DEUS EST

MACHINA

1
 credits
Author + Design Spooky Boogy
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1: GAMEPLAY 04-29

Sigil Graphic Elements Watabou, Itch.io INTRODUCTION 06

Motivation The NaGaDeMon Discord RULES 07

Community
CHARACTER CREATION 08-19

Images: EQUIPMENT 20-29

Chapter 1 Opener EberhardGross, Unsplash

Jamie Street, Unsplash
CHAPTER 2: A GUIDE TO THE CITY 30-39
Chapter 2 Opener Erik Eastman, Unsplash
Ant Rozetsky, Unsplash IN THE BEGINNING… 32-33

Chapter 3 Opener Tim Hüfner, Unsplash THE CENTRE 34-35

Fonts: THE CITY 36-39

Graphic Text Bebas Neue

Section Headings Avenir CHAPTER 3: GM’S GUIDE 40-43

Body Text Rockwell PLOT HOOKS 42

GM ADVICE 43

24XX RULES ARE CC BY JASON TOCCI

Inspiration from vaults of vaarn
by LEO HUNT

2 3
Chapter 1:

GAMEPLAY
 rules
PLAYING THE GAME

THE YEAR IS 10,000 AD

The Players describe what their characters do, guided by the narrative and the
fiction. The GM advises whether their action is possible, demands a cost or extra
steps in order to succeed, or presents a risk. Players may then revise their plans
before committing so as to change their goals and stakes, or mitigate danger.
Players only roll when attempting actions with an interesting, dramatic, or
Humanity was supposed to reach the stars, find a glorious new life as an otherwise meaningful effect upon failure.
interstellar civilisation, lightships darting along solar winds and scraping along
the edge of physical limits from bustling societies exploiting the entire output of
their host stars. It failed. CHECKS
Instead, it languished, trapped in its own gravity well, building inwards instead When attempting to succeed at a check, the characters roll a skill die – d6 by
of outwards. First Mercury was torn apart and smelted down, Jupiter’s atmosphere default, higher with a relevant skill, or d4 if hindered by injury. If aided by
syphoned for propellant. Asteroids and comets from all across the solar system circumstances or a piece of Equipment, roll an extra d6. If aided by an ally, they
were brought to fuel the exponential growth of Earth, driven by a relentless need roll their own relevant skill die and share the risk. If multiple dice are rolled for
for expansion, development, conquest of the last frontier. Human construction the same check, the single highest die is always used to interpret the results;
passed onto machines as technological development skyrocketed beyond all
expectations, and eventually, finally, all control was lost. The expansion continued, 1-2: Failure: Suffer the full risk. The GM decrees if success was achieved at all.
relentless, growing first into orbit around humanity’s oldest home, then further and If a character was risking death, they die.
further, encasing the Moon, snatching Mars.
2-3: Setback: A lesser consequence or partial success. If a character was risking
Now, there is only the City, a colossal hulk of twisted, AI-built structures drifting death, they are instead injured.
through the galaxy, thrumming with life on the inside but only a solar-system sized
mass of steel and stone when viewed from beyond its borders – not that its 5+: Success: The action succeeds. The higher the result, the better the overall
inhabitants are even sure there’s still a border to reach.The definition of human has effect.
twisted and bent over the millenia, and they are no longer alone in their own home,
joined by enigmatic entities of unknown origin. Not all of them are friendly. If success isn’t enough to achieve the stated goal, or the fiction blocks it in a way
the character couldn’t have known (the bullet hits home, but they’re wearing a
Nestled near the heart of this great, terrible creation spun out of control lies bulletproof vest!), the characters will at least obtain some useful information or
what is only known as the Centre, an island of relative stability suspended in an an advantage in later moments.
enormous hollow where the Moon might once have been. It is a mixing ground for
the Citizens, a safe haven, yet its position is precarious, and there are always
dangers lurking, waiting to upset the balance. Only a few willing individuals, brave ADVANCEMENT
or foolhardy, lucky or unlucky, stand in the way.
After every mission, or at a narratively appropriate point decided by the GM,
Good luck. each character increases one skill (none >> d8 >> d10 >> d12) and gains d6
Chits (C).

HARM
Injuries are sustained as a result of failing checks, taking both time and medical
attention to heal. If a character is killed, a new one is made for the player to take
over ASAP – favour inclusion over realism.There are more than enough lost souls
wandering the City to find a new companion without much trouble, and there’s
always safety in numbers.

EQUIPMENT

6 7
The panoply of strange and mysterious items available to those wandering the
City is infinite, but there’s only so much that a humanoid can bring with them.
Each character may carry as much as narratively makes sense, however more
than one bulky item may hinder them. When a character takes Harm, they may
also choose to break one item to turn a hit into a brief hindrance. Broken gear is
useless until repaired.
CHARACTER SPECIALITY
FACE

Say what people like to hear, make a good impression. Skilled in

creation
Reading People (d8), Deception (d8). Take a bottle of the good stuff and
a talkbox

MUSCLE

Punch up, punch hard. Make an impact. Make them remember you.
Skilled in Intimidation (d8) and either Hand-to-Hand (d8) or Shooting
(d8). Take a sword, firearm, or an augmented arm.

TECH

Tap into the City, make it work for you, for a time. Skilled in Mechanics
(d8) and Cityspeak (d8). Take an enhanced toolkit.

MEDIC

Patch people up, keep them going, no matter what they are. Skilled in
THE PROCESS Medicine (d8) and Electrical Repair (d8). Take a medkit and cyber-
surgery tools (bulky).

SNEAK
1. CONCEPT
There are plenty of shadows in a City the size of a solar system. Use
Develop a brief concept for a character, what they do, what they are, and them. Skilled in Climbing (d8) and Stealth (d8). Take excursion gear
an outline of a goal. This will provide the framework for the rest of the and a disguise kit.
process.
WAYFINDER
2. SPECIALITY (PAGE 7)
Navigate, pin down the source of intrigue and find treasure – or death.
What are they good at? What is their role in a group? Specialites provide Skilled in Exploring (d8) and Salvaging (d8). Take a scrawled map and
some initial skills, along with some equipment to help succeed at the an exoskeleton (bulky)
role.
SPLICER
3. ORIGIN (PAGES 8-17)
Biological material is your clay, and you’re an artist like no other. Skilled
The City is home to a vast array of creatures, but the majority can be in Biomechanics (d8) and Grafting (d8). Take a biosplicing kit and
broken down to five broad categories: Human, Ancient, Variant, medical tools.
Android, Reanimate. Each Origin provides some combination of traits
and skills, along with a unique, once-per-session ability. HUNTER

4. EQUIPMENT (PAGES 20-29) Tracking a target is no easy feat in the City. You’re damn good at it.
Skilled in Tracking (d8) and Trapping (d8). Take hunting gear and a
Purchase additional starting equipment. Examples are provided, along primitive weapon.
with tables to allow for further generation, but no equipment lists are
exhaustive.
SKILLS
5. DETAILS
A short list of potential skills is presented here, but players and GMs
Fill in the final details of the character – their name, pronouns, unique, should feel free to invent their own.
Origin related traits, etc. Tables are provided for each origin to provide

