Imperial airship on the horizon
3 Research notes on useful sky island plants 3 Feathered Devil diving from above
4 Torn map of a crashed sky island 4 Receive word of an ally’s capture
5 Feathered Devil talon 5 Aerite flare in the hold
6 Glass orb containing a bit of aerite 6 Rats in the food supply
7 Brass compass from a mentor 7 Sky island instability
8 Bag of hometown rocks 8 Drunken crew member on duty
9 Postcard of a wanted poster 9 Insect infestation
10 Family heirloom spyglass 10 Bounty on an crew member’s head
11 Unsent letter of resignation 11 Decree outlawing independent education
12 Treatise on astronomical observation 12 Emergency signal from a crashed airship
13 Prayer bead made of polished aerite 13 Sky pirates
14 Pre-Imperial flag 14 Infection from unknown plant life
15 Snow globe of Brassward 15 Discovery of a mole in the resistance
16 Model airship carved from sky island wood 16 New comet considered a bad omen
17 Key to a lost footlocker 17 Death of a reformist legislator
18 Your grandparent’s slipstick 18 The grog supply is gone
19 Daguerreotype of an old dog 19 Stowaway caught in the cabins
20 Book on the history of airship designs 20 Lightning strike

Version 1.0. Text & layout by Kyle Maxwell, based on the 24XX SRD by Jason Tocci under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (CC BY 4.0).