v1.

Russ Morrissey
By Russ Morrissey

Additional text by Wade Rockett

and Darren Morrissey

Artists
Alida Saxon, Bartlomiej Fedyczak, Bien
Flores, Carl Holden, Carly Sorge, Claudio
Pozas, Darren Morrissey, Egil Thompson,
Felipe Gaona, jupeart, Dabarti CGI, cigdem,
Yuttana Samol, diversepixel, denisgo, Pixabay

Some art (c) 2004 Ed Bourelle. Used with

permission. www.bourellearts.com

Some images Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Art Directors
Alida Saxon, Gayle Reick

Art commissioned by
Savage Mojo

Layout/Graphic Design by
Alexandre ‘Xanditz’ Silveira

©2015 EN Publishing

One of the aims of What’s O.L.D. is N.E.W. is

not just to allow fans and third party publishers
to create and/or sell content for the games,
but to encourage and actively support it.

Third-party publishers and fans are free to

create and sell compatible content for What’s
O.L.D. is N.E.W. You can create sourcebooks,
adventures, resources, expansions, and so on,
and indicate compatibility. You can also make
or sell electronic applications. The license is
free, and you do not need to ask permission or
submit an application to use it - just head to
woinrpg.com for more information, and start
publishing!

N.E.W. Science Fiction Roleplaying Game

ISBN: 978-1-912007-00-4
SKU: ENP0101

Version 1.2
 Table of Contents
»N.e.w. Is.............................. 5 Vehicle Skills.......................20 Starting Money.....................64
»Welcome to N.e.w!................. 6 Outdoor Skills......................20 Attacks..............................64
»What You Need....................... 7 Other Skills.........................20 »Psionics..............................65
»How to Play........................... 7 Skill Notation......................21 Biopsionics.........................66
»Example of Play...................... 8 Skill Levels.........................21 Clairsentience.....................66
»About This Book...................... 9 »Species...............................22 Clairvoyance.......................66
»Rule Zero............................. 9 A Note About Gender Ergokinesis.........................66
»The Setting........................... 9 & Ethnicity.........................22 Metapsionics.......................67
»What’s O.l.d. is N.e.w............10 Species Attribute Bonuses.......23 Telekinesis..........................67
»A Brief Glossary.....................11 Humans.............................24 Telepathy...........................68
»Setting the Tone....................12 Ogrons..............................24 Teleportation......................68
Chapter I - Future Careers....... 13 Venetians...........................25 »Advancement........................69
»Character Creation.................13 Borians..............................25 Defeating Enemies &
»About This Chapter.................13 Androids............................26 Overcoming Challenges..........69
»Character Creation Spartans............................27 Planning............................70
Walkthrough..........................14 Felans...............................27 Completing Milestones...........70
»Total Checklist......................14 »Homeworld..........................28 Incremental Advances............70
»Descriptor............................14 »Careers...............................29 Age..................................71
Example Descriptors..............16 »Career List...........................30 Typical Point Values &
»Attributes............................16 »Origins................................30 Advancement Cost................71
Attributes & Dice Pools...........16 »Careers Description................33 »Starship Murphy.....................72
»Strength (Str)....................17 Academic Careers.................33 Sasha Bolotnikov..................72
»Agility (Agi)........................17 Criminal Careers..................34 Gorrat...............................73
»Endurance (End)..................17 Investigative Careers.............34 Ashonn..............................74
»Intuition (Int).....................17 Military Careers....................34 Dr. Tiktok...........................75
»Logic (Log).........................17 Navy Careers.......................34 Holmes..............................76
»Willpower (Wil)..................17 Marine Careers.....................34 Talik.................................77
»Charisma (Cha)....................17 Psionic Careers....................34 Chapter II -
»Luck (Luc)..........................17 Vocational Careers................34 Future Equipment................. 78
»Reputation (Rep)..................17 Species Careers....................35 »Equipment...........................78
»Psionics (Psi).......................17 Careers & Ranks...................50 »Starting Money......................79
What Attribute Scores Mean.....17 Away Teams & Task Forces.......50 Wealth & Credits..................79
Attribute & Skill Scale............17 »Exploits...............................51 Example Salaries..................79
Maximum Dice Pools..............18 »Universal Exploits..................51 Equipment, Skills, & Quality....80
»Grade.................................18 Paying for Effects.................52 Improvised Equipment............80
»Skills..................................19 »Age....................................56 Availability.........................81
Academic Skills....................19 Aging in The Future?..............56 Out Of Time........................81
Artistic Skills.......................19 Young Characters..................57 Item Quality In Context..........81
Combat Skills......................19 Old Characters.....................57 »General Gear........................82
Crafting Skills......................20 Age Categories by Species.......57 »Services & Foodstuffs..............93
Developmental Skills.............20 »Trait..................................57 »Weapons.............................94
Gaming Skills.......................20 »Derived Statistics...................61 »Reading The Weapon Tables......94
Miscellaneous Hobby Skills.......20 Skills & Derived Statistics........61 Resistance & Vulnerability.......95
Physical Skills......................20 Dice Pools..........................61 Damage Types......................95
Performance Skills................20 Health...............................61 Bursts...............................96
Psionic Skills.......................20 Speed...............................61 Zero-G & Lo-Grav.................96
Scientific Skills....................20 Cinematic Mode...................62 Special Traits.......................96
Sporting Skills......................20 Jump................................62 »Melee Weapons.....................98
Subterfuge Skills...................20 Carry................................62 Exotic Melee Weapon List........98
Social Skills.........................20 Initiative............................62 Basic Melee Weapon List.........99
Technical Skills....................20 Defense.............................62 Melee Weapons & Size............99
Trivia Skills.........................20 Careers & Defensive Skills.......63 Firearms Slang................... 102
»Ranged Weapons.................. 103 Task Lexicon...................... 146 Other Modifiers.....................170
Special Ammunition............. 104 »Common Tasks.................... 148 Ranged Modifiers...................170
»Explosive Ordenance............. 105 »Chases.............................. 148 Melee Modifiers.....................170
Weapon Description............. 105 Foot Chases:..................... 148 Dual-Wielding.......................171
Generic Ranged Weapon List.. 105 Vehicle Chases:.................. 149 »Injury & Death.................... 172
Exotic Ranged Weapon List ... 106 Space Chases:.................... 149 »Health Damage.................... 172
Explosive Ordenance............ 107 »Engineering........................ 149 »Critical Hits........................ 173
»Armor............................... 111 Doing a Science?................. 150 »Conditions......................... 173
Specialist Armor ................ 112 Example of a Science Task........151 Temporary conditions..............173
Stacking SOAK................... 112 »Hacking & Computing............ 151 Severe conditions...................173
»Reading The Armor Table........ 118 »Interrogations..................... 153 Persistent conditions...............173
»Shields.............................. 119 »Medicine........................... 153 Damage types.......................174
»Customizing Gear................. 121 That’s Not Real Terminology!.....154 Social checks........................174
»Future Weapon Customizations.121 »Scanning........................... 155 »Conditions List.................... 174
» Future Armor Customizations.... 123 Starship Sensors.....................155 »Illnesses & Disease............... 176
»Vehicles............................ 124 »Tracking............................ 157 Catching a Disease.................176
»Drugs............................... 127 »Tailing.............................. 157 Treating Diseases...................177
»Addiction.......................... 127 » Countdowns....................... 158 Disease Descriptions...............177
»Side Effects........................ 127 Fast, Medium & »Objects............................. 179
Generic Drugs.................... 128 Slow Countdowns...................159 »The Environment................. 182
»Creating Drugs.................... 130 »Stabilizing & Replenishing »Example Areas.................... 185
»Cybernetics........................ 131 Countdowns......................... 159 Stunt Areas....................... 186
»Organic Limitations.............. 131 Countdowns & Stages..............159 Theater of the Mind Combat.....186
»Advancement Level.............. 131 Average Countdown Length.......159 Some Examples of Stunts...... 187
Cybernetic Alterations.......... 132 »The Role of Luck ................. 160 Example Stunt Areas............ 187
»Requisitions & Organizations... 136 What Luck Represents.............160 Chapter IV - Space................188
»Example Organization........... 137 Exploding Dice......................161 »Space............................... 188
»Special Items...................... 138 Leadership...........................161 »A Sense of Scale.................. 188
Chrome Evolved Combat Suit....138 Replenishing Luck..................161 Important Scale Markers..........189
Evolved Combat Suit............ 138 Other Uses of Luck.................161 »Stars................................ 189
Grasshopper...................... 138 Forming A Luck Pool................161 »Spectral Classification........... 190
Inquisitor’s Carbine............. 138 »Combat............................. 162 »Unusual Stars...................... 190
Sollustran Battle Armor........ 139 The Combat Sequence.............162 Neutron Stars.................... 190
Sollustran Helm.................. 139 »Actions & Turns................... 163 »Other Stellar Objects............ 191
Starmaster’s Saber.............. 139 What, No Metric?...................163 Black Holes....................... 191
Xanadian Shroud................. 139 »The Ambush Turn................. 164 Rogue Planets.................... 191
Chapter III - Future Core........140 »Movement.......................... 165 Nebulae........................... 192
»Playing the Game................. 140 Long Distance Travel...............165 Anomalies........................ 192
»The Attribute Check.............. 141 »Important Combat Actions...... 166 Exotic Stars...................... 192
»Making an Attribute Check...... 141 Move..................................166 Astroengineering................ 193
»Forming the Dice Pool........... 142 Attack................................166 »Random Space Phenomena...... 194
»Equipment Quality............... 143 Making an Attack...................166 Random Space
»Maximum Dice Pools............. 143 Aiming & Feinting..................167 Phenomena (D66)............... 194
Indirect Skills.................... 143 Overwatch...........................167 Energy Fluctuations............. 194
»Difficulty Benchmarks........... 144 Suppressive Fire....................168 Space Creature Actions......... 196
»Complications..................... 144 Signature Moves & Drake Equation.................. 197
»Critical Successes................. 144 Combinations........................168 »List of Astronomical Objects.... 197
The Math......................... 144 »Positional Effects................. 169 »Space Travel....................... 199
»Opposed Checks.................. 145 Facing.................................169 »Distance & Time.................. 199
Die Penalty or Range.................................169 Space Travel Time (Al 9)....... 200
Increased Difficulty?............ 145 Higher Ground......................169 Different Assumptions.......... 200
»Extended Tasks.................... 146 Cover.................................169 Space Travel Time (Al 10)...... 201
»Contests............................ 146 Getting Pinned Down..............170 »Attribute Checks.................. 201
Group Checks.................... 146 Crossfires & Flanks.................170 »Arrival.............................. 201
»Distress Calls...................... 202 List of Ship Classifications..... 225 Commanders..................... 261
»Inner-System Travel.............. 202 »Roles Aboard A Starship.......... 227 Traits.............................. 261
»Distance............................ 203 Captain........................... 227 Types of Organization.......... 262
Sublight Travel Time............ 203 Pilot............................... 228 Historical Populations.......... 263
Time Dilation.................... 203 Gunner............................ 228 »Creating a Monster or NPC...... 264
»Example Solar System........... 204 Comms............................ 228 Max dice pool (MDP)............ 264
Distance From Sol..................204 Engineer.......................... 229 Role ,Size, & Type............... 265
Using FTL Drives Doctor............................. 229 Attributes......................... 265
In A Star System................. 204 Other Roles....................... 229 Sentience......................... 265
»Fuel................................. 205 »Starship Sensors.................. 229 Defenses.......................... 266
»Landing & Docking................ 205 Sensor Checks.................... 230 SOAK.............................. 267
»Types of FTL Travel............... 206 Example of Play Using Health............................. 267
Realdrive/Jump Gates | Starship Sensors................. 230 Initiative, Perception & Speed...268
Type 0............................. 207 Tactical Sensors................. 230 Attacks............................ 268
Hyperdrive|Type I............... 207 »Sickbays............................ 231
Exploits........................... 269
Alcubierre/Warp Drive| »Tractor/Pressor Beams........... 231
Type II............................. 207 Creature Type.................... 271
Escaping a Tractor Beam....... 232
Jump Drive|Type III............. 207 75%?............................... 271
»Transporters....................... 232
Fakedrive|Type X................ 207 Skills............................... 272
»Recreational Facilities........... 232
Which Type of FTL?............. 207 Combined Creature Statistics....273
Unusual Luxury
»Space Travel Sheet............... 208 Finishing Up...................... 274
Requirements.................... 233
»Starship Combat.................. 209 »Creating Items.................... 274
List of Facilities................. 233
»The Basics......................... 210 Weapons.......................... 275
Chapter V -
»Play Sequence..................... 210 Building A Universe...............235 Other Weapon Stats............. 277
Actions............................ 210 Open Gaming.................... 236 Armor............................. 278
Firing Weapons.................. 212 »Designing Your Setting........... 236 General Equipment............. 279
Shields............................ 212 The Big Picture.................. 236 Vehicles & Starships............ 279
Casualties........................ 212 Aliens.............................. 240 »The Gamemaster’s Job.......... 280
Point Defenses................... 213 Psionics........................... 240 »Campaigns......................... 262
Fighters........................... 213 Medieval Fantasy & Published Adventures........... 281
Electronic Warfare.............. 213 Modern Action................... 240 Creating an Adventure.......... 281
Ion Weapons...................... 213 The Outer Reaches.............. 240 Premise........................... 281
Exploding Ships.................. 213 »Planetary Catalog Codes........ 241 Locations......................... 282
Collisions......................... 214 »Habitability Rating............... 243 Events............................. 283
»Theater of The Mind............. 214 »Sociological Rating............... 243 Weird Science.................... 283
Non-Grid Movement............. 214 »Designing A Star System......... 244 »Starting the Game................ 283
Exploits In Theater Determine System Type........ 245 The One-Sheet................... 283
of The Mind...................... 214 Determine Star Types........... 245 Descriptors....................... 284
Example of Theater Determine Star Name........... 245 Organizations.................... 284
of The Mind Play................. 215 Number & Names of Planets... 245 »Ships................................ 286
What Next?....................... 217 What’s a Gas Dwarf?............ 245 O Captain! My Captain!........ 286
»Tactical Combat.................. 217 Astronomical Star Names...... 246 »Appendix 1: The Solar System.....287
Newtonian Movement.......... 218 Creating a Rocky Planet........ 246 »Appendix 2: Aliens & Foes....... 289
The Newtonian Round.......... 218 Planetary Orbits » Monster Table.................... 292
Combat Phases................... 219 and Distances.................... 248
»Appendix 3:
Tactical Vs Navigation Speed.....219 Life on Other Planets........... 248 The Suliman Brothers............. 296
»Useful Exploits.................... 219 Naming Planets.................. 248 The Post Office.................. 296
»Crews............................... 219 »Creating a Civilization........... 250 Hunting the Sulimans........... 296
»The Murphy........................ 220 »Designing a New Species........ 254 The Sulimans..................... 297
» Spartan Talon Class VI Scout......221 Developing the Species......... 255 The Ship.......................... 297
» Endeavour Class XI Cruiser..... 222 Random Species Creation...... 255 »Useful Character
» Junker Class I Courier........... 223 »Designing a Career............... 258 Creation Tables..................... 298
» Millenial Class II Freighter...... 224 »Creating an Organization........ 259 Character Sheet.................... 301
»Starship Operations.............. 225 Reputation....................... 260 Index................................. 304
»Ship Class & Type................. 225 Sub-Groups....................... 261
 »N.E.W. IS
Bounty hunters tracking down outlaws A great generational ark trying to find
hiding in the trader towns on the fringes of Earth, home to 100,000 men, women, and
civilization... children...

A starship exploring unknown worlds on Military grunts operating at ground zero

the frontier of known space, going where fighting a bitter war in the mud and the dirt
nobody has been before... against an implacable enemy...

A galactic civil war as entire star systems Detectives investigating a murder in a

rebel against the Navy... far-future solar system on a trail which will
take them from Mars to Jupiter’s moons...
Smugglers and pirates operating below the
radar, moving contraband from system to Agents infiltrating a criminal organization,
system... going undercover to take down a galactic
crime boss...
The hunt for ancient secrets of the universe
and the meaning behind the mysterious signal Protectors of the innocent on the outer
coming from the Outer Reaches... frontiers, righting wrongs and hunting down
wrongdoers...
A perpetual war against the machines which
have risen up against their creators...
Traders just trying to make a buck as they
build up their starship and claw their way
up the economic ladder...

Outlaws on the run from the authorities,

wrongly accused for a crime they didn’t
commit, surviving as best they can...

Members of an order of galactic »Introduction

peacekeepers, policing the galaxy and
investigating crimes...

Hunters of exotic alien species and

creatures for sale, transport, or
extermination...

The emergence of a new species from a

newly discovered wormhole that leads to
the Andromeda Galaxy...

5
 »WELCOME TO N.E.W!

N
.E.W. is a roleplaying game set in a sci- from the thousands of other stars clearly
fi future. Players take on the roles of visible from Pluto’s surface.
starfaring adventurers and play through “Hard to believe that’s the sun, isn’t it?”,
scenarios presented to them by a Game Master
he asked. “This is the furthest I’ve been from
(GM). The GM creates the universe, the
it. Never left the solar system, y’know.”
places, the people and aliens who populate
that universe, and the adventures that the “Well, if you’re lucky, maybe you’ll get
player characters (PCs) will encounter. stationed on Proxima Centauri next. I hear
they’re actually building a hotel there.”
N.E.W. is set an indeterminate time in the
future. Faster-than-light travel, aliens, gates to The great dish of the listening post’s radio
other galaxies, and pistols of - amongst others telescope blocked half the sky, vastly larger
- the laser, phaser, blaster, sonic, and disruptor than the small, metallic building which
variety all exist, but the setting itself is up to you. housed the research team. Regulations strictly
In N.E.W. you'll create a character (or, in some prohibited them from venturing outside
cases, three characters which form a pool from unless the equipment needed maintenance
which mission teams are drawn) and adventure or repairs, but most people stationed there
in the far future with characters created by eventually donned an environmental suit and
other players. Your characters might be bounty slipped out for a look around.
hunters, starship officers, soldiers, mercenaries, The faint, monotonous tone of the Signal
explorers, or scientists. They could be human, could be heard from the computer bank in
or they could be one of a number of other the corner of the room. The Signal. The same
alien species; indeed, you might be playing an signal that had been broadcasting for over half
android! Each player creates his or her own a century, originating from the depths of space
player character, decides on a personality, and time, at the very limits of the observable
abilities, and attributes, and plays that universe. In all that time, it hadn’t changed, it
character through numerous adventures. hadn’t varied, and it hadn’t stopped.
N.E.W. allows you to explore a seemingly
“Next shipment from Ganymede is due in
haunted derelict space station, defend a
four days. I asked them for hot chocolate; I
frontier town on a far-off planet from alien
can’t take any more of this Navy-issue coffee.
invaders, explore new frontiers, seek lost
It tastes like mud.”
artifacts from ancient civilizations, or smuggle
spices from system to system. Libbie grinned. “It is mud. It’s organically
fabricated in those new hydroponic facilities.”
“Anything today, Doc?” Libbie Hamilton Reggie chuckled. “My shift’s over. Arian
looked up at the young technician’s question should be out soon to replace me. Roger and
- the same question he’d asked her every one Shiera have a card game going in the dorm. I
of the 212 days they’d been stationed on this think I’ll...”
lonely outpost. He froze. His face went white. Libbie looked
She shook her head wearily. “Nope, nothing at him, startled.
today, Reggie. Maybe tomorrow.”
“What’s up, Reg? It’s just a card game.
Reggie grinned, and handed her a cup of Nothing to...”
steaming coffee. Glancing up at the dark sky,
She followed his gaze. The computer in the
he gestured through the window towards the
corner. The Signal.
pinprick of light that was the sun, over three
billion miles away, almost indistinguishable The Signal had just changed.

6
» WHAT YOU NEED » HOW TO PLAY
To play N.E.W. each player will need the This book provides you with the core rules
following: of play. It tells you how to create characters,
adjudicate challenges and combat, and more.
A selection of six-sided dice (referred to
as “d6s”). During a game of N.E.W., the GM will
describe the environment and events of the
A character sheet (you can photocopy game world, and the players will describe what
the one in this book or download one their characters do within that scenario in a
from the internet; at worst, a sheet of collaborative story-telling manner. Often the
scrap paper will do). success of an action is not guaranteed, at which
point you will use your dice to determine the
If the GM is using battlemaps to display outcome. Some tasks will be more difficult than
combat positioning, a small miniature, others, and some characters will be better at
token, or figurine to represent your certain types of activity than others.
character. You can find these in most
game stores, but pennies or chess pieces As your character adventures throughout
will do in an emergency. the galaxy, he or she will earn or find money
and equipment, and will gain experience
If you are the GM, you will need a points which can be spent to improve his or
copy of this book and some kind of her capabilities by purchasing new careers.
scenario or adventure. You can devise These experience points (XP) are awarded to
one of your own, or purchase a pre- the players by the GM when they complete
written one. storylines or overcome challenges and enemies.

»Introduction

7
 » EXAMPLE OF PLAY Leonard (playing Dr. TikTok): Hmmm. OK,
another scan with my hand scanner. I roll...
James, Leonard, Walter, and Nichelle
13 this time. What’s up with the atmosphere?
are playing in an adventure being run by
Grace. They play the characters Sasha, Dr. Grace (the GM): That roll is good enough.
TikTok, Ashonn, and Talik, a ragtag group of The atmosphere is slightly acidic. Not
spacefaring adventurers. The team has just enough to harm you, but enough to be a little
docked a shuttle at a space station which was uncomfortable. Your readings indicate that
supposed to be open for business, but which did something has compromised the atmospheric
not respond to any hails. control systems.
James (playing Sasha): I carefully dock the Nichelle (playing Talik): I think some
shuttle on one of the outer docking pylons. I stealth is in order. I make my way silently
roll... (rolls some dice)... 14. Is that OK? down the corridor. Do I need to make a check?
Grace (the GM): Yep, it’s a fairly routine Grace (the GM): Yes, an AGILITY check,
maneuver. The docking clamps attach with a please. You can add your stealth skill.
shudder, and there is a faint hiss as the airlocks Nichelle (playing Talik): OK, I roll... 16. I
synchronize. move as quietly as I can along the way. Does
Leonard (playing Dr. TikTok): Before we anything happen?
open that airlock, I use my hand scanner to see Grace (the GM): That’s a great roll. Talik,
if any life forms lurk behind it. the Felan burglar, nimbly covers the length
Grace: Great! Roll your LOGIC check, of the corridor without making a sound. You
but deduct one die because you’re scanning reach the door.
through a duranium door. Nichelle (playing Talik): Can I open it?
Leonard (playing Dr. TikTok): (sighs, and rolls Grace (the GM): You hit the control panel
the dice). 9. That’s not very good! but it flashes red; somebody has clearly
Grace (the GM): Sorry. You can’t get a locked it from the other side.
reading. I guess the duranium is interfering Nichelle (playing Talik): I guess this is
with your scanner. You’ll just have to find out where I earn my keep as a burglar! I want to
the old-fashioned way! hack the lock and open the door.
Walter (playing Ashonn): I pull out my laser Grace (the GM): Sure. Make a LOGIC
sword and activate it, and then move to the check. You have thievery as a skill; you can
airlock door. Is everyone ready? add that.
Everyone else, talking simultaneously: Yep, Nichelle (playing Talik): Ugh. I’m much
I have my disruptor pistol drawn and ready... I better at AGILITY stuff than LOGIC. I have
ready my phaser rifle.... I pull out my blaster. 2d6 from my LOGIC, 1d6 from my thievery,
Grace (the GM): You all take position around and I get a bonus 1d6 from one of my burglar
the door. You’re opening it, Ashonn? exploits, so that’s 4d6. Here goes... hacking
the lock... I get 14.
Walter (playing Ashonn): Yes, I hit the
control panel. Grace (the GM): It was a Challenging
[13] check. The door slides open! On the
Grace (the GM): The airlock door slides other side you can see what is clearly a
open with a hiss. Beyond you can see darkness, cargo area for docked ships. Metal crates
lit occasionally by flickering lights which and barrels are everywhere, as are ladders,
occasionally illuminate a duranium door at the cables, and other utilities. The lights here,
end of a corridor. There’s a strange smell in the like in the corridor, flicker. All is quiet;
air, and your eyes sting. No sound, except for there is none of the bustling activity you
the occasional beeping of a control panel. would normally expect.

8
 Leonard (playing Dr. TikTok): I don’t like the II: Future Equipment. This section of the book
look of this. I’m still scanning! Rolling... 12. contains equipment, weapons, armor, drugs,
Nichelle (playing Talik): Can I see or hear cybernetics, and vehicles, that your characters
anything unusual? I’ll make an INT check... 14. can find or purchase.

Grace (the GM): Talik spots what appears III: Future Core. This is followed by a section
to be a dismembered body amongst a pile of which describes how to run a game of N.E.W.
junk some 40 feet away, hidden in shadows. It covers the core game mechanics, including
TikTok, your scan turns something up – you are attribute checks and countdown pools, and
not alone! You register two life forms in the the combat rules, along with details on the
room, both of alien origin. environment, objects, and movement.
James (playing Sasha): Whoah! Bodies? IV: Space. The section on space covers
Aliens? This is getting bad very, very fast. I’m astronomical information, space travel, and
going into overwatch. If any alien critters starship operations and combat.
show their face, they’re getting blaster fire
V: Building a Universe. The final section of
right where the sun don’t shine!
the book contains rules and guidelines for
Nichelle (playing Talik): I try to get more designing your own setting, species, careers,
info from my scan. I roll 14 again. What type star systems, planets, monsters, and
of creature are we talking here? more. It is a GM’s toolkit for campaign and
Grace (the GM): The scan results indicate adventure design. It also includes a selection
that there are two xenomorphic aliens in the of aliens and enemies for use in the game.
room, both on the ceiling, and moving towards
the now-open doorway. » RULE ZERO
Nichelle (playing Talik): I’m in the doorway. The GM is the final arbiter of what happens
Can I see them? in the game. If a rule needs to be interpreted,
Grace (the GM): Make another INT check, Talik. it is the GM who decides how to resolve it. At
times, the GM may need to create new rules, or
Nichelle (playing Talik): 15. That should be alter existing rules. In other words, the rules in
enough! this book should be viewed as guidelines, and
Grace (the GM): Unfortunately, no. should not interfere with or be a hindrance to
Whatever is there, you can’t see them. your game-playing.
James (playing Sasha): I have a really bad The ultimate goal of this game – like any game
feeling about this.... – is to enjoy it and have fun. There is no right or
wrong way to play N.E.W. If you’re all enjoying
» ABOUT THIS BOOK yourselves, you’re playing it correctly.
This book is the main rulebook for N.E.W.
The Roleplaying Game. Using just this »Introduction
» THE SETTING
book, you can run a complete science fiction N.E.W. is set in a far-future sci-fi universe
roleplaying campaign. It describes how to in the same way that other games are set in a
create characters, adjudicate the game, run medieval fantasy universe. That universe might
combat, and design settings and adventures. be our own universe, or it might be a fictional
The book is divided into four main sections. one of your own devising. It might be small in
I: Future Careers. The first section of the scale, encompassing only a single solar system
book deals with character creation. It takes as the Russians and Chinese battle for control
you through the process of generating new of Jupiter’s moons, or it might encompass a
player characters from start to finish, including whole galaxy or more with myriad alien races
attributes, species, careers, and more. It also and interstellar civilizations. Here are some
includes information on psionics. examples of settings:

9
 The solar system has been explored, and live those who wonder – has humanity
colonies exist on the Moon and Mars. itself become the bad guy in its ever-
Outposts on Europa and other moons of expanding quest for control?
Jupiter conduct vital research. Faster-
When a natural wormhole was discovered
than-light travel is not possible, and if
to the Small Magellanic Cloud, one of the
there are any alien civilizations out there,
Milky Way’s orbiting dwarf galaxies, it was
we’ll never meet them. Instead, we
the start of something new. Now, dozens
squabble for resources in an increasingly
of galaxies are connected by great warp
small solar system.
gates, conduits which allow trade and
The great ark ship Colossus has been conflict alike. Great civilizations realize
traveling for 80 years, three generations their insignificance in the vast void – and
of crew and passengers. With a population somewhere out there, beyond the edges of
of nearly 100,000 souls, this massive flying observable space, something ancient and
city fled Earth in search of something new. malevolent exists.

Man’s reach has extended across most » WHAT’S O.L.D.

of the known galaxy in a huge galactic
confederation. Most alien species have IS N.E.W.
come under its sphere of influence, either O.L.D. is a companion roleplaying game of
willingly or not. The inner and outer medieval fantasy. It is 100% compatible with
frontiers of mankind’s civilization feature N.E.W.; if you want a wizard to appear on a
outpost worlds and trader towns where starship and start casting spells, or a starship’s

10
away-team to materialize in a dragon’s lair Countdown Pool. A countdown pool is a
and start firing laser rifles, you’ll find that the special sort of dice pool used to add suspense
two work together perfectly. when racing against an unknown clock. It
involves periodically rolling a dice pool and
Similarly, N.O.W. is a game of 80s-style
removing any dice which show a certain value,
action and supervehicles. It contains rules for
until the pool is empty.
martial arts, talking cars, and supersoldiers.
d6. A “d6” is a regular six-sided dice.
All three of these games are fully compatible
N.E.W. is based around pools of dice in which
with each other while designed to be complete
you roll a number of dice, add up the total,
independent games. Look for the O.L.D. and and compare it to a target number known as a
N.O.W. roleplaying games from EN Publishing. difficulty benchmark. Multiple dice which are
rolled and added together are expressed as
» A BRIEF GLOSSARY xd6 – for example, 3d6 means “roll three dice
and add them together”, while “5d6+2” means
This is a short introduction to some of the
roll five dice and add them together, then add
terms you’ll encounter throughout this book.
two to the total”.
Attributes. Attributes represent a range of
d66. When the rules ask you to roll a d66,
core measurable facets of your character in
you should roll 2d6 but read them a little
numerical form. These attributes are Strength,
differently. Instead of adding them together,
Agility, Endurance, Intuition, Logic, you read the first as “tens” and the second as
Willpower, Charisma, and Luck plus a couple “units” - for example, if you roll a 3 and a 2,
of optional attributes which depend on the you read that as 32. Rolling a 1 and a 6 gives
campaign model. The higher an attribute, the you 16. This way of rolling dice is mainly used
more your character exemplifies that attribute. by the GM when rolling on random tables.
Attribute Check. Most activities in the Descriptor. At the top of the character
game are based around an attribute check. sheet you will see an area known as the
This is a test whereby one of your attributes “descriptor”. The descriptor presents a number
determines how many dice you get to roll to of fundamental things about your character in
accomplish a task such as shooting at a bandit the form of a single summarizing sentence.
or lifting a heavy object.
Dice Pool. A dice pool is the handful of
Away Team. When the players play dice you roll when making an attribute check.
members of a large crew, each creates multiple It can be formed in various ways (adding
characters. Away teams are formed from the dice granted by your attributes, skills, or
collective character pool. These are sometimes equipment) and is limited in size by your grade.
known as Task Forces, or troupe-style play.
Die Bonus/Penalty. If something indicates
Benchmark. The difficulty of a task that it grants or inflicts a die bonus or penalty
is described by its benchmark. This is a (usually in the format “a +2d6 bonus”) it
»Introduction
descriptive word and numerical value which an refers to additional dice which can be added
attribute check attempts to roll over. to (or which must be removed from) your dice
pool when you make an attribute check.
Career. A career is a temporary building block
which helps form your character’s development. Experience Points. Characters earn
Characters take careers for periods of time during Experience Points by accomplishing
character generation as the process works it’s tasks, defeating enemies, and completing
way through his life in what is known as a “life- adventures. These Experience Points (or XP)
path” system. Each career affects his attributes can be spent on character improvements.
and skills. For example, a few years spent Exploits. Exploits are individual abilities or
working as a bartender on a galactic liner might benefits. There are different types of exploit
enhance a character’s social skills. At any given – species exploits, career exploits, attribute
time, a character will have a current career. exploits, age exploits, and universal exploits.

11
 Exploits include things like an
android’s immunity to mental attacks,
a navy brat’s familiarity with military
vehicles, or the ability to perform a
deadly strike.
Game Master (GM). The GM is the
referee of the game. She describes the
universe to the players, and controls
the actions of NPCs and monsters.
Grade. Your character’s grade is
simply the total number of career
grades you have taken. A starting
character is usually Grade 5. Your grade
is important because it determines the
maximum sized dice pool you can form
when making attribute checks.
Non Player Character (NPC). An NPC
is a character which is not played by
one of the players. Instead, all NPCs
are played by the GM.
Skills. Skills are smaller,
concentrated packets of interest,
expertise, or training. They include
things like cooking, pistols, wrestling,
poetry, piloting, engineering, and more.
Your character will pick up new skills
throughout his career. The skill list is
open-ended and unlimited; a skill kicks
in at any time your character performs
an activity related to it.
Species. Your character is one of
a number of available alien species
(including human). He might be a fierce
Spartan, a diminutive Borian, or a
serene Venetian.

» SETTING THE TONE

N.E.W. is designed to fit a wide range
of science-fiction styles, from grand
space operas to gritty hard sci-fi.
Whatever your favorite sci-fi show or
novel, you should find that you can easily
play it with N.E.W.
Later in this book, you’ll find an entire
chapter which discusses the creation
of your own setting with rules and
guidelines for designing star systems,
worlds, species, monsters, and more.

12
 Chapter I
Future Careers

»Character Creation

E
ach player in N.E.W. plays a character – a traits). The rest of the elements listed below,
human soldier, a Spartan bounty hunter, a such as careers, age, species, and so on,
Felan burglar, a Borian engineer, an Android are simply choices which determine your
doctor, or one of many other possible options. attributes, skills, and exploits.
You can choose from a variety of species and An overall walkthrough of the character
careers to build the character you want to play. creation process.
This section of the rulebook tells you how Details about the character’s descriptor
to create a player character. It includes and grade.
information on attributes, skills, careers, Information about attributes, what they
exploits, and equipment. By working through mean, and how they are used.
this chapter, you will be able to easily create
A list of of over 150 example skills.
»1.Future Careers
a fully playable character ready for play in a
N.E.W. campaign. All you need is a character A choice of 7 character species, along with
sheet, a pencil, and a copy of this rulebook. their descriptions and abilities.
Over 60 distinct careers which your
Good luck! We’re all counting on you.
character may adopt.
Universal exploits, which are distinct
» About This Chapter abilities which can be acquired by any
This chapter on character creation includes character.
the following information. A character, in its Details on how to calculate a number of
basic form, is simply a collection of three derived statistics.
types of element: attributes (which define
Nearly 40 traits.
core capabilities), skills (which define areas
of special competence or knowledge) and Information on character age.
exploits (which are special abilities and Over 30 psionic exploits.

13
 All of these elements are building blocks 5. 4 Roll for the years spent at that career
which contribute towards your character. grade and increase your age (your age
Although it sounds like a lot, creating a starts at zero).
character is actually a very simple process – 6 Select aim or feint (free universal exploits)
you’ll simply choose a species, five careers, a plus one other universal exploit of your
couple of items like exploits and traits, and then choice for which you qualify.
buy equipment for your character. When you’re
used to the process, a character shouldn’t take 7 Choose one trait based on your highest
more than a few minutes to create. or lowest attribute and note that in your
descriptor.
» Character Creation 8 Determine your age and apply any age
exploits.
Walkthrough
9 Calculate your derived statistics.
Follow these steps to create a character.
10 Spend money to equip your character with
1 Note your starting attributes (3 for each
armor, weapons, and equipment.
attribute, except for PSI and REP which
start at 0).
» Total Checklist
2 Choose a species.
When you have finished, you will have chosen:
2.1 Apply species attribute adjustments.
5 career exploits.
2. 2 Note your SIZE.
10 skill ranks from your careers plus 3 from
2. 3 Choose three species skills.
your species and 1 for your homeworld,
2. 4 Note all the listed species exploits. making 14 in total.
3 Choose a homeworld type, apply attribute 20 attribute points from your careers, plus
adjustments, and note any bonus skills. the 24 you started with, adjusted by species.
4 Choose a hook, and note it in your 2 universal exploits, including either aim
descriptor. or feint.
5 Choose five careers. Start with an origin, 1 possible age exploit, a trait, and a hook.
and then select four further careers. For
each career grade, do the following: » Descriptor
5.1 Apply all of the listed attribute At the top of each character sheet is
adjustments. Note that you may optionally a descriptor. This is a short introductory
substitute either one of your species character summary. Each player should read
attributes or your hook attribute for one of their full descriptor to the rest of the group
the listed attributes. before beginning play. For example, Dr.
5. 2 Choose two of the listed skills and TikTok’s reads:
advance each by one point. Note that
characters may optionally always select a an erudite android medic who is
defensive skill instead of a listed skill. fascinated by religion
5. 3 Choose one new career exploit from the
list shown or choose one universal exploit. The descriptor is made up of the following
elements, some of which are not always used.

a[n] [age] [trait] [species] [career] who [hook].

If the characters are members of a large
crew or other organisation, each player will Trait. The trait is the name of a special
need three characters. See the rules on ability or quality defined by a character’s lowest
Away Teams & Task Forces on page 50. or highest attribute (see section on traits, later).

14
 Age. The age entry is only used if the The hook is chosen early in the character
character is younger than adult or older than creation process. It complements career and
middle-aged. You may choose any synonyms skill choices as a lifelong background aspect
for young and old (adolescent, youthful, aged, to the character, unconnected to specific
mature, etc.); age can give you a free exploit vocations and training.
(see the section on age, later). The hook works as a broad skill. When
Career. The career entry can be one making an attribute check, if the task is
of two choices. It can be the character’s related to your hook, the dice pool explodes
current career, or it can be the character’s (in other words, any sixes rolled grant an
longest-serving career. If the longest-serving additional die). The hook should provide
career is not the current career, it should be a frequent reminder of a character’s
prefixed with “ex-” (for example, an ex-cop background.
or an ex-marine). What you can’t do with the hook is gain a
Hook. The hook is a broad background/ combat bonus to attack or damage. Hooks like
skill/interest chosen by the player. It can “...who enjoys target shooting” or “... who
be anything, but it’s designed to round out likes boxing” can sometimes be slipped in by
the character with personality, interests, or players as sneaky combat bonuses, but sadly
hobbies. For example, a player might choose they do not work like that. The boxing hook
“...who enjoys hard liquor” or “... has a taste might help recall a past champion or identify
for romance” or even “...who collects insects a winner’s belt, but it won’t assist a character
as a hobby”. in throwing a punch.

»1.Future Careers

15
 Example Descriptors Attributes will change during character
Dr. TikTok is an erudite Android medic who creation, and then later through character
is fascinated by religion advancement, as your character embarks on
new careers. A stint in the military might
Gorrat is an illiterate Ogron marine who make you a bit tougher, increasing your
loves sports ENDURANCE attribute, while years spent as a
Sasha is a reckless Human smuggler who con-man might increase your CHARISMA. The
enjoys gambling attributes are described in more detail below.
Talik is an ambidextrous Felan burglar who Attributes sometimes combine to create
plays classical music derived statistics – for example, the physical
Holmes is an alcoholic Human psychic who attributes can affect a character’s MELEE
collects insects and RANGED DEFENSE score, and the mental
Ashonn is a young, disfigured Venetian star attributes affect a character’s MENTAL
knight who believes in fairytales DEFENSE score. Other attributes are used to
determine how fast your character can run,
Each player should read their character’s
how much he can carry, how far he can jump,
descriptor aloud to the other players before
or how much damage he can take.
play begins.
Attributes & Dice Pools
» Attributes The actual attribute scores are only used
Player characters are defined by a set during character creation and advancement.
of attributes. Attributes are a selection of During play, you will use your attributes’
values which help describe a character. associated dice pools. There is more detail
They measure things like strength, agility, on this later, but dice pools are groups of dice
and intelligence; somebody with a higher which you roll when your character attempts a
STRENGTH attribute is stronger than somebody task; the more dice you roll, the higher you’ll
with a lower one. The primary attributes in likely score. Your attributes determine how
N.E.W. are STRENGTH, AGILITY, ENDURANCE, many dice you can roll. The total that you roll is
WILLPOWER, INTUITION, LOGIC, CHARISMA, compared to a difficulty benchmark; if you roll
and LUCK. There are also two secondary equal to or higher than that benchmark, your
attributes called REPUTATION and PSIONICS. character succeeds at the task. A benchmark
There is no upper limit to an attribute. looks something like: Challenging [13] AGI
The human species is used as a benchmark check. This means that you roll your dice
for “average”, with a score of with 4 in each pool, and if you roll 13 or more, your character
physical, mental, and personal attribute succeeds. There is much more information on
being roughly average for a civilian adult difficulty benchmarks and attribute checks in
human. An attribute of 12 typically represents the section on adjudicating the game.
performance exhibited by record-holding Attributes grant dice to these dice pools
human athletes or scientific geniuses. Einstein in a granular, expanding scale, meaning
and Sherlock Holmes exhibit a score of 12 in that each new dice is harder to obtain – for
their LOGIC attributes, while Adolph Hitler and example, an AGILITY of 7 means that your
Rasputin have scores of 11 or 12 in CHARISMA, AGILITY dice pool is 3d6, while an AGILITY of
although player characters and NPCs in N.E.W. 10 lets you roll 4d6.
sometimes exceed these values. Skills (covered a little later in this book)
Monsters, too, are described in terms of use the same expanding scale, granting more
attributes. A mighty tyrannosaurus rex might dice to your dice pool. So a skill rank of 3 in
have a STRENGTH attribute of 20. Non-human pistols gives you 2d6. You would add that to
species have different averages and norms to the 3d6 you got for your AGILITY score of 7
humans; this is represented by their different when taking a shot at a hostile alien, meaning
starting attributes. that you get to roll 5d6 in total.

16
Attribute & Skill Scale
1-2 3-5 6-9 10-14 15-20 21-27 28-35
1d6 2d6 3d6 4d6 5d6 6d6 7d6

You can also gain dice for high quality » WILLPOWER (WIL)
equipment. For example, an exceptional WILLPOWER is strength of mind and
quality item gives you another 2d6 to add to power of concentration. Along with END, it
your dice pool. Equipment is dealt with in determines your overall HEALTH, and is part of
detail elsewhere. your MENTAL DEFENSE.

» STRENGTH (STR) » CHARISMA (CHA)

STRENGTH measures physical power, might, CHARISMA is a combination of physical
and brawn. It is used to determine carrying attractiveness, personal magnetism, and
capacity, some melee attacks, and melee force of personality. It is the attribute used
damage. If you want to break a door down, when interacting with others, whether leading
your GM may ask you for a STR check. them, negotiating with them, or deceiving
them. While physical appearance is part
» AGILITY (AGI) of the CHA score, it is a minor part at best
AGILITY measures dexterity and reflexes. (especially in a universe full of aliens with
It is also used to determine ranged attacks differing standards of beauty); far more
and some melee attacks. You might use your important are personality and presence.
AGI to perform a fancy shuttle maneuver or to
land safely after a nasty fall. » LUCK (LUC)
LUCK is an unpredictable force, and some
» ENDURANCE (END) people are naturally luckier than others.
ENDURANCE is a measure of healthiness, Your LUCK dice pool forms a resource of dice
constitution, and hardiness. It, along with which can be added at will to other dice pools
WIL, is used to determine your overall HEALTH on order to improve your chances, or which
score. An END check might also be used to can be spent on other special actions. That
resist the effects of poison or disease. resource replenishes itself every day.

» INTUITION (INT) » REPUTATION (REP)

INTUITION measures common sense, REPUTATION is a measure of fame, respect,
perception, empathy, and natural instinct. influence, social standing, and credit rating.
It is used to tell when someone is lying, You can make a REP check to get a loan or see

»1.Future Careers
spot something, or sense impending danger. if somebody has heard of you. Your REP also
Some might refer to it as “EQ” or “emotional partly determines your starting money.
intelligence”. Animals often have high INT
attributes, especially those with keen senses. » PSIONICS (PSI)
PSIONICS (PSI) measures the psionic
» LOGIC (LOG) potential of a character. It is used for mental
LOGIC is a mixture of reasoning, and telepathic attacks and abilities. Not all
knowledge, and education. While IQ isn’t a settings will use the PSI attribute.
great measure of intelligence, 60 + (LOG x 10)
gives an approximate IQ in the mid-ranges. What Attribute Scores Mean
You would make a LOG check to operate a Though the following terms are not
complex electronic device, apply first-aid, or used in the game in any meaningful way,
recall specific knowledge they can help you to envisage what your

17
 Dice Pool STRENGTH AGILITY LOGIC REPUTATION Attribute
1d6 Weak Clumsy Low Unknown 1-2
2d6 Average Average Average Town or village 3-5
3d6 Strong Adroit Gifted Planet 6-9
4d6 Powerful Agile Genius System 10-14
Extraordinary
5d6 Mighty Remarkable Sector 15-20
genius
6d6 Superhuman Superhuman Supra-genius Galaxy 21-27

character’s attribute scores actually mean. with 5 career grades is grade 5, and has
The table above can be used as a quick tool to a maximum pool size of 5d6. Some NPCs,
understanding your character’s attributes as civilians, or weak monsters may be lower
viewed from a human perspective (although than grade 5, and their maximum dice pool
a T-Rex might not consider a human with 12 is equal to their grade.
STR to be powerful!) It doesn’t include all the For example (this will be explained in more
attributes, but the ones it does include should
detail later), Krakov has 9 AGI, 4 ranks in
give you a reasonable perspective on the
swords, and an exceptional electro-katana.
overall scale.
That would normally give him a dice pool of
7d6 (3d6 for his attribute, 2d6 for his swords
» Grade skill, and 2d6 for his exceptional weapon).
Your grade is equal to the total number However, he is only grade 7, which gives him
of career grades you have taken, and the a maximum dice pool of 6d6. In effect, some
largest dice pool you can form during play is of his dice are wasted until he can gain some
defined by your grade. A starting character experience.
Maximum Dice Pools

5d6 6d6 7d6 8d6 9d6 10d6 11d6 12d6

Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade
5 6-7 8-10 11-14 15-19 20-25 26-32 33-40

Starting Grade

A typical character begins at grade 5, grade 3 or lower character has a maximum

which includes an origin and four career dice pool of 3d6.
grades. However, the GM may wish to start Starting characters at grade 10
the game at a different grade. will be highly competent, experienced
Starting characters at grade 1 will be professionals. These characters know
young, with only an origin. They will be what they’re doing, and they’re good at it.
below average in terms of competency, but They’ve likely already maxed out one entire
have limitless scope to grow. Alternatively, career – perhaps they could be ex-military
starting at grade 2 can give characters an or reformed criminals. A grade 10 character
origin and the start of a career. A new cadet has a maximum dice pool of 7d6.
or a teenaged moisture farmer longing for The GM can set any starting grade. You
adventure might fit this approach. may find you enjoy certain styles of game
A character’s maximum dice pool cannot over others, and the starting grade can be
be reduced to lower than 3d6, no matter a major factor in this. It is recommended,
how low their grade, though an NPC’s or however, that all players begin with
monster’s dice pool can. A grade 4 character characters of the same grade so that none
has a maximum dice pool of 4d6, and a overshadow the others.

18
 »SKILLS

S
kills represent things your character A skill forms part of a dice pool. When
is good at. Skills are picked up as a making an attribute check, you may add
character progresses through his life, and skill dice to your attribute dice (you
reflect training and background. Some are may also add equipment dice) to form a
academic skills, such as the sciences; others dice pool which is rolled against a target
are physical skills like running or climbing. difficulty benchmark.
Still others may reflect social skills like
› Academic Skills
intimidation, technical skills like engineering,
or activities like piloting and zero-g. examples: literature, accounting, law,
history, linguistics, art, theology, philosophy,

»1.Future Careers
A skill is not required to attempt a task.
politics, economics, geography, journalism
Having ranks in a skill indicates that you have
particular training in that subject; however, › Artistic Skills
even if you have no ranks in piloting, you can examples: painting, sculpting, calligraphy,
still try to land a damaged shuttlecraft, and pottery, poetry, film-making, photography,
having no ranks in pistols does not prevent you printmaking, modelling
from taking a shot at an attacking alien.
› Combat Skills
The skill list is open-ended. This means
that ANYTHING can be a skill; it doesn’t have examples: tactics, reactions, brawling,
to be on the list below. You might wish to wrestling, boxing, martial arts, pistols, rifles,
choose flower arranging, origami, or interior heavy weapons, swords, polearms, clubs,
decorating. The list below is simply a list of knives, axes, light armor, medium armor,
examples; feel free to add to it. heavy armor, powered armor

19
 › Crafting Skills › Psionic Skills
examples: carpentry, cooking, blacksmith, examples: biopsionics, clairsentience,
basket-weaving, stone-masonry, appraisal clairvoyance, ergokinesis, metapsionics,
telekinesis, telepathy, teleportation
› Developmental Skills
examples: perception, insight, › Scientific Skills
concentration, meditation, bravery, examples: physics, astrophysics, astronomy,
resistance, hardy, ambidexterity chemistry, ecology, oceanography, geology,
› Gaming Skills meteorology, biology, zoology, botany,
mathematics, archaeology, criminology,
examples: chess, checkers, dominoes,
psychology, sociology, medicine, genetics,
draughts, poker, blackjack, backgammon,
pool, darts, gambling nanotechnology, xenology, climatology

› Miscellaneous Hobby Skills › Sporting Skills

examples: brewing, fishing, gardening, examples: football, tennis, volleyball,

hunting, riddles, sewing, ornithology cricket, baseball, basketball, rugby, bowling,
dodgeball, badminton, squash, table tennis,
› Physical Skills sailing
examples: climbing, swimming, jumping,
carrying, running, acrobatics, zero-g, high-g, › Subterfuge Skills
throwing examples: cryptology, appraisal, disguise,
› Performance Skills stealth, thievery, escape artist, bribery,
forgery, interrogation
examples: acting, singing, musical
instrument, dancing, mime, magic, › Social Skills
storytelling, comedy, fortune-telling, juggling,
ventriloquism examples: intimidate, flirtation, carousing,
negotiating, bluffing, leadership, linguistics,
counselling, teaching

› Technical Skills
examples: computers, engineering,
demolitions/explosives, electronics

› Trivia Skills
examples: movies, rock ‘n roll, historical
period, celebrities, astrology, theater

› Vehicle Skills
examples: piloting, riding, driving, sailing,
gunnery, navigation, astrogation

› Outdoor Skills
examples: survival, animal handling,
tracking, farming, mining

› Other Skills
examples: bureaucracy, hypnotism, local
knowledge

20
Skill Notation
Sometimes entire categories of skills
are referred to in this rulebook instead
of single skills. When this happens, the
category is noted in square brackets in
order to avoid confusion. For example, an
entry which says [outdoor] refers to the
entire list of survival, animal handling,
tracking, farming, mining, and any others.
In these instances, it is also appropriate
to choose new skills of your own devising,
as long as they fall within the category’s
overall topic – if a career tells you you may
choose a [vehicle] skill, you can choose any
of the listed examples, or you might decide
instead on ballooning or submarining.
When noting a skill, you do not need
to indicate categories or placeholder
titles. You simply note “chess” rather than
“gaming (chess)”; similarly, you simply
note “pistols” or “nunchukus” rather
than “ranged weapon (pistols)” or “melee
weapon (nunchaku)”.
Computers includes use of scanners and
starship sensor/comms systems.
Skill Levels
Navigation refers to land and sea-based
travel. The space-based equivalent is astrogation. Skills are used to form dice pools in the
same way that attributes are. They use the
Local knowledge is a catch-all term;
same scale as attributes to derive the size of
the skill should actually be the name of a
the dice pool.
place, typically a planet.
As a general rule, 1 skill rank is proficient, 3
Weapons. In combat, unarmed fighting, is considered skilled, and is roughly equal to a
and weapon skills all add to relevant AGI, bachelor’s degree; 6 is an expert, and is roughly
INT, or STR attack checks. Melee weapons equal to a doctorate; 10 is regarded as mastery;
include categories of weapon type (swords, and 15 makes you an authority on that subject.
»1.Future Careers
axes, clubs, knives, etc.); ranged weapons These ranks correspond to derived dice pools of
similarly include weapon types, such as 1d6, 2d6, 3d6, 4d6, and 5d6.
bows, pistols, rifles, or heavy weapons. Einstein had a score of 15 (5d6) in physics.
Gunnery refers to vehicle or ship-mounted Miyamoto Musashi had a score of 15 (5d6) in
weapons. Unarmed combat types include swords. Characters with skills that high are
(but are not limited to) boxing, wrestling, extremely rare.
brawling, and martial arts.
Skill Ranks Skill Level Dice Pool
Armor. Armor is divided into light,
1 Proficient 1d6
medium, heavy, and powered armor. You
3 Skilled 2d6
can still wear armor in which you have no
6 Expert 3d6
skill ranks, but – as with all equipment –
you need skill ranks to benefit fully from 10 Mastery 4d6
higher quality armor. 15 Authority 5d6

21
 »SPECIES

Y
our character is likely nothing like you. In This rulebook presents seven basic
fact, your character may be a completely species (Humans, Ogrons, Venetians,
different species to you. There are a Borians, Androids, Spartans, and Felan),
number of alien species to choose from; although many more may be available
they all have different starting attributes from other sources. These species are a
representing typical members of their species. simple, “generic” set, designed to suit a
Some alien species may be fast, or strong, multitude of campaign settings in the same
while others might be intelligent or psionically way that elves, dwarves, and halfings are
gifted. Each species is different. often generic to fantasy games. Any given
Start by choosing a species and sex for your setting may well have an entirely different
character. Your species will determine your set of alien species, especially if it’s set
starting attributes, which are the attributes in a popular sci-fi universe, and GMs are
of a small child of that species (human adult encouraged to create their own.
average is 4 in each attribute). Your gender A Note About Gender
does not affect your attributes or skills at & Ethnicity
all. Humans provide the simplest, most
straightforward playing experience. Gender has no effect on your character
and should be treated as a purely descriptive
Once you have selected your species, element. Some alien races (though not those
record your starting attributes, and choose above) may have entirely different genders, or
three from the list of available skills. Each no gender at all. You should feel free to select
species also has natural exploits (such as the from the entire range of gender-identification
Venetian’s bonus telepathic power or the and sexuality, though these things will likely
Android’s immunity to mental attacks). not form a major part of the game.

22
Species Attribute Bonuses attribute increases with STRENGTH, and
Every species is different, and part of this Venetians may substitute a listed attribute
difference is highlighted by their different increase with LOGIC. If a race allows this, it is
starting attributes. Ogrons are strong, and noted as an exploit in the race description -
Venetians are clever, while Humans are known Ogrons (STR), Venetians (LOG), Borians (CHA),
for their luck. and Felans (AGI).
STR AGI END INT LOG WIL CHA LUC PSI
Human* +2
Borian +1 +1 +1
Ogron +2 +2
Felan +2 +1 +1 +1
Spartan +1 +1 +1
Android +2 +2 - -
Venetian +1 +2 -2 +3
*+2 to one other attribute and +1 to a third attribute

All of your attributes start at 3, except for You cannot increase an attribute twice
PSI and REP which both start at 0. Your choice during a single career grade
of species modifies those attributes in the advancement; if substituting a species
form of bonuses and some (rare) penalties. attribute for another would mean that
The starting bonus to your attributes isn’t an attribute was being improved more
overwhelming. However, some races allow you than once, you cannot make the
to substitute one of the listed attribute substitution.
advancements for another, specific attribute –
Not all races allow this substitution.
so Ogron characters may replace one of their

»1.Future Careers

23
 Humans Ogrons
There’s a reasonably Ogrons stand 7’ tall. Towering masses
strong chance that you, of muscle, accompanied by green skin and
the reader, are human. bestial tusks, they so much resemble the
Humans are an adaptive ogres of fairytale and lore than humankind
and expansionist named them after the mythical creatures.
species, with a tendency Ogrons have a reputation for stupidity. While
towards colonization it’s certainly true that most of humankind
and innovation – they are outstrips the Ogron species in terms of
as varied as the many intelligence and education, Ogrons aren’t
planets from which quite as stupid as many expect – they, as
they hail. Centuries a species, do manage to operate and build
starships, after all.
on different worlds has
resulted in a diverse Ogron adventurers tend to be mercenaries
species – some colonies on and soldiers.
high gravity worlds grew Typical names (male and female): Lúrbag,
into planets of strong men Lugog, Gorrat, Ugbug, Bolglúk, Maudush,
and women, while other Radhur, Ugdush, Grishog.
planets attuned their
populations over many Statistics
years in other ways. Size: Large
Human adventurers Attributes: STR+2, END +2
are extremely varied, from military Skill choices: Carrying,
officers to engineers, to priests, to hardy, bravery, intimidate.
criminals.
Exploits
Statistics
Dull-witted.
Size: Medium Although slow-witted,
Attributes: LUC +2, add 2 to one other Ogron minds are
hard to penetrate.
attribute, and add 1 to a third attribute
They gain a +4
Skill choices: Any. bonus to MENTAL
DEFENSE.
Exploits
Smelly. No
Varied. Human boast more variation matter what they
within their species than most. Add 2 to do, Ogrons smell bad.
one other attribute, and add 1 to a third They take a permanent
attribute (noted above). -1d6 penalty to any
Explorers. Driven by an inquisitive, attempts at stealth.
exploratory nature, Humans gain a number Brawny. Ogrons
of XP equal to their grade every time they increase their carrying
travel to a star system new to them. They capacity by 50%.
can only gain this bonus once per week. Large. As a large-
Enduring. Humans may not be the sized race, Ogrons suffer
fastest or the strongest, but they are a -4 penalty to their
known for their resilience. Humans get MELEE DEFENSE and
+1 to their 1d6 die roll to shake off a RANGED DEFENSE
scores.
temporary condition.

24
 Strong. Ogrons are noted for their Exploits
strength. When taking a new career, an Ogron Naturally psionic. A society which
may optionally exchange one of the listed integrates psionics from childhood, Venetians
four attribute increases for STR, as long as start play with one free psionic exploit.
it doesn’t result in a duplicate attribute
advancement. Acute hearing. Venetians have excellent
hearing, and gain a +1d6 bonus to INT checks
Stronger with age. Unlike most species, when sound is relevant.
Ogrons can continue to increase their STR
attribute into old age. Ancient Ogrons are Learned. Venetians start with four species
often incredibly strong. skills rather than three. The bonus (fourth)
skill must be a [scientific] skill.
Venetians
Disciplined. The mental discipline of a
Venetians are a Venetian is such that they are completely
slim, hairless species, immune to the Fatigued condition, as long as
standing at roughly the they get 8 hours sleep per week. This is not a
same height as humans. preferred situation, however.
They tend towards the
ascetic, and, indeed, Long-lived. When creating a Venetian
have a society which character, multiply their career lengths by 5.
highly favors the Logical. Venetians are noted for their
monastic orders to which intelligence and logic. When taking a new
so many belong. The career, a Venetian may optionally exchange
Venetian style of self- one of the listed four attribute increases
discipline and avoidance for LOG, as long as it doesn’t
of indulgence gives the result in a duplicate attribute
species a somewhat aloof advancement.
demeanor which can be
off-putting. Borians
Many of the Venetian Borians are
monastic orders, of which welcome in most
there are thousands, places. Standing
focus on the martial at about 4’ in
arts and self- height, with bright red or
discipline. For this blue skin (depending on
reason, Venetians – while being pacifistic in clan) and spiky heads, they
nature – are often very skilled combatants. have a reputation for good
cheer and friendliness. This,
Venetian adventurers tend to be priests,
»1.Future Careers
coupled with their naturally
healers, and scientists. robust constitution,
Typical names (male and female): Ashonn, also makes them
Branmer, Kozain, Kalier, Tereval, Rathell, renowned drinkers,
Sinehan, Nerrat, Dukhon, Deerenn, Delon, and it has been
Mayen. said that Borians make the most common
bartender race in the universe.
Statistics
Borians are good with their hands, and
Size: Medium enjoy tinkering and building. They make
Attributes: AGI +1, LOG +2, LUC -2, PSI +3 excellent engineers and craftsmen.
Skill choices: Reactions, acrobatics, Typical names (male and female): Dobur,
perception, concentration, religion, Thrari, Kirin, Borin, Boli, Filin, Gimnor,
[scientific]. Thrarin, Dwain, Dolo, Kibur.

25
 Statistics Statistics
Size: Small Size: Small, medium, or
Attributes: END +1, INT +1, CHA +1, REP +1 large

Skill choices: Carousing, hardy, [crafting], Attributes: STR +2,

engineering, appraisal. LOG +2, LUC -, PSI -
Skill choices:
Exploits Computers,
Darksight. Borians can see in the dark to a engineering,
distance of 10' per point of INT. running, linguistics,
Iron constitution. Borians are not affected [technical].
by poisons, including alcohol. They are also Exploits
immune to radiation damage and radiation
sickness. Mindless. Androids
are immune to any
Tinkerers. Borians may designate one attacks which target
item of equipment which they own. That item MENTAL DEFENSE.
permanently gains one bonus quality level. If
the item is lost or destroyed, the Borian may Deterministic.
designate a new item after 24 hours. An Android’s PSI
attribute cannot rise
Long-lived. When creating a Borian above zero. An
character, multiply their career lengths by 3. Android can have
Personable. Borians are noted for their a LUC attribute,
cheerful demeanour and likability. When but cannot spend
taking a new career, a Borian may optionally LUC dice to gain bonus dice when making
exchange one of the listed four attribute attribute checks.
increases for CHA, as long as it doesn’t result Electronic vulnerability. As mechanoids,
in a duplicate attribute advancement Androids are vulnerable (1d6) to electricity
Small. As a small-sized race, Borians gain a damage, and vulnerable (2d6) to ion damage.
+2 bonus to their MELEE DEFENSE and RANGED Automaton. Androids do not need to eat,
DEFENSE scores, and suffer a -1 penalty to
sleep, or breathe, and weigh 150% normal.
their SPEED score.
Choose one of the following modification
Androids exploits:
Androids aren’t technically a species, and Organic appearance. The android’s
can vary greatly in appearance. Frequently, appearance is uncannily like that of a
however, they look like humans. While many human (or other species) although not so
philosophers will debate whether or not alike that it would fool anyone.
Androids have true consciousness, they have
passed every test imaginable and are legally Wheels. The android moves on wheels
considered to be alive, with all the rights and instead of legs. This reduces its SPEED to
responsibilities that entails. Stronger and 2 across difficult terrain, but increases its
tougher than humans, with processors which SPEED by 2 on normal terrain.
can outpace the human mind, Androids aren’t Armor. The android is plated with armor,
always the most popular in the room. giving it SOAK 5. The android’s weight is
Androids make excellent scientists, 200% normal instead of 150%, and it suffers
engineers, and doctors. a -1 penalty to its SPEED score.
Typical names: KX-159, D.A.T.A., SL1A, Access ports. The android can “plug in” to a
TikTok, G.O.L.E.M., Watson, Jeeves, C.H.I.P., computer or computerized system, granting
Robby, A.L.P.H.A., Mk XIV, B.R.A.I.N. it a +1d6 bonus to computer checks.

26
 Scanner. The android has an inbuilt Statistics
scanner (equal to a hand scanner) which Size: Medium
it is always considered to be carrying.
Attributes: STR +1, AGI +1, END +1
This scanner might be part of its body, or
simply part of its sensory equipment, and Skill choices: [Combat], intimidate,
may or may not be visible. carousing.
Compute. The android can absorb a large Exploits
document (the equivalent of a major Berserker. Spartans can enter a berserker
novel) in a minute, or make complex rage by tasting their own blood when they
calculations, including FTL calculations are below half HEALTH. This grants them a
which require no check at FTL factors +1d6 bonus to all attack rolls. The rage only
equal to or lower than the android’s LOG ends when all foes are dead, or the Spartan
attribute. is rendered unconscious or restored to above
Weapon. The android has an integrated half HEALTH.
melee weapon. Choose one weapon worth Redundant organs. Spartans have a number
100cr or less. of redundant organs and heal fairly rapidly.
They can spend five minutes to heal 2d6
Spartans
HEALTH once per day.
Spartans were
Warlike. Spartans gain one bonus [combat]
named after the
skill.
mythological Human
legends because Felans
of their warrior-based
Felans,
culture. Aggressive,
unimaginatively
violent, quick to anger
named by the first
and easy to offend, a
group of Spartans can human explorers to
empty a bar in minutes. encounter them, are a
Add in their love of cat-like species. Like
heavy drinking and the their four-legged
sheer joy they get namesake, Felans are
from combat, it’s easy often beautiful to the eye,
to see why Spartans and move with a graceful,
are not the most acrobatic purpose. Easily
popular of species. able to jump and climb,
However, they do get Felans like to make use

»1.Future Careers
frequently misunderstood of their environment, and
– they are rarely bullies tend to sleep in precarious
(indeed, they’d see locations high above the
it as cowardly to ground.
attack someone Felans have
weaker). a deserved
Spartans excel as soldiers and other reputation for
warriors. They abhor indirect conflict, and being easily
will tend to avoid careers which involve distracted, and often flit from career to
subterfuge or deception. career, unable to settle.
Typical names (male and female): Kevak, Typical names (male and female): Arhel,
Deshe, Bra-el, G’Vera, Dracla, K’Ehleyr, Infin, Elenrik, Makil, Crihel, Talik, Gimlek,
Kellein, Kargan, Kalan, Adjur. Amaduil, Idthit, Ciraire.

27
 Statistics » Homeworld
Size: Medium Choose a homeworld type, which gives you
Attributes: AGI +2, INT +1, CHA +1, LUC +1 attribute adjustments and a bonus skill. Your
homeworld selection may not contradict your
Skill choices: Acrobatics, climbing, jumping,
choice of origin.
[unarmed fighting], reactions, appraisal,
bluffing, stealth, negotiating. Homeworld Attributes Bonus Skill

Exploits Agricultural END +1; LOG -1 Farming

Agile. Felans are noted for their dexterity.
When taking a new career, a Felan may Arctic END +1; AGI -1 Survival
optionally exchange one of the listed four
Zero-g or
attribute increases for AGI, as long as it Asteroid AGI +1; STR -1
mining
doesn’t result in a duplicate attribute
advancement. Barren END +1; CHA -1 Survival
Fast. Felans are fast and nimble, adding
Diplomacy or
2 to their SPEED. City CHA +1; END -1
bureacracy
Jumper. Felans are adept at jumping, adding 5’ Navigation or
to both horizontal and vertical jump distances. Desert END +1; AGI -1
survival
Land on your feet. When falling, a Felan
Jungle AGI +1; END -1 Climbing
halves the falling distance for the purposes
of determining falling damage, the chance of Swimming or
Ocean AGI +1; INT -1
landing prone, or the difficulty to jump down. sailing
Claws. Accurately slashing with their sharp Volcanic AGI +1; STR -1 Dodging
claws, Felans do 2d6 unarmed damage.

28
 »CAReERS

Roland rolled over, letting his sister take a over 13%, and the latest ESH-4 sensor arrays,
turn on the viewpiece. Staring up at the night finely tuned to improve targeting accuracy.
sky, he fancied he could see tiny moving lights, “D’you think we’ll ever get to see it?” Simone
the same lights he’d just been watching close- asked.
up through their new telescope. He heard
Simone draw her breath slightly, and grinned, “I will!” Roland passed back the viewpiece.
understanding the awe that the sight caused. “One day I’ll be captain of that ship. You’ll
“That’s enough, kid. Give it back!” He grabbed see!”
the viewpiece back from his little sister. In the Simone giggled. Her older brother was a
tiny screen he could see the orbital shipyards dreamer. He talked ceaselessly about joining
around the Phobos industrial facility, and the the Navy, graduating the Academy, and being
mighty battleship being constructed there. stationed on a great starship. She hoped it
Hundreds of tiny shuttles and men and women happened for him one day.
in environmental suits flitted around the vessel
»1.Future Careers
“Roland!” Their uncle’s call from the habitat
as it drifted there, held insider a great skeletal sounded urgent. They were in the arboretum,
cage which provided power and infrastructure looking up through the dome into Mars’ reddish
for the workers. night sky. Roland clambered to his feet as his
The Excalibur was the first of its kind. A new, uncle appeared in the doorway, a transmission
class XIII battleship, she boasted forward and aft slip in his hand.
pulse cannons and the newest torpedo technology. “Roland - it’s here!”
Two shield generators provided enough power to
repel almost any Spartan attack, and her enormous Simone jumped! Roland had taken off like a
antimatter engines were capable of FTL-12 - over rocket, racing towards his uncle. He snatched
1,700 times light speed. On top of all that, she ran the slip and stared at it, almost fearfully,
the newest experimental EMS-3 control computer afraid to open it. The outer seal featured a
system from Cooke Construction Systems, which single sentence in clear military font:
were said to improve battle response times by “Naval Academy Application Acceptance.”

29
 Careers are occupations held by characters Occasionally, an exploit may appear in more
over the course of their lives. Characters may than one career; you may still only select it
hold multiple careers over a period of many once, even if you choose both careers.
years, and gain knowledge and skills from each.
What’s O.L.D. is N.E.W. uses a “life-path” » Career List
system to create and advance characters.
Below is a full list of all careers, sorted by
Characters begin play with five careers. type.
Choose one origin and four further careers.
When you choose a career, you gain attribute Origins: Borian Apprentice, Felan Scavenger,
increases, skill ranks, and unique exploits. Prodigy, Experiment, Jock, Novice, Moisture
Prerequisites. Careers do not have Farmer, Orphan, Navy Brat, Talent, Hacker,
career prerequisites, but they can have Traveller, Scion, Farmhand, Everyman,
skill prerequisites. A skill prerequisite can Service Droid.
be thought of as a qualification – an ability
to demonstrate competence in a given Academic: College, Engineer, Medic,
area. Specific game settings or organizations Scientist.
may have more stringent prerequisites – for
example, a military organization might require
that a character complete Basic Training before Criminal: Burglar, Con Artist, Gangster,
becoming a Marine. The GM should inform Prison, Smuggler, Street Thug.
players of any setting-based prerequisites such
as organizational career ladders. Investigative: Bounty Hunter, Detective,
Skills. Characters may choose two skills Intelligence Officer, Police Officer.
from each career grade. Defensive skills are
always available - defensive skills include Military: Academy, Assassin, Marine Cadet,
acrobatics, dodging, foresight, meditation, Marine Tour, Navy Cadet Cruise, Navy Tour,
concentration, bravery, discipline, religion, Scout/Special Forces, Sniper, Starbase
conviction, leadership, psychology, and Assignment, Spartan Battle School.
rulership. Skills contained in [square brackets]
indicate categories; any skill from the Psionic: Battlepsyche, Biopsychic, Psi-cop,
indicated category may be chosen, or the Psychic, Star Knight, Venetian Retreat.
player may create a new relevant skill. A
completed beginning character will have a
total of 13 skill ranks (3 species skills and 2 Vocational: Athlete, Ambassador, Bartender,
career skills per grade). Craftsman, Drifter, Gambler, Miner,
Performer, Pilot, Priest, Socialite, Space
Attributes. Characters advance 4 attribute Jockey, Trader.
points from each career grade. Apply all listed
attribute adjustments. Some races noted for
Later in this book, you will find a section on
a particular attribute have an ability which
creating new careers. The GM is encouraged
allows them to optionally exchange one of
these four attribute increases for a different to create careers appropriate to her world or
one, as long as it doesn’t result in a duplicate setting, or to extend existing careers with new
attribute advancement. exploits.

Exploits. Choose one of the listed exploits

or select a universal exploit. You may only » Origins
choose each exploit once, unless that exploit Origins can only be taken at the time
specifically indicates otherwise. Some of character creation. They represent a
exploits have prerequisites, which are noted character’s upbringing and childhood prior to
in their description – you must meet that their embarkation upon their first real career.
prerequisite before selecting the exploit. Some species have species-specific origins.

30
 You can take an origin multiple times Ordinary. Your very nondescript nature
(after the first time, they each take only 1d6 makes you easily able to blend in unnoticed,
years), but once you leave an origin, you can giving you a +1d6 bonus to attempts to bluff,
never go back. disguise, or otherwise remain visible but
unremarked upon.
Borian Apprentice
[2d6+6 years] Experiment [1d6 years]
Prerequisites: Borian. Prerequisites: none.
Attributes: STR +1, AGI +1, LOG +1, REP +1 Attributes: STR +1, AGI +1, END +1, LOG +1
Skill choices: [crafting], [technical], Skill choices: [physical]
[outdoor]
You were the subject of tests and
Growing up on the Borian Homeworld often experiments by scientists and doctors,
involves an apprenticeship in a trade or craft. whether created or merely altered. Your
Artisan. Choose a [crafting] skill. You gain childhood was spent in a lab.
3 ranks in that skill. Programming. You have been specifically
Everyman [2d6+6 years] bred and engineered for a purpose. At the
start of a fight your ‘programming’ kicks in,
Prerequisites: none. granting you a +2d6 INITIATIVE bonus.
Attributes: END +1, LOG +1, CHA +1, LUC +1
Farmhand [2d6+6 years]
Skill choices: [scientific], [outdoor],
computers, carousing, [performance] Prerequisites: none.
Your childhood was characterized only by Attributes: STR +1, END +1, INT +1, WIL +1
its unremarkability. A normal childhood and Skill choices: [outdoor], [vehicle],
High School experience, reasonable grades, [physical], [crafting], [technical]
and a typical teenaged social life, perhaps you
You grew up on a farm – a wheat farm, a
dreamed of being something more.
moisture farm, or similar.
Dreamer. You may replenish your LUCK
pool once per day by spending five minutes
daydreaming about wonderful possibilities.

Felan Scavenger [1d6 years]

Prerequisites: Felan.
Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, LUC +2

»1.Future Careers
Skill choices: [perception, stealth,
survival, [local knowledge]
With their short lifespans and rapid growth
to maturity, the Felan do not form strong family
bonds. A youngster is soon left to fend for itself.
Scavenge. Once per day, given an hour in
an urban environment, you can scavenge one
item worth up to 100Cr. This exploit cannot be
used during downtime.

Hacker [2d6+6 years]

Prerequisites: none.
Attributes: LOG +2, LUC +1, REP +1

31
 Skill choices: [computers, bureaucracy, Petrolhead. You have a familiarity with
cryptology, gaming, [scientific] vehicles of military design. When driving or
You were obsessed with computer systems piloting a military vehicle (but not a starship),
in your adolescent years. you gain a +1d6 bonus to checks to operate it.

White-hat. You are practised at hacking Novice [2d6+6 years]

and anti-hacking techniques. You can actively Prerequisites: none.
provide a starship control computer with a +4
Attributes: END +1, INT +1, WIL +1, PSI +1
ELECTRONIC DEFENSE score, and gain a +1d6
bonus to electronic attacks. Skill choices: religion, [artistic], [crafting],
linguistics, martial arts, concentration,
Jock [15 years] meditation
Prerequisites: none. You were brought up in a monastic or
Attributes: STR +1, AGI +1, END +1, CHA +1 religious order.
Skill choices: [sporting], [physical], Confidant. Being brought up in a monastery
carousing, intimidation has given you a certain perception. You can
discern a lie through a mix of intuition and
You were a football player (or other experience. You gain a +1d6 bonus to discern
sportsman) in High School. You developed lies and deceptions.
your physical and social skills, but your
academic skills fell slightly behind. Orphan [2d6 +6 years]
Athlete. You are able to either throw Prerequisites: none.
objects with a +50% to their range increment, Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, CHA +1, LUC +1
OR gain a +2 to your SPEED.
Skill choices: brawling, stealth, thievery,
Moisture Farmer [2d6+6 years] running, bluffing, [performance]
Prerequisites: none. Your childhood was not a happy one.
Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, LOG +1, LUC +1 Urchin. You are very familiar with urban
backgrounds, and are able to blend in easily.
Skill choices: driving, farming,
With a one-hour period in a new city, you are
negotiating, engineering, pilot
able to name local crime figures.
You grew up on a desert world, eeking
out a living harvesting moisture from the Prodigy [2d6 years]
atmosphere. Prerequisites: none.
Technician. You are adept at maintaining Attributes: INT +1, LOG +1, LUC +1, REP +1
and repairing old equipment, persuading it to Skill choices: [scientific], engineering,
function for far longer than it is designed to. computers
You can make any non-functioning Medium or
smaller electronic item work for up to one A veritable genius, years ahead of your
hour, although it will be permanently broken classmates, you were fast-tracked through
your academic career.
thereafter..
Unorthodox. You often have an unorthodox
Navy Brat [2d6+6 years] approach to things. Once per day you may
Prerequisites: none. substitute one of your mental attributes for
another one for the purposes of making a
Attributes: AGI +1, END +1, LUC +1, REP +1
single attribute check.
Skill choices: [vehicle], computers,
leadership, military trivia, brawling Scion [15 years]
You were brought up on starships, Prerequisites: none.
starbases, and military installations. Attributes: INT +1, CHA +1, REP +2

32
 Talent [2d6+6 years]
Prerequisites: none.
Attributes: INT +1, WIL +1, PSI +1
Skill choices: empathy, stealth, [psionic],
[performance]
You manifested undisciplined psionic ability
early in life, and struggled because of it.
Empath. You can sense strong emotions in
those with whom you converse.

Traveller [2d6+6 years]

Prerequisites: none.
Your parents travelled a lot, which gave you
great exposure to the wonders and goings on
of the universe.
Attributes: END +1, INT +1, LUC +1, REP +1
Skill choices: piloting, navigation,
bureaucracy, computers, linguistics
Stargazer. Your years of travelling the
space lanes has heightened your sense of
location. You can identify which system you
are in if you are able to see the sky (as long as
you are not in uncharted space).

Skill choices: [trivia], [social], [artistic], » Careers Description

[gaming], [sporting] You can take careers multiple times. Each
You had a privileged upbringing in a wealthy time you take the career, you choose two
family, heir to old money. You have never skills, apply the attribute increases again, and
known hardship. select one of the available exploits.
Privileged. You gain two sets of exceptional If a career is repeated, additional grades
quality clothing and 1,000 bonus credits. are referred to by their title, as shown in the
table. For example, a cop who has taken the
Service Droid [1d6 years] Police Officer career four times is regarded as
a seasoned police officer. This ranking system
»1.Future Careers
Prerequisites: Android.
applies only to grades within a career, not to a
Attributes: AGI +1, LOG +2, CHA +1 character’s total grades.
Skill choices: cooking, linguistics,
Career Grades Experience
engineering, computers, driving, accounting,
1 Novice/Rookie
navigation, astrogation
2 Practised
You were created to perform a specific 3 Experienced
service – perhaps as a repair droid, domestic 4 Seasoned
bot, astromech, or a translator. 5 Veteran
Unsuspicious. Everybody trusts a service 6 Doyen
droid; it doesn’t even occur to them that one
› Academic Careers
might lie or attack. You gain a +1d6 bonus to
all attempts to bluff or deceive or to access an Academic careers include educational and
ambush turn. scientific choices, and can earn character

33
 qualifications. A college education can often Most military careers begin with a stint
substitute for Military Academy for those at Military Academy, but a college degree
intending to enter service. can often circumvent that requirement. The
Some academic careers earn your character navy, especially, has a need for scientists and
an educational qualification or title. For engineers, and doctors are an important part
example, you can gain degrees and doctorates of any military organization.
at college. The Navy is a military, exploratory, and
scientific organization, and fields a wide range
› Criminal Careers
of starships – from great battleships to scout
Criminal careers include a variety of life vessels and research cruisers, along with
choices, all of which are illegal. From low- carriers which are able to deploy starfighters.
level street thugs to gangsters to intergalactic The Navy is also responsible for colonization,
smugglers, all criminal careers carry the emergency aid, and general non-planetside
added risk of prison. After taking a grade in police duties.
a criminal career, roll 1d6. On a roll of 1 you
must next take the Prison career. Marines are a combat force trained for
deployment in hostile situations.
› Investigative Careers
› Navy Careers
Investigative careers include occupations
both official and freelance. Cops, agents, and After the Academy (and any courses taken
bounty hunters all share the desire to locate there), Navy personnel follow up with a Navy
and apprehend (or kill) suspects, using unique Cadet Cruise, and then one or more Navy
skills developed for that very purpose. Tours or Starbase Assignments. They can then
specialize in Medic*, Scientist, Engineer, or
› Military Careers Pilot* if they choose.
Military careers include army and navy A Bachelor’s Degree can replace Basic
roles, along with academic careers, special Training.
forces and other specialists. Academic careers
can all form part of a military career. Careers › Marine Careers
such as doctors, engineers, scientists, and After the Academy (and any courses taken
so on will be placed in roles suiting their there), Marine personnel follow up with
qualifications, whether in the Marines or the Marine Cadet, and then one or more Marine
Navy. Tours. They can then specialize in Medic*,
For example, a tour of duty in the Marines Scout, Sniper, or Assassin, if they choose.
taken by a character already qualified as a A Bachelor’s Degree can replace Basic
doctor will be as a field medic, and a naval Training.
tour taken by a pilot will be as a pilot or
helmsman. * Medic and Engineer are found under
Below are some suggested roles for Academic careers, and Pilot is found under
specialist military officers. Characters should Vocational careers.
feel free to rename these careers in a manner
appropriate to the campaign setting. › Psionic Careers
Career Navy Marines Psionics can be an asset to any career, and
psionic exploits are potentially available to
Engineer Engineer Engineer
anybody with a PSI score of 1 or more.
Medic Medical officer Field medic
Pilot Helmsman Drop pilot › Vocational Careers
Police officer Security officer Military police Vocational careers represent the general
populace. Those doing regular jobs, earning
Scientist Science officer
their way.