8 9
inspiration, but the possibilities are endless. Reading People, Deception, Intimidation, Hand-to-Hand, Shooting,
Mechanics, Cityspeak, Medicine, Repair, Climbing, Stealth, Exploring,
Salvaging, Biomechanics, Grafting, Tracking, Trapping, Athletics,
Persuasion, Speechmaking, Connections, City Survival, Foraging, Steel-
craft, Stitchwork, Surgery, Agriwork, Cybermelding
 origin: human
D20 BODY FACE HAIR ATTIRE
1 Tall Sallow Black Rags
2 Short Lively Brown Animal Skins
The oldest inhabitants of the City, Humans The Human population of the City has long 3 Frail Cruel Red Rough Tunic
could be thought of as the original architects – learned how to face new situations; grit your
although the knowledge of the gigastructure’s teeth, grasp for that tenuous strand of ingenu- 4 Muscular Wrinkled Blonde Old Flightsuit
construction has long been lost, and even the ity, and trust your gut. Most of the time, that
understanding of how to use the arcane and works well enough to keep them alive. Most. 5 Fat Scarred Grey Worker’s Attire
unknown systems of the great hulk is long
gone to all but a select few. Humanity has been
SPECIAL: DUMB LUCK
6 Thin Frowning White Mechanic’s Overalls
forced to adapt, and keep adapting over and
over, learning to live in a steel world filled with 7 Skeletal Greasy Shaved Shabby Attire
impossible expanses and strange situations. Apply three skill increases (no skill > d8 > d10
Their genetics have drifted, not far enough to > d12). Once per session, roll any Skill at D10, 8 Hunched Wide Green Soldier’s Uniform
be unrecognisable as humans, but enough that even if you don’t have it.
even their own creation no longer recognises 9 Unbalanced Narrow Orange Tattered Spacesuit
them. They’ll have to make do.
10 Lithe Sharp Glowing Flamboyant Garb
11 Gnarled Hungry Living Musician’s Attire
1D20 NAME MISFORTUNE ATTITUDE ECCENTRICITY
12 Squat Haunted Purple Silken Robes
1 Vugh Thief Volatile Terrified of Mirrors
13 Bloated Jolly Yellow Expensive Clothing
2 Bais Memories Stolen Playful Compulsive Liar
14 Gangly Round Wispy Veiled Attire
3 Tish Framed Stern Can’t Tell Lies
15 Pale Mournful Burned Ragged Suit
4 Parf Lost Sharp Only Wears Purple
16 Tanned Peaceful Braided Outdated Fashion
5 Wish Defective Clone Extravagant Scatterbrained
17 Gigantic Sleepy Greasy Wearable Computer
6 Babble Bankrupt Objective Constantly Interrupts
18 Wiry Frantic Matted Flowing Colours
7 Rococo Abandoned Judgemental Gluttonous
19 Cyborg Branded Long Office Clothes
8 Dread Maladapted Cruel Wears a Strange Hat
20 Injured Hidden Smooth Biohazard Suit
9 Peck Addicted Scholarly Covered in Jewels
10 Brittle Crippling Debt Daring Always Wears Gloves
11 Drake Lovesick Warm Talks to Self
12 Su Overzealous Rough Monotonous
13 Calista In Too Deep Charismatic Always Exagerrates
14 Beaker Out For Revenge Romantic Highly Formal
15 Mink Hiding Secrets “Religious” Ascetic Diet
16 Vacteo Blackmailed Melancholy Counts Prime Numbers

10 11
17 Zaex Vagabond Scornful Infectious Enthusiasm
18 Crook On Parole Sincere Performs Street Magic
19 Ezz Doomed Cheery “Photographic Memory”
20 Senefer Blessed Brave Synthesised Voice
 origin: ANCIENT
D20 BODY FACE HAIR ATTIRE
1 Tall Sallow Black Rags
2 Short Lively Brown Animal Skins
Visually, they look no different from modern Most of the Ancients missed the exponential 3 Frail Cruel Red Rough Tunic
humans, and are just as varied in appearance, explosion of growth that brought the City to its
but beneath the skin, the truth is revealed. current state, but they remember its original 4 Muscular Wrinkled Blonde Old Flightsuit
Ancients are, were, the original inhabitants of form, just a small bundle of metallic structures
the city. Whether they sealed themselves in a huddled in orbit around old Earth. More im- 5 Fat Scarred Grey Worker’s Attire
bunker and slept through the millennia in portantly, though; the City remembers them.
cryostasis, or simply got lucky with a random 6 Thin Frowning White Mechanic’s Overalls
genesplice, the Ancients are close enough to
the City’s idea of a human that they can SPECIAL: LIVING HISTORY 7 Skeletal Greasy Shaved Shabby Attire
interface with its systems. Doors open ahead
of them, mechanisms groan to life at their Take City History (d8) and two skill increases. 8 Hunched Wide Green Soldier’s Uniform
touch, like the City is alive and wants to help. Once per session, use the City’s systems to
Perhaps that’s more true than they know. gain an extra d8 on any skill roll. 9 Unbalanced Narrow Orange Tattered Spacesuit
10 Lithe Sharp Glowing Flamboyant Garb
11 Gnarled Hungry Living Musician’s Attire
D20 NAME HIBERNATION ATTITUDE DISTINCT FEATURE
12 Squat Haunted Purple Silken Robes
1 Takeo Earnest Piercing Insight
13 Bloated Jolly Yellow Expensive Clothing
2 Odyssa Haughty Rumbling Voice
14 Gangly Round Wispy Veiled Attire
3 Domhnall Cryo-sleep Ambitious Company Brand
15 Pale Mournful Burned Ragged Suit
4 Ealar Disinterested Synthetic Eye
16 Tanned Peaceful Braided Outdated Fashion
5 Leitis Solemn Mechanical Frame
17 Gigantic Sleepy Greasy Wearable Computer
6 Moire Whimsical Scarifications
18 Wiry Frantic Matted Flowing Colours
7 Cera Pessimistic Extensive Tattoos
Memories 19 Cyborg Branded Long Office Clothes
8 Dhula stored and body Aggressive Silver Tongue
cloned 20 Injured Hidden Smooth Biohazard Suit
9 Kusika Callous Flowing Robes
10 Aasiya Hopeful Elegant Jewellery
11 Uma Coarse Pronounced Limp
12 Iriya Gloomy Dyed Skin
Lightspeed
13 Zusk Giddy Purely White Eyes
round-trip
14 Ioann Excited Ridiculous Haircut
15 Avva Friendly Missing Limb
16 Taura Disgusted Ancient Pet

12 13
17 Pyx Time-linked Irreverent Grafted Arm
18 Caleid wormhole Indignant Pristine Teeth
19 Zeke Contemplative Permanent Face-mask
20 Sutekh Unknown Disappointed Religious Apparel
 origin: VARIANT
1D20 NAME HUE ANIMAL THEME ODDITY
1 Typhoon Natural Leopard Heavily Tattooed
2 Vodalus Turquoise Oryx Artificial Voice (Soothing)
The world has changed; it’s only natural that The Variants, more than any other organics, 3 Vup Tan Armadillo Artificial Voice (Harsh)
the inhabitants would change with it. Through are adapted to life in the City. They have given
extensive augmentation and splicing, the up the tentative thread of ancestry that linked 4 Ruveth Bronze Wren Necklace of Teeth
Variants have diverged from humanity, them to the ancient inhabitants of forgotten
melded with animals and other beings to Earth, and stepped forth to make a new future. 5 Cish Smoke Hare Pronounced Limp
create something entirely new. Adaptations
designed to enhance their suitability to the
SPECIAL: SPLICED
6 Banor White Hawk Criminal Branding
unfamiliar environment jut out from humanoid
frames; wings, paws, tails, all unique and 7 Xuann Black Raven Purely Black Eyes
distinctive. All useful.Typically, but not always, Choose or roll for two mutations (1d100, reroll
an individual’s Variations will be themed after results > 60) and invent two appropriate traits. 8 Lobhu Azure Weasel Synthetic Face
a single animal, its genetic code dredged from Once per session, automatically succeed at a
the depths of history, for better or worse. Skill check relevant to your mutation. 9 Gisko Emerald Fox Dyed Skin
10 Menuu Rose Ferret Hate Animal You Resemble
11 Clover Orange Orangutan Love Animal You Resemble
MUTATION MUTATION MUTATION
12 Ecto Golden Scarab Silver Teeth
1 Acid Blood 21 Heat Vision 41 Pleasant Fragrance
13 Abandon Silver Centipede Missing Limb
Heightened
2 Antlers 22 42 Poison Injector
Eyesight 14 Holk Ochre Rooster Ritual Scarring
3 Armoured 23 Heightened Hearing 43 Powerful Jaws
15 Obiah Indigo Panther Ornate Monocle
4 Bioluminous 24 Heightened Smell 44 Prehensile Feet
16 Wermouth Violet Gazelle Grafted Leg
5 Barbed Skin 25 Hooks 45 Prehensile Tail
17 Uklorian Rust Hedgehog Awkward Laugh
6 Claws 26 Horned 46 Scales
18 Hyssop Olive Gecko Always Wears A Veil
7 Crest 27 Horse Legs 47 Silk Production
19 Kurrider Lazulite Skink Religious Imagery
8 Crown 28 Humpback 48 Skeletal Frame
20 Tarragon Opalescent Bear Heavy Scarring
9 Cyclopean 29 Ink Ducts 49 Small Stature
10 Detachable Limb 30 Long Face 50 Snout
11 Dorsal Fin 31 Long Limbs 51 Strange-Hued Eyes
12 Echolocation 32 Long Tongue 52 Tail (Club)
13 Extra Arms 33 Malleable Body 53 Tail (Scorpion)
14 Eyestalks 34 Malleable Face 54 Tentacles (Arms)
15 Fangs 35 Mane 55 Tentacles (Hair)
16 Feathered 36 Multiple Eyes 56 Toxic Flesh

14 15
17 Furred 37 Multiple Heads 57 Transparent Skin
18 Gills 38 Multiple Legs 58 Tusks
19 Gliding Surfaces 39 No Ears 59 Winged
20 Headless 40 Patterned Skin 60 Whiskers
 origin: ANDROID
POWER
1D20 NAME PURPOSE EPIPHANY
SOURCE
1 Myth Art God is a Machine
2 Complex Punishment Humans are Obsolete
Enigmatic mechanical creatures that come in Gears click,servo motors whirr to life.Some of the Algae
3 Answer Flattery Humans Need Us
manifold forms and even more diverse Androids might look human on the outside,but in- Generator
motivations and goals. They are the ones who side is a well-tuned machine, capable, versatile. 4 Derile Construction Fate Doesn’t Exist
truly built the City, and many are still hard at
work on that task, colossal, hulking robots
SPECIAL: MECHANICAL
5 Ethne Devotion All Memories are Lies
steadily churning out new segments of
tangled megastructure. Not all, though. Some 6 Galan Cleaning Time is Circular
have broken free of the instructions they were You have a cyber-skeleton ready to be
shackled to millennia ago, mingling with the augmented and upgraded, along with the 7 Foth Plasma Core Healing The City is Hell
organic inhabitants, learning their ways, Mechanical Mind (d8) skill. Increase 1
learning about themselves. Who can say what additional skill. Once per session, use your 8 Ishtar Architecture The City is Simulated
they’ve learned? mechanical body as an item to gain aid.
9 Paeon Spacefaring You are Human
10 Irb Exploration Memories Can’t Be Trusted
Fusion
11 Alpia Mining Machines Created Humanity
Battery
1D20 SIZE FORM HEAD LIMBS FINISH
12 Ohctron Processing There is No Escape
1 Ape Humanoid Organic Grey
13 Micro Peacekeeping Machines are the Future
2 Android Missing Avian Brass
14 Tin Manufacturing The City is Everything
3 Small Barrel Sphere Bladed Bronze Artificial
15 Megr Scouting Falsehood is Truth
Digestion
4 Childlike Camera Broken Golden
16 Urbeyn Transcribing Synthetic Minds are Stronger
5 Chimera Screen Crystalline Silver
17 Laplus Thermal Preaching The City Must Be Awakened
6 Crab Mirrored Clawed Mirrored Generation
18 Dund Teaching Entropy is Inevitable
7 Cube Bladed Golden Black
19 Lerlaih Unknown, but Mapmaking Entropy is Reversible
8 Medium Cylinder Tendrils Imprecise Rusted extremely
20 Zedar powerful Killing Earth Never Existed
9 Falcon Square Jewelled White
10 Humanoid Mask-like Long Ochre
11 Judge Skeletal Delicate Red
12 Lion Glass Retractable Blue
13 Large Locust Translucent Segmented Chameleon
14 Mantis Tubes Sharp Orange
15 Orb Plant-like Silver Iron
16 Prism Solar Panels Slender Purple

16 17
17 Priest Radar Dish Tentacles Umber
18 Imposing Pyramid Crystalline Translucent Striped
19 Serpent Star-shaped Primitive Green
20 Warrior Cyclopean Wheeled Iridescent
 origin: REANIMATE
D20 BODY FACE HAIR OTHER QUALITY
1 Tall Sallow Black No Longer Feels Pain
2 Short Lively Brown Melancholic
In the strange, vast expanse of the City, there Memories are a fickle thing, and it’s even 3 Frail Cruel Red Requires Metal To Live
are few things that cannot come to pass. worse when there are two sources of them.
Physics gives up its hold on the world, Fragments of imagination clash inside a mind 4 Muscular Wrinkled Blonde Emits Strange Spores
chemistry runs in reverse, and the standard that should have long stopped thinking, yet,
rules of biology are tossed aside. The even from this mess can inspiration emerge. 5 Fat Scarred Grey On a Time Limit
Reanimates are the coalescence of this; a
loose collection of individuals who not even
SPECIAL: UNLIVED
6 Thin Frowning White No Memories
death can hold down. They have been
resurrected, some through mechanical means,
EXPERIENCE
7 Skeletal Greasy Shaved Too Many Memories
others through twisted quirks of grafting and
organic trickery, still more because the 8 Hunched Wide Green Weaker Than Before
universe simply wouldn’t let them. They Take two skill increases, one from your past life
shamble through the City looking for purpose, and one from the new, along with a trait relevant 9 Unbalanced Narrow Orange Visibly Decayed,Yet Alive
for completeness, for a final ending, drifting to how you were resurrected. Once per session,
through memories of two lives. ignore one instance of Harm from any source. 10 Lithe Sharp Glowing Infamous Past Life
11 Gnarled Hungry Living Visible Effects of Resurrection
1D20 NAME REANIMATION ATTITUDE SOURCE BODY
12 Squat Haunted Purple Internal Organs Failed
1 Hallimasch Coarse Soldier
13 Bloated Jolly Yellow Can No Longer Eat
2 Hericium Gloomy Orphan
14 Gangly Round Wispy Phantom Pains
Fungal
3 Voss Giddy Convict
Infestation 15 Pale Mournful Burned Can No Longer Sleep
4 Sephirin Excited Explorer
16 Tanned Peaceful Braided Died In An Age Long Past
5 Arc Friendly Scholar
17 Gigantic Sleepy Greasy Bio-Luminescent
6 Coranam Volatile Mystic
18 Wiry Frantic Matted Partial Resurrection
7 Ainre Playful Priest Botched Reanimation (Roll For
19 Cyborg Branded Long
Consciousness Mutation)
8 Ezrae Reformed Stern Nomad
20 Injured Hidden Smooth Multiple Reanimates, One Body
9 Tombshift Sharp Exile
10 Ifossu Extravagant Sovereign
11 Ona Disgusted Beggar
12 Sotrac Mechanical Irreverent Courtesan
Body,
13 Ajac Indignant Musician
Transplanted
14 Dres Brain Contemplative Thief
15 Quric Disappointed Slave
16 Bhuks Melancholy Clone