34
› Species Careers Academy tutor [requires Basic training].
Species careers are those careers only You spent time teaching at the Academy.
available to members of a given species. While not exciting, teaching is a great way
They represent cultural specializations or to improve your connections and reputation,
organizations. Some species careers are and many graduates opt to do so after
origins, while others, such as the Venetian basic training. You gain 2 REP points. You
Retreat, can be taken at any time. also gain a permanent +1d6 bonus to social
interactions involving military personnel as
Academy [3 years] you share common acquaintances, students,
Prerequisites: none. or colleagues.
Attributes: AGI +1, LOG +1, WIL +1, CHA +1 Academy professor [requires Academy
Skill choices: carrying, pistols, rifles, Tutor]. A paper or book you wrote has become
leadership, law, [scientific], [technical], required reading at the Academy. Naval
tactics, starship tactics graduates will automatically recognize your
name. You gain a further 2 REP points and an
You joined the military and completed automatic promotion of one rank.
basic military training. Some programs send
recruits to college to gain degrees before Assassin [1d6 years]
returning to cadet assignments. The Military
Prerequisites: stealth, tracking, [combat].
Academy is the basic training location for both
Naval and Marine officers, and as such covers Attributes: STR +1, AGI +1, INT +1, REP +1
a wide curriculum along with an opportunity Skill choices: [combat ], stealth, thievery,
to specialize early in a science, medicine, or perception, intimidate, disguise
engineering career.
A killer for hire, you mastered the skills of
The Military Academy is regarded as a top- assassination.
quality institution, easily the equal of many
highly placed universities. The Academy is a Killing blow. Any attack you make during
three-year course, and is widely regarded as the ambush turn gains a +2d6 bonus to attack.
the equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree. Ambush. You gain +2d6 to rolls made to
Basic training. You gain all of the following access the ambush turn.
skills at 1 rank (1d6); this does not increase an Weak point. Once per enemy you may
existing skill beyond 1 rank. Tactics (marines) ignore any SOAK score he possesses by
or piloting (navy); computers; law; one targeting a weak spot.
[scientific] skill (navy) or survival (marines).
Sneak. If nobody is actively looking for you,
Command school [requires Basic you are able to move silently and unseen at
training]. A second stint in the Academy half your normal speed. You are effectively

»1.Future Careers
prepares you for command. You gain +3 REP invisible. However, if anybody is actually
and the leadership skill at 1 rank if you do not looking for you, they may make INT checks as
already have it. normal to spot you.
Make a Challenging [13] CHA check before
advancing any attributes. If you succeed, you Athlete [1d6 years]
automatically gain a second military rank. Prerequisites: [sport] or [physical].
Branch specialization [requires Basic Attributes: STR +1, AGI +1, END +1, REP +1
training; one [scientific] skill]. You can
Skill choices: [physical], [sporting],
choose to spend an additional stint at
carousing, flirtation, [unarmed combat]
Engineering, Medical, or Science Branch
School. This is regarded as the equivalent of You are a professional athlete, whether
a doctorate. You gain one bonus [scientific] or that be in a team sport or a track and field
[technical] skill. event.

35
 Athletic. Choose four [physical] skills. You
gain these four skills at 1 rank (1d6). This does
not increase the rank of an existing skill.
Runner. You gain a +2 SPEED bonus.
Fit. You gain a +5 HEALTH bonus.
Signing bonus. You are signed to a team
and gain a 1,000 credit signing bonus. You may
repeat this exploit, signing to a new team
each time.

Bartender [1d6 years]

Prerequisites: none.
Attributes: END +1, INT +1, CHA +1, LUC +1
Skill choices: [social], carousing,
perception, brewing, cooking, brawling, clubs
Bartending is a great way to pay the bills.
Some make a lifelong career of it.
Bouncer. You are used to dealing with
drunkards. You gain a +1d6 bonus to all checks
vs. an intoxicated creature.
Fake ID. Years of checking for fake ID mean
that you can spot the telltale signs. You gain a
+1d6 bonus to detect forgeries.
equipment DEFENSE bonuses, such as shields,
Gossip. You can gather local gossip and and has no effect when in cover.
information simply by spending an hour in a
bar or other watering hole, effectively giving Psychic cone (requires Psi-blast). You gain
you the local knowledge skill wherever you the ability to once per day spend 1d6 HEALTH
go as long as you are able to refresh your to project a 30’ of psychic energy which
knowledge at a local bar weekly. causes psychic damage equal to your PSI check
to all in the area of effect. If the 1d6 HEALTH
Battlepsyche [1d6 years] causes you to fall to zero HEALTH, the power
Prerequisites: concentration. fails.

Attributes: END +1, WIL +1, PSI +2 Electrokinetic blast. You blast an
opponent with a range increment of 20’
Skill choices: [psionic], [combat], with forked blasts of electricity. Make a
concentration, meditation PSI vs. DEFENSE attack; if you succeed, you
Battlepsychs are trained for wartime do 2d6 electricity damage. You may repeat
psionic combat. They specialize in brute-force this exploit once, increasing the electricity
mental offense. damage to 3d6.
Psi-blast. You can use an action and make Biopsychic [1d6 years]
a PSI vs. MENTAL DEFENSE attack to blast an
opponent with a mental burst which does 3d6 Prerequisites: medicine.
psionic damage and has a range increment of Attributes: END +1, WIL +1, CHA +1, PSI +1
10’. Skill choices: [psionic], medicine, biology,
Telekinetic shield. You gain +4 to RANGED psychology, concentration, meditation
DEFENSE from a permanent telekinetic shield. Biopsychics are dedicated to healing.
This bonus does not stack with any other Known by a variety of names – energy healer,

36
faith healers, psychic surgeons, and more they Locksmith. You gain an exceptional quality
channel psionic energy into others in order to lockpicking kit.
heal injuries and sickness. Catburglar. An expert at climbing, you do
Psychic healing. You can heal 1d6 HEALTH not take any die penalties in combat while
by touch. Any given creature can only benefit climbing.
from this power once per day. You may repeat Sixth sense. You have a sixth sense when
this exploit once, increasing the healing to 2d6 it comes to traps, and gain a +2d6 bonus to
HEALTH. spot them and a +1d6 bonus to avoid or disarm
Adrenalize. Once per day you can channel them.
positive energy into somebody, granting them Climber [requires Catburglar]. Your
a +1d6 die bonus to all physical attribute climbing speed becomes equal to your regular
checks for five minutes. SPEED.
Psychic resuscitation. You may Grand heist. You achieve a great robbery
automatically stabilize a dying creature by that will be remembered for years to come.
touch by spending two actions. Any given Gain a bonus 3d6 x 100cr. You may repeat this
creature can only benefit from this power exploit, gaining 3d6x100cr each time.
once per day.
College [4 years]
Bounty Hunter [1d6 years]
Prerequisites: none.
Prerequisites: none.
Attributes: LOG +1, WIL +1, CHA +1, REP +1
Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, LOG +1, REP +1
Skill choices: computers, [scientific],
Skill choices: tracking, piloting, stealth, [artistic], [sporting], [social], [technical],
law, computers, perception, intimidate, [academic]
[combat]
You attended a civilian college or university
As a bounty hunter you spent time tracking and gained formal qualifications in a chosen
down and capturing wanted criminals. area of study.
Prey. You may choose a target species. Choose a subject, which can be any skill,
You gain a +1d6 bonus to attempts to track but is typically a [scientific], [technical],
targets of that species. [academic], or [artistic] skill. You can restart
Datamining. You are able to locate a this career at any time to gain degrees in
target’s current location down to a specific additional subjects.
planet by accessing credit, criminal, customs, Bachelor. After a four-year course, you
and other records if you have access to a gained a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent at
computer link. university. Improve your skill ranks in your

»1.Future Careers
Burglar [1d6 years] chosen subject to 3. Your research skills are
developed. If you have access to a library
Prerequisites: stealth. or data network, you gain a +1d6 bonus
Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, LUC +1, REP +1 to attempts to learn information about a
Skill choices: climbing, jumping, subject.
acrobatics, escape artist, computers, stealth, Make a Challenging [13] LOG check before
thievery, appraisal advancing any attributes. If you succeed, you
You become a master thief, able to pass this degree with honors and gain 1 bonus
infiltrate the most secure of locations. Some REP attribute point.
cat burglars work for hire and conduct Masters [requires Bachelor]. You remain
industrial espionage, while others prefer in college and gain a Masters degree in your
to steal valuable artifacts and jewels from subject. You gain 1 bonus skill rank in your
museums and high security vaults. chosen subject.

37
 Make a Difficult [16] LOG check before Skill choices: [social], disguise, bribery,
advancing any attributes. If you succeed, you forgery, [gaming], appraisal
pass this degree with honors and gain 1 bonus You honed your skills and learned how to
REP attribute point. trick others out of their money with charm,
Doctorate [requires Masters]. After lies, bluffs, disguise, and more. Many career
further studies, you gained a Doctorate at criminals combine the craft of the con man
university. You may now call yourself a Doctor. with the skills of the burglar.
But not THE Doctor. Gaining a doctorate Grifter. In a bar or other crowded social
requires not just an expert knowledge of a situation, you can automatically make credits
subject, but also rigorous skills of analysis and equal to a CHA check x 10 in the space of an
evaluation and critical achievement. Improve hour using only the gift of the gab. You can
your skill ranks in your chosen subject to 6. only do this once per day. This exploit cannot
Make a Demanding [21] LOG check before be used during downtime.
advancing any attributes. If you succeed, Impersonate. You are easily able to
you pass this degree with honors and have impersonate any job role which you have had
also made a minor breakthrough in your opportunity to observe within the past day,
chosen subject, and are known amongst peers even briefly. You gain a +1d6 bonus if you have
for it, gaining you a bonus 2 points to your been able to observe and mimic an example.
REP attribute. Choose the nature of your
breakthrough. Quick change. You are able to don a quick
disguise in one round instead of five minutes.
Con Artist [1d6 years] This must be a disguise you’ve successfully
Prerequisites: bluffing. used before.

Attributes: INT +1, LOG +1, CHA +1, LUC +1 Beguiling. You are able to temporarily beguile
and captivate a target with your words as a CHA
vs. MENTAL DEFENSE check. If successful, the
target gains the Charmed condition. The target
must be able to understand you and have a LOGIC
attribute of at least 2.

Craftsman [1d6 years]

Prerequisites: [crafting] or [technical].
Attributes: STR +1, AGI +1, LOG +1, CHA +1
Skill choices: [technical], [artistic],
[crafting]
You made your living by practising your
craft as a carpenter, electrician, mechanic,
or other professional skilled worker. You are
the backbone of society, representative of all
those billions like you who lead ordinary lives
in skilled professions.
Handyman. Choose four [crafting] skills.
You gain these four skills at 1 rank (1d6). This
does not increase the rank of an existing skill.
Toolkit. You gain a set of high quality tools.
Tradesman. You can make 3d6 x 10 Cr per
week by plying your trade. This exploit cannot
be used during downtime.

38
 Builder. Assuming raw materials are Diplomatic immunity. You gain diplomatic
available, you can make an item of equipment immunity to very low-level and petty crimes
in one day by rolling a LOG check vs. the on any planet which contains an embassy.
item’s value.
Drifter [1d6 years]
Fixer. You gain a +1d6 bonus to any
Prerequisites: none.
attempt to repair something.
Attributes: END +1, INT +1, CHA +1, LUC +1
Detective [1d6 years] Skill choices: carousing, gaming, flirtation,
Prerequisites: none. performing, bluffing, appraisal, thievery
Attributes: AGI +1, INT +2, CHA +1 Somehow you lost your way. Drinking,
Skill choices: interrogation, pistols, gambling, with no clear objective, you drifted
driving, bureaucracy, perception, intimidate, through the fringes of society.
stealth, tracking, law Unseen. You know how to blend in so that
You become a detective, expert at spotting nobody pays any attention to you. You gain a
clues and finding your man. Even if you leave +1d6 bonus when attempting to do so.
the profession, you still retain enough contacts Engineer [1d6 years]
to call in favors and request information.
Prerequisites: engineering.
Clues. If there are any clues to find at a
crime scene, you automatically find them Attributes: STR +1, AGI +1, LOG +1, LUC +1
within 5 minutes. Skill choices: computers, [technical],
zero-g, bureaucracy
Criminal record. You can freely access
police databanks and automatically discover You became an engineer, proficient at
any information held on file about a suspect. manipulating technology and repairing devices
and engines.
Hull number. You can request a starship
hull number lookup, and automatically Technical knowledge base. Choose four
determine the registered owner and port of [technical] skills. You gain these four skills at
1 rank (1d6). This does not increase the rank
registration of a starship.
of an existing skill.
Diplomat [1d6 years] Jury-rig. You can temporarily repair and
Prerequisites: [social]. jury-rig a broken item of size Medium or
Attributes: INT +1, CHA +2, REP +1 smaller by spending five minutes with it. The
item will operate for a number of minutes
Skill choices: [social], bureaucracy, law, equal to your LOG check. If you spend one
politics, local knowledge hour with it, it will operate for a number of
You have represented your planet hours equal to your LOG check. If you spend
»1.Future Careers
elsewhere. a day with it, it will operate for a number of
days equal to your LOG check.
Diplomatic. Choose four [social] skills. You
gain these four skills at 1 rank (1d6). This does Upgrade. You can modify a piece of
not increase the rank of an existing skill. electronic equipment of size Small or smaller
to upgrade it permanently to a high quality
Diplomatic pouch. You have a diplomatic item. This process takes one hour, but the
pouch in which any small sized item can be item can only be used by you due to unfamiliar
carried through customs without inspection. and jury-rigged controls, and renders it
Embassy. You have access to your monetarily worthless.
home planet’s ambassadorial embassy and Engine-tuner. A starship in which you are
residences on any planet (if there are any), an engineer increases its maximum FTL speed
which can provide food, shelter, basic by 1 factor. This does not stack with other
equipment, and medical care. engineers should others be present.

39
 Engine-master [requires Engine-tuner]. Gambler [1d6 years]
You can increase your starship’s FTL speed Prerequisites: [gaming].
by 2 factors for a number of hours equal to
your LOG check, after which the FTL engines Attributes: INT +1, CHA +1, LUC +2
cannot be used for 24 hours. This does not Skill choices: [gaming], [social], thievery
stack with other engineers should others be You became an expert gambler, proficient
present. at games of skill and chance.
Explosives. You can create explosives from Lucky streak. Roll 3d6 and multiply by 100.
common items and surroundings. The explosive You gain that many credits. You may repeat
takes 30 minutes to make, and causes 3d6 heat this exploit, gaining 3d6x100 credits each
damage to all within 5’. The explosive can be time.
stored, but only for up to two hours.
Cheat. You know a couple of tricks. In a
Saboteur. You are able to disable any game of chance, you may reroll any 1s in your
mechanical or electronic device to which you dice pool.
have access. This exploit does not open a
locked door (disabling the lock just means it Chancer. You may spend 5 minutes once
remains stuck in whatever configuration it is per day to replenish your LUCK pool an
currently in). This takes you five minutes. additional time.
Android repair. Using basic engineering Gangster [1d6 years]
equipment, you can heal 1d6 points of HEALTH
Prerequisites: intimidate.
to an adjacent mechanoid as a single action.
Any given mechanoid can only benefit from Attributes: STR +1, INT +1, CHA +1, REP +1
your repairing in this way once per day. Skill choices: intimidation, thievery,
Exceptional android repair. Your Android driving, pistols
Repair ability increases to 2d6 points of Eventually your life of crime led you to
HEALTH. better things as you fell into a gang or crew.

40
 Intimidating. Intimidation is your way of Skill choices: carrying, [unarmed fighting],
life, especially in the criminal underworld. pistols, rifles, hardy, survival, leadership,
When attempting to intimidate a criminal, you tactics
gain a +1d6 bonus. You completed your cadet assignment
Protection racket. A protection racket in the Star Marines, which gave you a rude
is a lucrative and steady stream of income. awakening after the comparative luxury that
Within your REP sphere you have a route. You was the Academy. Assigned menial tasks in
gain your REP x 100cr each week. This exploit hostile conditions and climates, you endured
cannot be used during downtime. two years before being approved by your
Sergeant.
Intelligence Officer/Spy
Light sleeper. You gain a Kevlar vest and a
[1d6 years]
rifle. You also gain the ability to sleep lightly,
Prerequisites: none. and are not disadvantaged by perception
Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, CHA +1, LUC +1 checks made while asleep.
Skill choices: interrogation, law, Marine Tour [1d6 years]
[subterfuge skills], computers, pistols,
Prerequisites: none.
[social], [gaming]
Attributes: STR +1, END +1, WIL +1, REP +1
You’re a spy. This may be Navy Intelligence
or some other force. You have a wide Skill choices: carrying, [combat skills],
remit, dealing with both domestic and hardy, survival, leadership, carousing,
external threats, and perform undercover bravery, perception
investigations into military and civilian issues. A tour of duty in the Star Marines means
False identify. You are able to create a a deployment to a probably dangerous
false identity, complete with background environment where you engaged enemy
records, in one day. This identity is good forces in infantry based ground battles or
enough that people can look you up on various boarded hostile starships. Star Marines pride
databases, and the details will match. themselves on their sense of duty and their
courage, and consider themselves the most
Off the grid. You know how to disappear
professional soldiers in known space.
without trace, dropping off the grid
completely. No location discerning checks or With each tour, roll 1d6. On a roll of 6, you
abilities can find you unless you want them to. gain a medal and a bonus +1 REP.
Safe house (requires Off the Grid). You Battle scars. You’ve received so many
can use a safe house on any populated planet battle scars that you sometimes don’t notice
to grant your off the grid ability to your entire injury. You gain a natural SOAK bonus of 2.
party. Quick naps. You’ve learned to manage with
»1.Future Careers
Monologue. Once per day you can make little sleep. As long as you get 4 hours, you
a CHA vs. MENTAL DEFENSE attack against an count as fully rested.
enemy. If successful, your target explains Get on with it. Your platoon doesn’t
their plan with a short monologue. have much patience for whining about minor
Miraculous escape. Once per day you injuries. Once per day you can pause for two
may automatically succeed in one attempt to actions and recover 2d6 HEALTH.
escape handcuffs or other restraints. Shake it off. You shake off conditions with
a roll of 4-6 instead of 5-6, and you shake off
Marine Cadet Assignment severe conditions with a roll of 5-6 instead of 6.
[2 years]
Platoon leader. You grant your entire party
Prerequisites: none. a +1d6 INITIATIVE bonus as long as they are
Attributes: STR +1, END +1, INT +1, LUC +1 within 30’ of you.

41
 managing a ward or sickbay. The number of
patients you can have under your long-term
care is increased to the value of your LOG
attribute.
Diagnosis. You gain +1d6 bonus to all scans
made with a medical scanner, and a +1d6
bonus to identify or treat diseases. Make a
Difficult [16] LOG check before advancing any
attributes. If you succeed, you discovered a
new disease or illness which is named after
you; you also gain 1 bonus REP attribute point.
Healing hands. Using basic medical
equipment, you can heal 1d6 points of HEALTH
to an adjacent creature as a single action.
Any given creature can only benefit from your
healing in this way once per day.
Exceptional healing hands [requires
Healing Hands]. Your Healing Hands ability
increases to 2d6 points of HEALTH.
Resuscitation [requires Exceptional
Healing Hands]. You can revive a seemingly
dead creature with a LOG check. The
creature must have “died” within the last five
minutes, and the difficulty value of the check
is 20 + the damage of the attack that killed it.
The creature wakes up with 1 HEALTH.
Medic [1d6 years] Medical officer. On board a starship, your
vessel’s daily sickbay capacity for restoring
Prerequisites: medicine.
casualties to active duty is increased by 10%
Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, LOG +1, CHA +1 as long as you are in charge of the medical
Skill choices: computers, medicine, facilities.
bureaucracy, psychology Emergency response [requires Medical
You enter the medical profession. If you Officer]. When starship casualties are rolled
have gained a doctorate at college, you do so for a ship on which you are in charge of the
as a doctor; otherwise you are referred to as a medical facilities, roll the casualty amount
nurse or medic. twice and take the lowest value.
Medical knowledge base. Choose four Miner [1d6 years]
[medical] skills. You gain these four skills at 1
Prerequisites: none.
rank (1d6). This does not increase the rank of
an existing skill. Attributes: STR +1, END +1, WIL +1, LUC +1
Bedside manner. You gain a medical pouch Skill choices: carrying, climbing, survival,
and a medical scanner. Your long-term care [technical], mining, appraising, carousing,
is of such quality that your patient gains an picks, hammers
additional 1d6 HEALTH per day. You may only There’s nothing like a few years spent down
have one patient under your long-term care at a tritanium mine to build character.
a time.
Underground sense. When underground
Ward management [requires Bedside you can always determine direction and depth
Manner]. You are an expert at running and and pick a route to the surface.

42
 Darksight. You have spent so much time will be as a medical officer; if you are already
below ground that you’ve developed darksight a scientist, it will be as a science officer or
to a distance of 30’. similar role. The same goes for pilots, security
Mining hazards. You gain a +2d6 bonus to personnel, engineers, and so on.
spot underground hazards and traps. Starship familiarity. Your familiarity with
Toxic gases. The underground is full of naval starships is such that you can automatically
toxic fumes, and you’ve become used to them. navigate to any location inside one.
You gain a poison SOAK of 5. Brace yourself [requires Starship
Identify substance. You can identify by Familiarity]. You are so accustomed to the
sight any mineral or metal based substance starship environment, instinctively knowing
automatically. how to brace yourself, that you never take
damage from external starship fire.
Navy Cadet Cruise [1 year] Acclimatized. Missions into hostile
Prerequisites: none. environments make you used to changes in
Attributes: AGI +1, WIL +1, CHA +1, LUC +1 gravity. Your move speed in high and low
gravity environments (but not zero-g) is equal
Skill choices: piloting, computers, to your regular SPEED.
leadership
Bridge officer. If you are commanding a
You completed your cadet cruise and are
starship, all bridge officers gain a +1d6 bonus
now a Navy Officer! The cadet cruise is a
to starship operations from your presence.
year long, and spent on a starship; those who
successfully complete the cadet cruise and You have the conn [requires Bridge
evaluation are then able to proceed to a Navy Officer]. You may donate LUCK dice to allies
Tour or to Navy Command School. The exact while on the bridge.
assignment of the cadet cruise varies, but a First contact. You were involved in a
cadet will typically carry out a range of non- first contact mission, discovering a new alien
specialized duties under the supervision of an species. Decide on the nature of the species
evaluating officer. (with your GM’s approval). You gain a bonus +1
Ship rat. You gain an overall familiarity REP and 1 rank in linguistics.
with naval vessels and starships, and get a
Performer [1d6 years]
+1d6 bonus to checks related to them.
Prerequisites: [performance].
Navy Tour [1d6 years]
Attributes: CHA +2, LUC +1, REP +1
Prerequisites: none.
Skill choices: carousing, [performance]
Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, WIL +1, REP +1
You became a musician or other performer,

»1.Future Careers
Skill choices: piloting, computers, and made your way working bars, clubs, and
leadership, pistols, rifles, engineering, theaters.
[scientific], tactics, starship tactics
Triple-threat. You gain the skills singing,
A navy tour is a regular military assignment; dancing, and acting at 1 rank (1d6). This does
tours constitute the bulk of a military not increase the rank of an existing skill.
character’s career. Tours in the Navy can
encompass any and all of these duties. A Gigs. You can make money by playing at
crewman will typically specialize in one of bars and doing local performances. You can
several career branches – medical, security, automatically make an amount equal to a
engineering, science, operations, pilot – and CHA check x 10 Cr per day by doing this. This
carry out his tour of duty in that area of exploit cannot be used during downtime.
specialization, often with a long-term aim Captivating. You have the ability to
of becoming chief of that department. For captivate people with your musical ability.
example, if you are already a medic, your tour While using your musical instrument or voice,

43
 all those who can hear you become beguiled
(unable to attack you) until you stop. This
requires a CHA vs. MENTAL DEFENSE check and
a full two actions each turn.
Lullaby. Your music and make people
drowsy. While using your musical instrument
or voice, all those who can hear you become
weary (-1d6 to all physical attribute checks
and -1 SPEED) until you stop. This requires a
CHA vs. MENTAL DEFENSE check and a full two
actions each turn.
Fearful. You can use voice or music to
instil fear in those who hear it. While using
your musical instrument or voice, all those
who can hear you become nervous (-1d6 to
all interactions with you or with a target or
object of your choice) until you stop. This
requires a CHA vs. MENTAL DEFENSE check and
a full two actions each turn.

Pilot [1d6 years]

Prerequisites: piloting.
Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, LOG +1, LUC +1 to decelerate. This causes 1d6 damage to the
Skill choices: reactions, piloting, ship’s superstructure.
computers, astronomy, gunnery, navigation, Astrogator. You are a great navigator, able
starship tactics to plot FTL journeys
You became a pilot or starship helm officer, with ease. The travel
learning to fly shuttles, fighters, freighters, or increment on a starship
starships. you are piloting is
increased by 2 days.
Push the limits. You can exceed a ship’s
normal maximum FTL speed by one factor (as Sideslip. You can
long as it has FTL capability). move your ship in a
sideslip maneuver.
Evasive flying. A ship which you pilot gains This moves it one hex
a DEFENSE bonus equal to your AGI attribute forward and one hex
dice pool. sideways for the cost
Evasive maneuver [requires Evasive of two hex moves.
Flying]. As an action, you may designate
one incoming missile per round and gain an Police Officer [1d6 years]
additional +5 DEFENSE against it. Prerequisites: none.
Stay on target [requires Evasive Flying]. Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, LOG +1, REP +1
While in the rear arc of a target ship, you Skill choices: interrogation, pistols, law,
negate any bonus it gets from Evasive Flying. driving, bureaucracy, perception, intimidate
Cruise control. You are able to easily You join the police or other security force
navigate in-system at subluminal speeds and begin a career as a uniformed officer.
without an attribute check.
Troublesense. You are easily able to spot
Full stop. As an action, you can bring a trouble before it happens. You gain a +1d6
starship to an immediate stop without needing bonus to initiative checks.

44
 Out of place. You know the signs of You joined the clergy and practised
suspicious behavior. You gain a +1d6 bonus religion, tending to your flock.
to checks made to spot unusual or criminal Confessional. Your insights into the
activity. morality of living things enables you to draw
Freeze! You can compel a target to confessions from others. Given an hour
“freeze!” with a CHA vs. MENTAL DEFENSE of conversation, you gain a +2d6 bonus to
check. If successful, the target stops in his checks designed to gain information from
tracks and and gains the Restrained condition. another creature.
The target must be able to understand you
Unshakeable faith. You have faith, a peace
and have an INT attribute of 2 or more. You
of mind and an inner tranquillity which is hard
can only do this to a given target once.
to penetrate. You gain +5 to your MENTAL
Backup. In an allied urban environment, DEFENSE.
you can call for backup once per day in the
Respect. Your position in the clergy grants
form of 1d6 police officers who arrive within 5
you a certain reverence from others. Sentient
minutes and who will follow your orders.
opponents able to recognise your occupation take
Anti-surveillance. You are so familiar a -1d6 penalty to attack you on their first attack
with surveillance devices, blind spots, and as long as you have not attacked them first.
avoidance techniques that, by moving half
your speed, you can render yourself invisible Prisoner [2d6 years]
to electronic monitoring equipment. Prerequisites: none.
Priest [1d6 years] Attributes: STR +1, END +1, INT +1, REP +1
Prerequisites: religion. Skill choices: intimidation, survival,
Attributes: INT +1, WIL +1, CHA +1, LUC +1 [subterfuge skills], [unarmed fighting], knives

Skill choices: perception, crafting, Your life of crime ended you up in prison
bureaucracy, cryptology, linguistics, [trivia], where you served time; or perhaps you were a
meditation, leadership, performing, religion. political prisoner or a prisoner-of-war. It was a
tough environment and you spent most of your
time just trying to survive, although you did
make one or two lifelong contacts.
Prison tough. You are mentally and
physically toughened. Each time you go to
prison you gain a permanent +1 bonus to your
DEFENSE and MENTAL DEFENSE.
Shiv. You are easily able to improvise

»1.Future Careers
weapons using your surroundings – glasses,
rocks, and so on. You always count as carrying
a knife or club. Additionally, you know how
to use it: when you do piercing damage with
a small knife, you may spend a LUC die to
automatically inflict the Bleeding condition.

Psi-cop [1d6 years]

Prerequisites: law.
Attributes: INT +1, CHA +1, REP +1, PSI +1
Skill choices: [psionic], intimidation,
concentration, meditation, law, pistols,
perception

45
 A Psi-Cop is a specialist investigative law- Scientist [1d6 years]
enforcement individual with psionic training, Prerequisites: one [scientific] skill.
and usually works alongside police – or
occasionally Navy Security or Intelligence – Attributes: INT +1, LOG +1, WIL +1, REP +1
in a consulting role. Psi-Cops aren’t usually Skill choices: computers, [scientific],
trained in direct psionic combat skills; their [technical], survival, perception
area of expertise is in the teasing out of
You take your science with you as
information from suspects and crime scenes,
investigate phenomena in strange locations.
although higher ranking Psi-Cops known as
Inquisitors do receive potent combat training. Field scientists are viewed by academia as
adventurous types, and include archaeologists,
Speak-with-dead. You have the ability to meteorologists, zoologists, oceanographers,
interrogate a dead body which has been dead for geologists, botanists, astrophysicists, and
less than a day. It will truthfully answer three much more. Scientists on starships are usually
yes/no questions with no PSI check needed. known as science officers.
Psychic interrogation. Once per day you Scientific knowledge base. Choose four
can make a special PSI attack vs. a suspect’s [scientific] skills. You gain these four skills at
MENTAL DEFENSE. Success means that they 1 rank (1d6). This does not increase the rank
must answer three yes/no questions truthfully.
of an existing skill.
Sense motive. You are able to sense strong
Analytical eye. You are able to identify the
emotions within 30’, although you cannot
resistances, immunities, and vulnerabilities
necessarily pinpoint their location.
of any creature you can see with a Difficult
Psychic torture. You use an unethical [16] LOG check; if you use a hand-scanner,
technique of mental torture to force a suspect it is only a Challenging [13] LOG check. This
to speak, gaining +2d6 to an intimidation check. requires two full actions of observation.
Psychic [1d6 years] Improviser. In the field, you need to
Prerequisites: none. improvise. Using your scientific know-how,
you can create a crude object or device from
Attributes: INT +1, LUC +1, REP +1, PSI +1 your surroundings. This requires a LOG check,
Skill choices: [psionic], negotiation, with a difficulty value equal to the purchase
bluffing, hypnotism, concentration, value of the object, and takes 30 minutes.
meditation Modify. You may modify the output of any
You used your psionic abilities in a career energy weapon or device to any other energy
of professional psychic work. Your skills are type of your choice. This takes one minute.
commercial and generalist in nature. The device operates for five minutes, but
Empathy. You can automatically sense breaks permanently when this time is up.
strong emotions in others within 30’.
Scout/Special Forces
Ghostly advice. Once per day you may [1d6 years]
receive advice from “ghosts” (really lingering
Prerequisites: stealth, or [combat].
consciousness artifacts) which gives you a
+2d6 die bonus to the next attribute check you Attributes: STR +1, AGI +1, END +1, INT +1
make within 1 minute. Skill choices: [combat], stealth, thievery,
Precog. Your natural precognition gives you escape arts, acrobatics, climbing, survival,
a +1d6 bonus to INITIATIVE checks as well as tracking, running
checks to access the ambush turn. The pinnacle of special operations, whether
Fair trade. You are able to monitor a police, military or freelance, the infiltrator
negotiation or bargaining situation with the aptly describes the occupation of many men
agreement of both parties. You immediately and women whose job it is to infiltrate enemy
sense any falsehood or deception on either part. locations and accomplish dangerous missions,

46
 Skill choices: thievery, navigation,
carousing, piloting, bluffing, appraisal, pistols
You spent time as a smuggler, moving stolen
or illegal goods from one planetary system to
another.
Smuggle. You know how to hide objects,
either about your person or in a location. You
gain a +2d6 bonus to attempts to hide items.
Secret routes. You know all the secret – if
dangerous – trade routes. If you navigate a
starship, you may reduce the journey distance
(in parsecs) by 2d6%.
Haggler. You’re a born haggler, and can
reduce the cost of any purchase by 3d6%. This
does not stack with any other exploits which
reduce purchase costs.
Fence. In an urban environment, you can sell
goods for 75% of normal cost rather than 50%.
Seat of your pants. Smugglers rely a lot
on old-fashioned luck and bravado. They can
recharge their LUCK pool an extra time per day.

Sniper [1d6 years]

Prerequisites: stealth, rifles.
Attributes: END +1, INT +1, WIL +1, LUC +1
and specialized soldiers able to operate alone Skill choices: rifles, stealth, perception,
and perform reconnaissance. A scout needs a concentration, climbing
range of skills beyond the mere ability to kill
that is the hallmark of the assassin. You mastered the art of lying very still for
long periods of time and shooting people a
Quick-hide.You are able to disappear while
long way away. Sniping is a job which requires
in plain sight. You can make a stealth check
great endurance, patience, and accuracy.
even while under observation to move your
speed and become effectively invisible for a Vantage point. You gain an additional +1d6
round. You may then make regular stealth to attack with a ranged weapon if you are at
checks as normal, but cannot repeat this feat least 30’ higher than your target. This stacks
»1.Future Careers
against the same observer. with the regular +1d6 bonus for high ground.
Hustle. Your SPEED increases by 2. Steady eye. All weapon range increments
Hostile terrain. You do not suffer penalties increase by 50%.
for moving across difficult terrain. Good position. You cannot be pinned down
Swimmer. You gain a SWIM speed equal to in combat.
your regular SPEED. Perfect aim. The bonus you gain for the
Climber. You gain a CLIMB speed equal to Aim exploit increases to +2d6.
your regular SPEED. Socialite [1d6 years]
Smuggler [1d6 years] Prerequisites: [social].
Prerequisites: piloting. Attributes: CHA +2, REP +2
Attributes: AGI +1, CHA +1, LUC +1, REP +1 Skill choices: [social]

47
 You aim be famous for being famous, and Starbase Assignment
have mastered the art of networking. [1d6 years]
High class. You are at home when in high- Prerequisites: none.
class social gatherings. In such environments, Attributes: LOG +1, CHA +1, REP +2
you gain a +1d6 bonus to all attribute checks.
Unfortunately, you are less comfortable – or Skill choices: carousing, computers,
welcome - in lower-class environments, and engineering, [scientific]
suffer a -1d6 penalty to all social interactions You were assigned to a Starbase or space
in such situations. station.
Space Jockey [1d6 years] Starbase layout. You become accustomed
to the layout of starbases and outposts, and
Prerequisites: none. can navigate them without need for reference.
Attributes: AGI +1, END +1, LOG +1, LUC +1
Star Knight [1d6 years]
Skill choices: zero-g, engineering,
carousing, piloting, computers Prerequisites: concentration or meditation;
law
You got a commission on a civilian ship
– a merchant vessel or miner. As a general Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, WIL +1, PSI +1
dogsbody, you learned a variety of skills, Skill choices: [psionic], swords, reactions,
and you feel truly at home aboard a vessel meditation, concentration, law, [physical]
travelling between the stars.
An elite order of warriors, the Star knights
G-forces.You are trained to resist g-forces. are respected throughout the galaxy. Star
You gain SOAK 5 to crushing damage. knights rarely use ranged weapons, engaging
Space sickness. Nearly every astronaut the enemy with their laser swords.
gets sick. You learn to ignore it. You become Enhanced attributes. You gain +2 SPEED
immune to sickness conditions. and +5’ to both vertical and horizontal jump
Zero-g monkey. You gain an effective fly distances.
speed equal to your regular SPEED in zero-g Psionic attributes [requires Enhanced
environments. attributes]. Once per round you may use your
Mr. Fixit. You gain a +1d6 bonus to rolls PSI attribute in place of any STR, AGI, or END
made to repair starships. check.
Hitch-hiker. You can get free passage for Laser sword. You build your own standard
yourself and your party on civilian vessels. quality laser sword. Every time the Star Knight
gains a grade, roll 1d6. on a 6, the laser sword
Used market. You know many starship increases quality by one category.
dealers and merchants. You can save 10% on
the cost of starship components. Missile deflection [requires Laser Sword].
You are able to deflect incoming ranged attacks
Spartan Battle School [1d6 years] with your laser sword. This allows you to use
Prerequisites: Spartan. your laser sword for DEFENSE against ranged
attacks as well as from melee attacks.
Attributes: STR +2, AGI +1, END +1
Throw sword [requires Laser Sword]. You
Skill choices: [combat], survival, tactics, can throw a laser sword as a ranged weapon
bravery with a range increment of 10’. The sword
Spartan education is brutal and militaristic. returns to your hand.
Swordsman. You gain a high quality Spartan Sense psionics. You can sense the presence
sword. of psionics within 30’ of you.
Bred for war. You gain 3 points of natural Foresight. You always gain access to the
SOAK. You also gain a distinctive scar. ambush turn.

48
 Recover. You can meditate for five You fell into the fringes of society and
minutes to recover full HEALTH once per ended up as a thug on the street, committing
day. petty crimes for small amounts of money.
Refocus [requires Recover]. Once per The filth! You have developed an uncanny
day you can focus and recover HEALTH ability to detect cops. When attempting to
equal to your PSI attribute check. This sniff out a police officer or similar authority
takes two actions. figure, you gain a +1d6 bonus.
Summon. You can telekinetically call a Street tough. Life on the streets is
Small or smaller object within 10’ to your tough. You gain a natural +2 SOAK.
hand by using two actions. If the object
Trader [1d6 years]
is held by someone else, it will require an
opposed PSI vs. STR check. Prerequisites: none.
Telekinesis [requires Summon]. You can Attributes: INT +1, CHA +1, LUC +1, REP +1
freely telekinetically move and manipulate Skill choices: appraisal, [social],
single objects of Small size or smaller carousing, [crafting], bureaucracy,
within 30’ of you. You may only manipulate accounting, law, local knowledge, bribery,
one such object at a time. forgery
Psychic choke [requires Telekinesis]. Life as a trader can mean profit, but it
You can squeeze the breath from a victim can also bring ruin.
within 30’ with a PSI vs. DEFENSE check, Sale of the century. You worked hard
causing 3d6 blunt damage. on a great deal, and it netted you 1,000Cr.
Psychic push [requires Telekinesis]. You may repeat this exploit, gaining
Once per round you can, as an action, 1,000Cr each time.
make a PSI vs. DEFENSE attack to push a Trade routes. You know the best, most
single creature of size Medium or smaller a profitable trade routes. Your starship fuel
distance in feet equal to your PSI check. costs are reduced by 20%.
Telepathic message. You develop the Haggler. You know how to get a good
ability to freely send short telepathic deal. You reduce the cost of any purchase
messages to other intelligent creatures with by 2d6%. This does not stack with any other
whom you have spent time. exploits which reduce purchase costs.
Psychic suggestion [requires
Venetian Retreat
Telepathic Message]. You can momentarily
[4d6 years]
influence the thoughts and actions of

»1.Future Careers
another creature within 30’ by making a PSI Prerequisites: Venetian.
vs. MENTAL DEFENSE check. Attributes: LOG +2, WIL +1, PSI +1
Destiny. You may meditate for 5 minutes Skill choices: [artistic ], [psionic]
once per day to replenish your LUCK pool. [crafting], concentration, meditation
Street Thug [1d6 years] The long-lived Venetians often retire
to their own kind for a decade or more in
Prerequisites: none.
order to contemplate their place in the
Attributes: STR +1, END +1, CHA +1, LUC +1 universe, and train their minds.
Skill choices: intimidation, running, Fortified. You gain a +5 bonus to MENTAL
brawling, clubs, knives, pistols DEFENSE.

49
 Careers & Ranks players of lower ranked characters. Instead,
Characters who are part of an the rank should be treated as part of the
organisation such as the Navy, the Marines, character’s background, and not used as a
or the Police, will often have a rank. This bludgeon against other players.
rank is dependent on the character's REP The below list is for six sample
score, and changes automatically along with
organizations, but your own game setting
that score. Note that to maintain a rank,
will have its own structures with their own
career selections must keep a character
ranks. This system can be used for any
within that organization.
type of organization – police forces, spy
Having players with characters of
agencies, even corporate ladders.
different ranks within the same structure
can cause problems. Generally speaking, Do you know who I am? REP can often be
you should not try to enforce rank-based used in place of a CHA check. Additionally,
behaviour between players – having some the GM may award REP points as a reward
players able to tell other players what to for completing adventures or undertaking
do generally makes the game less fun for activities, especially those in the public eye.
REP Navy Marine Police Star Knight Technicians Medics
Medical
0 Crewman Private Constable Initiate Crewman
Assistant
Private, first Police Technician, Medic,
3 Ensign Apprentice
class Corporal 2nd class 2nd class
Lieutenant, Lance Technician, Medic, 1st
6 Sergeant Brother/Sister
junior grade Corporal 1st class class
Junior
9 Lieutenant Corporal Lieutenant Knight Junior Doctor
Engineer
Lieutenant
12 Sergeant Captain Precept Engineer Doctor
Commander
Sergeant Deputy Senior
15 Commander Master Senior Doctor
Major Inspector Engineer
18 Captain Captain Inspector Guardian Chief Engineer Chief Medic
Technical Medical
21 Commodore Major Commander Champion
Adjutant Adjutant
Lieutenant Technical Medical
24 Rear Admiral Superintendant Councillor
Colonel Director Director
Assistant Chief of Surgeon
27 Vice Admiral Colonel Consular
Chief Engineers General
30 Admiral Brigadier Chief of Police Seneschal Assistant Secretary
Police
33 Fleet Admiral General Grandmaster Secretary
Commissioner

Away Teams & Task Forces bridge officer is replaced with any other
If the players are playing crewmembers character type of the player's choice.
of a large starship, the following rule At any given time, a player plays only
comes into effect. In these games, a pool one character. He may choose which of the
of characters is created and assigned to three to play. When a starship sends down an
missions. On a starship, this is usually called away team, the players collectively decide
an Away Team; in a marine or other military on the away team's composition, using one
or security unit, it is known as a Task Force. character from each player's pool.
Each player should create three When a character dies, the player should
characters. One should be a bridge officer, create a new character which fits the same
one should be a security officer (or soldier, slot (bridge officer, security, or specialist).
or marine, depending on the setting), and This rule can also apply to other
the last should be a specialist of some kind. organizations which are able to select
50 If the characters are not on a starship, the specific teams for specific missions.
 »Exploits

» Universal Exploits and careful aim, and -3d6 for the disarm
attempt. However, his opponents get a +2d6
Universal exploits are distinct exploits a
bonus to attack him for the next round.
character has learned; any character can learn
Another common combination is a Charge
a universal exploit as long as he qualifies for
and a Knockdown.
it. A universal exploit can also be purchased
directly with Experience Points (see the However, once the character has used an
Advancement rules). Characters begin play exploit (or a multiple exploit combination)
with one free universal exploit of their choice he cannot use that exploit again until his

»1.Future Careers
plus either Aim or Feint. Characters also gain next turn begins.
universal exploits when they repeat a career Costs. Some exploits modify existing
for which they have already chosen all the actions or attacks, but they carry a cost. The
available career exploits. character deducts (“pays”) the indicated
Once per turn. A character may use a number of dice from his dice pool to gain
given exploit once per turn, and is free the effect of the exploit. Multiple exploits
to combine multiple exploits into a single may be stacked on a single action by paying
maneuver or combination. For example, the combined cost.
a soldier might choose to disregard cover, Pre-requisites. Most exploits have pre-
stand out in the open (Reckless Attack) requisites in terms of attribute scores or
and take careful aim (Aim) in order to previous exploits. In order to purchase a
disarm an opponent (Disarm). He gets +3d6 universal exploit, a character must meet
to his attack rolls from the recklessness those pre-requisites.

51
 Analytics (requires LOG 6+). Studying
Paying For Effects your target’s behaviour, you notice a pattern
The concept of buying effects with your to its actions. You grant all allies within 30’ a
attack dice is fundamental to the combat +1d6 bonus to attack the target until the start
system of N.E.W. Without “buying” extra of your next turn. This costs one action.
damage dice or desired effects, a successful Arm lock (requires AGI 8+, martial arts
attack will tend to do very little damage. skill). When you successfully grab a foe, you
High damage, therefore, is achieved by a place your target in a painful armlock. The
large attack dice pool being partially spent target gains the Restrained condition, drops
on damage and effects. any items in that hand, and cannot use that
For example, a massive Ogron might have arm until he escapes. You may move at half
enormous strength and lots of training, and SPEED, taking your victim with you. If you
as such have a big attack dice pool of 8d6 apply this twice, the attacker gains the second
with its giant Star Marine sword. Normally, Restrained condition.
it only does 3d6 damage. However, it can
Bearhug (requires STR 8+). When you
spent some of that pool, exchanging some of
successfully grab a foe, you grab your target
those 8d6 for extra damage or an effect such
with both arms, squeezing him. You can
as Knockdown. The Ogron has exchanged
only bearhug a target of your size category
some of its hit potential for damage
or smaller. The target gains the Restrained
potential.
condition, and takes 1d6 damage at the start
of each of his turns. You may move at half
180 hammerhead (requires piloting skill; SPEED, taking your victim with you.
AGI 8+). A starship is rotated 180 degrees for Blinding attack (requires AGI 6+). You
free during its movement while continuing throw sand into your opponent’s eyes, cover
its momentum, enabling it to face and fire at him in a cloak, pull his helm down, or gash his
pursuers. The ship continues moving in the forehead; on a successful hit your target gains
same direction it was moving initially, and the Blind condition.
cannot turn until this maneuver is performed Blind shot (requires LUC 5+). While in full
again to correct its facing. cover, you may pay 2d6 to take a shot without
Achilles heel (requires LOG 5+; aim; any looking at what you are shooting at or exposing
[scientific] skill). Identifying a weakness in yourself. You use your LUCK attribute instead of
your target, you pay 2d6 and bypass its soak your Agility or Intuition for this shot.
score. This exploit can only be performed once Brush off (requires STR 8+). You
per target. Alternatively, you may grant this contemptuously brush aside a melee attack,
bonus to one ally who must use it within one gaining the effect of cover from one melee attack
round. from a creature of your size category or smaller.
Aim. This is identical to the Feint exploit, Burst of speed (requires piloting skill).
but for ranged combat; it grants +1d6 bonus Your mount, ship, or vehicle gains a speed
to an attack roll taken in the same turn. The boost of 2 hexes or squares for the turn.
attack action must come immediately after Charge. When making a melee attack,
the feinting action. All characters get either move up to your speed in a straight line and
the Aim or Feint exploit for free. then attack at the end of it and pay 2d6. You
Always prepared (requires LOG 8+). You gain +1d6 damage to your attack. You must
have a brilliant tactical mind, and are always move at least 10'.
prepared. You may declare a single action which Cleave (requires STR 8+). When using STR
you took prior to the encounter (even if you as your attack attribute, you follow through
didn’t know the encounter was going to take in one mighty swing, and make an additional
place) which helps you in this exact scenario. attack at -1d6 against an adjacent foe if the
This must be an action you were capable of. first one hits.

52
 Counterhack. When an opponent is throw yourself prone or get behind cover if it
attempting to access your systems using the is in range. This is an immediate reaction
system override exploit, you may make an Dodge (requires AGI 6+). You may use a
immediate opposed LOG check to block the reaction to dodge one attack you are aware
attempt. of, as long as you are not in cover. State your
Crippling strike (requires AGI 5+; deadly intention before the attack roll. The attacker
strike). You expertly target your opponent’s suffers a -2d6 penalty for that attack.
legs, causing a wound which inflicts the Double tap (requires AGI 7+; aim). Once per
Slowed condition upon him. turn you may fire two quick shots at your target
Deadly strike (requires AGI or STR 5+). at the cost of just one action, paying 2d6.
You inflict an additional 1d6 damage with a Draw a bead (requires INT 5+). You do not
successful hit. For a ranged attack, this is pay any penalty for firing into melee, as long
likely a headshot. This can only gain you one as your target is at least 10’ away from you.
bonus damage die.
e-Defender. Your starship gains +4
Death from on high (requires charge). You e-DEFENSE. This does not stack with additional
pay 2d6 and drop down on your opponent from e-Defenders.
at least 5’ above him. This counts as a charge
Evasive action (requires AGI 5+; piloting
but knocks your opponent prone and does 2d6
skill). You use your action to perform a series
extra damage instead of 1d6.
of evasive maneuvers which grant your ship +4
Dive for cover (requires AGI 7+). DEFENSE until the start of your next turn.
If a ranged attack misses you, you may Expert Disarm (requires AGI 6). When you
immediately move half your speed and either use a Called Shot to disarm a target, you do
not have to pay the 2d6.
Feint. This is identical to the Aim
exploit, but for melee combat; it grants
+1d6 bonus to an attack roll taken in the
same turn. The attack action must come
immediately after the feinting action.
All characters get either the Aim or Feint
exploit for free.
Flying kick (requires AGI 8+; martial arts
skill). You move up to your speed and issue
a flying kick at the end of it, dealing your
martial arts damage with a bonus 1d6 damage.
High energy turn (requires piloting skill;

»1.Future Careers
INT 8+). The pilot uses FTL energy to force
a ship into any emergency facing. It requires
an AGI check equal to 10 + the ship’s class.
Failure inflicts 1d6 damage to the ship’s SS per
ship class. Success allows the pilot to face the
ship in any direction he wishes.
Hunker down (requires END 6+). Cover
grants you one extra die of cover.
Jury-rig (requires LOG 6+; engineering
skill). You modify a weapon (yours or an
adjacent ally’s) to either increase its range by
50% or its damage by +1d6 until the start of
your next turn.

53
 Knockback (requires knockdown). When Quickdraw (requires AGI 6+). If you are
you use a Called Shot to move a target, you disarmed, you may immediately draw another
do not have to pay the 2d6; however, for each weapon as an immediate reaction as long as
1d6 you choose to pay, the target is pushed you have one available.
one extra square. Quickstep. You can move 5’ as a free
Knockdown (requires STR 5+). When you action.
use a Called Shot to knock a target prone, you Reckless act. You gain +1d6 to ranged
do not have to pay the 2d6; additionally, the attacks as long as you are not concealed, in
target gains the Downed condition (making it cover, or using a shield. If you use Dodge, or
unable to stand until that condition has been any other exploit which protects you, you lose
shaken off). this bonus for one minute.
Leadership (requires CHA 8+). You are Reinforce shield (requires LOG 6+; computer
able to donate one or more of your available operation skill). Until the start of your next turn,
LUC dice to another character as a free one shield (forward, aft, port, or starboard).
reaction to their attempting an attribute becomes reinforced. It gains +2 SOAK.
check. You must declare this before they roll
the dice. Relativity corkscrew (requires piloting
skill; physics skill; LOG 6+). This complex
Lucky escape (requires LUC 6+). You may maneuver uses FTL speeds, time dilation, and
avoid all damage from one attack as a free high-level calculations to gain a temporal
reaction. You can only do this once per day. advantage in starship combat. An FTL drive is
Opportunist stomp. You can stomp on an necessary. One action is used to perform the
adjacent prone opponent as a free action. This relativity corkscrew, but the ship gains three
is an unarmed attack and uses your natural actions in return. However, this is a dangerous
damage value. maneuver and requires a Strenuous [25] LOG
Pep talk (requires CHA 6+). You can spend check to accomplish. It cannot be performed
your ambush turn (if you have access to it) giving again until at least one hour has been spent
your allies a pep talk. They all gain a +1d6 bonus maintaining the FTL engines.
to initiative in the ensuing combat. Ricochet (requires INT 8+; aim). You can
Piledriver (requires STR 8+, wrestling pay 4d6 to “bounce” a ranged attack off of
skill). You grab your opponent, lift him, and one surface in order to hit a target to whom
then drop to the ground, driving his head you would not normally have line of sight. This
into the ground. Both you and your opponent does not negate the target’s cover bonuses;
end up prone. The exploit costs 2d6 and, if it merely creates a line of sight to a target
successful, the target takes double damage where there previously was none.
and gains the Dazed condition. Roll with it (requires AGI 5+). By
Predictive reflexes (requires INT 6+). You voluntarily falling prone, you reduce damage
are good at reading the situation. You gain a by 2d6. You cannot use any instant-stand
permanent +1d6 bonus to your INITIATIVE checks. exploits in combination with this exploit.

Protector (requires END 5+). You can take Scattershot. When using a shotgun, you
an attack meant for an adjacent ally. If the can attack two adjacent targets within 15’ of
attack hits your ally, you take the damage you with a single attack action.
instead. If you have a shield, the ally also Sidestep (requires AGI 8+). When charged
benefits from your shield’s defense bonus. by an attacker, you casually step aside, causing
Quickstand (requires AGI 6+, martial him to rush past you. If the attacker’s attack
arts skill). Once per turn you can stand misses, he continues onwards in a straight
immediately from prone as a free action or line to the extent of his movement, unless
reaction and you are immune to the Downed something blocks his way. If he collides with a
condition. solid object, he takes 1d6 blunt damage.

54
 Spinning kick (requires AGI 8+, martial
arts skill). A quick turn and your foot
lashes out to strike your opponent. This
attack is a free action. You do your normal
unarmed damage.
Spray. When using a weapon with the auto
trait you may spend all your actions to spray
a 30’ cone, making one attack against every
target not in cover within the cone. Make
one attack roll and apply it to the RANGED
DEFENSE of all within that area.
Strafe. When using a weapon with the auto
trait you may, as a single action, spray an
area 15’ x 15’ with fire. Everyone in that area
takes 1d6 damage of the appropriate type.
This is the only attack you can make with this
weapon this turn.
System override. You remotely access
another ship’s control computer, and briefly
take a system offline with a LOG vs E-DEFENCE
attack. One shield facing, or one weapon,
can be deactivated until the beginning of the
target ship’s next turn, at which point it is
automatically reactivated. Trip (requires AGI 6+). When you use a
Called Shot to knock a target prone, you do
Systems upgrade (requires Android). not have to pay the 2d6; additionally, the
Choose one of the Android's modification target gains the Downed condition (making it
exploits, such as Wheels, Armor, or Compute. unable to stand until that condition has been
You gain that exploit.
shaken off). You still do your normal attack
Target engines (requires gunnery skill). damage. Additionally, if you are a smaller size
You can choose to target an enemy ship’s category than your target, you gain +1d6 to
engines by paying 2d6. Attacks to the engines your attack.
directly reduce their power output instead of
Utilikit (requires LOG 7+; engineering
damaging superstructure (and consequently
skill). You are able to turn one device into
affect the ship’s speed or FTL capability).
another device of equal value or lower. For
Taunt (requires CHA 8+). You taunt your example, you can modulate your scanner to
target, enraging it, and make a CHA vs. use as a phaser, or enable your laser knife
»1.Future Careers
Mental Defense attack. If successful, the to operate as a lock pick. The device only
target focuses all its attacks on you until the functions in this way for a single action before
start of your next turn. becoming permanently useless. It takes 10
Throw (requires STR or AGI 7+; trip or minutes to make the change.
knockdown). When you use a Called Shot to Warp maneuver (requires LOG 8+;
knock a target prone, you also move the target engineering skill, piloting skill). A very
two squares and do your unarmed damage. dangerous maneuver, you use your ship’s
Torpedo spread (requires gunnery skill). FTL capability to reposition your ship on the
Multiple torpedoes can be fired in a spread battlemap. You can move to any location to
which affects a wide area of effect. For each which you have direct line-of-sight, but your
1d6 paid, one hex within range is affected; all resultant facing is randomized (roll 1d6). This
affected hexes automatically do 1d6 damage takes your ship’s FTL engines offline, and they
of the appropriate type to any vessels in them. require an hour to repair.

55
 Whirlwind frenzy (requires AGI 6+). » Age
You attack all adjacent targets, but only do
Your age is determined by the total of your
1d6 damage to each. You must still make
character’s years in each career. Age falls into
an attack roll against each target. Any
three broad bands – young, adult, and old.
targets you hit are pushed back one square, Consult the table below to find out which band
clearing a space around you. you fall into, based on your species.
Wingover (requires AGI 5+; piloting If you are young or old, choose any
skill). To perform the maneuver, the pilot synonym for that word and insert it into your
must make an AGI (piloting) check with a descriptor. It’s up to you what adjective you
difficulty of 10 + the ship's current speed. If choose. If you are adult, you do not need
successful, the maneuver is performed and to add it to your descriptor. Some example
the ship takes 1 SS damage; if unsuccessful, synonyms are listed below, but you should feel
the maneuver is not performed, and the free to create your own.
ship takes 1d6 SS damage (although this Adding years. Players may always add
cannot reduce it to below 1 SS) extra years to their age at character creation

Aging In The Future? or neurological limit was discovered;

It is reasonable to ask why a science- perhaps society has some kind of
fiction future contains aging or, indeed, economic, legal, or moral barrier to
artificially extended life; or perhaps it
death by natural causes. Life-expectancy
simply wasn’t as easy to keep really old
would surely be increased dramatically due
folks alive as we thought it would be.
to medical advancements, surgery, anti-
ageing drugs or procedures, and a host of Characters reach venerable age and
high-concept ideas like personality uploads, then simply continue like that until they
trans-humanism and the like. die from non-natural causes. General
medical care ensures that they retain
On the other hand, popular sci-fi
a perfectly decent quality of life and
franchises like Star Trek and Star Wars
remain active.
manage perfectly well without ascribing
immortality to the human race. Characters age as normal, but make use
of anti-ageing drugs and other procedures
The approach of a future-based WOIN game to reverse the effects of ageing; in this
is that this is a setting-dependent decision setting, their ‘age’ could go down as well
rather than one baked into the core rules. as up. While they can continue to afford
You’ll note that the age-exploits list does the drugs, they may be able to hold
not include any penalties (either physical themselves at a young or adult age, but
or mental). N.E.W. allows you to develop when the money starts to run dry perhaps
interesting traits based on your stage of they start to get noticeably older. In a
life, but does not impose limitations on universe like this, the old-looking people
older characters. The GM will need to are the poor people and the rich live
decide whether any particular physical thousands of years.
transformation takes place as a character You’ll notice that one of the core species,
ages, and, indeed, whether a character the Android, does not age at all. Perhaps
dies after becoming venerable or simply Androids used to be people in your
continues in that age category forever setting, and they upload their neural
(barring an “accidental” blaster discharge configurations to artificial bodies as their
to the face). natural bodies start to wear down.
Below are some options. Some species may just be incredibly long
Characters age as normal; humans may lived, immortal, or posses regenerative
live a little longer than they did in the abilities.
early 21st century, but not drastically so. In the long run, it is up to the GM how
56 Perhaps an unavoidable psychological aging works in the campaign.
or during downtime with no corresponding Old. Once per day, when rolling a dice
advancement. This allows players to pool, you may declare it to be a careful dice
play older characters without unduly high pool. This allows you to roll the dice pool
attributes. NPCs may similarly have years twice, taking the highest result. You can
added. In cinematic mode (see p.60), adult declare this after the original roll.
characters gain an additional LUC die, Old characters can no longer improve
and old characters gain a further LUC die,
physical attributes (STR, AGI, END) through
representing experience.
career advances or experience expenditure,
Young Characters although they may do so via other means
(magic, cybernetics, etc.) Ogrons are an
Young characters are characterized
exception to this, and may continue to gain
by curiosity and brashness. You gain the
STRENGTH as long as they live. Ancient
following exploit. You lose the exploit when
Ogrons can be very formidable!
you are no longer categorized as young.
Example synonyms: old, elderly, mature,
Young. Once per day, when rolling a dice
venerable, aged, aging, hoary.
pool, you may declare it to be an exploding dice
pool. Any 6s that you roll may be rolled again, Age Categories By Species
the new roll adding to the existing 6. If you roll The following table lists age categories
a 6 again, repeat, until you roll less than a 6. according to species.
Example synonyms: young, youthful,
adolescent, childish, teenaged, juvenile. N.E.W. Species Young Adult Old
Human 1-25 26-59 60+
Old Characters
Android - - -
Old characters are characterized by
Borian 1-89 90-209 210+
experience. You gain the following exploit.
Felan 1-11 12-39 40+
Ogron 1-19 20-39 40+
Venetian 1-189 190-549 550+
Spartan 1-30 31-69 70+

» Trait
A character’s trait is a dominant
characteristic based on his attributes.
It provides an ability or quality related
to either his highest or lowest attribute.
Traits include things like rugged, massive,
alcoholic, inspiring, and so on. If someone »1.Future Careers
were to describe your character, this is the
first word they’d use - “Sasha? You mean
that reckless pirate?” or “Gorrat is quite the
illiterate Ogron”.
Choose either your highest or lowest
attribute (both will give you an advantage;
choosing the lowest doesn’t give you a
disadvantage – for example, a low WIL allows
you to choose alcoholic, which gives you a
bonus SOAK score when intoxicated). Choose
a corresponding trait (or roll for it if you
prefer a little randomness).

57
 Attribute Highest Attribute Lowest Attribute

STR [1-2] Massive, [3-4] athletic, [5-6] brawny [1-3] Feeble, [4-6] tottering
[1-2] Nimble, [3-4] deadeye, [5-6]
AGI [1-3] Clumsy, [4-6] lame
ambidextrous
END [1-3] Rugged, [4-6] tough-as-nails [1-3] Coughing, [4-6] asthmatic/anemic

INT [1-3] Empathic, [4-6] alert [1-3] Naive, [4-6] distracted

LOG [1-3] Brilliant, [4-6] erudite [1-3] Illiterate, [4-6] forgetful

WIL [1-3] Stoic, [4-6] unflappable [1-2] Alcoholic, [3-4] reckless, [5-6] spendthrift
[1-2] Commanding, [3] inspiring, [4] suave, [1-2] Unwashed, [3-4] disfigured, [5-6]
CHA
[5-6] persuasive obnoxious
[1-2] Egotistical, [3-4] well-known, [5-6]
REP
flamboyant
Your trait forms part of your descriptor. Commanding. You have presence, and
Alcoholic. You are usually drunk. While people listen to you. By spending two actions
this can impair your judgment, it also enables (a full turn) you can give an ally within earshot
you to shrug off injury. You gain +2 SOAK when an immediate single free action.
intoxicated. Coughing. Your constant coughing elicits
Alert. Constantly aware of your sympathy from onlookers who are hesitant
surroundings, you gain +1d6 to INT perception to attack an obviously ill person, and even if
checks, and you always win INITIATIVE ties. they do they underestimate you. You gain a
+4 DEFENSE bonus against anyone you have
Ambidextrous. You do not suffer the usual not yet attacked.
-2d6 penalty to attacks made while dual-
Deadeye. Once per day you automatically
wielding a double weapon or a secondary off-
hit with a ranged shot within two range
hand weapon.
increments as long as you do not exchange
Asthmatic/anemic. Your poor health any attack dice for damage dice or combine
often prevents you from undertaking it with another exploit.
extended physical exertion. However, you
Disfigured. Your appearance is
have developed coping strategies which
memorable. However, it serves to instill fear
enable you to recover quickly from hardship.
when you need it to. You gain a +1d6 bonus
Once per day you may use one action to
to intimidation attempts.
gather your strength and determinedly
recover 1d6 HEALTH. Distracted. Your attention is always
somewhere else and can be a cause
Athletic. Brawny and strong, you are able
of frustration for others. However, a
to plough through difficult terrain. Difficult
nonsequiter can sometimes prove useful;
terrain does not reduce your speed.
once per day, as an ally is making an
Brawny. You gain a +40lb carrying capacity. attribute check, you can make a completely
Brilliant. Your mind is honed, sharp, and random comment which jogs their memory
analytical. Once per day you may replace any and grants them a +2d6 bonus to the check.
other attribute check with a LOG check. Egotistical. You have a very high opinion
Clumsy. You often stumble or drop items. You of yourself, which manifests itself as
are so used to falling that you take less damage extreme confidence and surety. You gain a +4
than most from a fall. Reduce the height fallen MENTAL DEFENSE bonus. Unfortunately, you
by 10’ when calculating falling damage. sometimes ask “don’t you know who I am?”

58
 Empathic. You are able to easily
understand how others feel. Once per day as
an action you can attempt to adjust another’s
mood with a CHA vs. MENTAL DEFENSE check.
If you succeed, they gain either the Angry
or Manic condition. You must be able to
converse with your target to do this.
Erudite. You remember a vast catalog of
knowledge. At any time you may make a LOG
check in place of any CHA check to interact with
someone by recalling a piece of trivia of interest
to them, although only once per target.
Feeble. You are physically weak and frail,
which has taught you the value of brains over
brawn. Once per day you may use an LOG
check in place of a STR check and accomplish
your goal through cunning and ingenuity.
Flamboyant. Your style and flair make
you both noticeable and memorable. You
can distract with ease, gaining a bonus +1d6
when using the Feint exploit.
Forgetful. You constantly forget and
misplace things; often they are still about
your person. Once per day, as an action, you
may produce an item you didn’t know you
were carrying. The item can be any type of
item, can have a value in credits up to the
result of your LUC check and be something
you would have had reasonable access to
without use of theft or subterfuge.
Illiterate. You cannot read. Instead, you
have learned to memorize common words
which you need to recognize often. You have
a fantastic memory and can automatically
recall information you have been exposed to.

»1.Future Careers
Inspiring. You are able to instill positive
emotions in people with your words, using an
action to give one ally a +1d6 bonus to their
next attribute check if they are within 30’
feet of you.
Lame. You have a limp, and move slowly,
possibly with a cane. This causes people
to underestimate you, granting you a +1d6
bonus to INITIATIVE checks.
Massive. You are enormous and solid.
You are immune to knockdown and
knockback effects by anything of your size
category or smaller.

59
 Naive. Naivete can be an endearing trait Stoic. You are able to hide pain and
in some; it can also act as an insulation. Once discomfort. Once per day, when you would
per day you may completely ignore a fear- normally be reduced to zero HEALTH, you are
based effect or condition. reduced to 1 HEALTH instead.
Nimble. You gain a climb speed equal to Suave. Once per day a CHA vs. MENTAL
your regular SPEED. DEFENSE attack can be used to give a target
Obnoxious. Your personality really repels the Charmed condition.
people. You are an expert at insults, and can Tottering. You find it a struggle to stand
use an action to make a LOG vs. WIL check to and require the use of a wheelchair which
enrage and distract others, causing them to gives you a +1 SPEED bonus on normal
gain the Angry condition. As usual, repeated terrain.
use increases the severity of the condition.
Tough-as-nails. You gain a +2 natural
Persuasive. You are adept at negotiating
SOAK bonus which stacks with any other SOAK
with others. When you purchase anything
scores you may have.
under 1 MCr in value, you are able to save
3d6 percent. Unflappable. You are not easily distracted
or surprised. The Feint exploit does not work
Reckless. Your poor judgment often lands
you in trouble, but it leads to a certain on you.
confidence. If you completely ignore cover, Unwashed. Your unkempt appearance
you gain a +1d6 attack bonus as long as you causes others to overlook you. You can hide in
are not using a shield. plain sight using INT in place of AGI.
Rugged. You are tough and shrug off Well-known. You are famous; people
hardships. Once per day you can spend two recognize you, for good or ill. You have
actions (a full turn) to recover to half your learned to use this reputation. Once per day
normal maximum HEALTH. you may substitute your REP attribute for
Spendthrift. You lack self-discipline and any mental attribute in order to make an
spend your money on trivialities and things attribute check.
you don’t need. This can have its advantages, Your trait should be noted on your
however; once per day as an action you can character sheet as part of the descriptor. For
pull a small item from your pocket that you example:
forgot you’d bought, retroactively spending
up to the value of your LUC check in credits. Gorrat is an illiterate Ogron marine who....

60
 »Derived Statistics

D
erived statistics are values which are The actual attribute scores are not
calculated based on existing statistics. needed during play; you need only refer to
You’ll need to calculate each of the the dice pools. The attribute scores are
derived statistics in the section below, and used during character creation to provide
record them on your character sheet. All an expanding granular scale to attribute
derived statistics increase or decrease if their development.
underlying statistics change through character
advancement or for other reasons. › HEALTH
Skills & Derived Statistics Health is a mixture of physical and
HEALTH hardy mental stamina. Roll an END dice pool, a
SPEED running, climbing, swimming WIL dice pool. If you have the hardy skill,
CARRY carrying you may roll that also. Record the total as
INITIATIVE tactics, reactions
your HEALTH. If the total is less than 10,
»1.Future Careers
acrobatics, dodging,
DEFENSE then increase your HEALTH to 10. When you
foresight, [melee skills]
concentration, meditation, are hit, you take damage; when you reach 0
bravery, discipline, religion, HEALTH you are unconscious.
MENTAL DEFENSE
conviction, leadership,
psychology, rulership › SPEED
For each attribute and each skill, record You need to determine your regular
the derived dice pool on your character sheet. SPEED, and your CLIMB speed. Note that
These are noted on the character worksheet this process also applies to SWIM and other
for convenience. They are as follows: forms of movement.
Dice Pools Your SPEED is equal to the size of your
STR dice pool plus your AGI dice pool. You
1-2 3-5 6-9 10-14 15-20 21-27
may also add your running dice pool if you
1d6 2d6 3d6 4d6 5d6 6d6 have that skill.

61
Cinematic Mode › CARRY
Combat in WOIN is a quite deadly affair, especially Your basic carry increment is equal to STR
if you are accustomed to heroic fantasy games. Often + END multiplied by 10. Record the value in
an advanced character can be downed by just one or pounds. If you have the carry skill, you may
two shots. add this (the raw value, not the dice pool)
For a more heroic feel, the GM can opt to use before the multiplier.
Cinematic Mode. In Cinematic Mode, characters and Each carry increment inflicts a -1d6 penalty
creatures also roll a LUC dice pool when calculating to physical attribute checks and -1 to SPEED.
their total HEALTH. Lucky characters can be very
resilient, though not necessarily deliberately so! › INITIATIVE
In cinematic mode, adult characters also gain an Initiative measures how quickly you can
additional LUC die, and old characters gain a further react in combat situations. It is equal to
LUC die, representing experience. your INT dice pool. You may also add tactics
or reactions dice pools (in starship combat,
Additionally, when in cinematic mode, you
starship tactics is used instead).
ignore the skill requirement for using higher quality
equipment; anybody can benefit from superior gear. › DEFENSE
Cinematic Mode may be especially appropriate to
You have four DEFENSE scores - MELEE
space opera or science fantasy settings.
DEFENSE, RANGED DEFENSE, MENTAL DEFENSE,
and VITAL DEFENSE. All four scores have a
For climbing, swimming, zero-g, and high-g minimum value of 10.
replace the running skill and halve the final These scores are pre-calculated dice pools;
total unless a career tells you otherwise. You because they are used frequently, the average
only need to note these if you have the skill – value is used and noted on your character sheet.
otherwise, it will work out to half your SPEED For each score, form a dice pool consisting of
(without the running bonus). attribute, skill, and equipment, as normal (and
Small (or smaller) characters suffer a -1 subject to the normal dice pool limit). Use the
penalty to SPEED. Note that this is the same following elements to form the dice pool:
penalty inflicted by the Small exploit granted Attribute (use one)
by races like Borians. You do not need to For MELEE DEFENSE use the highest of your
apply it twice. STR and AGI.
› JUMP For RANGED DEFENSE use your AGI.
This is the distance and height you may For MENTAL DEFENSE use the highest of WIL
jump automatically without making any kind and CHA
of attribute check. It should be recorded For VITAL DEFENSE use your END.
on your character sheet in units of feet, not
squares (unlike SPEED) in the format 7’/4’. Skill (use one)
These values assume a 10’ run-up. From a For MELEE and RANGED DEFENSE, you may
standing start, they are halved. use acrobatics, dodging, or foresight.
Your horizontal jump is equal to twice your For MENTAL DEFENSE you may use
AGI attribute in feet. concentration or meditation.
Your vertical jump is equal to your STR For VITAL DEFENSE you may use fortitude or
attribute in feet, but cannot exceed your resistance.
horizontal jump. Skill with a melee weapon or unarmed
Jumps exceeding these figures require combat applies to MELEE DEFENSE, but not
attribute checks equal to the number of ranged attacks.
feet jumped horizontally or three times the If you double-move in a round, you may use
number of feet jumped vertically. running for DEFENSE for that round only.

62
Equipment (use one) The DEFENSE penalty from armor is reduced
For MELEE DEFENSE, the quality of your by the number of dice you have in that armor
skill. For example, a character with 3 ranks
weapon or shield can be used in your dice
(2d6) in heavy amor reduces the heavy amor
pool (although you cannot benefit from
penalty by 2.
more equipment quality dice than skill
dice; see the section on dice pools, later in Small shield +1
this book). Medium shield +2
For RANGED DEFENSE, the quality of Large shield +3
your shield can be used (again, you cannot Light armor +0
benefit from more equipment quality dice Medium armor -2
than skill dice). Heavy armor -4
Having formed your DEFENSE and MENTAL Note that you can only benefit from one
DEFENSE dice pool(s), consult the following shield bonus, and you cannot benefit from a
table to determine the corresponding static shield bonus while in cover.
score. This is an average roll of the dice
pool, and is used to speed up play (you could, » Careers & Defensive
theoretically, roll it as an opposed check each
Skills
time). The value below is the size of your
dice pool multiplied by an average roll of 3.5, As noted earlier, any time you take a career
rounded up. Remember that the dice pool skill you may take a DEFENSE skill instead.
itself is capped by your grade, so for a starting These aren’t specifically called out in the
grade 5 character, the maximum dice pool is careers, but all DEFENSE skills are always
5d6, resulting in a score of 18. Adjustments available to all careers.
for size, etc., are applied after the cap. The following skills (remember anything
can be a skill - feel free to invent your own!)
POOL 1d6 2d6 3d6 4d6 5d6 6d6 7d6 8d6 9d6 are defensive skills:
DEF. 4 7 11 14 18 21 25 28 32

Adjust the final score according to your

SIZE. Note that this is the same bonus
granted by the Small and Large exploits
granted by races like Borians and Ogrons.
You do not need to apply it twice. Note
that size modifiers do NOT apply to MENTAL
DEFENSE.

Tiny Small Medium Large Enormous Gigantic Colossal

»1.Future Careers

+4 +2 +0 -4 -8 -16 -32

The minimum value is 10.

Finally, adjust MELEE and RANGED DEFENSE
for shields and armor.
Small shields give +1, medium shields +2,
and large shields +3.
Medium armor inflicts a -2 penalty, and
heavy armor a -4 penalty. Light armor inflicts
no penalty.

63
 MELEE/ The damage value, range, and any notes
MENTAL are found in the weapon’s entry in the
RANGED
DEFENSE Equipment chapter.
DEFENSE
concentration, meditation, Unarmed damage is 1d6 plus the number
Acrobatics
bravery, discipline, religion, of dice in your STRENGTH dice pool for size
Dodging Medium and smaller creatures, plus 1d6
conviction, leadership,
Foresight psychology, rulership for each size category above Medium. For
example, a medium sized Venetian with STR
Additionally melee skills like boxing, or 4 does 1d6+2 unarmed damage, and a large
swords (if armed with a sword) apply to Ogron with STR 10 does 2d6+4 unarmed
DEFENSE against melee attacks (as does damage. Note that Felans do 2d6 slashing
weapon quality), but not against ranged damage with their claws.
attacks.
You need to train DEFENSE; otherwise Size Unarmed Damage
you will get hit a lot. It’s as important as
training in weapons. You should aim to Small - Medium 1d6
get your DEFENSE pool to at least 4d6 if Large (or Felan) 2d6
possible.
Enormous 3d6
Starting Money
Roll your total CREDITS in d6s based
on your REP dice pool and multiply this by » Useful Character
20. You may also add your LUC dice pool Creation Tables
before the multiplication. If the final total
is less than 100cr, increase your starting Skill Ranks Skill Level Dice Pool
money to 100cr. You should now peruse the
Equipment chapter and purchase weapons, 1 Proficient 1d6
armor, and other equipment for your
character. Record this on your character 3 Skilled 2d6
sheet.

Attacks 6 Expert 3d6

Finally, note down your attacks. You 10 Mastery 4d6

should have two or three, depending on
your equipment. The first is an unarmed 15 Authority 5d6
attack (brawling, boxing, wrestling,
martial arts, depending on skills) and the
others might be a melee and a ranged Career Grades Experience
weapon.
1 Novice/Rookie
An attack is recorded in this format:
Laser pistol 3d6 (2d6+2 heat damage; 2 Practised
range 12; notes)
The first value (3d6 in the example) 3 Experienced
is your attack roll. This is a dice pool
formed as normal from attribute + skill + 4 Seasoned
equipment.
5 Veteran
Melee attacks use STR or AGI.
Ranged attacks use AGI or INT. 6 Doyen

64
 »Psionics

L
ike all exploits, psionic exploits are PSI vs. RANGED, MELEE, or MENTAL DEFENSE
available to anybody who qualifies for attack is always required.
them. Skills. Exploits are divided into categories
Some psionic careers offer a number of (biopsionics, clairsentience, clairvoyance,
psionic exploits in the form of career exploits. ergokinesis, metapsionics, telekinesis,
In some cases, these same exploits are also telepathy, and teleportation), each of which
available below as universal exploits; in is a psionic skill which can be learned and
other cases they are unique to that career or applied to dice pools as normal.
superior to the universal version. This allows
Cost. The cost in psionic energy points
GMs to exclude psionics as a whole if they
wish, while retaining the powers associated (PP) to use a power is equal to the PSI
with specific careers – especially where score prerequisite. Thus, if a power has a
the psionic powers in a setting are strongly prerequisite of PSI 6, it also costs 6 PP to use.
flavoured and narrowly focused. It also Boosting. Psionic exploits are often more
enables certain careers to gain certain psionic powerful the more psionic energy points

»1.Future Careers
abilities without having to meet the same (PP) you use. Many powers indicate that
prerequisites that those accessing them via numerical elements such as range or damage
universal exploits do. are dependent on the amount of power used.
Psionic flavor comes in many forms. You cannot spend more psionic energy points
Whether it’s a mental discipline, a wild talent, per turn than the value of your PSI attribute.
a galaxy-spanning force, or powers granted A character with a PSI attribute of 10 cannot
by microscopic symbiotic organisms, the GM spend more than 10 PP per turn.
will need to make certain overall decisions Maintenance. Powers which last until your
regarding the presence of psionics in the game. next turn can be maintained continuously by
Checks and attacks. Most psionic powers spending an action each round. If the power
operate automatically, with no attribute check required an attack roll, then this must be
being required. However, if a psionic power made each round unless otherwise stated.
affects an unwilling target or creature, a The power cost must be paid every round.

65
 Power. Roll your PSI dice pool and your one day per PP. You may ask it a single
WIL dice pool and add the two together. You question, which it will answer to the best
have a pool of psionic energy points (PP) of its knowledge.
equal to this roll. If your PSI or WIL dice Precognition (requires PSI 4). Your
pools increase, roll the extra die and add it natural precognition gives you a +1d6 per
to your pool. Once a day you may meditate 4 PP bonus to INITIATIVE checks as well as
to recover PP equal to a WIL check. checks to access the ambush turn. This does
The following exploits are universal not cost an action, and the PP are spent
exploits and require a single action to use when the INITIATIVE check is made.
unless otherwise noted. Retrocognition (requires PSI 12). You
› Biopsionics can see into the past up to 1 day per PP
until your next turn. Your view is of your
Adrenal dash (requires PSI 4). You use current location as though you were there
psionic energy to gain a burst of speed, at the time.
dashing up to twice your SPEED.
Adrenalize (requires PSI 4). You can › Clairvoyance
channel positive energy into somebody, Clairaudience (requires INT 4, PSI 4).
granting them a +1d6 die bonus per 4 PP You can hear a location you have seen
to all physical attribute checks for one before until your next turn. You hear it as
minute. This process is draining, however, though you were physically present
and causes you 1d6 psionic damage for each
Clairvoyance (requires INT 6, PSI 6).
1d6 bonus you grant.
You can see and hear a location you have
Biofeedback (requires PSI 4). You seen before until your next turn. You see it
psychically harden your skin, gaining as though you were physically present, and
natural SOAK 1 +1 per PP until your next do not gain additional sight powers (so if it
turn. is dark there, you do not gain darksight).
Psychic healing (requires PSI 6). You
can heal 1d6 per 6 PP HEALTH by touch. › Ergokinesis
Any given creature can only benefit from Cryokinesis (requires PSI 6). You freeze
this power once per day. a creature or object you can touch, doing
Psychic leap (requires AGI 6, PSI 6). You 1d6 per 2 PP cold damage. Water freezes
channel your psionic energy into a mighty solid, and any fire is extinguished.
leap into the air. You leap up to 3’ per PP Cryrokinetic blast (requires END 6, PSI
vertically and up to 5’ per PSI horizontally. 6; Cryokinesis). You blast an opponent with
Psychic resuscitation (requires PSI 6). a range increment of 10’ with an icy cold
You may stabilize a dying creature by touch wind. Make a PSI vs. DEFENSE attack; if you
by spending two actions. succeed, you do 1d6 per 2 PP cold damage.
Electrokinetic blast (requires INT
› Clairsentience
6, PSI 6). You blast an opponent with a
Hypercognition (requires PSI 8). When range increment of 10’ with a bolt of
you use this power, everything appears to focused electricity. Make a PSI vs. DEFENSE
slow down for you. For 1 round per 4 PP, attack; if you succeed, you do 1d6 per 2 PP
you gain an extra action each round. Using electricity damage.
this power is a free action.
Electrokinetic fork (requires PSI 10). You
Necrophony (requires CHA 6, PSI 10). let loose a 5’ per 2 PP cone of crackling, forked
You are able to ask questions of a dead electricity. Make a PSI vs. DEFENSE attack against
creature. You must be able to touch the each creature in the area; if you succeed, you do
corpse, and it must have died within 1d6 per 5 PP electricity damage.

66
 Pyrokinestic burst (requires END 8,
PSI 12). You let loose a burst of fire in all
directions. Any creature or object within 5’ per
4 PP of you takes 1d6 heat damage per 6 PP.
Pyrokinetic blast (requires AGI 6, PSI
6). You blast an opponent with a range
increment of 10’ with a cascade of fire.
Make a PSI vs. DEFENSE attack; if you
succeed, you do 1d6 per 2 PP fire damage.