18 19
Entropy
17 Founth Scornful Hermit
Rewound
18 Nayadus Sincere Failed Entrepreneur
19 Uriater Cheery Accountant
Unknown
20 Okhome Brave Unknown
equipment
EQUIPMENT EXAMPLES
The rest of this chapter contains examples of additional equipment,
however short lists are provided here for further reference. When
1D20

3
TRAIT

Pristine

Rusted

Gilded
ARMOUR FORM

Light (Covers only part of

creating a new character, they begin play with an uplink the body, breaks once)
(communications device) and 2C Most items and upgrades cost 1C
each; ignore any small transactions such as meals, or short distance- 4 Embossed
transportation. Equipment lists are never exhaustive.
5 Mechanical
ARMOUR

Vest (break once for defence), Nanofibre Weave (2C, break up to 2x), 6 Clockwork
Vacsuit (3C, bulky, break up to 3x, vacuum rated, magboots), Decorative
Garb (no defence), Full plate (bulky, resists small arms) 7 Intricate
WEAPONS Medium (Thick, covers the
8 Crystalline body or heavily defends
Splinter Pistol, Lance Rifle (bulky), Pelletgun, Needlesword (2C), Stun part, breaks twice)
baton, Boltcaster. Gravity Mace, Light Grenade, Blast Cannon (4C)
9 Delicate
AUGMENTS
10 Robust
Most augments can be either biological or cybernetic, providing
similar functions in distinct ways; what matters is the function of the
augment. Ears (upgrade with echo-location, vocal stress sensor), Eyes 11 Third-hand
(infra-red, telescopic), Limbs (fast, strong, integrated equipment),
Cranial link (sensory data backup, skill increase), Healing factor (via 12 Bloodstained
nanobots or muscle stitching), Toxin filters,Voice mimicry
Heavy (Full armour or full
GEAR 13 Biological defence, breaks three
times)
Jump-pack (2C), Med-scanner, Biodrone (2C), Survey kit (climbing 14 Translucent
gear, flares, tent, bulky), Repair tools, Splicecutter, Filtration gear, Mag-
compass, Broken Nanoharness
15 Reflective
TRANSPORT
16 Alloyed
Walker-cart (2C), Sled, Mech-horse, Railcar (2C, works only on the Intra-
rail network), Slip-ship (4C, transports through an interdimensional
space), Chairdog 17 Sacred
Special (Unique armour,
18 Ancient breaks once, grants
wearer a unique trait)
19 Parasitic

20 21
20 Intelligent
1D20 TRAIT
WEAPONS FORM AUGMENT
AUGMENTS
DESCRIPTION

1 Ultraviolet Knife CYBERNETIC

2 Incandescent Spear Reflector Integrated light enhancement lens grants night vision in
1 Retinas everything but pitch-black

3 Venomous Sword Flexible motors and pumps massively enhances physical

2 Force Matrix strength

4 Organic Axe 3 Ex-Legs An exoskeletal frame, enormously boosting jump height.

5 Mechanical Club Adrenal A small nodule on the adrenal gland extends endurance beyond
4 Shunt normal limits

6 Immaterial Mace Filtration Nano-scale membranes inside the body resist all airborne and
5 Membrane ingested toxins

7 Ritual Hammer Glittering, shifting skin patterns obscure physical recognition by

6 Dazzleskin all scanners

8 Eldritch Longbow Facial Servomotors manipulate facial structure to take on new

7 Adaptors appearances

9 Ancient Crossbow Integrated A magnetic sensor wired directly to the cortex reveals all nearby
8 Techscanner active technology

10 Modern Javelin Subdermal Any small weapon, melee or ranged, integrated into the body
9 Weaponry using internal compartments
11 Mercurial Pistol Trauma- An automatic response system to restart the body when it passes
10 Response Kit beyond the breaking point
12 Decorated Rifle BIOMECHANICAL

13 Invisible Musket Twinned A secondary heart, grants redundancy and resilience over lethal
11 Heart damage
14 Whispering Shotgun Internal or external sacs that may be inflated with oxygen,
12 Air-sacs allowing long-duration stints without air
15 Unpleasant Polearm Venom Small needles underneath the fingertips, coated with potent,
13 Injectors lethal venom
16 Nightmarish Quarterstaff Triple
14 Flexible tendons allow for unparalleled flexibility and contortion
Jointed
17 Inaccurate Revolver Echolocator A sensitive nerve integrated into the eardrum, granting the
15 Nerve ability to echolocate
18 Dazzling Railgun Ultramuscle Hyperdense muscle fibres wrap around the outside of the body,
16 Booster hugely enhancing strength
19 Deafening Cannon Camo- Melanocytes implanted all across the skin seamlessly blend into
17 Synthesiser every environment

22 23
20 Fragile Laser Weaponized Spiked knuckles, integrated needle launchers – the body
18 Limbs becomes a melee or ranged weapon.
Augmented A natural ability to detect nearby biological material, via scent,
19 Bioscanner hearing, or other methods
Phero- Automatic vents in the body emit influencing pheromones
20 manipulators matching desired responses
 GEAR ARTIFACTS
1D20 GEAR (PART 1) 1D20 GEAR (PART 2) NAME DESCRIPTION

When held, attunes to a user. From them, the user can always
1 Omnitool 1 Sleeping Bag 1 Shimmerstone see it shining, even through walls.
A small paint sprayer which emits a black ichor so perfectly
2 Dark Cloak 2 Hand-powered Drill 2 Black Marker absorbent that the subject disappears.

3 Filtration Mask 3 Binoculars 3 Nullifier Completely deadens sound within 10 metres of the artefact

Thermal A small, coin sized object which, when placed into any mass of
4 Vial of Acid 4 CalculationGrub 4 Singularity water, makes it boil eventually

5 Crowbar 5 Handcuffs 5 Ignition Sets any substance on fire, no matter how difficult to ignite

A strip of fabric; when attached to the skull, absorbs

6 Wineskin 6 Welding Torch 6 Membrain memories. Can be used again to read.
A small chamber, as large as an average human’s head, which
7 Small tube of universal solvent 7 Survival Knife 7 Sanctotum will perfectly store whatever is inside.
Cogitation Bulbous mass of flesh placed around the ear, massively
8 Grav boots 8 Firestarter Kit 8 Loop increasing intelligence. Likes to gossip.
Door to Small, round portal.When opened, reveals a black, empty void.
9 Parachute 9 Backpack (Filled with various items) 9 Nowhere Nothing put inside comes back.
Capsule filled with black ichor, when thrown, anything caught
10 Primitive Fireworks 10 Backpack (Empty) 10 Splicebomb in the blast is genetically mixed together.
Universal Latches onto the vocal chords, allows the user to speak any
11 Flashbang 11 Backpack (Occupied) 11 Translator known tongue. Several unknown, too.
Pheromone infused alcohol, joins the drinkers together into a
12 Incandescent Paint 12 Small String Instrument 12 Buzzwine group daydream.

13 Small cooking set 13 Dictionary 13 Ultrawire Monomolecular wire held together by atomic force. Cuts
through anything, detonates when snapped.
Reflects an almost-identical space, somewhere else in the City.
14 Night-vision goggles (Organic) 14 Motion Tracker 14 Mirrorshine No one is sure what happens if they meet.
A pulsing, biomechanical heart.When inserted into a corpse,
15 Lockpicking set 15 Flask of Oil 15 Regenesis slowly, painfully revives it.
Small length of string.When the ends are brought together,
16 Ration Beetle 16 Torch 16 Sever anything inside the loop is instantly cut in two.
Necklace which manipulates the sound of the wearer’s voice to
17 Length of Biowire 17 Android Interface Kit 17 Toneshift be persuasive and appealing to anyone.
Ritual cybernetic arms, laced with religious script. Said to be
18 Good Boots 18 Loaded Dice 18 Arms of Alurin capable of grabbing someone’s soul.
Biomechanical coffin that seals around the occupant. They
19 Awful Boots 19 Sleeping Pills 19 Death Casket emerge fully healed, but changed.

24 25
The tooth of an unknown creature, holding several drops of
20 Walking Staff 20 Adrenaline Pills 20 Demontooth lethal toxin in a venom channel.
 NAME DESCRIPTION NAME DESCRIPTION

Rubbery, organic skin grafts which meld over wounds, filled Black paste.When pressed between two objects, joins them at
21 Extraflesh 41 A-Weld
with healing fluids. Doesn’t come off. a molecular level. Unbreakable.
When placed on a door, changes its destination to another spot Knee-sized creature which loudly announces the presence of
22 Tunneler 42 Bio-Herald
in the City. its owner at all times.
Small monocle, when a user blinks while focusing on a small Manipulates the ambient conditions in the area around it,
23 Blinklense 43 Weatherdrone
light source, it instantly goes out. creating fog, rain, etc.
A single, sand-grain sized object, which will burn through Palm-sized, spider-shaped machine, capable of carrying out
24 Burning Sand 44 Spidroid
anything unless magnetically held. one simple command at a time.
A small globe of mottled blue and green, said to depict a A device entangled with another receiver somewhere in the
25 Origin 45 Tangle-link
planet. No one recognises it. City, allowing FTL communication.
Alters the local gravity in a 5 metre radius to a different A glass needle holding a single drop of a vicious, necrotising
26 Inverter 46 The Raze
direction. Not an uncommon effect. poison harvested from a rare plant.
When the base marker is placed, a glimmering thread traces Heart of an enormous Android which once trundled through
27 Cityguide 47 Engine Core
the path back to it, no matter where the user is. the City, building, expanding. Still hums with life.
A walking, mechanical cradle which performs emergency A wand which, when tapped against an object up to the size of
28 Ambulatorium 48 Alchemicast
surgery on whoever it finds. a human torso, converts it to gold.
Delicate holoprojector which casts a panoply of small, Inflatable bubble, designed to protect against reentry heating.
29 Skybox 49 Hazard Wall
glistening dots across the room. Unrecognisable. Almost immune to heat, easily punctured.
Projects a solid energy barrier ahead of the user, to deflect Canteen that is always full of slightly stale and unpleasant
30 Glimmerwall 50 Everflask
attacks or provide a protective surface. water from somewhere in the City, but no one knows where.
A parasitic organism which latches onto the tongue of its prey Annihilation Two small discs, one dark, one light. If they’re ever joined, the
31 Leechtongue 51
and forces them to tell the truth. Circuit antimatter within will ignite. Boom. Only one has been found.
Small microphone.When used, projects the user’s voice from Vial of incandescent dust, creates enough light to fill a room.
32 Doubletalk 52 Glowdust
any point within eyesight. The dust can be spread across surfaces.
Inertial Zipline launcher with a weightless hook at the end. Travels Projects a faint beam of light; no other discernible effect. Said
33 53 Emitter
Harpoon until it hits something or it runs out of cable. to be a targeting marker for a legendary android.
Pair of eyes, one organic, one cybernetic. One sees perfectly Allows the wearer to become completely invisible. Builds up
34 VoidEye 54 Voidcloak
in reality, the other gazes into the void. heat when in use.
Spike which is plunged into the brain or core of the recently Lightning Shard of glass containing a bolt of lightning, when thrown or
35 Deathspeaker 55
deceased, replays their final thoughts. Glass shattered, the bolt is released.Very lethal.
Burning Serum used to instantly revive organics in cryosleep, by Liquid Accelerates the entropy of whatever it’s poured on, biological
36 56
Rebirth forcibly reheating their bodies. Extremely painful. Corrosion or otherwise.
Lightweight plate.When pressed to an object, latches on and Throat parasite, allows almost anything organic to be perfectly
37 Mag-weight 57 Rotgut
becomes unbearably heavy. digested, but forces it to taste awful.
Tiny maggots. Burrow into the brain and perfectly replace it. Pouch holding a swarm of metal locusts.When released, they’ll
38 Brainworms 58 Roiling Swarm
Supposedly, makes the host smarter. devour anything made of steel. Perilous for androids.
Skull of an ancient, telepathic creature.When worn as a helmet, Twisted Magnetic case holding part of a nanite swarm that once swept
39 Skullcap 59
whispers of another life fill the mind. Fragment through the City, altering whoever was caught inside.

26 27
Handheld torch which emits ultra-hot plasma. Burns through all Mirror of An interface port for one of the City’s oldest AIs. Rarely tells
40 Plaslance 60
but the hardest material. Epsilon 12 the whole truth, but never really lies.
 NAME DESCRIPTION NAME DESCRIPTION