› Metapsionics
Cannibilize (requires END 6). You are
able to recover psionic energy by drawing
from your body’s other energy reserves.
Choose any number of d6s and roll them;
you gain that much psionic energy, but take
the same amount of damage.
Fast recovery. You recover twice as
much psionic energy during your daily
meditation. This acts as a trait and simply
modifies your psionic recovery with no
action required.
Mind shield (requires WIL 6, PSI 6). You
shield your mind from psionic intrusion,
gaining 4 MENTAL DEFENSE +1 per 5 PP until
your next turn.
Sense psionics (requires PSI 2). You can
sense the presence of psionics within 20’
+5’ per 2 PP of you.
Shield other (requires WIL 8, PSI 8; Psychokinesis (requires PSI 9;
Mind Shield). You shield another’s mind Telekinesis). Your telekinetic control is so
within 10’ of you, granting them +8 MENTAL refined that you can effectively take any
DEFENSE +1 per 4 PP until your next turn. action or make any attribute check that
you would normally be able to do were you
Suppression. You are able to weaken
standing next to the target from a distance
the psionic power of a target you can see.
of 5’ per PP.
Choose any number of PSI points; both yours
»1.Future Careers
and your target’s PSI attribute are reduced by Levitation (requires PSI 8; Telekinesis).
that amount until your next turn if you make You telekinetically lift yourself off the
a successful PSI vs. MENTAL DEFENSE attack. ground until your next turn. You can only
move directly up and down, and may do so
Mind fortress (requires WIL 8, PSI
at a speed of 5’ per 2 PP. If the power fails,
10; Shield Other). As Shield Other, but it
or you do not maintain it, you fall from
affects everyone you choose within 2’ per
whatever height you are currently at.
PP of you. They must remain within that
distance to stay protected. Summon (requires PSI 4). You can
telekinetically call a Small or smaller
› Telekinesis object within 5’ per 2 PP to your hand by
Flight (requires PSI 10, AGI 8; using two actions. If the object is held by
Levitation). As Levitation, but you can also someone else, it will require an opposed PSI
move horizontally. vs. STR check.

67
 Telekinesis (requires PSI 5; Summon). more intuitive creatures will notice you
You can freely telekinetically move and immediately. If you make an attack, the
manipulate single objects of size Small or effect ends immediately. Creatures aware
smaller within 5’ per 1 PP of you. You may of you cannot thereafter be affected by the
only manipulate one such object at a time. perception filter.
Telekinetic shield (requires PSI 4). Psi-blast (requires PSI 4). You can use an
You gain +3 DEFENSE +1 per 4 PP from a action and make a PSI vs. MENTAL DEFENSE
telekinetic shield until your next turn. attack to blast an opponent with a mental
burst which does 1d6 +1d6 per 4 PP psionic
› Telepathy damage and has a range increment of 10’.
Empathy (requires PSI 2). You can Psychic cone (requires PSI 8; Psi-Blast).
automatically sense strong emotions in You project a 5’ per PP cone of psychic
others within 30’. No action is required. energy which causes 1d6 +1d6 per 4 PP
Mind control (requires PSI 16; Psychic psychic damage to all in the area of effect.
Suggestion). You control another being Psychic suggestion (requires PSI 8;
within 5’ per PP until your next turn by Telepathic Message). You can momentarily
making a PSI vs. MENTAL DEFENSE attack. influence the thoughts and actions of
The creature will act as you direct; another creature within 5’ per PP by
however it will not perform an action which making a PSI vs. MENTAL DEFENSE check.
causes it harm. If you spend an action to On a success, the creature will perform one
maintain this control over multiple turns, it action as directed by you; however it will
lasts 1 round per PP. not perform an action which causes it harm.
Mindprobe (requires PSI 12; Mindread). As Telepathic message (requires PSI 4;
Mindread, but you gain access to inner thoughts Empathy). You develop the ability to freely
and secrets. This technique is painful to the send short telepathic messages to other
target, who takes 1d6 psychic damage. intelligent creatures with whom you have
Mindread (requires PSI 10; Empathy). spent time. This is a free action.
This invasive technique enables you to read
another’s mind. Make a PSI vs. MENTAL › Teleportation
DEFENSE attack against a target within 1’ Blink (requires PSI 10, AGI 8; Dimensional
per PP. If you succeed, you are able to read step). As a reaction to an attack, you may
uppermost thoughts until your next turn. instantly teleport up to 10’ to avoid it. This
Mindwipe (requires PSI 14; Psychic grants you a +10 DEFENSE bonus and moves
Suggestion). You are able to erase your you to any location within 10’.
target’s memory as far back as 1 hour per Dimensional step (requires PSI 10). You
PP. Make a PSI vs. MENTAL DEFENSE attack. teleport up to 10’ per 4 PP to a location
Perception filter (requires PSI 5). within sight.
You render yourself hard to notice with Teleport (requires PSI 16; Dimensional
a telepathic effect which causes others Step). You teleport any distance up to 1AU
to simply ignore you. Perception filters to a location you have physically seen. This
work automatically on those with an INT does not include locations seen by remote
attribute of less than your PSI score, while viewing devices.

68
 »Advancement

T
hroughout a campaign, characters will Experience points. The GM awards
advance. They will gain or improve experience points (XP) for overcoming
skills, acquire new exploits, and increase challenges, defeating enemies, and completing
attributes. Characters have two 'currencies' to milestones. These XP can be spent on new
spend on advancement. career grades. The XP cost of a career grade is
equal to 10 times the new grade – deduct the XP
Time. A character can take a new from the character's total when he spends them.
career grade by spending the required time If XP are spent, no time expenditure is needed.

»1.Future Careers
(usually 1d6 years, but the career itself
Advancements are accessed via career
will provide specific information). This
grades, and contextualize any given
type of advancement requires downtime –
improvement.
periods in which a character's activities take
place in the background - and it advances » Defeating Enemies &
a character's age. If time is spent, no XP
expenditure is needed.
Overcoming Challenges
The core advancement assumption is that
Characters can always spend more than the you need to defeat or overcome 10 encounters
minimum time indicated - the indicated time of Medium difficulty to advance to the next
is an optimum adventurer hero progression. grade. The XP requirement for each grade is
Additionally, NPCs may take much longer to equal to ten times the next grade. For a Medium
progress; it is not unusual to see old NPCs with difficulty encounter, characters gain XP equal to
only a few career ranks. their own grade.

69
 The GM evaluates how difficult the » Planning
players found the encounter and awards XP
If the PCs research and plan to the extent
accordingly. Round down when calculating
where they make a supposedly difficult
half grade values.
encounter into easier encounter by virtue of
Difficulty Slow Fast their preparations and forethought, they are
Trivial 0 No XP awarded XP for an encounter level higher
(e.g. an encounter which turned out to be
Half grade Easy because of good planning becomes
Easy 2
(round down) a Medium encounter for the purposes of
Medium 5 Equal to grade XP awards). XP awards for good planning
require GM discretion, and ensures that
Hard 10 Two times grade players are not penalized for thinking their
way around a problem.
Extremely hard 15 Three times grade

GMs are free to set different » Completing Milestones

advancement rates. Changing the speed The GM awards XP for completing major
of character advancement can affect the storyline milestones. Milestones are major
tone of a campaign, and the GM should non-combat challenges or obstacles which
be sure to inform the players before play have required substantial effort on the part
what the campaign's advancement rate of the characters. This award is equal to the
is. To set a different advancement rate, character's existing grade (the same as for
simply increase or decrease the cost of a a Medium encounter). A grade 5 character,
new career grade from 10 XP per grade to a therefore, receives 5 XP for completing a
higher or lower value. milestone. Milestones are fairly arbitrary, but
In cinematic mode, you should use the a good guideline is to include one in every
Fast progression. In standard mode, use session of play.
either Fast or Slow.
» Incremental Advances
Sometimes a character increases just her
STR attribute by working out, or just her
pistols skill at the shooting range. To do this,
the character needs to spend XP. The cost of
the increase is equal to three times the new
score – so an increase from 9 to 10 STR costs 30
XP, while an increase from rank 2 to rank 3 in
pistols costs 9 XP. The XP is deducted from the
character's total XP.
A universal exploit (but not a career
exploit) can be purchased for half the price of
a new grade.
You cannot spend time to make incremental
advances; you must spend XP. Only full career
grades can be purchased with time. Incremental
advances take place in the background at the
same time as regular activity, and are assumed
to have involved current and prior training.
Therefore a character gains the benefit of an
incremental advance immediately upon spending
the XP.

70
Typical point values & advancement cost

Attribute Max Dice

Grade Skill Ranks Exploits XP Cost Total XP*
Points Pool
0 24 3 2 3d6 0 0
1 28 5 3 3d6 10 10
2 32 7 4 3d6 20 30
3 36 9 5 3d6 30 60
4 40 11 6 4d6 40 100
5 44 13 7 5d6 50 150
6 48 15 8 6d6 60 210
7 52 17 9 6d6 70 280
8 56 19 10 7d6 80 360
9 60 21 11 7d6 90 450
10 64 23 12 7d6 100 550
11 68 25 13 8d6 110 660
12 72 27 14 8d6 120 780
13 76 29 15 8d6 130 910
14 80 31 16 8d6 140 1,050
15 84 33 17 9d6 150 1,200
16 88 35 18 9d6 160 1,360
17 92 37 19 9d6 170 1,530
18 96 39 20 9d6 180 1,710
19 100 41 21 9d6 190 1,900
20 104 43 22 10d6 200 2,100
*This is the cumulative total of spent XP to reach this grade

Attribute Advancement Incremental advances are not as cost effective

or Skill Cost as career grades, but they allow for fine-tuning and
granular advancement. Note, however, that a character's
1 3
maximum dice pool is always based on his overall grade,
2 6 so incremental advancements should always be viewed
3 9 as a supplementary advancement method.

»1.Future Careers
4 12
5 15 » Age
6 18 Each character's age should be tracked. Characters
7 21 are categorized as young, adult, or old. For more
information, see the aging rules.
8 24
Once a character reaches old age, their physical
9 27
attributes (STR, AGI, END) can no longer be
10 30 increased by non-supernatural, non-technological
11 33 means. Career advances which would normally
12 36 increase those attributes no longer do so (with the
exception of Ogrons, whose STR can continue to
13 39
increase indefinitely), and incremental increases to
14 42 those attributes can no longer be purchased.

71
 MEET THE CREW OF THE

sTARSHIP MURPHY
For those without the time or inclination to Each of these characters is designed as a
create new characters, or who just want to dive starting Grade 5 character. You may use these
in straight away, this page presents a group of characters as-is, or tweak them to suit you.
pre-generated iconic characters, the crew of the They differ from the versions found in the
starship Murphy, an old Seeker Class V Scout used Starter Kit because they use the full character
as a freighter for smuggling and other missions. creation rules.

» SASHA BOLOTNIKOV A reckless human smuggler who loves playing cards

Medium sentient humanoid Push the limits. Sasha became a pilot as soon as
(grade 5; max dice pool 5d6) she was able to. When piloting a starship, Sasha
increases its maximum FTL speed by 1 factor.
STR 4 (2d6) AGI 7 (3d6) END 5 (2d6)
INT 6 (3d6) LOG 4 (2d6) WIL 3 (2d6) Fence. Piloting eventually led to smuggling.
CHA 6 (3d6) LUC 9 (3d6) REP 4 (2d6) Sasha can sell items for 75% of their value
instead of 50% when in an urban environment.
HEALTH 16
MELEE DEFENSE 14; RANGED DEFENSE 14; Shiv. Sasha's smuggling career was interrupted
MENTAL DEFENSE 11; VITAL DEFENSE 10 by a spell in prison on Ganymede. Practiced at
SOAK 4 (leather vest); VULN - improvising weapons from her time in prison,
Sasha is always considered to be carrying a
INITIATIVE 3d6 ― PERCEPTION 3d6
knife or a club, even when unarmed, and can
SPEED 6; CLIMB 3; JUMP 14'/4'; CARRY 90lb
use her brawling skill to attack with it.
ACTIONS 2 ― NATURAL DAMAGE 1d6+2
Seat of your pants. Out
Brawling 4d6 (1d6+2 blunt damage) of prison, back to the
Laser pistol 4d6 (1d6+4 damage; range 10) smuggling life she loved.
Smugglers rely a lot on
Skills piloting 3 (2d6), astrogation 1 (1d6),
old-fashioned luck and
pistols 2 (1d6), starship tactics 1 (1d6),
bravado. Sasha can
carousing 1 (1d6), running 1 (1d6), climbing 1
recharge her LUCK pool
(1d6), dodging 2 (1d6), brawling 1 (1d6),
an extra time per day.
Gear leather vest, laser pistol, hand scanner, 100cr
The cigar-smoking Sasha
Explorer. Sasha gains 5 XP every time he sets Bolotnikov is the leader of
foot on a new planet. the group and captain of the Murphy.
Reckless. Sasha gains +1d6 to ranged attacks as A Russian smuggler, she spent time
long as she has no cover or shield. in prison on Ganymede after being
Aim. Sasha gains +1d6 to a subsequent ranged caught transporting illegal spices.
attack in the same turn by spending an action Upon release from prison, she
aiming. immediately dove right back
Dive for cover. When a ranged attack misses into her former career. Cool as a
Sasha, she can automatically move up to 15' to cucumber, Sasha is known for her
cover or to a prone position. luck at cards.
Stargazer. Growing up as an itinerant traveller, Careers. Traveller, Pilot,
Sasha can identify which star system she is in Smuggler, Prisoner, Smuggler.
simply by looking at the sky. Age 29.

72
» GORRAT An illiterate Ogron star marine who loves to watch sports

Large sentient humanoid Aim. Gorrat gains +1d6

(grade 5; max dice pool 5d6) to a subsequent ranged
attack in the same turn
STR 9 (3d6) AGI 6 (3d6) END 9 (3d6) by spending an action
INT 5 (2d6) LOG 5 (2d6) WIL 7 (3d6) aiming.
CHA 7 (3d6) LUC 6 (3d6) REP 2 (1d6)
Urchin. Gorrat grew
HEALTH 28 up on the streets of
MELEE DEFENSE 10; RANGED DEFENSE 10; his home city, and is
MENTAL DEFENSE 15; VITAL DEFENSE 11 very familiar with urban
SOAK 8 (battlesuit) or 2 (street tough); VULN - backgrounds, able to blend in
INITIATIVE 3d6 ― PERCEPTION 2d6 easily. With a one-hour period
SPEED 8; CLIMB 4; JUMP 12'/9' in a new city, he is able to
CARRY 300lb name local crime figures.

ACTIONS 2 ― NATURAL DAMAGE 2d6+3 Street tough. Life on the

Brawling 4d6 (2d6+3 blunt damage) streets is tough, and Gorrat
Antimatter rifle 5d6 (2d6+2 heat damage; became a thug. Gorrat has a
range 20) natural +2 SOAK when not in
armor.
Skills intimidate 2 (1d6), rifles 3 (2d6), tactics
Basic training. Eventually Gorrat joined the
1 (1d6), computers 1 (1d6), law 1 (1d6), hardy
military and attended the Academy. Gorrat
2 (1d6), running 1 (1d6), carrying 2 (1d6),
gained all of the following skills at 1 rank
brawling 2 (1d6), survival 2( 1d6)
(1d6); this does not increase an existing skill
Gear Trans Sun FC33 Fireswarm Antimatter beyond 1 rank: tactics; computers; law;
Gun, basic battlesuit, 100cr survival.
Dull-witted. Although slow-witted, Ogron Quick naps. On his first marine tour, Gorrat
minds are hard to penetrate. They gain a +4 learned to manage with little sleep. As long as
bonus to MENTAL DEFENSE (factored, above). he gets 4 hours, he counts as fully rested.
Smelly. No matter what they do, Ogrons smell Get on with it. Gorrat's platoon didn't have
bad. They take a permanent -1d6 penalty to much patience for whining about minor
any attempts at stealth. injuries. Once per day he can pause for two
actions and recover 2d6 HEALTH.
Brawny. Ogrons increase their carrying
capacity by 50% (factored, above). If Sasha is the Murphy's heart, Gorrat the

»1.Future Careers
enormous Ogron marine is its muscle. Nearly 7
Stronger with age. Unlike most species,
feet tall, clad in a heavy, somewhat battered
Ogrons can continue to increase their STR
battlesuit with exposed circuitry and jury-
attribute into old age. Ancient Ogrons are
rigged patches, and carrying his favorite
often incredibly strong. antimatter rifle, Gorrat is always spoiling for a
Illiterate. Gorrat cannot read. Instead, he has fight. He is slow on the uptake, never learned
learned to memorize common words which he to read, and relies on the others to do most
needs to recognize often. He automatically of his thinking for him. He does, however,
recalls information he has been exposed to. somehow absorb a lot of random sports trivia.
Feint. Gorrat gets a +1d6 bonus to a melee Gorrat is fundamentally good-natured, and has
a big heart.
attack roll taken in the same turn. The attack
action must come immediately after the Careers. Orphan, Street Thug, Academy,
feinting action. Marine, Marine. Age 26.

73
 » ASHONN A young disfigured Venetian star knight who believes in fairytales

Medium sentient humanoid filter. Activating the perception filter costs

(grade 5; max dice pool 5d6) Ashonn 5 PSI points per turn.
Disfigured. Ashonn's scarred face gives him a
STR 3 (2d6) AGI 8 (3d6) END 4 (2d6) +1d6 bonus to intimidation.
INT 8 (3d6) LOG 6 (3d6) WIL 7 (3d6)
CHA 3 (2d6) LUC 2 (1d6) REP 0 (0d6), PSI 7 (3d6) Young. Once per day, when rolling a dice pool,
Ashonn may declare it to be an exploding dice
PSI POINTS 30 ― HEALTH 20 pool. Any 6s that he rolls may be rolled again, the
MELEE DEFENSE 18; RANGED DEFENSE 18; new roll adding to the existing 6. If he rolls a 6
MENTAL DEFENSE 14; VITAL DEFENSE 10 again, repeat, until he rolls less than a 6.
SOAK -; VULN - Feint. Ashon gains +1d6 to a subsequent melee
INITIATIVE 5d6 ― PERCEPTION 4d6 attack in the same turn by spending an action
SPEED 5; CLIMB 3; JUMP 16'/3' feinting.
CARRY 70lb Quickstand. Once per turn Ashonn can stand
immediately from prone as a free action.
ACTIONS 2 ― NATURAL DAMAGE 1d6+2
Martial arts 4d6 (1d6+2 blunt damage) Confidant. Being brought up in a monastery
has given Ashonn a certain perception. He can
Laser sword 5d6 (3d6+2 heat damage)
discern a lie through a mix of intuition and
Skills physics 1 (1d6), interrogation 1 (1d6), experience. He gains a +1d6 bonus to discern
telekinesis 1 (1d6), law 1 (1d6), swords 3 lies and deceptions.
(2d6), perception 2 (1d6), concentration 2 Troublesense. After the monastery, Ashonn
(1d6), reactions 1 (1d6), martial arts 1 (1d6), became a police officer. From his time as a
Gear laser sword, hand scanner, 100cr cop, Ashonn can easily spot trouble before it
happens. He gains a +1d6 bonus to INITIATIVE
Acute hearing. Ashonn's excellent Venetian (factored, above).
hearing gives him a +1d6 to perception checks Laser sword. Ashonn was spotted and
where sound is a factor. recruited from the police quickly, and started
Disciplined. The mental discipline training as a star knight. Ashonn can (and has)
of a Venetian is such that they are build his own laser sword.
completely immune to the fatigued (and Summon. Continuing his training, Ashonn
other tiredness-related) conditions learned to telekinetically call a Small or
as long as they get 8 hours sleep smaller object within 15' to his hand by using
per week. This is not a preferred two actions. If the object is held by someone
situation, however. else, it requires an opposed PSI vs. STR check.
Learned. As a Venetian, Ashonn This costs him 4 PSI points.
gains a bonus skill in physics. Missile deflection. A signature star knight
Naturally psionic (perception technique, Ashonn can deflect incoming
filter). Ashonn can render ranged attacks with his laser sword. This
himself hard to notice with allows him to use his laser sword for DEFENSE
a telepathic effect which against ranged attacks as well as from melee
causes others to simply ignore attacks (factored, above).
him. Perception filters work Ashonn is a Star Knight, a member of an
automatically on those with an elite group of laser-sword wielding warriors.
INT attribute of less than his He is also a Venetian, disfigured by a training
PSI attribute (7), while more accident when he was younger, which has made
intuitive creatures will notice him hard to look upon. Ashonn is in love with
him immediately. If he makes Earth's culture of fairytales, and views them as
an attack, the effect ends
true historical stories from which he can learn.
immediately. Creatures aware
of him cannot thereafter be Careers. Novice, Police Officer, Star Knight,
affected by the perception Star Knight, Star Knight. Age 24.

74
» DR. TIKTOK An erudite Android medic who is fascinated by religion

Medium sentient mechanoid Technician. From his time on a moisture

(grade 5; max dice pool 5d6) farm, TikTok is adept at maintaining and
repairing old equipment, persuading it to
STR 5 (2d6) AGI 5 (2d6) END 3 (2d6) function for far longer than it is designed
INT 5 (2d6) LOG 9 (3d6) WIL 5 (2d6) to. He can make any non-functioning
CHA 5 (2d6) LUC 4 (2d6) REP 4 (2d6) Medium or smaller electronic item
HEALTH 16 work for up to one hour, although it
MELEE DEFENSE 10; RANGED DEFENSE 10; will be permanently broken thereafter.
MENTAL DEFENSE immune; VITAL DEFENSE 10 Bachelor. After a four-year course,
SOAK -; VULN 1d6 (electricity), 2d6 (ion) TikTok gained a Bachelor's degree at
INITIATIVE 2d6 ― PERCEPTION 2d6 university, improving his skill ranks
SPEED 5; CLIMB 2; JUMP 10'/5' in his chosen subject of medicine
CARRY 80lb to 3 (already factored, above). His
research skills are developed. If
ACTIONS 2 ― NATURAL DAMAGE 1d6+2
he has access to a library or data
Brawling 2d6 (1d6+2 blunt damage) network, he gains a +1d6 bonus to attempts
Phaser pistol 2d6 (2d6+2 heat damage; range 15) to learn information about a subject.
Skills computers 4 (2d6), engineering 3 (2d6), Masters. TikTok remained in college and
driving 1 (1d6), medicine 7 (3d6), physics 1 gained a Masters degree in medicine. He
(1d6), running 1 (1d6) gained 1 bonus skill rank in his chosen
subject (already factored, above).
Gear phaser pistol, integrated scanner, medkit
Doctorate. After further studies, TikTok
Mindless. Androids are immune to any attacks gained a Doctorate at university.
which target MENTAL DEFENSE. Gaining a doctorate requires not just
Deterministic. An Android’s PSI attribute can an expert knowledge of a subject, but also
never rise above zero and it cannot spend LUC rigorous skills of analysis and evaluation and
dice. critical achievement. TikTok's skill ranks in his
Electronic vulnerability. As a mechanoid, chosen subject increased to 6.
TikTok is vulnerable (1d6) to electricity Healing hands. Using basic medical
damage, and vulnerable (2d6) to ion damage. equipment, TikTok can heal 1d6 points of
Automaton. Androids do not need to eat, HEALTH to an adjacent creature as a single
sleep, or breathe, and weigh 150% normal. action. Any given creature can only benefit
Scanner. TikTok has a scanner integrated into from healing in this way once per day.
his circuits. He is always considered to be Not much use in a fight, TikTok is the
»1.Future Careers
carrying a hand scanner. Murphy's android medic and general science
Erudite. Dr. TikTok remembers a vast catalog officer. Originally a technical on a moisture
of knowledge. At any time he may make a farm, he decided to pursue academic
LOG check in place of any CHA check to education. He is formally educated, but has
interact with somebody by recalling a piece of little experience outside academia. A qualified
trivia of interest to his target. This exploit can doctor, and well-educated in various technical
only be used once on any given individual. disciplines, TikTok is competent but has a cold
Aim. TikTok gains +1d6 bonus to a ranged attack nature and tendency to lecture; fortunately
roll taken in the same turn. The attack action this is compensated for by his naivete which
must come immediately after the aiming action. makes him strangely likeable. TikTok is
fascinated by mythology - especially religions.
Achilles heel. Identifying a weakness in his
target, TikTok pays 2d6 and bypasses its SOAK Careers. Moisture Farmer, College, College,
score. This exploit can only be performed College, Medic. Age 30.
once per target.

75
 » HOLMES An alcoholic human psychic who collects insects

Medium sentient humanoid when he discovered he could sense strong

(grade 5; max dice pool 5d6) emotions in those with whom he converses.

STR 3 (2d6) AGI 3 (2d6) END 3 (2d6) Bachelor. Rejecting his psionic potential,
INT 7 (3d6) LOG 3 (2d6) WIL 4 (2d6) Holmes headed to college to study linguistics.
CHA 3 (2d6) LUC 8 (3d6) REP 4 (2d6) PSI 5 (2d6) After a four-year course, he gained a
Bachelor's degree (with honors) in linguistics,
PSI POINTS 20 ― HEALTH 16
which gave him 3 ranks in that skill (noted
MELEE DEFENSE 11; RANGED DEFENSE 11;
above). His research skills are developed. If
MENTAL DEFENSE 14; VITAL DEFENSE 10
he has access to a library or data network,
SOAK 6 (long kevlar coat; +2 when drunk); VULN -
he gains a +1d6 bonus to attempts to learn
INITIATIVE 4d6 ― PERCEPTION 3d6 information about a subject.
SPEED 4; CLIMB 2; JUMP 6'/3' Ghostly advice. Holmes' psionic abilities
CARRY 60lb intruded more and more into his life. At first
he thought he was hearing voices, but learned
ACTIONS 2 ― NATURAL DAMAGE 1d6+2
to use the power. Once per day Holmes may
Brawling 3d6 (1d6+2 blunt damage) receive advice from “ghosts” (really lingering
Laser knife 2d6 (2d6+2 heat damage) consciousness artifacts) which gives him a
Pistol 3d6 (2d6 ballistic damage; range 10) +2d6 die bonus to the next attribute check he
makes within 1 minute.
Psi-blast 4d6 (2d6 psionic damage; range 10)
Fair trade. Throwing in the towel on the
Skills stealth 1 (1d6), telepathy 3 (2d6), linguistics career, Holmes set up as a
bluffing 3 (2d6), computers 1 (1d6), linguistics commercial telepath. He is able to monitor
3 (2d6), concentration 2 (1d6), dodging 1 (1d6) a negotiation or bargaining situation
Gear pistol, long kevlar coat, hand scanner, 100cr with the agreement of both parties.
He immediately sense any falsehood or
Explorer. Holmes gains 5 XP every time deception on either part, or if agreement is
he sets foot on a new planet. withdrawn.
Alcoholic. Holmes is usually drunk. Precog. Holmes continued as a telepath,
While this can impair his judgment, developing his skills. His natural precognition
it also enables him to shrug off gives him a +1d6 bonus to INITIATIVE checks
injury. He gains +2 SOAK when (factored, above) as well as checks to access
intoxicated (noted, above). the ambush turn.
Aim. Holmes gains +1d6 to a Holmes never wanted to be a psychic.
subsequent ranged attack in the His talent was discovered by accident when
same turn by spending an action he badly injured another child with an
aiming. instinctive psi-blast. Viewed as an outsider,
Psi-blast. Holmes can use an action he learned quickly to charm his way through
and make a PSI vs. MENTAL DEFENSE awkward situations, and developed into an
attack to blast an opponent with a intuitive, perceptive man with a firm grasp
mental burst which does 2d6 psionic on psychology. Eventually, after obtaining
damage and has a range increment a college degree in linguistics, he gave in
of 10'. The psi-blast costs Holmes 4 and answered his calling, setting up as a
of his PSI points. commercial telepath.
Empath. Holmes realized he Careers. Talent, College, Psychic, Psychic,
was a 'talent' at an early age Psychic. Age 32.

76
» TALIK An ambidextrous Felan burglar who plays classical music

Medium sentient humanoid gains +1d6 damage to her

(grade 5; max dice pool 5d6) attack.

STR 3 (2d6) AGI 9 (3d6) END 4 (2d6) Scavenge. Many Felans grow
INT 9 (3d6) LOG 3 (2d6) WIL 3 (2d6) up as urban scavengers, and
CHA 4 (2d6) LUC 10 (4d6) REP 3 (2d6) Talik was no different. Once
per day, given an hour in an
HEALTH 16 urban environment, Talik
MELEE DEFENSE 14; RANGED DEFENSE 14; can scavenge one item
MENTAL DEFENSE 11; VITAL DEFENSE 10 worth up to 100cr.
SOAK 4 (leather armor); VULN - This exploit cannot
INITIATIVE 4d6 be used during
PERCEPTION 4d6 downtime.
SPEED 6; CLIMB 6; JUMP 23'/8' Unseen. Scavenging
CARRY 70lb naturally became drifting,
as Talik learned to exist on
ACTIONS 2 (+1 bonus melee attack) streets, bars, and gambling
NATURAL DAMAGE 2d6+2 dens with no abode or
Claws 4d6 (2d6+2 slashing damage) goals. She learned to blend
Disruptor pistol 3d6 (2d6+2 heat damage; in, in that way that people
range 12) always overlook drifters. She
Skills stealth 3 (2d6), appraisal 1 (1d6), gains a +1d6 bonus to remain
thievery 3 (2d6), computers 1 (1d6), unseen when in the open.
perception 1 (1d6), reactions 1 (1d6), Locksmith. Talik came
brawling 1 (1d6), dodging 1(1d6) across an exceptional quality lockpicking kit,
Gear exceptional thieves tools (+1d6), leather granting a +1d6 bonus to attempts to pick
armor, disruptor pistol, rapelling belt, 100cr locks, combinations, guess passwords, or access
security panels. This began her career as a
Fast. Felans are fast and nimble, adding 1 to burglar.
their SPEED (already included, above). Catburglar. Her burgling career proving
Jumper. Felans are adept at jumping, adding successful, Talik incorporated her species'
5' to both horizontal and vertical jump natural agility to become a high-rise catburglar.
distances (already included, above). An expert at climbing, Talik does not take any
Land on your feet. When falling, a Felan die penalties in combat while climbing.

»1.Future Careers
reduces the effective distance by half. Climber. Talik's catburgling career continued.
Claws. Accurately slashing with their sharp Talik's climbing speed is equal to her regular
claws, a Felan's unarmed damage is 2d6 SPEED (already included, above).
slashing damage (already included, above). When you're looking for Talik, look up.
Ambidextrous. Talik does not pay the -2d6 This black leather-clad Felan is at home on
precarious ledges, leaping across the width
penalty when dual-wielding weapons or using
of entire streets, and climbing to gain high
a double weapon.
vantage points. Talik is a burglar, adept at
Feint. Talik gains +1d6 to a subsequent melee sneaking and picking locks, although she suffers
attack in the same turn by spending an action from a very short attention span and extreme
feinting. forgetfulness.
Charge. Talik moves her speed in a straight line Careers. Felan Scavenger, Drifter, Burglar,
and then attacks at the end of it, paying 2d6. She Burglar, Burglar. Age 16.

77
 Chapter II
Future Equipment

»Equipment

T
he marketplace was crowded. On this Talik was around somewhere. Sasha
desert planet, folks would travel for doubted that the Felan burglar intended to
miles to trade and barter here in ‘purchase’ anything.
this rickety tradertown. Alien species of
every variety wandered past, chattering The pair reached their first destination,
in a thousand tongues. Serene Venetians passing a small droid merchant desperate to
and growling Ogrons haggled over trinkets, shift his rusting wares. An ancient, flickering
computer parts, exotic spices, even slaves. sign proclaimed that this low, wide hut was the
domain of Everett. Sasha brushed aside the
Felan merchants worked the crowds,
plasti-sheet curtain with covered the entrance,
cheating and manipulating their way to
and she and Gorrat entered the dark building.
profit. Ferocious Spartan bodyguards
accompanied wealthy clients. It was said Gorrat growled in appreciation. The room
that for the right price, anything could be was filled with weapons, upgrades, armor.
had here on Vorlage XVIII, and right now There, on the wall, was a Waydyne-Eastlight
Sasha could well believe it. Works WC78 Sonic Crossbow. There was a
Outerwide-Overwatch Syndicate PI2 Electron
The smuggler captain pushed her way Autopistol. Gorrat was eyeing a Daywatch
through the throngs, Gorrat close behind her. CQ32 Firefury Disintegration Autocannon
They were here for supplies; the last job had with what looked almost like hunger.
gone well, and they had money to spend.
Sasha meant to purchase a case of the finest Pulling out his cred-chip, Gorrat strode
spice cigars, while Gorrat sought an upgrade up to the droid behind the counter. “Let me
for his favorite anti-matter rifle. look at that auto cannon!” he growled...

78
 A character’s skills and attributes are only
part of the full story. On top of all that,
characters need gear. Most characters outfit
Wealth & Credits
themselves with weapons, armor, and other
supplementary equipment. In sci-fi games, the standard unit of
currency is the credit (denoted as “cr”).
In this chapter you’ll find details on
Large purchases (starships and the like)
blasters, laser swords, power armor, hand
are sometimes priced in Megacredits (Mcr),
scanners, medkits, vehicles, and many other
each of which is equal to one thousand
science fiction items including drugs and
cybernetics, along with rules on equipment credits.
quality and details on how to upgrade or The credit is a generic term. The GM
customize equipment, weapons and armor. may tailor the currency unit to his or
her own setting. They may be “creds” or
» Starting Money Altairian Dollars or New Stalingrad Rubles,
or perhaps pennies, drabs, yen, crowns,
Each character’s starting assets need to cubits, units, marks, dits, or bytes.
be determined before any cash is spent on Depending on career choices, a starting
equipment. A character’s wealth is a function character typically begins play with 200-
of his REPUTATION attribute, an attribute which 1,000cr to spend on equipment – enough to
encompasses credit ratings, assets, and other buy a basic weapon, armor, and a couple
measures of wealth (as well as fame, rank, of items of equipment. Some careers
notoriety, and other less quantifiable factors).
also grant free bonus starting items to the
To determine a character’s starting money, character.
roll a REP dice pool and a LUC dice pool and Typical monthly salaries (as a point of
multiply the total by 20. If the total comes comparison) can be 500cr (for the lowest
to less than 100cr, increase it to 100cr. You paid jobs) to 1,500cr for an average
may spend this starting cash on equipment, middle-management style occupation.
weapons, armor, and other gear.

Example Salaries
play. An NPC will typically only carry 5% of his
The examples below are for reference only; monthly salary on his person, and have access
player-characters will not (typically) have a to an amount equal to his monthly salary in
monthly salary – they earn their credits during the form of savings.

Occupation REP Monthly Yearly Carry

Bank teller, tourist guide, admin 2 (1d6) 950 11,400 50

»2.Future Equipment
CEO, major company 15 (5d6) 16,500 198,000 825
Cleaner, fast-food server 1 (1d6) 500 6,000 25
Factory labor, cargo handler 3 2d6) 1,500 18,000 75
Military, admiral 10 (4d6) 4,800 57,600 240
Military, captain 7 (3d6) 3,400 40,800 170
Military, ensign 3 (2d6) 1,600 19,200 80
Military, lieutenant 4 (2d6) 2,000 24,000 100
Military, recruit 1 (1d6) 400 4,800 20
Reporter, local 4 (2d6) 1,800 21,600 90
Scientist, lab technician 3 (2d6) 1,500 18,000 75
Scientist, project leader 5 (2d6) 2,500 30,000 125
Security guard, private 2 (1d6) 1,000 12,000 50
Waiter/waitress/retail clerk/cab driver 1 (1d6) 800 9,600 40

79
 Improvised Equipment
Equipment, Skills,
& Quality Standard quality equipment allows you
to perform an action without suffering any
Throughout this chapter, prices and
penalty for improvisation.
information are presented for the basic or
standard version of each item of equipment, If you don’t have basic equipment,
whether that be a pair of binoculars, an you can often still attempt an action by
antimatter rifle, or a suit of clothing. improvising. For example, lacking lockpicks,
Sometimes equipment is of a higher quality. you might try to use a wire hanger as a
Such items are more expensive, but grant lockpick. When improvising, you suffer a
the user bonuses to attribute checks made penalty of -2d6 to your dice pool.
while using them. Equipment contributes to
a dice pool if it is of high quality or greater. a skill, and sometimes equipment bonuses.
Performing the action already assumes you are When Sasha fires her laser pistol at a bandit,
using appropriate basic tools. she normally rolls 4d6, which includes her
Standard equipment doesn’t contribute to attribute and her skill. If she picks up a high
the dice pool; it merely allows you to perform quality laser pistol, that increases to 5d6.
the action without suffering any penalties An item cannot change quality, or be
for improvised equipment. For example, a upgraded to a higher quality.
rifle allows you to shoot somebody, a lockpick
allows you to pick a lock, and a medical kit The table below details the various quality
allows you to perform emergency medical aid. levels.
To gain an equipment bonus, you need high
quality equipment or better. A high quality laser Dice Pool. This indicates the contribution
sword gives you +1d6 to your attack dice pool, a to a dice pool that high quality equipment
high quality lockpick gives you +1d6 to your AGI grants (subject to minimum skill limits).
dice pool when picking a lock, and so on. Rarity. This is an indication of how common
You can also improvise equipment if you high quality equipment is.
don’t have the right tools available. This Min. Skill. Effective equipment quality
inflicts a -2d6 penalty to your dice pool. You is limited by skill level – you cannot gain
can use a hairpin to pick a lock, but that’s an more dice in your dice pool from equipment
improvised item. than you have from skills. If you have 2d6
This same rule applies in combat. When in your dice pool from your lockpicking skill,
trying to attack somebody, the character you cannot gain an additional 3d6 from
rolls a dice pool made up of an attribute, mastercraft lockpicks.

Quality Price Rarity Dice Pool Min. Skill Upgrades Armor Vehicle
Improvised - - -2d6 - - - -
Standard Normal Common - - - - -
x3 then 1 (1d6;
High quality Uncommon +1d6 +1 +2 SOAK +1 SPEED
+100 proficient)
x5 then 3 (2d6;
Exceptional Rare +2d6 +1 +4 SOAK +2 SPEED
+250 skilled)
x10 then 6 (3d6;
Mastercraft Very rare +3d6 +2 +6 SOAK +3 SPEED
+500 expert)
x100 then 10 (4d6;
Artisanal Very rare +4d6 +2 +8 SOAK +5 SPEED
+1,000 mastery)
x1,000
15 (5d6; +10
Legendary then Unique +5d6 +3 +10 SOAK
authority) SPEED
+2,500

80
 This applies to all equipment, including gear, See pages 237-239 for more information on
weapons, and armor. If the user does not have Genres and Advancement Levels.
the minimum skill level required to benefit
from equipment’s quality, then the quality of Genre Code
the equipment is effectively reduced to match Hard sci-fi A
the user’s skill level. For example, a character
Soft sci-fi B
with 3 ranks (2d6; skilled) in light armor treats
artisanal light armor as exceptional, and only Space opera C
gains the benefits of exceptional light armor.
Space fantasy D
Upgrades. Weapons and armor can be
upgraded, adding new features. The upgrade
capacity is given by its size (for weapons) or Item Quality In Context
type (for armor). Higher quality weapons and
Exceptional quality items are rare,
armor gain additional upgrade slots.
and those of mastercraft quality and
Armor. High quality armor gains a SOAK bonus. above should seldom be encountered in a
campaign. Generally speaking, characters
Vehicle. High quality vehicles gain a SPEED should not be able to easily purchase
bonus. items of higher than high quality, and
those of mastercraft quality should require
Availability considerable effort to obtain (also, given
that they grant a +3d6 bonus to attribute
Every item is listed along with an availability checks, only characters with 6 or more
code. The availability code helps determine ranks in a related skill will be able to fully
which items are available in a given setting or benefit from them). Items of artisanal or
location. It consists of a number (Advancement legendary quality are items spoken of in
Level) and a letter (Genre). For example, an awe, and never seen by regular people.
availability code of 9C indicates that the item
is available in AL 9 or lower locations in settings In 20th-21st century terms, as a point
of the Space Opera Genre or lower. of comparison, a standard new automobile
The Genre of the setting is determined might cost $20,000; a luxury car would
by the GM and applies throughout the whole be considered high quality at $60,000;
campaign; Advancement Levels depend on a high-end sports car is exceptional at
specific locations within the setting. $100,000; mastercraft vehicles at $200,000
would include the average supercar.
Out Of Time Artisanal automobiles, therefore, are

»2.Future Equipment
priced in the region of $2,000,000 – the
Out Of Time is an optional rule. very best cars in the world, such as the
Characters operating equipment not from Bughatti Veyron in 2014 (also in 2014,
their own era (archaic, modern, or future) the Lamborghini Veneno Roadster cost
suffer -1d6 to attribute checks. around $4,000,000, and only nine were
ever made), and legendary cars would be
This applies to futuristic characters using unique vehicles worth something in the
archaic equipment, or vice versa. region of $20,000,000 – the sort of vehicle
only bought and sold in private auctions.
Note that individual items of higher AL may
be present in a lower AL environment; these These real-world examples should give
items would be unique, and their value is 10 you an idea of what the equipment quality
times the regular price. Such items are placed categories mean, and help give a sense of
specifically by the GM; they cannot be obtained perspective on what it means for a character
through normal means by player characters. to run around in an artisanal set of armor.

81
 »General Gear

G
eneral gear consists of a variety of basic, Beacon, subspace. A unit which, when
universal equipment types. General activated, broadcasts an emergency signal
gear is usually widely available, and on all subspace frequencies. A subspace
can be purchased easily at even the smallest beacon has a range of 1 parsec. Using
frontier tradertowns on backwater planets, subspace communication, the signal travels
subject to their availability code. faster than light, meaning no time delay is
caused.
Acetylene torch. A device able to cut
through metal powered by a single fuel cell. Binoculars. Binoculars enable the user to
Settings allow for welding or cutting metal. It
see long distances; most are electronic, and
can be used as an improvised (-2d6) weapon
can have enhancements which enable larger
which does 2d6 heat damage.
ranges of the EM spectrum to be viewed. A
Alarm sensor. An alarm sensor can be placed standard pair enables scenes a mile distant to
near a doorway, or multiple can be placed be viewed clearly. A high quality pair includes
around the perimeter of an area. Each covers an light-intensification which allows them to be
area 30’ across. When the area is breached (they used in the dark, and an exceptional quality
can be set to ignore certain people or species, pair encompasses a wide spectrum from
and to distinguish by size category) they set off infra-red to X-rays.
an alarm. The alarm can be audible, or it can
Breaching charge. A device designed to
privately alert an individual. It’s a Difficult [16]
blow holes in walls with a very directed blast.
check to detect an alarm sensor, and the same
It is attached to a wall, a timer is set, and the
difficulty to sneak past it or disable it.
charge blasts a man-sized hole in the wall.
Backpack. A typical backpack holds up 60 Breaching charges are extremely powerful,
lb of equipment. It grants the wearer a +20lb and can penetrate almost all materials, or
carrying capacity bonus. even ship hulls, up to 1’ thickness.

82
 Cost Weight Cost Weight
Item Availability Item Availability
(cr) (lb) (cr) (lb)
Alarm sensor 250 3 8A Holosuit 1,200 5 10D
Backpack 4 2 2A Holowall 1,000 4 7A
Backpack, zero-g 2,500 5 11C Homing pill 100 - 4A
Beacon, subspace 40 10 8B Hoverboard 3,000 2 7B

Belt, rappelling 2,000 8 5A Jet pack 2,500 10 7A

Lightstick,
Binoculars 50 2 4A 5 0.5 7A
chemical
Binoculars,
100 2 6A Magboots 1,000 2 7A
electronic
Bug 200 - 5A Mechanoid 9,000 200 9B

Bugsweeper 500 2 5A Microchip 5,000 - 5A

Cellular Musical instrument 75 4+ 2A

10,000 10 10C
regenerator Parachute 350 18 4A
Charge, breaching 500 4 6A Psionic focus 1,000 1 -
Cloak, invisibility 12,000 2 8C Relay, tac-com
8,000 2 8A
network
Clothing 0 4 -
Replicator 15,000 0.5 9B
Communicator,
75 0.5 8A Resonator,
long-range 150,000 1 14D
Communicator, temporal
30 0.5 7A
planetary Respirator 100 0.5 6B
Computer, Rope, 50’, hemp 4 10 1A
750 5 5A
personal
Computer, squad Rope, 50’, nylon 20 5 3A
2,800 8 8B
tactical Scanner, medical 400 2 7B
Cryostasis unit 5,000 500 6A Scanner, military 300 2 7A
Dressing, spray 50 1 7B Scanner, mining 200 2 6A
EMP 5,000 18 5A Scanner, scientific 400 2 8B
Gauntlets, Seismic mapper 650 16 5B
10,000 1 10B
telekinetic
Servobot 2,500 20 8B
Geiger counter 200 4 4A
Singularity,
10,000 - 13D

»2.Future Equipment
Grappling harness 2,000 15 4B disposable
Tent, 2-man 50 50 1A
Gravbelt 2,500 4 8B
Tent, 7-man
Gravitic nullifier 12,000 2 11C 350 200 3A
shelter
Handcuffs 30 1 4A Tool, sonic 70,000 0.5 13C
Toolkit 75 4 2A
Helmet, psi-scram 4,500 1 8B
Torch, acetylene 100 8 6A
Hologuise 8,000 - 10B
Translation unit 200 0.5 6B
Holoprojector 5,000 5 8A Transmat, personal 22,500 0.5 4D

Bug. A bug is a surveillance device. A basic Bugsweeper. A bugsweeper is used to find

bug can record and transmit high quality bugs by measuring radio frequencies and
holographic audio and visual data within 30’ wavelengths.
up to a range of 200 miles.

83
 Cellular regenerator. A cellular regenerator singularity. A singularity (otherwise known
is a portable medical device able to heal as a black hole) is contained in a special
serious wounds or injuries. The device, about anti-grav containment field; disposable
the size of a briefcase, restores HEALTH to singularities are of very low mass (relatively
the patient at a rate of 2 points per turn speaking), although their actual mass is
up to a maximum of 16 points; the patient hidden by the anti-grav field, rendering
must remain still during this process. The them essentially “weightless”. A disposable
regenerator is only effective against physical singularity can be thrown, at which point the
trauma – it cannot regenerate damage from containment field deactivates and the black
poison, disease, radiation, or mental/psionic hole’s gravitational force starts to overpower
damage. Use of the regenerator is a skilled the area. The singularity itself renders one
operation and requires a Demanding [21] 5’ square impassable (contact with the event
LOG check to set up and commence the horizon within that square requires an Severe
regeneration process, although no further [29] END check just to survive), and an area
checks are needed. with a 30’ radius around the singularity
becomes a high-gravity environment. The
Clothing. Clothing comes in various prices
singularity is small enough that it evaporates
and quality. As with many things, you get
from Hawking radiation in five minutes.
what you pay for, and high quality, exceptional
The singularity cannot be used as a thrown
quality, mastercrafted, and artisanal
weapon - it will not land in the same square
clothing can be obtained for the appropriate
as an existing creature.
prices. Higher quality clothing can include
smart fabrics which resist stains and remain Dressing, spray. A spray dressing is a
perfectly clean. basic liquid bandage and local anesthetic
which restores 1 point of HEALTH. Spray
Communicator. Communicators are
dressings typically have 20 uses before
basic voice-based communication devices.
they are exhausted. The spray only heals 1
Standard versions are hand-held items, while
HEALTH; multiple sprays cannot be used to
exceptional quality versions consist of a voice-
heal more. This device is the equivalent of a
activated badge on the exterior of the user’s
small bandage.
clothing. Planetary communicators are able
to talk to anybody on the same planet or in EMP. A device as small as a bag of luggage
orbit, while long-range communicators can or large suitcase, an EMP immediately
reach up to 1 AU. deactivates all unshielded electronic devices
within 20’. The device attacks each item
Computer, personal. Personal computer with a 3d6 vs. the item’s DEFENSE, and on a
units are quite old-fashioned and quaint. success the device shuts down for 3 turns.
Wearable, integrated, and environmental tech Mechanoid creatures are not deactivated,
is the usual personal computing interface, but they do suffer 1d6 ion damage from a
generally designed to be invisible. An actual successful attack and are stunned. An EMP
personal computer unit is a fashion statement can only be used once.
as much as anything else.
Geiger counter. A Geiger counter detects
Cryostasis Unit A cryostasis unit is an the presence and strength of radiation. Note
enclosed bed or “coffin” into which a wounded that all scanners are able to do this, also.
or ill patient can be placed. The unit
maintains their exact condition. These units Generator. A generator is the size of
can also be used for long-term travel, and a suitcase and is able to provide enough
occupants do not age, nor does time pass for power to run portable equipment, recharge
them in any other way. power packs, and maintain a small habitat
Disposable singularity. An extremely for one week.
advanced mastery of matter and energy Grappling harness. A grappling harness can
control is required to design a disposable be disguised as suspenders and a belt or within

88
a bulky outfit. Once tethered or anchored, the inserted within. A Strenuous [25] STR check
wearer can ascend at a speed of 20’ a round or Demanding [21] AGI check can free a
or rappel down as fast as 60’ a round. Once person from a pair of handcuffs. Every level
used to ascend or for controlled descent, a of quality a pair of handcuffs has increases
grappling harness becomes unusable until the difficulty to break out of or escape from
rewound, which takes one minute. them by one benchmark.
Gravbelt. A gravbelt is used to assist in low Hologuise. A hologuise is an electronic
and high gravity environments, effectively holographic disguise kit. With a flip of a
negating the environmental effects for the switch, the wearer can appear as somebody
wearer. There are two types of gravbelt else entirely, with an entirely holographic
– one for high, and one for low gravity set of clothing, hair, and appearance,
environments. Gravbelts do not assist in zero-g and even voice alteration. The disguise is
situations, however. convincing enough to grant a +3d6 bonus to
Gravitic nullifier. A gravitic nullifier is a disguise attempts, although mechanoids see
portable object capable of turning a 30’ radius straight through the disguise as though it
sphere into a zero-g area. Originally designed weren’t there.
as a construction and mining aid, militaries
Holoprojector. A holoprojector can
of all stripes quickly adopted it for tactical
create convincing three-dimensional images
purposes. The nullifier must be placed, and
within a 10’ radius. Standard models are
then activated with an action.
used for entertainment purposes, but high
Handcuffs Ubiquitously used worldwide quality holoprojectors are so convincing that
in a variety of styles and designs, these viewers need a Challenging [13] INT check to
metal clasps are chained together and made notice that they are not real, and superior
to only open when a specific type of key is quality holoprojectors require a Difficult [16]
INT check.
Holosuit. A skintight outfit which allows
the user’s clothing and appearance to change
at will. The occasional glitch and shimmering
mean that anybody with INT 4+ can see that a
holosuit is being worn, although it can be such
a normal thing that nobody pays attention. A
scanner also automatically reveals a holosuit.
Holowall. A holowall is portable
holographic unit designed to project a single

»2.Future Equipment
image; originally designed for advertising
purposes, holowalls can be used as privacy
screens, concealment for secret entrances, or
even for mere ornamentation. Holowalls can
have their transparency set upon activation –
anything from 0% to 100%. The area covered
by a holowall is 10’ wide and 5’ high.
Homing pill. This oral pill has a resilient
electronic chip inside of it, one capable of
remaining intact and operating while within
the digestive tract. The chip transmits a radio
signal detectable by bug sweepers and anyone
that knows the frequency (which reaches to a
range of 5 miles).

89
 Hoverboard. A hoverboard uses anti-grav Medical mechs (medicine)
technology to allow the rider, who stands
upright upon the board, to travel above the Astromechs (astrogation)
ground in a similar fashion to a skateboard.
Protocol mechs (linguistics)
The board grants the rider a SPEED of 8;
however, the board will fail when crossing Maintenance mechs (engineering)
water of 1’ or greater in depth. Using a
hoverboard requires a Difficult [16] AGI check. Domestic mechs (cooking)
Invisibility cloak. An invisibility cloak uses Microchip. A microchip operates as a
advanced cloaking technology, refracting homing pill but has a range of 1AU and is
light and even thermal signatures, to render undetectable to scanners. Furthermore, it
the wearer completely invisible. The effect can be used to watch a creature’s vitals,
is so potent that not even the faint shimmer telling both how much damage the subject
of usual cloaking technology is present. The has taken and their emotional state (calm,
wearer can stand in direct line of sight of a agitated, or panicked).
viewer without being seen (although olfactory
Miniature EMP. A tiny device, a miniature
and auditory senses work as normal), gaining
EMP immediately deactivates all unshielded
a +4d6 bonus to any check made to hide.
electronic devices within 30’. The device
Jet pack. A jetpack is not as archaic attacks each item with a 5d6 vs the item’s
as the name implies. Designed for zero-g DEFENCE, and on a success the device shuts
environments, it enables the user to down for 3 turns. Mechanoid creatures
maneuver normally. It has a range of about 1 such as androids are not deactivated,
hour, although an additional thruster addon but they do suffer 2d6 ion damage from
can be purchased (5 lb, adds 2 hours). Use of a successful attack and are stunned for 1
a jetback requires a Difficult [16] AGI check. round. A miniature EMP can only be used
once. The device does not work on items of
Lightstick, chemical. A chemical lightstick advancement level 10 or higher.
can be shaken to give off a 30’ radius glow for
Musical instrument. The list of musical
one hour before it is exhausted.
instruments is vast, especially taking into
Magboots. Magboots are used in zero-g account the many alien cultures in the
environments. On metallic surfaces (like universe. A musical instrument works much
those within any starship), they magnetically like a toolkit – it offers bonuses to related
‘stick’ to the ground, artificially nullifying checks depending on its quality.
the effect of zero-g for the wearer. However,
SPEED is reduced to half normal while Parachute There are many different designs
wearing them. and variations of parachutes. When properly
packed and correctly deployed, a parachute
Mechanoid. While advanced AI androids
can reduce a falling object’s rate of descent
are created using the character creation
by 15 feet (for earlier parachutes) to as much
rules, more simple task-specific mechanoids
as 30 feet (for modern parachutes) a round,
(sometimes called “bots” or “mechs”)
to a minimum of 20 feet a round. Navigating
can perform navigation, domestic, repair,
in the air while using a parachute requires AGI
and other functions. Mechanoids are voice
checks (for calm conditions, Challenging [13]),
controlled, can respond verbally, and are
as does landing without falling prone.
able to move at a speed of 4. Mechanoids
have a total dice pool of 6d6 in one specific Personal transmat. A personal transmat
skill/attribute combination; tools are built- device is a short range transporter technology.
in to the unit. Mechanoids are not sentient. Resembling a thick bracelet, it enables the
Some common mechanoid types, with their wearer to teleport as a single action up to 30’
associated skill, include: to a destination within line of sight.

90
 Psi-scram helmet. A Psi-Scram Helmet
(or psionic scrambler) is used when psionic
opponents are expected. The helmet boosts the
wearer’s MENTAL DEFENSE by 4, but completely
prevents the use of psionic powers.
Psionic focus. This crystal or gem is a
battery of psionic energy. It contains 50
PP which you can use to power psionic
abilities. Once the power is used, the
crystal is useless. More powerful crystals
are said to exist.
Replicator. A replicator is an advanced
device able to create objects to a specific
molecular pattern. Replicators require
the pattern in advance (and such patterns
four rounds, creates a small three-
are often protected by strict Intellectual
dimensional map of everything within the
Property laws and can be very expensive),
next 6” of solid material. A Challenging [13]
although most can create foodstuffs and
INT check reveals the combination of any
common items of less than 30cr value
mechanical lock scrutinized this way.
easily. A replicator is a non-portable item
which requires a large power source, and is Servobot. Servobots come in a wide
most likely to be found on a starship or as variety of designs, but as a whole they
part of a building. are tiny (1’ in size) non-sentient wheeled
mechanoid robots which perform basic
Respirator. A respirator is a small mask
tasks according to verbal instructions. This
which is strapped to the face, and allows
is largely limited to the carrying of small
the user to breath in vacuum (or toxic
objects and messages, being sent ahead on
atmospheres) for one hour. High quality
reconnaissance tasks, or simply being the
respirators are much smaller mouthpieces,
first to go through a potentially trapped
and exceptional quality respirators take the
doorway, although many purchase servobots
form of tiny nasal plugs.
as “pets” or as toys for children. Servobots
Scanner. There are four basic types have 5 HEALTH, 18 DEFENCE, and a SPEED
of hand-held scanner – science, medical, of 6.
military, and mining. Science scanners
Sonic tool. Sonic tools are able to unlock
scan for energy sources and substances;
doors, deactivate systems, and perform a
medical scanners scan for life forms;
variety of scanning functions, although they

»2.Future Equipment
military scanners are more robust, and
do not work on wood. A sonic tool operates
focus primarily on the location of life forms
as a exceptional quality science scanner
without needing to gather additional data –
combined with thieves’ tools, and can
they determine the presence, number and
operate any electronic control (activation
location of lifeforms, but cannot determine
control, toggle) at a 30’ range with no
other details. Mining scanners locate
check required.
substances, but can’t scan for life forms or
energy sources. Squad tactical computer. Designed
for infantry training and operation, an
Scrambler. A scrambler can jam any
STC (Squad Tactical Computer) is able to
electronic communication within 30’. An
analyze a battle situation and calculate
expert can overcome the jamming with a
high-probability success tactics while
Difficult [16] LOG check.
predicting likely enemy moves. This
Seismic mapper. This screened-gadget information is displayed to the users
affixes to a safe or radial lock and after via a tactical HUD integrated into a set

91
 of goggles or helmet, depending on the
model of the unit. An STC facilitates 4
connections, granting a +1d6 INITIATIVE
bonus to up to 4 people simultaneously.
Tac-com network relay. An alternative
to to the STC, a TAC-COM relay allows
squad members to benefit from the tactical
routines and procedures of the squad
leader. TAC-COM relays allow each member
to effectively posses the same tactics
skill that their squad leader has. The TAC-
COM requires a full helmet with audio and
visual input, and can support up to 4 squad
members.
Telekinetic gauntlets. Telekinetic
gauntlets are a technological psionic item
which grant a small amount of telekinetic
power to a non-psionic character, granting
them a PSI attribute of 2 for telekinesis
powers only. Alternatively, if the wearer is
an existing psion, the gauntlets boost the
use of telekinetic powers by a bonus of
+1d6 to his PSI attribute checks.
Temporal resonator. A temporal
resonator is an extremely advanced
device. With a single activation, it stops
time around the user for up to a minute,
enabling him to continue to take actions.
However, he is not able to interact with
the environment or any items or creatures
therein other than himself, as they are
effectively temporally locked. It can,
however, be used to escape a tricky
situation or to heal.
Tent. A tent is designed to protect
against extreme elements. Most tents are
pressurized shelters which are thermally
insulated, and can provide safety from
all but the most extreme of conditions
including light radiation and toxic
environments.
Toolkit. A toolkit is an important piece
of equipment. Almost any specialized
technical activity uses a toolkit (a
medpouch is, essentially, a medical
toolkit). A toolkit allows you to undertake
the activity with no improvisation
penalties; high quality toolkits grant
bonuses to your dice pool.

92
 Medical Pouch A medical pouch, medkit, fact, placing one inside the other destroys
or field kit contains various items, including both items permanently, depositing their
a laser scalpel, spray dressings (50 sprays), contents on the ground.
various drugs, hypospray, and other basic
medical equipment. » Services &
Engineering Toolbox An engineering Foodstuffs
toolbox includes mini-fabricators,
Food, accommodation, and transport
hyperspanners, laser wrenches, coil
can usually be provided automatically by
spanners, flux couplers, gravitic calipers,
a starship. However, you may need to know
interphasic compensators, laser welders,
the cost of a drink or a shuttle-ride.
energy converters, and a hammer, amongst
other things.
Services Cost (cr)
Forensic Kit A forensic kit is used to
survey crime scenes, take and test samples,
Drink, beer 2
and look for clues. It includes DNA
scanners, microvision goggles, sampling Drink, coffee, tea 1
kits, and more, allowing a large amount of
forensic work to take place at the scene. Drink, spirit, common 3
Thieves Tools Thieves tools in the
future often resemble those of the past. Drink, spirit, exotic 10
Electronic and sonic lock-picks, tiny
Hotel, average, per day 40
engineering tools designed to disable traps,
miniature hacking devices, laser knives and
Hotel, cheap, per day 10
plasma saws, microvision goggles, sound
dampeners, and more. Hotel, luxury, per day 100
Climbing Gear Climbing gear includes
laser pitons, hand-help harpoon guns, Limousine, per mile 2
duranium ropes, and more.
Meal, cafeteria, diner 5
Survival Kit A survival it includes a
compass, electronic mapping devices, Meal, fast food, synthetic 3
emergency rations, a small selection of 10
spray dressings, 10 chemical lightsticks, Meal, restaurant, typical 7
and a portable laser stove.
Interrogation Kit This type of kit is not Meal, restaurant, luxury 25

»2.Future Equipment
looked upon favorably; it consists of drugs
Public transport, per mile 0.5
and devices designed to facilitate the
gathering of information from a captured
Taxi, per mile 1
suspect. It doesn’t include torture
equipment; but some of the techniques can Theater, play or show 20
be unpleasant.
Zero-g backpack. A zero-g backpack uses Theater, movie 10
anti-grav technology to enable the wearer
to carry heavy items; items within the Shuttle, to/from orbit 100
backpack effectively weigh nothing and do
not add to the wearer’s carrying limits. The Space transport, basic, per parsec 400
backpack can hold up to 100 lb of items.
Space transport, luxury, per parsec 1500
The backpack itself has a weight of 5 lb,
however, and a zero-g backpack does not
Space transport, in-system, per AU 75
operate within another zero-g backpack – in

93
 »Weapons

T
here are many weapons available to When damage is completely negated
a character – melee weapons, ranged by SOAK, any 6s in the damage roll always
weapons, archaic weapons, modern cause 1 point of damage each anyway.
weapons, large weapons, small weapons, laser Type. This is the type of damage the
weapons, sonic weapons, and more. weapon does, such as piercing, heat, or
The following sections list a number of sonic. Sometimes different armors have
common weapons and their statistics. different SOAK values vs. different types
of damage, or certain creatures or objects
» Reading The Weapon might be vulnerable to certain damage types.
Tables This also determines what type of effect
occurs when a critical hit (rolling triple-sixes
Damage. This entry tells you how much on a successful attack roll) occurs.
damage a weapon does to a target on a Cost. The cost in credits to purchase a
successful hit. Damage may be reduced by SOAK standard version of this weapon.
values often found in armor or large creatures.
Most weapons do at least 2d6 damage. Size. The size of the weapon (tiny,
small, medium, or large) can be used to
If the wielder has skill with a weapon type, determine one or two-handed use of a
the size of the dice pool may be added to the weapon, eligibility for two-weapon use and
damage. For example, skill of 6 (3d6) in knives more. Size is a relative term – the table
adds 3 to a laser knife’s damage, resulting in a indicates a weapon’s size as compared to
total of 2d6+3 heat damage rather than the listed a human, but larger or smaller species will
2d6 damage. In the case of melee weapons and adjust the (relative) size up or down. For
unarmed attacks, the size of the STR dice pool example, an Ogron, which is size Large,
may alternatively be used if it is higher. using a longsword, which is size Medium,

94
considers it to be a Small weapon. Similarly, or piercing damage. The list of damage types
a size Small Borian considers a shortsword (a is an open-ended set of keywords. Any given
Small weapon) to be size Medium. weapon can have multiple damage keywords
Weight. This is the item’s weight in pounds. associated with it (although most only have
A pound is just under half a kilogram (0.45kg). one). These damage types are listed in the
weapons tables.
Range. In the case of ranged weapons, this
indicates a range increment. Range is noted Damage type also determines which
in 5' increments (squares on a battlemap), so condition is inflicted on a target when
a range increment of 8 is equal to 40 feet. For it suffers a critical hit (triple-sixes on a
each range increment, an attacker takes a 1d6 successful attack roll).
penalty to his attack roll. Unless otherwise
noted, weapons can be used out to five range Because damage type is a keyword system,
increments, although an attacker will suffer a there is no finite list of damage types.
-4d6 penalty to attack rolls at that range. However, you will find a list of some common
types below.
› Damage Types
Blunt. Blunt damage comes from falls,
Every bit of damage caused to a creature or heavy blunt weapons, and most unarmed
or object is of a certain type, whether that combat.
be heat damage, blunt damage, or any of
dozens of other damage types. A laser does Crushing. Crushing damage can be
heat damage, a projectile weapon does caused by large objects or gravity weapons
ballistic damage, and a sword does slashing and effects.

Resistance & Vulnerability Mechanoids and electronic objects are

vulnerable to ion damage. A vulnerability
Resistance. Some armor, creatures, entry will generally note how vulnerable
objects, or materials have SOAK values
the target is – typically 1d6 or 2d6 – and
based on a damage type. This means that
that entry tells you how many extra
they are particularly good at resisting
damage dice to roll when affecting the
damage of that type. Fire-resistant armor,
for example, might have a SOAK entry target. An android, for example, has
which reads SOAK 5 (heat). Many creature vulnerability 2d6 (ion) which means that
stat-blocks will also list resistances (and, an ion pistol which normally does 2d6 ion
in some cases, immunities) to certain damage would do 4d6 ion damage to an
damage types. A SOAK value is the amount android.
by which damage of that type is reduced Vunerabilities cannot more than double

»2.Future Equipment
when it affects the target. the damage taken. If an android takes 4
SOAK only applies to attacks which ion damage, its 2d6 vulnerability to ion
target DEFENSE (not MENTAL DEFENSE). damage cannot increase that to more than
8 damage.
When damage is fully SOAKed, some Targets suffer from vulnerability if the
may still get through – any sixes in the keyword is listed amongst a weapon’s
damage roll automatically do 1 point of
damage types.
damage regardless of SOAK. This means
that it is always possible to damage a Targets benefit from resistances only
target, even if it’s just a little. if they are resistant to all listed damage
Vulnerability. Conversely, something types. A target resistant to heat damage
might be particularly vulnerable to a does not benefit from resistance to a
damage type. Crystalline creatures are weapon which does heat/sonic damage.
vulnerable to sonic damage, and wood The target would need to be resistant to
and paper are vulnerable to heat damage. both damage types.

95
 Ballistic. Projectile pistols and rifles tend or object’s DEFENSE). A square has a DEFENSE
to do ballistic damage. score of 10. On a miss, the projectile simply
lands in a different square (see the section on
Cold. Cryo weapons are uncommon, but grenades on page 104).
cold is a common environmental damage.
This attack roll (only roll the one attack
Electricity. Electricity damage can come
roll) is then applied to all targets within the
about in a number of ways, including booby
burst area.
traps; mechanoids are vulnerable 1d6 to
electricity damage. Electricity weapons often The burst capability of a weapon is denoted
have the stun trait, meaning that a target in its statistics simply as “Burst X”, where X is
reduced to 0 HEALTH with the weapon is
the burst distance in squares. For example, a
knocked unconscious but is not dying.
weapon denoted Burst 2 has a 10’ burst.
Force. Force is a type of energy damage.
Damage. When rolling damage for a burst
Heat. Heat damage is caused by fire, lasers weapon, roll it once only. This same damage is
and other energy weapons. It is sometimes used for all targets.
referred to as fire damage.
Ammo. The ammo cost of the explosive
Ion. Ion damage is designed to damage weapons is higher than that of most handheld
electronics and shields; mechanoids are weapons.
vulnerable 2d6 to ion damage.
DEFENSE. Area attacks are applied to the
Piercing. Piercing damage, like slashing target's VITAL DEFENSE.
damage, can be caused by swords and knives.
› Zero-G & Lo-Grav
Poison. Poison damage can come about
from gas, bioweapons, atmosphere, radiation, Weapons such as rocket launchers are
food, stingers, bites and more; armor does not avid observers of Newton’s laws of motion,
soak it unless noted. especially the third law.

Psionic. Psionic damage is caused not only Whenever a weapon designated with the
by psionic powers, but also by some specially “recoil” trait is used, the operator must
designed weapons. make a Challenging [13] STR (zero-g) check
for medium-sized weapons, or a Difficult [16]
Slashing. Swords and other slashing
check for large weapons, or be propelled
weapons do slashing damage.
backwards. If the check is failed, the user is
Sonic. Sonic damage is caused by thrown back a number of feet equal to the
soundwaves. damage rolled.

› Bursts For example, a Marauder Rocket Launcher

is size medium and does 3d6 damage. When
Bursts are described in terms of distance fired, the operator rolls the damage (say, 12)
from the target square; therefore a 10’ makes a Challenging [13] check. If the check is
burst affects everything within 10’ of (and
failed, she is thrown back 12 feet.
including) the target square. For the purposes
of simplicity, a diagonal counts as one square, In lo-grav environments, the distance the
so a burst actually looks like a square on the operator is thrown back is halved.
battlemap.
› Special Traits
An attack roll is needed to land the
projectile in the correct square (or to hit a This column indicates any particular properties
target, in which case use the target creature or notes associated with a weapon or item.

96
 Arc. The weapon fires in a ballistic arc;
no direct line-of-sight is required, as long as
there is a ballistic route which can be taken.
AT. Anti-tank ability allows a weapon to
instead be fired directly at a vehicle, doing
double damage to vehicles and objects. When
used in this manner, the weapon does not do
burst damage.
Auto. Automatic weapons are better at
suppressive fire. They give an additional die of
cover to protected allies.
Beam. Beam weapons, such as phasers
and lasers, project a visible continuous line
of energy at their target. For this reason,
they can , at the operator's choice, operate as
tracers (see tracer rounds, below).
Combust. Weapons with the combust trait
are more likely to set their target on fire, and
when they do so, the effect is more severe.
A critical hit from a weapon with this trait
inflicts a severe Burning condition, requiring a
roll of 6 to remove it.
Double. Double weapons are melee Recoil. This weapon’s recoil is enough to
weapons treated as though they were two affect the user in zero-g and lo-grav (Explosive
weapons, one in each hand. This typically Ordnance).
means that the attacker will gain an additional Restrains. A weapon which restrains does
attack per turn with it but will suffer penalties so on a successful hit, giving the target the
to the attack roll unless she has access to Restrained condition.
ambidexterity. Ambidexterity is attained as an
attribute trait. Seeker. These weapons use heat or laser
guidance and gain +2d6 to their attack rolls as
Heavy. A heavy weapon is difficult to use. long as a heat source is the target.
You need a STRENGTH of 8 to use it without
penalty, otherwise you take a -1d6 penalty to Sidearm. Weapons designated as sidearms
your attack rolls. Additionally, a heavy weapon gain a +1d6 bonus to hit at point blank range
(when adjacent to their target) and do not

»2.Future Equipment
can only be fired once per round, and requires
two actions to reload. suffer a penalty for firing at an adjacent target
in melee.
Min. Weapons with this trait have a
Single. Weapons with this trait can only be
minimum range. They cannot target anything
fired once per round.
within that range. The minimum range is
noted in parenthesis - e.g. “Min (8)”. Stun. Stunning weapons (including some
phaser modes, electricity damage, and psionic
Mounted. These weapons must be affixed
damage) do non-lethal damage. Lethal and
(mounted or stood on the ground) and take
non-lethal damage are essentially the same
two full actions to set-up before use. If they
up until the shot or blow which takes the
are moved, another two actions is required to
victim down to zero HEALTH. At that point,
set them up at the new site.
the victim falls unconscious as normal but is
Reach. A reach weapon is a longer melee not considered dying, does not have to form a
weapon. It can attack opponents up to 10’ death dice pool, and wakes up automatically 5
away, unless a longer reach is noted. minutes later with 1 HEALTH.

97
 “Stun” is a weapon trait. The weapon squares. Without this trait, a thrown weapon
still does its normal damage type (heat, counts as improvised (inflicting a –2d6 penalty
electricity, etc.), but that damage is non- to the attack roll).
lethal. Otherwise, stunning weapons work
exactly like regular weapons. » Melee Weapons
Some weapons have a stun setting (phasers
being a prime example of this). The wielder You might expect melee weapons to fall out
may choose which setting to use when firing of favor in a universe full of energy weapons,
the weapon; changing settings is a free action. laser rifles, and explosives. However, this is
not the case – hand-to-hand combat still an
Thrown. A melee weapon with this important part of conflict, especially aboard
trait can be thrown with the noted range the confined spaces of starships and space
increment. For example, a weapon with the stations; and a sword is just as deadly as a
trait “Thrown (3)” has a range increment of bullet or a laser beam when it skewers you
3. The default value of a thrown item is 3. in the eye. Even if that were not the case,
If a weapon is denoted as Thrown but has no plenty of cultures use exotic weapons in a
value in parenthesis, the range increment is 3 ceremonial capacity, and many more primitive
› Exotic Melee Weapon List
Weapon Damage Type Cost (cr) Size Weight (lb) Avail Special
Ding Transport FEK46
3d6+4 Sonic 950 M 16 9C
Sonic Scimitar
Transtech Company JX23 Push,
2d6 Blunt 211 L 40 9C
Repulsor Trident reach
Highfarer SFR58
2d6+2 Heat 172 M 15 10D
Antimatter Cutlass
Pantech WZB18
2d6 Blunt 203 M 19 10C Reach
Flamebolt Matter Whip
WarpCo-Daybeam Group
2d6+2 Electricity 187 M 12 9C Stun
R41 Redsword EMP Flail
Ultradyne RBQ20 Sonic
3d6+4 Sonic 2500 M 11 9C
Sword
Tang OSA17 Redspear
2d6 Heat 153 L 32 9D Reach
Photonic Trident
SilverCo S58 Deathsteel
3d6+2 Heat 850 M 20 9C Combust
Flame Flail
Eastwatch Merchants
XJ1 Blackstorm Psionic 1d6+2 Psionic 617 M 17 10D Stun
Chainsaw
East Sun XMT28 Firesteel
3d6+2 Heat 600 M 14 10D
Phase Chainsaw
Galactic Yards PBW28 Stun,
2d6 Electricity 441 L 29 9B
Electro Halberd reach
Panlight Group HDK7
3d6+2 Heat 800 M 20 11D
Zero-point Mace
Overwatch ZN41
2d6 Heat 184 M 13 10D
Firemaker Atomic Mace
Way Sun UFT99
Whitestreak Electro 1d6 Electricity 368 M 17 9B Stun
Sword
Microlight ECE90 Reach,
4d6 Heat 8000 L 21 10D
Tachyon Staff double

98
Melee Weapons & Size
The size of a melee weapon is indicated An undersized weapon is one size
in the weapons table. Weapons can be category smaller and weighs half the
increased or decreased in size to make regular weapon.
oversized or undersized versions suitable
for larger or smaller creatures. The wielder of a weapon must use two
hands to use a weapon one size category
An oversized weapon is one size category larger than himself, and must use his
larger, weighs twice the regular weapon, STRENGTH attribute for attacks even
and does an extra 1d6 points of damage. when the regular sized version offers an
Oversized weapons cost three times the option to use AGILITY. Weapons two sizes
regular price. larger cannot be used.

› Basic Melee Weapon List

Weapon Damage Type Cost (cr) Size Weight (lb) Avail Special
Axe, battleaxe 3d6 Slashing 10 M 6 1A
Axe, handaxe 2d6 Slashing 6 S 3 1A Throw
Baton, stun 2d6 Electricity 100 M 3 6A Stun
Club 2d6 Blunt 1 M 3 0A
Hammer, light 2d6 Blunt 1 S 2 1A
Hammer, warhammer 3d6 Blunt 12 M 5 2A
Knife/dagger 2d6 Piercing 2 T 1 1A Throw
Knife, laser 2d6 Heat 40 T 1 8C
Restrains,
Net, energy 1d6 Electricity 200 L 2 7B
throw
Nunchaku 2d6 Blunt 4 M 2 2A
Quarterstaff,
2d6 Blunt 50 L 4 0A
extendible
Sap 2d6 Blunt 1 S 2 2A Stun
Spear 3d6 Piercing 3 L 6 0A Throw
Sword, rapier 2d6 Piercing 20 M 2 3A

»2.Future Equipment
Sword, scimitar 2d6 Piercing 15 M 4 2A
Sword, shortsword 2d6 Piercing 10 S 2 1A
Sword, longsword 3d6 Slashing 15 M 4 1A
Sword, two-bladed 2d6 Slashing 100 L 10 3B Double
Sword, two-bladed,
2d6 Heat 1,000 L 8 9C Double
laser
Sword, two-handed 4d6 Slashing 25 L 7 2A
Sword, laser 3d6 Heat 400 M 2 9C
Trident 3d6 Piercing 15 L 4 1A Reach
Whip 2d6 Slashing 12 M 2 2A Reach
Whip, energy 2d6 Force 100 M 2 9B Reach

99
 Firearms Slang Hammer, light. A light hammer is heavier
Firearms are sometimes referred to by than a standard tool, but lighter than a
the following colloquial terms: sledgehammer.

Bludger. Projectile ballistic weapons Hammer, warhammer. A warhammer is

which fire bullets or slugs. designed especially for battle. Warhammers
weigh about the same as a sledgehammer,
Burner. Laser weapons. although some designs are larger and heavier.
Cooler. Cryo weapons. Knife/dagger. Knives and daggers range
Screecher. Sonic weapons. from kitchenware to ceremonial blades.
Knife, laser. A laser knife is a small
civilizations still exist on planets not yet version of a laser sword – a handle with a
aware of the spacefaring community. Modern blade composed of energy. Laser knives are
versions of primitive weapons may be made commonly used by thugs, although they have
from duranium or other materials. engineering uses also.
Axe, battleaxe. This is a two-handed axe Net, energy. An energy net is thrown at a
designed for combat. Many variations on the target in order to restrain him. The filaments
battleaxe exist, both primitive and, in the are not hot, but they do have an electric
case of may spacefaring cultures, ceremonial. charge which causes discomfort to the victim.
Axe, handaxe. A much smaller, one-handed Nunchaku. Nunchaku are a primitive
axe, this weapon can also be thrown. martial-arts weapon, descended from a
Baton, stun. Stun batons are often used farming implement. They are popular with
by law-enforcement or security personal. A certain gangs and with martial-arts hobbyists.
stun baton is a short, cylindrical object with Quarterstaff. A quarter staff is a six-foot
a rubberized handle, and deals electricity staff, often made of wood, but sometimes
damage to the target. See the section on of metal. Extendible versions exist (these
stunning weapons for more information. cost 50cr). Quarterstaffs are popular with
Club. A simple wooden or metal stick or Venetians.
bat. This includes baseball bats, cricket bats, Sap. A sap is a small, blunt object used
tire-irons, and other crude blunt weapons. to render a target unconscious. It does little
damage, and that damage is non-lethal
(stunning) damage, and it is a weak melee
weapon, but if the target is unaware of the
attack he must made a Difficult [16] END
check or be stunned for two rounds.
Spear. A spear is a long stick with a point.
It can be thrown.
Sword. Various types of sword exist.
Rapiers, scimitars, shortswords, and
longswords are all one-handed weapons. Two-
bladed swords feature blades protruding in
both directions from the pommel and count as
double weapons.
Sword, laser. Laser swords or sabers are
elegant, dangerous weapons. Emitting a
characteristic hum, they are produced in a
variety of colors (blue, green, and red are
common); this color is determined by the
type of focusing crystal used in the handle.