Creates a bubble of lights on activation, projecting a hologram Ring which removes the ability to tell the truth, only plead
61 Starshine 81 Ignorance
of the linked user. For communication. ignorance and give nonsensical responses.
Small implant at the back of the neck. Floods surface thoughts Sentient mist, changes colours to a vibrant red should it detect
62 MindMask 82 Airtrace
with meaningless junk to defeat brain scans. falsehoods spoken within it.
Encases the target in a block of high-pressure room- Speaker which utters a sound designed to haunt all organic
63 Ice-tomb 83 Terrorfield
temperature ice, to keep them immobile but alive. listeners. Ineffective on androids.
Dreamer’s Stimulates the brain to promote enhanced, psychedelic Signal generator tuned to be intolerable to all synthetic
64 84 Bitcrusher
Throne dreams. Sometimes applies too much stimulation. creatures and listening devices. Ineffective on organics.
Implant with integrated motive engine. Can be pulled from the Drinking vessel with an inside surface coated in lethal poison,
65 Eye Spy 85 Fool’s Cup
socket and used to observe at a distance. Nauseating. contaminates any liquid put inside.
Portable jump pack. Extremely powerful, but prone to violent Form-fitting helmet, allows for breathing in vacuum. Does not
66 Icarus Pack 86 Synth-sheath
overheating. protect the body from temperature or low pressure.
Virulent fungal spores, burrows into organic material and Box buckled to an object, creates a halo above it and allows it
67 Deathbloom 87 Lifting Drive
rapidly converts it. Lethal without rapid treatment. to be easily lifted or elevated.
Mirror-trap supposedly containing natural sunlight from the Pill which provides enough nutrients and hydration to keep a
68 Sunbomb 88 Lifepill
early days of the City. Blinding if allowed to escape. human alive for a week. Unsatisfying to use.
Chunk of processed brain matter.When ingested, binds to the Small block of a gold-coloured material. Influences the holder
69 Skillshunt 89 Pyrium
spine for a time, and grants a d10 skill. to believe it is the most valuable object in the City.
Irrationality Intensely increases the likelihood of irrational events in the Projects a small dome of breathable air and warmth around its
70 90 Envirocaster
Drive nearby vicinity, usually to the detriment of the user. frame, for a short time.
Hallucinogenic substance used by the Apostles of Venus, Skull-shaped case, provides links for a brain to control a
71 Ego Killer 91 Transference
leaves the user in a state of pure ego-death. Unpleasant. synthetic body. Installation is permanent.
Ancient weapon, said to be loaded with metallic hydrogen Air cannon.When fired, blasts an area with “snow”, actually a
72 Slicer Rifle 92 Snowdrift
extracted from Jupiter’s old core. Extremely effective. collection of razor sharp ice shards.
Problem solving engine created using a neural network. Light fabric made of advanced metallic fabric, provides heavy
73 GAN-I-MEDE 93 Metametal
Creates a solution which mostly works, most of the time. armour protection without being bulky.
Hovering device which implements a maximum speed limit Directly projects a short message into the minds of everyone
74 Agoraforcer 94 Newscaster
within line-of-sight, enforced by a powerful laser cannon. within a 1km radius. Don’t use it for spam.
Miniscule robot humanoid, can be tasked to crawl into Biotech suit, significantly enhances physical strength and
75 Keybreaker 95 Exoframe
keyholes to pick or break them. Likes to eat dust. endurance; cannot be removed. Deal with the devil.
Suite of biological augments, designed to give the user the perfect Book of Leather-bound book. All who open it believe it to be a
76 Deadeye 96
quickdraw, faster and more accurate than humanly possible. Revelations powerful philosophical thesis. Its pages are blank.
Halo which integrates the wearer into the Intera hivemind, Mimicry Nanotech swarm, designed to replicate any object presented
77 Intera-linked 97
stretched across the City. Algorithm to it. Only duplicates appearance, not function.
Reignites disabled or unusable technology, but only for a brief Touch of Projects a golden shield directly above the surface of the skin,
78 Spark Bridge 98
time. Leaves the target more broken than before. Divinity blocking impacts. Breaks once to block harm.
Thought- Injection which freezes emotions as they are for 8 hours, Deadens all electronic devices within 10m, including most
79 99 Null Field
Freeze allowing no change, no matter happiness, rage, fear. androids. Heavily restricted in civilised areas of the City.

28 29
Endurance Long, spiked boots which allow the wearer to walk extreme Heavy pack which rapidly expands to create a comfortable
80 100 Travelkit
Boots distances without fatiguing. May become permanent. living space when deployed, can support 5 humanoids.
Chapter 2:

A GUIDE TO THE CITY

IN THE BEGINNING
THERE WAS NO LIGHT
PRESENT DAY,
FOUNDATIONS EXPANSION PRESENT TIME SAFEGUARDS
All but the broadest strokes of humanity’s Sunday, April 28th, 2661, 5:51pm Earth Stand- The population of the City is scattered Humans are far from alone in the enormous
history have now been lost to the churn of ard Time. The Network, the finely strung web throughout its vast corpus, divided up into bulk of the City. Beyond the various sub-
time, torn up by grinding machinery and spit of communication that linked the citybuilder hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of small, in- factions that have split off from the main bulk,
out only in obscure, scattered references, but AIs together and allowed them to coordinate dividual settlements, eking out a living on the Variants, the Reanimates, and even the
this much is known, or at least suspected; their efforts, was suddenly struck by an un- what they can scavenge or grow from the mysterious motives of the Androids, there are
Mankind spread out from Earth, across the known viral cascade. Whether intentional, or enormous metal monolith they dwell within. another batch of entities present onboard the
solar system, in a diaspora like no other. simply a random, unfortunate accident, it left Many follow a nomadic lifestyle, moving megastructure. The Guardians.
Spaceflight was commonplace, resources the Network out of sync for a fraction of a whenever the remaining active construction
seemingly limitless, and ambition filled every second. That was all it took. The AIs could no machines pass too close for comfort, or Designed as an internal response to
last soul to the brim. However, back on Earth, longer communicate with the algorithms dic- whenever hostile forces become too dangers and defects in the City’s growth, akin
limited space was becoming a dire problem – tating their designs, and simply continued the overwhelming to ignore, however there is one to an immune system hunting down and
already, every last inch of land had been last directive they received – keep building. particular location that has flourished into eliminating cancerous elements in a body
converted to towering city block.The only way something that could be called a city. before they can grow and devour the main
left to go, was up. The process has continued, uninterrupted, mass, the Guardians are the City’s first and last
ever since. Material is harvested from any re- The Centre is named as such because it line of defense. For a millenia, they worked
The first orbital ring constructed around maining unprocessed matter, and churned out hangs suspended in the centre of an enormous, well, excising construction machines that went
Earth was a resounding success, a silver loop from sources that defy all former notions of hollowed out space, dangling from a series of off their programmed course, burning down
made entirely by automated, mechanical en- physics. Towering support structures that power and support cables, fed energy from segments that were built incorrectly, protect-
gineers. The next came quickly, and the one stretch between spherical layers have generators rumbling away deeper in the City. It ing the vital nerve centers of the City AIs and
after that, and soon they began to link to- become the only conduits to move inwards or is a place where synthetic and organic life allowing them to go about their assigned
gether, a sphere of metal around the birth- outwards, all fiercely defended by automated mixes, assembled into something that approx- tasks. Then, something changed.
place of humanity, home to trillions. The great security systems, and bizarre, artificial eco- imates a government, and where food is grown
exodus continued, the construction marched systems managed by intelligence that have instead of foraged. It has its own internal The Guardians no longer act according to
onwards, and all was right with the world. It spent millennia twisting into themselves are struggles, and there’s always a risk of its safety their initial instructions. Instead, they follow
never even occurred to the populace at the present everywhere. being compromised,but it’s home.And,at night, their own designs, enigmatic, mercurial, and
time that the architects of their idyllic present when its inhabitants look out at the City and see utterly unstoppable. The surviving population
could just as rapidly become the instigators It is not a welcoming place, but neither is it lights glimmering in the dark, it’s as if they’re has learned to just get out of the way, but that
of its ultimate demise. overtly hostile. It simply is.Welcome to the City looking up at the stars of a forgotten Earth. can only get them so far.

BUT LIFE ALWAYS

32
THE CENTRE LOCATIONS
STUCK IN THE MIDDLE
The Centre hangs at the midpoint of an enormous, spherical
cavern, but in many ways the physical location is less relevant
than its social one. This place represents a mixing ground, a
centrepoint of the many nomadic and strange cultures strug-
gling to make forge their own existences within the vast corpus
of the City. It is in that respect that the Centre is at its most in-
fluential, and why it must be protected at all costs by its inhab-
itans, for there are many entities that would cause its destruc-
tion – maliciously, in an attempt to revert the City to pure chaos,
or simply through following ancient protocols that demand the
elimination of errors.