102
Technically, laser swords are not lasers; Cryo Weapons. Cryo weapons (or coolers as
they are made of plasma contained in a they are commonly called) draw power from a
magnetic field. canister of compressed mutagen resulting in a
Trident. A trident is a three-pronged spear; ray of extremely cold energy. A target reduced
originally designed for fishing, it was quickly to negative hit points by the weapon instantly
adopted as a military weapon. stabilizes and does not have to roll a death
countdown. The large power supply on a cryo
Whip. A whip is is a melee weapon with a weapon means that cryo pistols do not qualify
10’ reach. Skilled practitioners can perform for the sidearm descriptor.
tricks with a whip.
Dartgun. A dartgun can be used to fire a
» Ranged Weapons small needle via compressed air. The needle
does not inflict damage, but can be used
Firearms are plentiful and common in the to deliver chemicals including tranquilizers
future, and come in a wide variety of types. and poisons. Roll the dart's damage (1d6)
Lasers, blasters, phasers, sonic weapons, as normal, however, to see if it penetrates
ballistic weapons, antimatter, and plasma the target's SOAK, remembering that a 6
weapons are just some of the many pistols, always penetrates SOAK. These injections
rifles, grenades, and other deadly tools are expensive, but very effective. Each
available. shot’s cost is listed below and inflicts the
noted condition. Darts cannot make critical
Ammunition and power is optionally tracked
hits - they automatically inflict statuses on a
in the W.O.I.N. roleplaying game system. If
regular hit.
you choose to incorporate this element of
resource management into your game, an
ammo pack, power pack, or clip typically costs Tranquilizer (150cr) Sleeping
one-twentieth the cost of the original weapon Tranquilizer, Heavy
and contains 20 shots. It’s a free action to Sleeping (severe)
(1,500cr )
reload a pistol, an action to reload a rifle, or a
two actions to load a heavy firearm. Poison (150cr) Sick
Military Combination Carbine. A favorite
of military forces, the Military Combination Paralysis (1,000cr) Restrained
Carbine is a heavy duty bludger with an
inbuilt grenade function. The weapon stores Pain (175cr) Pain
two grenades at any one time (these must
be purchased separately) and functions as a Hallucinogen (200cr) Confused
grenade launcher when used in that mode. It

»2.Future Equipment
is a full-round action to reload a grenade into Electro-arc. Often used by police to subdue
the carbine. targets, the electro-arc (or shocker) is a far
Bow, Energy. An energy bow (usually in the future version of the tasers of the 20th and
form of a crossbow) fires bolts of plasma at a 21st centuries. The weapon emits an arc of
target. blue electricity designed to incapacitate. A
Cortex Radiation Emitter. Extremely hit with an electro-arc deals the indicated
illegal, even in the most permissive of damage, but it is non-lethal (see Stunning
jurisdictions, this weapon causes continual Weapons).
damage to the target in the form of Gatling Gun, Heavy Polaron. Developed for
radiation poisoning. Upon a successful when just plain brute force is required. The
hit, the target automatically receives the weapon is large and bulky and difficult to
Poisoned and Sick conditions, while a critical wield; however it makes up for this by sheer
hit makes those conditions severe (requiring rate of fire and immense destructive power.
a roll of 6 to remove). There are various modes on the gun ranging

103
 from a single burst of 10 shots all the way up living targets. However, cyborgs, robots,
to 2,000 rounds a minute. The ammunition/ and machinery are vulnerable to them. For
power is stored in a backpack worn by the creatures, this is noted in their stat block.
person firing the weapon. Pulse Lasers. These automatic laser
Grenades. Grenades come in a variety of weapons are the far future equivalent of a
forms, from old-style fragmentation grenades projectile-based machine gun, firing a series
(the default grenade listed) through sonic, of rapid pulses which can easily lay down a
gas, and pulse grenades which cause sonic, wide field of suppressive fire.
poison, and force damage respectively. It is Tangler. A unique nonlethal weapon eagerly
even possible to get cryo and electro grenades adopted by law enforcement agencies across the
(cold and electricity damage). Grenades universe, the tangler gun fires condensed balls of
have a Burst 2, which means they affect any an expanding adhesive compound. The compound
creature within 10 ft. of the target square expands to cover the target, after which it
(make one attack roll and apply that against hardens, immobilizing the target. A character
each target's VITAL DEFENSE). An empty square struck by a tangler gains the Restrained condition.
is typically DEFENSE 10 to hit, and the range
increment of a grenade is 3 squares (15'). The › Special Ammunition
standard frag grenades costs 50cr as listed; Special ammunition can be obtained for
other types cost as follows: projectile weapons in clips of 20 rounds
Frag (50cr), 2d6 heat damage (weight of 1lb) at the indicated price. A
weapon can only hold ammo of one type at a
Sonic (100cr), 2d6 sonic damage given time unless otherwise noted. Switching
Gas (75cr), 3d6 poison damage ammo counts as reloading. Only projectile
weapons which do ballistic damage can use
Cryo (200cr), 2d6 cold damage special ammunition.
Electro (100cr), 2d6 electricity damage Armor-Piercing (100cr) Armor-piercing
rounds ignore 10 points of SOAK, but do
Ion (250cr), 1d6 ion damage (note that
half damage.
mechanoids are vulnerable)
Hollow Point (100cr) Hollow point rounds
Smoke (40cr), no damage, target area has
do extra damage to unarmored targets. They
full concealment for 2 rounds
increase the damage of a projectile weapon
Gravitic (1,500cr), 6d6 crushing damage by 1d6, but double the target's SOAK.
Dissolver (250cr), 2d6 acid damage; the gas Rubber Bullets (100cr) Rubber bullets
cloud lingers for 1 minute can be used to cause non-lethal damage to
Stun (150cr), 2d6 force damage; damage is the target (see Stunning Weapons, above).
stunning damage (see Stunning Weapons) They are popular with bounty hunters
seeking to take their prey alive, although
Roll to hit the square the default on the frontiers tends to be
you are aiming at. If you
miss, roll 1d6 to determine
1 2 3 “Dead or Alive”; and dead is easier. Rubber
ammunition can be purchased for the
which square you hit
instead using the chart
4 * 5 same price as regular ammunition in any
projectile non-automatic weapon.
below. Apply damage to
any within the grenade’s 6 Tracers (100cr) Highly visible rounds which
assist in aiming, directing fire, and marking
area of effect. Grenades targets at the expense of revealing the
cannot be combined with gunner’s position. Using tracer rounds causes
ranged exploits unless otherwise noted. a 1d6 penalty to any cover or concealment
Ion Pistol. Ion weapons are unusual in bonus enjoyed by the gunner, but grants
that they do very little actual damage to a +1d6 bonus for one round to all ranged

104
combatants firing on the same target (a » Explosive Ordnance
successful hit is not required to grant this
› Weapon Descriptions
bonus). Note that beam weapons like phasers
can act like tracers if the operator so chooses. Bazookoid. Originally designed to blast
Using tracer rounds (or a beam weapon as a apart rocks, these plasma-firing weapons are
tracer) requires two actions. often used for more military endeavours. The

› Generic Ranged Weapon List

Cost Weight
Weapon Damage Type Range Size Availability Special
(cr) (lb)
Military
2d6 or
combination Ballistic 10 1,000 S 2 6A Sidearm, grenades
grenade
carbine
Bow, energy 2d6+2 Heat 20 80 M 3 10C
Cortex 1d6 damage every
radiation 1d6 Radiation 3 1,500 S 3 8B round until healed;
emitter highly illegal
Dartgun - - 5 75 S 1 5A
Electro-arc 1d6+2 Electricity 3 1,000 S 3 6A
Gatling gun,
4d6 Heat 15 10,000 L 20 9B Heavy, auto
heavy polaron
Grenade
Varies Varies 15 600 L 20 5A Grenades
launcher
Laser, assault 2d6+4 Heat 15 2,300 L 5 7A Auto
Pistol, slugger 2d6 Ballistic 10 75 S 3 5A Sidearm
Pistol, blaster 2d6 Heat 10 40 S 3 7B Sidearm
Pistol,
2d6+2 Heat 12 100 S 3 8B Sidearm
disruptor
Pistol, cryo 1d6+2 Cold 5 1,500 S 6 9C
Pistol, ion 1d6 Ion 10 250 S 2 9C Sidearm
Pistol, laser 1d6+4 Heat 10 100 S 2 7A Sidearm, beam
Sidearm, stun
Pistol, phaser 2d6+2 Heat 15 150 S 2 9B
setting, beam

»2.Future Equipment
Pistol, sonic 1d6+2 Sonic 10 100 S 2 9C Sidearm
Pulse cannon,
4d6 Force 20 4,000 L 15 9B Heavy, auto
portable
Railgun 3d6+2 Ballistic 10 1,400 L 18 7B Heavy, auto
Rifle, slugger 2d6+2 Ballistic 20 100 M 4 5A
Rifle,
3d6 Heat 20 350 M 5 8B
disruptor
Rifle, laser 2d6+3 Heat 20 250 M 5 7A
Rifle, phaser 2d6+4 Heat 25 500 M 4 9B Stun setting, beam
Rifle, sniper 3d6+2 Ballistic 35 500 M 5 5A
Rifle, sniper,
3d6 Heat 40 1,000 M 7 8A Beam
laser
Tangler - - 2 750 M 5 9C Restrains

105
 › Exotic Ranged Weapon List
Cost Weight
Weapon Damage Type Range Size Avail Special
(cr) (lb)
Yamamoto Cryogenics Q44
Thunderstreak Fission 2d6+4 Heat 37 151 L 39 9B Heavy
Portable Missile System
Daystellar N23 Whitesteel Sidearm,
1d6 Electricity 9 48 S 1 9B
Electro Autopistol auto
Trans Sun FC33 Fireswarm
2d6+2 Heat 20 196 M 12 10C
Antimatter Gun
Megadyne Y12 Bio Prototype 1d6 Poison 20 99 M 12 10D
TerraCorp Q91 Zero-point
1d6 Heat 24 23 M 13 11D
Projector
Ding Psionics JQ54
Blackspear Psionic Portable 3d6 Psionic 21 4,500 L 33 10D Heavy
Missile System
Transbeam Yards ZOT24
3d6 Ballistic 29 450 L 34 9B Heavy
Gauss Mortar
Fu Fuel Refining AX53
3d6 Radiation 23 6,000 M 17 9B Auto
Radiation Assault Rifle
Galactic Concepts KRH16
Starbird Disruptor Assault 3d6+2 Heat 24 1,000 M 16 9B Auto
Rifle
Outerwide-Overwatch
Sidearm,
Syndicate PI2 Electron 2d6+2 Heat 11 152 S 3 9B
auto
Autopistol
Terralight IJ95 Hellswarm
3d6+2 Radiation 23 9,500 L 24 9C Auto, heavy
Neutron Autocannon
Daywatch CQ32 Firefury
3d6 Heat 27 626 L 31 9C Auto, heavy
Disintegration Autocannon
Omniwatch IIX94 Flameflash
1d6 Sonic 25 52 M 12 10C
Sonic Gun
Korovin Private Security F58
Darkswarm Disintegration 5d6 Heat 35 17,000 L 38 9C Heavy
System
Silver Sun BRA7 Antimatter
3d6+2 Heat 22 900 M 15 9B Auto
Assault Rifle
Way Prime OZ54 Redbird Bio
1d6+2 Poison 17 110 M 16 10C
Crossbow
Waydyne-Eastlight Works
4d6 Sonic 23 5,000 M 19 10C
WC78 Sonic Crossbow
MicroCo JO40 Stingfury Sidearm,
2d6 Heat 8 198 S 4 11D
Tachyon Autopistol auto
Ding Exploration IG66 Zero-
3d6 Heat 22 625 M 19 11D
point Hunting Rifle
New Prime XDO74 Polaron
3d6 Heat 31 600 L 32 10C Auto, heavy
Autocannon
Megabreak T81 Bio Thrower 3d6+2 Poison 17 700 M 13 10C
Transfarer R43 Fireflash
3d6+4 Radiation 18 17,500 M 13 9B
Microwave Sniper Rifle
Daywide Construction GA80
2d6 Heat 17 225 M 17 9B
Plasma Hunting Rifle
Bell Cybernetics RVM58
2d6+4 Blunt 19 229 M 17 10C Push
Stingbolt Repulsor Crossbow

106
› Explosive Ordnance
Cost Weight
Weapon Dam. Type Range Burst Size Avail Special
(cr) (lb)
Crusader Shoulder Single, arc,
2d6 Heat 6 2 9,000 L 16 9C
Light Mortar min 6
Crusader Ground- Single,
Mounted Light 3d6 Heat 10 3 20,000 L 22 9C mounted, min
Mortar 10
Devastator Multi- Single, recoil,
3d6 Heat 10 4 20,000 L 16 9C
Rocket Launcher min 5
Heavy Plasma
3d6 Plasma 15 1 3,500 L 10 9C Single, recoil
Launcher
Heavy Repeater
2d6 Plasma 12 1 9,000 L 14 9C Recoil
Plasma Launcher
Marauder Rocket Single, AT,
3d6 Heat 15 2 4,000 M 10 9C
Launcher MK 1 recoil, min 6
Marauder Rocket Single, AT,
3d6 Heat 18 3 10,000 M 11 9C
Launcher MK 2 recoil, min 6
Mark 1 Bazookoid 2d6 Heat 8 1 2,000 M 10 9C Single
Mark 2 Bazoookoid 3d6 Heat 10 1 5,000 M 12 9C Single
Mark 3 Bazookoid 3d6 Heat 12 2 10,000 M 12 9C Single, seeker
Mark 4 (Rapid-fire)
2d6 Heat 8 2 13,500 M 13 9C Recoil
Bazookoid
Plasma Cannon 2d6+4 Plasma 10 1 4,000 M 11 9C Single, recoil
Plasma Caster 2d6 Plasma 15 2 6,500 M 9 9C Single
Portable Ion Cannon 2d6 Ion 6 3 5,000 M 10 9C Single
Scimitar Missile Single, AT,
3d6 Heat 10 2 4,000 M 12 9C
Launcher recoil, min 6

Mk 3 has a heatseeking mode which grants a

+2d6 bonus to attack rolls.
Cannon. A cannon is a heavy piece
of infantry artillery which launches an
explosive projectile. While most cannons are

»2.Future Equipment
groundmounted, a selection of them can be
carried.
Mortar. Mortars propel missiles in high arcs,
generally with high yield but fairly short range
and accuracy. Shoulder mounted mortars are
heavy, but technology allows them to be small
enough to carry.
Rocket/Missile Launcher. Rocket launchers
fire rocket-propelled projectiles. Most are
shoulder-fired. Rocket launchers have an
antitank capability. A multi-rocket launcher
fires several rockets, which cover a much
wider splash area. Rocket launchers are also
known as missile launchers.

107
 »Armor

E
ven in the far future, armor is one of the temperature, toxic environments, radiation,
most effective ways to protect yourself. and more. The suit regulates the wearer’s
The technology may have improved from temperature to a comfortable level and
the days of chain-mail and plate armor, but provides breathable atmospheric support.
the principle is largely the same: wearing The suit is suitable for hazardous planetary
something resistant to damage in the hope that environments, underwater, and deep space.
it will absorb any incoming damage before it Environmental suits make the wearer immune

»2.Future Equipment
gets through to you. Some armor types are less to radiation and radiation damage.
effective against certain damage types - for
Kevlar, vest or long coat. Kevlar is
example, flexible armor usually does not help
the wearer against blunt damage, and metallic a fibrous, high strength fabric originally
armor may be vulnerable to electricity damage. designed to withstand ballistic damage. The
vest covers the upper torso, while the long
Battlesuit. Battlesuits are specifically coat is a distinctive kevlar-lined trench-coat.
designed for soldiers, and provide both
protection and integrated communications Leather armor. Hard-boiled leather,
and scanning equipment. The naval version fashionably sewn or bonded together, leather
is a little bulkier and more protective than armor is designed more as a fashion statement
the basic version. Battlesuits have military than it is for utility.
scanners built in. Mesh lining. This is a jacket or other
Environmental suit. Environmental garment lined with a thin, flexible mesh layer
suits protect the wearer from extremes of of hardened plastic.

111
 Riot armor. This armor is the type typically
worn by uniformed police, designed to
allow movement while offering maximum Stacking Soak
protection. Riot armor includes padding, blast There are three common types of
vest, kevlar pads on the arms, legs, and knees,
SOAK: natural, armor, and special.
and, typically, a helmet.
SOAK of the same type stacks with
Synthetic weave. A very thin, subtle
layer of armor worn under clothing. The itself as long as it is presented as a
same thickness as an undershirt, it doesn’t SOAK bonus (you can recognise this by
provide great protection, but it can mean the “+” symbol). If you have 5 armor
the difference between a killing shot and a SOAK from a kevlar vest, you can
wound. Many military uniforms incorporate a add the +1 SOAK from an open-faced
synthetic weave. helmet, but not the 4 SOAK from a suit
Padded armor. Padded armor is a very basic of leather armor: the former is a bonus,
tunic or vest filled with special foam designed the latter is not.
to protect the wearer. Padded armor is the When you have SOAK of different
equivalent of the quilted cloth of medieval types, you must use the highest.
times, although modern versions are designed
to last years. For example, if you have 5 natural
SOAK and 8 armor SOAK, your SOAK is 8.
Powered combat armor. This heavy
If you then gain +5 natural SOAK, your
armor boosts the wearer’s physical
capabilities. Extremely expensive, this SOAK becomes 10, because your natural
armor is not common. It increases the SOAK is now 10, and is the highest of
wearer's STR dice pool by +1d6. the two values.
› Specialist Armor Special SOAK stacks with both
Angel Battlesuit. Designed for high natural and armor SOAK as long as it is
intensity combat rescue, this white armor is presented as a bonus.
a heavy, unpowered durasteel alloy treated Armor SOAK is provided by worn
with various hardening chemicals. Spikes armor; natural SOAK is provided by
on the forearms and shoulders increase the natural armor; special SOAK is provided
wearer’s natural damage by 1d6 and changes by a range of other things.
it to piercing. The battlesuit is able to
automatically resuscitate the wearer if they
Armor SOAK Cost (cr) Type Weight (lb) Inneffective Avail
Synthetic weave 2 30 Light 5 Blunt 9A
Padded 3 20 Light 10 Heat 1A
Mesh lining 4 50 Light 8 Blunt 9A
Leather 4 35 Light 15 - 2A
Kevlar vest 5 100 Light 30 Piercing 5A
Kevlar coat, long 6 200 Medium 50 Piercing 6A
Environmental suit 4 500 Medium 40 Piercing 6A
Riot armor 7 1,000 Medium 50 - 6A
Basic battlesuit 10 2,000 Heavy 60 Electricity 8A
Navy battlesuit 11 3,000 Heavy 65 Electricity 9A
Powered combat armor 12 10,000 Heavy 60 Electricity , ion 10A

112
 fall to zero HEALTH (the wearer can only Eastdyne Explosive Ordnance Disposal
benefit from this once per day) and restore Suit. Also known as a bomb suit or a blast
them to 3d6 HEALTH. suit, this armor provides excellent protection
Armored Pullover. A thick sweater with against explosive and area-based damage.
thin sheets of duranium sewn into the GE33 “Stalker” Impact Suit. A lightweight,
fabric, this clothing item provides warmth, more sheer cloth bodysuit than the Flexible
protection, and dubious fashion. Armor Suit, this similarly becomes rigid upon
impact. The skintight suit includes a hood
Carapace Body Armor. Made from the shell
which covers all but the eyes and mouth. This
of an insectoid creature, these suits are very
armor is often used by stealth special forces,
flexible and provide excellent protection.
as it can be covered with loose clothing.
However, they can make one very unwelcome
when encountering insectoids. Carapace armor Goliath Armored Exosuit. This mighty
is very effective against piercing attacks. powered exosuit not only provides superb
protection, it also grants the wearer +1d6 to
Daybeam Civilian Flak Jacket. This
STR-based dice pools and +2 SPEED.
bulletproof jacket is a mass-market
commercialised version for civilian use. It is not Guardian A9 Energy Sheath. A faint blue
unusual to see liquor store owners in dangerous glow surrounds anybody using an energy
neighbourhoods wearing these jackets. sheath. About half an inch thick, the sheath
is weightless. A9 energy sheaths can only be
DE76 “Ninja Machine” Molecule Mail. used for an hour before requiring recharging,
Despite the trashy name clearly designed which takes an hour.
to appeal to those who have watched too
many holoflicks, this molecularly bonded Havoc Ultra Chassis. This fearsome looking
“chainmail” mesh is flexible and provides combat chassis means business. At close to a
excellent protection for those who can afford million credits, you get what you paid for. This
it. It is, however, eye-wateringly expensive, armor also adds +3 SPEED.
and generally worn by very rich wannabes. Krayte Industries Armorgel. This armor is
DE91 “Shogunite” Molecule Mail. A later soft to the touch, and consists of hundreds of
version of the DE76, this mail offers slightly gel-pads.
more protection and is a little lighter… and Mantis Combat Chassis. This is probably
more than a little more expensive. the ultimate in combat protection. Mantis

Item Cost (cr) Weight Avail Notes

Forcefield 2,000 1 10C +3 DEFENSE

Gauntlets, duranium 50 1 9A +1 unarmed damage

+1 unarmed damage;
Gauntlets, duranium, spiked 150 1 9A
damage becomes piercing
Gauntlets, kevlar 60 1 9A +1 unarmed damage

Helmet, blast shield 180 6 9A Special

Helmet, closed 175 5 9A +2 SOAK, -2 DEFENSE

Helmet, open-faced 70 2 9A +1 SOAK, -1 DEFENSE

Shield, energy 1,200 1 10C +2 DEFENSE

Shield, large, duranium 200 25 9A +3 DEFENSE

Shield, medium, duranium 90 10 9A +2 DEFENSE

Shield, small, duranium 40 6 9A +1 DEFENSE

116
armor uses a blended composite of insectoid
carapace and tritanium, making it almost
impenetrable. The armor looks much like an
insect, and grants the wearer +10’ JUMP both
horizontal and vertical.
Marauder Power Armor. This superheavy
armor keeps the wearer in perfect health
while allowing them to lay waste to all
around. It increases unarmed damage to
3d6; if it has a weakness, it’s that when the
wearer is knocked prone, it takes two actions
to stand. This armor is insulated against
electricity.
Moore-Stolypin NUK 52 Nanosuit. Versatile
tactical combat armor with the ability to
adapt to different conditions. Normally the
nano suit provides 5 SOAK, but if it absorbs
damage from an attack, SOAK vs. that damage
type subsequently increases to 10 SOAK for
one minute. The suit can only adapt to one
damage type at a time, so if it takes damage
of a different type, the weighted SOAK
switches to the new damage type.
and clean-up, or for boarding ships whose FTL
Nemourlon Vest Mk1. The development engines have been ruptured, this is the default
of kevlar eventually led to nemourlon, which armor of many a navy.
is even more efficient, especially against
PI13 Arachnofiber Weave. Harvested from
ballistic weaponry.
the silk of Melusian Energy Spiders, this thin
Newbreak Mk I Plasteel Breastplate. weave has a matt black finish which seems to
Similar to a duranium breastplate, this amor is suck in the light from around it.
a little lighter and easier to wear.
Price-Arakaki Rubber Armor. Rubber
Northwide Genetics IY475 Cryosuit. armor provides excellent protection against
Designed for artic incursions, this armor electricity and blunt attacks.
protects against cold weapons and
Protector A8 Energy Sheath. A faint green
environments.
glow surrounds anybody using an energy

»2.Future Equipment
Overman Rigid Metallic Clothing. While a sheath. About half an inch thick, the sheath
little clumsy to wear, this clothing provides is weightless. A8 energy sheaths can only be
excellent protection without resorting to used for an hour before requiring recharging,
actually socialising in armor. which takes two hours.
PanCorp Bullet-guard Overalls. Made of Redeemer Warframe. This mechanised
very tough fabric, these overalls are often assault armor has mountings for weaponry. The
worn by contractors in hazardous conditions. user can affix an existing rifle to each shoulder
Panwatch EV72 Monomolecular Mesh and fire either as free action.
Armor. This material protects areas which Reflective Shimmer Mail. This duranium
require flexibility - knees, elbows, and other mesh is treated with a reflective chemical
joints. This adds +1 SOAK to any existing which reflects heat.
armor.
Saviour Tactical Vest. The tactical vest is
Parsec Yards RUX4 Incursion Radsuit. a kevlar vest covered with pouches and other
Armor designed for post-apocalyptic incursion storage. The tactical vest allows the wearer

117
 to carry 20lb of items of 1lb or less in weight » Reading The Armor Table
with no penalty.
SOAK. This is the most important part
Sentinel A7 Energy Sheath. A faint white
glow surrounds anybody using an energy of an armor’s entry. It tells you how much
sheath. About half an inch thick, the sheath damage it is able to absorb. Usually this is
is weightless. A7 energy sheaths can only be expressed as a simple number (SOAK 5, for
used for an hour before requiring recharging, example). Sometimes, however, a damage
which takes 8 hours. type might be noted also – so a SOAK 5
(heat) entry means that the armor soaks
Shinobi Duranium Breastplate. Duranium,
five points of heat damage, but cold or
the same material starship hulls are made
of, can also be used for personal protection. blunt damage is unaffected. An armor type
This breastplate can withstand serious can have multiple SOAK entries for different
punishment. damage types.
SilverCo Dilatant Fluid. This sheer Cost. This is the cost in CREDITS of a
thickening fluid increases in thickness when standard example of this armor type.
stressed. There are many manufacturers of Type. This indicates whether the armor
dilatent fluid, but SilverCo has by far the
is light, medium, or heavy, which can affect
largest market share. It is applied as an
things like available upgrades and upgrade
“oil” all over the body, and has a noticeable
slots. Heavy armor enforces a -4 DEFENSE
metallic smell. This fluid has the property
penalty. Medium armor enforces a -2
that it can add to natural SOAK. Pronounced
“dielatent”. DEFENSE penalty. Powered armor counts as
one category lighter Skill ranks in each type
Streamlined Combat Skin. A superthin is required to benefit from higher quality
material similar to a wetsuit, which hugs the
armor. The DEFENSE penalty from armor is
body. Not flattering on most.
reduced by the number of dice you have in
TD85 Scorpion Flexible Armor Suit. This that armor skill. For example, a character
flexible pressure suit reacts to impacts, with 3 ranks (2d6) in heavy amorreduces the
become rigid when sudden pressure is heavy amor penalty by 2.
applied. This allows the suit to provide
the protection of heavier armor while Weight. This is the weight in pounds
maintaining the range of motion permitted by of the armor. Armor can be heavy, and
light armor. exceeding your CARRY value can have
negative effects.
Templar Armor. Heavy, thick, and almost
invulnerable, this armor turns the wearer into Inneffective. The armor does not offer
a walking tank. any SOAK towards damage of this type.
Ultrafarer Concepts Stab Vest. Similar This is not the same as Vulnerability (which
to a kevlar vest, this armor is designed means that the target takes additional
specifically to ward off piercing implements. damage).
Ultrafarer Concepts has somehow managed to Powered armor. Powered armor counts as
patent this design, and is currently the only
one category type lighter (heavy, medium,
manufacturer of armor of this specification,
light, none) for the purposes of determining
despite dozens of legal challenges.
DEFENSE penalties. If the power is removed,
Vector AP Resistant Body Armor (Mk 1 & it operates as its normal category.
2). This armor is designed to absorb armor-
piercing ballistics. Armor-piercing bullets Note that armor, like all equipment, is
usually ignore a certain amount of SOAK, but limited in quality by the wearer’s skill level
AP Resistant armor applies its SOAK to armor- in the armor type. Armor skills include
piercing ammo as normal. light, medium, heavy, and powered armor.

118
» Shields
Shields are not common in futuristic
environments, although they are carried
by some riot police or shock trooper types.
Shields add to the wielder’s DEFENSE
rather than acting as a damage soak. A
shield requires a free arm, and so cannot
be used with two-handed weapons.
Shields are most commonly made of
duranium.
You cannot benefit from more than
one shield; a forcefield counts as a shield
for the purposes of this. You also cannot
benefit from a shield when you are in
cover.
Duranium shield. A small shield is about
two-feet across, a medium shield is about
three-feet across, a large shield is three-
feet across and four-feet in height, while a
tower shield is five or more feet in height.
Shields are typically made of duranium,
although other materials are possible.
Energy shield. An energy shield is a
wristband which projects a circular shield
of weightless energy upon command. It is
wielded just like a medium shield.
Forcefield. A forcefield is a small
device which clips to a belt. It can
be activated with a single action, and
protects the wearer with a globe of
transparent force. Forcefields can operate
for up to one hour per day before needing
to be recharged. They do not protect the
wearer from environmental effects.

»2.Future Equipment
Gauntlets. Duranium gauntlets grant the
wearer a small amount of extra unarmed
damage, but do not allow the use of claws.
Duranium gauntlets inflict a -1d6 penalty
to intricate hand-based AGI checks (to pick
locks, and similar tasks). Gauntlets are
small items.
Helmet. Helmets grant extra protection
at the cost of a small amount of spatial
awareness. A helmet with a blast shield
allows the wearer to switch between open
and closed status as a free action. Helmets
are small items. Helmets grant +1 to rolls
to shake off the Dazed condition.

119
 Armor SOAK Cost Type Weight Avail Inneffective
Angel Battlesuit 20 200,000 Heavy 200* 8A -
Armored Pullover 3 40 Light 10 6A Heat
Carapace Body Armor 7; piercing 10 5,000 Medium 50 9B -
Daybeam Civilian Flak Jacket 4 75 Light 25 6A Piercing
DE76 Ninja Machine Molecule Mail 12 15,000 Light 10 9C Cold
DE91 Shogunite Molecule Mail 13 19,000 Light 9 9C Cold
Eastdyne Explosive Ordnance
4; burst 15 8,500 Medium 50 7A -
Disposal (EOD) Suit
G33 Stalker Impact Suit 2; blunt 5 600 Light 7 7B -
Goliath Armored Exosuit 22 390,000 Heavy 400* 8C Electricity
Guardian A9 Energy Sheath 7 7,000 - - 9C Ion
Havok Ultra Chassis 24 750,000 Heavy 250* 8C Electricity
Krayte Industries Armorgel 3; blunt 7 1,500 Light 10 9B Heat
Mantis Combat Chassis 26 1,125,000 Heavy 225* 8C Electricity
Marauder Power Armor 25 950,000 Heavy 300* 8C Ion
Moore-Stolypin PUK52 Nanosuit 5/10 18,000 Medium 50 9B -
Nemourlon Vest Mk I 6 250 Light 25 8B -
Newbreak Mk I Plasteel Breastplate 5 400 Light 20 8B -
Northwide Genetics IYU75 Cryosuit 4; cold 10 3,500 Medium 60 9B -
Overman Rigid Metallic Clothing 4 300 Light 30 8A -
PanCorp Bullet-Guard Overalls 3; ballistic 8 400 Light 20 6A -
Panwatch EV72 Monomolecular +1 to
3,000 - 8 6B -
Mesh Armor existing
Parsec Yards RUX4 Incursion Radsuit 6; rad. 10 12,000 Medium 55 8B Cold
PI3 Arachnofiber Weave 2; heat 6 750 Light 5 9C Blunt
Piercing,
Price-Arakaki Rubber Armor 4; elect. 20 7,000 Medium 35 8A
Ballistic
Protector A8 Energy Sheath 6 5,000 - - 9C Ion
Redeemer Warframe 18 100,000 Heavy 120* 8B Ion
Reflective Shimmer Mail 4; 10 heat 7,500 Medium 40 8B -
Saviour Tactical Vest 5 250 Light 35 6A Piercing
Sentinel A7 Energy Sheath 5 2,000 - - 9C Ion
Shinobi Duranium Breastplate 6 400 Medium 35 6A -
SilverCo Dilatant Fluid 4; blunt 10 5,000 Light - 8B Cold
Streamlined Combat Skin 3 1,000 Light 6 8A Piercing
TD85 Scorpion Flexible Armor Suit 6; blunt 12 4,500 Medium 30 9A
Templar Armor 15 45,000 Heavy 180 9A -
Ultrafarer Concepts Stab Vest 4; piercing 7 750 Light 30 6A -
Vector AP Resistant Body Armor Mk1 5 700 Light 35 6A -
Vector AP Resistant Body Armor Mk 2 6 950 Light 35 6A -
*Weight carried. Weighs half when worn.

120
 »Customizing Gear

W
eapons and armor can be customized » Future Weapon
and upgraded with additional features.
These range from simple features like a
Customizations
telescopic scopes or auto-loaders to advanced Accelerated (10,000cr). An accelerated
technological enhancements like phasing or weapon is one which is designed with special

»2.Future Equipment
seeking ammunition, booby-trapped weapons materials and even warping technology to
which identify the wielder, or methods to con- allow the user to strike faster with it. These
ceal weapons from scanners. weapons are always melee weapons, and the
Not all customizations are appropriate to user gains an additional free attack with the
all settings. weapon if he has already attacked twice with
it this turn.
The number of customizations a weapon or
set of armor can support is based on its size Ammunition booster (500cr). An
and quality (see page 111). ammunition boost refers to actual ammo,
power cells, or charges. The ammunition boost
A customization must match quality with
doubles the capacity of the weapon.
the item being upgraded, along with standard
attached quality price increases - if an excep- Bio-active (1,500cr). Bio-active weaponry
tional quality rifle is being customized, the is the far future equivalent of poisoned darts.
cost of each upgrade is multiplied by 5 with an Biological warfare, while disdained, is not
additional 250cr on top. uncommon. A bio-active weapon (either melee

121
 or ranged) is designed to emit small amounts A combined weapon costs the price of
of bioactive material onto the ammunition or each of its component weapons multiplied
striking edge of the weapon. Only weapons by the number of component weapons. Each
which fire bullets, or melee weapons which do component must be of the same quality;
slashing or piercing damage qualify for a bio- you cannot combine an exceptional quality
active upgrade. The bio-active agent adds the with an artisanal quality weapon – they are
poison damage type to the weapon’s damage incompatible.
(e.g. changing a pistol to ballistic/poison
You are able to switch between the
damage.)
different modes of a weapon as a free action
Booby trapped (1,000cr). A booby trapped in your turn, though you may only do so once
weapon will explode, shock, or otherwise harm per turn.
the wielder if an unauthorized user attempts
High damage (1,000cr). The weapon
to use it. There are two levels of booby
has been modified to make it more deadly.
trap – manual activation (which requires the
Perhaps a baseball bat has spikes on it, or a
authorized user to enter a code to activate the
firearm uses an advanced propellant. It does
weapon safely) or ID Matched activation (which
+1d6 damage
automatically recognizes an authorized user).
ID-matched (500cr). An ID-Matched
Manual activation: manually activating a
weapon can only be used by a single
booby trapped weapon requires an action.
designated individual – usually its owner.
Attempting to use the weapon without
activating it will trigger the booby trap. The system uses a variety of biometric data
to determine the user’s identity and will
ID Matched activation: the weapon must not function for any wielder other than that
also have the ID Matched upgrade applied individual. This upgrade cannot be applied
to it. No action is required to use activate to simple weapons like clubs or swords; the
the weapon. Unauthorized users will weapon must have electronic components
automatically trigger the booby trap. which require activation. An ID-Matched
The trigger for a booby trapped weapon is weapon can also be Booby Trapped; this is a
an attempt to use. In the case of a firearm, separate upgrade.
it is use of the trigger; with a laser sword or
Miniaturized (2,000cr). A miniaturized
other similar technological melee device, it
weapon is a very compact, easily concealable
is the power control. There are two common
version of a weapon. Only ranged weapons
types of booby trap available:
can be miniaturized in this fashion (melee
Explosive: the weapon explodes. It causes weapons lose their damage dealing capacity
2d6 heat damage to the user (large by miniaturizing them). A miniaturized weapon
weapons cause 3d6 heat damage). The is reduced by two size categories (minimum
weapon is destroyed. is tiny), and inflicts a -2d6 penalty on anyone
Shock: the weapon gives the user an searching the owner for it. Its capabilities are
electric shock. The user takes 2d6 not affected in any other way.
electricity damage and drops the weapon. Phasing (12,000cr). A phasing weapon
Combined weapon (price varies). A uses high advanced transporter technology
combined weapon is one which incorporates to negate cover. A microchip calculates the
the features of one or more weapons. This exact moment to phase the ammunition to
could be as simple as a rifle with a bayonet the other side of a barrier. This can only
(spear) on the end or a weapon with an inbuilt be applied to ranged weapons which fire
grenade launcher. Highly advanced weapons projectiles. The weapon ignores any cover
might include the features of multiple penalties to hit the target within the first
weapons, able to access each on command. range increment, once per round only.

122
 Scope (100cr). A scope is one of Stealthy (500cr). A stealthy weapon is one
the most basic, common additions to a composed of materials which do not register
ranged weapon. It enables the wielder to on security scanners. The weapon will not,
more easily hit targets at greater range however, bypass a visual inspection.
increments. A scope adds 50% to the range Suppressor (250cr). A suppressor is used
increment of a ranged weapon. to silence or muffle a weapon by emitting a
Advanced scope: an advanced scope frequency-calculated sonic pulse designed to
(500cr) adds 100% to the weapon’s range nullify the weapon’s own noise. Any weapon
increment instead of 50%. with a suppressor attached emits no sound
Night scope: a night scope (300cr) allows when used. A sonic weapon with a suppressor
the user to operate a ranged weapon in is rendered nonfunctional.
complete darkness. Transporting (20,000cr). A transporting
Seeker (15,000cr). A seeking weapon is a weapon is able to be called to the user’s
highly advanced piece of technology. Integrated hand. The basic type of transporting
computer chips with enhanced target-finding weapon must be stored in a special
AI instantaneously calculate the exact distance permanent unit on a starship or in a
and direction of the target. Seeking weapons building, and is recalled using a special
grant a +2d6 bonus to attack rolls with a ranged glove. The range is 1 mile. Recalling the
weapon above and beyond that granted by the weapon is an action.
weapon’s innate quality. However, they can A more advanced transporting weapon
only be fired once per round. contains its own transporting unit and can
be concealed anywhere. This
upgrade is more expensive,
however, costing 50,000cr.

» Future Armor
Customizations
Augmented Reaction
(1,000cr). This functionality
can only be built into medium
or heavy armor, and includes a
heads-up-display, proximity alert

»2.Future Equipment
systems, and other electronic
devices designed to improve the
reaction time of the wearer.
Augmented reaction armor grants
a +1d6 bonus to Initiative checks.
Ablative (500cr). Highly
effective, ablative armor
absorbs damage by vaporizing
when hit. Ablative armor starts
with 2 additional points of
SOAK. Its SOAK value reduces
by 1 point with each hit, and
the actual weight of the armor
lessens by 5lb.

123
 Cloak (10,000cr). Cloaking technology surroundings. Camouflage can be applied
is expensive and uncommon. It renders to any armor, and must be selected for
the wearer almost invisible (+3d6 bonus a specific terrain (desert, snow, jungle,
to checks made to hide), although a night). Wearing the correct camouflage
perceptive viewer can make out a slight armor for the terrain grants a +1d6 bonus
shimmering. to checks to hide. This does not stack with
Gravitic (4,000cr). Gravitic armor is the chameleon property.
used in high, low or zero gravity situations Chameleon (5,000cr). The ultimate
using artificial gravity field generators. The in camouflage, chameleon armor uses
wearer of gravitic armor is unaffected by nanotechnology to rapidly change color to
zero, high, or low gravity. react to its environment. Chameleon armor
Kinetic (1,000cr). Kinetic armor is able grants a +2d6 bonus to checks to hide.
to sense when the wearer is in free-fall and This does not stack with the camouflage
reduce his falling speed to ensure a gentle property.
landing. The wearer does not take falling Nanorepair (5,000cr). Nanorepair armor
damage, but must still make an AGILITY is able to repair itself, and is especially
check to land on his feet. useful when combined with ablative armor.
Reflective (400cr). Reflective armor It repairs itself by 1 point every turn.
is a cheap, efficient way to deflect beam Thrusters (5,000cr). Thrusters built
weapons. However, it is highly visible, and into heavy armors can enable spectacular
not suitable for stealth-based operations. jumps. With an action, the wearer can
Reflective armor grants 5 SOAK vs. heat safely jump 30’ up or across with no
damage, but inflicts a -2d6 penalty to attribute check required.
checks made to hide. Reflective armor
cannot be combined with camouflage or » Vehicles
chameleon properties.
Vehicles are used for transportation
Silent (2,000cr). Silent suits add sonic of people and goods or, in may cases, for
dampening technology in the form of sport and pleasure. Archaic vehicles – those
miniature field generators. These field which use internal combustion engines – are
generators cannot be used on heavy armor. rare, but there is a niche market for them
Silent suits grant a +1d6 bonus to AGILITY amongst enthusiasts and collectors. Most
checks to be stealthy, and – as a side-effect everyday vehicles use antigrav technology
– provide 5 SOAK vs. sonic damage. and hover across the ground, skimming at
Spikes (80cr). This medieval looking a height of about five feet. Walkers and
adjustment looks intimidating and exotic; mechs are primarily limited to industrial
however, their primary purpose is to cause and military usage.
damage to opponents who attempt to grab
A character inside a vehicle benefits
the wearer. Any attempt to grab the wearer
from the SOAK provided by that vehicle
of spiked armor causes the attacker 1d6
until the vehicle is reduced to half HEALTH,
piercing damage.
at which point it is considered broken
Thermal (250cr). Thermal armor both (although not destroyed). The occupant
protects against cold environments, and of a vehicle uses their own DEFENSE or
also grants 5 SOAK vs. cold (cryo) damage. the DEFENSE of the vehicle, whichever is
Camouflage (300cr). Camouflage armor higher. Note that vehicle DEFENSE increases
is an easy and cheap way to blend into the with higher speeds.

124
 Archaic Weight
Cost (cr) Occup. SPEED ACCEL HEALTH SOAK DEF.** HANDLING
Vehicles (lb)
Automobile,
13,000* 5,000 5 12 3 70 15 10 3
large

Motorcycle 1,500* 500 1 15 4 22 5 12 1

Truck, light 15,000* 8,000 3 9 2 89 15 10 4

Weight
Mechs Cost (cr) Occup. SPEED ACCEL HEALTH SOAK DEF.** HANDLING
(lb)
Mech,
ultralight 300,000 20,000 1 10 3 141 15 10 0
biped
Mech, light
700,000 40,000 1 6 2 200 15 10 0
biped
Mech,
medium 2,000,000 150,000 3 8 2 387 20 10 0
biped
Mech, heavy
5,000,000 300,000 3 6 1 547 25 10 0
biped
Hover Weight
Cost (cr) Occup. SPEED ACCEL HEALTH SOAK DEF.** HANDLING
Vehicles (lb)

Bike, swoop 8,000 1,000 1 28 8 31 5 10 1

Car, hover 15,000 4000 5 14 3 63 15 10 3

Truck, hover 20,000 6000 3 11 2 77 15 10 4

Speeder,
10,500 4,500 2 16 3 67 5 10 2
hover

Podracer 18,000 7,000 1 32 8 83 5 10 2

Weight
Walkers Cost (cr) Occup. SPEED ACCEL HEALTH SOAK DEF.** HANDLING
(lb)
Walker,
300,000 26,500 2 5 1 162 20 10 1
chicken
Walker, 3 (+ 40
3,400,000 200,000 4 1 447 25 10 4
rhino troops)
*Archaic vehicles cost twice as much in future environments
**The DEFENSE of a vehicle is equal to its listed DEFENSE plus its current SPEED.

Size/type Upgrade slots*

Small (weapon or item); light armor 2
Medium (weapon or item); medium armor 3
Large (weapon or item); heavy armor 5
*Additional slots are granted by higher quality items.

126
 »Drugs

S
ubstances can have direct effects on » Side Effects
those who imbibe, inject, drink, or inhale
them. They are used legally by medical Some chemicals are noted as having side-ef-
professionals and illegally by others who seek fects. Side-effects also occur when chemicals
to gain an advantage. are combined. Side effects last for one day.
Side effects manifest as a condition, start-
» Addiction ing as a mild condition and increasing to se-
Every drug and concoction has an addiction vere and extreme if no action is taken.
class. Each time the drug is taken, the user
2d6 Side Effect
must make a WIL check to avoid becoming

»2.Future Equipment
addicted. The WIL check increases by 1 each 2-3 Forgetful
time the drug is used.
An addicted character suffers a side-effect 4-5 Confused
every day that he or she does not use the
addictive substance. The effect begins when 6 Afraid
the character wakes that day, and continues
7 Blind
unless the substance is used. If the substance
is used, the side-effect goes away until the
8 Sick
next morning. The side effect can be randomly
determined (see below) or assigned to the drug. 9-10 Fatigued
Removing an addition requires a character
to refrain from use of a drug for the time 11 Angry
indicated below (suffering the side effect for
that period of time). 12 Dazed

127
 Addiction Class Description WIL Check Remove Addiction

I Non-addictive - -

Addictive; caution
II Challenging [13] 1 day
required

III Highly addictive Difficult [16] 1 week

IV Instantly addictive Demanding [21] 1 month

› Generic Drugs before a drug to counteract that very thing

was developed. The unfortunate side effect
Most drugs can come in injected (in future is that the drug is mildly addictive itself,
settings this is a hypospray) or pill form. which means it only gets prescribed for
Some drugs have less common administration addiction classes III and IV. Taking the drug
methods, including inhalation, eye-drops, reduces an addition difficulty value of a
gels, and more, and in archaic settings particular addiction by 1 point. The drug
concoctions can take the form of ointments, only works once per day.
soups, and other mixtures.
Boosters, street. Boosters are a
The drugs in the table below are listed basic, cheap drug which grants the user
by type. However, they will be known by a temporary burst of strength, stamina,
specific brand names in any given setting; or even intelligence. The word “booster”
some sample brand names are suggested in is merely slang for an enormously wide
the drug descriptions. range of chemicals – adrenaline shots,
Amnesia drug. Amnesia drugs are used neural exciters, smart drugs, stimulants,
to remove memories. Developed for trauma performance enhancers, and more. A
victims to help them forget certain events, booster gives the user a +1d6 bonus to an
less beneficial uses were soon found. The attribute for one hour. Boosters do not
user gets a Difficult [16] WIL check; on a stack with each other – taking two does
failure, the last day’s event’s are forgotten. not increase the bonus to +2d6. Boosters
There is a risk that more will be lost: roll typically have street names like Azrael,
1d6, and on a roll of 6 the user loses one Berzerk, Brilliance, Candy, Drive, Hype,
skill rank from a random skill. Nectar, Snap, Stims, Venom, or Whiz.
Antiagiatics Aging is a trivial obstacle Boosters, strong. Strong boosters
in the far future. Anti-aging drugs exist in are rare, expensive and addictive. They
infinite varieties and brands. These drugs grant a +2d6 bonus to an attribute, but
are taken monthly, and each application for five minutes only, and that same
effectively reduces the user’s age by 1d6 attribute suffers a -2d6 penalty for an hour
years. However, they are slightly addictive. thereafter,
If an application is missed, the user
Boosters, ultra. Ultraboosters are a
ages 3d6 years (but will not age beyond
his actual, natural age). Brands include class of very rare, often experimental drugs
Gerasite, and YungAgen. which frequently have some form of side
effect (roll once on the side-effects table).
Antidote. Antidotes work to counteract They are highly addictive, extremely
slow-acting toxins. They grant a bonus die expensive, and grant a +3d6 bonus to
to a poison dice pool. an attribute for one hour, but that same
Anti-addiction. With the prevalence attribute suffers a -3d6 penalty for six
of addiction, it was only a matter of time hours thereafter.

128
 Metabolism stopper. An extremely
potent form of metabolic depressor,
this injection completely halts
metabolism and life signs for 4 hours.
The user is completely invisible to
scans and detection equipment, and
appears dead to a cursory visual
inspection. The user is unconscious
during this time.
Mood enhancers. These common
drugs are used to create a feeling of
well-being or happiness for four hours.
They are used recreationally by many,
and are easily available, though mildly
addictive. The most common versions
are Okay, Glee, Equinox, The Eucharist,
and Allswell.
Oxygenation. Injections such as Tri-
Ox can enable a creature to operate
normally in a zero oxygen environment
for 5 minutes, or a low-oxygen
environment for one hour.
Pain relief. Painkillers can be used
to grant temporary HEALTH – however,
the effects wear off, and the temporary
HEALTH wears off at the same time.
A basic pain relief pill grants 1d6
temporary HEALTH for one hour.

HealJel. An antibiotic jelly which can Pain relief, strong. Extremely

treat small injuries. Application of HealJel strong painkillers work much like regular
cures 1 point of HEALTH. However, a person ones. They are more expensive, and more
can only benefit from it once per day. addictive, but give a temporary 2d6 boost
HealJel is a common brand name, but there to HEALTH for one hour.
are many more – Medi-Gel and JelAid are Reaction enhancers. These increase

»2.Future Equipment
two other well-known ones. cognitive processing, awareness, and
Immunity booster. Immunity boosters reaction speed. They add 1d6 to INITIATIVE
are used as preventative drugs; they checks for one hour, and are mildly
increase the user’s resistance to disease. addictive. The most famous brand is Flash.
An immunity booster gives the user a 2d6 Regenerative. Regeneratives are a powerful
bonus to disease dice pools for one day. form of drug which endow the user with rapid
Metabolic depressor. Metabolic healing. The drug increases daily natural
depressors slow the metabolism and life healing by 3d6 HEALTH for the day it is used.
signs for one hour. One application can Survival compounds. These pills ward
be enough to hide from scans, inflicting a off the need for food and water for 24
2-dice penalty to the detection difficulty. hours. They are highly addictive, but are
The common street name for metabolic fortunately so much more expensive than
depressors (which can be used for criminal actual food and water that they never
infiltration activities) is Zombie. became a societal problem.

129
 Drug Cost (cr) Delivery Addiction Class

Amnesia drug 500 Pill I

Antiagiatics 1,000 Injection II

Antidote 50 Injection II

Anti-addiction 3,000 Injection II

Boosters, street 100 Pill II

Boosters, strong 500 Pill III

Boosters, ultra 5,000 Injection IV

HealJel 50 Gel I

Immunity booster 500 Injection I

Metabolic depressor 200 Injection I

Metabolism stopper 2,000 Injection I

Mood enhancers 25 Pill II

Oxygenation 100 Injection I

Pain relief 10 Pill II

Pain relief, strong 50 Pill III

Reaction enhancers 250 Pill II

Regenerative 1,000 Injection III

Survival compound 200 Pill III

Tranquilizer, medium 100 Injection/Pill II

Tranquilizer, large 250 Injection/Pill II

Tranquilizer, huge 500 Injection/Pill II

Tranquilizer, enormous 1,000 Injection/Pill II

Truth drugs 1,000 Injection I

Tranquilizer. Tranquilizers are used to after just 20 minutes. Brand names include
put a patient (or victim) to sleep. These Diathol, Tellit, and Tell-all.
are used by hunters, police, and also by
customers who have trouble with insomnia. » Creating Drugs
The imbiber makes a Difficult [16] END
check or falls asleep for 5 minutes. One dose of a drug can created by performing
Truth drugs. Truth drugs compel the a major chemistry science with a difficulty
imbiber to talk truthfully. In reality, they’re equal to 20 + one percent of the drug's value.
not a guarantee – the user can resist with a Such a drug is unlicensed, cannot be legally
Difficult [16] WIL check. The drug wears off sold, and spoils after one day.

130
 »Cybernetics

T
he science of cybernetics is the alteration of attribute. Some cybernetic modifications
organic creatures with artificial parts. These increase ENDURANCE. In these cases, the
parts can be electronic, bio electronic, or original (unmodified) attribute is used to
mechanical in nature. A heavily modified creature determine the limit of cybernetic alterations.
is known as a cyborg, a combination of organic For the purpose of calculating this limit, a
and artificial parts (as opposed to an android, minor alteration counts as one modification,
which is wholly artificial).
and a major alteration counts as two
Cybernetic modifications can enhance or alterations.
improve natural capabilities, compensate for
A creature which has fully allocated its
injuries, or grant entirely new capabilities.
available cybernetic allowance changes its

»2.Future Equipment
Anything from an artificial arm to retinal
type to mechanoid. A mechanoid creature
targeting implants to reinforced skin can
is vulnerable (1d6) to electricity damage
be accomplished through the science of
and (2d6) to ion damage. Ion damage is
cybernetics. Even the mind can be altered,
specially designed to attack electronics and
with improved cognitive functionality or
mechanoids.
extended data storage and memory.
If the setting uses the CHI attribute, each
» Organic Limitations cybernetic alteration reduces the CHI dice
pool by 1d6.
A player-character or creature cannot
continue adding cybernetic modifications » Advancement Level
indefinitely. The body can only take so much
foreign matter before it starts to reject it. Cybernetics are either 5C or 6B
The number of cybernetic modifications technologies, depending on the tone of the
allowed is equal to the subject’s ENDURANCE campaign.

131
 › Cybernetic Alterations Artificial Limbs Artificial arms and legs
interface directly with nerves and work
Not every cybernetic alteration “takes”; exactly like a regular limb – albeit stronger
some people are simply unsuitable candidates
and faster. Arms add to STRENGTH, and legs
for a particular process. As an optional
increase AGILITY (cumulatively, so a full set of
rule, the GM may require minor cybernetic
alteration to succeed at a Difficult [16] END four limbs adds +2d6 STR and +2d6 AGI).
check, and major alterations a Demanding Digiclaws These sharp metal talons are
[21] END check. A failure means that that hidden within the fingertips and release
alteration cannot proceed. or detract as a reaction. A creature with

Enhancement Type Cost (cr) Effect

Artificial arm Major 100,000 +1d6 to STRENGTH dice pool

Artificial leg Major 125,000 +1d6 to AGILITY dice pool

Digiclaws Minor 100,000 +1d6 natural damage

Durarmor/sub-dermal
Major 200,000 SOAK 5
plating
Duraskin Major 50,000 SOAK 2, SOAK 5 (fire)

Exosuit, partial Major 75,000 +1d6 to STRENGTH dice pool

Exosuit, full Major 175,000 +1d6 to STRENGTH, +1d6 to AGILITY

Hormonal regulators Minor 30,000 +1d6 to social interactions three times per day

Injector implant Minor 18,000 One drug type, injects as a free action

Input jacks Minor 50,000 +1d6 to computer operations

Memory chip Minor 25,000 +1d6 to LOG dice pool

Olfactory sensors Minor 25,000 +1d6 to smell-based INT checks

Psionic scrambler Minor 50,000 +5 MENTAL DEFENSE

Retinal implant Minor 15,000 Night, telescopic, magnifying, infra-red

Skeletal reinforcement Major 110,000 +1d6 to ENDURANCE dice pool

Skill implant Minor 15,000 1 new skill at 1d6

Static dynamo Major 50,000 Discharge energy as an attack

Weapon integration Major 50,000 Plus price of weapon

Voice synthesizer Minor 25,000 -   

Sense/read/hear energy/radiation
Wavelength receiver Minor 50,000
wavelengths

132
 digiclaws increases its natural damage by body which tap directly in to the wearer’s
+1d6 and may inflict slashing or piercing nervous system, almost like an integrated
damage. Characters or creatures with natural suit of power armor. A partial exosuit covers
claws (including felans) cannot benefit from just the upper half of the body, while a full
this enhancement. exosuit includes the legs.
Durarmor/sub-dermal plating Durarmor Hormonal Regulators A character
is a more substantial, advanced form with hormonal regulators is able to expel
of duraskin - an actual layer of armor gathered hormones of various types for
under the skin. Flexible layers of resilient the appropriate situation. Three times
duranium increase a character’s natural per day the character may add +1d6 to a
SOAK by 5. social attribute check with another living
Duraskin Duraskin is a skin transplant. creature.
The material is tougher than regular skin, Injector Implants An injector implant
as well as being fairly fireproof. It has a stores a chemical or drug for rapid
slight yellow tinge, however. deployment as a free action. The implant
Exosuit Exosuits are old-fashioned, stores three uses of the drug before it
almost primitive forms of cybernetics. They needs to be refilled.
consist of frameworks on the outside of the Input Jacks These attachments allow you
to interface with any electronic
system (so long as it has an
output), granting a +1d6 bonus to
computer operations and cracking
checks.
Memory Chip Memory chips
increase a characters LOG
attribute. Multiple chips can
be implanted, which work
cumulatively, but every two chips
reduces the character’s WIL dice
pool by 1d6 as his sense of self is
gradually eroded. Skill implants
count towards this total.
Olfactory Sensors This
cybernetic alteration laces the
character’s nasal cavities with
a mesh of metal that vastly
increases its sense of smell,
granting a +1d6 bonus to relevant
checks (if the creature already
has a scent-based bonus, this is
cumulative).
Psionic Scrambler This crude
cranial implant helps protect
the user against psionic attacks.
However, someone with this
implant automatically has a PSI
attribute of 0.

134
 Retinal Implants These implants grant
permanent powers of enhanced vision. A
basic implant grants one ability from the
list below (a character can have a different
implant in each eye). More advanced
implants offer multiple abilities in one
device at the cost of the total value of each
ability separately multiplied by the number
of abilities.
Night vision This enables the user
to see in darkness for 60’. Grants an
environmental die in darkness or low-
light.
Telescopic This doubles the user’s visual
range and increases range increments on
weapons by 50%.
Magnifying This enables the user to see
tiny details, increasing the chance to
spot clues by a +1d6 bonus.
Infra-red This is a little like night
vision, but has a longer range and only
reveals objects or creatures which give
off heat. Grants an environmental die in
darkness, but not low-light.
Skeletal Reinforcement This lengthy
and painful procedure fortifies a character’s
entire skeleton, bracing bones with layers Weapon Integration A character with
of duranium. The over result is that the an existing cybernetic limb can have a
character’s stamina is increased overall, as well weapon integrated into it. The weapon
as the ability to withstand physical damage. operates as normal, but cannot be dropped
Skill Implant A chip similar to the or disarmed. The weapon must be two
memory chip, a skill implant gives a size categories smaller than the character,
character a brand new skill. Implants only and must be paid for in addition to the

»2.Future Equipment
grant a basic level of proficiency in the integration.
skill. Multiple chips can be implanted, with Voice Synthesizer A voice synthesizer
different skills, but every two chips reduces enables a character to use fake voices. When
the character’s WIL dice pool by 1d6 as his doing so, the character gains a +1d6 bonus to
sense of self is gradually eroded. Memory CHA checks made to deceive others.
chips count towards this total.
Wavelength Receiver This implant
Static Dynamo A character with this affects the cerebral cortex, causing it to
modification is capable of storing up an generate complex organic structures in
impressive charge of energy. Three times the vision center of the brain that allow a
per day when hit with a melee attack, they creature to perceive wavelengths of energy.
may release some of this energy on their As a reaction a creature with a wavelength
attacker, dealing an amount of damage receiver can tune it to detect magnetic,
equal to the character’s total number of radio, cellphone, radar, or even chi (and any
career grades. other type of energy field the GM sees fit).

135
 »Requisitions & Organizations

S
ome characters are part of a larger Once this cap is reached, the character can
organization which has greater resources requisition no further equipment until the
than the character might have individually. previous allotment has been returned.
Whether part of the crew of a Naval starship
or other military outfit, a secret intergalactic This has the advantage of giving starting
espionage agency, or a unit of daredevil time characters access to better equipment; however
police, characters who are part of an organization it means that character wealth and upgrading
can requisition gear for use in missions. gear becomes a less important part of the game.

If organizational requisitions are used, all The size category names are mili-
characters should be part of the organization. tary-themed, but an organization does not have
to be military in nature. A large corporation
Organizations have REPUTATION attributes, may have many thousands of employees and
just like characters do. This helps determine uses the same classifications. A single super-
the resources at the organization’s disposal, market may have 200 employees, making it a
the amount of gear that characters can Company, while a wealthy multi-national corpo-
requisition from the organization, as well as ration may have 80,000, making it a Corps. The
the organization’s fame and influence. organization itself will not use these terms (un-
less it actually is military – and even then, dif-
When an organization is in play, characters ferent military structures exist) and might call
do not use the normal rules for wealth itself a corporation, a cell, a gang, a league, an
and equipment. Instead, equipment is agency, a church, or a militia.
requisitioned from the organization itself. Reputation. An organization’s REPUTATION
The total amount of gear that a character score indicates a number of things – its wealth,
can requisition from the organization is noted the resources at its disposal, how easy it is to
by the Requisition Cap in the table below. find the organization, and more. This is how

136
Size Members REP Locate Info Requisition Cap
Team 1-8 4 (2d6) Superhuman [37] 700
Squad 8-12 6 (3d6) Herculean [33] 1,100
Section 12-25 8 (3d6) Severe [29] 1,100
Platoon 25-50 12 (4d6) Strenuous [25] 1,400
Company 50-250 16 (5d6) Demanding [21] 1,800
Battalion 250-1,500 20 (5d6) Difficult [16] 1,800
Regiment 1,500-3,000 25 (6d6) Challenging [13] 2,100
Brigade 3,000-5,000 30 (7d6) Routine [10] 2,500
Division 5,000-25,000 40 (8d6) Easy [7] 2,800
Corps 25,000-100,000 50 (9d6) Trivial [-] 3,200
Service 100,000-500,000 60 (10d6) Trivial [-] 3,500
Force 500,000 - 1,000,000 70 (11d6) Trivial [-] 3,900
Administration 1,000,000 - 5,000,000 100 (13d6) Trivial [-] 4,600
Empire 5,000,000+ 130 (15d6) Trivial [-] 5,300

well-known an organization is and how likely Sub-groups. Large organizations are com-
people are to recognize its name or impor- posed of multiple smaller organizations – one
tance. Larger organizations are better known, does not normally encounter the entirety of a
and depending on its exploits, an organization megacorporation at once, or an entire army.
may only have a reputation among certain The sub-groups have REP attributes according
circles like investigators and criminals, the to their size, which tend to escalate in larger
military, or occultists, and so on—but remain and larger subgroups until the final group is
hidden from the public at large (it can be a bit the whole organization. For example, while
hard to attain galactic domination when any- a group of PCs may be part of the Navy, their
body can find and foil your schemes, after all). actual organization is a single starship.
Being a member of an organization gives
a character access to the organization’s REP » Example Organization
attribute rather than its own once per day. An The organization below is a naval starship.
organization may also provide access to specif-

»2.Future Equipment
Crewmembers on missions can be outfitted
ic careers or exploits. Note that an individual with equipment, armor, and weapons up to a
has access only to the REP of its sub-group, value of 1,800cr.
not the organization as a whole.
Locate Info. When attempting to gain in- FSS ENDEAVOUR
formation about or locate an organization
of which they are not a member, characters Size Battalion (318 crew); REP 20 (5d6);
make an attribute check (typically LOG or Locate Info Difficult [16]
CHA, depending on the methods used); the dif- Requisition Cap 1,800cr
ficulty of the check is noted in the Locate Info
column in the organization table. The Federal Star Ship Endeavour was
Requisition Cap. This is the maximum amount the first of the Endeavour class exploration
by which an organization can outfit all its mem- cruisers. Sent on a multi-year mission, it
bers for missions. Usually, this will replace the explored the fringes of the galaxy with a
money available to a character for equipment. 318-strong crew.

137
 »Special Items

T
he following includes a small selection This tiny, miniaturized sonic weapon is
of customized items, weapons, and easily concealed. Anybody searching for it
armor. takes a -2d6 penalty to locate it. The weapon
is made of special materials, which render it
› Chrome Evolved Combat Suit invisible to scanning equipment.
A slight variation on the Evolved Combat
Suit (below), this version does not have the
chameleon property. Instead, it is reflective,
granting the wearer an additional 5 SOAK vs.
heat damage. Its highly visible nature inflict a
-2d6 check to hide attempts.
› Evolved Combat Suit
Mastercraft Navy Battlesuit (very rare;
avail 9A)
Type heavy; weight 65 lb; value 45,750cr;
traits -
SOAK 15 (20 vs. cold; 0 vs. electricity);
DEFENSE -4
Upgrade slots 7 (thrusters, thermal,
gravitic, augmented reaction, chameleon) › Inquisitor’s Carbine
Used by the very best of the Navy’s infantry Mastercraft slugger pistol (very rare;
forces, these highly effective battlesuits avail 5A)
drastically increase the effectiveness of Size small; weight 3 lb; value 40,750cr;
soldiers. Like all battlesuits, a military traits sidearm
scanner is built-in, as is an integrated Attack +3d6; damage 2d6 ballistic; range 10
communicator. The thrusters enable the Upgrade slots 4 (combined weapon, ID-
wearer to make a 30’ jump as a single action, matched, booby-trapped)
and the chameleon properties ensure that the
This one-handed carbine is standard issue
wearer is able to blend into the environment,
for the Sheitann Inquisitors, who maintain
granting +2d6 to hiding attempts. With
law and order in the Cariolis Cluster with
the added +1d6 INITIATIVE bonus from the
augmented reaction circuits, and artificial an iron grip. ID-locked to their owner, they
gravity field generators which render the are able to switch between different modes
wearer immune to zero, high, or low gravity, by voice command. The ID-matching is
this armor allows the wearer to operate biometric; the weapon recognises the grip of
effectively in a variety of conditions. its owner. Any unauthorized attempt to use
the carbine results in an electric shock (2d6
› Grasshopper electricity damage to the user, who drops
High quality sonic pistol (uncommon; the weapon). The weapon is able to switch
avail 9C) between slugger (2d6 ballistic; range 10),
Size tiny; weight 0.5 lb; value 3,050cr; screecher (1d6+2 sonic; range 10), shocker
traits sidearm (1d6+2 electricity; range 3) and grenades
Attack +1d6; damage 1d6+2 sonic; range 10 (damage varies; range 15) by voice command
Upgrade slots 3 (miniaturized, stealthy) as a free action.

138
› Sollustran Battle Armor › Starmaster’s Saber
Mastercraft riot armor (very rare; avail Legendary laser sword (unique; avail 9C)
6A) Size medium; weight 2 lb; value
Type medium; weight 50 lb; value 425,000cr; traits -
17,500cr; traits - Attack +5d6; damage 3d6 heat
SOAK 13 (18 vs. cold); DEFENSE -2 Upgrade slots 6 (ID-matched, transporting,
Upgrade slots 5 (thrusters, thermal, accelerated)
kinetic, inbuilt weapon) This unique laser sword was built by a long-
Used by Sollustran soldiers, this battle dead star knight. That star knight turned to
armor consists of a heat-resistant padded evil, but not before the weapon had passed to
his daughter who wielded it against the forces
suit with attached blast vest and kevlar
of darkness in the Absolution. The weapon
pads on the arms and legs. It is usually
has been lost for decades. When ID-matched
used with a Sollustran Helm (listed
biometrically to a user, this legendary laser
separately). The armor allows its wearer
sword will teleport immediately to the owner’s
to easily jump 30’ up or across with no hand from a distance of up to 1 mile away. The
check required (this takes a single action) weapon contains acceleration circuits which
and its integrated kinetic circuits are able enable the wielder to take an additional free
to detect when the wearer is falling and attack with the weapon in any turn in which he
reduce its velocity to prevent damage has already attacked twice with it.
(although a Routine [10] AGI check is still
› Xanadian Shroud
required to avoid landing prone). One
other notable feature is that Sollustran Mastercraft leather armor (very rare;
Battle Armor has an inbuilt weapon on the avail 2A)
right arm; typically this is a tangler (range Type light; weight 15 lb; value 13,850cr;
traits -
2; restrains) but some suits have flamers
SOAK 10 (15 vs. sonic); DEFENSE -
instead (10’ cone; 2d6 heat damage).
Upgrade slots 4 (cloak, silent, augmented
reaction)
› Sollustran Helm
Mastercraft psi-scram helmet (very rare; These rare suits were created by the
avail 6A) Krayt-Dugger corporation (which gives the
Size small; weight 4 lb; value 3,500cr outfit its colloquial name, “duggs”) for use
SOAK +1; DEFENSE -2 (MENTAL DEFENSE by the Xanadian Mafia before its leaders were
all simultaneously assassinated on different
+10)
planets across the galaxy in the Cleansing.

»2.Future Equipment
Upgrade slots 3 (scanner, binoculars)
The corporation no longer exists, but a small
The Sollustran Conflict was fought number of these special suits remain. Made
against a psionically-adept foe. These of pure black leather of the highest quality,
helms were designed to aid Sollustran sol- these figure-hugging suits are designed for
diers in combat against them. A Sollustran average sized humanoid figures. The integrated
Helm is a battle helmet with integrated cloaking technology, which can be activated
scanner and targeting sensors. It reduces with a single action, renders the wearer
DEFENSE by 2, but adds 1 point of SOAK. almost invisible (and grants a +3d6 bonus to
The wearer automatically gains the effects hide attempts), while the augmented reaction
of a military scanner, infra-red binoculars circuits increase the wearer’s INITIATIVE rolls by
with a range of 1 mile, and psionic buffer- +1d6. Finally, the sonic dampening treatment
ing which increases MENTAL DEFENSE by 10 that the suits go through grant an additional
(although it completely prevents the wear- +1d6 to any attempts at stealth, while also
er from using psionic powers). providing an extra +5 SOAK vs. sonic damage.

139
Chapter III
Future Core

»Playing The Game

O
ne of the Game Master’s primary functions replenishable dice pool which can be drawn
is that of referee. He or she needs to upon at-will to assist in various tasks.
adjudicate the result of actions by using Combat. Combat is a common
the rules found in this book. This section is the occurrence in the game, whether it be
core of the What’s O.L.D. is N.E.W. roleplaying exchanged gunfire at range or duels with
game system. While other sections tell you how laser swords. This section tells you how to
to create a character, design a setting, or buy move, attack, and perform other actions in
equipment, this section tells you how to play the combat. Combat in the W.O.I.N. system is a
game. To that end, you will find the following tactical skirmish system where position and
information in the pages to come. cover are very important.
The Attribute Check. This is the core Injury & Death. It’s a dangerous world,
mechanic of the game. Almost everything and harm can befall any character. Such
revolves around the attribute check. When harm takes three forms: HEALTH damage,
you know how to make and adjudicate an conditions, and diseases.
attribute check, you know how to play most Objects. This part of the book explains
of the game. This section includes guidelines how objects can be broken or damaged,
on assigning difficulty benchmarks, running how to break down a door, or how much
opposed or extended tasks, and details damage a computer console can take. It
some common situations including medicine, details various materials, from wood to
chases, scanning, engineering, and more. tritanium.
Countdowns. Countdowns are a special The Environment. The environment affects
type of dice pool which depletes as time many things. Variations in gravity, severe
passes. They are used in any race against weather, slippery surfaces, and many other
time, such as a ticking clock or a disease, environmental traits can be applied to areas
when the amount of time available is not both big and small. Fighting in the corridors
known. Countdowns are used to create of a damaged starship as the artificial gravity
suspense and tension. fluctuates and fire rages all around is very
The Role of Luck. LUCK is a special different to fighting on a frozen planet in the
attribute which provides characters with a midst of a blizzard.

140
 »The Attribute Check

W
henever a character attempts an action on a tightrope might be AGILITY, while
in a What’s O.L.D. is N.E.W. game deciphering a code might need LOGIC.
where the outcome is not certain, dice Secondly, the GM must decide how
are used to randomly decide whether or not difficult the task is. Some tasks, especially
the attempt succeeds. This process is called during combat, have inbuilt difficulties,
an attribute check. while others call for some adjudication by
You don’t always need an attribute check. the GM. The difficulty will be determined
If your character is merely opening a door, or either by a static score, such as a creature’s
reading a computer screen, or performing some DEFENSE scores, or by a difficulty benchmark
other routine task, he can do so automatically. chosen by the GM, such as Routine,
However, if the GM feels that the outcome is in Challenging, or Difficult. Each of those
doubt, she may call for an attribute check benchmarks have an assigned static score
Attribute checks are the central mechanic (Challenging is 13, for example).
»3.Future Core
of this game. Everything hinges around them, The GM calls for the attribute check,
whether you’re trying to pick a lock, lift a naming the required attribute and the
heavy log, shoot at a bandit, treat an illness, difficulty level if appropriate – for example,
or win a hand of poker. she might say “Make a Challenging [13] STR
The GM is the final arbiter of whether or check” when a character tries to move a
not an attribute check is required. boulder.
The player then forms a dice pool, as
» Making An Attribute described below, and rolls the dice. If the
Check total is equal to or greater than the difficulty
When the GM decides that an attribute score, the character succeeds at the task. If it
check is required, she first needs to decide is less than the difficulty score, the character
which attribute is applicable. Breaking down fails. He fails to move the boulder, break the
a door might require STRENGTH, balancing code, or shoot the bandit.

141
 Example Tasks Attribute
Example » Forming The
Skill Dice Pool
Appraising an item’s value INT appraisal
To make an attribute check, the
Breaking down a door STR - player must form a dice pool. Each
animal attribute’s associated dice pool is noted
Calming a spooked animal CHA
handling on the player’s character sheet. For
Climbing a wall AGI climbing example, if a character attempting to
Deciphering a code LOG cryptology hack an electronic lock has a LOG of 6,
his LOG dice pool is 3d6.
Diagnosing an illness LOG medicine
To this, the player may choose to
Driving an automobile AGI driving add a skill. This is up to the player to
Hacking into a computer
LOG computers
choose and – if necessary – justify. It
system would be hard to justify adding botany
Hiding from a guard AGI stealth when trying to hack an electronic lock,
Holding your breath END swimming but it would be easy to justify thievery
or computers. The GM may disallow any
Holding your drink END carousing
skill which she feels is not a justifiable
Landing a shuttle AGI piloting use of that skill.
Lifting a heavy rock LOG carrying To add the skill, simply locate the
Making a speech CHA leadership associated dice pool for the skill (just
Modifying a device LOG engineering like with the attribute) and add those
dice to the dice pool. If the above
Painting a picture INT painting
character has thievery 3 (2d6), he adds
Picking a lock AGI thievery 2d6 to the existing 3d6 dice pool. This
Playing chess LOG chess makes his dice pool 5d6.
Playing poker CHA card games Finally, the character chooses
Plotting space travel equipment to use. A standard item of
LOG astrogation equipment allows him to attempt the
coordinates
action with no penalty. A high quality or
Recalling a specific law LOG law
better item may grant extra dice in his
Recognising a language LOG linguistics
dice pool – a high quality set of thieves
Recognizing an alien species LOG xenobiology tools grants an additional 1d6 to a dice
Remembering historical pool, bringing our erstwhile thief’s dice
LOG history
information pool up to 6d6.
Repairing an engine LOG engineering The GM has already determined that
Riding a horse AGI riding picking this lock is a Difficult [16] task.
The player grabs his dice pool of 6d6
Running a marathon END running
and throws it, scoring 19. This is higher
Spotting a forged document INT forgery than the target of 16, so he succeeds in
Spotting a hidden door INT perception picking the lock!
Swimming a river STR swimming
Tracking a suspect INT tracking
Treating an injury LOG medicine
Using a disguise CHA disguise
Dice Pool
Using a handheld scanner LOG computers
Using an unfamiliar computer
LOG computers Attribute + Skill + Equipment
system
Walking a tightrope AGI acrobatics

142
Attribute/Skill 1-2 3-5 6-9 10-14 15-20 21-27 28-35 36-44 45-54
Dice Pool 1d6 2d6 3d6 4d6 5d6 6d6 7d6 8d6 9d6

Indirect Skills If basic equipment is not available,

improvised equipment inflicts a -2d6 penalty.
Sometimes a skill is only indirectly related Using some bent wire to pick a lock instead of
to the activity at hand. Skill in chess helps an actual set of thieves tools reduces the dice
a little when playing draughts, but not as pool by 2d6.
much as specific skill in draughts would. In The number of dice that equipment
these situations the GM may choose to allow a contributes to a dice pool can never exceed
skill but declare it an indirect usage; the die the number of dice that skills contribute to
contribution to the dice pool from an indirect it; you need a certain degree of expertise
skill usage cannot exceed 1d6. to fully benefit from higher quality
So if a player wants to use geology to equipment. If the equipment dice exceed
help climb a cliff, the GM is free to rule it an the skill dice, reduce the equipment dice to
indirect usage and limit the skill to 1d6. equal the skill dice.
This includes armor (skill in light,
medium, heavy, or powered), weapons (skills
» Equipment in swords, bows, rifles, staves, pistols,
Quality etc.), and general equipment for which an
associated skill might be relevant (skill in
Equipment contributes to the dice pool, in
meteorology when using ship’s sensors to
addition to the contribution attributes and skills. analyse an atmospheric fluctuation).
Standard equipment simply allows you to
attempt an action normally – a pistol allows Equipment Quality Dice Pool
you to shoot at a guard, a hand scanner allows
Improvised -2d6
you to scan for life forms, and a lockpick
allows you to pick a lock. Poor -1d6
Standard -
ASSISTING ANOTHER CHARACTER
High +1d6
Usually, an extended skill task is used when
multiple characters are contributing to an Exceptional +2d6
activity. Three (or sometimes more for longer Mastercraft +3d6
tasks) successes are required, and multiple
Artisanal +4d6
characters can make checks of various kinds.
Sometimes, when the task is very simple, Legendary +5d6
and the combined efforts of the characters

»3.Future Core
would be merely additive, you may allow
characters to add their attributes together
» Maximum Dice Pools
and see what die pool the combined figure The size of a dice pool is limited by a
would allow. In other words, if two characters character’s grade. When forming a dice pool,
(STR 5, and STR 6) are trying to break down a the pool cannot exceed this size.
door together, you would treat that as a single A character’s grade is simply the number
character with STR 11 and allow them a 4d6 STR of careers he has taken. A starting character,
dice pool. therefore, is typically grade 5, with a
Strength-based tasks are the most common maximum dice pool of 5d6.
types of simple additive tasks. Generally, The following table shows the maximum dice
cooperative tasks won't be additive, and will pool allowed for characters of various grades.
require multiple checks from one or more If a dice pool exceeds the maximum size
characters. allowed, it is simply reduced to match the
Note that when performing a simple additive limit. If our example thief was grade 5, he
task, only one skill from one character applies
to the dice pool. Choose the most appropriate
one. 143
 Grade 5 6-7 8-10 11-14 15-19 20-25 26-32 33-40
Max Dice Pool 5d6 6d6 7d6 8d6 9d6 10d6 11d6 12d6
Remember, the maximum dice pool limit applies to the initial attribute + skills + equipment dice
pool. Exploits and LUC can exceed that limit once it has been formed.
would not be able to use that full 6d6 dice
pool – he would only get to roll 5d6. The Math
The math behind difficulty
» Difficulty Benchmarks benchmarks is fairly simple. Each
Sometimes a difficulty benchmark is benchmark represents a roughly
determined by an existing static number. 50% success chance for a given dice
In combat, the target’s DEFENSE scores pool size. An Easy [7] benchmark is
indicate the difficulty benchmark which about a 50% success rate for a 2d6
must be reached by rolling a dice pool. dice pool; a Routine [10] benchmark
Combat is dealt with in greater detail later. is about a 50% success rate for a
In other situations, the GM may need to 3d6 dice pool; a Challenging [13]
decide on an appropriate difficulty benchmark. benchmark is about a 50% success
This is done by choosing a difficulty level such rate for a 4d6 dice pool, and so
as Routine, Difficult, or Impossible. Each of on. Each successive benchmark
these difficulty levels has a difficulty score represents one extra die in the dice
assigned to it. pool.
The benchmark names are from the To put this into perspective, a
perspective of an average human; what’s starting grade 5 character with a
impossible for the average citizen might not dice pool of 5d6 will succeed on a
be for the heroes of galaxy! Difficult [16] check about half of the
time.
Difficulty
Benchmark Examples
Score
Breaking a window,
Trivial -
lifting a heavy book The most commonly used benchmarks
Easy 7 are those shaded gray in the table – Trivial,
Climbing a tree, Routine, Difficult, Strenuous, Herculean, and
Routine 10 building a campfire, Impossible. The white rows provide the GM
landing a shuttle
with more granularity if needed, but they are
Challenging 13 Climbing a cliff
an optional level of detail.
Picking a lock,
swimming a fast-
Difficult 16
flowing river, climbing » Complications
a brick wall Complications typically inflict a -1d6 die
Climbing a smooth penalty to a check. These are cumulative –
Demanding 21
metal bulkhead two complications apply a -2d6 die penalty.
Strenuous 25 Walking a tightrope When scanning an area in strong atmospheric
Severe 29 conditions, or shooting at a target in cover, or
Bending a steel bar, crossing a tightrope in a storm, the GM simply
Herculean 33 repairing a warp engine applies a -1d6 penalty for each complication
with medieval tools
(note that in combat, common complications
Superhuman 37
like cover, firing into melee, prone targets,
Lifting an automobile,
and so on are called out for convenience).
calculating hyperjump
Impossible 40
coordinates in your
head » Critical Successes
Legendary 42 If a triple-six is rolled while making an
Building a time attribute check, and the check is one which
Mythical 45
machine succeeds, a critical success takes place. This

144
Die Penalty Or Making social CHA checks to persuade,
Increased Difficulty? taunt, amuse, or intimidate cause Charm,
Some GMs might wonder whether to apply Angry, Manic, and Afraid on a critical
a die penalty or increase the difficulty of the success, respectively.
task. Mathematically, both are roughly the
same – increasing a task’s difficulty benchmark
» Opposed Checks
by one stage (say, from Challenging to Often, two characters or creatures may
Difficult) is about the same as applying a compete to perform an action – an arm
-1d6 die penalty. Generally speaking, die wrestle, or a race, for example. In these
penalties are applied on-the-fly as the result situations, each participant creates the other’s
of adjudication, while higher difficulties are difficulty benchmark with his own attribute
check – in other words, both make an attribute
simply the same thing calculated in advance.
check, and whoever rolls highest wins.
When running a published adventure, for
Each participant forms a dice pool as
example, the text might tell the GM that
normal. If our thief is trying to sneak past a
scanning the interior of the shielded duranium guard, he might roll a dice pool made up of
safe is a Difficult [16] check. The adventure his AGILITY (3d6), and his stealth skill (2d6).
has done the math in advance; this is the The guard would roll his INTUITION (3d6),
same as a Routine [10] check with a -2d6 die and maybe another 1d6 for his high-quality
penalty for the two complications (shields, integrated scanning visor. The thief rolls 5d6,
and duranium). Including them in the difficulty the guard rolls 4d6, and if the thief beats the
benchmark in advance simply saves a little guard’s roll he sneaks past unnoticed. If he
work for the GM. doesn’t the guard sees him.
However, removing dice reduces the Below are some examples of opposed checks.
chances of a critical success. Suggested skills are noted in parenthesis.

Arm-wrestling STR vs. STR

means that an additional or extra-ordinary
Bluffing a guard CHA (bluffing) vs. INT (bluffing)
benefit occurs – the task is accomplished to a
much higher degree. The GM should devise Bribing an official CHA (persuasion) vs. WIL
this benefit (although in the case of a combat Disguising CHA (disguise) vs. INT
attack roll, the benefit is predefined with yourself (perception)
inflicting a condition upon the target). The STR or AGI (running) vs. STR
Footracing
more dice being rolled, the higher the chances or AGI (running)
of rolling a triple-six. Interrogating a CHA (intimidation) vs. WIL
A critical success results in an extra- captive (bluffing)
ordinary success level for the task at AGI (thievery) vs. INT
Picking a pocket
»3.Future Core
hand. For example, when trying to access (perception)
a computer system’s alarm protocols, a Playing chess LOG (chess) vs. LOG (chess)
hacker gains access to the entire system. AGI (stealth) vs. INT
Sneaking/hiding
If there is no obvious extra-ordinary (perception)
success level for a given attribute check, Starship racing AGI (piloting) vs. AGI (piloting)
the character gains a bonus LUC die in his Tracking a suspect INT (tracking) vs. AGI (stealth)
LUC pool instead.
In an extended task (see below) a critical Static scores like a DEFENSE score are
success counts as two wins but has no actually pre-calculated opposed checks. This
other effect. speeds up combat by ensuring that players
On a combat attack roll, a critical success (and creatures) do not have to form dice pools
inflicts one or more conditions on the target each time they are attacked – you can simply
(depending on the damage type). refer to the static score.

145
 Group Checks Some tasks, such as when a starship breaks
Sometimes, during an activity which down after being thrown out of FTL, or when
requires multiple participants, the stronger curing a disease, have predefined complexity
levels (minor and major, respectively,
members of a group can assist the weaker
for those two examples). When a minor
members; in other situations, the weaker
challenging engineering task is called for, this
members can hinder the stronger ones.
means that it is a minor task (1 hour intervals)
Perhaps the party is scaling a cliff together,
with a difficulty benchmark of Challenging
or making a group stealth check. In these
[13] which uses skills focused around
circumstances, the GM may call for a group
engineering, while a major routine medical
check. All characters make the check, and the
task is a major task (1 day intervals) with a
group succeeds if half the group succeeds. If
difficulty benchmark of Routine [10] which
there is an odd number of PCs, round up (so
uses skills focused around medicine. The GM,
for a group of five PCs, three must succeed).
as always, is the arbiter of whether any given
skill applies.
During an extended task, failed checks can
» Extended Tasks be retried, but the time is wasted.
To run an extended task, the GM should
The preceding section described how to ask each player what they intend to do.
adjudicate simple tasks (those which require Armed with that information, she may assign
just a single attribute check to resolve). attribute checks to the players. The players
Not all tasks require just a single attribute can attempt any action to assist with the task,
check, however. Some tasks are extended but the GM is the final arbiter of whether any
efforts which require considerable time to given action can contribute.
accomplish. In these cases, the GM may call
for multiple attribute checks at specified » Contests
intervals which might be each minute, hour,
From time to time you will need to combine
day, week, or even longer. The GM assigns the
the rules for opposed checks and for extended
difficulty benchmark of those checks as usual.
tasks. A long race around Saturn’s rings, or a
Unless there is something preventing it,
chase across a crowded city, might require an
multiple people can contribute to an extended
extended sequence of opposed checks.
task. Subject to the GM’s approval, they
In these situations, simply use the rules for
may be able to use different attributes or
extended tasks as normal. The first to reach
skills to contribute in different ways. Indeed,
the required number of successful opposed
different stages of an extended task may
checks wins.
require different types of checks (although the
difficulty level should remain constant). Task Lexicon
Unless otherwise specified, three checks is
appropriate for an extended task. However, Simple task – a task which made against a
the GM can require more checks if she feels it static difficulty benchmark.
is appropriate. Opposed task – a task which is made
against an opposed attribute check made by
another creature.
Extended Task
Time Interval
Extended task – a task which requires
Complexity more than one attribute check to complete.
Quick task 1 minute Simple extended task – a task which
requires multiple attribute checks against a
Minor task 1 hour
static benchmark.
Major task 1 day Opposed extended task – a task which
Extensive task 1 week requires multiple attribute checks against
attribute checks made by another creature,
Epic task 1 month with the first to reach a target number of
wins being the victorious participant.