THE CONTROL ROOM THE CONVERTER

Kept heavily guarded and off-limits to all but
the most essential, this is the brain of the
Centre’s structure. Unbeknownst to most; the
settlement is actually an enormous, mobile
platform, locked in place millenia ago in an
Hanging down from the City far above, con-
necting near the Observatory, is an enormous
power cable, a dozen metres across at its base.
This is where the Centre draws its power from,
fuelled by a distant reactor. Without it, the
PEOPLE
area of relative safety.The Control Room, deep Centre would be lifeless.
in its heart, contains the pilot’s seat. AELO, CENTRE MAYOR ERA
THE AGRI-PODS Aelo has been in control of the Centre for the There’s always something that needs fixing
THE OBSERVATORY last 7 years, the first Android ever elected to around the Converter; transistors burning out,
A vast algae farm which provides the bulk of the role. In that time, she has agressively transformers fried by an unexpected power
The Observatory lies at the pinnacle of the the food for the Centre’s population. The grub pushed for the expansion of the cartography surge, unknown incursions at the City end of
Centre; a vast room built around a holographic isn’t exactly varied, but it’s nutritious, and corps, charting out the local landscape, the cable. Era always manages to deal with
projector, which shows the most detailed some of the local cooks can make miracles identifying weak-points in the structure them without raising a fuss, just as she has al-
collection of knowledge about the city present happen with it. The site is managed by a near- around the Centre’s resting place, and ways done. However, something unexpected
within its limits. Danger-zones, Guardian hot- derelict Android who took the name Gaia; he’s surveying the integrity of the supports has upset her stable routine; the realisation that
spots, and resource caches are marked by on his last legs, literally, but no one can bring holding the hanging city in place. Critics of a small but significant portion of the output
faint icons, and its scope is gradually ex- him to pass on the role to anyone else. her tenure mock her interest, saying that since from the Converter is being filtered and sy-
panded by cartographic expeditions. Without she’s spending more time looking elsewhere phoned off into some unknown location in the
this room, and the efforts of those who in the City than matters closer to home, maybe City. The maps in the Observatory mark
maintain it, journeys into the City would have THE DOCKS she should just uproot the Centre and move it. nothing out of the ordinary in the area, but Era
an even higher fatality rate. They’re more right than they know. knows something is there. She just has to look.
The departure point for access to the rest of
the City, and the main hub of incoming and
THE GRINDER outgoing traffic. As the largest “civilised”
outpost in the City, there are plenty of people
At the exact inverse of the Observatory’s coming to and from the Centre, looking to ORYX TWO DANYA
location is an equally critical, although less trade, looking to join the population, or simply
glamorous, point of interest: the Grinder, the curious about what it feels like to not have to Their resurrection, the transition from Oryx Before the onset of the City, her appearance
waste collection and disposal system of the constantly look over their shoulders for stray One to Oryx Two, was a brutal one, dragged might have turned heads; not many security
Centre. All of the waste produced by the many Guardians or other threats. back to life in a dingy underground cham- officers have snouts that would look more
inhabitants is funnelled here, churned through ber, spinal column merged with a rogue ma- fitting on a greyhound than a humanoid, but in
layers of recycling, and eventually deposited chine hunting for a host. Now, they dart the Centre this is practically commonplace.
to a spot in the City far below. Essential, but THE OUTSKIRTS through the shadows of the City, scrounging The enhanced sense of smell granted by her
unpleasant. up a feeble stream of resources to supply the particular Variance allows her to latch onto
Like a parasitic growth, the Outskirts cling to paired, biomechanical organism. The human and hunt down any wrongdoers, and bring
the edge of the Centre, ramshackle huts and part of the mix demands sustenance, the them to whatever approximation of justice is in
THE HAB CELLS

34 35
buildings linked with fragile steel cable- mechanical needs energy, both can be fashion that week – the priority list hasn’t
bridges and zip-lines. Aided by Androids, this found in the Centre’s populace. Skittering made it around to a legal system yet. Her latest
The main sleeping quarters for the Centrefolk, is one of the first Human constructions that has down the Converter’s cable and breaking case has frustrated her, though: despite her
arranged mostly in dull, featureless pods – taken place in millennia, instead of simply into the soft interior of the settlement was best efforts to examine the murder scene, no
spruced up by the inhabitants where they can squatting in things the City AIs built; a set of trivial. Now they feast. scent presents itself. Back to basics, then.
manage, but some things can’t be changed. personal living spaces. There isn’t much room,
Still, they’re more of a home than many other but they’re somewhere that is truly individual,
places in the City can boast. and that’s something the inhabitants treasure.
THE CITY
THE HEART
LOCATIONS
Buried deep in the core of the City, far below
THE GLITCH
Some of the viral cascades that originally
CONVOLUTION
The original purpose of the City is still baked into the circuits
of its builders, still endlessly looping in twisted coils of code
deep in a broken system, and in many places it shines through.
the many thousands of inhabitable layers, is set the City AIs on course for their current Convolution is a measure of how far a local area has strayed
the source of most of its power: Earth’s old Sun, state can remain in dormancy for millennia, from this ideal, how inhospitable and incomprehensible it has
still burning strong, surrounded by an only to be reactivated as a dilapidated become.
enormous array of solar collectors and fuel server stack is rejoined to the whole. The
scoops. This is the most obvious origin for the Glitch is one such spot, a ruinous, corrupted
City’s energy, but a trivial calculation reveals image of impossible geometry, infested by
that not even a star could fuel it in its entirety – rogue Guardians and insane machines. Very
so where is the rest coming from? dangerous.
1: Relative normality, or as close to it as anywhere in the City can get. Environments are
friendly to human habitation, doors connect to each other, buildings are intact.

THE FILTERS THE ACCESS LEVEL

The Filters are repeated several times
throughout the City’s bulk, although not in any
regular pattern. These massive systems,
Between each of the cavernous levels of the
City, there is a single Access Level: a
comparatively tiny crawlspace, packed with
2: First instances of strange phenomena; streets connecting at odd angles, construction
stacked on top of itself. Few, if any, dangerous occurrences. The Centre is at Convolution
Level 2.
consisting of an array of gargantuan fans and tubes, pipes, and tunnels feeding and filtering
potent disinfection agents, constantly pull air vital supplies all throughout the megastructure.
through at hundreds of kilometres per hour,
scrubbing and refreshing it before pumping it
out into the City. Often, it is fatal to even go
There are many resources here that are critical
to the survival of the local organics, but the
areas are regularly flushed out with a highly
3: Down and Up are no longer quite so set in stone, corridors twist and turn into each other.
Oppressive expanses of steel and concrete blanket the universe. Most of the City is at
Convolution level 3.
near them. acidic fluid – get in, get out, quickly!

THE PLAINS GUARDIAN HUBS 4: The environment has become more overtly hostile to organic presence, strange sounds
echo from nowhere, and it feels like something unknown is on the hunt.

A vast expanse of atomically flat land, Part support structure, part transport link, part
suspended between two levels of the City. defence perimeter – the Guardian Hubs stand
Kept clean by swarms of hovering machines.
Connects many locations within the City, much
faster than any of the twisting, convoluted
tall through the chaotic landscape of the City,
seemingly avoided by the
construction-bots. Perhaps for their own
colossal 5: The area around the old City AI hubs is completely beyond comprehension, as even the
laws of reality are bent and broken. Clocks run backwards, minutes walk forwards, and
everything is coloured a shade of indescribable anguish.
corridors that make up much of its bulk. safety. Each of these towers is absolutely
However, any irregularities are quickly made infested with the Guardian robots, originally
a target for cleaning and purging. intended to allow them to sally forth to nearby
hotspots of corrupted data and excise the
plague before it spread, now simply hubs of
6: Total breakdown. Entities which enter here almost never return, and absolutely never
without being changed by the journey. Abandon hope.

THE GROWTH FRONT dormant machines. Mostly dormant.

36 37
The City’s AIs are no longer completely Despite the dangers present within, the
coherent, and have begun building back over Guardian Hubs remain one of the most
existing structure. The Growth Front is a effective and rapid ways to move between the
colossal zone of destruction and rebuilding, levels of the City, if the brave explorer can
tearing down what already exists and making somehow avoid or deactivate the security
it in a new, twisted image. systems present within.
 ISOLATED SETTLEMENTS CITY INHABITANTS
1D20 CONVOLUTION THEME OCCUPANTS HAZARDS 1D20 NUMBERS ORIGINS HABITS THEY WANT MOOD

“Deactivated”
1 Empty Offices Centre Explorers 1 Scavenging Proud
Security Systems
and Trading Power
Discharging Scrap Metal
2 Filled Warehouses Rogue Androids 2 Scouts (1-4) Silent
Capacitors
Humans
3
1 Derelict Airfield Lost Sinners Perilously Low
Supplies 3
Mobile Medical
Tense

Hopeless Dangerous Agriculture Help

4 “Swimming” Pool 4 Fearful
Romantics Guardian Proximity
The Cult of the Malfunctioning Air
5 Cramped Satellite 5 Ancients Trading Gloomy
Rebirth Supply Family Escaped
Between Static
Deactivated Fluctuating Gravity (6-12) Prisoner
6 Dilapidated Ruin 6 Settlements Argumentative
Guardians Well
Shrinking Living
7 Suburban Homes Feral Humans 7 Variants Jubilant
Space
Raiding Other Weapons
Nomads
8
2 Circuitry
Everywhere Polite Cannibals Oppressive Heat 8 Guilty

9 Clock Factory Half-dead Exile Civil War 9 Determined

Extended Raiding
Family Androids Information
Settlements
10 Black Obelisks Infamous Rogue Rival Settlement 10 (15-20) Cheerful

Travelling
11 Fungal Infestation Invasive Wildlife 11 Cold
Nomads
Controlling an To Join the
Reanimates
Intera Hive Encroaching Access Point Centre
12 Wrecked Androids 12 Bittersweet
Members Construction

13
3 Defensive Bunker Soldiers
Following Orders Psychoactive Fumes 13 Celebrating
Controlling a
Small Clan To Destroy
Resource
(20-60) the Centre
14 Sacred Tunnels Idle Wanderers Hydrogen Gas Leak 14 Pipeline Wary
Mixed (Roll
or pick
Missionaries on a twice)
15 Crystalline Metal Defective Auditors 15 Envious
Quest Hunting Revenge:
Construction
16
4 Desert Oasis Algae Farmers Roving Splicers 16 Machines Humans
Zealous

Rusted Construction Troupe of Aggressive Large Clan Unknown

17 17 Mourning
Machine Variants Proselytising (50-100) Synthetics Religious Revenge:
Pilgrimage Machines

38 39
18 City AI Core Bounty Hunters One-way Entrance Unknown
18 Sullen

19
5 Guardian Lair An Old Friend Decadent Ruler 19
Organics
Rogue Enthralled
Guardians Hired
Confluence Expeditionary Water
20
6 Wormhole
Generator
Something
Unknown
Personal Interest of
a City AI 20
(100s) City AI’s
Agents
Guides Warlike
Chapter 3:

GM’S GUIDE
PLOT HOOKS AND ADVICE
† An expedition is being assembled by the † The current mayor of the Centre, Aelo, is up
Reanimate Ulcor Three; reach the edge of for reelection after a fairly successful ten- GM ADVICE
the City, come hell or high water. In a past sure. She has been campaigning hard
life she was a preacher for the Cult of throughout the loosely aligned population Focus on driving narrative and describing characters in terms
Rebirth, but now she has come about to a promising big changes if she wins, but of behaviours, risks, and obstacles, not their skill dice. Lead the
new realisation – there must be something she’s been facing tough opposition from an group in defining lines to not cross in play and veils to leave
out there, somewhere! Along the way, the up-and-coming firebrand, Perseko, who obscured. Fast-Forward, Pause, and Rewind/Redo for both
group will encounter unfamiliar territory demands that focus be shifted towards pacing and safety, invite players to do likewise. Present
and threats manifold, but their goal will securing the space around the Centre to dilemmas without solutions, and listen to the players’ answers.
keep them focused. secure it against the other inhabitants of Move the spotlight from player to player, give everyone a
the City. When the party stumbles across a moment to shine. Test as needed for bad luck (e.g., running out
† The air filtration units within the Centre shady backroom operation to blackmail of ammo, stumbling into an unknown threat) – roll a die to check
have broken down, and the replacement the mayor, what will they do? for (1-2) trouble or (3-4) signs of it, with the die (d4, d6, d8 etc)
parts must be scavenged from the nearest determining the risk and the players’ luck. Improvise rulings to
set of City-scale Filters. While there won’t † They were handed only a sealed package extend the rules to unexpected situations; on a break revise
be any active opposition to the retrieval, and a note containing a location – the core unsatisfactory rulings as a group. Have fun, play to find out what
the Filters themselves are dangerous, and of a nearby Guardian Hub. The promised happens, keep the world weird and the people mundane
preparing for a journey to them is no mean rewards are great, but is the risk worth it? despite their weirdness.
feat.
† An enormous Construction machine’s pro-
† A regularly scheduled, but extremely long gramming has been twisted one step too ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
interval, coolant flush has begun in an area far; reduced simply to wanton destruction
around a small, isolated settlement. If left without the intended reformation in the af- This project was created during the National Game Design
unchecked, the village will be washed termath. The party must clamber onto the Month 2022 (NaGaDeMon 2022). As credited, the rules
away by the flood of ice-cold fluid. The walking skyscraper, and either perman- presented are almost entirely from the 24XX SRD created by
party must either find a way for the inhab- ently disable it, or find a way to safely re- Jason Tocci, a Creative Commons 4.0 Licensed Product.
itants to escape with as much of their live- vert the software. Additionally, significant inspiration in the form of the tables
lihoods intact as possible, or uncover a way present in this booklet was taken from Vaults of Vaarn, by Leo
to avert the catastrophe. † The Intera Hive Mind has been spreading Hunt, also CC-BY-SA 4.0. The material published here is
itself throughout the City, promising a likewise presented under CC-BY-SA 4.0.
† The Centre’s Agri-Pods are driven by a set blissful and purposeful existence for those
of flavour synthesisers, but they’re running who join, united into a collective whole.
perilously low, and Gaia, the operator, has Their promises are completely genuine, INSPIRATIONS
been attempting to recreate his favourite however recently a schism has erupted in-
mixture without success. He’s managed to side the group, regarding the integration of DEUS EST MACHINA is heavily inspired by BLAME! by Tsutomo
identify a critical ingredient which can be an Ancient keenly linked to the City’s ori- Nihei, along with the works of H.R. Giger. The City is directly
found only beneath the top layer of the gin, the influx of long-forgotten knowledge, inspired by the megastructure which forms the setting of the
Plains, but he’s far too frail to make the trip and how to use their newfound access to former work, while the latter was the driver for the blend of
himself, and nowhere near spry enough to the City’s systems. They need outside me- mechanical and organic present in the descriptions. Other
evade the reprisal for breaking the mo- diators to handle the arguments playing useful inspirations for tone, setting, or content include The Book
lecular smoothness of that area. out within thousands of minds at once. of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe, Matter by Iain M. Banks, and
Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Additionally, the video games Scorn
† The signal was first picked up on a † Yrd was dragged back to life decades after and Signalis are excellent visual inspirations for the City and its

42 43
routine scan for transmissions, a dull, the fact by a passing bubble of reverse en- inhabitants.
rumbling tone dismissed at first as noth- tropy, but her memories stayed intact. The
ing but leftover noise from the City’s con- memories of her own murder most promin-
struction. It has been rising in pitch ever ent amongst them. Now, in a City that has
since, and it’s approaching a breaking changed much in the last two decades, she
point. It could be nothing, or it could be wants to hunt down her own killer, and
absolutely critical. bring them to justice. She needs help.
THE END

OF THE