146
 You could simulate an arm-wrestle like this. “Hypocrites!” The patrons of the Pallas
Rather than using just a single check, the first Tavern looked up at this new disturbance
to reach three wins on the opposed rolls wins from the other end of the bar. “Lily-livered
the game. A long race might look for the first hypocrites! My engine design could’ve taken
to reach a dozen opposed checks. them to first place, and they throw me out
The opposed checks do not have to be just ‘cause it’s ‘not certified’. What kind of
the same. As always, each participant uses bravery is that?”
checks appropriate to his activity. When This new speaker, a moustachioed man
tracking a suspect across a city, the suspect garbed in bulky rad-resistant coveralls
may be making AGI checks and calling upon bespeckled with grease stains, heavy tool-
the stealth skill, while the pursuer may be belt dumped on the bartop in front of him,
making INT checks and the tracking skill. The was equally unmistakably an engineer.
first to reach 6 wins on the opposed rolls wins The pilots might get all the glory with
– either the suspect escapes, or the pursuer the public, but anyone in the business
catches up with him. knew they were nothing without a decent
As with other extended tasks, different engineer keeping the ship’s systems at peak
stages might require different checks. performance.
Perhaps in a foot chase the first checks might
It seemed to take a long minute before the
both be STR (running) checks, and then
two embittered figures each registered what
the second might be AGI (climbing) checks
the other had said, and then they each leaned
as both participants scale a wall, followed
back to look across the bar and said in unison,
by another stage of running, a jump across
“I don’t suppose…?”
an alleyway, even a sequence in which the
suspect tries to lose himself in a crowd using Taking their drinks to a quieter booth,
AGI and stealth checks vs. the pursuer’s the two introduced themselves. “Basil
INT and perception. In such a scenario, Cunningham,” said the engineer, extending
the suspect might even define the checks his hand. “If you’ve got engine troubles,
by choosing what to do at each stage of I can help. My new engine’s laser fuel-
the process, forcing the pursuer to match injection system is revolutionary – with
his skills. Contests can be as exciting and the right pilot it’ll outpace anything in the
detailed as you wish to make them, or they system.”
can be quickly resolved with a single check. “Melinda Ravenwood,” the pilot replied,
a look of quiet determination replacing the
“Sabotage!” The exclamation echoed across frustration on her face as she shook his hand.
the packed bar. “Dashed sabotage. It’s that “Get my ship flying and I’ll handle whatever

»3.Future Core
Jervis, I know it is – he’s never forgiven me your engine can give me.” She grinned at the
for beating him two years ago, and now he’s engineer. “Between your engine and my flying
smashed my engine, the cad!” we’ll put them all in their places – Jervis and
The speaker, lapsing back into silence at your old crew. Basil, this could be the start of
the end of the bar, was unmistakably a racer a beautiful friendship.”
pilot. Even if her deep blue flying leathers Indeed, thought Basil as the two
and the distinctive wind-burn tan of a pilot companions headed out to the spaceport,
who braved the solar winds in a lightly- this was definitely the start of something
shielded vessel weren’t a giveaway, this was beautiful. After the showing they’d give in
Titan, on the eve of the Titan Grand Circuit, this race, every spaceship manufacturer in the
the solar system’s most prestigious rocket system would be clamouring to buy his new
race, with Saturn’s rings and moons as its engine. And to think, all it had taken was a
race-track. little bit of sabotage.

147
 »Common Tasks

T
he previous section described the jump a canyon, and so on), and the pursuers
overall framework in which actions are must match it. Examples of actions include:
resolved. What follows is a selection of
common situations, ways to handle them, and › Foot chases:
resources for spicing them up. From races and
Climb a wall (climbing vs. climbing)
chases, to the use of scanners, to applications
of engineering and medicine, these situations Jump an alleyway (jumping vs. jumping)
are ones which crop up regularly in the game. Disappear into a crowd (stealth vs.
perception)
» Chases
Swim a river (swimming vs. swimming)
Common skills: running, driving, piloting,
jumping, climbing, stealth, bluffing, Squeeze through a tight gap (acrobatics vs.
swimming. acrobatics)
A chase is an opposed extended task. The
Balance along a narrow ledge (acrobatics
first to reach six wins is the winner of a chase
or climbing)
situation (although the GM can modify this
for longer or shorter chases). Multiple people Use a hidden shortcut (local knowledge vs
can be involved in a chase, each making their perception)
own checks.
Cause a distraction (bluff vs. perception)
A simple foot chase simply involves STR
or AGI checks, along with the running skill. A Cause an obstruction or obstacle (varies)
vehicle chase may instead use AGI and driving, Duck into a blind alley (stealth vs.
or a starfighter chase may use AGI and piloting.
perception)
A more complex chase involves other skills.
The target chooses the action (he might elect Get somebody to give the pursuers false
to climb a wall, dive into an asteroid field, directions (bluffing vs. local knowledge)

148
 2d6 Foot, Urban Foot, Wilderness Vehicle Space
2 Slick footing Cliff Broken bridge Temporal distortion
3 Gap/hole Mud patch Construction work Gravitic anomoly
4 Barrels or crates Steep incline Hairpin bend Unusual star
Slow-moving vehi-
5 Twisting alleyways Dense trees Asteroid field
cles
Tangled under-
6 Slow passing vehicle Crates and barrels Debris
growth
7 Straight Straight Straight Straight
8 Wall Rock formation Busy junction Nebula
9 Ladder Unsure footing Canyon Gas cloud
10 Crowded street River Market square Convoy
Children in the
11 Shortcut Animal herd Wandering comet
road
12 Pool/river Canyon Funeral procession Ship graveyard

› Vehicle chases: simple extended task. Using LOGIC and various

scientific skills, characters can accomplish a
Jump a canyon (driving vs. driving) variety of things. Any character can attempt
Fly though a twisting canyon (piloting vs. to invoke science in order to solve a problem
piloting) or achieve a goal. This section deals with
“Ski” a vehicle through a narrow gap engineering tasks; later in this chapter is a
(driving vs. driving) similar description of medical tasks.
The player(s) start by declaring their
› Space chases: intentions. This goal may be anything
Dive into an asteroid field (piloting vs. they wish, although they may find some
piloting) goals too hard to accomplish. It might be
Hide in a nebula (stealth vs. computers) to repair a starship, bypass a cell door,
or build an explosive. The GM sets the
Different characters, creatures, vehicles, difficulty as normal, and characters may
and ships have different speeds. While skill is attempt LOGIC checks until they have
the most important factor, speed is also very reached the target number of successes
important. Anybody involved in a chase can (typically three successes). The complexity
add their SPEED to their opposed checks. and duration of the task are established by

»3.Future Core
One way to adjudicate a chase is to randomly the quick/minor/major/extensive scale as
determine terrain and obstacles at each stage. normal. Engineering is a classic example
Some basic examples using 2d6 can be seen of a very simple use of the extended task
above, although you are encouraged to devise
mechanism.
your own tables tailored to your setting. Each
Some situations require predefined
obstacle gives the participants opportunity to
devise how to use or circumvent them. engineering tasks. For example, when a
ship falls out of FTL, a minor engineering
task is required.
» Engineering To add some flavour to an engineering task,
Common skills: engineering, physics, roll d66 four times on the following table and
demolitions, mechanics. read off the result in the format alpha the
Sometimes colloquially referred to as “doing beta gamma delta (e.g. “modify the quantum
an engineering science”, engineering is a neutrino filter”).

149
 d66 Alpha Beta Gamma Delta
11 increase microscopic quantum relay
12 decrease photonic artificial inversion
13 focus linear pulse interference
14 amplify sonic flux discriminator
15 reverse auxiliary gravimetric signal
16 agitate nucleonic particle capacitor
21 pacify transwarp system configuration
22 invert reciprocating nadion effect
23 boost magnatomic subspace disturbance
24 nullify quantum frequency field
25 energise verteron wavefront phenomenon
26 intensify ambient spatial array
31 electrify anomalous alternating emission
32 eliminate modulated baryon domain
33 oscillate inverted space-time coupling
34 modulate temporal dampening stream
35 monitor asymmetrical tetryon variance
36 restrict atmospheric neutrino distortion
41 connect magnetic plasma controller
42 convert phased interface actuator
43 modify rapid data continuum
44 counteract ionic E-M banks
45 balance astrophysical nano harmonic
46 harmonise nucleonic polaron mutation
51 reset accelerated positron invariance
52 recalibrate anterior override seal
53 reroute primary access container
54 overload secondary load generator
55 fluctuate tertiary tachyon filter
56 concentrate backup charge safeguard
61 extend master compression manifold
62 redirect emergency diagnostic buffer
63 correlate warp mass accelerator
64 synchronise trifold nanite booster
65 pressurise Psitronic proton transponder
66 recollimate thermal radiation stabilizer

Doing A Science?
Observant students of language will note medical science” or “let’s science the heck
that the phrase “doing a science” is not out of that locked door!” are commonplace,
correct 21st century grammar. In the future, and reflective of science’s commonplace
science is so ubiquitous and unchallenged status.
that the very word has had some Science is good, and cerebral solutions are
grammatical distortions. Phrases like “do a to be encouraged.

150
 Science is an acceptable way to accomplish » Hacking & Computing
most tasks, even if other methods are available.
Common skills: computers, cryptology.
A locked door can be picked or hacked by a
Hacking is a non-opposed quick or minor
burglar, or an engineer might attempt to open it
extended task. Three checks are made against
using her scientific prowess. The difficulty of the
a difficulty benchmark set by the GM. The
task does not change – if it’s a Difficult [16] task
time required varies, but a quick (1-minute
to hack the electronic lock, then it’s a Difficult
increments) task is usually appropriate
[16] engineering task also.
for common civilian systems, and a minor
(1-hour increments) task for hardened or
Example Of A Science Task military systems. Hacking gains access to a
Sasha and Dr. TikTok have gotten computerized system, allowing the hacker to
themselves locked in a secure cell. obtain information, conduct surveillance, or to
Fortunately, they are together; less control electronic systems.
fortunately, they are due to be executed by Hacking does not enable control of
an alien tribe in about 30 minutes. With no mechanoid creatures unless that creature’s
equipment available, they need to work out description specifically indicates otherwise.
how to escape the cell! Hacking can also not be used to access bank
Grace (the GM): The cell door is solid accounts or gain funds. Funds in the far future
duranium, and controlled by an electronic bio- are usually carried in cred-chips rather than
ident lock on the other side. centralized systems after it was discovered in
James (playing Sasha): Duranium? There’s the 21st Century that the latter were far too
no way we can break through that. If Talik was vulnerable, especially in the face of advanced
here, she might have been able to improvise a technology.
way to hack that lock. Suggested difficulty benchmarks for hacking
Leonard (playing Dr. TikTok): I am no computer systems are shown below. Note that
locksmith, but I may be able to help. I’ll try to starship control computers (see Space) have
science our way out of this cell. their own e-DEFENSE scores which are used
Grace (the GM): Very well. It’s a as the difficulty number to attack the system.
Challenging [13] quick engineering task. Three The difficulty benchmarks below are the
successes needed, with one-minute time e-DEFENSE scores of common computer types.
intervals. To add some flavour to a computing task,
Leonard (playing Dr. TikTok): If we’re roll d66 four times on the following table and
lucky, we can be out of here in three minutes! read off the result in the format alpha the
OK, let’s have a look at the lock [rolls d66]. I beta gamma delta (e.g. “flush the parallel
need to connect the auxiliary access actuator. logic subroutine”).
First check coming up using my LOGIC of 3d6
and my engineering skill of 2d6. That’s 5d6,
»3.Future Core
but I have no engineering tools here in the
cell, so I’m improvising. That takes me down
to 3d6. Yikes. Not so easy, after all... it may
take a little longer than I initially predicted,
but I’ll have us out of here eventually!
James (playing Sasha): Can I help? I
have no engineering skills, but I’m lucky! I’ll
use up my 3d6 LUC pool, along with my 2d6
LOGIC. Improvising also, so I’m also rolling
3d6 to [rolls d66] try and earn us one of those
successes by oscillating the anterior load filter.
That should save us a little time, hopefully.
Every minute counts!

151
 Computer System Difficulty Benchmark (e-DEFENSE)
Civilian personal computer Routine [10]
Commercial computer system Challenging [13]
Typical security system Difficult [16]
Military security system Strenuous [25]
Maximum security system Herculean [33]

d66 Alpha Beta Gamma Delta

11 overload core binary subroutine
12 clone auxiliary root kernel
13 recompile polymorphic routing firewall
14 spoof backend injection program
15 loop direct control protocol
16 reboot closed data script
21 reconfigure sub boolean array
22 unlink modular heap compiler
23 redesign nested source enumerator
24 extend closed bridge function
25 remove dynamic pattern interpreter
26 reference persistent exception code
31 initialize pseudo memory parameter
32 iterate public state procedure
33 activate secure integer table
34 interface recursive logic database
35 reassign generic stack extension
36 call static assembly algorithm
41 concatenate super pool argument
42 mask virtual access assembler
43 patch abstract batch exception
44 rename run-time biometric language
45 invoke cyclomatic analog processor
46 override conditional broadband counter
51 reference contravariant command environment
52 constrain declarative configuration index
53 evaluate directed EKT block
54 flush dummy floating expression
55 append parallel AJS file
56 access global heuristic matrix
61 bounce intrinsic operations manager
62 fragment invariant integrated client
63 delete local KVS point
64 format monomorphic latency archive
65 flash negative NTP sector
66 install inherited output cache

152
 In the 21st century on Earth, the
culture of hacking became an epidemic.
No system was secure – not even those of
the biggest corporations and governments.
Cyberwarfare entered the world, and
billions were invested in corporate
and military safeguards. Governments
spied on every aspect of their citizens’
communications, and it reached the point
that electronically networked systems,
data storage, and communications fell out the subject lies or refuses to answer.
of favor. The answer can be no more than a short
Centuries later, hackers barely exist. sentence – the interrogator can’t ask “What
With the advent of near infinite local is your entire plan, in full detail?” The GM
storage, ultraquantum encryption and should hide the subject’s die rolls; the
cyber-defense systems, and finally the interrogator does not know if the subject
almost complete decline in the need is lying (unless he has a relevant psionic
for massively networked infrastructure, power or an interrogation kit).
remotely hacking into a system became Interrogation kits indicate when a subject
extra-ordinarily difficult. Physical access is lying (although the subject may make an
became a requirement to gain access opposed CHA vs. INT check, using his bluffing
into almost any system, and any system skill if he has it, to deceive the interrogation
accessed would have no access to other kit), as well as granting possible bonuses
systems not necessary to its particular to checks. Some drugs can also obviate the
function. Even portable data storage need for an interrogation, or prevent the
became fashionable again – moving subject from lying. Of course, a subject
secure data in a safe on a heavily guarded cannot reveal information he does not have.
transport ship was far more secure than Each use of an interrogation kit causes 1d6
sending it across the galaxy in the form of damage to the subject.
electronic communications. More advanced interrogations may use
other skills, including persuasion, bluffing,
even seduction.
» Interrogations
Common skills: interrogation, bluffing,
» Medicine
intimidation, persuasion, seduction.
An interrogation is an opposed extended Common skills: medicine, chemistry,
task. The goal is to extract information from biology, zoology, psychology, genetics,
nanotechnology, xenobiology.
»3.Future Core
a subject. Unlike many extended tasks,
Much like engineering, medicine is a type
an interrogation can continue indefinitely.
of science. It’s a simple extended task which
However, each time a questioner loses an
works in exactly the same way as an engineering
opposed check, the task complexity increases
task, but it uses a variety of medical skills. Like
from quick to minor to major, and so on, engineering, it is based on LOGIC.
meaning that the time required gets longer See the engineering section for details on
and longer. how to adjudicate a scientific task.
A simple interrogation involves CHA vs. To add some flavour to a medical task, roll
WIL checks, along with the interrogation d66 four times on the following table and
skill. That skill is used to both conduct read off the result in the format alpha the
and withstand interrogation. Each time beta gamma delta (e.g. “bypass the infected
the interrogator makes a check, he asks a parietal cavity”).
question. If he wins the opposed check, Curing a disease is a major medical task
the subject answers truthfully; if he fails, (see page 176).

153
 d66 Alpha Beta Gamma Delta
11 irradiate inverted neural cells
12 excise assymetrical basilar pathways
13 decontaminate malignant berylite neurons
14 transplant persisting biomimetic tissue
15 clone periodic cardiac protoplasm
16 balance infected reticular nerve
21 incise swollen synaptic muscle
22 puncture degenerate bile bone
23 fuse obstructed cranial cyst
24 remove restless nodular joint
25 secure spasming endocrine gland
26 reshape detached neurological ganglia
31 strengthen misaligned aplastic membrane
32 replace infected autonomic protein
33 repair defective sympathetic enzyme
34 divert impaired idiopathic genome
35 bypass scarred subcutaneous tumor
36 excite haemorrhaging fungal clot
41 drain inflamed frontal cluster
42 regenerate failing temporal gene
43 resequence occluded parietal receptor
44 massage carcinomic occipital capillary
45 reconstruct disrupted pituitary deposit
46 disrupt paralyzed corellium abscess
51 stimulate weak anchilles hematoma
52 freeze blocked aphasic cartilage
53 magnetize deviated leutscher tissue
54 cauterize damaged biotic cord
55 electrify eroded mutagenic artery
56 modulate abscessed genetic vein
61 pressurize toxic peripheral molecules
62 pulse foreign core valve
63 compress contracting radial anomaly
64 cleanse dislocated amniotic chromosome
65 perforate deformed transient cavity
66 inoculate mutated intrinsic lobe

That’s Not Real Terminology!

The engineering, medical, and computing readers with some level of proficiency in any of
tables in this book create what is known these areas will notice that immediately. That’s
as “technobabble”. It doesn’t really mean fine. It’s all as fictional as a warp drive or a psi-
anything; there’s no such thing as an idiopathic blast! The idea is to provide some flavour, not
genome or a parallel pool processor, and to create real solutions to real problems.

154
 “Captain Traviss, this is unacceptable!” “They’re alive, captain. But they are not
Traviss closed her eyes for a moment, then the same.”
turned and gave the Skarian a bright smile. Traviss glanced at the ambassador. His
“Ambassador Shantaro. I was just hoping crests were an ashen gray. “I’ll be right there.
someone would barge into my ready room Traviss out.”
unannounced, while I’m trying to save the
lives of everyone on this ship. Which, you
might recall, includes you.” » Scanning
“How dare you alter course without Common skills: computers, medicine,
consulting me?” As the door slid shut behind chemistry, biology, mining.
him, Shantaro’s crests shifted from bright red Using a scanner is a simple, single-check
to deep blue. Once again Traviss wished she’d task. Characters can use a hand-held scanner
paid more attention to Lieutenant Kring’s to obtain information about a target or the
briefing on Skarian physiology. “We’re already surroundings. All scanners operate in a similar
three days past our scheduled arrival on Beta way, although starship sensors (which are
Draconis IV. The Juxtaposition of the X’iish essentially giant scanner arrays with immense
takes place in less than twenty-six hours, and range) are dealt with in more detail on page
if I am not there on behalf of the Planetary 213. Basic use of a scanner uses the computers
Alliance —“ skill, but subject-specific skills like medicine
“I’m aware of how important this mission or chemistry can also be used to reveal
is, ambassador,” Traviss said. “But something— detailed information.
some virus—is spreading through this ship.
Five people have died of it already. And their
Starship Sensors
bodies disappeared. Disappeared, ambassador,
right in front of our ship’s medical officer. Do This section mainly deals with hand-held
you understand what that means?” scanners. Starship sensors work in exactly
“I do not. But—“ the same way, albeit with vastly greater
“Neither do I. And until we know what range increments. See Space for more
we’re dealing with, the Indianapolis isn’t going information on using starship sensors.
anywhere near an inhabited world—much less
one we’re trying to bring into the Alliance.
We’re headed for the nearest starbase to be When operating a scanner, the character
put into quarantine. Now, unless you happen may ask one closed question which the GM
to have a degree in exovirology, I’ll have to will answer. The question must fall within
ask you to go to your quarters and stay there.” the equipment’s area of focus (a medical
Shantaro’s crests turned a rich fuchsia, scanner can’t detect mineral deposits, and a
but his angry retort was cut off when Traviss’ mining scanner can’t diagnose an illness, for
example), but other than that any question
»3.Future Core
comm chimed softly. “Traviss here. Go ahead.”
A holo of Doctor Vance appeared in the air may be asked. Each question is one use of the
between them. “Captain, we have a situation scanner, and takes one action.
in sickbay. The five deceased crewmembers To use a scanner, make a Routine [10] LOG
have reappeared.” The big Minotauran paused. check. Scanners have a 10’ range increment,
“What is it, Aeros?” much like a weapon’s range increment; each

Scanner Remit Skills

medicine, biology, zoology, genetics, psychology,
Medical Life-forms, medical issues, biology
zoology, xenobiology
Mining Substances and materials mining, chemistry, geology, archeology
Energy sources, substances, life-
Scientific Any [scientific] skill except medical skills
forms, but not medical issues
Tactical Number, type, location of life-forms tactics

155
 increment inflicts a -1d6 die penalty to the dice
pool. High quality scanners, of course, add to
the dice pool, as do related skills. Before using
the scanner, the user must set the scanning
range, which determines the dice pool penalty
if there is one. The penalty applies to all
scans made at that range setting, even if the
information gathered pertains to something
closer. The scanner will not reveal information
about things beyond that range.
Medical scanner. These scanners only
provide information about biological and
medical issues. They can be used to diagnose a
disease, or provide information about a life-
form. Medical scanners can use any medical or
bio skills – medicine, biology, zoology, genetics,
zoology, xenobiology, or even psychology.
Mining scanner. Also known as geological
scanners, these scanners provide information
about substances and structures. They
analyse chemicals, minerals, and materials.
Mining scanners can use skills like mining,
chemistry, and geology. Mining scanners are
also used by archeologists.
Impediments. There are various impediments
Scientific scanner. These scanners provide
to scanning attempts. Things like thick stone,
information about energy, substances, and
shields, or severe atmospheric conditions, can
life-forms, but cannot be used to diagnose
each impose the standard -1d6 penalty to the
illnesses. Scientific scanners can use a variety attempt (as do range increments).
of scientific skills.
Tactical scanner. These scanners only Longer range scans. A normal scan
provide information on the number, type, and takes one round. A longer range scan can be
location of nearby life-forms. They are used for attempted. This takes one minute, and allows
tactical purposes. They are more robust than the user to multiply the range increment by
other scanners. Tactical scanners use the tactics 10. However, the amount of detail available
skill (which additionally means that high quality becomes less granular; questions asked can
tactical scanners can add to INITIATIVE rolls). only be answered with “yes” or “no”.
Questions asked while using a scanner must Scanning creatures. When receiving
be specific closed questions which the GM information about a creature, the answer to
can answer in a single, short sentence. More a question may be relayed in game mechanics
detailed information is obtained or narrowed rather than natural English. This is a convenient
down by asking a series of questions. Any way to communicate complex data and
question within the remit of a scanner is biological information to a player. It is therefore
allowed, as long as it is specific and can be perfectly reasonable to ask “What is the reptile’s
answered with a single, short sentence. A STRENGTH attribute?” and get the answer “14”,
typical scan sequence may look like this: or “How much damage does its acid blood do?”
and be told “2d6”. The actual data on the
1. Presence of energy sources, life-forms, or
scanning device is far more complicated, but this
substances within range.
is a useful abstraction.
2. Direction and approximate distance.
The following is a list of example questions
3. Type or composition. that the user of a scanner can ask, along with
4. More precise data. appropriate answers.

156
 Medical Scanners » Tracking
What illness does this He is suffering from Common skills: tracking, stealth,
man have? Rigellian Fever. perception, local knowledge.
How many creatures There are four life-forms
are there on the other on the other side of the Tracking someone is an opposed extended
side of the door? door. task similar to a chase, although much less
What type of life-forms Two human and two energetic and more cerebral. Rather than
are they? Spartan. physical tasks, opposed checks are more
Is this crewman under focused around a contest of mind and skill.
He has taken a reaction The target tries to hide his tracks, while the
the influence of any
enhancer called Flash. pursuer tries to uncover them.
drugs?
What vulnerabilities Its metabolism is A simple tracking scenario involves
does this creature consistent with a creature involves AGI checks for the target and INT
have? vulnerable to cold. checks for the pursuer, along with the
What is the nature of It is an ingested poison stealth and tracking skills, respectively.
this liquid? which causes madness. This assumes that the target is aware of
Is this food safe to eat? The food is safe to eat. and trying to shake off the trackers. If the
Is this creature target is unaware of the trackers, simply
No, it is an omnivore.
carnivorous? use a Routine [10] benchmark and a simple
Is the suspect showing extended task.
He is very agitated.
any unusual biosigns?
A more complex tracking scenario allows
Mining Scanners the target to try different things such as:
Are there any cobalt There is one deposit
deposits nearby? about 40 feet away. Cross a river to hide tracks (swimming vs.
Approximately 15 tons tracking)
How big is it?
of cobalt.
What material is the Create a decoy or false trail (tracking vs.
It is solid duranium. tracking)
wall made of?
How thick is it? Two inches thick. Hide (stealth vs. tracking)
How deep does this It stretches at least to
tunnel go? the range of the scan. Outpace the trackers (running vs.
It is very unstable. It tracking)
How stable is this
could collapse at any
structure?
minute. » Tailing
What is the makeup of It is a highly flammable
that gas? sulfur emission. A simple tailing scenario is an opposed
extended task which involves INT checks for
How old is this It is approximately 4,000
the target, and AGI checks for the pursuer (the
»3.Future Core
structure? years old.
reverse of the tracking process). The pursuer
Scientific Scanners
is the one trying to stay out of sight and not
Are there any energy There are three energy be spotted by his target. The target will use
sources nearby? sources within range.
perception, while the pursuer may use stealth
All three are about 40 or bluffing. This assumes that the target is trying
How far away?
feet away.
to be inconspicuous or use anti-surveillance
It is an explosive energy techniques. If the target is not worried about a
What is the nature of
source consistent with a tail, simply use INT (perception) checks.
the closest?
bomb.
What is the trigger It is a proximity device Change appearance (disguise vs.
mechanism of the which detects body perception)
bomb? heat.
How close can we get The proximity radius is Blend with a crowd (stealth vs.
without setting it off? 20’. perception)

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 » Countdowns

C
ountdowns form the second major core something before something else happens
mechanic in the W.O.I.N. game system. A are ideal for it. Can a climber scale a
countdown takes place when there is an crumbling cliff before it collapses? Can a
unknown time limit before something occurs. thief pick a lock before the alarms go off?
It is used in the following situations: Can a Felan burglar recover the diamond
Death. An unconscious character uses and escape the museum before the
the countdown mechanic as he slips security guard wakes up?
towards death. The countdown is started by forming a
dice pool. Different situations will determine
Disease. Disease and illness use the
the size of that dice pool – a dying character
countdown mechanic as symptoms worsen.
uses one equal in size to his ENDURANCE
Drowning or suffocation. Characters who dice pool, for example, while cliffs or alarms
cannot breath (underwater, or some other will have their dice pool size set by the GM.
reason) use the countdown mechanic to The larger the dice pool, the longer you –
determine when they lose consciousness. probably! - have.

Starship explosions. Badly damaged Each turn, the dice pool is rolled. Usually
starships use a countdown pool to it’s rolled by the player in question – she rolls
determine when they explode; hopefully her own death dice, or her own drowning dice.
the heroes can escape the ship before it Any dice which come up with a six are
does! removed from the dice pool, and play continues.
Other ticking clocks. There are many Eventually, the last die will be removed
other situations where a ticking clock is from the dice pool. It is then that the
relevant. Occasions where you need a character dies, the trap explodes, or the
tense situation as a character tries to do soldier looks in the crate.

158
Fast, Medium & “up” the countdown and dying characters
Slow Countdowns can be stabilized with emergency healing.
Fast Medium Slow Not all countdowns can be stabilized or
replenished; the specific countdown will
4-6 5-6 6
clearly indicate whether or not these are
appropriate. Sometimes the cliff is going
The default countdown – removing a
to crumble whatever you do – it’s just a
die on a roll of 6 – is a slow countdown.
question of whether you get to the top
Countdowns can run down faster than this,
before that happens!
however. For faster countdowns, dice are
removed on rolls of 5-6, or even 4-6. › Countdowns & Stages
A countdown is always expressed in terms Most countdowns are fairly simple – the
of a fast, medium, or slow countdown. The dice pool is rolled until it reaches zero, at
default countdown (if not specified) is a slow which point an effect (death, explosion,
countdown expiring on rolls of 6. and so on) takes place. However, some
countdowns have effects which take place
» Stabilizing & at various stages throughout the process.
Replenishing Stages take place as the dice pool reaches
Countdowns certain sizes. For example, an illness
Some countdowns can be stabilized or might have a character becoming blind
replenished. when the pool reaches two dice, and dying
when it reaches zero dice. All countdowns
A stabilized countdown simply stops technically have two stages – the starting
counting down – the trap has been disarmed condition and the ending condition.
in time, or the character is no longer in
danger of dying. › Average Countdown Length
Replenishing a countdown allows extra The table below shows the expected
dice to be added, effectively extending it. (average) number of rolls a countdown will
In this way, illnesses can be pushed back last for before expiry. This can be used by the
GM to set appropriate countdown dice pools.

Dice Medium
Slow (6) Fast (4-6)
Pool (5-6)
1d6 6 3 2

2d6 9 4 3

3d6 11 5 3 »3.Future Core

4d6 12 6 4

5d6 13 6 4

6d6 14 7 4

7d6 15 7 4

8d6 15 7 4

9d6 16 7 5

10d6 17 8 5

159
 »The Role Of Luck

L
UCK is a special attribute. It is used At the start of each game day, each player
as a replenishable resource which can should form a LUCK dice pool. As dice are used
modify other die rolls and perform special from the LUCK pool, simply discard them.
actions. It represents luck, fate, chance, LUCK can be used to:
destiny, faith, divine favor, karma, and more. Add dice to any attribute check on a 1:1
basis.

Deduct dice from someone else’s attribute

What LUCK Represents check on a 1:1 basis.
Luck can be interpreted in any way by
characters and creatures who use it. For some, Absorb dice of damage on a 1:1 basis. Note
it is merely coincidence and serendipity; for that fractional dice cannot be absorbed
others it represents destiny and prophecy; (so of 2d6+3 damage, the 2d6 can be
while for others still it may be divine in origin, absorbed, but not the remaining 3).
representing faith and blessings. However the
Perform other special actions granted by
character interprets the concept of luck, it is
careers and exploits.
used in the same way.
You cannot use LUCK dice during downtime, Gain one bonus action per turn by spending
or on daily checks. LUCK dice can only be used a LUC die. This can only happen during a
within an encounter. The GM should always character’s own turn.
disallow the use of LUCK if she feels that a
player is simply blowing all their LUCK on a Perform a signature move.
check because it’s the only one they’ll make
that day. Add dice to a damage roll on a 1:1 basis.

160
» Exploding Dice Forming A Luck Pool
LUCK dice “explode”. This means that There are two ways to form a LUCK pool, depending
whenever a 6 is rolled, the die is rolled again on the style of game.
and the new roll added to the original 6.
This process is repeated if subsequent 6s are In normal mode, the LUC pool is equal to the
rolled. It is recommended that LUCK dice be a associated dice pool of the character’s LUC attribute.
different color to other dice so that they can In cinematic mode, adult and old characters gain
be easily distinguished. bonus LUCK dice to represent experience (see p.54).
LUC pools are replenished once per day with a
» Leadership 5-minute rest, unless otherwise stated.
Character with the Leadership exploit may
donate one or more of their available LUC
dice to another character as a free reaction to » Other Uses of LUCK
their attempting an attribute check. You must Other uses of LUCK manipulate situations
declare this before the ally rolls their check. where the odds are normally even.
When determining a 50/50 chance of an
» Replenishing LUCK outcome, roll a Routine [10] LUCK check
Once per day, a character may spend 5 instead. Characters with higher LUCK succeed
minutes to replenish his LUCK pool. Some more often on an ostensibly 50/50 chance.
careers or traditions allow an additional daily
replenishment. These do not stack, however When randomly determining a PC, have each
- you cannot gain more than one additional player roll LUCK. Either the highest or the
daily replenishment. lowest wins, depending on the situation.

»3.Future Core

161
 »Combat

W
hile things like skills, science, chases, suppressive fire and overwatch, set up
and social encounters make up a large crossfires, and try to gain higher ground in an
part of a far-future campaign, combat attempt to gain the advantage. Those who do
is an important pillar of the game. Characters not use these tactics will find it difficult to
will sometimes find themselves in situations succeed in combat-based situations.
which can only be resolved by violence – and
it is then that the phaser beams, plasma bolts, » The Combat Sequence
and bullets start flying, and the laser swords, Combat follows a set sequence. The
electro-maces, and stun batons start swinging. encounter progresses in rounds, which are a
Combat takes place on a battlemap. A small but unspecified unit of time measured in
battlemap is a grid on the tabletop which seconds. In each round, every participant gets
depicts the environment. Each square on the a turn which consists of one or more actions
grid represents 5’. Players place miniatures – moving, shooting, aiming, giving emergency
(or other tokens) on the map to represent medical aid, using a psionic power, attacking
their characters, and the GM places miniatures with a laser sword, climbing a ladder, and so on.
to represent their opponents. The order in which combatants act is
Combat is a tactical skirmish-like affair. determined by their INITIATIVE score, which
Position and cover are vital components to a is determined by making an attribute check.
What’s O.L.D. is N.E.W. combat encounter. Those with higher scores act first, followed by
Characters and their foes will move, use those with lower scores.

162
 character may take TWO actions unless
otherwise noted. An action is a move,
What, No Metric?
an attack, or a regular action. You can
What’s O.L.D. is N.E.W. uses feet rather move twice, or attack twice, or move and
than meters, pounds rather than kilograms, attack, or any other combination.
and miles rather than kilometers. In short,
4. Once everybody has acted, return to step 3
it doesn’t use the metric system (outside
and repeat until the combat ends.
of space combat, where a different scale is
used). While this may seem unintuitive to Creatures with 3 actions take two actions
those who view the metric system as more on their turn and one action on their
fitting to a future setting, the system is INITIATIVE count +10. Those with 4 or more
compatible with medieval fantasy and modern actions take two actions on their turn and one
action games, too, and so the standard unit is action every 5 INITIATIVE. Most PCs will be
used across all three eras. Essentially, feet are able to take two actions.
more believable in the future than meters are
in medieval times. » Actions & Turns
However, the GM is free to use metric A turn represents a short but unspecified
instead. In this case, use the following units length of time measured in seconds. Most
in place of those found in this book. The characters have two actions to use each turn,
conversions aren’t exact, but they don’t unless they have an ability which says otherwise,
need to be as long as they’re consistent. For and some creatures have more. These actions
that reason, they are rounded into simple can be spent to move, fight, or perform other
conversions below which can easily be tasks, and can be performed in any order. For
performed mentally on the fly. example, a character might move and then fire
One 5’ square is equal to 1.5 meters. his laser pistol, or vice versa.
Divide distances and ranges in feet by 3 to get
Activity Actions
meters. SPEED is described in squares rather
Move your SPEED 1
than feet in order to make this conversion
even easier. Fire a ranged weapon or make a
1
melee attack
One mile is equal to 1.5 kilometers.
Multiply distances in miles by 1.5 to get Perform emergency healing 2
kilometers. Reload or recharge a weapon or item Varies
2 pounds is equal to 1 kilogram. Divide Aim or feint 1
weights by 2 to get kilograms. Use a psionic power 1
Draw or holster a weapon Free
Pick a lock (inc. opening the door) or
When combat begins, follow the procedure 2
disarm a trap
outlined below.

»3.Future Core
Drop to prone or crouch Free
1. Make attribute checks – if appropriate – Stand from prone 1
for access to the ambush turn. Those who
Go into overwatch 1*
succeed take one action; all actions in the
ambush turn occur simultaneously. Open an unlocked door or chest 1
Drop an item Free
2. Everyone rolls INITIATIVE. This is simply
Pick up an item 1
an INTUITION check, although some
Perform a scan 1
characters may get bonuses from skills or
other abilities. On a tie, compare AGILITY, Shake off a condition 1
and if still tied, simply have each roll LUC *Going into overwatch always ends a character’s turn
and the highest wins.
While characters typically have two actions
3. All combatants then act in order from to use in each turn, there are additional action
highest INITIATIVE to lowest. Each types which can be taken:

163
 Free actions use none of the character’s initiating combat, or ambushing an enemy
actions, and must be taken in the character’s from hiding. However, it can involve any
turn. Only one free action is permitted to a participant-initiated strategy.
character per round. If nobody is attempting to ambush the
Reactions take place outside a character’s other, or if all combatants encounter each
turn in response to a specified trigger. Many other simultaneously and launch straight
exploits provide reactions. Only one reaction into combat, the ambush turn is skipped.
is permitted to a character per round. Only use the ambush turn if one group
is deliberately trying to get the jump on
Bonus actions can be provided by spending
a LUCK die. Only one LUCK die can be spent by the other. From a PC point of view, the
a character in this way per turn. Bonus actions ambush turn can only be accessed if the
take place in the character’s own turn. party specifically attempts to do so before
combat begins; once everybody realises a
If a creature has more than two actions in fight is breaking out, the ambush turn is
a turn, it cannot repeat a given action more long past.
than once. For example, a creature with 3
Getting an ambush requires a group
actions can only move twice, not three times.
check. Either the whole group succeeds, or
none of them do. This check is opposed by
» The Ambush Turn the leader (or the lookout, or the otherwise
Before a fight starts, combatants most alert or perceptive) of the target
can attempt to get the jump on each group. As always with group checks, success
other. In practical terms, that commonly requires more than half the participants to
involves one of two things: unexpectedly make a successful check.

164
 Anybody trying to gain access to the Long Distance Travel
ambush turn needs to win an opposed Long-distance. Long distance movement
attribute check against the intended takes place at a character’s SPEED in mph.
targets. This is usually an AGI (stealth) or Hustling (moving with both actions in a turn)
CHA (bluff), but the GM should allow any doubles this movement rate but can only be
reasonable plan from a player. sustained for a number of hours equal to a
In the ambush turn, all actions take creature’s ENDURANCE attribute before an
place simultaneously. Those with access to equal period of rest is required.
the turn may take one single action. Vehicles. A vehicle’s SPEED its its speed in
tens of miles per hour. A vehicle moving at 4
» Movement (40mph) moves at ten times the speed of a
Movement is a vital part of any combat human moving at 4 (4mph).
encounter. Any creature can use one action to
move its SPEED. A creature’s SPEED indicates Difficult terrain. Difficult terrain (deep
the number of 5-foot increments (squares) it snow, swamp, ice, high or low gravity, etc.)
can move in one action (it also indicates its halves ground movement rates. Some exploits
normal speed in miles-per-hour). may allow full movement rates on one or more
SPEED is the total of the raw dice pool of difficult terrain types.
STRENGTH and AGILITY plus one relevant skill. Actions. If a character moves and takes
Movement skills include (but are not limited an action in her turn, the action can take
to) running, climbing, swimming, flying, and place at any point during that movement. For
zero-g. example, a character may run from one place
Movement methods. For non-primary of cover to another, firing as she goes.
movement methods, the movement rate Climbing and balancing. Climbing is an AGI
is halved. For most characters, this means check. A successful check allows the climber to
that walking/running is at the full rate, and move at her climb speed up a vertical surface.
climbing, swimming, zero-g, etc. are at half The climber need only make one check per turn
rate (after adding the bonus from the skill). – this check applies to all climbing movement in
Some exploits may grant a full movement that turn. Balancing on a narrow ledge or beam
rate. Some creatures (such as birds) may have is a form of climbing. A failed check simply
a different primary movement mode, and means that the character cannot climb the wall
walk/run at half speed. A skill cannot turn a or object. She may attempt another check next
movement method into a primary method; turn. A high quality climbing kit can assist with
only an exploit can do that. climbing. The surface determines the difficulty
of the climb.
Hustling. A character who moves with two
actions in a turn is “hustling”, and effectively
»3.Future Core
Cliff, rough, many
moving at twice its normal speed. Creatures Challenging [13]
handholds
with more than two actions available may not
Brick or stone wall, few
move more than twice in a turn. An Olympic Difficult [16]
handholds
sprinter typically has a SPEED of 10 or more,
and is using both actions to run, resulting in
Bulkhead, smooth, metal Demanding [21]
movement in the range of 20 miles-per-hour.
Grids. If no grid is being used, the
Overhand or ceiling Demanding [21]
creature can move a number of inches on the
tabletop equal to its SPEED. If a square grid
is being used, a diagonal movement counts Narrow ledge or plank Challenging [13]
as 5’, but creatures may not move diagonally
around a corner. Tightrope Strenuous [25]

165
 Fighting while climbing. Fighting while
hanging precariously to a wall is difficult. A non- Making An Attack
climber attacking a climber gains a +2d6 bonus Spending attack dice is an important
to the attack. A climber attacking a non-climber part of combat, and without it a character
suffers a -2d6 penalty. If both combatants are may find it difficult to do much damage. It
climbing, nobody gets any bonuses or penalties. is fundamental to the way that powerful
Creatures with primary climbing modes. If or accurate attacks do a lot of damage or
a creature has climbing as a natural movement achieve special effects. The larger your dice
mode, it simply moves its SPEED along walls pool, the more you have to spend on damage
and ceilings with no checks required or and effects. Follow this process:
combat checks imposed. 1. Form your dice pool from attribute + skill
Falling. When a character falls from a + equipment up to your maximum dice
height, she takes 1d6 damage for every 10’ pool.
fallen. Falls of less than 10’ do not cause
damage. Any fall results in the character 2. Adjust the dice pool for positional factors
ending up prone unless a successful AGI check (cover, range, etc.)
with a difficulty value equal to the number of
3. Choose how much of the dice pool to
feet fallen is made.
spend on damage and effects. Add any
Jumping. Every character and creature has bonuses or costs from exploits.
a “free” jump allowance noted on its character
sheet or stat block. This is a distance that the 4. You may add LUCK dice, which enables
character may make a running jump without you to exceed your maximum dice pool.
making any check at all; it simply happens Spending on damage. Everybody can
automatically (for a standing jump, simply half spend attack dice on damage; this allows
the values). A jump counts as one action. you to choose between easier, less damaging
attacks or more difficult, more damaging
» Important Combat Actions attacks. Before making an attack roll, spend
› Move two dice for each extra die of damage you
The character or creature moves their SPEED wish to do. A base attack, with no dice spent
as indicated in the Movement section, above. on extra damage, will often be easy but have
little effect.
› Attack Spending on effects. Your exploits tell
Attacks take the form of ranged attacks or you what effects you can spend attack dice
melee attacks. A ranged attack uses a bow, on. You can spend dice on knockdowns,
gun, thrown weapon, or other form of ranged disarms, blinding attacks, trips, arm-locks,
weapon. A melee attack is either unarmed and many more effects.
(punches, kicks, claws, bites, and the like) or Remember, the maximum dice pool limit
uses a melee weapon such as a sword or club. applies to the initial attribute + skills +
equipment dice pool. Positions, exploits,
A melee attack is performed by rolling a STR and LUC can all exceed that limit once it has
or AGI check (attacker’s choice unless otherwise been formed.
noted) against the target’s MELEE DEFENSE.
A ranged attack is performed by rolling
an AGI or INT check (attacker’s choice unless On a successful hit, the attacker rolls
otherwise noted) against the target’s RANGED damage (in d6s) according to the weapon.
DEFENSE. Longer ranges can reduce the Armor reduces this damage by its SOAK value.
number of dice rolled. The resulting damage is deducted from the
target’s HEALTH.
An area attack, or constitutional attack
such as a poison is performed by rolling When you make an attack, choose one of
against the target's VITAL DEFENSE. the following options as long as (a) it makes

166
sense, and (b) the target is not immune to  Make a Called Shot specific to that target
that condition or action. You cannot, for as outlined in its stat-block.
example, disarm a tiger, trip a snake, or grab
Psionic attacks use a PSI check vs the
a hologram.
target’s DEFENSE or MENTAL DEFENSE.
 Make any attack normally and if you hit
Damage is indicated as a dice range,
you inflict your normal damage.
and is deducted from the target's HEALTH.
 Make an unarmed melee attack normally SOAK reduces damage before it is applied
and if you hit you grab your target, giving to HEALTH. Even if all damage is SOAKED,
it the Restrained condition. You must pay each 6 rolled for damage does 1 point of
an additional 1d6 for each size category damage anyway. Only creatures noted as being
that the target is larger than you, and also specifically immune to a damage type can
if the target has more than two legs or has
avoid this damage.
no legs. You can apply this condition twice
to increase the level of the Restrained If triple-sixes are rolled on the attack roll,
condition. and it hits, a critical hit occurs. A critical
hit inflicts a condition upon the target; the
 Make an unarmed melee attack or an
attack with a small melee weapon type of damage determines which condition
normally and if you hit you escape a grab is inflicted. Creatures immune to a specific
and remove the Restrained condition. damage type do not suffer critical hits from
that damage type.
Additionally, you may pay 2d6 and spend two
actions to make a Called Shot vs. VITAL DEFENSE › Aiming & Feinting
and choose one of the following options:
Aiming or feinting, both of which are
 Make a Called Shot with a melee or ranged universal exploits, cost one action and grant
attack and if you hit you move your target a +1d6 bonus to an attack roll taken in the
one square (plus up to one square for each same turn. The attack action must come
size category by which you exceed the immediately after the aiming or feinting
target in melee, or by which your weapon action. All characters get either Aim or Feint
exceeds the target at range). You must pay for free. Aiming applies to ranged attacks,
an additional 1d6 for each size category that while feinting applies to melee attacks.
the target is larger than you, and also if the
target has more than two legs or has no legs. › Overwatch
The movement must be one which makes Overwatch is a special type of action. When
sense, and if it is a result of a blow or ranged you choose to enter overwatch, you wait ready
attack, will always be a push away from you. with a ranged weapon to fire on any targets
 Make a Called Shot with a melee or which make themselves available. Usually this

»3.Future Core
ranged attack and if you hit you knock or means targets which break cover and enter
trip your target prone. You must pay an your line of sight. You enter overwatch in your
additional 1d6 for each size category that turn, and remain in overwatch until the start
the target is larger than you, and also if of your next turn.
the target has more than two legs or has You may only fire on a given target once
no legs. during a turn when on overwatch, and may only
 Make a Called Shot with a melee or fire when the target has zero cover. Your shot
ranged attack and if you hit you disarm interrupts his turn at the earliest point possible.
your opponent, giving it the Disarmed The maximum number of targets you can
condition. fire upon during a turn when in overwatch
 Make a Called Shot with a melee or ranged is equal to your INTUITION attribute. Each
attack and if you hit you disable your subsequent target beyond the first takes a
target, giving it the Slowed condition. -1d6 penalty to hit.

167
 Signature Moves & Combinations
A character's exploits can often form multipliers are applied before additional dice
the building blocks of a more complex, are added. When rolling your dice pool for
spectacular move. While characters can the signature move, all dice explode (i.e. any
always combine exploits on the fly to create sixes get re-rerolled and added to the total).
a variety of maneuvers, many train in Below are three example signature moves.
particular combinations and gain expertise
in a specific, spectacular act. These Dive & Tap (combines Dive For Cover,
combinations are called signature moves. Quickstand, and Double Tap). If a ranged
A signature move might be unique to a attack misses you, you may immediately
character, or it might be a technique taught move half your speed as a reaction and throw
in some school of combat. yourself prone, quickly rolling back to a
standing position, and then responding with a
To learn a signature move, a character
double-tap at the target, firing two shots at
must take the Signature Move exploit; the
a dice pool cost of -2d6 for each.
exploit is taken once for each signature
move the character requires, and may be Reacting Willow (combines Sidestep,
repeated. Throw, and Opportunistic Stomp). When
Design a valid combination of exploits charged by an attacker, you casually step
and actions which you can already perform aside, causing him to rush past you; as he
and which together constitute a unique does so, you grasp a limb and casually flip
maneuver. You should name your signature him through the air. The target is thrown 5'
move. To use your signature move, you into an adjacent square and knocked prone,
must spend a LUC die. If you are unable to at which point you stomp on him, doing your
form a LUC pool, you may still perform one natural damage. This maneuver costs -2d6 of
signature move per day. A signature move your attack dice pool.
costs one action or reaction (even if the Vertical Takedown (combines Death
constituent parts would normally cost more From On High and Piledriver). You pay 3d6
than one action), and does not count as a and drop down on your opponent from at
usage of any of its constituent exploits for least 5' above him, performing a graceful
the round. If any of the constituent exploits rolling maneuver which inverts your target
of the signature move have a dice pool cost and slams his head into the ground. Both
to perform, use the largest of those costs. you and the target end up prone. You do
If any of the constituent exploits grant a double your unarmed damage, with an extra
damage bonus in form of extra damage dice, 2d6 damage bonus. The target gains the
use the largest bonus only. Any damage Dazed condition.

Entering overwatch uses one action and particular area in order to “cover” an ally’s
always ends your turn, so it should be the final exposed movement or action which would
action taken by a creature. Your overwatch normally attract overwatch attacks.
status lasts until you take another action. A very Unlike most attack types, suppressive fire is
common maneuver used by military personnel not target-dependent. It depends on your ally.
is to use two actions to move and then enter You designate a specific ally as the beneficiary
overwatch, proceeding from one location of of your suppressive fire; this benefit last
cover to the next. This is a very effective tactic until your ally’s next turn has ended. During
for advancing safely upon the enemy. that turn, you ally’s actions gain the benefit
of COVER (see below), even when he or she
› Suppressive Fire is exposed. This means that your ally will
Suppressive fire is the antidote to automatically be immune to overwatch, and
overwatch. It allows you to lay down fire in a gains some protection from regular fire.

168
 Action Position
Attack

+1d6 to a subsequent attack in -1d6 per range increment (to a maximum of 5)

the same turn

ge
A
Fe + im
+1d6 to attack (5' melee or 10' ranged)

Ran
in
t er d
i gh oun
H Gr
Immediate fire on target
who breaks cover Overwatch Cover -2d6 to attack

re ve
Pi
nn

Cr
Fi si
ed

os
+1d6 to attack target each subsequent

re

sf
round (Until target moves 10' or more)

pp

Fl

ir
Su

+ k
an
Grants cover to the designated ally

e
+1d6 per attacker (At 90 degree angles to
each other or 2 opposite flankers in melee)

Some weapons, noted as “auto” in the › Range

equipment lists, are especially efficient at In ranged combat, every weapon has a
suppressive fire. These weapons gain your ally range increment. Any ranged attack which
an additional 1d6 of cover. exceeds that range increment suffers a -1d6
die penalty for each range increment beyond
Providing suppressive fire ends your turn. the first. Unless otherwise noted, weapons can
only fire out to five range increments.
» Positional Effects
› Higher Ground
Combat in What’s O.L.D. is N.E.W. is
Combatants on higher ground than their
a highly positional, tactical affair. Using
targets gain a +1d6 bonus to attack them.
crossfires and avoiding getting pinned down or Higher ground is defined as at least 5’ for melee
falling into the enemy’s crossfires, combatants attacks or at least 10’ for ranged attacks.
move about the battlemap in an attempt to
gain an advantage over their foes. › Cover
The five important positional effects are Cover is very important. Targets without
range, higher ground, cover, getting pinned cover are very vulnerable to enemy fire.
down, and crossfires/flanks. A target in cover inflicts a -2d6 penalty to
attack rolls made against him (although this
› Facing can be alleviated by the “pinned down”
The direction you face can matter when rule, below).
using miniatures in combat. It determines
It’s important to distinguish between
whether somebody is attacking you from the
»3.Future Core
cover and a blocked line-of sight. A character
rear, and which directions certain attacks can cannot be completely immune to fire and
be used in. simultaneously able to fire himself, and
You can change which direction you face at cannot be in a position where line of sight is
any time while moving. If you don't move in completely blocked except for when he pops
your turn, you can still change your facing for up to fire.
free at any point turing your turn. This is not There are three positions which require a
an actual action or a free action. move action to switch between:
Most attacks can be used in any direction. OPEN A character without the benefit of
However, occasionally an attack will only be any cover is considered in the OPEN.
valid in a particular direction - a xenomorph's COVER If a character has a 2d6 cover bonus
tail swipe affects a cone to its rear, for and can fire on an enemy without expending
example. If this is the case, the attack (or a move action, he is IN COVER; line of sight is
exploit) will specify that direction. not blocked.

169
 BLOCKED If a character must expend a move › Other Modifiers
action in order to fire upon an enemy, line of
Other things can affect an attack roll.
sight is BLOCKED. The move action need not
involve leaving the square, but it is important It is harder to shoot someone engaged in
that the move action is needed to move to a melee combat without endangering your
firing position, and another one is needed to ally. Such attacks take a -2d6 cover penalty,
move back to the fully blocked position. although some exploits can reduce this.
› Getting Pinned Down Similarly, in darkness or under cover of
For every turn that you remain in the same obscuring fog or smoke, a -2d6 cover
square, opponents gain an additional die to penalty is inflicted.
ranged attacks against you. When you move, this A prone target is harder to hit at range
gets reset back to zero again. However, you must (a penalty of -1d6) but easier to hit in
move to a location at least 10’ away from your melee (+2d6).
original location, and returning to that location
does not count as a “move” when determining Ranged Modifiers
whether you are pinned down. Some careers, Situation Modifier
such as the sniper, are harder to pin down. You
Cover -2d6
can also negate pinning with a successful AGI vs.
INT check to hide from your aggressor. +1d6 for each attacker
Crossfire
beyond the first
› Crossfires & Flanks Each range increment
-1d6
In an exchange of ranged weapon fire, every beyond the first
soldier dreads being caught in a crossfire. Firing into melee -2d6
Avoiding missiles from multiple directions is Higher ground (at least 10’) +1d6
extremely difficult. A crossfire is also known as Obscured (smoke,
interlocking fire, as each gunner’s arcs of fire -2d6
darkness, invisible)
mutually support one another. Pinned down +1d6 per round
A crossfire exists if two attackers are Prone target -1d6
positioned at greater than 90-degree angles Suppressive fire -2d6
to each other with respect to the target.
Each of the attackers beyond the first grants Melee Modifiers
a cumulative +1d6 bonus to ranged attacks Situation Modifier
against that target (making a maximum bonus
Flanking target +1d6
of +3d6 for four attackers).
Helpless target Automatic critical hit
A flank is the melee equivalent of a
Higher ground (at least 5’) +1d6
crossfire. It requires two diametrically
opposite attackers, and grants a maximum of Prone target +2d6
+1d6 to melee attacks against the target. Sneak/target unaware +2d6

170
› Dual-Wielding

Sometimes a character might have a Instead, once per turn, it grants an additional
weapon in each hand. This might be a pair attack as a free action if the wielder has
of knives, or a pair of pistols; it might be attacked twice already in the round (in other
a sword and a dagger; it even includes – words, the wielder can spend two actions
technically – the use of a sword and shield. to get three attacks – two with the primary
Dual-wielding also includes the use of double weapon, and one with the off-hand weapon).
weapons, such as a two-bladed sword. If an off-hand weapon is used for offense, all
the character’s attacks for that round are
Generally speaking, any single-handed subjected to a -2d6 die penalty.
item (weapon or shield) can be used for
Attributes. Dual-wielding characters must
offense or defense. Most items can be used
use their AGI attribute to attack with their
for offense, including shields; shields and secondary weapon. They cannot use STR
weapons with the Shield trait can be used (melee) or INT (ranged).
for defense. Even improvised weapons and
Ambidexterity. Characters with the
other items can be used, although they are
Ambidexterity trait do not suffer the -2d6
subject to the usual improvisation penalties,
penalty to attacks when dual-wielding.
which may make them near useless to all but
the most proficient of combatants. Shields. As mentioned above, shields can
also be used in offense. Shields typically do
Defense. When a shield or a weapon 1d6 blunt damage (or 1d6 piercing damage
with the Shield trait is used for defense, for a spiked shield).
it grants a bonus to the wielder’s DEFENSE
Exploits. You can incorporate exploits
scores. An item is assumed to be used
into attacks, but exploits can only each be
for defense unless it is specifically used used once per round as normal (and thus
for offense. Double weapons and missile usually only apply to one attack).
weapons cannot usually be used for
Unarmed attacks. When making unarmed
defense, and weapons with the Shield trait
attacks, your body counts as one weapon.
only apply to MELEE DEFENSE.
You cannot dual-wield two fists or a head
Offense. When a shield or a weapon is used and a knee; you are simply using your single
for offense it cannot grant a defensive bonus body to attack. You can dual wield a one-
to the wielder until the start of his next turn. handed weapon and an unarmed attack.

»3.Future Core

171
 »Injury & Death

I
t’s a dangerous universe, and many Illnesses and diseases. Individual diseases
activities – especially combat – risk injury or like radiation sickness, Rigellian fever, or
death. While combat is the most common space dementia can have specific effects on
cause of injury, there are many ways in which a creature. Illnesses have long-term effects
a creature might suffer damage. Falling from a which can last days, weeks, or longer.
great height, falling victim to a trap, suffering
environmental effects, and many more things These forms of damage are described below.
add to the wide range of ways in which a
character can be harmed. » HEALTH Damage
Harm takes three common forms: Recovering HEALTH. No creature can
benefit from a given source or type of
HEALTH. As a creature takes damage, its
healing more than once per day
HEALTH is reduced. When HEALTH reaches
zero or lower, the creature is unconscious A character’s HEALTH score is a measure of
and at risk of death. HEALTH can be her physical and mental condition. The lower
recovered in a variety of ways. the the score, the closer to unconsciousness
Conditions. Conditions are special statuses and death she is. Any attack can cause
which are applied to a creature, such as damage, and this damage is deducted
Fatigued, Blind, Afraid, and so on. Each directly from the target’s HEALTH score.
inflicts specific penalties, and can normally When HEALTH is zero or lower, the character
be shaken off. is unconscious and in danger of death.

172
 When a character is reduced to zero » Critical Hits
HEALTH or lower, she immediately forms a
When an attack is made, if triple-sixes
dice pool equal in size to her ENDURANCE
are rolled and the attack hits, then a critical
dice pool. This dice pool represents the clock
hit takes place. The target gains a condition
ticking down as he slides towards death. Every
(such as Bleeding, Poisoned, Burning, and so
time his turn comes around, he throws the
dice pool once. Any dice which come up 6 get on) unless it is immune to that condition. The
removed from the pool. When he has no dice condition is dependent on the type of damage
left, he dies. the attack does. Three sixes is always a hit,
Each time an unconscious character takes even if the roll would normally have missed.
additional damage, one die is removed from
the dice pool. The amount of damage does not » CONDITIONS
make any difference. The other form of damage is called a
Once per day, a character may spend one condition. Conditions include things like
hour to recover HEALTH. The amount recovered Afraid, Bleeding, Burning, Blind, Sick,
is equal to one roll of her END dice pool. Fatigued, and so on. Conditions can be caused
HEALTH can also be recovered in other in a variety of ways, but the most common are
ways. Certain drugs and career exploits can critical hits (which inflict temporary conditions
grant the ability to heal other creatures or which can be shaken off relatively quickly) and
regain one’s own HEALTH. hostile environments (which cause persistent
Additionally, anybody can attempt to conditions which last until the victim has had
perform emergency aid. Emergency aid a full night’s rest).
is applied to a patient which has been Each condition has two effects. In the lists
reduced to zero HEALTH or lower, and below, the first time a condition is inflicted,
takes two actions. To perform emergency the target suffers from the effect in the first
aid, simply make a LOG check (with dice bullet-point. If they are affected twice by a
pool contributions from relevant skills and condition, the second bullet point is used.
equipment) equal to the negative HEALTH
value of the patient (with a minimum difficulty › Temporary conditions.
of Routine [10]). If successful, the patient is Shaking off temporary conditions is simple:
stabilized and restored to 1 HEALTH. just roll 1d6. On a roll of 5 or 6, the condition
is removed. Shaking off a condition takes one
action, and can only be attempted once per
turn.
Conditions which do not allow you to take
actions still allow you to try to shake off
conditions.

»3.Future Core
Additionally, at the GM’s discretion,
suitable methods can be used to automatically
end a condition (diving into water when on
fire, for example).
› Severe conditions.
Some temporary conditions are more
serious than others. A condition described as
severe can only be shaken off by rolling a 6.
Only temporary conditions can be severe.
› Persistent conditions.
Some conditions cannot be shaken off.
Persistent conditions are not cleared until

173
 should be noted on the character sheet so
that it does not need to be looked up each
time. If an attack does multiple damage types
(e.g. piercing/poison) then both statuses are
inflicted on a critical hit.
If you prefer a much simpler version, simply
use only the first listed condition for each
damage type and note that on the character
sheet.
› Social checks.
Making social CHA checks to persuade,
taunt, amuse, or intimidate cause Charm,
Angry, Manic, and Afraid on a critical success,
respectively.

» CONDITION LIST
Afraid. The target displays fear towards the
the creature gets a full night’s rest. Some attacker.
conditions cannot be persistent (these would
 You cannot approach the source of your
kill any creature long before the day was out).
fear.
These are marked with an asterisk.
LUCK dice. You can use a LUC die to cancel  You must flee the source of your fear,
out a condition. You must do this when the or simply cower if that is not possible.
condition is initially applied. Angry. The target feels irrational anger.
You can also use a LUC die to make a  You cannot take any non-attack actions
condition you have inflicted into a severe other than moving directly towards an
condition (requiring a roll of 6 to remove). enemy.
› Damage types.  You must attack the nearest foe. If
Each damage type inflicts a specific none are available, you must attack
condition as determined by a roll of 1d6. This the nearest ally.
1d6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Acid Pain Pain Pain Burning Burning Burning
Ballistic Bleeding Bleeding Pain Pain Downed Slowed
Blunt Dazed Dazed Deaf Sleeping Drunk Drunk
Cold Slowed Slowed Slowed Slowed Sleeping Restrained
Electricity Dazed Dazed Dazed Pain Pain Burning
Heat/Fire Burning Burning Burning Pain Pain Disarmed
Ion Fatigued Fatigued Fatigued Fatigued Fatigued Fatigued
Light Blind Blind Blind Blind Disarmed Disarmed
Necrotic Fatigued Fatigued Fatigued Fatigued Downed Downed
Piercing Bleeding Bleeding Bleeding Pain Pain Disarmed
Poison Poisoned Poisoned Sleeping Drunk Sick Sick
Psionic/Psychic Dazed Dazed Dazed Dazed Dazed Confused
Radiation Sick Sick Sick Sick Sick Sick
Slashing Bleeding Bleeding Blind Blind Disarmed Slowed
Sonic/Sound Deaf Deaf Deaf Deaf Drunk Drunk

174
 Bleeding*. The target suffers ongoing  You cannot hear sounds more than 30’
damage from a lingering wound. away and suffer -1d6 to PERCEPTION
 You take 1d6 damage at the start of and INITIATIVE. You have SOAK 5
your turn. (sonic). You cannot benefit from any
voice-based buffs or benefits which
 You take 2d6 damage at the start of originate from further than 30’ away.
your turn.
 You cannot hear anything and suffer
Blind. The target’s vision is obscured by a -2d6 to PERCEPTION and INITIATIVE.
helm, blood, or wound.
You have SOAK 10 (sonic). You cannot
 Your vision is limited to 30’, and you benefit from any voice-based buffs or
move at half SPEED. You cannot benefit benefits.
from flanks or crossfires.
Disarmed. The target’s weapon is
 You cannot see, cannot use ranged temporarily dropped, broken, jammed, or
weapons, move at half SPEED, and entangled.
suffer -2d6 to all sight-based actions.
 Your weapon cannot be used.
Burning*. The target suffers ongoing
 As above, but the condition is now
damage from fire, acid, or a similar toxic
severe and requires a 6 to end.
substance.
Disarmored. The target’s armor is
 You take 1d6 fire damage per round.
displaced, straps are cut, or a significant
Clothes are ruined.
opening is made.
 You take 2d6 fire damage per round.
 You have half SOAK (round up).
Clothes, hair, and eyebrows are ruined.
 You have no SOAK.
Charmed. The target feels friendship and
loyalty towards the attacker. Downed. The target is knocked to the floor.
 You will not attack the source of the  You are prone and cannot stand.
charm, nor will you willingly allow  You are prone and helpless; your
harm to come to them; neither do DEFENSEs become 10.
you provide flank or crossfire bonuses
against them. Drunk. The target is intoxicated by drink or
another substance, or is punch-drunk from a
 You will obey commands which do not heavy blow.
overly conflict with your nature or
which are obviously harmful to you.  You cannot move more than once in a
round.
Confused. The target is confused and
unsure of his surroundings.  You cannot move, but at the start of
your turn you wander 1d6 squares in a
 You drop any items you are holding and
»3.Future Core
random direction.
cannot tell friend from foe.
Fatigued. The target is weary, finding loads
 Roll 1d6 to determine your condition heavy as exhaustion sets in.
each turn: (1) afraid, (2) angry, (3)
forgetful, (4) manic, (5) drunk, (6)  You can only take one action per round
dazed. and your carry increment is halved.
Dazed. The target is unstable and  Your maximum HEALTH is halved, in
disoriented. addition to the above effects.
 You can only take one action per round Forgetful. The target suffers from amnesia.
and a hit knocks you prone.  You cannot use any of your skills.
 You cannot take any actions.  You cannot remember anything,
Deaf. The target’s hearing is affected by a including who you are or who your
ringing in the ears or a physical obstruction. allies are.

175
 Manic. The target is overly happy, joyous, » Illnesses & Disease
and mirthful.
From radiation sickness to alien viruses,
 You cannot take hostile or aggressive illnesses can be debilitating without a trained
actions. doctor to treat them.
 You are convulsed with laughter and Illnesses and disease all use a countdown
can take no other actions.
pool, usually based on the victim’s END
Pain. An injury causes the target pain attribute, although some are based on other
which restricts movement. attributes, including mental or psychic
 You take 1d6 damage if you take a illnesses based on WIL. Some stronger or
second action in a turn. weaker viruses and diseases may increase or
 You take 1d6 damage if you take any decrease the start of the countdown pool.
actions. Most countdown pools require a check every
day, but a few may allow for weekly checks or
Poisoned. The target is infected by a toxic inflict hourly checks. This information is noted
substance. in the table below.
 You cannot be healed. Unless otherwise noted, a creature
 You cannot be healed and you take 1d6 infected with any disease suffers one or more
poison damage at the start of each conditions until cured.
turn.
› Catching a Disease
Restrained. The target is grabbed,
entangled, frozen, or otherwise prevented To be affected by a disease, a character
from moving. is subjected to an attack AGAINST VITAL
DEFENSE or MENTAL DEFENSE. This could be
 You cannot move from your current as a result of a creature attack, or poison,
square. or even an attack by the environment.
 You cannot take any actions, and your If the attack is successful, the character
physical DEFENSEs drop to 10 to all contracts the disease.
except the creature restraining you. Each disease mentions the basic method of
Sick. The target is nauseous and unable to transmission.
act as normal.
 You cannot jump and you can only take
one action per round.
 You suffer -2d6 to all attribute checks,
as well as the above effects.
Sleeping. The target is sent to sleep by
magic or a heavy blow.
 You are drowsy and lethargic. You may
only act once each turn.
 You are asleep, and cannot be woken.
Slowed. The target suffers a leg injury, or a
magical effect which reduces speed.
 Your SPEED scores are halved and you
suffer -4 to physical DEFENSEs.
 Your SPEED scores are halved, your
physical DEFENSEs become 10, and you
can only take one action per turn.

176
› Treating Diseases consistency of stone. While suffering from
Treating a disease requires a LOG check. the illness, the victim gains an additional
This must be performed at the same time SOAK 5 (all) for each dice removed from
interval that the disease progresses – so if the dice pool, although he dies when the
a disease requires daily dice pool rolls, the pool reaches zero. Victims are slowed while
LOG check must be made daily. Of course, suffering this disease.
medical skills and facilities help enormously Radiation sickness. Radiation sickness is
with the LOG check. The difficulty of the a painful, debilitating condition which ends
LOG check is noted in the table below. in the victim’s death. Symptoms include
vomiting, intestinal pain, bleeding, hair
Success. Every time the LOG check loss, and fever. Victims are debilitated
is successfully made, the dice pool is while suffering this disease.
increased by 1d6. Sometimes this means Retrograde psychosis. This is a severe
that the progression will be held steady condition of the mind which reduces the
temporarily (since the dice pool is being victim’s mental age, eventually turning him
depleted by time) but it can also mean that into the equivalent of an infant. Victims are
the pool grows in size. confused while suffering this disease.
Curing. If three successful treatment Rigellian fever. This powerful virus
checks are made in a row, the disease is causes extreme fever, sweating, and
cured. nausea, eventually resulting in the victim’s
Failure. If the pool is depleted to zero, the death. Victims are debilitated while
victim permanently suffers the effect noted – suffering this disease.
often death. Salt plague. This unpleasant disease
feeds on the victim’s salt levels. The
Severity. Diseases can be made more severe victim eventually loses her humanity as her
by imposing die penalties on the treatment salt cravings become so intense that she
checks. A severe case imposes a -2d6 penalty. becomes violent, seeking the salty blood of
› Disease Descriptions other victims.
Space dementia. Space dementia affects
Macrovirus. This airborne illness is a small number of space travelers when
particularly dangerous because it reduces they first encounter FTL speeds. It can
the victim’s desire to actually do anything be treated, but left alone it will result in
about it. The illness causes extreme memory loss, hallucinations, and madness.
lethargy, worsening to the point where the Victims are confused while suffering this
victim will not eat, and simply wastes away. disease.
Victims are fatigued while suffering this Vampiris/scarlet malady. This bacteria
»3.Future Core
disease. forces the victim to drink blood in order
Orman’s Syndrome. This illness attacks to survive. It also causes photo-sensitivity
the neural structures of the brain, gradually and lengthening of the canine teeth. An
causing memory loss. By the time it reaches infected person needs to drink at least a
its conclusion, the victim loses all sense of pint of fresh blood every day, and loses 1
identity and all long-term memories. The END attribute point for each day that the
victim will not recognize close friends or blood is not consumed. This illness is known
family members, or recall his own name, both as Vampiris and Scarlet Malady.
career, or skills. Victims are forgetful while White disease. This illness is a form
suffering this disease. of leprosy. It only affects those in their
Petrification. A rare disease, this middle age or older, and results in the
bacteria hardens the victim’s skin and victim’s painful death. Victims are slowed
organs until he or she reaches the while suffering this disease.

177
 Illness Transmisison Pool Interval Difficulty Effect

Macrovirus Airborne WIL Daily Demanding [21] Lethargy/death

Orman’s
Injury LOG Daily Difficult [16] Memory loss
Syndrome

Petrification Injury END Daily Demanding [21] Death

Radiation
Exposure END Daily Difficult [16] Death
Sickness
Retrograde
Airborne WIL Daily Difficult [16] Psychosis
Psychosis

Rigellian Fever Contact END Daily Difficult [16] Death

Salt Plague Injury END Daily Demanding [21] Salt cravings

Space Dementia Exposure WIL Hourly Difficult [16] Madness

Vampiris Injury WIL Hourly Strenuous [25] Vampirism

White Disease Contact END Weekly Demanding [21] Death

178
 »Objects

T
he universe is full of objects. Chairs, to determine an inanimate object’s DEFENSE,
desks, trees, boulders, automobiles, HEALTH, and SOAK.
crates, and more. Most of the time,
HEALTH. The health of an object is simply
player characters will simply interact with
the square root of its weight in pounds (if
them in the way they’re supposed to be
interacted with – they’ll sit on the chair or known). If the exact weight is not known, use
put some supplies in the crate. Sometimes, the average figures below. An object is broken
when reduced to half HEALTH and destroyed
»3.Future Core
however, the attributes of an object will
be needed. An object’s statistics are based when reduced to zero. This does not apply
on its size and its composition. These two to creatures or characters, whose HEALTH is
pieces of information are all that is needed based on other attributes.
Size DEFENSE HEALTH Creature Object
Tiny 22 5 Mouse, cat Book, ball
Small 18 10 Dog Chest
Medium 14 15 Human Chair, bicycle
Large 10 25 Ogron, tiger Table, motorcycle, door
Enormous 10 70 Elephant, T-Rex Car, van
Gigantic 10 150 Whale Truck, bus
Colossal 10 250 Kaiju Big rig, fire truck
Titanic 10 800 Titan Ship, jumbo jet

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 DEFENSE. An object’s DEFENSE is based on Material SOAK Vulnerable
its size. Aluminum 5
SOAK. An object’s SOAK is based on the Ceramic, china 0 Blunt
material it is made of. If an object is made Crystal 5 Sonic
of multiple materials, simply use the most Diamond 20
prevalent. Some materials are vulnerable Duranium 20
(+1d6) against certain types of damage. Fabric, leather 5 Heat
For example, a wooden door is a large Fiberglass, plaster 0
wood object with 25 HEALTH, 5 SOAK, and Forcefield* 20 Ion
10 DEFENSE. Following is a list of common Glass 0 Blunt
objects and their stats. Gold, lead, silver 5
Reinforced Objects. Reinforced objects Iron, steel 10
have double the normal HEALTH. Paper 0 Heat
Plastic 0 Heat
Ray Shielding. Ray-shielded objects gain
Stone, concrete, brick,
+10 SOAK vs. energy damage. 10
marble
Fireproofed. Fireproofed objects gain +10 Titanium 15
SOAK vs. heat damage. Transparent aluminum 10
Larger Objects. Objects of 1,000 tons or Tritanium, adamantium 25
more (about 2,000,000 lb) are considered Wood 5 Heat
Class I objects, and use the starship hull scale. *Forcefields regenerate 5 HEALTH per round

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Item Type HEALTH SOAK DEFENSE Vulnerable

Altar, stone Large stone 25 10 12

Barrel Medium wood 15 5 14 Heat

Book Tiny paper 5 0 18 Heat

Bottle Tiny glass 5 0 18 Blunt

Chair Medium wood 15 5 14 Heat

Chest Small reinforced wood 10 5 16 Heat

Computer terminal Small plastic 10 0 16 Heat

Console Medium aluminum 15 5 14

Desk Large wood 25 5 12 Heat

Door, archaic cell Large reinforced iron 25 10 12

Enormous reinforced ray-
Door, blast door 140 20 6
shielded duranium
Door, forcefield Large forcefield 25* 20 12 Ion

Door, futuristic cell Large reinforced duranium 25 20 12

Door, office Large aluminum 25 5 12

Door, wood Large wood 25 5 12 Heat

Football Tiny fabric 5 5 18 Heat

Guitar Small wood 10 5 16 Heat

Pistol Tiny steel 5 10 18

Rifle Small steel 10 10 16

Safe Medium reinforced steel 15 10 14

Stone statue Large stone 25 10 12

Sword, two-handed Medium steel 15 10 14

Table/desk,
Large aluminum 25 5 12
aluminum

»3.Future Core
Table/desk, wood Large wood 25 5 12 Heat
Tree Enormous wood 70 5 10 Heat
Tree, large Gigantic wood 150 5 5 Heat
Wall, bulkhead, 5’
Enormous steel 70 10 6
section
Wall, futuristic
Enormous duranium 70 20 6
bulkhead, 5’ section
Wall, stone, 5’
Enormous stone 70 10 6
section
Window Medium glass 15 0 14 Blunt
Medium transparent
Window, futuristic 15 10 14
aluminim
*Regenerates 5 HEALTH per round.

181
 »The Environment

A
spacefaring adventurer can’t always rely The following templates can be applied to
on the fact that she’ll be in a comfortable areas the size of a planet or as small as a room
earth-temperature 1-G environment. or part of a room.
Whether the gravity is high, low, or nonexistent,
Some environments inflict a condition
or when there are variations in temperature and
on those who spend an hour or more in
air density, extreme planetary weather conditions
them. Environments cause slow debilitating
such as acid rain or pure vacuums, or potential
effects; they do not inflict damage directly
hazards galore, there can be dramatic variations
between different planetary and shipboard in the way that a fire or a pool of acid
environments – sometimes within short periods would - such extreme areas are hazards far
of time! The environmental controls of a starship more dangerous than an environment such
or space station can be a very potent weapon as Sick, or Fatigued (this cannot be shaken
indeed, and a location where the environmental off – it requires a minor medical task to
controls are damaged, or even alternating alleviate).
between different settings, can make for Areas can have more than one
extremely memorable set-piece battles. environmental type. For example, a
Environmental conditions are persistent burning starship engine room may be hot,
conditions; once gained, they remain until the radioactive, and zero-g, while an arctic
victim gain a full nights rest. planet might be cold and windy.

182
 Some creatures are immune to certain terrain. Difficult terrain halves ground
environmental types, and an environmental movement SPEED.
suit protects the wearer from any Dim. Dim light renders a creature which
environmental damage, as well as providing starts its turn in the area Blind (although this
oxygen. 5 or more SOAK of an appropriate does not progress beyond the first stage);
damage type makes a creature completely darker areas inflict the second Blind condition
immune to an environment. automatically unless the creature has some way
Environment Condition of illuminating the area or seeing in the dark.
Caustic Pain Hi-grav. Whether caused by a malfunctioning
Cold Slowed grav system on a ship, or by a large or dense
planet, high gravity environments can be
Dampened -
difficult to move in. High gravity refers to 1.4G
Difficult terrain* - or more. High gravity environments found on
Dim/smoky/snow/rain Blind large or dense planets can be punishing. A hi-
Hi-grav* Fatigued grav environment counts as difficult terrain
Hot Fatigued
(half speed) and doubles falling damage.
Jump distances are also halved. Crushing
Lo-grav* Sick
environments not only cause constant damage
Radioactive Sick to those unfortunate enough to encounter
Slippery* - them, they also prevent all jumping or flying.
Thick/thin atmosphere Fatigued Hot. Some planets orbit close to their
Tremors* - parent star; some warehouses blaze with
Wet - intense fires; some engine rooms of older
ships can be dangerously hot to those
Windy -
not protected. A hot environment is an
*Difficult terrain. Move at half SPEED. environment similar to that of a desert;
Caustic. Acidic environments can be caused somewhere in the region of 100+ degrees
by acid rain, by being ‘underwater’ in an acidic Fahrenheit (or 45 degrees Celsius). A
liquid, or by an acidic atmosphere. A caustic scorching environment is significantly hotter,
environment causes irritation and pain. and burns those within it.
Cold. From arctic planets far from Lo-grav. Low gravity can be awkward to
their suns to derelict starships whose life operate in, but is not especially punishing
support has failed, cold environments can be – although it can cause nausea. Low gravity
debilitating and deadly. Cold environments refers to 0.6G or less. Low gravity, like that
reduce the SPEED of creatures by 2 (to a found on many moons or small planets, isn’t
minimum of 1) due to sluggish reactions and as difficult to master as zero-g, but it can still

»3.Future Core
slowing metabolisms. be awkward. In a lo-grav environment, falling
causes no damage and all jump distances are
Dampened. In a dampened environment,
doubled. In zero-g, one wrong movement
energy sources and weapons are reduced in
can send you spinning off in the wrong
potency. This can be caused by some unusual
direction. It’s very important to remember
stellar phenomena, or by advanced dampening Newton when in zero-g environments: for
technology. Energy weapons reduce their every action there is an equal and opposite
damage by 1d6 and energy based shields do reaction. Note that zero-g does not mean
not work. Scanners take a -1d6 penalty. In an airless; a character won’t go floating off
inhibited environment, energy weapons do not forever in a zero-g environment if there’s
work at all and scanners take a -2d6 penalty. atmospheric friction to slow them down.
Difficult terrain. Snow, mud, rubble, Movement in zero-g ignores up-and-down;
debris, swamp, shallow water, deep you may move in any direction, walk on
undergrowth, and more can create difficult ceilings and walls, and fly across the center

183
 of a room. This movement is at half your Thick/thin atmosphere. While both thick
normal SPEED unless you have zero-g training and thin atmospheres are very dissimilar,
(in which case, see the movement rules for their effects on creatures are not so different.
special movement rates). In zero-g, whenever Both types of atmosphere can quickly tire a
you take damage (even if that damage is creature not used to it. There is no extreme
SOAKed), you must make an AGI check vs. versions of thick atmospheres (that’s a liquid),
the amount of damage or go flying off in the although an extreme thin atmosphere is
opposite direction for a number of feet equal considered a vacuum. A vacuum is an area
to the damage inflicted. with no atmosphere. Generally speaking, any
Radioactive. Radiation is typically a character in such an area will be wearing
feature of deep space and of planetary breathing apparatus of some kind. It is a myth
surfaces not shielded by a magnetic field. Most that vacuums cause spontaneous explosion of
planets with iron cores will generate their human tissue, although exposure is certainly
own magnetosphere, and most starships have not healthy. The biggest danger from a vacuum
magnetic radiation shielding. Additionally (assuming one is discounting additional factors
many objects, power sources, or artifacts can in deep space such as radiation, freezing
emit damaging radiation, and planets orbiting temperatures, and more) is simply the lack of
neutron stars or similar radioactive stellar air. This has two main effects:
bodies have irradiated surfaces. Spending No friction. Collision with a solid object
more than an hour in a radioactive area such as the ground aside, air resistance is
causes radiation sickness. Irradiated areas, the main thing which brings objects to a stop
in addition to causing immediate radiation when in motion. In a zero-g environment, this
damage, inflict radiation sickness on those means that objects and creatures in motion
who spend a minute or longer in them. will remain in motion until something stops
Slippery. A slippery area counts as difficult them. In an environment with gravity, the
terrain (half SPEED). There is no extreme effects are a little less noticeable but can still
version of this environment. be dangerous to the unwary. Falling damage

184
is doubled, as falling objects are not slowed » Example Areas
down by air resistance.
The following areas are common examples. You
Suffocation. Without breathing apparatus, can slot these into your game, or devise your own.
living creatures in a vacuum will quickly
suffocate. Lack of oxygen uses a similar Arctic Planet
process to that when an unconscious character
Icy winds batter at your skin. As far as you
is dying. Create a countdown dice pool equal
can see, the ground is blanketed with snow as
in size to the character’s END attribute. Each
deep as your knees.
turn, the dice pool is rolled and any 6s rolled
Traits windy, freezing, difficult terrain.
are removed from the pool. When the final die
is removed, the character falls unconscious
and the unconscious and dying process begins Atomic Wasteland
as normal. Your geiger counter beeps urgently as you
Tremors. Unstable environments could survey the devastated landscape. Nothing can
be caused by earthquakes, starships under live here in the ruins of a once-great society.
extreme fire, or planets about to explode. Rusting metal protrudes from the ground, the
Tremors count as difficult terrain (half SPEED). remnants of ancient vehicles and structures.
At the start of each round, all creatures must The very air has a faintly acidic smell, biting
make a Routine [10] AGI check for fall prone. at your skin.
Quakes make for an extremely difficult Traits irradiated, caustic.
environment – horizontal movement is counted
as climbing – and the AGI check is Challenging Burning Engine Room
[13] and additionally inflicts 2d6 blunt damage The engine room is aflame, the anti-matter
on a failure (as well as knocking the creature core clearly breached. Smoke fills the area,
prone). reducing visibility. The gravity controls are
Wet. A wet environment is a humid or rainy clearly damaged, and the room is a zero-g area.
one - tropical jungles, aboard a sailing ship, in Traits hot, smoky, zero-g.
a starbase where the automated fire sprinklers
have activated. In these environments, the Decompressing Chamber
Burning condition has no effect and heat- The air rushes out, dragging you towards
based weapons cannot cause critical hits. the breach in the wall. The icy coldness of
An underwater environment eliminates all space beckons as you gasp for oxygen.
fire-based effects, reduces heat damage from Traits hurricane, thin atmosphere, cold.
weapons by -1d6, increases electricity damage
by +1d6, and counts as difficult terrain. It is Desert Planet
also airless (see suffocation, under thick/thin The sun beats down relentlessly. In the

»3.Future Core
atmospheres). distance, the horizon is dotted with the
Windy. Windy environments are caused occasional distant moisture farm, breaking
by rushing air (or other gasses). Sometimes the otherwise featureless desert landscape.
this is a weather condition; other times it The deep sand makes walking awkward.
might be caused by a hull breach or some Traits hot, difficult terrain.
kind of mechanical effect. Wind always has a
direction of movement, which is determined
Rain Forest
beforehand. Moving into the wind counts as
difficult terrain. In a hurricane, it is harder The trees tower around you, and the
– to move into the wind, a Challenging [13] undergrowth closes in. The sound of insects
STR check is required. Additionally, at the and alien critters can be hear in every
tart of every turn, all creatures must make a direction. The air is wet and humid, your
Challenging [13] STR check or be pushed 1d6 footing treacherous.
squares in the direction of the wind. Traits wet, difficult terrain.

185
 Wrecked Starship used. A Stunt Area may feature a hanging
You peer through the darkness down cable or chandelier, a stack of aluminum
the deserted corridor. The atmosphere has crates, a roaring fireplace, an icy patch,
long since leaked away, and the artificial or even a trampoline. The character may
gravity ceased functioning long ago along spend one action to use the feature of the
with the radiation containment fields. Here Stunt Area as long as he is anywhere within
and there you see corpses, killed by fire, the designated area (in other words, he
suffocation, freezing, or radiation sickness. doesn’t have to be in the same square as, or
Traits radioactive, freezing, zero-g, dark, adjacent to, the feature itself).
vacuum. Each character may only make use of a
› Stunt Areas given Stunt Area once, whether he succeeds
or fails to perform the stunt. A stunt is usually
A stunt area is a particular type of a Challenging [13] check. AGILITY is the most
environmental effect. It is usually applied common attribute used in a stunt, although
to an area within the overall encounter any attribute is permitted. Similarly, skills like
area. Stunts are colorful maneuvers which climbing, acrobatics, jumping, and bluffing are
characters may use while in combat. They common skills.
serve to liven up combats, creating more Stunts can do any one of the following, at
interesting and varied battles. the player’s choice:
You may perform a stunt when in a Stunt Stunts can grant a +1d6 attack bonus.
Area. The GM places the Stunt Areas on Alternatively, stunts can help with
the battle map before the combat begins movement, granting double movement for
(or designates a zone as a Stunt Area one action or double a jumping distance.
when using theater of the mind play). Finally, stunts can grant anther attribute
Each Stunt Area contains a feature which check a +1d6 bonus.
applies to any stunts performed there; Bonus dice granted by stunts can exceed a
it is up to the player how that feature is character’s normal maximum dice pool.

Theater of the Mind Combat Creatures in different zones must use

Theater of the mind combat refers to ranged weapons.
encounters which do not take place on a It usually takes one action to move
battlemap. Because there’s no battlemap, from one zone to another. However, some
values like speed and distance are tracked zones are marked as “far”, and require
differently. two actions to enter or leave. Zones
In theater of the mind encounters, which are difficult terrain also require
the area is divided by the GM into two actions to enter (but not to leave).
“zones”. Each zone has its own name, Zones with access requirements might
environmental traits, and possible access include high places, places which require
requirements. For example, a flaming
a balancing act to enter, zones which are
balcony would be described as:
hot and require an END check to access,
Flaming balcony. Hot, smoky, high. thick undergrowth which requires a STR
Access 2 actions; Challenging [13] AGI via check to penetrate, and so on. Usually,
climbing. this check is a Challenging [13] check, but
Any creatures in the same zone can it can be more difficult. A failed attempt
strike at each other with melee weapons. to enter a zone still takes an action.

186
 Example Stunt Areas
Alternatively, he might use the same
Barrels, crates icy patch to double his movement. The
Banquet table character uses AGI (acrobatics).
Trash chute, pipe
Hanging cables Trampoline. The character is a poor
Icy patch jumper and needs to leap up to a balcony.
Ladder Using the trampoline, she doubles her
Ivy vertical jumping distance and reaches it
Low branches easily. The character uses STR (jumping).
Pillar Banister. The character slides down
Service droid a banister, doubling his movement. The
Pool character uses AGI (acrobatics).
Rapids
Banister
Tapestry, curtain
Fan blades
Sickbay gurney

If you fail the attribute check when

attempting to perform a stunt, you do not
gain the benefits of that stunt, although
you may continue to act normally. However,
you cannot attempt to use that Stunt Area
again.
If the attribute check is a critical
success, the stunt does not cost the
character an action.

Some Examples of Stunts

How each character uses a Stunt Area is
up to them. Below are some examples.
Hanging cable. The character could
choose to use the rope to swing across the
room, giving him double movement. The
character uses AGI (climbing).
Stack of Barrels. The character might

»3.Future Core
use the barrels in a similar way, rolling
the barrel across the room as he works it
like a treadmill. The character uses AGI
(acrobatics).
Roaring Fireplace. The character might
flick coals at the opponent in an attempt
to distract him, giving him +1d6 to attack
his opponent. The character uses AGI
(bluffing).
Icy Patch. The character might slide
across the icy patch in an attempt to gain
momentum and surprise his opponent,
benefiting from a +1d6 to hit his opponent.

187
 Chapter IV
Space

»SPACE

T
he following pages deal with space. They galaxies in the universe. The Greeks called
cover astronomical information, space our galaxy “galaxias”, which means “milky
phenomena, space travel, and starship one” because of the light band across the sky;
combat, along with guidelines for starship from these terms we now call our “galaxy” the
operations and crew roles. “Milky Way”. That galaxy is about 100,000
The universe is 13.7 billion years old. The light years (30,000 parsecs) in diameter, with
a supermasive black hole called Sagittarius A
Milky Way galaxy is almost as old, at 13.6
at its center.
billion years, although its spiral shape did
not form until about 12 billion years ago; Of course, your setting doesn’t have to
and our sun, Sol, was born about 4.6 billion be the Milky Way galaxy. It doesn’t even
years ago. Our galaxy is a barred spiral have to be our universe; however, our
galaxy orbited by a couple of dozen smaller own neighborhood is used as an example
dwarf galaxies, including the Large and Small throughout this section.
Magellanic Clouds, Canis Major, and the Galaxies are gravitationally bound into
Sagittarius dwarf galaxy. groups. The Milky Way is part of a 10 mega-
The observable universe – that part of it lightyear diameter group of 50+ galaxies,
which can be observed from Earth – is about known as the Local Group. The Milky Way and
14 billion parsecs across. Andromeda are the two largest galaxies in the
group and are also headed for collision several
billion years in the future. The Triangulum
» A SENSE OF SCALE Galaxy is the next largest. Andromeda is
Galaxies vary in size and shape. Each is a about 780,000 parsecs away, while the Large
gigantic collection of billions of stars, usually Magellanic Cloud – one of the Milky Way’s
orbiting a central body such as a supermassive orbiting dwarf galaxies - is about 50,000
black hole. There are billions upon billions of parsecs distant.

188
Important scale markers is merely an appendage of the Laniakea
Supercluster, a structure 500 million light
Object Parsecs years (153 million parsecs) across and
Distance to Proxima Centauri 1 containing some 100,000 galaxies.
Large Magellanic Cloud Interstellar distances are typically measured
4,300
diameter in parsecs. One parsec is 3.26 light years.
Distance from Sol to galactic
8,300
center » STARS
Milky Way diameter 30,000 Galaxies are made up of billions of stars. It
Distance to Large Magellanic is estimated that the Milky Way contains 100-
50,000 400 billion stars. Stars form the center of star
Cloud
systems, orbited by planets, asteroids, and more.
M87 galaxy diameter 300,000
Sol, our sun, is one such star; its closest stellar
Hercules A galaxy diameter 460,000 neighbor is Proxima Centauri, some 4 light years
Distance to Andromeda 780,000 away.
1 day at FTL-10.5 1 The universe is teeming with life, sometimes
in the most unlikely places. Of carbon-based
Travel between galaxies is a very different human-like advanced life, larger stars (O, B, A)
scale of achievement to that between stars. do not typically last long enough for advanced
Even at speeds which make crossing a galaxy life to develop, while smaller stars (M) tend to
a feasible endeavour, reaching another galaxy tidally lock their planets making them generally
requires speeds an order of magnitude higher, uninhabitable. The most probable stars for
absent some kind of shortcut. As a point human-like life have been found to be main-
of reference, the distance to Andromeda is sequence stars between types A and M – most
roughly 25 times the diameter of the Milky Way. commonly dwarf stars of types F, G, and K.
Galactic groups such as the Local Group It should be noted, though, that life doesn’t
of galaxies are found in superclusters; the have to develop in a star system to be present.
Local Group is part of the Virgo Supercluster Populations migrate, terraforming and other
of at least 100 similar groups, which in turn colonization techniques exist, and outposts

»4.Space

189
 and space stations can substitute for planets. Additionally, a luminosity class is
Additionally, planets can have enough geothermal represented by Roman numerals.
heating to make subterranean life that never sees
Sol, for example, is a G2V star – a yellow
the surface possible. While life around a slow
main sequence star with a temperature of
pulsar or similar stellar object might be unusual,
about 5,800K.
life finds a way to thrive anywhere.

» SPECTRAL » UNUSUAL STARS

CLASSIFICATION There are some additional stellar
classifications which do not fit into the
Stars are classified based on their standard system of classification.
temperature. The classification system, originally
devised in the 20th Century by Morgan and Type Description Examples
Keenan uses a system of letters and numbers. The W Dying supergiants Gamms Velorum A
letters indicate a broad spectral classification,
Red dwarfs, faint;
with numbers subdividing them further. L V838 Monocerotis
some supergiants
Type Description Examples Methane dwarfs;
T Epsilon Indi Ba
O Hot, extremely Tau Canis Majoris, cool brown
(blue) luminous Lambda Cephei Ultra-cool brown
Y WISE 0410+1502
dwarfs
B Rigel, Bellatrix,
Luminous Carbon stars;
(blue-white) Spica C R Cmi, R Leporis
ancient red giants
A Sirius, Deneb,
Common Giants and
(white) Altair, Fomalhaut S S Ursae Majoris
supergiants
F
Alrakis, Canopus, White dwarfs Sirius B, Van
(yellow- Common D
Polaris (“degenerate”) Maanen’s Star
white)
Sol, Alpha Neutron Stars
G
Common Centauri A, Tau After a massive supernova, the remnants
(yellow) Ceti
can form a neutron star. Very hot and very
Alpha Centauri small (about the size of a town), neutron stars
K B, Epsilon have such a high density that a teaspoon of
Common
(orange) Eridani, Arcturus,
matter can weigh as much as a 21st century
Aldebaran
aircraft carrier. Neutron stars tend to spin
Betelgeuse, very fast, and have an escape velocity of
Most common;
M Antares, Proxima about one-third the speed of light. Some
red dwarfs and
(red) red giants
Centauri,
neutron stars which direct radio waves, X
Barnard’s Star
rays, or gamma radiation at regular intervals
are known as pulsars, while those with
Luminosity Class
immensely strong magnetic fields are called
Luminosity Class Description magnetars. Different pulsars have different
pulse intervals, ranging from milliseconds up
I Supergiant
to several seconds.
II Bright giant
A star system - including the surfaces
III Giant of planets - around a neutron star is highly
IV Sub-giant radioactive, with high energy cosmic rays
Main-sequence which can seriously harm living creatures
V and cause radiation sickness, although some
or Dwarf
protection can be found below the planet’s
VI Sub-dwarf surface. An unprotected person takes 1d6

190
radiation damage per hour, and a starship Black holes also cause time dilation based on
without shielding takes 1d6 crew casualties a vessel’s distance from the event horizon. While
per day or part thereof. the details of this depend on its mass, rate of
Magnetars additionally disturb sensor or spin, and many other factors, for a regular black
scanner readings, inflicting a -2d6 penalty hole a distance of 1AU is considered safe.
to them, as well as to any space navigation Planets can orbit black holes at safe
checks. distances. If they are within 1AU, they will
also experience time dilation.
» OTHER STELLAR OBJECTS Double the distances for a large black hole,
Other than stars, there are various other and multiply by 5 for a massive black hole.
types of stellar object including black holes, Orbits can be assumed to be safe at a distance
rogue planets, anomalies, and nebulae. of 1 AU from an event horizon, meaning that
you can have planets orbiting safely but within
Black Holes the time dilation zone of a larger black hole.
Black holes are one of the most famous
types of stellar object. Most galaxies, Distance (AU)* Dilation
including the Milky Way, contain a 1 none
supermassive black hole at their core, about
which the entire galaxy orbits. A black hole 0.75 x2
is a region of space-time which has such a 0.5 x10
high gravitational pull that even light cannot
escape it; they can be formed by the collapse 0.25 x25
of supermassive stars at the end of their lives, 0 infinite
and can continue to grow by eating matter and
*From the event horizon
energy that strays too close. Of course, just
like a star, if you don’t get too close you can Rogue Planets
quite happily orbit a black hole without being
There are billions of rogue planets in any
pulled in.
given galaxy – planets which do not belong to
A black hole is usually surrounded by an a star system. Some may have been ejected
accretion disk of material spiralling in towards from their system, doomed to wander the void
the event horizon. This disk can heat up to eternally alone, while others may have formed
incredible temperatures, and consequently independently. The closest rogue planet to
provide enough heat and light that the black Earth is PiSO (PSO J318.5-22) which is 80 light
hole may actually function as a sun. years away and has an immense network of
If a ship should find itself within the geothermally heated caves.
event horizon of a black hole, it takes Rogue planets drift in cold interstellar
1d6 superstructure damage per round as space; while most have no atmosphere (or
gravitational forces stretch and pull at a frozen atmosphere) some – for reasons of
»4.Space
it. However, it can escape by moving at pressure or other factors – can maintain one.
greater than lightspeed; this requires a LOG Indeed, some rogue planets are able to sustain
check (bolstered by either the piloting or liquid water due to geothermal heat, while
physics skills). those with satellites also benefit from tidal
heating. Civilizations can evolve never having
Size FTL Check seen a local star or sun.
Rogue planets can also exist in between
Regular 1 Strenuous [25] galaxies. For these planets, the night sky
Large 5 Severe [29] is devoid of much other than the occasional
distant galaxy. Civilizations on such planets may
Massive 10 Herculean [33] not even be aware of the existence of stars.

191
 Nebulae
A nebula is a vast cloud of interstellar
dust, many of which form stellar nurseries
inside which new stars are born. The size of
a nebula may vary, but they are often many
light years across. Some nebulae are created
by supernova explosions. Nebulae are often
extremely beautiful in appearance, composed
of bright colors in exotic shapes.
Most nebulae are so diffuse that you cannot
actually see them from within. Others, like
the ones dealt with here, are much denser
and can actually obscure vision.
The main issue with nebulae is the
way they interfere with sensors. Starship
sensors can suffer penalties from -1d6 to
-3d6, or be rendered inoperable, depending
on the density of the nebula, and FTL
travel speeds are reduced to half normal.
In terms of navigation, nebulae can cover
many parsecs of space, and each parsec
should be counted as two parsecs within
the nebula’s area of effect.

Anomalies
“Anomaly” is a catch-all term for the millions
of celestial objects encountered for which there
is – as yet – no scientific explanation. They can
be gaseous, energy, even temporal in nature. Exotic Stars
Some common types include: Sometimes stars are made of something
Spatial. This is a broad category of unusual other than the usual electrons, protons, and
neutrons. Quarks, strange matter, and preons
space-time phenomena; the actual laws
can also make up stars, often prevented from
of physics can be different within a spatial
gravitational collapse by quantum features.
anomaly, and each is unique.
Exotic stars can cause a variety of
Gaseous. A gaseous anomaly refers to any conditions in the surrounding area of space
kind of unusual gas cloud. They are often and on those planets which may orbit them.
analyzed by scientific ships which dispatch These conditions can be as exotic and unusual
sensitive probes to measure and catalog them. as the stars themselves. These objects provide
Temporal. Temporal anomalies are very an excellent way to introduce some of the
dangerous indeed. Time itself can work more fantastic science fiction plots.
differently in a temporal anomaly – it might Quark & strange stars are rare neutron
stop, it might move at a different rate, it stars made of quarks or of strange matter.
might flow backwards, or it might fluctuate.
Electroweak stars are super-dense neutron
Energy. Energy-based anomalies are stars; the quarks have been converted to
unexplained sources of energy – whether that leptons via the electroweak force, and
be heat, light, or some other form of radiation. radiation pressure is all that prevents
They can be physically harmful to starships. gravitational collapse.

192
 Preon stars are compact stars composed and astroengineering can even allow a
of subatomic particles known as preons. They civilization to create or destroy stars and
are smaller and lighter than neutron stars and black holes, or, ultimately, entirely reshape
white dwarfs, but have greater densities. galaxies to their needs. The very highest
Boson stars are made out of bosons and levels allow the manipulation of dark
were formed during the primordial stages of energy itself, and control over the very end
the big bang. of the universe.

Dark stars have an escape velocity equal to Alderson disk. Proposed by Dan
or greater than the speed of light, but are stable Alderson, this is a giant flat disc with a hole
against collapse into a black hole. Dark stars in the center in which sits a star. The hole
is protected by a wall a thousand miles high
are effectively “invisible” stars and are almost
to contain the atmopshere, and the outer
impossible to detect even with advanced sensors.
edge reaches out 3-5 AU from the center.
Q-stars are known as “gray holes” and are Life could exist on either side of the disk.
very heavy neutron stars.
Artificial world. A planet-sized artificial
Ice stars are stars of intense cold. These world could either be a hollowed-out natural
stars radiate out that cold for many millions of structure or a fully constructed metallic one.
miles in every direction. The surface and the interior could both be
used for habitation.
Astroengineering
Dyson sphere. A Dyson sphere is an
Engineered phenomena can also exist in
artificial hollow sphere which completely
space, from Dyson spheres to great stargates.
encloses a star. The concept was proposed by
The following megastructures are the work of
the physicist Freeman Dyson in 1960, in which
Kardashev Type II civilizations at minimum.
he suggested that an advanced civilization
At higher levels, stellar engineering might use such a structure capture 100% of

»4.Space

193
 its star’s energy. Variations on the concept This table is also used for space travel
include Dyson swarms (billions of constructs random events when a sensors check is failed.
orbiting in dense formation around a star), The following phenomena can be added to
Dyson bubbles, and Dyson rings. create a exciting and dynamic starship combat
Ringworld. A ringworld is an artificial environment or to populate a star system with
ring which encircles a star. It rotates to different features.
generate gravity, and has an inner surface These descriptions assume that you are
which is populated. The area of such a portraying them on a starscape using a
surface would be equal to 3 million planets tactical hex grid. For theater of the mind
of Earth’s size. style encounters, simply ignore hex-based
references and narrate the environment.
» RANDOM SPACE PHENOMENA 11-12) Asteroids. Asteroids take up
Random space phenomena (d66) between one and three hexes. They should
be sprinkled liberally across the starscape.
11-12 Asteroids Asteroids block line of sight.

13-14 Black hole 13-14) Black hole. A black hole is not placed
on a starscape itself; rather it exists off of one
15-16 Energy barrier edge of the starscape. Each round, all ships are
dragged 1d6 hexes towards that hex edge in a
23-24 Funnel clouds straight line. Any vessel which crosses the edge
25-26 Gravitational anomaly of the starscape has passed through the event
horizon and is effectively destroyed unless it can
31-32 Magnetar escape by using an FTL drive.

33-34 Dense nebula 15-16) Energy barrier. An energy barrier

forms an impassable “sheet” one hex thick
35-36 Plasma storms which causes 3d6 heat damage to any ship
which comes into contact with it.
41-42 Psychic Phenomena
21-22) Energy fluctuations. Energy
43-44 Quantum singularity fluctuations are an environmental feature.
45-46 Radiation Each round, roll 1d6; on a roll of 5 or 6, an
energy fluctuation takes place. Roll 1d6 on
51-52 Solar wind the following table to determine its effect:

53-54 Space creature Energy fluctuations

55-56 Spatial anomaly All shields are overloaded and go down

1
for this round.
61-62 Temporal anomaly
All energy weapons deal double damage
2
63-64 Volatile gas pockets for this round.

65 Wormhole 3 All ships take 1d6 heat damage.

66 Astroengineering All sensors are knocked offline, making
4
firing impossible this round.
Whenever you need some kind of random
Characters aboard a ship all take 1d6
space-based objects, choose or roll d66 twice 5
heat damage.
on the table above, which contains many of
the objects described earlier, along with a Energy reactions are amplified; ships all
6
number of exciting new fictional ones. double their velocity this round.

194
 23-24) Funnel clouds. Funnel clouds are 35-36) Plasma storms. Plasma storms
gaseous entities of 3 hexes diameter. They are dangerous, explosive phenomena which
look like towering pillars of turbulent gas. A can cause damage to vessels which stray
ship can hide within a funnel cloud, rendering too close. Storms appear randomly, and
it effectively cloaked. However, the ship disappear again just as quickly. At the start
will take 1d6 heat damage each round while of the encounter, place 1d6 plasma storms
inside the cloud. of 3-hexes in diameter on the starscape.
Each storm has a countdown die of one
25-26) Gravitational anomaly.
dice; roll 1d6 for each storm each round,
Gravitational anomalies have unpredictable
effects on starship. An anomaly is 1d6 hexes and remove it if a 6 is rolled. Additionally,
in diameter. The GM should determine its roll 1d6 each round and on a roll of 5-6 add
location, but it is a Difficult [16] INT check to a new plasma storm to the starscape in a
use sensors to locate and chart an anomaly. randomly determined location. Plasma
Any ship which comes into contact with a storms cause 6d6 damage to any starship
gravitation anomaly is thrown 3d6 hexes in a which comes into contact with it.
randomly determined direction.
41-42) Psychic penomena. Psychic
31-32) Magnetar. A magnetar is a type of phenomena affect crew rather than ships,
neutron star with a powerful magnetic field, adjusting their emotions. Each round, each
about the size of a large asteroid (one hex). character is subjected to a 4d6 vs. MENTAL
They inflict a -2d6 penalty to all sensor checks DEFENSE attack. If the attack is successful,
and attack rolls. Magnetars also cause energy they suffer 2d6 psychic damage.
fluctuations (see above) with strong x-ray and
gamma ray bursts. 43-44) Quantum singularity. A quantum
singularity is a type of tiny black hole. It has
33-34) Dense nebula. Nebulae encompass a massive gravitational pull, but its event
an entire starscape and reduce sensor and horizon is only one-hex in size, and is placed
attack range to 2d6 hexes. randomly on the starscape. Each round, all

»4.Space

195
 ships are dragged 1d6 hexes towards that hex
in a straight line. Any vessel which enters the
hex has passed through the event horizon and
is effectively destroyed.

45-46) Radiation. Radiation pervades

a starscape. Any ship without appropriate
shielding is vulnerable to radiation, which harms
the crew, causing 1d6 casualties each round.

51-52) Solar wind. A solar wind is a

stream of plasma emanating from a star;
solar winds are what solar sails use for
propulsion. Technically every star emits
a solar wind, which is usually harmless to
starships, but occasionally a stellar body
will emit such a ferocious solar wind that
55-56) Spatial anomaly. A spatial anomaly
even starships are in danger. Solar wind
randomly teleports any vessel which enters it
moves across the starscape from one edge
to a random location on the starscape. Spatial
to another. Starships are pushed one hex in
anomalies are 3 hexes in diameter and are
that direction each turn (those with solar
placed randomly on the starscape.
sails are pushed 1d6 hexes). In addition,
they take 1d6 heat damage from the 61-62) Temporal anomaly. A temporal
direction of the solar wind. anomaly can speed up, slow down, or stop time
53-54) Space creature. Space creatures for any that come into contact with it. Temporal
are placed randomly on the starscape. A anomalies are 1d6 hexes in diameter. If a vessel
space creature is unpredictable. Roll 1d6 on touches a temporal anomaly, roll 1d6. On a
the following table for its action each turn. 1-3 the vessel misses its next turn; on a 5-6 the
A space creature has 4d6 INITIATIVE, 4d6 vessel gains an immediate bonus turn.
HEALTH and 3d6 DEFENSE, should any vessel
63-64) Volatile gas pockets. Volatile gas
wish to attack it.
pockets are hard to detect, but they can be
Space Creature Actions charted with a Difficult [16] INT check. A
gas pocket is usually 3 hexes in diameter, and
1 No action. 2d6 of them should be placed randomly on
the starscape. Any ship within a volatile gas
pocket when it fires a weapon, or when it is
Move 2d6 hexes in a random hit by a weapon, takes 2d6 heat damage from
2
direction. exploding gas. The gas pocket disappears
after exploding.
Move in a straight line towards the
3 65) Wormhole. A wormhole is a one-
nearest vessel.
way portal to another location. Any ship
Attack the nearest vessel with entering the wormhole leaves the encounter
4 a ranged attack (4d6 to hit, 4d6 immediately. Wormholes are usually only 1 hex
damage). in diameter, and tend to be very visible.

Emit an energy surge (see Energy 66) Astroengineering. Choose one item
5
Fluctuations above). from the Astroengineering section, above.
Roll another d6; on a 6, the structure is
6 Flee towards the nearest map edge. operational and current; otherwise it is
ancient and abandoned.

196
Drake Equation that have planets, the average number of
The Drake Equation is a formula used to potential life-supporting planets per star that
determine the number of civilizations in a has planets, and so on. Throughout the late
galaxy. It was formulated by the astronomer 20th and early 21st century, many of these
Frank Drake in 1961. It looks like this: factors were estimated, although as more and
more planets were discovered by astronomers
using data from missions like the Kepler space
N = R x Fp x Ne x Fe x Fi x Fc x L mission, the values were slowly pinned down
more accurately.
N is the number of civilizations capable Frank Drake’s original value for N in
of radio communication (it does not include 1961 was around 100,000 civilizations.
pre-industrial civilizations). The other factors However, most of the values used at that
include things like the fraction of stars time were guesses.

» LIST OF ASTRONOMICAL OBJECTS

The following are astronomical objects Such objects are often used as the names
and their distance from Sol in parsecs. of sectors or areas of space.
Hyades Star Cluster 46 West Veil Supernova Remnant 767
Great Rift 92 Cave Nebula 859
Pleiades Star Cluster 132 Cat’s Eye Nebula 920
Theta Car Cluster 151 Blue Snowball Nebula 982
Omicron Velorum Cluster 153 Cocoon Nebula 1,012
Helix Nebula 160 Bowtie Nebula 1,074
Beehive Star Cluster 177 Eskimo Nebula 1,227
Lambda Centauri Nebula 184 Lagoon Nebula 1,258
Coalsack Nebula 187 Crescent Nebula 1,442
Ptolemy Star Cluster 200 Rosette Nebula 1,503
Dumbbell Nebula 352 Jewel Box Cluster 1,503
Orion Nebula 406 Crab Nebula 1,534
Iris Nebula 430 Trifid Nebula 1,595
Saturn Nebula 430 Bug Nebula 1,595
Ghost of Jupiter Nebula 430 Pearl Cluster 1,779
Butterfly Star Cluster 490 Horseshoe Nebula 1,840 »4.Space
De Mairan’s Nebula 490 Wild Duck Cluster 1,902
Flaming Star Nebula 490 Eagle Nebula 2,147
Wishing Well Cluster 490 Bubble Nebula 2,178
North America Nebula 552 Eta Carinae Nebula 2,300
Eight Burst Nebula 613 Sagittarius Cluster 3,067
Ring Nebula 613 Tucane Cluster 4,509
Owl Nebula 623 Omega Centauri Cluster 5,307
Little Dumbbell Nebula 767 Tarantula Nebula 52,147
East Veil Supernova Remnant 767

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 The following is a list of some of the brightest stars seen from Sol.
Stars Parsecs Type
Rigel Kentaurus 1.3 Yellow main-sequence
Sirius 2.63 Binary star system
Procyon 3.5 Binary star system
Altair 4.9 White main-sequence
Fomalhaut 6.7 White main-sequence
Vega 7.7 White main-sequence variable
Arcturus 10.4 Orange giant
Pollux 12.3 Orange giant
Capella 12.6 Four stars in two binaries
Castor 15 Quadruple star system
Aldebaran 18.4 Orange giant
Regulus 21.2 Four stars in two binaries
Acherner 21.2 Blue main-sequence
Canopus 22.7 White main-sequence
Gacrux 36.8 Red giant
Spica 67.5 Blue giant
Bellatrix 77 Blue giant
Algol (Demon Star) 93 Triple star system
Hadar 98 Triple star system
Shaula 101 Triple star system
Becrux 141 Binary star system
Acrux 156 Triple star system
Antares 160 Red supergiant
Adhara 175 Binary star system
Rigel 429 Blue-white supergiant
Betelgeuse 429 Red supergiant
Deneb 830 Blue-white supergiant

The items below are pulsars (neutron stars and magnetars) and black holes.
Black Holes & Pulsars Parsecs Type
Geminga Pulsar 250 Neutron star
Little Green Men 1 Pulsar 700 Neutron star
Ao 920 Black hole and orange dwarf binary system
Black Widow Pulsar 1,534 Millisecond pulsar orbiting brown dwarf
Vela X-1 2,000 Neutron star orbiting supergiant
Gro 2,454 Smallest black hole
Cygnus X-1 2,485 Black Hole orbited by blue supergiant
Swift Vulpeca 4,601 Magnetar
Centaurus X-3 5,700 X-ray pulsar (orbiting Krzeminski’s star)
Hercules X-1 6,600 Neutron star
Hulse-Taylor 6,400 Binary pulsar
Kesteven 3XMM 7,055 Magnetar
Sagittarius A* 8,589 Supermassive Black Hole
Sagittarius X-1 8,589 Magnetar orbiting Sagittarius A*
M15 X 10,000 Black hole surrounded by a globula cluster
Cygnus X-3 11,350 Black hole
Magellan X-1 50,016 Magnetar in Large Magellanic Cloud

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 »space travel

S
pace travel is a common feature of far- journey and the condition the ship and its
future settings. Faster-than-light (FTL) crew are in upon arrival.
engines propel ships at incredible speeds
through the void of space as they navigate » DISTANCE & TIME
from one star system to the next.
Not every campaign will allow the full To make a space journey, first determine
range of FTL speeds; in fact, many campaigns the distance of the journey in parsecs. There
may not allow FTL travel at all, limiting are hex-based star maps available to help plan
character to use of generation ships, space space travel. Breaking a longer journey up into
»4.Space

gates, or simply local in-system travel – either sections can make progress easier.
because such technology is not physically A starship has a travel increment measured in
possible in the setting, or because technology days equal to its class, multiplied by its LUXURY
hasn’t yet reached that level of advancement. percentage. Additionally, crew quality affects it as
Navigating in space is a complicated affair. follows: poor 80%, experienced 150%, elite 200%.
It requires complex calculations, expert For every increment beyond the first, attribute
engineering, and sensitive sensors. In order to checks suffer a -1d6 penalty. A Class VII ship can
make an insterstellar voyage, various attribute make a journey of 7 days with no penalty, but a
checks must be made – these attribute checks journey of 10 days inflicts a -1d6 penalty, and a
determine the time it takes to make the journey of 15 days causes a -2d6 penalty.

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 Space Travel Time (AL 9)
FTL-X C 1 PARSEC
1 1 1,190 days
2 8 149 days
3 27 44 days
4 64 19 days
5 125 10 days
6 216 5.5 days
7 343 3.5 days
8 512 2.3 days
9 729 1.6 days
10 1,000 29 hours
11 1,331 21 hours
12 1,728 17 hours
13 2,197 13 hours
The Milky Way is roughly 100,000 light years
14 2,744 10 hours in diameter. Even at FTL-20 (8,000 times light
15 3,375 8 hours speed) it would take 11 years to cross the
16 4,096 7 hours entire galaxy. At FTL-100 (1-million times light
speed) it would take roughly 40 days.
17 4,913 6 hours
18 5,832 5 hours Different Assumptions
19 6,859 4 hours In some settings, FTL travel occurs at
20 8,000 3.5 hours vastly greater speeds than in others. Where
one setting may have a Federation covering
30 27,000 1 hour
20% of the Milky Way, another might have a
40 64,000 25 mins Galactic Empire spanning an entire galaxy. In
50 125,000 12 mins the former, it might takes days to traverse just
100 1,000,000 2 mins one sector, while in the latter the entire galaxy
might be crossed in the same time or less.
200 8,000,000 15 secs
The former speeds are typically
500 125,000,000 1 sec Advancement Level 9 technology, and the
1,000 1,000,000,000 0.125 secs latter are Advancement Level 10 technology.
Space travel times are shown in the table These two technology levels create
above. C refers to a multiple of the speed of different types of game setting. The slower
light – the actual speed of a ship is the cube assumption allows for more exploratory
of its FTL factor (thus FTL-5 is 125 times light games, while the latter makes space travel a
speed). A parsec is 3.26 light years. trivial aspect. A galaxy in an AL10 setting is
FTL-7 is very close to 1 day per light year; likely fully explored, or nearly so.
when local variations and other factors are For such speeds, FTL-X is a more
taken into account, 1 day per light year is cumbersome way to refer to travel velocity.
accurate enough for navigational use. This Instead, some settings (such as the
has made it the standard travel speed, and is aforementioned Galactic Empire setting)
referred to as “standard speed”, as in “set a use a simpler rating system where a Class
course for Sirius X at standard speed”. FTL-20 1 FTL drive is twice the speed of a Class 2
is almost exactly 1 light year per hour. FTL drive, which is itself twice the speed of

200
a Class 4 FTL drive. Conversely, a Class 0.5 Additionally, some secondary checks may be
drive (one which can, colloquially speaking, required under certain circumstances.
make “0.5 past light speed”) is twice the
speed of a Class 1 drive. Medic. On a journey of more than one
week, a LOG check (bolstered by the medicine
The math conveniently works out to 1
skill) is required to monitor the crew, their
parsec in 1 minute per FTL rating class.
physical and mental health, and their diets.
Space travel time (AL 10)
Security. On a ship of more than 50 crew,
Class FTL-X 1 PARSEC an INT check must be made to maintain order
9 51 9 mins and spot trouble on board the ship.
8 53 8 mins
7 55 7 mins » ARRIVAL
6 58 6 mins Space travel is a “fail forward” system – the
ship will not fail to navigate to its destination,
5 63 5 mins
but the checks determine the condition it
4 79 4 mins arrives in. Add up all the successful checks and
3 91 3 mins all the unsuccessful checks. If there are more
unsuccessful checks than successful checks,
2 100 2 mins
when the ship arrives at its destination the
1 125 1 min PCs are weary, and the crew is considered
0.9 130 54 secs one category less skilled (elite - experienced -
standard - poor) until they have had 24 hours’
0.8 135 48 secs
rest for each range increment travelled.
0.7 142 42 secs
Additionally, each failed check results in a
0.6 150 36 secs problem.
0.5 158 30 secs
Delay. A failed engineering check causes
0.25 200 15 secs
delays as repairs are needed. A minor
science is required before the vessel can
» ATTRIBUTE CHECKS continue its journey. The delay takes place
Three primary checks must be made halfway along the route. A failed engineering
when making a space journey. These check does 1d6 damage to the ship. This
checks are Routine [10] checks in friendly cannot reduce a ship below half SS.
space, Challenging [13] checks in hostile or
Fuel. A failed navigation check means that
unexplored space, and Difficult [16] checks in
the fuel cost of the journey is doubled. A
dangerous space. They can be made by PCs, good navigator will plot a more efficient
or by the ship’s crew using the vessel’s crew course, perhaps effectively completing
rating (typically a 4d6 dice pool). a spice run in less than the number of
»4.Space

Engineer. A LOG check (bolstered by the parsecs expected.

engineering skill) must be made to maintain Illness. A failed medical check means that
the FTL systems. 1d6 crew members are lost to illness or
Navigator. A LOG check (bolstered by the injury. If a 6 is rolled on this number, an
astrogation skill) must be made to plot the infectious illness breaks out.
course and calculate FTL coordinates.
Indiscipline. A failed security check can
Sensors. An INT check (bolstered by the cause sloppiness, and even petty crime.
computers skill) must be made to use sensors This costs the ship 1d6 Cr x the crew
and keep an eye out for hazards. complement.

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 Encounter. A failed sensors check means an will always be given in such situations. In
unexpected encounter takes place. This uncharted space, aid arrives in 1d6 weeks
can be with an interstellar phenomenon and may be a new species.
or with another ship. The GM should roll
for or select an encounter from the Space » INNER-SYSTEM TRAVEL
Phenomena table. Compared to interstellar travel, movement
within a solar system consists of extremely
» DISTRESS CALLS short journeys – relatively speaking. However,
Distress calls can be made by stranded if these are not undertaken at faster-than-
ships (those either out of fuel, or damaged). light speeds, the journeys can still take a very
If a distress call is issued in charted space, long time. In 2006, the NASA space probe New
aid arrives in 1d6 days. Aid has a cost of Horizons left Earth, reaching the dwarf planet
1,000cr per ship class per parsec; credit Pluto nine years later.

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» DISTANCE SUB-L 0.1 is roughly 550,000 km/h, and is
the approximate speed of a high speed early
Distances within a solar system are measured
21st century space vessel.
in Astronomical Units (AU). 1AU is equal to
93 million miles, or the average distance from SUB-L 7 is 1 hour per AU.
Earth to its Sun. Pluto orbits at about 40AU on SUB-L 20 is equal to FTL-1, the speed of
average, meaning that at light speed (FTL-1), it light. Under normal physics, a ship cannot
would take 5.5 hours to get there. ever reach SUB-L 20; the laws of relativity
forbid an object from reaching light speed
Sublight travel time
without special faster-than-light technology.
SUB-L C 1AU Dilation Note that while a starship’s SPEED rating
0.1 - 82 days - (as shown in its stat block) is used for both
0.2 0.0005 10 days - tactical combat and in-system travel, the two
uses are not directly equivalent. Navigational
0.4 0.002 3 days -
speed (which uses an exponential scale
0.6 0.004 1.3 days - similar to the way FTL speeds are calculated)
0.8 0.008 16 hours - is much faster than tactical speed (the
1 0.01 9 hours - number of kilometers a ship moves in one
round; see Starship Combat, later) despite
2 0.02 5.7 hours -
the fact that both are based on the same
3 0.03 3.8 hours - basic SPEED rating.
4 0.05 2.7 hours - A SUB-L journey is resolved in exactly
5 0.06 2 hours - the same way as an FTL journey. The only
6 0.09 1.5 hours - difference is the units used.
7 0.11 1 hour 1.01 TIME DILATION
8 0.14 54 mins 1.01 The final column on the Sublight travel
9 0.18 43 mins 1.01 time table shows the effect of time dilation on
sublight speeds as they approach that of light.
10 0.20 35 mins 1.02
FTL speeds do not suffer from issues of time
11 0.26 29 mins 1.03 dilation. However, those travelling at high
12 0.31 24 mins 1.05 sublight speeds will find that time passes more
13 0.37 20 mins 1.08 slowly for them than for those not moving.
For every day (or hour, or any other unit of
14 0.44 17 mins 1.1 time) spent travelling, multiply it by the
15 0.50 14 mins 1.25 Dilation column to determine how much time
16 0.60 13 mins 1.25 passes for those at rest.
17 0.68 11 mins 1.4 As can be seen from the table, the effect
rises sharply as lightspeed is approached,
»4.Space
18 0.78 9.7 mins 1.7 with most of the increase being found in the
19 0.88 8.5 mins 2.3 small range consisting of 0.99 lightspeed
19.5 0.94 8.4 mins 3.1 and above. However, the effect is still
noticeable at lower velocities, especially at
19.9 0.99 8.3 mins 7 0.5 lightspeed and above.
19.99 0.999 8.2 mins 22.4 The dilation rises ever more steeply in
19.999 0.9999 8.1 mins 70 the increasingly tiny range between the
19.9999 0.99999 8 mins 224 ship’s speed and the speed of light. While
no appreciable journey time saving is made
20* 1.00 8 mins infinite beyond SUB-L 19.9 for a journey of 1 parsec,
*This speed is not possible in normal physics at 0.999999c two years passes for those at

203
 rest for every day spent travelling; and at
0.99999999999999c, twenty thousand years
passes for each day.
Sublight speeds beyond SUB-L 19 are not
typically used, for obvious reasons.

» EXAMPLE SOLAR SYSTEM

The following table uses the Sol system to
provide an example of interplanetary distances
in AU from the Sun, all the way out through
the various planets, the Kuiper Belt, the Oort
Cloud, and the closest star, Proxima Centauri.

Distance from Sol

LOCATION AU
Mercury 0.4
Venus 0.7
Earth 1
Mars 1.5
Ceres 2.8
Jupiter 5.2
Saturn 9.6
Uranus 19
Neptune 30
Pluto 40
Kuiper Belt 52 If they are on opposite sides of the star,
add the two distances together.
Oort Cloud 75,000
For ease-of-play, GMs should feel free to
Proxima Centauri 268,000 simply use the above average figure rather
The distances to objects orbiting a than track the orbital positions of every
star are average distances, and highly body in a star system.
eliptical orbits can cause large variations.
Using FTL Drives
Additionally, the distance between two
In a Star System
locations in a star system varies as both
orbit the star. At times, they may be on The travel times within a star system can
opposite sides of the star, greatly increasing be drastically shortened by simply using a
the straight-line distance between them vessel’s FTL drives, if it has them. FTL travel
(which would be equal to the combined reduces an AU to a trivial distance, as can be
distance of each from the star itself), and seen in the following table.
at other times they will be on the same At FTL-10, travel from the Sun to Pluto is a
side of the star. journey of a mere 20 seconds (in comparison,
Assuming both locations are on the same at the same speed, it would take 29 hours to
side of the star, to determine the distance reach the nearest star).
between any two simply deduct one from Travel at these speeds inside a crowded
the other. star system is difficult and dangerous,

204
however. Star systems often contain large units before it needs to refuel, and a class XI
amounts of clutter – planets, asteroids, cruiser can travel 1331 parsecs – about one
comets, and clouds of ice and rock such as twentieth of the way across the galaxy.
Sol’s Oort Cloud, which surrounds the entire The cost of fuel is typically 10 credits per
system. There’s no physical law preventing unit, although it can vary from place to place.
it, but the FTL calculations are much more
complex than those for interstellar travel. Subluminal fuel is recorded separately; it
In populated systems, the danger is even works the same way but is measured in AU
greater. Many civilized systems will have rather than parsecs. It may be a different
local laws determining the permitted speeds type of fuel to the FTL fuel.
or usage of FTL drives.
» LANDING & DOCKING
FTL 1 AU
Landing or docking ships is fairly routine
1 8 mins task. It is only a Routine [10] AGI check, with
2 1 min failure meaning 1d6 damage to the ship. Some
3 18 secs space stations may have automated docking
controls, which remove even that small risk.
4 7.5 secs
Attempting to dock with a moving target
5 3.8 secs
inflicts a -1d6 penalty, as does attempting to
6 2.2 secs dock at high speed (a SPEED greater than 5).
7 1.4 secs
8 0.9 secs Twelve light years. Doesn’t sound very far
9 0.7 secs does it? You can get from Earth to Tau Ceti
10 0.5 secs and back in a day now, but when those first
explorers left the solar system to find that
Within a charted star system, the first habitable planet, it was going to take
navigator’s FTL checks take a -2d6 penalty. them eighty years to get there. It was always
Within an uncharted system, the checks going to be a one-way trip.
take a -3d6 penalty. And in a crowded,
They slept, of course. Cryogenic technology
populated system, an additional -1d6
had been more or less perfected and so they
penalty is applied.
spent the trip on ice, waking up only when
Failure on this check dumps the ship when they were on the final approach.
unceremoniously out of FTL as automated
systems avoid a collision. This badly damages Those first few days in the Tau Ceti system
the FTL engines and the superstructure. The were busy ones. Their calculations had been
ship takes 2d6 damage to its SS, and the FTL a bit off and the pioneers found themselves
engines go offline until they are repaired, navigating around an asteroid belt that had
which requires a Difficult [16] minor science. ten times the number rocks in it than the one
»4.Space

back home. Their spacecraft wasn’t really

» FUEL designed for that sort of precision flying,
but they were a resourceful lot and made it
Both FTL and sublight travel require fuel.
through without getting too banged up.
Fuel can be hydrogen, antimatter, or even
old-style rocket fuel. As a general guideline They settled into orbit around Tau Ceti
the fuel capacity of a starship (in fuel units), f and, made planet fall fifteen days after
unless otherwise noted in its stat block, is the waking up. And to their great surprise. They
cube of its ship class. found life. Or at least what remained of it.
A fuel unit buys one parsec of travel. So a An ancient civilization that rose and fell
class IV scout has a fuel capacity of 64 fuel thousands of years before their arrival.

205
 The planet was positively littered with » TYPES OF FTL TRAVEL
cities. Huge, sprawling cities with towering
The speed of light in a vacuum is 186,282
buildings that, in their prime, would have
miles per second. Faster-than-light travel,
reached, glittering into the sky. They
properly referred to as superluminal travel,
were well past their prime now, though.
is a process by which the laws of special
Abandoned an age ago, victim to some
relativity which normally forbid such speeds
ancient catastrophe. are broken or circumvented. Technically, the
They explored the largest of these cities laws aren’t broken – but certain solutions to
for days before they found the library. A the equations allow FTL travel in specified
vast repository of ancient texts. And that’s ways or “effectively” travel faster than light
when they made the horrifying discovery: without actually doing so. Some special
the books were in English. And French and particles such as tachyons travel faster than
Chinese and Spanish. light at all times. The types of FTL travel
available may be dependent on the game
This was no ancient civilization. The
setting or, in settings where multiple types
pioneers hadn’t been traveling for eighty
of FTL travel exist, on location, species, or
years, but eighty thousand. Maybe more.
advancement level.
It was the human race, that had risen and
fallen while the pioneers slept. Unlike subluminal speeds at a large
fraction of light speed, moving faster than
And now they were alone. But as I
light also avoids relativistic effects; the time
mentioned, they were a resourceful lot.
experienced by the traveler is the same as
First they recolonized Tau Ceti F, then they
that experienced by the observer, unless
rediscovered faster than light travel and
otherwise noted.
they spread out across the galaxy again,
eventually becoming the Second Great The 20th century physicist Geoffrey
Human Empire that we know today. Landis of the NASA Lewis Research Center
categorized FTL systems as follows:

206
REALDRIVE/JUMP GATES|Type 0 irrational space, zero space, otherspace, and
A drive which uses tricks of spacetime more), travels to its destination, and then
geometry (a la general relativity) to travel slips out again into normal space.
faster than light. Examples: Star Wars
Jump gates are also known by a variety of
ALCUBIERRE/WARP DRIVE|Type II
names – stargates, wormholes, boomtubes,
mass relays, hypergates, transwarp conduits, A bubble of different space is projected
quantum gates, portals, and space bridges. A around the ship so that the ship can travel
jump gate links two points of space-time so faster-than-light while still in realspace.
that a vessel can travel quickly between them Antimatter engines are used to power warp
by traveling through hyperspace. Naturally systems which create a space-time bubble
occurring jump gates are usually known as which is able to travel at superluminal speeds.
wormholes. These systems are most commonly known
Examples: Babylon 5, Stargate, Deep Space 9 as warp drives, or Alcubierre drives after
the 20th century physicist Miguel Alcubierre.
HYPERDRIVE|Type I The antimatter reactor is used to power the
The ships enters some different space displacement field.
during the trip, whether or not time passes for Examples: Star Trek
the crew while in this space.
JUMP DRIVE|Type III
Hyperdrive relies on the concept of an
alternate space where dimensions, distance, The ship travels from one point to another,
and time work differently. A vessel slips into possibly in multiple jumps, without occupying
this alternate space (named variously as the intervening space and without the use of a
hyperspace, null space, N-space, subspace, different space to assist the travel.
space2, phase space, nodespace, slipspace, A jump drive enables a vessel to travel
instantaneously from one point to another.
Rather than travel through hyperspace or
accelerate a warp bubble, a jump drive
teleports the ship. In most cases, the jump
distance is limited, requiring long journeys to
use multiple jumps.
Examples: Battlestar Galactica

FAKEDRIVE|Type X
Assume that special relativity or general
relativity are incorrect in part or in whole,
or just ignore them. Now you can just
»4.Space
accelerate at constant gravity until you go
faster than light.

WHICH TYPE OF FTL?

The type of FTL travel allowed – if any –
is determined by the setting. See Building
A Universe for more information. The most
common choices are one type (Star Trek;
Star Wars), all types (Doctor Who), or no
types – settings with two or three types are
not common.

207
 »Space travel Sheet
Record vessel’s travel increment here.

TRAVEL
INCREMENT
Days
Travel increment is equal to ship class (subject to other modifiers)
Space travel time
Plot your course.
FTL-X C 1 PARSEC
1 Calculate distance in parsecs and
calculate journey time using the 1 1 1,190 days
table to the right. 2 8 149 days
Count travel increments. 3 27 44 days
Determine how many travel increments 4 64 19 days
2 the journey time is. You take a
5 125 10 days
-1d6 penalty to all checks for each
increment (or part) beyond the first. 6 216 5.5 days
Make attribute checks. 7 343 3.5 days
Make 3-5 attribute checks for 8 512 2.3 days
3 engineering, navigation, and sensors; 9 729 1.6 days
and, sometimes, medics and security
as shown below. 10 1,000 29 hours

Arrival. 11 1,331 21 hours

Count successful and failed attribute 12 1,728 17 hours
checks. If failed checks outnumber 13 2,197 13 hours
4 successful checks, the crew
14 2,744 10 hours
efficiency is reduced one category
until it has rested for 24 hours per 15 3,375 8 hours
travel increment. 16 4,096 7 hours
Attribute Checks 17 4,913 6 hours
Friendly Space Routine [10] 18 5,832 5 hours
Hostile Space Challenging [13] 19 6,859 4 hours
Unexplored Space Challenging [13] 20 8,000 3.5 hours

Dangerous Space Difficult [16] 30 27,000 1 hour

40 64,000 25 mins
Task Attribute Failure
50 125,000 12 mins
Engineering LOG Delay
Navigation LOG Fuel 100 1,000,000 2 mins

Sensors INT Encounter 200 8,000,000 15 secs

Medic* LOG Illness 500 125,000,000 1 sec
Security** INT Indiscipline 1,000 1,000,000,000 0.125 secs
*For journeys of one week or longer. ** For crews of 50 or more.

208
 »Starship Combat

S
tarship combat is similar to ground combat. Dermal had been tracking the convoy
Attacks are made using dice pools based on for days, waiting to take advantage of the
attributes and skills, and ships move in an Corporation’s frugality. She had a plan and it
attempt to gain advantageous positions from was a good one.
which to fire upon their enemies.
She positioned her heavily modified Apache
Starship combat can be played with or class freighter behind one of the larger rocks,
without miniatures. When played with taking advantage of it’s natural radioactivity
miniatures, ships are moved on a hex grid using to hide her from the sensor sweeps of the
a tactical combat system; when played without, gunships accompanying the vast hilithium
»4.Space
a “theater of the mind” system is used. tanker.
Both forms of starship combat use the The last ship entered the asteroid field.
same rules; however each uses its own set of Dermal checked her screens and went over
movement rules. the plan one last time: detonate the nukes,
Although the asteroid belt ahead of the swoop in and take out whatever remained
convoy provided ample opportunity for an of the gunships, plant one last nuke on the
ambush, the corporation had deemed it too tanker and get the hell out of there. Oh, and
costly to divert from anything other than a get paid. Get paid very well indeed by the
direct route between the hilithium mines on anonymous patron who would very much like
Carrax IV and the warp gate at the edge of to see the convoy protection contracts go to a
the system. rival militia.

209
 It was time. The convoy was in position. Actions are dealt with in the following
Dermal flicked a couple of switches and then sections. Movement is dealt with separately
paused to take a deep breath before pushing in the Theater of the Mind and Tactical
the big red button that would rain fiery Combat sections.
destruction on the unsuspecting gunships.
Payday. » PLAY SEQUENCE
Nothing happened. Dermal cursed, pushing The play sequence is similar to that of a
the button frantically. Still nothing. But why? regular ground-based encounter.
She had laid the mines and programmed the Make attribute checks to access the ambush
detonator herself. She had checked everything turn, if appropriate. These will be opposed by
two, three times. It should have been perfect. ship sensors.
A jangling siren interrupted her train of 1. Each PC rolls INITIATIVE as normal
thought. Proximity alert! Two of the gunships (although they use starship tactics rather
were closing in her position. They knew where than tactics). Additionally, each GM-
she was. How? controlled ship rolls INITIATIVE once.
Dermal pushed the thruster controls Larger ships have INITIATIVE penalties
forward and maneuvered the Apache away noted in their stat blocks.
from the asteroid. She had to escape. Get as 2. Each PC and GM-controlled ship takes
much distance between her and the convoy as a turn in INITIATIVE order, starting with
she could. She pulled the lever back hard and whoever rolled the highest. The PC ship
the freighter lurched forward, jamming her moves on the pilot’s INITIATIVE (although
back in the seat. this does not constitute the pilot’s action -
She just had to get free of the asteroid it is in addition to his action), and each PC
field and then she’d be free and clear. Thirty takes one action on their own INITIATIVE.
seconds. GM-controlled ships move and then take all
The Apache shuddered as a concussion their actions at once on their INITIATIVE.
missile hit, somewhere at the back. Dermal 3. At the end of the round, move on to the
lost control momentarily as the ship went next round, but unlike ground combat you
into a spin, but wrestled the controls back. should re-roll INITIATIVE each round.
Another missile exploded harmlessly on the
port-side hull plating. The ship ducked around Actions
one last rock and then she was free. In addition to movement, each ship takes
Except the Navy was was waiting for her a number of actions in its turn. NPC and GM-
on the other side. Three heavy cruisers and a controlled vessels take a number of actions
equal to the ship’s class - a Class V vessel will
squadron of snub fighters. Dermal was going
move and take five actions. Player-crewed
to have to fight her way out...
ships get one action per PC or one action per
class, whichever is higher. All PCs get to take
» THE BASICS an action. If the ship class is higher than the
If you are already familiar with the What’s number of PCs, the crew takes the remaining
O.L.D. is N.E.W. task resolution rules, you’ll actions. Actions consist of attacks, special
find that starship combat does not require you exploits, repairs, scans, and more. A large
to learn much more. The action economy is vessel can accomplish a lot of simultaneous
slightly different, however. actions in one turn, although large ships tend
to have low INITIATIVE and act last.
Instead of two actions per turn like in a
ground-based encounter, a starship has one Actions are performed just like they are in
movement action and a number of other ground-based encounters. Attribute checks,
actions equal to its class. These actions can be bolstered by skills, are made to attack, scan,
performed by PCs or by the ship’s crew. and so on. Attacks are made using attributes

210
vs. the target’s DEFENSE, just like on the
ground. Scans with starship sensors work just
like scans with handheld scanners, albeit with
range increments measured in kilometers
rather than feet – roll a check vs the target’s
DEFENSE and ask a question.
These actions can be performed by PCs, or
by the crew. PCs may only perform one action
each, so if the number of available actions
exceeds the number of PCs, the crew will
perform the remaining actions.
Every ship has a crew rating which
indicates the dice pool the crew makes when
performing an action, whether that be an
attack, a repair, or something else. The crew
uses this set dice pool for all actions. A
typical (standard) crew rolls 4d6.
Just like in ground combat, there is no fixed
list of available actions. A character can do
anything; the GM will assign the appropriate
attribute check if necessary. However, the
following list provides some examples.
to restore a crewmember to duty means
Attack with a shipboard weapon using a
that the casualty becomes permanent.
LOG or INT vs. a target’s DEFENSE. The Permanent losses must be replaced at an
gunnery skill helps with this. appropriate location.
Repair 2 points of SS or 2 CPU cycles with Make an electronic attack using LOG vs.
a Difficult [16] LOG check. Engineering the target’s ELECTRONIC DEFENSE. Success
helps with SS, while computers helps with causes 1d6 damage to the target’s current
CPU cycles. SS repaired during combat is CPU cycles, possibly causing systems to
a temporary emergency repair and only shut down.
lasts one day. Permanent repairs require
one hour per SS for each point above 50% Launch a shuttle or a fighter squadron.
normal, and one day per SS for each point Perform an exploit.
below 50% and cost 0.5 MCr per point.
Use transporters, tractor beams, or other
Scan a target by making a LOG check vs. special equipment.
the target’s DEFENSE and ask a single
Act as a spotter, calling out targets
question about that target. You can use
to gunners. The spotter makes INT
»4.Space
the computers skill to use ship sensors, or (perception) checks vs. the target’s
specific skills if they information you seek DEFENSE, and if successful all allies aboard
is related to a specific subject (engineering the ship gain +1d6 to hit that target until
if you’re scanning their engines, medicine the beginning of the spotter’s next turn.
if you’re looking for life-forms, and so on).
There are four shield arcs (forward, port,
Perform medical actions to either heal starboard, aft). A PC can divert power
a PC, or restore a crewmember to duty. from any given shield to another, but
The ship’s sick bay tells you its capacity cannot more than double the total power
per day for restoring casualties to duty. to a given shield. Shield realignment, like
The medicine skill is useful here. This is a other onboard systems, can only be done
Challenging [13] LOG check. A failed check once per turn.

211
 target moves outside the missile’s range in
Ship Weapons vs Personal that time, the missile will fail to engage.
Weapons
Energy weapons. Lasers, phasers, ion
In the unusual situation where you need weapons, blasters, disruptors, and other energy
to compare the damage of a ship weapon to weapons lose 1d6 damage per range increment.
that of a personal weapon, a ship weapon is
an order of magnitude more powerful. The The following modifiers apply to attacks.
damage values are relative to other ships and
Stationary target +1d6
space objects. However, a ship weapon does
ten times the damage a personal weapon with Rear attack +1d6
the same damage value does.
Forward-mounted weapons +1d6
Jam a target ship’s communications. Per range increment -1d6
Make an electronic attack vs. the target’s
e-DEFENSE. If you are successful, the Aft-mounted weapons -1d6
target ship’s comms are jammed until the
start of your next turn. Shooting Objects
Firing Weapons If firing at an object in space, the GM can
quickly determine its statistics based on its
A character fires a shipboard weapon using his
Class (this is equivalent to a ship’s Class in
LOGIC for missiles and torpedoes (it’s a complex,
size). The object has SS equal to the square
mathematical process plotting trajectories) or
of its Class, SOAK equal to its Class, and a
INTUITION for energy and ballistic weapons vs.
DEFENSE equal to 21 minus its Class. Thus a
the target ship’s DEFENSE. The gunnery skill
Class V asteroid (about the size of the Starship
applies to ship weaponry. The target ship must
Murphy) has a DEFENSE of 16, SOAK 5, and 25
be in the weapon’s arc of fire; there are four
SS. The GM is free to modify these numbers,
arcs marked forward, aft, port, and starboard;
of course.
some weapons are mounted in turrets, which
give it access to more than one firing arc. Shields
If a weapon hits, roll the damage noted Shields reduce incoming damage by an
on its stat-block entry. If the ship has a amount equal to their SOAK score. Each time a
SOAK value from shields or armor, deduct shield is penetrated, its SOAK value is reduced
that amount. The final total is applied to the by 1 point. A character can repair one point
target’s SUPERSTRUCTURE. of shield SOAK with a Difficult [16] LOG check.
Banks. Some weapons are mounted in banks
Casualties
or arrays. These are noted in the stat block.
Banks and arrays require just one attack roll Ordinarily, ship damage merely reduces the
to hit with multiple weapons, and can be vessel’s SUPERSTRUCTURE until it reaches 0.
operated simultaneously by a single gunner. However, whenever the ship takes 5 or more
damage (after the SOAK from shields and armor
Ion weapons.When determining ion damage have been deducted), casualties may occur.
to a ship, divide the total by two. Half of the
damage is applied to the ship's SS, and half is Each player-character should roll 1d6. On a
applied to its CPU capacity. roll of 6, the character takes 2d6 damage.

Missiles. Missile weapons often have long Additionally, any crew beyond the player-
ranges and high damage potential compared characters take 1d6 casualties.
to energy weapons. However, they are more A ship below its minimum crew complement
easily defended against with point defenses, suffers -1d6 to all actions. A ship below half
and take two rounds to reach their target its minimum crew complement suffers -2d6. A
beyond 10 hexes (if you are using miniatures, ship below one-tenth of its crew complement
they move at 10 hexes per round). If the cannot function.

212
Point Defenses CPU can be restored with a Difficult [16]
Point defenses grant an “aura”. Unlike LOG check and one action, which recovers
shields, which provide a passive defense, 1d6 CPU points. Note that CPU can be
point defenses are an active measure. Point reduced below zero - this just means it will
defenses are usually too weak to do serious take longer to repair and bring the ship
damage to a large vessel, but can cut swathes back online.
through squadrons of fighters or smaller ships
which get too close. Ion Weapons
An aura is assigned a range which is noted Ion weapons are used to attack shields
in the ship's stat block. Vessels within the and damage electronic circuits. Shields
aura’s range automatically take 1d6 damage. only gain half their normal SOAK vs. an
The damage is inflicted whenever a ship ION weapon, and any damage which gets
enters the aura or begins its turn in the aura. through reduces CPU, not SS.
Point defenses also grant a continuous
DEFENSE bonus vs. missiles and fighters. Exploding Ships
A ship reduced to 0 SUPERSTRUCTURE
Fighters starts to roll a fast countdown (4-6) from a
Launching a fighter squadron takes one dice pool equal to its class, after which it
action. A squadron has SPEED 10, 1 action, explodes, killing everybody on board. The
attack rolls and INITIATIVE equal to its host time taken by the countdown period can be
ship's crew's dice pool (unless a PC is leading used to evacuate the ship. The explosion
the squadron, in which case use his dice can also cause damage to those nearby. The
pool instead), HEALTH and damage (vs. non- damage is equal to the ship’s total power
squadrons) equal to the number of fighters, (all engines), reduced by 50% for each
and an attack range of 3. Squadrons take 1d6 hex (each kilometer) of distance from the
casualties when they enter or begin their turn
explosion.
in a point defense area. When attacking other
squadrons, they inflict 1d6 casualties (to a
maximum equal to the number of fighters).
Any other hit causes 1 casualty no matter the
damage of the weapon.

Electronic Warfare
Any vessel can make an electronic warfare
attack against another using LOG vs. the
target's E-DEFENSE, and doing 1d6 CPU
damage if successful. CPU damage reduces
the ship's CPU capacity. When the vessel's
CPU capacity reaches zero, the computer
»4.Space

shuts down as all systems go offline. You

determine a ship's CPU capacity by looking at
the computers entry in the vessel's stat block.
If you have the Starship Construction
Manual, you can use the more advanced rule
which shuts down individual systems (the
target ship chooses which) as the CPU capacity
is reduced. To do this, you need to know the
CPU requirement of each system. This is not
covered in these basic starship combat rules.

213
 Collisions a ship cannot undo through movement an
Collisions (either through accident or advantage created by a ship which beat it
deliberate ramming) do damage to both in this turn’s INITIATIVE order.
parties. The damage each vessel or object For example, if the winner of INITIATIVE
inflicts on the other is equal to its class positions itself on its target’s tail, the
multiplied by its velocity. Stellar objects, such target – which lost INITIATIVE – can move,
as asteroids, have classes just like starships do. but cannot undo that situation. Winning
Asteroids range from Class I all the way up to INITIATIVE gives you power to determine
Class 30, and typically have a velocity of 1d6. the tactical position, and while those
later in the turn can move, they can’t do
Escaping to FTL so in a way that negates that advantage.
FTL drives have a “spool time” - the time it They need to try and win INITIATIVE next
takes to engage FTL. turn and be the one to define the tactical
This is equal to the ship’s class in rounds. environment if they wish to do that.
During that time, the ship must remain on The idea of movement is to gain a
a straight vector (or remain stationary) and tactical advantage or a useful position.
cannot turn or alter its velocity. For example, attacking a target from the
rear not only grants you a bonus to hit,
» THEATER OF THE MIND but rear-mounted weapons have a penalty
to hit. That makes the “six” position very
While starship combat can be played out advantageous.
on a hex map with positions and movement
carefully plotted, theater of the mind can Maneuvers like this take place automatically,
result in faster, more cinematic – albeit less unless a pilot attempts to negate another
tactical – starship combats. pilot’s maneuver. This forces an opposed
attribute check (skills and equipment – in
Theater of the mind combat and grid- this case the ship itself – contribute to this as
based combat are fundamentally very similar, normal). Failure simply means that the desired
with one major difference: movement and outcome is not achieved, and the relative
positioning are described narratively in the status quo is retained.
former rather than being based on the position
of a miniature on a map. Exploits In Theater
Of The Mind
Non-Grid Movement
Exploits in theater of the mind starship
Every ship has one movement action on its encounters work in the same way as in ground
turn. During that phase, the ship can move in combat. Any given character can use exploits
any way that it would normally be capable of. once per turn, and these may be actions,
Some examples of movement might include: reactions, or modification exploits.
Closing to 3,000m. Some maneuver exploits allow a character
to counteract an advantage gained by a faster
Swinging round on the enemy’s tail. ship’s movement. This is the exception to
the general rule that you cannot negate – by
Turning broadsides.
moving – an advantage gained by a ship higher
Making a break for an asteroid field. than you in the INITIATIVE order.
Exploits are usually automatically
Backing off to 10km distance.
successfully. However, if the enemy pilot
The pilot is free to narratively knows that exploit, too, he can attempt
describe the movement and resultant to counter your use of it. This forces an
position. There’s no restriction on a ship’s opposed check (and counts as his use of an
movement, with one important exception: exploit that turn).

214
Example Of Theater Grace (the GM): That’s enough to detect
Of The Mind Play the energy signature of an overloading ion
This is an example of theater of the mind engine. That ship’s gonna blow! You don’t
starship combat. have long.
James (playing Sasha): OK, let’s deal
James, Leonard, Walter, and Nichelle are with that Spartan first. 19km is a bit far for
playing in an adventure being run by Grace. our weaponry. Our torpedoes have a range
They play the characters Sasha, Dr. TikTok, increment of 7km. 3 range increments is too
Ashonnn, and Talik. Their starship, the many for my liking, and our blasters are much
Murphy, has encountered two other vessels, shorter range than that. Do we know what the
one of which appears to be a Spartan scout range on the Spartan’s weapons are?
ship threatening the other, an unarmed
Leonard (playing Ashonn): I can check.
freighter.
Scanning again... a roll of 19 this time.
Leonard (playing Ashonn): What’s our
Grace (the GM): One torpedo launcher with
current distance? I’m scanning the Spartan
a range increment of 10km, and a pair of small
ship for more information. What type of
beam disruptors with a range increment of
ship is it?
3km. With your shields up, the disruptors will
Grace (the GM): You’re 19 kilometers away struggle to do much damage to you, but the
right now. I think that’s the second range torpedo is another matter.
increment for your sensors, right? Roll your
James (playing Sasha): OK, let’s close the
check!
distance to 5km. Can I place us between the
Leonard (playing Ashonn): 3d6 for Spartan and the freighter?
LOGIC, 2d6 for my computers skill, 1d6 for
those excellent Newwatch ES-1H we... errr... Grace (the GM): You can try. The Spartan
liberated. That’s 6d6, down to 5d6 for the ship is maneuvering also to prevent that.
range, makes... [rolls] 22! Make an AGILITY check!

Grace (the GM): Great. It’s a Talon Class James (playing Sasha): Plus my piloting skill!
VI Scout. Slightly bigger than your Class V That’s 3d6 AGI, 2d6 piloting, 5d6 total. I roll 16.
ship. That type of ship typically has a crew of Grace (the GM): The Spartan pilot only rolled
around 30, and is armed with both torpedoes 14. You skilfully insert the Murphy between the
and disruptors. Spartan and the freighter, at a distance of 5km. I
Walter (playing Dr. TikTok): I’ll get on assume you’re raising shields?
another scanner terminal. I want to know if Nichelle (playing Talik): Hell, yeah. This
there’s anyone alive on that freighter. 3d6 ship has no armor at all! In fact, one good
LOGIC – Ashonn’s better at using scanners hit from that torpedo could kill us. Even
than me, but my medical training lets me add with the shields, I don’t like it. Anyway...
2d6 since I’m scanning for lifeforms. 5d6, shields are raised! I’m using my Shield
roll of 19. Reinforcement exploit to reinforce the
»4.Space

Grace (the GM): You detect 4 life-forms shield facing nearest the Spartan. That gives
aboard the ship. It’s an Aphid Class III it an extra 2 points of SOAK.
Transport. Grace (the GM): That’s lucky, because the
Walter (playing Dr. TikTok): Hmm. They Spartan is turning to face you. I don’t think
have a crew complement of 7. It must have anyone can argue we’re not in combat now.
taken damage or casualties already. OK, I’ll No ambush turn, as you’re all clearly aware of
scan the freighter for damage or anything each other and ready to fight. Roll INITIATIVE!
unusual. I can’t use my medicine skill for this, James (playing Sasha): I’ll roll it. I have
and I have no engineering skill, so just the 3d6 4d6 INITIATIVE. We get -1d6 for the ship class,
this time. I get 12. though, so 3d6. I roll.... 12!

215
 Grace (the GM): The Spartan gets
15. It wins. This round it decides on
the movement, and you get to react;
then it takes actions, followed by you.
It accelerates in an attempt to swoop
in behind you, all guns blazing. What
are you doing?
James (playing Sasha): Trying to
maneuver to prevent that, I guess. I
don’t like the idea of him getting
a rear attack – those are no fun! I
knew we should have fitted that rear
torpedo tube. Do I make an opposed
roll with him?
Grace (the GM): Yep. The Spartan
rolls 16 and I see you have rolled... oh
dear. Only 9! You’re not having a good
day – the Spartan ship positions itself
in your rear arc at a distance of only
3km and opens fire with its disruptors.
He rolls 12 and 17 – what’s your ship’s
DEFENSE?
James (playing Sasha): 16. I guess
that means one of the guns hits and
one misses?
Grace (the GM): That’s exactly
what happens. A disruptor bolt slams
into your rear shield for... 5 damage.
Nichelle (playing Talik): The shields
take it easily. Those disruptors aren’t
really a problem. He’s not firing the
torpedo, too, is he? Grace (the GM): OK, the Spartan ship’s
Grace (the GM): Not yet, at least. Your DEFENSE is 18. You’re now 6 hexes away, so
turn, guys. What are you doing? point bank for your torpedo, but the second
James (playing Sasha): We’re facing the range increment for your pulse blasters.
wrong way and we lost INITIATIVE, so I can’t Roll your attacks! Remember forward-firing
do much about that right now... except... I weapons get +1d6.
haven’t used an exploit yet this turn. I use Nichelle (playing Talik): Two blasters....
Wingover. We accelerate away, and reverse both -1d6 for the range, darnit. 3d6 plus my
direction in half-loop barrel roll. We’re totally 1d6 gunnery, plus 1d6 for the forward arc, less
facing him now! Talik - fire everything! the 1d6 is a flat 4d6... I roll 12 and 16. Both
Nichelle (playing Talik): If you say so – blasters miss. The torpedo I’m rolling 5d6 for
firing everything! Two pulse blasters, and though... 21! Boom! That’ll be 10 damage,
our new baby – the Highwide Works MPPx-1 thank you!
Thunderbat proximity photonic torpedo! Grace (the GM): Straight through his
And it’s a proximity weapon, so it’ll still do shields, which soak 6, leaving 4 damage to his
some damage if it misses. Let’s see how he superstructure. You haven’t crippled him, but
liked that! he can’t take too many of those!

216
What Next? In the above example, when the Spartan
Continuing, the two starships will take turns vessel managed to position itself on the
to act. Both will have a free movement action Murphy’s tail, the Murphy would have been
of their choice. Ships might, for example, try able to move how it wished, but would not
to close or withdraw, maneuver behind each be able to undo that situation that turn – the
other, or try to keep a damaged side away from Spartan vessel would still be in its “six”.
the enemy. Each will also be able to take a However, Sasha has an exploit specifically
number of actions per turn (the Murphy has 5, designed for such situations, which overrides
the Spartan ship has 6) , which can be used for that general rule – she pulls a Wingover,
firing weapons, scanning, electronic attacks, which lets her reverse directon quickly.
repairs, and more. Each starship’s actions take Without the exploit, the Murphy would
place all at once, in any order chosen by that need to win INITIATIVE next turn and then
ship. So when it comes to the Murphy’s turn, maneuver into a more favourable position.
the players can decide in what order they wish
to resolve various actions. » TACTICAL COMBAT
One important aspect of the movement Starship combat can also be played on a
and INITIATIVE order is that while a ship can hex grid for a much more tactical experience.
move any way (within its capabilities) during This can also be very useful when there
its turn, it cannot negate an advantage are many ships involved, as their relative
achieved by a ship which beat it on positions can be seen clearly. The hex grid
INITIATIVE unless a specific exploit is used. is called a “starscape”, although it doesn’t
Even if an exploit is used, if the opposing have to display empty space - it may display
pilot also knows the same exploit, he knows the surface of a moon-sized space station
how to counter it – so an opposed check must complete with laser towers, a blasted post
be made to negate the first vessel’s advantage. apocalyptic landscape for high-altitude

»4.Space

217
 dogfights, or anything else you can think of! Using Newtonian movement, turning does
The starscape may contain features which not cost any movement. It takes place for
have an effect on the game each round – free, but there are limits on how fast you can
asteroids might move, or a black hole might turn based on your ship’s overall agility and
pull ships towards it. current velocity. A fast moving carrier has a
Additionally, you will need miniatures, very wide turning circle, while a tiny fighter
tokens, or counters to represent the ships can change direction much more easily.
involved in the combat. You can download A ship’s turning circle is equal to its speed
ship counters designed to work on a hex grid multiplied by its class, divided by 10 (round
from EN Publishing for free which you can down to a minimum of 1). A class XI ship
print and cut out, or you can buy miniatures or moving at a velocity of 6 has a turning circle
small plastic ship models from many hobby or of 11 x 6 / 10 = 6. A smaller Class V scout
toy retailers. moving at the same velocity has a turning
circle of 3.
Using a hex-based starmap is very similar
to theatre of the mind combat. The only The turning circle value simply represents
the number of hexes in a straight line that a
difference is that instead of advantages
ship can move before turning one hex side.
being determined by narrative descriptions,
An easy way to track this is to leave a marker
they are instead derived specifically from
where the ship last turned a hex-side. It can
the positions of the miniatures on the map.
turn again when it is a number of hexes from
A ship is attacking another’s rear arc if its
that marker equal to its turning circle, at
miniature is physically positioned in its which point you rotate the ship one hex side
victim’s rear arc. and reposition the marker.
A hex on a starmap represents 1km. The Note that tactical combat speeds do not
movement phase, instead of consisting of a
use the same scale as navigational combat
description of motion, has the pilot move the
speeds for SUB-L travel, although both are
vessel a number of hexes up to its SPEED (as
based on the same SPEED score. For this
indicated in its stat-block) on the map. Turning
reason, time dilation is not a factor in combat,
one hex-side counts as one hex of movement
and a ship is not limited to a velocity of 20.
(also, see the optional Newtonian Movement
rules, below, for a more realistic simulation of If you want a simpler turning circle rule,
movement in space). simply use half of the largest of SPEED or
CLASS, and is measured only from the start of
The rule that you cannot undo a faster
the turn.
ship’s advantage does not apply on a hex
map. You can undo it if you can figure out The Newtonian Round
how to move your ship so as to do so. The only
The round structure for Newtonian
determinant of position is the map itself.
movement differs slightly to that of regular
Newtonian Movement movement. All movement takes place
simultaneously, followed by all actions. The
Newtonian movement is an optional way
Newtonian round looks like this:
to deal with ship movement on a hex grid.
Instead of simply moving a ship any number 1 All ships make INITIATIVE checks.
of hexes up to its SPEED, a ship must move
a number of hexes equal to its current 2 All ships move in reverse INITIATIVE order
velocity. The ship’s SPEED score tells you (starting with the ship which lost).
how much it can increase or decrease its
3 All ships then take actions in forward
velocity by each turn.
INITIATIVE order.
A ship at zero velocity may rotate one hex
side per turn for free. 4 Return to Step 1.

218
 This sequence creates more realistic » USEFUL EXPLOITS
movement, but allows ships which win
INITIATIVE to make tactical movement For reference, the following exploits from
decisions based on what they see their the character creation rules are useful in
opponents doing. The movement takes starship combat. Additionally careers like the
place simultaneously, but is resolved in pilot, engineer, and others have access to
reverse order to give an informational specific exploits.
advantage to faster ships.
180 HAMMERHEAD
If you are considering running chase
sequences, the Newtonian movement round BURST OF SPEED
is a very useful tool – especially if ships are
racing through an asteroid field and trading COUNTERHACK
speed for the ability to turn quickly!
HIGH ENERGY TURN
Combat Phases
Normally, ships roll INITIATIVE, move REINFORCE SHIELD
their speed and take actions in a single
round, and then the process begins again. RELATIVITY CORKSCREW
For a more dynamic space battle, this
SYSTEM OVERRIDE
can be divided into three phases, with
movement and actions distributed equally TARGET ENGINES
across those three phases. For example, a
ship moving at SPEED 9 with 6 actions would TORPEDO SPREAD
move 3 and take 2 actions in each phase.
Where the number of phases cannot be WARP MANEUVER
equally divided by 3, increase or decrease
the middle (second) phase appropriately WINGOVER
(so SPEED 10 would be 3/4/3). Vessels
roll INITIATIVE once per round, still, and » CREWS
maintain that INITIATIVE order for each of
the three phases. Doing it this way slows When a ship takes an action not performed
combat down a little (so is best done with by a player character (either an NPC ship, or
fewer ships) but it does make for a more when more ship actions are available than
realistic, tactical battle. there are PCs to take them) the crew’s rating
is used to form dice pools. The same dice
Tactical Vs Navigation Speed pool is used for any action or attack.
It is important to remember that while a See the Starship Construction Manual
starship’s SPEED score is used to determine for more information about crew costs and
both sub-luminal navigational speed and
ratings. If the crew rating is not specified,
»4.Space
hex-based tactical speed, they are not
assume it is a standard crew with a dice
equivalent. Navigational speed is pre-
pool of 4d6.
calculated long distance cruising speed for
covering distances measured in AU, and is Rating Dice Travel Increment
much faster than tactical speed which is
used in combat and deals with distances Poor 3d6 80%
measured in kilometers.
While navigational speed has a maximum Standard 4d6 -
value of 20 (representing light speed), tactical Experienced 5d6 150%
speed has no such maximum value. Tactical
speeds are only a tiny fraction of light speed. Elite 6d6 200%

219
 » THE MURPHY

Weight 67,120 tons; Cargo Units 250

(161 available)
Hull Class V (INIT -1d6); Length 102m;
Width 70m; Height 66m
Crew 20 (cost 4000Cr/m; standard 4d6);
Troops 0; Passengers 0
(0 standard, 0 luxury) Shields 1x Satellite Yards MSM-1 combat
deflector shields (power 23; SOAK 5)
Command & Control Systems
Point Defenses -
Computer Frontier Products MM-2
(CPU cycles 12; check +0d6) Weapons Data
Sensors Interstellar Enterprises MS-2 1x Highwide Works MPPx-1 Thunderbat
(range 6; check +0d6) proximity photonic torpedo (range 7;
damage 2d6 heat; attack +1d6)
Engine & Power Data
2x Tan-Korovin Enterprises SBP-1
Subluminal 1x Oshiro Shipping MI-2 Hotbuster pulse blaster (range 2; damage
ion engine (power 21; SPEED 4.2; fuel 2d6 heat; attack +0d6)
efficiency 1.6)
FTL 2x Outerdyne DayCorp MH-2 Facilities
hyperdrive (power 20; FTL 4; fuel Luxury 100% (adequate; +0d6)
efficiency 0.9) Facilities Sickbay (5), Messhall (10),
Operational Range 112.5 parsecs Laboratory (5)
Defensive Data Other Systems -
Superstructure 20; DEFENSE 16; Shuttles 1 (Parsec Systems ZM2 Shuttle/
E-DEFENSE 10 fighter Bay); Fighters 0
Armor - Market Value 885.5 MCr

220
» SPARTAN TALON
CLASS VI SCOUT

Weight 68,222 tons; Cargo Units 360

(212 available)
Hull Class VI (INIT -1d6); Length 79m;
Width 95m; Height 95m
Crew 28 (cost 5580Cr/m; standard 4d6);
Troops 0; Passengers 0 Shields 1x Satellite Yards MSM-2 combat
(0 standard, 0 luxury) deflector shields (power 33; SOAK 6)
Command & Control Systems Point Defenses -
Computer Frontier Products MM-3H (CPU Weapons Data
cycles 32; max FTL 8; checks +1d6)
1x Wayfarer Aeronautics LPPx-1
Sensors Interstellar Enterprises MS-1H Flamespear photonic torpedo (range 10;
(range 8; check +1d6) damage 3d6 heat; attack +1d6)
Engine & Power Data 2x Mekhdiev Construction SDB-1
Subluminal 1x DeltaLight products LI-2 Thunderray beam disruptor (range 3;
ion engine (power 32; SPEED 5.3; fuel damage 1d6 heat; attack +0d6)
efficiency 1.4) Facilities »4.Space

FTL 1x Newdyne Concepts LA-1 Luxury 79% (poor; -1d6)

antimatter engine (power 20; FTL 3.3;
fuel efficiency 1) Facilities Sickbay (20), Training Hall (4),
Messhall (2)
Operational Range 216 parsecs
Other Systems NorthCo GYN3 Starship
Defensive Data Stealth System, Omniwide Productions
Superstructure 18; DEFENSE 18; YPO57 Electronic Countermeasures
E-DEFENSE 16 Shuttles 0; Fighters 0
Armor - Market Value 1950 Mcr

221
 » Endeavour Class XI Cruiser

Weight 174,511 tons; Cargo Units 1,800

(494 available; capacity 24,700 tons)
Hull Class XI (INIT -2d6); Length 329m;
Width 105m; Height 108m
Crew 318 (cost 63,600Cr/m); Troops 0;
Passengers 35 (30 standard, 5 luxury)
Command & Control Systems
Computer Chemerkin-Liang Products LM-
2S (CPU cycles 52ea; max FTL 13; checks Weapons Data
+1d6) 2x Saito Cybernetics EPCl-1 Whiteswarm
Sensors Newwatch ES-1H (range 16; check photonic torpedo cluster (range 17;
+1d6) damage 5d6 heat; attack +0d6)
Engine & Power Data 6x Highbreak Liquids MHP-1 Fireswarm pulse
phaser (range 4; damage 3d6 heat; attack
Subluminal 1x Sunbeam Technologies EI-2 +0d6)
ion engine (power 49; SPEED 4.5; fuel
efficiency 1.4) Facilities
FTL 2x Panwatch-Microbeam EA-2 Luxury 107% (adequate; +0d6)
antimatter engine (power 57ea; FTL Facilities Sickbay (20), Transporter Pad
10.4; fuel efficiency 1.0) (12), Brig (10), Laboratory (15), Messhall
Operational Range 1,331 parsecs (60), Chapel (20), Galley (20), Observation
Lounge (10), Lounge/Recreation Area (40),
Defensive Data Holographic Suite (10), Gymnasium (20),
Superstructure 53; DEFENSE 17; Cabin, Hotbunk (400)
E-DEFENSE 26 Other Systems 1x Warp Sun Metallurgy
Armor - G75 Tractor/Pressor System
Shields 4x Satellite Yards MSM-1 combat Shuttles 4 (1x Megalight EI93 Hangar
deflector shields (power 23ea; SOAK 8) Deck); Fighters 0
Point Defenses - Market Value 7045.5 Mcr

222
» Junker Class I
Courier

Weight 2,842 tons; Cargo Units 50

(27 available)
Hull Class I (INIT -); Length 31m;
Width 14m; Height 11m
Crew 4 (cost 800Cr/m); Troops 0;
Passengers 0
(0 standard, 0 luxury)
Command & Control Systems
Computer Highwatch SM-1 (CPU cycles Armor -
8; max FTL 2; checks +0d6) Shields 1x DayCorp Systems SSN-1
Sensors Chen-Collins SS-1 navigational shield generator
(range 2; check +0d6) (power 1; SOAK 1)
Point Defenses -
Engine & Power Data
Subluminal 1x Newline-Silverwide Weapons Data
Systems SL-1 liquid fuel rocket (power None
»4.Space

11; SPEED 11; fuel efficiency 0.5)

Facilities
FTL 1x Cui-Green Alliance SH-1
hyperdrive (power 4; FTL 4 (2); fuel Luxury 100% (adequate; +0d6)
efficiency 0.8) Facilities Messhall (4)
Operational Range 0.8 parsecs Other Systems -
Defensive Data Shuttles 0; Fighters 0
Superstructure 3; DEFENSE 20; Market Value 35 Mcr
E-DEFENSE 10 (23 Mcr w/o hyperdrive)

223
 » Millenial Class II
Freighter

Weight 14,133 tons; Cargo Units 150

(13.0 available; capacity 650.0 tons)
Hull Class II (INIT 0); Length 40m; Width
35m; Height 15m
Armor 8x reactive (SOAK 4 ballistic,
Crew 4 (cost 800cr/m); Troops 0; 6 energy)
Passengers 4
(4 standard, 0 luxury) Shields -
Point Defenses -
Command & Control Systems
Computer 1x Frontier Products MM-3H Weapons Data
Command Computer (CPU cycles 32; max 2x Tan-Korovin Enterprises SBP-1
FTL 8; checks +1d6) Hotbuster Pulse Blaster (range 2;
Sensors Chen-Collins SS-2 damage 2d6 heat; attack +0d6)
(range 4; check +0d6) 1x Terra Prime SCCl-1 Starbuster Cluster
Concussion Missile Launcher (range 4;
Engine & Power Data damage 2d6 ballistic; attack +0d6)
Subluminal 1x Star Corporation SF-2
Fusion Reactor (power 19 ; SPEED 9.5; Facilities
fuel efficiency 1.2) Luxury 140% (Adequate: -)
FTL 1x White AgriSpace MA-3 Antimatter Facilities Cabin, Standard (4), Galley
Engine (power 28 ; FTL 8.0; fuel (2), Lounge/Recreation Area (4), Cabin,
efficiency 1.3) Double (4)
Operational Range 10 parsecs Other Systems 1x TerraCo L56 ECM
System
Defensive Data
Shuttles 0; Fighters 0
Superstructure 6; DEFENSE 21;
E-DEFENSE 16 Market Value 677 Mcr

224
 »Starship operations

S
tarships range from mighty battleships scout, a patrol craft, a cruiser, a research
and liners to tiny couriers and freighters. ship, a liner, a yacht, or a battleship. There
The Starship Construction Manual is no definitive list of ship types – the
contains detailed information on designing and possibilities are too numerous to catalog.
building spacefaring vessels. This section of However, some common types are listed
the rulebook introduces some of the basics of below.
ship classification, along with rules for various Finally, ships have a model. In many
starship-based activities and operations. navies, the first ship of any given model
typically has the same name as the model – for
» SHIP CLASS & TYPE example, the first Endeavour class cruiser was
Starships are classified according to their called the Endeavour, and the Excalibur is the
hull size (measured in metric tons) and type. first Excalibur class ship.
»4.Space

A ship’s hull size is indicated by its class. A ship is referred to using its class, model,
Class is a numeral ranging from Class I for and type. For example, the Murphy is a Class
shuttles and tiny vessels, through XI for V Freighter, while the mighty Excalibur is a
Class XV Battleship.
cruisers and other large vessels, and XV
and beyond for battleships and carriers. List of Ship Classifications
There is no upper limit to class, which can
The following list of sample ship
theoretically be used to encompass vessels or
classifications is a suggestion only, based on a
objects the size of a small moon.
typical “naval” style of organization. While
A ship’s type is a descriptive term which this will suit many settings or cultures, it
indicates its role. It might be a freighter, a should not be viewed as a straitjacket – the

225
 vessels in your setting will be classified in Freighter. A freighter is designed specifically
whatever way most suits that setting. You to carry cargo. They vary in size, and tend
should feel free to introduce dreadnaughts, towards being slow and cumbersome (although
bioships, mindships, mining vessels, habitats, some smugglers and pirates are able to outfit
cleavers, or other unusual vessel types. some extremely agile freighters, especially if
Shuttlecraft. A shuttlecraft is usually not cargo quantity isn’t a priority). Freighters are
FTL-capable, and is capable of atmospheric found equally as military and civilian vessels
flight and landing. They can be used to and tend to be weakly armed, if at all.
transport small groups, or as lifeboats. Escort. Escorts accompany other, often
Armament is rare, and defenses are usually unarmed, vessels and tend to operate in small
limited to basic navigational shielding. groups at close range, never moving far from the
Patrol craft. Patrol ships, often used by vessel they protect. They have medium combat
police and other security organizations, are capability, and sometimes have the ability to
designed for in-system use. These ships are extend electronic protection to nearby vessels
lightly armed and often lack FTL capability. or provide emergency repairs. Escorts usually
have sensitive sensor systems designed to detect
Courier. A courier is designed for rapid
enemy action as early as possible,
interstellar travel; not much larger than a
shuttle, its main strength is travelling directly Destroyer. Capital ships, destroyers
from one location to another. Couriers do are capable of extended military duty.
not tend to be armed, and maintain only Comparatively cheap compared to other
navigational deflector shields. Some couriers warships, destroyers also operate as patrol
are very luxurious, and are used to transport craft and boast decent armament and shields.
diplomats and VIPs, while others are used as Destroyers, like other capital ships, also also
private yachts. capable of good FTL speeds.
Research ship. Scientific research usually Frigate. A frigate can protect a number of
needs specialized and sensitive equipment, smaller ships against enemy vessels and are
and research ships are outfitted with the best often deployed in small groups or in sensitive
sensors, computers, and laboratories money areas. Frigates are known for boasting large
can buy. They do not tend to be armed or amounts of firepower, and often carry large
well-protected, and need to call for assistance troop complements used for boarding or
in times of trouble. invasion missions.
Yacht. Private yachts can run to the Transport. Transports run by a variety of
decadent, with extremely luxurious interiors. names and fulfil a variety of purposes. Some
Usually private vessels, these pleasure are designed to transport cargo, while troop
vehicles have weak defensive capability; transports carry contingents of personnel.
however some military yachts used to They have medium armor or shielding
transport very important dignitaries may capability, but rarely boast any more than the
possess more capable defenses. Yachts tend to minimum of firepower. Transports are often
be fast, and are usually aesthetically pleasing. accompanied by escorts. Troop transports
Scout. These ships are general-purpose are sometimes called assault ships, while
exploration vessels of a small-to-medium size. commercial or cargo transports are often
They generally boast high FTL speeds and long known as tugs.
range sensors, with some moderate armament Cruiser. Large capital ships, cruisers can
and defensive capability. Scout ships will be be both military and explorative in nature.
equipped for surveys, scans, mapping, and are Cruisers tend to have non-combat primary
often designed for long-range missions. Scouts missions, and as such are often equipped
operate as military reconnaissance vessels, with research facilities, but can also be
long-range exploration vessels, and even first called into combat when needed – and when
contact missions. they are, they perform well as heavy capital

226
combat vessels. Cruisers tend to have heavy or subdivided on much larger ones. There are
armament and shielding and, depending five major roles in additional to the captain
on their species of origin, are often fairly – pilot, gunner, comms, engineer, and doctor –
luxurious compared to regular combat although some of these may be combined on a
vessels. Long range exploration cruisers can smaller ship or subdivided on a larger one.
operate for years at a time and are often a These roles do not define a character;
highly desired assignment. they merely represent the job that a
Liner. A liner is designed for luxurious character is doing right now. Anybody can
commercial passenger travel – either on attempt to fill any of these roles, although
established transport runs or on cruises some will be more suited to specific roles
and sightseeing tours of exotic planets and than others. These roles also change
nebulae. They are large vessels, and tend situationally, with other roles being adopted
to be lightly shielded with a small security during non-starship activity.
contingent on board, although some older
liners can be drafted as troop transports by Captain
military organizations. The captain (commanding officer, or CO) of
Battleship. Battleships are the most heavily a starship gives the orders and makes all the
armed ship type. Somewhat cumbersome, important decisions. However, most captains
they make up for that with massive firepower, do not micromanage – officers in various
strong armor, or heavy shielding. Battleships positions are trained to do those specific
are often accompanied by destroyers and jobs. While he might order an engineer to
frigates, and can be equipped for planetary find more speed or a pilot to orbit the fifth
bombardment (especially when accompanied planet, he won’t generally tell them how to
by frigates containing large troop contingents do those things.
for immediate occupation). A battleship will In the game, the captain might also have
often dominate an entire system with ease. another job, or be an NPC. A collaborative
Carrier. Carriers and supercarriers captain is an NPC broadly controlled by the
are designed to transport large numbers players – the players get to decide what they
of immediately deployable fighters or wish to do, and the collaborative captain is
shuttlecraft. They are not the most heavily assumed to have given appropriate orders.
armed ships around, and often rely on those Generally speaking, having one player
fighters and on escorts to provide protection tell the others what to do decreases the
from enemy action. enjoyment of the latter.
Carriers have among the
best control computer
systems, and are able
to coordinate entire
battlefields. »4.Space

» ROLES ABOARD
A STARSHIP
A starship can have
any combination or
assignment of roles and
tasks. What follows is
a common example of
how a starship may be
set up. Often roles are
combined on smaller ships

227
 If the characters are members of a large A captain benefits from skills like
crew or other organisation, each player will leadership and starship tactics, as well as
need three characters. See the rules on good INTUITION, CHARISMA, and REPUTATION
Away Teams & Task Forces on page 50. attributes.

Pilot
The pilot (often called the helmsman,
helm officer, or flight officer) is responsible
for actually flying and navigating the
starship. Her job is to move the ship from
place to place, often in accordance with
the captain’s instructions. The pilot moves
the ship in combat, and navigates it through
interstellar space during travel, calculating
FTL coordinates and vectors.
The pilot benefits from skills like piloting
and navigation and a good AGILITY attribute.

Gunner
Depending on the size of the ship, gunners,
or gunnery officers, also called tactical or
weapons officers, may be combined with the
pilot into a single role or split into multiple
gunners. Gunners are responsible for firing
weapons and maintaining shields. The gunnery
officer is an expert in offensive and defensive
artillery patterns, energy and missile
weaponry, Newtonian and relativistic motion,
and more. On larger ships, gunnery is a very
math-intensive job. The gunner will also raise
shields when necessary, and more specifically
reinforce specific shields when required.
The gunner benefits from the gunnery skill
and good LOGIC and INTUITION attribute.

Comms
A communications officer, often combined
with a science officer, has a broad remit which
deals not only with communications, but
also sensor use and electronic warfare, both
offensive and defensive. A science officer will
scan a star system upon arrival, will be the
officer to uncover and alert the rest of the
crew of new threats, and provide a constant
stream of information.
Electronic warfare is a highly technical
and varied task which uses computer
skills, ion weapons, and more. The science
officer is an expert at countermeasures,

228
Heisenbergian uncertainty, cloaking vessel’s fighter and shuttle complement. In
technologies, misinformation, combat, this officer controls fighters and other
communication and sensor jamming. ancillary vessels.
The communications officer also monitors
a wide array of electronic and non-electronic » STARSHIP SENSORS
communications channels, deciphers Starship sensor systems – a battery of
languages, ciphers, and codes, and more. detection and analysis equipment designed
The comms officer benefits from computer to collate information about the ship’s
operation, linguistics, and good INTUITION and environment and feed it back to the crew
LOGIC attributes. - work just like handheld scanners. The only
real difference is the scales involved.
Engineer
Starship sensors have three range settings –
The engineer is a vital member of the ship’s tactical, navigational, and long range.
crew. Not only does she handle repairs and
While a hand scanner has a range increment
system maintenance, and is responsible for
of 10’, starship sensors have a tactical
a vast array of systems from life support to
range increment measured in kilometers
the engines to the ship’s infrastructure and
(or hexes) for combat-based operations and
superstructure, but she is also needed to
in AU (Astronomical Units) for navigational
provide additional power and support during
information. Sensors can map out a star
combat.
system accurately and quickly, and scan
The engineer benefits from the engineering planets, ships, and stellar phenomena to
skill as well as a good LOGIC attribute. gather more details. A long-range scan can be
performed, also. This scans a wide area with
Doctor
a range increment measured in light years and
The ship’s doctor (or medic, or medical takes an hour. The data available is the same
officer) is responsible for the health and well- as a navigational scan.
being of the crew. Often the doctor also
A ship’s sensor range increment is shown
fulfills the role of counselor, responsible for
in its stat-block. For example, the Murphy
the emotional well-being of a ship’s crew as
has a range increment of 6. This means that
well as being useful in diplomatic situations
in combat, it can scan without penalty up to
and trained in first contact, ambassadorial,
six kilometers, and suffers a -1d6 penalty per
and cultural issues.
range increment thereafter. For navigational
The doctor benefits from the medicine, purposes, it can scan without penalty up to
intuition, and psychology skills as well as good 6AU (further than the distance from the Sun to
INTUITION, LOGIC, and CHARISMA attributes. Jupiter), and suffers similar penalties for each
range increment after that.
Other Roles
Mapping out a star system – stars, planets,
Soldier: A soldier is an ancillary role;
»4.Space
asteroid belts, and so on – does not require a
soldiers do not usually play a part in actual
check. Even 19th Century telescopes could
starship operations, although they can have
see distant planets – Neptune, 30 AU from the
security roles aboard the ship. Soldiers are Sun, was first observed in 1846. As long as a
often called security officers. ship’s sensor systems are operational, a ship
Operations Officer: An operations officer is receives all basic data about a star system
a broad position which can combine the duties immediately upon arrival.
of the engineer, science, and communications Stars, similarly, do not require a check.
roles. Stars – and their type – can be detected from
Signal Officer: A signal officer runs a flight any distance, as can other similarly large
deck or landing bay, and is responsible for a stellar bodies.

229
 Scan Range Unit Walter (playing Dr. TikTok): I’m manning
the sensors. Quick scan – what’s in the
Map a star system Automatic
system.
Tactical Kilometers (hexes)
Grace (the GM): You don’t need to make
Navigational AU
a check to do a navigational survey of a new
Long Light years; one hour system. You already know it’s a type G2V
yellow star. There are five planets, and an
Sensor Checks
asteroid belt between the fourth and fifth.
A sensor check is a Challenging [13] LOG The outer planet is about 20AU distant, and
check. Against a vessel, the difficulty of the the innermost one is 1AU. Planets four and
check is equal to the target ship's DEFENSE. five are gas giants, and the three inner planets
The computers skill relates to starship sensor are smaller rocky bodies.
systems general. Alternatively, any subject-
Walter (playing Dr. TikTok): Any ships?
specific skill can be used instead, depending
That needs a check. LOG plus my computers
on what the sensors are being used to scan.
skill... 15.
Medicine can be used when scanning for life-
forms, for example, various planetary sciences Grace (the GM): Nothing. As far as you can
when examining a planet from afar. tell, the system is vessel-free. Well, at least it
has no ships of Class VI or larger.
When making a sensors check, the operator
simply makes a check and asks a question. Walter (playing Dr. TikTok): That’s a relief.
The question must be specific, but there is OK, I’m scanning the innermost planet. At
no predetermined list of available questions. 1AU, I reckon that has the best chance of life.
Some examples might include: Do I find any? (Rolls a 14).
Grace (the GM): Yes! That planet is
What level of civilisation is on the third covered with life. Its biomass is about that of
planet? Earth – lots of plants and animals.
Is the atmosphere of that moon Walter (playing Dr. TikTok): And
breathable? civilization? (Rolls a 14 again).
What’s the composition of the asteroid? Grace (the GM): You detect the signs of an
AL-4 civilization. Industrial age. There’s smog
Detecting another vessel requires a check in the atmosphere, and some radio emissions.
vs. its DEFENSE score. This can be done at
navigational range; sensors can detect a scout James (playing Sasha): That’s 1 AU away,
ship orbiting a moon of Jupiter all the way from right? At SPEED 4.2, that will take us nearly
Earth. Range increments will play into this 3 hours. We really need to upgrade those
check, and smaller ships are harder to spot. engines! The Murphy’s sublight speeds are
terrible!
A cloaked ship is much harder to spot. A
cloaking device inflicts a -3d6 penalty to any Grace (the GM): Well, you won’t be
attempt to locate it. Cloaked ships do not upgrading much at an AL-4 civilization.
show up in a regular scan; the operator must They’ll have only just invented the
specifically scan for a cloaked ship, and when automobile! They probably won’t even know
in combat must select the direction (port, aft, you’re in orbit.
forward, starboard) in which he is doing so. James (playing Sasha): Well, I’m setting a
course for the first planet. Let’s go visit the
Example Of Play Using Industrial Age!
Starship Sensors
The starship Murphy has just entered a Tactical Sensors
new star system. It was in the star charts
as “System X”, and they’ve ended up there In combat, sensors work in the same way.
because they’re trying to escape pursuit. The range increment is measured in kilometers

230
(hexes) and a scan takes one action; success Starship combat and other hazards often
means that the operator can ask a single result in casualties. A doctor can use an action
question about the target. For example: to restore one crewmember to duty with a
Challenging [13] LOG check, but can only do so
Which shields does it have raised? up to the limits of the sickbay’s daily capacity.
How many life-forms are on board? Sickbays are also used, of course, to
diagnose and treat illnesses and injuries. A
What’s the ship’s maximum FTL speed? sickbay can automatically heal 1d6 points of
HEALTH to a character in one minute, but this
Is there any damage to the superstructure?
counts towards the sickbay’s daily capacity.
What weapons does the vessel have?
» TRACTOR/PRESSOR BEAMS
» SICKBAYS Tractor and pressor (otherwise known as
Most ships have some kind of medical a repulsor or repellor) beams are a form of
facility, whether that be a box on the wall technology which allows a vessel to physically
with a hypospray and a bandage in it, or a manipulate or restrain another. They are the
vast, modern sickbay able to accommodate far-future equivalent of grappling hooks. The
hundreds of patients. physics varies from model to model – some use
A sickbay’s capacity is noted in the vessel’s gravity waves, others might use deflector shield
stat-block. The Murphy’s, for example, has technology, forcefields, or other methods.
a capacity of 5. While this affects a ship’s A tractor beam has a rating which
LUXURY rating (see the Starship Construction indicates the maximum mass (expressed in
Manual), its primary use is to define both the terms of ship class) it can hold. For example,
number of people the facility can treat at a a tractor beam rated at a strength of 7 can
given time, and the number of casualties the manipulate a Class VII ship or object, but not
sickbay can restore to duty in one day. a Class VIII ship.

»4.Space

231
 To grab a ship with a tractor beam, the Using a transporter to travel to another
operator simply uses an action to make an transporter unit require no check. This is a
attack roll against the target’s DEFENSE. On very safe use of the technology.
a successful check, and if the target is not If there is a transporter pad only at one
too large for the tractor beam, the ship is end of the journey, a Routine [10] LOG check
successfully grabbed. It remains grabbed is required by the transporter operator. A
until it escapes. number of things can cause penalties to this
The tractor beam operator can subsequently check. A site-to-site transport is much more
make additional checks to move the target a dangerous; it doesn’t use a pad at either end.
number of hexes up to the beam’s rating.
Atmospheric conditions -1d6
Escaping A Tractor Beam
Escaping a tractor beam is an opposed Thick rock or dense metals -1d6
check, and is an action on the part of the pilot. Shields -3d6
However, the ship’s SPEED score is used to form
the dice pool, as is the tractor beam’s rating. Site-to-site -3d6
Form dice pools as normal using these two
scores. The pilot may add his piloting skill to Failing a transporter check usually means
his dice pool, and the tractor beam operator that the transportation does not take place.
may use his gunnery skill. The presence of a neutron star or magnetar
Attempting to activate FTL drives within a makes the use of transporters impossible.
tractor beam is both ineffective and incredibly Some devices, including transporter inhibitors
dangerous. It causes 1d6 damage per FTL and scramblers, also prevent transportation.
factor to the ship. Most starships are protected from enemy
transporters by inhibitors which require
» TRANSPORTERS special codes to bypass. This makes it
impossible to simply beam a platoon over
Transporters are not available in every
to the enemy’s bridge, or a bomb into the
setting. Settings without transporters will rely
engineering bay. Additionally, it usually
heavily on shuttles.
requires command-level overrides to teleport
Transporters may be known by various explosive devices.
names – teleporters, runcibles, farcasters,
displacement units, matter transmitters,
» RECREATIONAL
jaunters, translocaters, molecular
disseminators, transmats, and more. The FACILITIES
specific technology may vary from setting Most ships have some form of recreational
to setting, or even from device to device. facilities. A small freighter might make
However, they all share the same purpose: to so with a 3D chessboard, while a large
instantaneously move a person or object from cruiser might feature gymnasiums, theaters,
one location to another. holographic suites, bars, and more.
Most transporters have a range which allows The cumulative total of a ship’s facilities
the user to travel from orbit to a planet’s helps build its LUXURY rating. LUXURY is
surface, or to a nearby vessel. More advanced a percentile score which compares the
forms of the technology may greatly increase availability of recreational faculties (as
this range, however. The effective range well as sickbays and and so on) to the crew
increment of a standard AL9 transporter is complement. A low LUXURY rating means low
4,000km (or 4km in combat situations using a morale (and associated dice penalties); a too-
tactical hex grid – it’s a lot harder to transport high rating can result in a complacent or lazy
in the middle of action than it is to leisurely crew. The ideal LUXURY rating is between
transport down to a planet). 151 and 199%.

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 LUXURY Description Checks may be physical cells, or they may use force-
field technology. Each brig unit can hold one
50% or less Spartan -2d6 prisoner.
51-90% Poor -1d6
Cabins. A basic hull comes equipped with
91-150% Adequate - dormitory accommodation for crew. Giving the
151-199% Comfortable +1d6 crew cabins (either single, double, or luxury)
200%+ Decadent -1d6 can greatly improve their morale.
Chapel. A chapel is fairly basic, and often
The check penalty applies to all ship
multi-denominational, although some larger
functions – whether firing a weapon,
ships and stations maintain separate chapels
performing a maneuver, scanning a planet,
for specific religions.
or treating an illness. It applies to both
crew and PC checks – it doesn’t just Cinema/theater. These facilities allow the
reflect the individual morale of the person crew to enjoy or even put on entertainment.
performing the action, it also reflects Escape pods. Escape pods increase a
the maintenance of the equipment and crew’s sense of security. Additionally, a ship
its connected systems, all of which are with escape pods means that if the ship is
affected by crew morale. destroyed, the PCs will automatically survive.
Unusual Luxury Requirements Galley. While automated food processing is
not unusual, an actual kitchen and chef really
Some species (such as Spartans) are not
is appreciated.
affected the same way as others by luxury. A
crew which is more than 50% Spartan
reverses the luxury bonus table,
turning bonuses into penalties and
vice versa – in other words, it operates
better in more “spartan” conditions.
The Decadent (200%+) category turns
into a -2d6 penalty.
A crew which is 50% or more Android
is unaffected by LUXURY in any way.

List Of Facilities
What follows is a list of example
shipboard facilities. It is not
exhaustive, and you should feel free to
add to it.
Facilities are noted on a vessel’s stat-
block with their capacity. For example:
»4.Space

Messhall (50), Sickbay (10).

Arborium. An arborium contains
plants and flowers, and is often used
for relaxation as well as scientific study.
Higher quality arboriums can even
include landscaping, water features,
and more.
Brig. A brig enables security and
discipline amongst the crew. Brigs are
jail cells; depending on the quality they

233
 Gymnasium. Gyms can either be general consisting mainly of an empty room with a
fitness gyms, or more specific sport-focused large window. Observation lounges are often
gyms (a zero-G basketball court, for example). used as meeting areas, for special events,
Holographic suite. These interactive and gatherings.
holographic environments are the ultimate in Sick bay. The size of a sick bay determines
luxury and entertainment. its capacity; each patient takes up 3CU.
Laboratory. Science labs are an important Shops & bars. Some larger vessels or
part of many research or exploratory stations will have commercial facilities
vessels. Some vessels may have just one aboard. These are leased to shopkeepers and
general lab, while others have more bar owners, who pay the ship owner a monthly
focused specific labs including geological, tax. Commercial facilities cost capital to set
astrophysics, biochemistry, chem, up, but pay dividends in the form of income
hydroponics, cybernetics, and more. and crew morale. A bar generates 0.5 MCr/m
Lounge/recreation areas. These areas can income; a shop generates 0.6 MCr/m income
be used for relaxation, gaming, reading, and (its type should be specified).
other recreational activities. Stateroom. This is used for entertaining
Mess Hall. A mess hall is a communal easting dignitaries and for meetings and planning
and social area. Some ships maintain separate sessions. It is usually well-appointed.
mess halls for officers and enlisted crewmen, Transporter pad. A small transporter
while others choose to mix and match. An pad has room for one person and a range
officer’s mess is sometimes called a wardroom. increment of 4,000km. Larger pads have room
Observation lounge. An observation for one person per CU. Transporters are only
lounge is often a cheap luxury increase, available if the setting allows for it.

234
 Chapter V
Building a
Universe

»BUILDING A UNIVERSE

A
lbert Einstein once proclaimed that In a medieval fantasy campaign, a
“God does not play dice”. He was common starting structure is to design a
wrong. Universes are created using village and its environs, and start the PCs
a series of random tables and a handful of there. The world around them is hidden by
d6s! One of the GM’s most important tasks a kind of “fog of war” - though it’s more a
is to create the setting in which the player “need to know”. Pertinent details can be
characters operate. The GM must design the revealed when necessary; and it is certainly
universe, its inhabitants, its power structures true that it can be a tough sell to persuade
and villains, and more. Every place the player a group of players to read and memorize
characters go, every non-player character a 400-page setting document before play
(NPC) they meet, every creature they fight, begins.

»5.Building a Universe
every starship they encounter – it all begins
with the GM. You can do the same thing in the far future.
Information is a little more free-flowing,
That sounds like a monstrous task – and so you may need to be a little quicker to
in some way it is. But the GM does not need
provide obscure details from far away, but the
to create an entire universe all at once. It is
principle is still the same.
often enough to simply sketch a broad outline
of the setting in a few paragraphs, and some WOIN is – more than most tabletop
detail around the PCs’ starting circumstances, roleplaying games – a setting-neutral
and expand from there as and when it’s toolkit. In other word, it provides you
needed. You may know there’s an empire with the tools to build your own setting
of slug-like aliens in the Andromeda galaxy, rather than providing you with a pre-
but you don’t need to flesh out all the fine made universe. To that end, these pages
details until the player characters go to the include tools for building star systems,
Andromeda galaxy. Or unless you decide to planets, civilizations, species, careers,
have the slugs come here! organizations, monsters, and NPCs.

235
 you need to create your own, the following
Open Gaming checklist should help get you started. It is
a list of important questions and issues you
Remember that WOIN is an “open gaming should address as you design your setting.
system”. You can read more about this on
the official website, but the short of it is › The Big Picture
that you can use many of the game rules to How big is this setting? Does it
create, publish, even sell your own WOIN encompass a solar system, part of a galaxy,
compatible products. You don’t even need to a whole galaxy, multiple galaxies, or a
ask permission – just check out the terms on vast universe? Maybe it includes multiple
the website (www.woinrpg.com) which mainly universes, pocket universes, alternate
cover your use of the WOIN logos. dimensions, or an entire multiverse. Maybe
So if you do create a setting, why not there’s no space travel at all, and your
publish it, either for free or for profit? And, setting is one giant futuristic megacity in a
of course, you are not limited to settings – post apocalyptic wasteland.
you can produce books of careers, monsters, Where & When?
NPCs, exploits, organizations, equipment, and
so much more! Some settings are based in our own
Milky Way galaxy; others are based in
a galaxy far, far away. The primary
» DESIGNING YOUR difference in terms of setting is whether
SETTING or not Earth exists in your campaign – and,
if it does, what condition is it in? Is it
You may well find that you need to create a utopian society, center of a planetary
new content in order to accommodate your federation? Or is it a dystopian, gray ruin
campaign setting. You are encouraged to do of a world? Is it real, or is it a legend?
so, and these pages are designed to help you Similarly, the “when” is equally important.
in that process. There’s a vast difference between the 23 rd
This section contains guidelines and rules Century and the 51 st Century.
for designing complete star systems, planets,
civilizations, and new alien species, new Theme
careers, organizations, and new monsters. The general theme and atmosphere of your
They are presented in a rough order of scale, setting is important. Is it dystopian, horror,
so that you can design from a “top-down” comedic, or militaristic? Is it dark, pulpy,
perspective, narrowing down to the smaller or political? Is it hard science-fiction, space
details, but of course you should feel free to opera, or space fantasy?
use any of the parts of the following chapter Throughout various WOIN books there are
in isolation as and when you need to.
references to “Cinematic Mode”. Cinematic
You should not feel constrained by the Mode is a way to play a WOIN game which
charts on the following pages. They are is much less deadly, and much more heroic
intended as useful tools to provide inspiration than the default rules. Cinematic mode gives
where necessary, but always let your PCs more HEALTH, more LUCK, amongst
imagination guide you. other things, and results in a game more
In a WOIN game, the universe doesn’t always akin to an heroic Star Wars setting where the
need to be one of the GM’s creation. It could heroes mow down dozens of enemies than a
be modelled after a favorite sci-fi TV show, more gritty Aliens setting. You should decide
novel, or movie; or the GM could purchase a before you start play whether you are using
pre-published setting designed specifically to Cinematic Mode. Cinematic mode allows
work with the game. In that case, much of the characters to add their LUC dice pool when
work has been done for you. However, should determining their starting HEALTH."

236
Hard & Soft Science Fiction SCI-FI (GENRE B)
Originally, “hard” science fiction was This is the level of science fiction generally
literature which dealt with the physical found in television shows like Star Trek,
sciences of physics, chemistry, and so Babylon 5, and the writings of Philip K Dick.
on, while “soft” science fiction focused SPACE OPERA (GENRE C)
on social sciences like psychology and
sociology. These days, the terms are often Space opera is science fiction with added
used interchangeably with terms like fantastical elements, including psionics, or laser
“science fantasy”, and refer more often to swords. This type of setting includes Star Wars
the plausibility of the science in a work. or Flash Gordon, or the work of Neil Gaiman.
The latter is the definition used in this SCIENCE FANTASY (GENRE D)
rulebook. Science fantasy is the most outlandish form
Science fiction can be placed on a scale of sci-fi. The technology in such a setting may
which runs from “hard SF” to “soft sci-fi”. as well be magic – time travel is routine, for
In hard SF (the preferred term for many example. Doctor Who is a good example of
authors), scientific accuracy is often found – science fantasy.
or at least a “realistic” projection of future
scientific details. Soft sci-fi, on the other Technology
hand, sometimes known as “science fantasy” Much sci-fi technology feels fairly
is usually more speculative or improbable, and “standard”. A ray gun or a hand-held scanner
has less of a focus on scientific rigor. is something common to many settings under
This is very much an axis on a graph – a various guises or names. Some technological
scale, with many points in between. For choices, however, should be decided upon
example, when taking the concept of time before play; these choices can dramatically
travel, the very hardest SF might declare affect the nature of a setting.
it off-limits and impossible; other hard SF This is also part of a wider decision which
a little ways up the scale might work hard has to be made regarding advancement levels.
to present a plausible sounding theory Of course, advancement levels can (and
using quantum physics, relativity, unified should) vary from planet to planet, but there’s
field theories, and more. A very soft sci-fi
also an overall advancement level to consider.
example would have the hero pulling the
Your setting might include common FTL travel
lever in his magic box and the time travel
and phasers, while another GM’s might use
just happening; the technology in the softest
projectile weaponry and nuclear warheads.
sci-fi pretty much resembles magic in terms
of scientific adherence. You also need to decide how much mixing-

»5.Building a Universe
and-matching of technology you wish to
None of this is iron-clad, of course, and
exceptions are usually the rule. This book do. Most sci-fi franchises typically display
is designed to handle both. The “default” a single type of FTL travel, for example –
setting of this book is somewhere in the Star Wars uses hyperdrives, while Star Trek
middle, near the Star Trek level. uses warp drives, and the two do not mix.
Similarly, weapons and other technology differ
While advancement level is noted by
thematically from one franchise to another.
using a number, the hard/soft setting genre
Of course, something like Doctor Who pretty
uses a letter.
much has a bit of everything, and that works
HARD SCI-FI (GENRE A) just fine, too.
In hard sci-fi, faster-than-light travel is
Advancement Level
usually impossible. Hard sci-fi authors include
Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen Baxter, Kim Stanley Advancement level is a technological scale
Robinson, Larry Niven, Alastair Reynolds, Isaac designed to roughly describe the technological
Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, Jerry Pournelle. capability of a planet or civilization. Not

237
 only is it used to describe entire settings, it also
If the characters are members of a large
crew or other organisation, each player will describes individual planets or locations, and
need three characters. See the rules on available technology. There are three options
Away Teams & Task Forces on page 50. for using advancement levels – a cinematic broad
version, a detailed version, and the real-world
Kardashev scale. You should use the version which
suits your setting best; these rules assume a broad
advancement level.
Broad advancement level. Generally speaking, the
entirety of this book simply assumes an advancement
level of “future” (the other two levels are “modern”
and “archaic”). This helps to keep things simple, and
any given world can simply be assigned one of these
three broad technological levels.
Detailed advancement level. For GMs who wish
to fine-tune this a little more, a more detailed scale
is presented below.
Some examples of popular sci-fi franchises have
common advancement levels such as Star Trek (9),
Doctor Who (14), Battlestar Galactica (8), Star
Wars (10), although individual examples within
those franchises may vary. Some isolated species
may possess an advancement level far beyond the
norm but choose not to use it; and some settings
or civilizations may be of a higher advancement
level but still not possess specific technologies (for
example, transporters are a level 9 technology
which is setting dependent).
Kardashev Scale. This scale was postulated by the
Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev in 1964. It is the
most commonly used classification by characters in
the game. Level III civilizations are extraordinarily
powerful, and Level IV civilizations are practically
godlike in their mastery of the universe. A given
setting with multiple civilizations of Level III or above
will look very different to one without, as the entire
universe is remodeled to specification.
A Type I civilization is described as a “level
near contemporary terrestrial civilization with an
energy capability equivalent to the solar insolation
on Earth”; Type II civilizations are “capable of
harnessing the energy radiated by its own star (for
example, the stage of successful construction of
a Dyson sphere)”; and Type III civilizations have
“access to the power comparable to the luminosity
of the entire Milky Way galaxy”.
The famous astronomer Carl Sagan suggested more
precise intermediate levels of the Kardashev scale,
placing Earth of the 1970s at a Kardashev level of 0.7.

238
 Broad
Detailed Sample Earth Kardashev
Advancement Level
Advancement Level Calendar* Scale
Level
Stone and bronze ages 0 Until 1200 BC 0
Iron age 1 1200 BC – 400 AD 0
ARCHAIC
Medieval 2 5 -15 century
th th
0
Renaissance 3 15 -17 centuries
th th
0
Industrial; early automobiles. 4 18th-20th century 0
Information age; electronics,
MODERN Late 20th/
computers, satellites, automobiles, 5 0
early 21st century
aircraft, nuclear weapons
Fusion; invisible wearable tech, genetic
6 21st century I
engineering, solar system colonization.
Energy weapons, nearby star systems 7 22nd century I
Early FTL travel 8 23rd century I
Advanced FTL travel; galactic
exploration; thousands of colonies; 9 24th century II
transporters
Very advanced FTL; Dyson spheres and
10 30th century II
ringworlds; full galactic colonization
Multiple galaxies colonized and ex-
FUTURE 11 40th century II
plored
Black hole power systems; universal
12 50th century II
colonization
Ability to restructure or move entire
13 51st century III
galaxies; control of dark matter
Can survive, prevent, or cause the
end of the universe; manipulation of 14 100th century+ IV
dark energy
Omnipotence; unlimited power and
15 - V

»5.Building a Universe
ability; multiple universes (multiverse)
*From level 7 and beyond, this is very much just an example or suggestion.
The individual setting will define this ‘future history’ itself.

With that in mind you should select a With that in mind, there is a particular
typical advancement level. This is an “overall” handful of technological aspects which the GM
advancement level that the player characters must address beforehand – faster-than-light
will be interacting with most of the time. There travel, transporters, communications, artificial
can be exceptions if the GM feels the plot of life-forms, and weaponry.
the campaign requires them, but by and large
this defines the setting that the players will Travel. How do people traverse the setting?
operate in. Local lower advancement levels Does faster-than-light travel exist? Do they
than this can exist in abundance, of course - use jump gates or similar devices? Or are they
players in a Star Trek style setting will typically limited to subluminal speeds? The size of the
see advanced FTL travel, transporters, and so setting will help to determine this. There’s
on with a typical advancement level of 9. no point detailing a setting billions of light

239
 years across if nobody can travel at the speeds of default alien species which you may choose
necessary to cross it. to use, you are encouraged to devise your own
Transporters. Transporters allow you to using the guidelines later in this chapter. Or
travel long distances instantaneously. This perhaps there are no aliens in your setting,
may not be appropriate to every setting, and only humans traverse the spaceways!
and you should decide in advance whether Maybe there are millions of species, each
this technology exists. You should bear in more exotic than the last. Are alien races
mind that it’s a powerful ability, narratively generally humanoid, or do you want to allow
speaking, and that if you find you’re coming more unusual species?
up with different ways to say “the transporters › Psionics
don’t work today” everywhere the PCs go, it A common feature of sci-fi settings,
might start getting a little tired. On the other psionics are an optional element, and you
hand, transporters do provide a wonderful should decide in advance whether psionics
device for placing your PCs in a wide range are part of your setting, and if so whether
of locations with minimum fuss, allowing for they are limited in any way. If you choose to
wonderful episodic style play which visits limit psionics, some options might include
wildly different worlds each week. allowing psionic careers, but not universal
Communications. Communication in psionic exploits; limiting psionics to certain
a future era can operate in a number of disciplines, such as telepathy and telekinesis;
ways. Many settings allow for instant FTL or imposing a maximum limit on psionic
communication across the galaxy, using terms potential.
like “subspace signals”. Others do not allow for
If you use psionics, you also need to think
such FTL signals, which means that messages
a little about the flavour text around the
travel at the same speed that starships do. This
subject. One setting might refer to psionics
can mean that the carrying of mail can become
as an omnipresent force which binds us all
an important task. Instant communications
together; another might consider it an innate
create a different type of campaign to slower
mutant power or an ability unique only
messages – in the latter cases, areas can be
to a certain alien race; while for others it
far enough away that the PCs are effectively
may simply be the result of rigorous mental
beyond the reach of timely help.
discipline and training.
Weaponry. The types of weaponry available
Alternatively, if you like to mix your fantasy
probably won’t drastically change the style of
with your sci-fi, you might choose to use the
scope of a campaign, but they can affect the
MAGIC system from WOIN Elements of Magic.
flavor. The equipment books contain weapons
as simply as common projectile-firing guns to › Medieval Fantasy & Modern
advanced energy weapons. You should decide Action
in advance which weapons are available, Other WOIN rulebooks contain a variety of
although “all weapons” is a perfectly valid races and careers from medieval fantasy and
choice. contemporary (modern) action, all of which are
Mechanoids. Is the android race available fully compatible with the rules in this book.
in your setting? Are artificial life-forms So it is perfectly possible to use wizard, elves,
common, rare, or non-existent? If they do knights, and bards in your far-future setting.
exist, how are they treated? Are they accepted
as equal to humans, or are they considered › The Outer Reaches
second-class citizens?
Does your setting contain secrets? Is there
Aliens something ancient and malevolent at the outer
You will need to decide which alien species reaches of the universe, common knowledge
exist in your setting. While the WOIN Future or myth – but that nobody knows what it is?
Careers rulebook presents you with a selection Does humanity have a secret alien origin? Is

240
the universe a simulation, or ruled by hidden simply notes U and no further information. It
masters? This is an area ripe for exploration in is often customary to even leave off the U.
terms of adventures and campaigns. Then comes a number indicating the
civilization’s advancement level (5),
» PLANETARY CATALOG the information age, which is a period
CODES of electronics, computers, satellites,
automobiles, and so on.
A planet is defined using a catalog code. This
code tells you about its stars, and about specific Last, a roman numeral (iii) indicates the
planets and civilizations. It looks like this: planet’s wealth level, in this case average.
Population. The civilization code does not
G8-m3Mc-H5iii-8bkC
always include detailed social demographics
This is Earth in the 21st century. The code is (population, government type, law) but a final
divided into four sections, describing the star(s), population section is sometimes added. This
the planet, the civilization, and the population. indicates three things – the overall population
level, the government type, and lawfulness.
Star(s). The first letter (G) refers to the
Earth is noted as having a population between
star type, in Earth’s case a single yellow main-
1 billion and 10 billion (8), balkanized (bk),
sequence star called Sol. That section of the
and an average law rating (C). Uninhabited
code can have multiple stars denoted – the
planets, of course, never include this section.
Alpha Centauri system begins with the code
GKM. This is followed by a number
(8) indicating the number of
planetary bodies in the system,
excluding dwarf planets.
Planet. First comes a number
(3), indicating a planet’s position
from the star. Earth is the third
planet from its parent star. If
the body is a moon orbiting
another planet, the parent
planet’s position number is used
but it is prefixed by a lower
case o (for orbital); otherwise
it is prefixed by a size indicator
(small, medium, large, giant, and

»5.Building a Universe
dwarf being s, m, l, g, and d,
respectively).
We then have an upper case
letter (M) denoting the planet
type as terrestrial/mixed planet.
An additional designation (c) is
included because the world was a
Capital of a region including other
worlds.
Civilization. After this is
a code noting the planet’s
civilization type (H). Earth is a
homeworld type civilization. If the
planet is uninhabited, this section

241
 Planetary Catalog Codes
Star Size Type Civ AL Wealth Pop Gov Law
H 0 (stone/ i (poverty- Anarchy
O (blue) o (moon) R (ruined) 1 (1-99) A (rigid)
(homeworld) bronze age) stricken) (an)

B Plutocracy B
s (small) W (water) M (mining) 1 (iron age) ii (poor) 2 (100-999)
(blue-white) (pl) (lawful)

m iii 3 Aristrocracy C
A (white) I (icy) C (colony) 2 (medieval)
(medium) (average) (1000-9999) (ar) (average)

F (yellow- 3 iv 4 Fascist
l (large) D (desert) I (industrial) D (weak)
white) (renaissance) (prosperous) (9999-1M) (fa)

A 5 Democracy E
G (yellow) g (giant) B (barren) 4 (industrial) v (rich)
(agricultural) (1M-10M) (de) (lawless)
5
vi 6 Monarchy
K (orange) d (dwarf) V (volcanic) O (outpost) (information
(super-rich) (10M-100M) (mo)
age)
M M (military 7 Theocracy
S (swamp) 6 (fusion)
(red giant) base) (100M-1B) (th)

W (dying U 7 (energy 8 Communist

J (jungle)
supergiant) (uninhabited) weapons) (1B-10B) (cm)
M
L 9 Dictatorship
(terrestrial/ X (special) 8 (early FTL)
(red dwarf) (10B-100B) (di)
mixed)
T (methane 9 (advanced 10 Oligarchy
G (gas)
dwarf) FTL) (100B-1T) (ol)
Y 10 (very
Corporate
(brown advanced 11 (IT+)
(cp)
dwarf) FTL)
C (carbon
11 Balkanized
star, red
(intergalactic) (bk)
giant)
S (giant, 12
supergiant) (time travel)
D (white
13
dwarf,
(dark matter)
degenerate)
Xi
14
(neutron
(dark energy)
star)
Xii 15
(quark star) (omnipotent)

Xiii
(black hole)

Xiv
(dark star)

Xv
(boson star)

Xvi
(ice star)

242
» HABITABILITY RATING Colonies which maintain features like
habitats and pressure domes which create an
Planets have a Habitability Rating (HR) in star artificial environment separate to the planet's
catalogs based on human biological requirements. natural environment add half (round up) their
Of course, any location can be habitable to
Advancement Level to the planet’s HR and
some form of life, whether extremophiles in the
present the result in parenthesis. This represents
form of microbes and bacteria, or intelligent,
exotic alien life-forms. A planet noted as an 10 is habitats, domes, terraforming attempts, and
extremely suited to human life, one with a rating other technological means of conquering nature.
of 5 does not support human life, and a planet A colonized Mars in the future with AL 9 has an
with a rating below 5 is actively hostile to human HR of 5 (10). This does not apply to colonies
life. Earth has a rating of 10, Mars has a rating of which use the planet's natural environment.
5, and Luna a rating of 2.
Technology can be used to occupy an » SOCIOLOGICAL RATING
uninhabitable planet. A barren moon with no
A planet’s Sociological Rating (SR) measures
atmosphere is uninhabitable, but a pressure
– broadly – how safe and advanced it is in terms
dome resolves that issue. The HR refers only
to the planet’s natural habitability. of law, government, and wealth. It is derived
in a similar manner to Habitability Rating, and
The HR is calculated by totalling modifiers
included in most navigational catalogs. It is a
from several items in the Planetary Catalog
Code. It does not include socio-economic a guideline for travelers. Start with a score of
or political factors – it focuses only on the 10 and apply modifiers. Planets with SR of 5 or
biological suitability of the terrain, climate, below are considered dangerous, and those with
and atmosphere for human life. scores of 10 or more are considered very safe.
Start with a score of 10 and apply the Homeworld +1
following modifiers.
Mining -1
Moon -1
Small -1 Type Colony -1
Average 0
Size Industrial -1
Large -3
Giant -3 Military -2
Dwarf -3
Poverty -2
Ruined -1
Water -1 Poor -1
Icy -2 Wealth
Prosperous +1
Desert -2

»5.Building a Universe
Barren -2 Rich/super-rich +2
Type
Volcanic -3
Swamp -1 Anarchy -6
Jungle -1 Fascist state -5
Gas -5
Terrestrial/mixed 0 Democracy +1
None -5 Theocracy -3
Thin -2
Standard 0 Government Corporatocracy -2
Atmosphere
Thick -2 Oligarchy -2
Crushing -4
Non Earth-like -5 Communism -1
Neutron -2
Monarchy -2
Star Black hole -2
Giant -1 Dictatorship -3

243
 EARTH (Sol III) Mars (Sol IV)
Medium prosperous terrestrial homeworld Small average barren colony
Astronomical Data Astronomical Data
Parent Star Sol (G2V; yellow dwarf main- Parent Star Sol (G2V; yellow dwarf main-
sequence) sequence)
Orbital Position 3; AU 1; orbital period 1 Orbital Position 4; AU 1.5; orbital period
year; rotation 24 hours 1.8 years; rotation 25 hours
Size average (radius 6,371km); gravity 1G Size small (radius 3,389km); gravity 0.4G
(standard) (low)
Atmosphere earthlike; composition Atmosphere thin; composition carbon
earthlike dioxide
Type terrestrial (capital) Type colony
Satellites 1 (Luna); rings - Satellites 2 (Phobos, Deimos); rings -
Civilization Data Civilization Data
Civilization homeworld (capital) Civilization colony
Advancement level 9 (advanced FTL) Advancement level 9 (advanced FTL)
Wealth prosperous (credit limit -) Wealth average (credit limit -)
Population Data Population Data
Population 8,000,000,000 (85% human; 15% Population 5,000,000 (75% human; 25%
mixed) mixed)
Government democracy Government democracy
Lawfulness B (lawful) Lawfulness C (average)
Habitability Rating 10; Sociological Rating 13 Habitability Rating 5 (10); Sociological
Catalog Code G8-m3Mc-H9iv-8deB Rating 10
Catalog Code G8-s4B-C9iii-5deC

» DESIGNING A STAR 5.1. Determine size and gravity.

SYSTEM 5. 2. Determine type.
Sometimes you just need a random star 5. 3. Determine atmosphere (thickness and
system. These pages will help you to generate composition).
a star, its orbiting planets, and any civilization
found on those planets. You should use this 5. 4. Determine orbital period and
as a starting point and add your own color or distance from star.
flavor to the end result. 6. Roll for moons for each planet and create
When creating a star system, you will start each, following steps 5.1-5.4, above.
with the star itself, and then create the planets
one at a time. Following the following process: 7. For inhabited planets, determine the
civilization type.
1. Determine system type (single, binary,
triple). 7.1. Determine Advancement Level,
wealth, and society type.
2. Determine star types.
3. Determine star names. 7. 2. Determine population and
4. Establish number and names of planets. demographics, government, and law.
5. Create each planet. 7. 3. Create new species if needed.

244
› Determine System Type followed by the name of the constellation it
The system type is defined by the number can be seen in, such as Alpha Centauri), or the
of major stellar bodies (stars) present. This Flamsteed designation (a number replaces the
is typically between one and three stars, Greek letter, such as 61 Cygni). Stars are also
although triple systems are unstable enough sometimes named after astronomers (such as
that planetary systems are fairly rare. Barnard’s Star and Kapteyn’s Star), but this in
Determine each star type separately, but only an older methodology.
generate one system and set of planets. You don’t have to use this naming system.
This is based on Earth’s own astronomical
1d6 System Type
conventions, but other settings, galaxies, or
1-3 Single star system
4-5 Binary star system
universes may have completely different ways
6 Trinary star system of handling it.

› Determine Star Types › Number & Names Of Planets

Roll d66 on the following table to select a Roll 2d6 (let sixes explode) to determine
random star type. Do this for each star in the the number of orbiting planets. Starting at
system. the planet closest to the star and working
outwards, for each orbiting planet, roll 1d6
d66 Star Type and add the planet’s position from the star to
11 White main sequence (A) determine the planetary type (so roll 1d6+5
12 White dwarf (B) for the 5th planet).
13 White main sequence (F)
14 White dwarf (D) For each rocky planet move on to the
15-16 Yellow main sequence (F) Creating a Rocky Planet section.
21 Yellow main sequence (K) 1d6 + planet Number
22-24 Yellow main sequence (G) Planet Type
position of Moons
25 Red carbon star (C) Rocky planet See table
1-6
26 Red giant (M) (roll below) below
31-33 Orange main sequence (K) 7 Asteroid belt (A) -
34 Red giant (S) 8-10 Gas giant (G) 6d6*
35 Red dwarf (M) 11 Asteroid belt (A) -
36 Red dwarf (L) 12-15 Ice giant (I) 6d6*
41 Red supergiant (L) 16+ Asteroid belt (A) -
42-43 Brown dwarf (Y) *Allow dice to explode when rolling
44 Methane dwarf (T) for moons of giant planets
45-46 Ultraviolet luminous (O)

»5.Building a Universe
51-52 Ultraviolet supergiant (L)
53-54 Blue luminous What’s A Gas Dwarf?
55-56 Dying supergiant (W)
61 Neutron star (Xi) You should feel free to override these
62 Quark star (Xii) result at any time in order to create an
63 Black hole (Xiii) wondrous universe. Gas or ice dwarfs,
64 Dark star (Xiv) for example, or giant planets with
65 Boson star (Xv) terrestrial conditions and low gravity. You
66 Ice star (Xvi) should embrace these things, because
they are the things which stretch the
› Determine Star Name
imagination. Just like ice stars (which
To randomly create a star’s designation, roll are clearly impossible in real life), these
on the table on the next page. Astronomical locations can be explained away with
naming conventions for stars use a variety of technobabble, and enjoyed for the the
designations; star catalogs include the Bayer science fantasy that they are.
designation (a letter of the Greek alphabet

245
 Astronomical Star Names
d66 Part 1 Part 2 (1-2) Part 2 (3-4) Part 2 (5-6)
11 Alpha Andromedae Herculis Sextantis
12 Beta Arietis Leonis Velorum
13 Gamma Canis Mensae Currin
14 Delta Ceti Ophiuchi Albellis
15 Epsilon Corvi Pictoris Orci
16 Zeta Draconis Sagittae Sentium
21 Nu Antliae Horologii Tauri
22 Xi Aurigae Leporis Virginis
23 Omicron Capricorni Microscopi Bathis
24 Pi Chamaeleontis Orionis Detectum
25 Rho Crateris Piscium Bakris
26 Sigma Equulei Sagittarii Vulcanis
31 Eta Apodis Hydrae Telescopi
32 Theta Carinae Librae Volantis
33 Iota Circini Monocerotis Martius
34 Kappa Crucis Pavonis Salimanis
35 Lambda Eridani Piscis Capaldum
36 Mu Aquarii Scorpii Kirkalis
41 Tau Caeli Hydrii Trianguli
42 Upsilon Camelopardalis Lupi Vulpeculae
43 Phi Columbae Muscae Caesarus
44 Chi Cygni Pegasi Christis
45 Psi Fornacis Puppis Patris
46 Omega Aquilae Sculptoris Picardum
51 51* Cancri Indi Tucanae
52 52* Casseiopeiae Lyncis Hawkinus
53 53* Comae Normae Janjus
54 54* Delphini Persei Medusi
55 55* Geminorum Pyxidis Russum
56 56* Arae Scuti Siskum
61 61* Canum Lacaertae Ursae
62 62* Cantauri Lyrae Kentis
63 63* Coronae Octanis Adricus
64 64* Doradus Phoenicis Vampri
65 65* Gruis Reticuli Bondi
66 66* Bootis Serpentis Solaris
*Flamsteed designation

› Creating A Rocky Planet detail in the core rulebook. Roll the dice
For rocky planets, you should then further indicated in the table below and then divide
determine the planet’s size and subtype (gas by 10 (so a result of 6 means 0.6G). Gravity
giants and ice giants planets already have an does not always correlate with size – large
associated size). Also determine the number of planets can still have a very low density, and
moons based on the planet’s size. vice versa.
Gravity is a number above or below 1. 1G There is no particular pattern to the length
is standard Earth gravity. 1.6G is considered of day of a planet. You should feel free to
high gravity, and 3G is considered crushing. choose any figure for a planet’s rotational
0.6G or less is considered low gravity. These period, although some random die rolls are
environmental effects are described in more included below.

246
 Rocky Number of
1d6 Radius (km) Gravity Rotation (day) Chance of Rings
Planet Size Moons
1d6
1 Dwarf (d) 3d6 x 100km 6d6 x 10 hours 1d6-4 -
(0.1G-0.6G)
1d6 x 2d6
2 Small (s) 6d6 x 2 hours 1d6-4 -
1,000km (0.2G-1.2G)
1d6+4 x 3d6
3-4 Average (a) 6d6 hours 1d6-3 1/6
1,000km (0.3G-1.8G)
1d6 x 6d6
5 Large (l) 4d6 hours 1d6 3/6
10,000km (0.6G-3.6G)
1d6+4 x
6 Giant (g) 10d6 (1G-6G) 3d6 hours 6d6* 4/6
10,000km
*Allow dice to explode when rolling for moons of giant planets
For planets less than 1AU from a star, there without an atmosphere. The first roll determines
is a 2-in-6 chance of tidal locking, which means the presence and thickness of the atmosphere.
that the same side of the planet always faces Roll the dice indicated in the above table. For
the star. For moons, there is a 3-in-6 chance of high gravity planets (1.6G or higher) add 2; for
tidal locking, which means that the same side low gravity (0.6 or lower) deduct 2.
of the moon always faces its parent planet. Die Result Atmosphere
You should now determine the subtype of 4 or less None
any rocky planets (and any moons). You do 5-7 Thin
not need to do this for dwarf planets, or for 8-11 Earth-like
gas or ice giants. However, gas or ice giants 12-15 Thick
tend to have a lot of moons, and their nature 16+ Crushing
should be determined. Moons are just as The type of atmosphere is also important.
likely to have life as do other rocky planets. Roll twice on the following table to determine
For each rocky planet or moon, roll 2d6 to the primary and trace atmospheric types (e.g
determine its type. “mainly nitrogen with traces of helium”). Any
Planet or indigenous life on the planet is automatically
2d6 Atmosphere able to breathe this atmosphere.
Moon Type
2 Ruined (R) 3d6
2d6 Atmosphere Composition
3 Water (W)* 2d6+3
4-5 Icy (I) 3d6 2 Earth-like
6 Desert (D) 2d6+3 3 Carbon Dioxide
7-8 Barren (B) 2d6 4 Methane

»5.Building a Universe
9 Volcanic (V) 3d6
5 Helium
10 Swamp (S) 2d6+5
11 Jungle (J) 2d6+5 6 Hydrogen
Terrestrial/ 7 Nitrogen
12 2d6+3
mixed (M)
8 Carbon Monoxide
*Roll 1d6. 1-2 water (W), 3-4 ammonia (Wa),
9 Argon
5 methane (Wm), 6 other (Wo).
10 Hydrogen Cyanide
Next, work out what sort of atmosphere
the planet has. A jungle planet might be 11 Sulfur Dioxide
covered in plants which breath methane, so 12 Ammonia
the presence of life does not necessarily mean This is, of course, a completely random
that the atmosphere is suited to human life. planet, and thus has little chance of an Earth-
S, J, and M type planets, being those with like atmosphere in terms of thickness and
some form of life by definition, all need an composition, even if it has an atmosphere
atmosphere. All other rocky planets can exist which is supporting other life. There is plenty

247
 of equipment in the WOIN rulebooks to help designation for its position out from its host
characters operate in unfriendly atmospheres star. This will give you a name like Gamma
– and, of course, planets with artificial Phoenicis VI or Chi Orionis III.
structures can have very pleasant enclosed While hot planets can exist far from a
environments, whatever the planetary surface star (volcanic, geothermal heating, thick
may be like. atmospheres, greenhouse effects), it is much
However, you should feel free to decide on harder for icy planets to exist close to one.
environments suitable to humans where and If you are generating the position of an icy
when it suits your plot or setting. The dice planet, its minimum value is 2AU from the star
rolls don’t control you – you’re the GM! (increase the die roll to 9 if it is less than 9).

› Planetary Orbits And › Life On Other Planets

Distances Each rocky planet or moon has a chance of
Finally, determine the orbital period (year) intelligent life. Intelligent life is unlikely to
and orbital distance (in Astronomical Units, occur on a gas or ice giant (unless you wish
or AU) of each planet by rolling 1d6 for the to devise a very exotic alien species, perhaps
first planet and selecting the number of which lives in a gas giant’s atmosphere, drifting
days of its orbital period and then for each about on huge wings and never landing).
planet thereafter, add a cumulative d6 to The chance of intelligent life is based
the ongoing total to determine each orbital on the planet’s Habitability Rating. Simply
period in sequence. Let the d6 “explode” if roll 2d6; if you roll equal to or lower than
you roll a 6 – that allows for longer gaps in the the planet’s HR, intelligent life is present.
progression. Continue to create a civilization.

d6 days d6 yrs d6 yrs d6 yrs d6 yrs d6 yrs d6 yrs d6 yrs

1 10 7 1.2 13 6 19 12 25 20 31 50 37 500 43 1200
2 25 8 1.5 14 7 20 13 26 25 32 75 38 600 44 1400
3 50 9 2 15 8 21 14 27 30 33 100 39 700 45 1600
4 100 10 3 16 9 22 15 28 35 34 150 40 800 46 1800
5 200 11 4 17 10 23 16 29 40 35 200 41 900 47 2000
6 350 12 5 18 11 24 17 30 45 36 300 42 1000 48* 2500
*Beyond 48, add 500 years per planet

You also determine a planet’s distance (in AU) › Naming Planets

from its star in this manner. The number of years There is no standard convention for
is equal to the distance in AU from the star. If the naming planets. Names can be derived from
orbital period is less than a year, simply divide mythology, from history, from the names
the orbital period in days by 350. For example, of famous people or fictional characters,
a planet with an orbital period of 15 years has an or even simply after their parent star (for
orbital distance of 15 AU. If you want to be a bit example, Epsilon Eridani VII). Planets within
more realistic, vary this figure by 3d6%. a given system often follow a pattern (the
Populated planets tend to have names, Sol system’s planets, with the exception
as do those with strategic value. With of Earth, are named after Roman gods).
billions upon billions of planets in just one Following are some ideas, but you should let
galaxy, however, most planets simply have a your imagination run free.
classification. A planet’s classification is the Note that none of these lists are intended
star’s name appended with a roman numeral to be comprehensive.

248
 Roman gods: Diana, Fortuna, Janus,
Jupiter, Juno, Mars, Bellona, Mercury,
Neptune, Pluto, Proserpina, Saturn, Ceres,
Venus, Vulcan, Cupid, Minerva, Bacchus,
Vesta.
Greek gods: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon,
Demeter, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Artemis,
Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, Dionysus,
Hades, Hypnos, Nike, Janus, Nemesis, Iris,
Hecate, Tyche.
Egyptian gods: Amun, Anubis, Aten, Atum,
Bastet, Bes, Geb, Hapy, Hathor, Horus, Isis,
Khepri, Khnum, Ma’at, Nephthys, Nun, Nut,
Osiris, Ptah, Ra, Sekhmet, Seshat, Seth, Shu,
Sobek, Tawaret, Tefnut, Thoth.
Norse gods: Baldr, Bragi, Elli, Forseti, Freyja,
Frigg, Heimdal, Joro, Loki, Magni, Mimir, Nerbus,
Nott, Odin, Ran, Sif, Thor, Tyr, Vali.
Greek titans: Oceanus, Tethys, Hyperion,
Theia, Coeus, Phoebe, Cronus, Rhea,
Mnemosyne, Themis, Crius, Iapetus, Oceanids,
Potamoi, Helios, Selene, Eos, Leto, Asteria,
Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, Menoetius,
Astraeus, Pallas, Perses.
Greek heroes: Hercules, Achilles,
Odysseus, Jason, Perseus, Pirithous, Oedipus, Lucifer, Mammon, Moloch, Morpheus, Orcus,
Orpheus, Theseus, Bellerophon, Triptolemus, Oriax, Pazazu, Rakshasa, Shaytan, Zepar,
Atalanta, Agamemnon, Paris, Ajax. Zeminiar.
Mythological creatures: Centaur, Asbolus, Angels: Abaddon, Abathar, Ariel, Azazel,
Chiron, Nessus, Cerberus, Chimera, Medusa, Brachiel, Gabriel, Harut, Zadkiel, Marut,
Stheno, Euryale, Graeae, Minotaur, Mormo, Nakir, Penemue, Raziel. Tennin, Uriel, Uzziel,
Lamia, Hydra, Charon, Orthrus, Pholus, Pan, Zephon.
Dionysus, Scylla. Slavic folklore: Veles, Svetovit, Perun,
Dazhbog, Czernobog, Bielobog, Dobra Kob,

»5.Building a Universe
Cities*: Bangkok, Beijing, Cairo, Delhi,
Dhaka, Istanbul, Lagos, London, Moscow, York, Zla Kob, Vesna, Domovoi, Gamayun, Alkonost,
Seoul, Tokyo, Paris, Rome, Shanghai. Sirin, Koschei, Bogatyr, Vodianoi, Mokosh.
Astronomers: Ptolemy, Copernicus, Bahe, Chinese mythology: Qilin, Chishou, Pixiu,
Kepler, Galilei, Newton, Hubble, Sagan, Suanni, Bixi, Bi’an, Taotie, Baxia, Chiwen,
Hawking, Cassini, Halley, Merrier, Herschel, Pulao, Haotie, Yazi, Shutu, Chaofeng, Qiuniu,
Leavitt, Shapley, Drake, Fermi, Tyson. Fuxi, Gongfu.
Philosophers: Aquinas, Aristotle, Mayan gods: Itzamna, Ixchel, Ixtab, Hunab
Augustine, Comsky, Descartes, Foucault, Ku, Ekchuah, Akna, Ahulane, Coyopa, Ghanan,
Locke, Plato, Nietzsche. Yaluk, Voltan, Qaholom, Ajtzak.
Demons & devils: Abraxus, Archon, Shakespearean: Titus, Angelo, Antonio,
Asmodeus, Astaroth, Baal, Banshee, Barbatos, Ariel, Balthazar, Caius, Caliban, Cato, Chiron,
Beelzebub, Beleth, Chemosh, Dagon, Cicero, Cornelius, Cupid, Curio, Demetrius,
Demogorgon, Iblis, Forcas, Gorgon, Halphas, Diomedes, Ferdinand, Hamlet, Horatio,
Incubus, Krampus, Legion, Leviathan, Lillith, Lysander, Macbeth, Macduff, Martius,

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 Mercutio, Montague, Nestor, Nym, Oberon, Cornwall, Somerset, Cumbria, Avon, Cheshire,
Octavius, Orlando. Othello, Pandarus, Pericles, Humberside, Rutland, Wiltshire.
Quince, Romeo, Shylock. American states*: Alabama, Alaska,
Artists: Picasso, Leonardo, Cezanne, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky,
Rembrandt, Monet, Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Oregon,
Vincent, Raphael, Warhol, Salvador, Botticelli, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin.
Renoir, Hogarth. * Names of places can often be prefixed with
British Authors: Shakespeare, Chaucer, the words “New” or “Far” to distinguish
Dickens, Austen, Tolkien, Bronte, Carrol, them from the original.
Orwell, Dahl, Kipling, Agatha.
Arthurian characters: Balin, Bedivere,
» CREATING A
Bors, Bruenor, Caradoc, Gawain, Galahad, CIVILIZATION
Guinevere, Hector, Isolde, Lancelot, Merlin, A civilization is described with a system of
Mordred, Morgan, Percival, Uther, Ywain. descriptors.
Poets: Marlowe, Blake, Worsdworth, Species. You can choose to use an existing
Shelley, Poe, Whitman, Eliot. species from the WOIN rules (Human, Borian,
Scientists: Einstein, Bohr, Darwin, Pasteur, Venetian, Ogron, Android, Felan, Spartan) or
Freud, Faraday, Maxwell, Heisenberg, create your own using the species creation
Schrodinger, Planck, Curie, Eddington, Watson, guidelines later in this chapter.
Feynman, Newton, Oppenheimer, Fleming.
Type. World types include homeworlds,
Explorers: Aldrin, Armstrong, Barbosa, mining, colony, industrial, agricultural,
Amundsen, Cortes, Magellan, Polo, Livingstone, outposts, military bases, and uninhabited,
Lewis, Clark, Hillary, Columbus, Vespucci, referred to as H, M, C, I, A, O, B, and U type
Cook, Cabot, Boone, Hudson, Drake, Gagarin. civilizations respectively. Type X civilizations
Roman emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, represent unusual types which do not fit into
Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, the established listing.
Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus, Domitian, Nerva, Homeworld. Homeworlds are populated
Trajan, Hadrian, Antonius, Aurelius, Lucius, planets with an indigenous intelligent species.
Commodus, Pertinax, Septius, Caracalla, Geta,
A homeworld always contains a seat of
Maximinus, Gordian, Balbinus, Quintilius,
government and usually – but not always – is
Aurelian, Tacitus, Florian, Constantine.
the planet of origin for its species, even if
Kipling characters: Mowgli, Akela, Raksha, that species has since colonized other planets.
Baloo, Bagheera, Kaa, Hathi, Shere Khan, It is rare that a star system will have more
Rama. than one homeworld, but not impossible. A
Composers: Handel, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, homeworld will typically include all of the
Verdi, Brahms, Chopin, Schubert, Wagner, functions of the other world types.
Beethoven, Mozart, Bach. Mining. Mining outposts include both
Old Testament: Abraham, Kezebel, Noah, surface and atmosphere mining, and range
Moses, Samson, Adam, Eve, Goliath, Solomon, from gas giants to temperate worlds.
Ahab, Job, Jehovah.
Colony. A colony can be anything from a simple
Moby Dick: Ishamel, Ahab, Moby, Starbuck, moon habitat to a great domed city. Colonies
Queegueg, Stubb, Tashtego, Flask, Daggoe, are made up of civilians (although a military
Pip, Fedallah, Peleg, Bildad, Boomer. presence is not impossible) and are often under
Alter-egos: Clark, Diana, Bruce, Wally, the jurisdiction of a homeworld. Colonies do not
Oliver, Selina, Oswald, Dinah, J’onn. usually have an indigenous intelligent species, but
English counties*: Hampshire, Yorkshire, it is not unknown for more advanced species to
Kent, Essex, Surrey, Norfolk, Sussex, Devon, colonize populated planets.

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 Industrial. An industrial planet is one given Society. Society types include democracies,
over to manufacturing. Some planets or moons anarchies, plutocracies, corporatocracies,
serve as great shipyards. Industrial planets fascist and communist states, monarchies,
usually include extensive mining capabilities, aristocracies, dictatorships, oligarchies,
although they may sometimes be reliant on a theocracies, and republics.
nearby mining planet, moon, or asteroid belt. Earth in the year 2016, for example, is an
Agricultural. These are mainly rural average level 5 homeworld (H5iii). By the 23rd
places, often temperate in climate. Crops century it has become a prosperous level 8
and livestock are common; these worlds are homeworld (H8iv).
often pre-industrial, but some more advanced If you wish to randomly determine a
worlds focus on argiculture. civilization’s properties, roll 1d6 for type and
Outpost. An outpost is usually scientific wealth, and 2d6 for advancement level.
in nature. Research outposts are usually far
Roll Type Wealth
from civilization and often rely on having
food and other resources shipped to them. 1 Homeworld (H) Poverty (i)
Other outpost types include listening posts, 2 Mining (M) Poor (ii)
starports, hospitals, prisons, and archives. 3 Colony (C) Average (iii)
Military base. Military bases are planets 4 Industrial (I) Prosperous 9(iv)
or other bodies used solely for military use. 5 Agricultural (A) Rich (v)
In many cases they are prohibited to civilian
traffic. These locations can include research 6 Military (M) Super-rich (vi)
facilities, naval bases, training facilities, a
scout base, and more.
Uninhabited. Uninhabited worlds have no
intelligent civilization. They may still harbor
animal life if the climate allows for it.
Advancement. The advancement level of a
planet indicates how technologically capable
it is. This is represented via a number, with 2
being medieval technology, 5 being late 20th-
early 21st century earth technology, and 8
representing the introduction of FTL travel.
Wealth. Wealth ranges from poverty-stricken
to super-rich, with various categories in between:

»5.Building a Universe
poverty-stricken, poor, average, prosperous, rich,
super-rich. These are known as types i, ii, iii, iv, v,
and vi worlds respectively. Levels below average
have a credit limit which indicates the maximum
value of items which can (typically) be bought
and sold there with ease.
Wealth Catalog Code Credit Limit
Poverty-stricken i 500
Poor ii 5,000
Average iii -
Prosperous iv -
Rich v -
Super-rich vi -

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 2d6 Government The chance of a planet’s rulership being
balkanized (divided into multiple competing
2 Anarchy (an)
countries or territories) is based on its
3 Plutocracy (pl)
Advancement Level. Roll 2d6, and if the total
4 Aristocracy (ar) exceeds the planet’s Advancement Level, the
5 Fascist state (fa) government is balkanized (bk). Otherwise, it is
6 Democracy (de) a unified planet.
7 Monarchy (mo) For unified planets, roll 2d6 to determine
8 Theocracy (th) the government type. This is a selection of
9 Communist state (cm) the most common types, but there are many,
many more.
10 Dictatorship (di)
11 Oligarchy (ol) Notable Features
12 Corporatocracy (cp)
Optionally, randomly determine a notable
Advancement level is determined with a
feature of the world, or create one of your
2d6 roll. If the wealth level of the planet is
poor, deduct 1; if poverty-stricken, deduct 2 own. The first column applies to any planet,
(to a minimum of 1). You may need to put a while the second applies only to those with
“cap” on the advancement level, depending on an intelligent civilization. Some items note
your campaign (see the section on typical and an adjustment to Habitability Rating or
theoretical maximum advancement levels). Sociological rating.

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d66 Feature Civilization
11 Effervescent oceans Civil war (SR -4)
12 Broken moon At war with another world (SR -3)
13 Ancient alien structures Famous market(s)
14 Psionic amplification Ex-interstellar capital
15 Deadly pathogen or disease (HR -5) Hive population
16 Extremely dangerous animal species (HR -2) Mechanoid birds
21 Diamond core World under occupation by another power (SR -2)
22 Ice clouds Unusually high advancement level in medicine (SR +1)
23 Singing winds Extreme xenophobia (SR -3)
24 Valuable resource Extreme hedonism
25 Quarantined world Unusually hospitable natives (SR +1)
26 Major orbital battle site Major strategic value
31 Healing powers (HR +2) Humans are not allowed
32 Mythological creature(s) Unusual caste or class system (SR -1)
33 Bubbling mud pools Unusual law(s) (SR -2)
34 Secret military base Imminent stellar catastrophe
35 Major galactic religious site Major narcotics trade (SR -3)
36 Freakish weather patterns (HR -1) Gladiatorial traditions (SR -2)
41 Energy dampened Isolationist policies (SR -2)
Severe atmospheric distortion (affects
42 Diseased population (HR -2)
transporters or scanners)
43 Fluctuating gravity (HR -2) Source of a rare and expensive beverage
44 Hostile plant life (HR -3) Slave economy (SR -3)
45 Intoxicating atmospheric chemicals (HR -2) Underground population
46 Terraformed Governed by computer(s)
51 Toxic or explosive gas pockets (HR -2) Valuable commodity (spice, silk, gems)

»5.Building a Universe
52 Strange portal Privately owned
53 Earthquakes (HR -3) Major interstellar sporting event
54 Psychic phenomena (hauntings) (HR -1) Floating cities
55 Home to a powerful, wanted criminal (SR -2) Knowledge archive or library (SR +1)
56 Rogue planet (no star) (HR -2) Based on an old Earth culture
61 Post-holocaust Penal planet
62 Glass mountains Cannibalism (SR -3)
63 Artificial planet Unusual gender distribution
64 Sentient planet Pleasure planet (SR +2)
65 Hollow planet Emotion is outlawed (SR -1)
66 Exotic geysers Signing of a major treaty

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 » DESIGNING A NEW SPECIES good playable races in a roleplaying game.
That’s not to say you can’t assign penalties,
New alien species are fairly straightforward but you should consider them carefully; for
to create. The most important thing is that example, in the core rules, only one race,
you make the species a viable choice - not too Venetians, have a penalty (-2 to LUC).
powerful, and not too weak. That’s not to say
PSIONICS is an optional attribute depending
every species has to be perfectly balanced
on the campaign model. Note that PSI begins
with every other - the universe doesn’t work
at 0, so if you want your species to be psionic,
like that, and a little imbalance will not hurt
you will need to assign a bonus.
your game - but you are encouraged to aim for
species of roughly equal power levels. Follow Saurians are roughly similar to humans.
the process below. At each stage, an example They are slightly stronger than humans, and
new species will be developed. You can go their cold blood means that they have evolved
higher, but you should be careful when doing so. to be naturally resistant to change, giving
them a willpower and endurance advantage.
› Concept The starting attributes for a Saurian look like
The first stage in designing a new species this: STR +1, INT +1, WIL +1, END +1.
is to devise your concept. How similar is it
› Skills
to humankind? Is it a three-legged reptilian
species with acid blood? Or is it pretty much Your species’ skill list helps to differentiate
a human with a ridge on its nose? The species it from other species. Select 3-5 skills which
presented earlier in this book are all roughly are especially relevant to your species.
humanoid (although one is much larger than Remember that characters will be choosing
the average human) but that is by no means three of these skills; they won’t be choosing
a requirement! You should also select the all of them. The more skills you list, the more
species’ size at this time. varied your species will be. Conversely, a small
list of only 3 skills makes for a much more
Our example new species is a medium-sized
homogenous and uniform race.
species called a Saurian. It’s a nomadic reptilian
species, humanoid, but with a thick tail. Saurians Saurians are a nomadic species and are
only have one sex: all Saurians are female. trained in survival from birth. They tend to
be great climbers, especially with the help
› Attributes of that tail. Finally, many are masters of the
Once you’ve got the concept for your spear. Their skill list is survival, climbing,
species, you need to assign adjustments to running, and spears.
each of it’s attributes. You should select two
or three attributes to increase. An increase › Exploits
should generally be in the region of +1 to +2, Next you need to create a few unique
with +3 in extreme cases, and their combined exploits possessed by every member of your
total should fall within the range of +3 to +5. new species. You should aim for three to five
You can go higher, but you should be careful exploits. This part of the process is more art
when doing so. than science. You can have negative exploits,
Here are the total attribute adjustments but try not to assign too many of these.
for the core species: Human +5, Borian +3, You can use the existing races for ideas.
Ogron +4, Felan +5, Spartan +3, Android +4, Following is a short list of suggestions
Venetian +4 (includes a single -2 penalty). that you might use as inspiration to create
Generally speaking, you should not assign species traits of your own. It is important
penalties to a species intended for use as to bear in mind that many traits - such as
player characters – while there are undoubtedly strong, psychic, agile, etc. - are better
many species in the universe with attributes reflected directly via attribute assignments
of 1, they are not the species which make for than by traits.

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 Crystalline. A crystalline species might be › Developing The Species
tough to damage but vulnerable to sonic To fully realize your new species, there are
damage. They gain SOAK 5, but take an other things you should consider creating. You
additional 1d6 damaged from sonic weapons. should create at least one career unique to
your species, some unique weapons (a melee
Poison breath. A creature might posses and a ranged weapon), armor, and perhaps
the ability to breathe a poisonous gas into a new item of equipment. All these things
the face of it’s foes as a standard attack together can help make your species stand out.
action. This is an END melee attack, doing
And that’s it. After following this process
3d6 poison damage.
through, you will have created a new species.
Four-legged. Four-legged species have You might also want to create a typical
a great speed advantage. They get a +2 member of the species in the form of a
bonus to SPEED. Additionally, enemies monster stat block for convenient use as NPCs
take a -2d6 penalty to any attempt to or enemies.
knock down or trip a four-legged alien. › Random Species Creation
Camouflage. An alien whose skin changes If you’re stuck for ideas regarding a new
color to match it’s surroundings gets a species, the following table might help jog
+1d6 bonus to any attempts to hide or your thoughts. Roll on each column. If you
sneak. roll an aquatic species on a barren or desert
planet, re-roll.
Winged. Flight is a fairly powerful ability.
It is recommended that species only be
able to fly for short distances (for one
turn at a time, having to land at the
end of each turn). If you wish to have a
species that can fly indefinitely, you should
compensate for this with a major weakness
- perhaps the species is very light and
delicate, and has only half HEALTH.

› Lifespan
Determine your species’ typical lifespan.
You will need to divide this lifespan between
the three age categories (young, adult, and

»5.Building a Universe
old). Most species should divide their lifespan
equally between the age categories, but this is
not a rule - there’s no reason a species might
not stay young for 80 years, before aging
quickly and dying within a decade.
Saurians don’t live as long as humans. A
typical Saurian lifespan is about 60 years,
divided into 20 year age categories.

› Description
Finally, you will need to describe your
species. Note it’s appearance, culture, and
suitable careers. Also note a selection of
typical names.

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 2d6 Size Diet Type 2d6 Color* Build

2 tiny metals crystalline 2 white frail

3 black frail
3 small herbivorous avian
4 brown slender
4 small herbivorous amphibian
5 yellow thin
5 medium herbivorous reptile
6 red thin
6 medium omnivorous mammal* 7 green average
7 medium omnivorous humanoid 8 blue stocky
8 medium omnivorous mammal* 9 orange stocky
10 purple muscular
9 medium carnivorous marsupial
11 gray muscular
10 large carnivorous aquatic
12 gold corpulent
11 large carnivorous insectoid
*Roll twice. Once for overall coloring, and then
12 enormous energy special* for eye color.

If you rolled mammal or special on the Type And determine a facial shape and eyes from
column, roll again on the following table. Also the next table.
roll for Advancement Level unless you have 2d6 Face Eyes
already determined this from the planet’s
2 round large
advancement level.
3 squarish small
2d6 Special Mammal Advancement
4 oval close-set
2 energy bat-like Iron Age (1)
5 long expressive
3 shapechanging swine Medieval (2)
6 flat dull
4 sluglike bovine Medieval (2)
7 wide piercing
Renaissance
5 metallic dog-like 8 angular darting
(3)
9 sunken clear
Industrial age
6 metallic cat-like 10 triangular unsettling
(4)
Industrial 11 smooth circular
7 plant-based ape-like
age(4) 12 wizened unblinking
8 mechanoid monkey-like Fusion Age (6)
You should now have a rough description
Early something like this:
9 silicone bear-like Spacefaring
(7) A blue, muscular, medium-sized
herbivorous rodent-like industrial-age species
FTL
with orange, expressive eyes in a wide face.
10 invisible hoofed Spacefaring
(8) A gray, slender, medium-sized carnivorous
Advanced insectoid spacefaring species with green,
11 bloblike rodent-like Spacefaring unblinking eyes and a triangular face.
(9) The table on the next page can be used to
Very Advanced randomly select additional distinguishing or
12 gaseous elephantine Spacefaring notable features about an alien species. You
(10) can discard any which don’t match any already
Determine coloring and description from established characteristics. These can be used
the following table. to suggest specific exploits for the species.

256
 Optionally, randomly select a species feature
on the following table.
d66 Feature
11 Natural armor
12 Camouflage
13 Chameleon
14 Breath weapon
15 Psionics
16 Four-legged
21 Natural weapons (claws, teeth, tusks, etc.)
22 Tail
23 Eyestalks
24 Winged
25 Acidic blood
26 Fast healing
31 Darkvision
32 Adonis
33 Bionic
34 Long-lived SAURIANS
35 Floating Saurians are a nomadic, reptilian species.
36 Sonic attack They have only one sex – female. A purple
41 Hypnotic colour, Saurians are tall with long tails.
42 Tentacles Statistics
43 Odor Size: Medium
44 Third arm Attributes: STR +1, END +1, WIL +1
45 Strong Skill choices: Survival, climbing, running,
46 Emotionless spears

»5.Building a Universe
51 Defensive spikes Exploits
52 Slippery Cold-blooded. The cold-blooded Saurians
53 Jumper suffer from Vulnerability (1d6) cold.
54 Climber Poison breath. Saurians have a poison
breath attack; this targets one creature
55 Cold blooded
adjacent to the Saurian and is an END vs.
56 Good hearing MELEE DEFENSE attack. On a successful hit,
61 Double-jointed it does 3d6 poison damage.
62 Thick fur Tail. A Saurian’s tail makes it extremely
63 360-degree vision stable. Any attempt to knock down a Saurian
suffers a -2d6 die penalty.
64 Short-lived
Nomad. Nomadic creatures, Saurians are
65 Empathic used to continuous movement. They get a +1
66 Technophile SPEED bonus.

257
 » Designing A Career a bonus of +2 means that he will have a total
of +8 added to one of his starting attributes.
If you create a new species, you should For that reason you should be hesitant to give
create at least one career unique to that any individual attribute an adjustment of +2,
species. However, you may need to create although origins are less restrictive in that
careers irrespective of any species design regard as they are only taken once.
you’ve done. Perhaps your setting has a
It can be tempting to assign large attribute
particular tradition of gladiators, an order of
adjustments to a career in order to emulate a
psychic knights, a particular type of zero-g
perceived high level of ability. It is important
soldier, or frontier-dwelling, horse-riding
cattle rustlers of the far future. to remember that just signing up to a career
doesn’t magically make a member part of the
Designing a career is a lot like designing elite - high levels of ability are achieved by
a species. The following steps will take you repeating the career (effectively “levelling
through the process of designing a new career up” in that career).
for your setting. Alongside the guidelines, an
example Nomad origin career will be designed The attribute adjustments for the Saurian
for the new Saurian species. Nomad career are: STR +1, END +1, AGI +1, WIL +1.

› Concept › Skills
Decide on your concept. What role does List some skills offered by that career.
this career fulfil in your setting? Can that Remember that the character will only be
role be filled by another career? The easiest selecting two of these skills. As with species
mistake to make here is to confuse skill design, this list is what determines how
selection with full careers. For example, the varied that career is - a short list creates
college student career allows you to choose, a more uniform career, while a larger
via skills, what type of college student that is; selection creates one which is more varied.
additional careers aren’t needed for history, Also remember that this skill selection is a
law, engineering, and medical students. specialization - the character will be getting
better at a wide range of things simply by
Saurians grow up in a nomadic society.
virtue of the attribute bonuses.
While technologically capable, many Saurians
eschew fixed abodes and many of the luxuries The skills offered by the Saurian Nomad
of life in the far future, roaming their planet career should be simple and rustic: running,
and hunting with spear. survival, crafting, spears, hunting.

› Length › Exploits
Decide how long this career should take. Finally, create exploits unique to that
If you’re not sure, the standard is 1d6 years. career. These should be ones that can’t just
Some careers - in particular educational be replicated with a good attribute check
courses - have a set length of 1, 2, or maybe 4 (with or without a skill or equipment bonus).
years. Very occasionally something like prison If you can, try to give the career at least
or the Venetian Retreat might last longer than five exploits; more powerful exploits can
1d6 years. Origins are longer, as they take a require other exploits within the career as
character through childhood and adolescence – prerequisites. Origins, on the other hand,
they are typically 2d6+6 years, but can vary. need only one exploit.
The Saurian Nomad will be a standard The primary characteristic of a nomadic
starting career length of 2d6+6 years. species is movement and travel. Saurian
Nomads develop the ability to carry out various
› Attributes activities without needing to stop walking. If
Assign 4 points in attribute adjustments. a Saurian Nomad moves in both of her actions
Remember that a character might take this in a turn, she may still take a further (non-
career four times during character creation, so movement) action as long as it is not an attack.

258
 Having followed this process, you should disposal, and how does this increase the
now have created a new career. Here’s our challenges set against the adventurers? How
new Saurian Nomad origin career: fast can one of these agencies respond to
an attack on one of their interests, and how
Saurian Nomad [4 years]
viciously can they do so? When push comes
Prerequisites: Saurian. to shove, how far will the party have to go to
Attribute: STR +1, END +1, AGI +1, WIL +1 dismantle an agency or organization?
Skill choices: running, survival, crafting, An organization’s size represents the
spears, hunting. number of agents within it. Destroying an
organization requires ridding the world of its
Your childhood was a nomadic existence,
agents, or the leader(s) of the organization
moving with your Saurian tribe.
(removing a leader cuts the organization’s
Always on the move. If a Saurian Nomad number of agents in half as they splinter into
moves in both of her actions in a turn, she factions or seek prosperity elsewhere).
may still take a further (non-movement)
action as long as it is not an attack. Becoming a member of an organization
costs one exploit (Organization Member). The
» CREATING AN exploit is not recovered if the organization is
left, or ceases to exist. In some campaigns,
ORGANIZATION player-characters may be required to all be
WOIN Future Equipment contains details members of the same organization, in which
on organizations and how to use them to case they will use their starting free exploit
requisition gear. on Organization Member unless a career or
tradition grants them that exploit.
It’s not only player characters who have
REP scores; so do evil masterminds, powerful The organization’s size includes those
cult leaders, and militant overlords. What directly employed in the service of the
sorts of resources do they have at their organization; it does not include affiliated

»5.Building a Universe

259
 Size Members REP Locate Info Requisition Cap
Team 1-8 4 (2d6) Superhuman [37] 700
Squad 8-12 6 (3d6) Herculean [33] 1,100
Section 12-25 8 (3d6) Severe [29] 1,100
Platoon 25-50 12 (4d6) Strenuous [25] 1,400
Company 50-250 16 (5d6) Demanding [21] 1,800
Battalion 250-1,500 20 (5d6) Difficult [16] 1,800
Regiment 1,500-3,000 25 (6d6) Challenging [13] 2,100
Brigade 3,000-5,000 30 (7d6) Routine [10] 2,500
Division 5,000-25,000 40 (8d6) Easy [7] 2,800
Corps 25,000-100,000 50 (9d6) Trivial [-] 3,200
Service 100,000-500,000 60 (10d6) Trivial [-] 3,500
Force 500,000 - 1,000,000 70 (11d6) Trivial [-] 3,900
Administration 1,000,000 - 5,000,000 100 (13d6) Trivial [-] 4,600
Empire 5,000,000+ 130 (15d6) Trivial [-] 5,200

civilians, families, passengers, contractors, importance. Larger organizations are better

and so on, or to regional populations. For known, and depending on its exploits, an
example, an Administration may be the organization may only have a reputation
government of a 500-million population among certain circles like investigators,
country, but only 3,000,000 are directly criminals, conspiracy theorists, and occultists,
employed by the Administration. and so on—but remain hidden from the public
Note that in archaic eras of lower at large (it can be a bit hard to attain world
population, a country’s government can domination when anybody can find and foil
be of only Brigade size. In 1600 the entire your schemes, after all).
population of England and Wales was Any creature, NPC, or character may
only around 4,000,000, and London had a belong to an organization, whether that
population of around 250,000. be a starfleet, a spy agency, a scientific
The size category names are military- or educational institution, or a sinister
themed, but an organization does not have to corporation. Being a member of an
be military in nature. A large corporation may organization gives a creature access to
have many thousands of employees and uses the organization’s REP attribute rather
the same classifications. A single supermarket than its own once per day, along with
may have 200 employees, making it a appropriate resources (which remain the
Company, while a wealthy multi-national property of the organization and cannot
corporation may have 80,000, making it a be kept indefinitely). An organization may
Corps. The organization itself will not use also provide access to specific careers or
these terms (unless it actually is military – exploits. Note that an individual has access
and even then, different military structures only to the REP of its sub-group, not the
exist) and might call itself a corporation, a organization as a whole.
cell, a gang, a league, an agency, a church,
Locate Info. When attempting to gain
or a militia.
information about or locate an organization,
› Reputation characters make an attribute check (typically
LOG or CHA, depending on the methods used);
An organization’s REPUTATION score
the difficulty of the check is noted in the
indicates a number of things – its wealth,
Locate Info column in the organization table.
the resources at its disposal, how easy it is
to find the organization, and more. This is Requisition Cap. This is the maximum
how well-known an organization is and how amount by which an organization can outfit all
likely people are to recognize its name or its members for missions.

260
› Sub-Groups Criminal. The organization is able to handle
Large organizations are composed of illicit goods, allowing members to access items
multiple smaller organizations – one does which would otherwise be restricted or illegal.
not normally encounter the entirety of a Disciplined. The organization has a strong
megacorporation at once, or an entire army. chain of command, and good unit cohesion. In
The sub-groups have REP attributes according combat, organizations members gain +1d6 to
to their size, which tend to escalate in larger INITIATIVE as long as they are accompanied by
and larger subgroups until the final group is at least 3 other members of the organization.
the whole organization. Excellent Equipment. All of the
› Commanders organization’s agents receive a single piece of
equipment that is one stage of quality higher
Every organization (or sub-group) has than normal. Most of the time these have
someone in charge. That person, whether a failsafes that destroy the item after it leaves
squad leader or a spymaster, has a leadership the agent’s possession, or at least render it of
skill equal to the organization’s REP attribute, mundane quality after combat ends. The item
and may use it in the same way as a player is clearly identifiable as the organization’s
character’s leadership skill, donating LUC dice property.
to allies. A commander has access to the REP
of the sub-group she is commanding, not the Expertise. All of the organization’s agents
whole organization – the head of the Navy receive a basic curriculum of one rank in four
has access to far greater resources than the organization-specific skills. This does not
commander of a small platoon has. This only increase the rank of any of these skills above
applies to NPCs – player characters must earn one rank.
their leadership skills the hard way! Fearsome. The organization’s reputation
is one which instills fear in those who
› Traits
hear it. Members can make a REP mental
Organizations have one or more traits. attack against one target who can hear and
These are exploits which members who have understand them. This attack can only be
taken the Organization Member exploit gain made once per day, and no single target
automatically. Any benefits gained by being can be affected by it more than once.
a member of an organization are lost if the If successful, the target gains the Afraid
character leaves the organization. condition.
Advanced Tech. The Advancement Level Gadgets*. Each agent of the organization
of technology available to the organization receives a gadget that functions for 1d6
increases by one level. Organizations with this rounds (minimum 1 round; except the

»5.Building a Universe
trait must have mystics, scientists, or some commander agent, in which case the gadget
other means to justify their impressive gear. functions until the end of combat).
Clandestine. The organization is extremely Mental Training. All of the organization’s
secretive, a cabal as devoted to silence and agents receive a bonus +1 to a specific mental
mystery as they are to their cause. Only attribute.
individuals in the same line of business or of Physical Training. All of the organization’s
similar interests (criminals, mystics, scientists, agents receive a bonus +1 to a specific
and so forth) treat the organization’s REP physical attribute.
score as the normal value when seeking
Traditional. The organization is very old,
information about the organization; all others
and predates the current era. This gives it
treat it as one-third its actual value.
access to certain ancient secrets, allowing
Combat Training. All of the organization’s members to use its REP attribute in place
agents receive a specific free combat-related of a LOG check once per month to access
exploit. information about a subject.

261
 Wealthy. The organization has the
REP attribute of an organization one size
classification larger.
* Gadgets are found in WOIN Modern
Equipment.

› Types Of Organization
Organizations can be as abstract or concrete
in concept as you like, as strange as a hive mind
that’s taken over an abandoned starbase to an
intergalactic conglomerate of ne’er do-wells
bent on universal domination! As always, you are
encouraged to think up creative and interesting
organization types of your own to complement
the suggestions below. There are really only two
things you need to worry about when doing so:
that these grouped individuals have a purpose,
and that that purpose has some kind of relevance
to the player characters.
Each organization type below includes one
or more recommended traits; however, these
should be viewed as guidelines only.
Academies. Academies include all educational
or research institutions - colleges, universities,
laboratories, and so on. Academies often
have access to knowledge or experimental
technologies. Advanced Tech and Expertise are
recommended traits.
Corporations. Corporations make great enemy
organizations. They are often enormous in scope,
filled with so much bureaucracy that not only can
individual executives potentially get away with
murder, many of their accomplices have lawyers
able to get them well away from legal trouble.
Player characters that decide to take on a
corporation should be wary of law enforcement,
however, along with the sort of deadly talent
that truckloads of cash can purchase. Wealthy is
a recommended trait.
Criminal Syndicates. The Yakuza, Triad,
Mafia, and any other form of mundane organized
crime qualifies as a criminal syndicate. As the
name implies, these organizations specialize in
illicit activity, often with a focus on drugs, vice,
and racketeering. Their operations can range
far wider, however, and can sometimes have
members that are incredibly loyal, typically with
familial ties. Recommended traits are Fearsome
and Criminal.

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 Cults. Steeped in mysticism and dangerous to dismantle an organization that offers
beliefs, cults are another common type of support to various criminals. Clandestine is a
organization. Led by charismatic individuals recommended trait, as is Criminal.
that indoctrinate their follower, they can Spy Agencies. Spies work for agencies
appear everywhere in the world, and have of covert operatives which are, more often
operations as simple as bank heists to than not, directly affiliated with a national
pursuits as esoteric as demonic summoning. power. While some of these individuals are
More often than not, their agents are unfalteringly loyal to their country, many
fanatically loyal (often bringing their families are too willing to trade state secrets for a
into the fold). Clandestine and Wealthy are plush life of luxury and double agents are
recommended traits. not uncommon. Recommended traits are
Law Enforcement. There are no better Clandestine and Gadgets.
team players than law enforcement, and the Vessel. A ship, or a starship, can operate
vast majority of settings feature authority as an organization of its own. The crew
figures of some kind that keep the peace. requirement of a vessel can indicate the size
The organization rules are not meant to be organization is is. Recommended traits are
implemented with police as a whole, but Excellent Equipment and Expertise.
specific divisions like a unit of homicide
detectives, paranormal case workers, Vigilantes. When superheroes or
and so forth. Of all the different types of supervillains team together, they can become
organizations, they are by and far the most truly potent forces that can affect change on
responsive and easiest to instigate. Disciplined a national or even global level. Fortunately,
is a recommended trait. power seems to come with no small bit of
egotism and most larger groups fail to remain
Mercenaries. Some soldiers keep on united for long, splintering into smaller
fighting well after the war ends, and they organizations that aren’t nearly as disastrous
don’t particularly care whom it is they fight for society. Recommended traits include
for. These mercenary groups are one of the Fearsome, and Physical and Mental Training.
most dangerous types of organizations and not
to be underestimated; each of their agents FSS ENDEAVOUR
is a trained combatant that has experienced
warfare. Unlike other organizations, their Size Battalion (400 crew); REP 20;
loyalty is not overwhelmingly strong and they Locate Difficult [16]; Sub-groups Platoons
can be bribed or coerced into abandoning an (departments of science, engineering,
operation with relative ease. A recommended security, and operations)
trait is Combat Training. Type Vessel; Traits excellent equipment,

»5.Building a Universe
Military. Military organizations may expertise (computers, [scientific], piloting,
come in the form of armies, navies, air pistols)
forces, starfleets, and more. They tend to Requisition Cap 1,800cr
be well-equipped, with strong loyalty and The Federal Star Ship Endeavour was
structured chains of command and sub- the first of the Endeavour class exploration
groups. Disciplined and Combat Training are cruisers. Sent on a multi-year mission,
recommended traits. it explored the fringes of the galaxy. It’s
Shadow Services. Who cleans up the 400 strong crew is, additionally, a sub-
bodies piled up by hitmen, and who supplies group of the Navy, which is a Service-sized
their guns or sells the artwork stolen by cat organization.
burglars? A commonly glossed over set of
organizations exist to support the shadowy › Historical Populations
underside of society and they are essential to The table below is for reference purposes
its workings. With this fundamental priority, only, and gives the historical population of an
all but the most stubborn and vengeful choose average country through archaic and modern

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 Year Country Capital City* Adminstration Military
43 AD (Roman Britain) 4M 35,000 400K (Service) 20K (Division)
500 AD (Dark Ages) 2M 15,000 200K(Service) 10K (Division)
1066 AD (Middle Ages) 2M 18,000 200K (Service) 10K (Division)
1300 AD (Middle Ages) 4M 45,000 400K (Service) 20K (Division)
1600 AD (Tudors) 4M 250,000 400K (Servive) 20K (Division)
1700 AD (Enlightenment) 6M 600,000 600K (Force) 30K (Corps)
1750 AD 7M 750,000 700K (Force) 35K (Corps)
1800 AD (Industrial
9M 1M 900K (Force) 45K (Corps)
Revolution, Victorian)
1900 AD (Edwardian) 41 M 1M 4.1M (Administration) 205K (Service)
1980 AD 50M 6M 5M (Administration) 250K (Service)
2000 AD 65M 8M 6.5M (Empire) 325K (Service)
*Quarter this value for other cities

eras. 10% of a population is usually employed by process; feel free to ignore any of them.
government and is counted for organizational This method is the reverse method to
size purposes. 5% of a government is usually the creating a character, because you are starting
military (or 0.5% of the population), which is at your desired result and working backwards -
often divided into thirds (army, navy, air force) you will know in advance that you want an 8d6
in modern eras, or half (army, navy/starfleet) in “brute” style robot, and this informs the rest
archaic and future eras. of the creature’s statistics.
How these figures extend into the future Once you have decided on your creature
is entirely up to you! If you have created concept, following these steps.
a world, you already know its population,
and you can easily determine the size of its › Max dice pool (MDP)
administration and military. Choose your monster’s Maximum Dice
Pool. This will decide many of the following
» CREATING A MONSTER statistics. You should start with an idea of how
OR NPC powerful you want your monster to be. For
comparison, a starting character is 5d6, and a
This creature design engine is a process fire dragon is 15d6.
by which you will be able to easily create a
monster, creature, or generic NPC type.
You can create anything from alien
monstrosities to reusable NPC stat
blocks such as “Soldier” or “Psionic
Interrogator”.
Monsters and generic NPCs
tend to be a bit more arbitrary
than player characters. Of course,
a monster can have whatever
statistics you need - if you need
your 3-foot alien furry bear to
have STR 20 or 200 HEALTH for
some reason, you can just assign
those values. The following is just a
set of guidelines to help your design

264
 PCs tend to be a little more optimised The creature’s size uses the same
than monsters, so monster scores are slightly scale as player characters, and includes
higher. Generally, a monster with +1 MDP tiny (mouse-sized), small (dog-sized),
over a PC is a challenging match which the medium (human-sized), large (tiger-
PC should win. +2 MDP means the PC will sized), enormous (elephant-sized), gigantic
probably lose one-on-one, and with +3 MDP (whale-sized), colossal (kaiju-sized), and
the PC is almost certain to be defeated. titanic (skyscraper-sized).
Throughout this section, the term “MDP” You also need to know the creature’s
means “Maximum Dice Pool”. Throughout type. This is an open-ended list which
this section, when you halve, quarter, or includes, but is not limited to, the
otherwise divide the MDP to derive a value, following creature types: aquatic, avian,
always round up. beast, changeling, crystalline, insectoid,
humanoid, gaseous, mechanoid, plant,
› Role ,Size, & Type projection, and reptile. A creature can have
more than one type, of course - it might be
Choose a “role”, a size category, and a type
an avian mechanoid or a crystalline plant.
for your monster.
The type will help determine some of the
The role is just a broad descriptive tag creature’s exploits, which you’ll list at the
which is not used in-game, but can be useful end of this process.
when designing. Choose from: Its important to note that this is just an
 Artillery. A creature which does area “introductory” list of creature types; you
damage from a distance, such as a can no doubt imagine more exotic things like
grenadier or a ranged heavy robot. oozes and electricity monsters, and many
more.Using these details, note the monster’s
 Brute. A creature focuses on raw melee
descriptor, which is formed as follows:
power, smashing its foes to the ground,
such as a great ferocious beast or a mighty [size] [sentience] [types] (dice pool)
robot.
For example:
 Expert. A creature whose focus is not
combat, such as a medic, engineer, or Large semi-sentient mechanoid beast (7d6)
pilot.Ninja. A fast, mobile melee creature,
› Attributes
able to attack quickly and accurately and
dance around its opponents. A creature’s attributes depends on the
monster’s role, which you chose in the
 Skirmisher. A fast, mobile, ranged creature,

»5.Building a Universe
previous step. Only give the creature a
weak in melee, but able to keep its
PSI score if you want it to have psionics. A
distance and pick off its targets from afar.
creature’s REP score will help determine
Many gun-toting bandits are skirmishers.
how much the player characters (and
 Support. A creature which heals or buffs others) know about it. The creature’s
other creatures, or alters the battlefield; mental statistics assume that the creature
this could be a specialist support robot, or is sentient, but non-sentient, semi-sentient,
an adept commander. and super-sentient creatures may radically
 Trickster. A frustrating opponent such as a alter these values in the next step.
teleporter, or psychic foe, able to inflict
› Sentience
a range of conditions.These names don’t
really mean anything. They are descriptive Also consider the creature’s sentience.
tools during the design process, but you’ll Sentience typically comes in the following
never need them again once the creature categories, and can alter the creature’s
is finished. mental statistics in the following ways.

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 Role STR AGI END INT LOG WIL CHA LUC REP PSI

Artillery MDP x 0.3 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.3 MDP x 0.6 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.2 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5

Brute MDP x 0.6 MDP x 0.3 MDP x 0.6 MDP x 0.3 MDP x 0.3 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.3 MDP x 0.2 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.3

Expert MDP x 0.3 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.3 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.6 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.3 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.6

Ninja MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.6 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.2 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.4

Skirmisher MDP x 0.3 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.3 MDP x 0.6 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.3 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.2 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.4

Support MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.6 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.6

Trickster MDP x 0.3 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.3 MDP x 0.6 MDP x 0.6 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.6 MDP x 0.3 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.8

Non-sentient. Non-sentient does not Sentient creatures should be assigned mental

necessarily mean non-intelligent. Non-sentient attributes normally.
creatures are immune to mental attacks. Super-sentient. Generally with LOG and INT
Semi-sentient. These are dogs, wolves, attributes of 20 or more, these creatures are
bears, and other animal-level intelligent supra-geniuses far beyond even the greatest of
creatures. Semi-sentient creatures have humans. Super-sentient creatures automatically
1-2 (1d6) LOG (carnivores are usually more have the power of truesight, which enables
intelligent than herbivores), and may often them to see through illusions, invisibility,
have INT attributes as high as their AGI and disguises. They can also see in the dark,
attributes. INT represents senses, perception, and through obscuring effects like smoke,
and animal cunning. Note that creatures although not through cover. Additionally, super-
known for specific senses (such as owls) can sentient creatures can automatically speak and
also have extremely high skill ranks in those understand any language.
specific abilities. CHA tends to be 1 (for ugly
critters) or 2 (for attractive critters). WIL will › Defenses
tend to be around average (4) unless there is a You now need to determine the creature’s
compelling reason to do otherwise. four DEFENSEs. Each DEFENSE is high, medium,
Sentient. This includes most living sentient or low, and is based on the monster’s MDP. The
creatures with LOG attributes of 2 or more. lowest a DEFENSE can be is 10.
Role MELEE RANGED MENTAL VITAL
low high medium low
Artillery
MDP x 2 MDP x 4 MDP x 3 MDP x 2
high low low hig
Brute
MDP x 4 MDP x 2 MDP x 2 hMDP x 4
low medium high low
Expert
MDP x 2 MDP x 3 MDP x 4 MDP x 2
high medium low medium
Ninja
MDP x 4 MDP x 3 MDP x 2 MDP x 3
low high medium medium
Skirmisher
MDP x 2 MDP x 4 MDP x 3 MDP x 3
medium medium high medium
Support
MDP x 3 MDP x 3 MDP x 4 MDP x 3
low medium high low
Trickster
MDP x 2 MDP x 3 MDP x 4 MDP x 2

266
 STATISTIC Tiny Small Medium Large Enormous Gigantic Colossal Titanic
MELEE DEFENSE +4 +2 - -2 -4 -8 -16 -16
RANGED
+4 +2 - -4 -8 -16 -32 -32
DEFENSE
VITAL DEFENSE -2 -2 - +2 +4 +6 +8 +16
ACTIONS 2 2 2 2 3 4 5 6
HEALTH x1 x1 x1 x1 x1.5 x2 x3 x5
REACH 5’ 5’ 5’ 5’ 10’ 15’ 20’ 40’
78 120+
STR Cap 1 (1d6) 3 (2d6) 10 (4d6) 15 (5d6) 21 (6d6) 45 (9d6)
(12d6) (15d6+)

If your monster doesn’t fit neatly into › SOAK

these categories, that’s fine (a dragon is a Most creatures have a SOAK value. When
brute with some artillery traits, for example). you assign SOAK, you won’t necessarily know
Just pick the closest match and tweak it, or where that SOAK comes from - it may be from
use entries from different roles. Remember, armor they are wearing, or from a tough hide,
these are guidelines, not rules. or thick fur, or a hard shell. You’ll have a total
You then need to adjust for SIZE (see the amount of SOAK appropriate to the creature;
table below). While size can affect physical you can describe it however you wish.
attributes, it does not necessarily correlate to Like before, you will be choosing from high,
them - a tiny, tiny tardigrade might have an medium, and low SOAK.
END score many times higher than a human.
Role SOAK HEALTH
STR, however, is an attribute you might
consider capping by size; you don’t have to Artillery low MDP x 0.5 low MDP x 3
(after all, there’s nothing wrong with a tiny
super-strong robot!) but a suggested cap is high high
Brute
presented in the table below. MDP x 2 MDP x 10
low low
Expert
MDP x 0.5 MDP x 3
medium medium
Ninja
MDP x 1 MDP x 6
low low
Skirmisher
MDP x 0.5 MDP x 3

»5.Building a Universe
medium medium
Support
MDP x 1 MDP x 6
low low
Trickster
MDP x 0.5 MDP x 3

› HEALTH
HEALTH is an important value. As always,
we choose from high, medium, and low,
scores, and then we adjust for size. These
values can be found in the same table as the
SOAK table.
Size affects HEALTH as follows: enormous
x1.5, gigantic x2, colossal x3, and titanic x5.
Monsters tend to have higher HEALTH than
PCs. This abstracts the fact that they don’t

267
 have all the resources available that PCs have that it does not need to make any attribute
to heal and recover. checks to move in this manner, and it uses
the speed listed for the primary movement
› Initiative, Perception, mode.
& Speed
Role INITIATIVE PERCEPTION SPEED
medium high slow
Artillery
MDP x 0.75 MDP x 1 MDP x 0.5
low low slow
Brute
MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5
low medium medium
Expert
MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.75 MDP x 1
high medium fast
Ninja
MDP x 1 MDP x 0.75 MDP x 1.5
medium high fast
Skirmisher
MDP x 0.75 MDP x 1 MDP x 1.5
medium medium medium
Support
MDP x 0.75 MDP x 0.75 MDP x 1
high high fast
Trickster
MDP x 1 MDP x 1 MDP x 1.5

If the creature can fly, you should note

Using the same method, determine your whether or not it can hover by putting the
monster’s INITIATIVE, PERCEPTION, and word “hover” in parenthesis after its FLY
SPEED scores. speed; if it cannot hover, it must move at least
You will need to assign movement modes half its FLY speed each round to stay aloft.
at this time. The listed SPEED is for the
creature’s primary movement mode. For › Attacks
additional modes, it moves at half SPEED. You will need to determine the creature’s
If a creature has a natural movement melee and ranged attack pools, plus an
mode, it is denoted in the stat block with optional mental attack pool and psionic attack
a “+” symbol (e.g. CLIMB+ 8); this means pool. Only include the latter two if they are

Role MENTAL ATTACK RANGED ATTACK MENTAL ATTACK

low high low
Artillery
MDP x 0.5 MDP x 1 MDP x 0.5
high medium low
Brute
MDP x 1 MDP x 0.75 MDP x 0.5
low low medium
Expert
MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.75
high low low
Ninja
MDP x 1 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5
low high low
Skirmisher
MDP x 0.5 MDP x 1 MDP x 0.5
medium medium medium
Support
MDP x 0.75 MDP x 0.75 MDP x 0.75
low medium high
Trickster
MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.75 MDP x 1

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relevant; the psionic attack pool, if it exists, with MDP 8 does a Burst 4). The attack
is the same as the most thematically similar attacks all creatures within the burst
existing attack pool - most likely ranged (for area (make only one attack roll and
something like a lightning bolt) or mental (for only one damage roll and apply it to all
something like a psionic blast). targets in the area). A psi-cop unleashes
Most creatures will only use their primary a psionic blast or soldier fires a grenade
attack pool, but if a PC charges a ranged launcher.
attacker, it might be forced to resort to its  Cone. Alternatively, the artillery could
weaker attack mode. unleash a half MDP cone such as a breath
The attack values in particular can be weapon or flamethrower.
tweaked. If you want your brute to have a high
Brute
ranged attack, go right ahead and assign it.
 Stop Right There! Enemies which try to
You might consider giving some creatures
move past the brute (move within reach)
with a high single attack a secondary medium
are subject to a free action attack, which
area attack. A dragon’s breath weapon would
stops their movement if successful.
be a good example of this.
 Charge. The brute moves its SPEED and
Damage. Damage tracks with the attack
makes an attack with one action.
pool, and is 50% of the attack pool. For
example, an attack pool of 8d6 means 4d6  Burst. The brute uses an action to attack
damage, while 7d6 would become 3d6+3. all adjacent targets. On a hit they are
You will need to assign the damage type pushed back 10’.
manually.  Cone. Alternatively, this could be a cone
Range. A ranged attack has a range in 5’ such as a tail swipe.
squares of MDP x 1.5, unless the creature is a
skirmisher or artillery, in which case the range
is MDP x 2.

› Exploits
You now need to give the creature
exploits. This is by far the most arbitrary
part of the process. You should be inventive
with its exploits - each creature should feel
different. There’s a whole smorgasbord of
area attacks, grabs, throws, mental attacks,

»5.Building a Universe
psionic abilities, and more. Below is a small
selection to get you started, but this is just
the tip of the iceberg - it’s really important to
note that this section is limited only by your
imagination.
Feel free to allow creatures to use
exploits from other categories; these
are listed thematically for convenience.
Creatures and NPCs should also have access
to regular exploits, and all have the ability
to Aim or Feint.

Artillery
 Burst. This attack does burst damage
(in a Burst equal to half MDP, so artillery

269
  Grab. This attack inflicts the Restrained Expert
condition on a creature, and requires  Skill dice. The expert’s primary skill
a melee attack to escape. The brute’s dice pool is its MDP. It could be piloting,
natural damage is automatically medicine, engineering, heraldry, or any
inflicted at the start of the grabbed other area of expertise.
creature’s turns.
 Analyze. For one round the expert can
 Hurl. Send a creature flying 3 squares remove one enemy’s SOAK. This only works
plus one square per size difference and, on a given target once.
do natural damage; this attack inflicts  Healing. The expert can heal allies with an
Downed condition. action equal to their damage roll. Each can
 Roar. This burst attack with a Burst only benefit once.
equal to the brute’s MDP does a
mental attack which inflicts the Afraid Ninja
condition.  Third attack. If the ninja makes two
melee attacks, it gets a third attack for
 Trample. The brute can move through
free.
a smaller creature’s square, getting
a free melee attack which knocks the  Achilles heel. The ninja can bypass SOAK
target aside and prone for the attacker’s once per foe.
natural damage. If the attack misses,  Dart In. The ninja moves its SPEED,
the brute must stop its movement. attacks, then moves its SPEED back
 Monstrous Leap. The brute leaps into again.
the air a height of 5’ per MDP, making  Stealthy. The ninja can make MDP stealth
an attack against one foe it can reach checks to remain effectively invisible.
while doing so.  Teleport. The ninja can move a double move
 Quake. The brute slams a foot, fist, as one action. A psionic ninja teleports,
or tail on the ground, shaking the area special forces use transporter tech, a super-
within its aura. The brute makes an fast race zooms to a new location, or an
attack against everybody within the alien simply makes a giant leap.
area, knocking targets prone and doing  Poison. This attack inflicts the Poisoned
1d6 damage to them. or Sick conditions.
 Monumental. The brute has double
Skirmisher
SOAK against ranged weapons.
 Perfect aim. The skirmisher gets +2d6
 Living Shield. The brute picks up from aiming instead of +1d6.
another creature smaller than itself and
uses it as a shield. The target can escape  Mobile attack. The skirmisher moves two
the grab as normal. Until then, the brute moves and make a single ranged attack at
gains the protection of a shield of the any point.
same size category (e.g. a medium-  Dive For Cover. On a missed attack, the
sized creature is a medium shield). skirmisher may use a reaction to move
Additionally, attacks which miss but its SPEED and either get prone or behind
would have hit had the shield not been in cover.
place hit the grabbed creature instead.  Backpedal. When someone attempts
 Come Here! A target struck with a a melee attack, the skirmisher use a
weapon or tentacle with a range equal reaction to step back 10’ and take a shot.
to half its regular ranged attack range is  Panicked Unload. The skirmisher fires two
pulled adjacent to the brute. The target shots at a target and if both hit, it gains a
cannot be larger than the brute. third shot.

270
Support  Disease. The creature inflicts a disease on
 Healing. The support NPC can heal allies a critical hit.
with an action an amount of HEALTH equal  Poison. The creature inflicts the Poisoned
to their damage roll. Each can only benefit condition on a hit.
once.
 Regeneration. The creature automatically
 Leadership. The support has a dice pool heals a quarter MDP HEALTH at the start of
equal to its MDP to donate to its allies; it each turn.
must declare this before any dice are rolled.
Remember, this is just a small selection
 Designate target. The support chooses one of ideas. You should try to vary your
target. That target may not benefit from creatures as much as possible and design
cover until another target is selected. your own exploits.
A spotlight illuminates the target or a
commander uses a tactical battlefield › Creature Type
targeting drone. The creature’s type(s) also grant it some
 Battlefield control. The support can exploits or other adjustments. Apply these now.
create difficult terrain or darkness in a Aquatic. The creature gains a SWIM speed
burst area radius equal to its MDP. An equal to its regular SPEED. It can breathe
ice cannon creates an icy patch, or an underwater. Swimming is a natural movement
engineer throws caltrops mode for aquatic creatures.
 Summon. The support can summon, Avian. The creature gains a FLY speed
create, or activate activate 1d6 mooks. An equal to its regular SPEED. Flying is a natural
engineer activates some security droids, or movement mode for avians.
a commander summons some ninjas.

Trickster › 75%?
 Teleport. The trickster can move a Some of the above tables ask you to use
double move as one action, bypassing any 75% of MDP. Here’s that calculated for you.
obstacles.
Dice Pool 75% is…
 Deceive. An illusion of self disguises the
trickster’s true location. 4d6 3d6
5d6 3d6
 Controller. A mental attack makes the
target Charmed. 6d6 4d6
7d6 5d6
 Taunt. A mental attack makes the target

»5.Building a Universe
Angry. 8d6 6d6
9d6 6d6
General/Unusual 10d6 7d6
 Aura. An aura equal to half the creature’s 11d6 8d6
MDP does low damage or inflicts a 12d6 9d6
condition.
13d6 9d6
 Berserker. The creature gains +1d6 14d6 10d6
damage when below half HEALTH; it
15d6 11d6
cannot stop attacking until all foes are
16d6 12d6
dead.
17d6 12d6
 Called Shot. The creature has a weakness
18d6 13d6
which can be exploited via a Called Shot
(-2d6 to hit). This might inflict a condition, 19d6 14d6
or even kill it outright. 20d6 15d6

271
 Beast. These are normal animals such as
dogs, bears, and dinosaurs.
Changeling. A rare creature type,
changelings are able to alter their shape and
appearance. The exact details of this varies.
They are typically immune to critical hits and
conditions.
Crystalline. Crystalline creatures are
resistant to heat damage (SOAK 5 heat), but
vulnerable (1d6) to sonic damage due to
their brittle nature. They are immune to the
Bleeding condition.
Insectoid. Climbing is a natural movement
mode for insectoids. The creature gains a
CLIMB speed equal to its regular SPEED and
does not need to make checks to climb. Such
creatures can move on walls and ceilings
normally.
Humanoid. Humanoids gain no special
advantages. They are bipedal, mammalian
creatures.
Gaseous. Gaseous creatures are immune to
non energy-based physical attacks, and have
SOAK 10 to energy-based attacks.
Mechanoid. Mechanoids are immune darksight and lifesense to a distance of 5’ per
to mental attacks, are vulnerable (1d6) to point of INT. Projections are usually immune to
electricity damage, and vulnerable (2d6) to any physical conditions.
ion damage. They are usually immune to the
Sick and Fatigued conditions. Reptile. Reptiles are cold-blooded and are
vulnerable (1d6) to cold damage. They usually
Plant. Plant creatures vulnerable (1d6) to have scales granting +5 natural SOAK.
fire, but have an additional 5 SOAK. Plants
Swarm. A swarm is a collection of
usually cannot wear armor. They are usually
thousands of tiny creatures which attack
immune to the Sick and Fatigued conditions.
en masse. A swarm is immune to all attacks
They ignore natural difficult terrain, unless it
except for area attacks. When it attacks, it
is fire or heat-based.
simply moves into the target’s square. Any
Projection. Projections are incorporeal creature which starts its turn in or enters
entities, including psychic entities and the swarm’s square suffers melee damage
holograms. Projections are incorporeal. This automatically, and may suffer the Blind
makes them immune to physical weapons condition. Swarms can move through gaps
unless they do psionic damage (in the case of of any size.
a psychic entity) or ion damage (in the case of
a hologram); they can pass through physical › Skills
barriers. A projection will usually do psionic You will also need the monster’s skills.
or electricity damage, if it does any damage. While most of the time you will just be using
Projections cannot usually be killed; reducing its derived statistics, occasionally you may
them to 0 HEALTH simply disperses them for need something more specific. To determine
a while. Projections can freely fly, although these, you will need to “reverse engineer”
many do not. Projections have superior them from its derived statistics.

272
 In particular, the following skills should be carrying - four-legged herbivores, and
calculated: similar creatures, often have a dice pool in
combat skill* - the monster equivalent of carrying equal to half their Maximum Dice
unarmed combat is simply called combat. Pool.

perception - this may be named after the defensive skills - you don’t have to reverse
creature’s special senses, such as scent, hearing, engineer these, but you can if you wish. You
etc., or it may juts be called perception. may need one for each DEFENSE.

movement skill* - this may be running or You already know the monster’s attributes
some similar skill. from earlier in the design process, and you
know what the derived dice pool is, so the
tactics or reactions - the monster should related skill is simply the difference between
have one of these two skills. the two.
social skill(s)* - this optional skill, For example, if you know that the
especially for tricksters and supporters, might creature has 8d6 INITIATIVE and that it has
include bluffing, intimidation, persuasion, 5d6 INTUITION, you automatically know that
and so on. it must have 3d6 to the tactics or reactions
stealth - most creatures will have this at skill. The same applies to attack dice pools,
some level, even if it is very low. PERCEPTION, and so on.
psionic skill(s)* - assign these if relevant, You should also manually assign any
but most psionic powers will be in the form of relevant skills. Remember that creatures
easy-to-use exploits. can be naturally much better than humans

Combined Creature Statistics Table

Statistic Artillery Brute Expert Ninja Skirmisher Support

MELEE low high low high low medium

DEFENCE MDP x 2 MDP x 4 MDP x 3 MDP x 4 MDP x 2 MDP x 3
RANGED high low medium medium high medium
DEFENCE MDP x 4 MDP x 2 MDP x 3 MDP x 3 MDP x 4 MDP x 3
MENTAL medium low high low medium high
DEFENCE MDP x 3 MDP x 2 MDP x 4 MDP x 2 MDP x 3 MDP x 4
VITAL low high low medium medium medium
DEFENCE MDP x 2 MDP x 4 MDP x 2 MDP x 3 MDP x 3 MDP x 3
low high low medium low medium

»5.Building a Universe
SOAK
MDP x 0.5 MDP x 2 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 1 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 1
low high low medium low medium
HEALTH
MDP x 3 MDP x 10 MDP x 3 MDP x 6 MDP x 3 MDP x 6
medium low low high medium medium
INITIATIVE
MDP x 0.75 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 1 MDP x 0.75 MDP x 0.75
high low medium medium high medium
PERCEPT
MDP x 1 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.75 MDP x 0.75 MDP x 1 MDP x 0.75
slow slow medium fast fast medium
SPEED
MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 1 MDP x 1.5 MDP x 1.5 MDP x 1
Melee low high low high low medium
Attack MDP x 0.5 MDP x 1 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 1 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.75
Ranged high medium low low high medium
Attack MDP x 1 MDP x 0.75 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 1 MDP x 0.75
Mental low low medium low low medium
Attack MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.75 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.5 MDP x 0.75

273
 at certain things, especially when it comes
to senses, movement, and fighting. Don’t
be afraid to give them 10 or more ranks in
something. If in doubt, compare them to an
exceptional human (a professional athlete, for
example), who would have 10 ranks or so. If
the creature would be better than a trained
athlete at a skill, then give it 10 or more
ranks.
If in doubt, just give a creature a skill dice
pool of half its Maximum Dice Pool.

› Finishing Up
ones you design on your own, and you can
Finally, you will need to finish up with the surely come up with more evocative names
minor (or not so minor!) details. You should and item types than any tables can, but you
feel free to tweak any values on the stat block can use random tables for some or all of the
- if your NPC is from a race of speedsters who process if you need to.
only move at light speed, go ahead and give it
The most important caveat here is that,
a SPEED of 100, or whatever is appropriate. If
more than most things, equipment design
your creature is reflective and immune to heat
allows for very much more latitude than most
weapons, go ahead and add that immunity.
game elements. The guidelines which follow
Remember, as the GM, the monster is exactly
are not only merely guidelines, but they
what you need it to be.
should be regarded as “soft” guidelines – if
If you are publishing the creature, it’s you need or want an item in your game which
probably worth encoding those arbitrary falls outside these parameters, then go right
changes as exploits, just so that others can ahead. You can use or ignore as much of the
see clearly where they came from, but this is following material as you wish.
not vital. And if you are only using it in your
The following guidelines are designed to
home game, it really doesn’t matter!
build a standard version of an item. You
» CREATING ITEMS can design higher quality items by applying
Designing new weapons, armor, and the quality modifiers in the above table to
other equipment is a much easier task than a standard item. That doesn’t mean that
designing a planet. There are no strict rules, every item has a version at each quality
but the following guidelines may prove useful. level – a specific weapon or amor type might
The best, and most interesting items are the exclusively be an exceptional quality item.

Quality Cost Dice Pool Rarity Min. Skill Armor Upgrades

Standard Normal - Common - - -
1 (1d6;
High x3 then +100 +1d6 Uncommon +2 SOAK +1
proficient)
3 (2d6;
Exceptional x5 then +250 +2d6 Rare +4 SOAK +1
skilled)
x10 then 6 (3d6;
Mastercraft +3d6 Very rare +6 SOAK +2
+500 expert)
x100 then 10 (4d6;
Artisanal +4d6 Very rare +8 SOAK +2
+1,000 mastery)
x1,000 then 15 (5d6;
Legendary +5d6 Unique +10 SOAK +3
+2.500 authority)

274
 Dice Pool. This indicates the contribution following table to choose the first word
to a dice pool that high quality equipment in the weapon’s name, and then roll on
grants (subject to minimum skill limits). the second table to determine the second
Rarity. This is an indication of how word.
common high quality equipment is. Assigning a weapon’s statistics is more
Min. Skill. Effective equipment quality art than science. There is no intention that
is limited by skill level. This applies to all weapons be equal in effectiveness – just
all equipment, including gear, weapons, like in the real world, some are clearly
and armor. If the user does not have the better choices than others (although not all
minimum skill level required to benefit may be available at a given time).
from equipment’s quality, then the quality Damage should usually fall in the 2d6 to
of the equipment is effectively reduced to 4d6 range. The average person’s unarmed
match the user’s skill level. attack does 1d6 damage damage, so
Upgrades. Weapons and armor can weapons tend to start at 2d6 – although
be upgraded, adding new features. The some ranged weapons with exotic damage
upgrade capacity is given by its size (for types might fall below 2d6. There is only
weapons) or type (for armor). Higher one weapon in Future Equipment which
quality weapons and armor gain additional does 5d6 damage (the Korovin Private
upgrade slots. Security F58 Darkswarm Disintegration
System), and a couple which do 4d6
› Weapons damage. Higher amounts of damage are
To create a new weapon type, such usually accessed by allowing the character
as a neural lance, a temporal gauntlet, to pay for damage dice with her attack pool
or antimatter foam, simply roll on the or by adding LUC dice.
As a point of reference, it is useful
to look at the HEALTH of some common
objects. A chair has 15 HEALTH, so a 3d6
weapon is able to completely destroy it,
and will almost certain break it with one
hit. An automobile has 70 HEALTH, so while
it is unlikely to be destroyed with a single
shot from a pistol, 35 damage is enough to
break it. On average that’s 10d6, or just

»5.Building a Universe
over three shots from a 3d6 weapon; with a
lucky shot, it’s just 6d6.
If you want to completely randomly
generate a weapon, use the tables below.
First, determine the weapon’s size. You
should choose this, ideally, based on the
weapon type (if you used the random
weapon name table, the recommended
size is noted in parenthesis), but the table
below is available to randomly determine
the size of an item.
1d6 1-2 3-4 5-6
Size Small Medium Large

275
 d66 First Word Second Word (Melee/Thrown) Second Word (Firearm)
11 Electro Gauntlet (t) Projector (-)
12 Nano Hammer (s) Rifle (m)
13 Flechette Sword (m) Disintegrator (m)
14 Quantum Whip (m) Bow (m)
15 Phase Flail (m) Beam (-)
16 Radiation Mace (m) Rocket (l)
21 Sonic Baton (s) Bomb (s)
22 Singularity Lance (l) Grenade (s)
23 Stasis Spear (l) Foam (-)
24 Warp Club (m) Thrower (m)
25 Zero-point Disc (s) Ray (-)
26 Atomic Staff (l) Driver (l)
31 Thermal Scimitar (m) Cannon (l)
31 Temporal Axe (m) Musket (m)
33 Antimatter Hatchet (s) Crossbow (m)
34 Tachyon Machete (m) Pistol (s)
35 Photon Pick (l) Autocannon (l)
36 Pulse Trident (l) Autopistol (s)
41 Neural Claymore (l) Carbine (m)
42 EMP Pike (l) Emitter (-)
43 Particle Sai (s) Launcher (l)
44 Nuclear Katana (m) Railgun (l)
45 Kinetic Nunchaku (m) Grenade Launcher (l)
46 Meteor Net (l) Rocker Launcher (l)
51 Plasma Chain (l) Gun (-)
52 Fusion Manipulator (-) System (l)
53 Electron Cestus (t) Hunting Rifle (m)
54 Magnetic Hook (s) Sniper Rifle (m)
55 Molecular Dagger (s) Revolver (s)
56 Bio Glaive (l) Shotgun (m)
61 Gravity Halberd (l) Blaster (s)
62 Disruption Scythe (l) Detonator (-)
63 Displacement Javelin (m) Device (-)
64 Force Dart (t) Bazooka (l)
65 Stun Chain Accelerator (-)
66 Neutron Mortar Catapult (-)

276
 Next, using the size, determine the two-bladed sword is an exceptional quality
weapon’s statistics. weapon). This affects the weapon’s statistics
as shown in the quality table at the beginning
Small Medium Large
of this section.
Weight 1d6 2d6+2 3d6+10
Other Weapon Stats
Range 1d6+6 2d6+6 3d6+6 There is no need to assign additional
range or damage to a higher quality version
Upgrade
slots
1 2 3 of a weapon – the effect of the larger dice
pool already trickles down into both of those
Price See below See below See below statistics during play.
You can adjust the target area. Is it a single
The damage and the price of the weapon target weapon, does it affect an area of effect?
are linked. Roll 2d6 once to determine the A grenade type weapon might affect a radius
damage and price rolls for the weapon, or burst at range, while a flamethrower might
simply roll 2d6 and use the average values cover a cone emanating from the weapon.
(noted in parenthesis). Weapons which affect multiple targets cost
twice as much as single-target weapons.
2d6 Damage Price (cr)
Bursts. Bursts are usually described in
2 1d6 1d66 (35)
terms of distance from the target square.
3 1d6+2 1d66+100 (135) The below diagram shows a 10’ burst, which
4 2d6 2d66+200 (270) is one which affects everything within 10’
5 2d6+2 2d66+300 (370) of (and including) the target square.
6 2d6+4 2d66+400 (470)
7 3d6 3d6 x 25 (250)
8 3d6+2 3d6 x 50 (500)
9 3d6+4 3d6 x 100 (1,000)
10 4d6 2d6 x 1000 (7,000)
11 4d6+2 3d6 x 1,000 (10,000)
12 4d6+4 5d6 x 1,000 (17,500)

You can use quality levels in the normal
way to create superior versions of specific

»5.Building a Universe
weapon types (perhaps a traditional Spartan

Lines. A line covers all squares in a

straight line out to one range increment
from the weapon. Any creatures in any of
those squares is subjected to an attack
by the weapon. A 30’ line is illustrated
below. The line can also be a diagonal, with
each diagonal square counting as 5’. Lines
limit the range of a weapon to one range
increment.

277
 d66 First/Second Part Third Part
11 Impact Suit
12 Bionic Clothing
13 Energy Vest
 14 Reaction Armor
15 Combat Plating
16 Powered Gauntlets
21 Tactical Boots
22 Assault Helmet
Cone. A cone covers an area directly 23 Fusion Shield
adjoining the weapon. A 20’ cone is
24 Carbon Lining
illustrated to the right; the 20’ refers to
the distance the cone emanates from the 25 Biopolymer Weave
weapon. Cone areas limit the range of a 26 Survival Coat
weapon to one range increment.
31 Regenerative Battlesuit
32 Liquid Metal Jacket
33 Biosteel Skin
34 Tritanium Exosuit
35 Evolved Body Armor
36 Augmented Warsuit
41 Guardian Gear
42 Valkyrie Frame

 43 Mobile Ward
44 Infantry Mail
You can also add additional properties of 45 Reactive Padding
your own devising.
46 Rocket-assisted Breastplate
› Armor 51 Nuclear Brigandine

When designing armor, rolling on the 52 Robotic Cuirass

following table may provide inspiration. Roll 53 Diamond Shell
twice in the “First/Second Part” column, and
54 Biological Cloak
once on the “Third Part” column to generate
an item such as a Nuclear Survival Jacket or 55 Organic Covering
a Bionic Infantry Frame. You should feel free 56 Digital Mantle
to switch the first and second words around
61 Sentinel Shirt
to make them flow better, or to discard
combinations which don’t work. 62 Sonic Unit

You can determine the SOAK of the armor 63 Adaptive Harness

by simply rolling 2d6. The cost of the armor is 64 Symbiotic Exoskeleton
then based on the SOAK (see table above).
65 Environmental Uniform
As with weapons, quality can affect armor. See
66 Hazard Loader
the quality table at the beginning of this section.

278
 SOAK Type Weight (lb) DEFENSE Upgrades Cost (cr)

2 Light 2d6 - 1 1d6 x 10

3 Light 3d6 - 1 1d6 x 10

4 Light 2d6 x 2 - 1 2d6 x 5

5 Medium 2d6 x 5 -2 2 3d6 x 10

6 Medium 3d6 x 3 -2 2 3d6 x 20

7 Medium 3d6 x 4 -2 2 3d6 x 100

8 Heavy 3d6 x 5 -4 3 3d6 x 200

9 Heavy 3d6 x 5 -4 3 3d6 x 300

10 Heavy 3d6 x 5 -4 3 3d6 x 1,000

11 Heavy 3d6 x 6 -4 3 4d6 x 1,000

12 Heavy 3d6 x 7 -4 3 3d6 x 2,000

› General Equipment with the item enabling the user to avoid the
Regular items of equipment are much improvisation penalty.
easier to design. Generally, they only need a › Vehicles & Starships
cost, weight, and description which describes
the item’s function and any abilities or effects The designs of vehicles and starships are
it has. Avoid the temptation to create items not covered in this book, as each has its own
which simply give a bonus to an activity – in-depth creation process which can be found
bonuses should come from quality levels, in dedicated books.

»5.Building a Universe

279
 »THE GAMEMASTER’S JOB

T
he previous chapters guided you through adventures for the player characters. The
the process of building places and level of preparation needed will vary from
creatures for your setting. This section GM to GM – some use a collection of notes on
concentrates on actually creating adventures scrap paper, while others prepare detailed
and running the game. As such, it is made up binders covering every contingency. Some
of advice, suggestions, guidelines, and ideas. GMs are comfortable with improvisation, while
others enjoy planning and preparation.
» CAMPAIGNS An adventure, in its most basic form, is
a plot or environment in which the PCs can
A campaign is a sequence of adventures participate. As an analogy, an adventure
designed to last multiple – often many – might be an episode of a television show. A
sessions of play. Some take a month or two to number of adventures, strung together, form
complete; others can take years. a campaign, which is roughly analogous to a
Some campaigns are published in the season of a TV show.
form of “adventure paths” - these pre- There’s no strict rule on what might
published collections of adventures take the constitute an adventure. Generally speaking,
player characters through a long story arc. the PCs need a goal or objective – whether
Adventure paths are common to many games, that be to simply survive a haunted space
and are popular with GMs who have little time station, to find a lost artifact, to rescue
to prepare. They sometimes run for 10 or a princess, or defeat an evil genetically
more adventures, although shorter versions enhanced super soldier. Indeed, the length
with only 3-4 adventures are more common. of an adventure may vary, too – some are
The heart of every campaign is an designed as “one-shots”, to be played through
adventure – or a series of adventures. The in a single session of four hours, while others
GM is responsible for designing and running may take multiple game sessions to complete.

280
 It’s up to you whether you want a long, Again, there are pre-published “generic”
overarching plot or to focus on individual locations that you can use and plug in to your
“episode of the week” style adventures. Both game if you wish to. This is a useful way to
styles of game (or, indeed, a mix of each) can handle common places such as bars, shops,
be very rewarding. typical starships, and the like.

› Published Adventures › Premise

At the back of this rulebook, you’ll find a You only need to look to popular science
short excerpt from an adventure. This is an fiction shows and movies for inspiration on a
example of a published adventure. Designing wide range of basic premises for your setting.
adventures can be very rewarding, but it Here are some you might recognise:
can also be a lot of work- and published Following a devastating war, Earth has
adventures are there to save you time or give been occupied by an alien force. Human
you ideas. There are adventures available for rebels mount a rebellion as they try to
the W.O.I.N. roleplaying game, and you are take their planet back.
encouraged to avail yourself of them.
A starship explores the edges of known
› Creating An Adventure space, discovering new worlds and
Creating an adventure is part art and part civilizations.
science. The GM will need to devise a plot, A mighty vessel is stranded in unknown
create antagonists, and prepare locations. The space, slowly making its way back home
process is somewhat akin to writing a novella, while fending off an implacable enemy.
except that the GM only controls most of the A space station guards a location of
cast. strategic importance.
Start by outlining the basic premise or In a border town on a hostile world,
plot. This is the most important step, because aliens and humans struggle to maintain an
everything else springs from there. In fact, uneasy peace.
that can be your whole preparation – there are
resources and creatures and more available A newly discovered portal allows for
in this very book to help you run things on the instant travel to fantastic worlds.
fly – but it can help to detail important NPCs, A great civil war tears the galaxy apart as
locations, and events. a plucky resistance fights back against an
NPCs and creatures can be created from oppressive empire.
scratch, or you can borrow pre-published A neutral space station sits between five
ones. You don’t need to individually craft galactic powers.

»5.Building a Universe
every redshirt or bandit; a standard stat block A group of smugglers does their best to
will do. You should, however, take the time make a living the only way they know how.
to individually create important, named NPCs.
You can do this by modifying an existing stat An evil galactic corporation tries to
block, or by creating an NPC from scratch capture and breed dangerous xenomorphs
using the character generation process. for unknown reasons.
Locations also form an important part of Humanity and the world we know are just
adventure design. Whether it’s a space station, a computer program, constructs in a great
a starship, a dusty frontier town, an exotic machine.
alien bar, or a warlord’s fortress, it often helps If you use other WOIN books, you can also
to prepare a map of important locations in include contemporary or medieval elements
advance. You don’t need to map out every for a time-travel campaign, one in which
shop and house, but notable locations certainly advanced technology permeates the modern
benefit from this treatment – especially if you world, or where different planets have wildly
expect combat to take place there. different advancement levels.

281
 › Locations A futuristic metropolis of neon
The panoply of locations available to the A grey, forbidden military base
discerning sci-fi GM is vast indeed. This list is
Dark caverns which hold secrets of the past
merely a few examples designed to fire your
imagination. An intergalactic circus or zoo
A ramshackle trader town on a frontier A dinosaur planet
world An exquisite ballroom full of intergalactic
An exotic alien bar full of smugglers and dignitaries
bounty hunters A colony in a hollowed out asteroid
A galactic warlord’s fortress An exotic market on a distant planet
An ancient space vessel from before where anything can be had for the right
recorded history price
A deserted and seemingly haunted space An intergalactic graveyard
station A cliff upon which is written the oldest
A paradise pleasure planet writing in the universe
A ruined city, destroyed by war A time-travel facility dedicated to
glimpsing the final hours of the universe
A busy federal starbase
A dark nebula containing a mysterious
A primitive planet where the natives think planet whose existence is a secret
technology is magic
The underwater seas of an ice planet
A mining colony run by a corrupt
corporation A planetary system deconstructed to
create a Dyson Sphere
A penal colony overrun by alien creatures
A planet of intelligent apes
A monitoring station hovering within the
upper atmosphere of a gas giant
An apparently abandoned starcraft of
immense size hurtling towards an unknown
destination and unwavering from its path
A city at the core of a planet, protected
from the magma by a failing forcefield
A megalithic, automated factory blindly
turning out vast quantities of items for a
race long dead
A floating graveyard of broken starships,
the remnants of an ancient battle
A fleet of city-sized fishing trawlers
dredge-netting the oceans of an alien
waterworld
An arena ship that flies from planet-to-
planet, offering huge prizes to those brave
enough to participate in the games
A haunted area of space that brings
back the ghosts of the dead, and drives
pilots mad

282
 A arcology built on the back of a vast Alternative timelines
whale-like beast that swims through the Ghosts and hauntings
vacuum
When stuck for inspiration, use the
A continent-sized scrapyard which contains following table to randomly create the
anything you might wish to find name of a sci-fi adventure in the style of a
An upmarket, swanky, in-demand night classic serial.
club, with multiple floors, false ceilings,
lift shafts, secret booths, and more usual » STARTING THE GAME
facilities like zero-G dance floors
When beginning play, it is important to
A great university and center of galactic establish why the PCs are working together.
learning WOIN is a game which very much encourages
A zero-G three-dimensional sports field teamwork and cooperation. There are many
reasons for characters to work together,
› Events and unless the plot specifically requires
A setting is a living, breathing thing, and otherwise, the assumption should be that
you should consider events to be as crucial to they already know each other and have
your adventures as locations are. They can worked together before.
provide a colourful backdrop, or they can be If your characters are the crew of a
the focus of your adventure. starship, or members of a spy agency, or
A secret meeting of galactic crime bosses soldiers, or part of some other specific
organization, this task virtually accomplishes
A hostile takeover of a peaceful planet
itself. Otherwise, the players should all
The outbreak of a great war agree on their recent history and reasons for
A great science conference being together.
The trial of an infamous war criminal › The One-Sheet
Vital treaty negotiation between hostile
powers You should design a single-page summary
of your setting to your players. While you can,
The appearance of a previously unknown of course, make more detailed information
species available, your “one-sheet” should provide
A great threat which unifies previously quick pertinent details which are enough to
hostile civilizations convey the premise and any particular rules
The sudden destruction of an important or materials in use. An eye-catching name and

»5.Building a Universe
planet piece of art can round this off very quickly.
Think of it like a movie-poster, albeit with
The galactic boxing heavyweight
more information.
championship match
The one-sheet engages your players and
A supernova
provides them with enough information
to get started without deluging them with
› Weird Science
too much data. Try to include information
There are many more fantastical concepts on the key overall setting points discussed
which can help inform an adventure. Here are earlier in this book: where and when;
some of them. technology (especially travel, transporters,
Time travel communication, weaponry, mechanoids);
Alternate universes aliens; psionics. You should keep it to a single
side of paper, and ensure that you have a
Ancient horrors at the edge of the universe copy for each player. There is an example of
Magic a one-sheet over the page.

283
 d66 Part 1 (1-3) Part 1 (4-6) Part 2 (1-3)
11 Child Hive ...of... Destruction
12 Edge State ...of... Terror
13 Keys Keeper ...of... Eternity
14 Reign Warriors ...of... Darkness
15 Planet Resurrection ...of... Fear
16 Power Caves ...of... The Deep
21 Evil Attack ...of... Death
22 Tomb Vengeance ...of... War
23 Enemy Mark ...of... Blood
24 Web Revelation ...of... Evil
25 Fury Aliens ...of... Horror
26 Revenge Parting ...of... Doom
31 Seeds Age ...of... Mars
32 Ambassadors Army ...of... Decay
33 Terror Family ...of... Fire
34 Mind Sound ...of... Steel
35 Claws Voyage ...of... The Dead
36 Day Fires ...of... Time
41 Curse Silence ...of... Ice
42 Carnival Forest ...of... Kings
43 Ark Waters ...of... Silence
44 Genesis Time ...of... Disease
45 Pyramid Bells ...of... Famine
46 Brain Rings ...of... Pestilence
51 Masque Robots ...of... Shadow
52 Hand Return ...of... Torment
53 Face End ...of... Regret
54 Talons Depths ...of... Sorrow
55 Horror Waters ...of... Tomorrow
56 Stones Spiders ...of... Gothos
61 Androids Gods ...of... Armageddon
62 Power Ancients ...of... Paradise
63 Destiny Code ...of... Mercy
64 City Ship ...of... Battle
65 Nightmare Message ...of... Light
66 Horns Word ...of... Eden

› Descriptors get the exploit for free (although they can

Before play commences, each player should individually take the exploit the usual way).
read his character descriptor out loud to the rest As part of an organization, player
of the group. The descriptor forms a succinct characters not only have an iron-clad
summary which describes what is immediately reason to work together, but they are also
obvious about the character, and helps the able to requisition equipment and use the
players to quickly grasp who is in their group. organization’s REP attribute as described on
› Organizations page 136.
If the player characters are all in the same The GM will need to design an appropriate
organization, GMs might opt to give them the organization, possibly with the help of
Organization Member exploit for free. They the players. There are rules for creating
must all be members of the organization to organizations earlier in this book.

284
Myths of the Far
Future ted criminals o
n the
Inner Fron
tier o
f the galax
y!

down wan
g
untin
hunter, h
unty
come a bo
Be

Technology
»5.Building a Universe
The setting is an AL 10 setting (advanced
FTL, full galactic colonization, travel across
Setting the galaxy takes a few days). Space travel uses
the AL 10 speeds. All equipment and gear from
Myths of the Far Future is set on the Inner Future Equipment is available.
Frontier of the galaxy, where the grasp of the
Democracy is weak and lawless frontier worlds Psionics
and tradertowns abound. Bounties are paid for
Psionics are rare but they do exist. Any
criminals, dead or alive, and few questions are
psionic characters or creatures are regarded as
asked.
dangerous freaks. There is no “psi-corps” or
The Democracy is a galaxy-spanning equivalent.
bureacracy centered on Deluros VIII. It was
relocated from Earth centuries ago. Man is the Recommended Careers
dominant race in the galaxy, and most alien Any careers are available, although characters
worlds have become part of the Democracy. should not currently be part of a navy or other
The greatest prize of all is a wanted outlaw large organzation. The focus of the campaign is
named Santiago, worth 20-million credits. on bounty hunting. 285
 » SHIPS Stationed on a ship. Characters in the
Navy (or any similar organization) might be
Starting characters will be unable to stationed on a ship, whether that be a small
afford a starship – even a cheap shuttlecraft. scout or a vast starship. Depending on the
In some campaigns, this may not matter; campaign premise, they could be anything
interstellar travel isn’t a requirement for a from members of a unit on a large ship with
sci-fi campaign. Entire story arcs can take little control over its destination to the actual
place on one planet, or require little more commanders of a great exploratory vessel.
than an occasional passenger ticket on a This approach means that the characters do
transport or liner. Saving up for that first not own the ship like they might in a civilian
starship can be a momentous event, and campaign, but it does grant them some of the
players who obtain their ship in this way are resources of such a ship. The ship counts as an
likely to form a strong attachment to the organization, as described above.
vessel. However, this is not the only option.
Below are a few suggestions on how to deal A mortgage. In the Starship Construction
with the issue of starships. Manual, there are rules describing how to
mortgage and purchase a starship. This can
No ship. The characters do not have
be an option for players who enjoy the idea
access to a starship of their own. Much of
of micromanaging payments, crew costs,
their adventuring is planetbound, and if they
fuel, and trade. With a mortgaged ship, the
need to travel offworld then they will need
characters don’t see the money directly, and if
to pay for passage – either on a tradeship or
they sell the vessel the money goes straight to
merchant, a transport, or a commercial liner.
the bank, eliminating any issues with sudden
A free ship. Giving the party a free riches (and given that a vessel will typically
“starter” ship won’t derail a campaign. The sell for half its new value, that likely leaves
player-characters could begin play with a the characters with a debt still to pay off).
basic civilian ship, or acquire one very early in Non-payment of mortgages is treated as a
the campaign. The sample encounter at the crime, and police, navy, and bounty hunters
end of this rulebook has the party obtaining will become the enemies of a defaulting party.
a shuttle at the end of it. The only problem Each character can typically raise a number
with this approach is that the party may of megacredits equal to his REP check, with a
choose to sell the ship, netting them millions repayment of the full amount plus 50%, paid
of credits. This is something that should be monthly over 5 years. Characters can combine
avoided, and the mortgage option below can efforts for larger amounts.
assist with that.
› O Captain! My Captain!
In a campaign with a hierarchical rank
structure (such as a military campaign with a
starship captain), none of the players should
be the actual captain. Rather than having one
player outrank the others, if the campaign
is such that a captain’s decisions need to be
made (i.e. if the players are near the top level
of local command hierarchy) you can have the
players make those decisions, but not their
characters. The captain in this sense is a sort
of “communal NPC”, and the players decide
what orders he or she gives them.
In a less military campaign, of course, no
captain is required, and the player-characters
can simply make group decisions.

286
 »APPENDIX 1: THE SOLAR SYSTEM
The following is an example of a solar Earth’s nearest neighbor, Venus (G-m2V-
system – more specifically, of the Sol system M5iii) is also closest in terms of size and
some 200 years into our future. Of course, this composition. Its main difference is that a
is only one example – it’s up to you what the runaway greenhouse effect has made it by
future solar system of your campaign is like. far the hottest planet in the Solar System,
The Solar System is extensively colonized. with a dry desert surface populated by
From the subterranean habitats on the Moon frequent volcanic activity and a corrosive,
to the domed cities of Mars; from hollowed- thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide hot
out Ceres to the lonely Pluto Listening Post enough to melt metal with permanent acidic
which monitors mysterious signals from the cloud cover.
Outer Reaches; from scientific and military Earth (G-m3Tc-H8iv) is the homeworld of
bases on Europa, Ganymede, Titan, Triton, the Human race, and is a rocky planet with a
and many of the Solar System’s other hundreds mix of terrain types. It has one moon, Luna
of moons to the heavily shielded colony on (G-o3B-C8iii) which was colonized in the
Mercury, the Human Race has expanded far 22nd century.
beyond its birthplace. Mars’ orbit is home Mars (G-s4B-C8iii) is a small terrestrial with
to a massive shipbuilding industry, its moons a thin atmosphere and two moons, Phobos
Phobos and Deimos tasked to house mines and (G-o4B-I8iii), and Deimos (G-o4B-I8iii). Mars
factories. Great hydrogen and helium pumps is an established colony planet, with dozens of
hover in the atmosphere of Jupiter, collecting domed towns and cities and a thriving orbiting
vital fuel which is shuttled in automated ships shipbuilding industry. Both moons have been
to bases on the nearby moons. converted into industrial factories.
Like many, Sol’s Solar System formed 4.6 The asteroid belt contains millions of rocky
billion years ago when a giant molecular cloud objects; the largest of these is Ceres (G-d5B-
underwent gravitational collapse. It contains C8iii), a rocky dwarf planet nearly 600 miles
eight major planets, a number of dwarf in diameter with a 40-km thick icy mantle and
planets, and countless smaller objects. The a wispy, tenuous atmosphere. Ceres was the
Solar System is located within one of the outer subject of a massive engineering project in
arms of the Milky Way. The following chart the last century, and has been excavated to
shows the Sol system in terms of distance from build subterranean habitation.

»5.Building a Universe
the Sun in Astronomical Units.
Jupiter (G-g6G-M8ii) is the largest planet
Sol is a G2V yellow main sequence star in the solar system. A gas giant, it has 67
(a yellow dwarf) with 8 planets. Its nearest moons which form a planetary ring system; the
neighbor is the red dwarf Proxima Centauri, largest, Ganymede, Callisto, Io, and Europa,
approximately 4.2 light years away. Sol, all house research or military stations, as
known as the Sun, is about 109 times Earth’s do many others. Great automated fueling
diameter, and over 300,000 times its mass. platforms float in Jupiter’s thick atmosphere
Mercury (G-s1B-U) is a small, hot planet and continually shuttle hydrogen and helium to
which orbits Sol every 88 days – its rapid orbit the nearby moons. Jupiter has a dense rocky
gave rise to its name, the Roman messenger core surrounded by a layer of liquid metallic
to the gods. With no atmosphere, the surface hydrogen. Io is a volcanic moon. Europa has
temperature of Mercury fluctuates, and the a deep ice surface which covers vast interior
planet has a day lasting two years. Mercury’s oceans in which were discovered the first non-
surface is similar to that of the moon – Earth life. Ganymede is the largest Jovian
extensive plains and massive craters. moon, and the largest in the Solar System.

287
 the Solar System, and it rotates
on a sideways-tilted axis due to a
collision with a rogue planet during
the Solar System’s formation. Like
Saturn, Uranus has rings, although
they are not as clearly visible. The
planet’s largest moons are Miranda,
Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon.
Titania is about half the size of
Earth’s moon.
Another ice giant, Neptune
(G-g9I-U) is far from the Sun. The
densest of the outer planets, it has
14 moons, the largest of which is
Triton (G-o9B-O8ii), a stopping-
off point for vessels leaving the
Solar System. Triton is the only
moon in the Solar System which
orbits its planet in a retrograde
direction (opposite to the planet’s
rotation), and was captured from
the Kuiper Belt billions of years
ago. Geologically active, Triton
features nitrogen geysers and
a thin atmosphere. Like Saturn
and Uranus, it has a ring system,
although it is faint – Adams, Le
Verrier, and Galle.
The Kuiper Belt, like the asteroid
belt, is composed of millions of
It is a rocky, icy moon. Callisto is about the size objects; it is 20-times wider than the asteroid
of Mercury, composed mainly of rock and ice. belt, and includes the dwarf planets Pluto
Saturn (G-g7I-U) is a gas giant known (G-d10B-O8ii) (5 moons, the largest of
for its prominent rings. The largest of its which is Charon) and Eris. Pluto is home to
100+ moons, Titan (G-o7B-U0), is larger a scientific listening post which constantly
than Mercury and retains a dense, opaque monitors the mysterious signal from the Outer
nitrogen atmosphere which creates a warming Reaches and is manned by a team of scientists
greenhouse effect and large hydrocarbon and a squad of marines at all times. Eris is
lakes. Enceladus (G-o7W-U) is home to larger than Pluto. Other dwarf planets include
microbial life in its liquid salt-water seas. Makemake and Haumea.
The planetary rings are about 6 feet thick Persephone (G-g9I-U) is an ice giant far
and some 75,000 miles wide, and are the beyond the Kuiper Belt discovered in 2016.
remains of an ancient, destroyed moon; they
The Oort Cloud is a spherical cloud of icy
include the Titan Ringlet, Phoebe Ring, and
objects which surrounds the Solar System
lettered rings with gaps such as the Colombo
at a range of about a light year – a quarter
Gap, the Maxwell Gap and others. Cassini
of the way to Proxima Centauri. It orbits a
Mining Outpost (G-07I-O8iii), on Titan, mines
thousand times further from the Sun than does
methane clathrates.
the Kuiper Belt. The cloud is home to many
Uranus (G-g8I-U) is an ice giant with comets which occasionally get dislodged and
27 moons. Its atmosphere is the coldest in sent towards the inner Solar System.

288
 »APPENDIX 2: ALIENS & FOES
This short appendix contains a small selection of aliens and foes for use in your game.
For more detail, or for a larger selection of creatures and enemies, see the Future Bestiary.

HUMAN BOUNTY HUNTER COP/SECURITY

Medium sentient humanoid (7d6)
Medium sentient humanoid (6d6)
Armed and professional hunters for hire.
Police and security officers, trained and alert.
STR 6 (3d6) AGI 10 (4d6) END 6 (3d6) STR 6 (3d6) AGI 6 (3d6) END 6 (3d6)
INT 15 (5d6) LOG 10 (4d6) WIL 6 (3d6) INT 10 (4d6) LOG 6 (3d6) WIL 3 (2d6)
CHA 10 (4d6) LUC 1 (1d6) REP 10 (4d6) CHA 6 (3d6) LUC 1 (1d6) REP 6 (3d6)

MELEE DEFENCE 14 MELEE DEFENCE 12;

RANGED DEFENCE 28 RANGED DEFENCE 24
MENTAL DEFENCE 21 MENTAL DEFENCE 18
VITAL DEFENCE 21 VITAL DEFENCE 18

HEALTH 21 HEALTH 18
SOAK 4; VULN none SOAK 4; VULN none
IMMUNE none IMMUNE none

INITIATIVE 6d6 INITIATIVE 5d6

PERCEPTION 7d6 PERCEPTION 6d6
SPEED 7; CLIMB 4; JUMP 20'/6' SPEED 6; CLIMB 3; JUMP 12'/6'
CARRY 120lb (max lift 300lb) CARRY 270lb (max lift 300lb)
REACH 5-ft REACH 5-ft
ACTIONS 2 ACTIONS 2

Brawling 4d6 (2d6+3 blunt damage) Stun baton 5d6 (2d6+3 blunt/electricity
Laser pistol 7d6 (4d6 heat damage; range 17) damage)

»5.Building a Universe
Pistol 6d6 (3d6 ballistic damage; range 14)
Skills rifles 6 (3d6), tracking 3 (2d6), law 3
Skills clubs 3 (2d6), pistols 1 (1d6),
(2d6), stealth 3 (2d6), computers 3 (2d6),
light armor 1 (1d6), computers 1 (1d6),
perception 3 (1d6), piloting 3 (2d6), tactics
perception 3 (2d6), hardy 3 (2d6), running
1 (1d6), brawling 4 (2d6)
3 (2d6), thievery 1 (1d6), tactics 1 (1d6),
Gear laser rifle, long kevlar coat, hand
dodging 3 (2d6)
scanner
Gear pistol, kevlar vest, stun baton, hand
scanner
Crippling strike. A leg wound renders the
bounty hunter's target Slowed. Dive for cover. If a ranged attack misses a
Stunning attack. When a target is reduced cop, he may immediately move half his
to 0 HEALTH, a bounty hunter can elect to speed as a free action and either throw
merely disable it, allowing him to bring his himself prone or get behind cover if it is in
prey in alive for a bounty. range.

289
 SENTRY DROID THUG
Medium non-sentient mechanoid (5d6) Medium sentient humanoid (5d6)
Expendable robotic guards and soldiers. Thieves and bullies who prey on the defenceless.

STR 3 (2d6) AGI 6 (3d6) END 3 (2d6) STR 6 (3d6) AGI 6 (3d6) END 6 (3d6)
INT 6 (3d6) LOG 6 (3d6) WIL 3 (2d6) INT 6 (3d6) LOG 6 (3d6) WIL 6 (3d6)
CHA 6 (3d6) LUC 1 (1d6) REP 6 (3d6) CHA 6 (3d6) LUC 1 (1d6) REP 1 (1d6)
MELEE DEFENCE 15; RANGED DEFENCE 15
MELEE DEFENCE 10
MENTAL DEFENCE 12; VITAL DEFENCE 15
RANGED DEFENCE 20
HEALTH 20
MENTAL DEFENCE 15 (immune)
SOAK 5; VULN none; IMMUNE none
VITAL DEFENCE 15
INITIATIVE 4d6; PERCEPTION 4d6
HEALTH 15 SPEED 5; CLIMB 3; JUMP 12'/6'
SOAK 3; VULN 1d6 electricity, 2d6 ion CARRY 120lb (max lift 300lb)
IMMUNE Sick, Fatigued REACH 5-ft
ACTIONS 2
INITIATIVE 4d6
PERCEPTION 5d6 Club 4d6 (2d6+3 blunt damage)
SPEED 5; CLIMB 3; JUMP 12'/3' Pistol 4d6 (2d6 ballistic damage; range 8)
CARRY 60lb (max lift 150lb) Skills pistols 1 (1d6), knives 1 (1d6),
REACH 5-ft carousing 1 (1d6), local knowledge 1 (1d6),
ACTIONS 2 thievery 1 (1d6), running 1 (1d6), dodging 1
(1d6), reactions 1 (1d6)
Integrated pulse blaster 5d6 (3d6 heat Gear pistol, leather vest, knife
damage; range 12)
Dive for cover. If a ranged attack misses a thug,
Skills combat 1 (1d6), perception 3 (2d6), they may immediately move half their speed as
movement 6 (3d6), tactics 1 (1d6) a free action and either throw themself prone or
Gear - get behind cover if it is in range.

290
XENOMORPH
Climber. Climbing is a natural movement
Medium semi-sentient insectoid (8d6) mode for a Xenomorph. The creature gains
Stealthy, deadly, alien hunters. a CLIMB speed equal to its regular SPEED
and does not need to make checks to climb.
STR 15 (5d6) AGI 21 (6d6) END 15 (5d6)
The creature can move on walls and ceilings
INT 15 (5d6) LOG 2 (1d6) WIL 15 (5d6)
normally.
CHA 15 (5d6) LUC 1 (1d6) REP 8 (3d6)
Acid Blood. Any injury which penetrates the
MELEE DEFENCE 36
xenomorph’s hide causes a splash of acid
RANGED DEFENCE 27 blood, which does 1d6 damage to anybody
MENTAL DEFENCE 18 within 5-feet of the creature. Additionally,
the blood itself, should it come into contact
VITAL DEFENCE 27
with other materials, is able to eat through
HEALTH 96 metal, doing 5d6 acid damage per round.
SOAK 10 (chitinous hide); VULN none
Tail Swipe. The xenomorph can perform a
IMMUNE poison, acid
tail swipe with its barbed tail. This affects a
INITIATIVE 8d6 10-ft cone, and knocks targets prone.
PERCEPTION 7d6; superior darksight
SPEED 9; CLIMB 9; JUMP 42'/15' Poison. A xenomorph’s bite attack renders
REACH 5-ft the target Poisoned. A victim reduced to
ACTIONS 2 zero HEALTH is not killed, but is dragged
off and cocooned in a membrane of salvia
Claws/bite 8d6 (4d6+4 slashing/poison and resin, to be used as an incubator for
damage; poisoned) Facehuggers.
Tail swipe 5d6 (2d6 slashing damage; cone
2; prone) Death from on High. Xenomorphs are adept
at stealth (8d6), and often combine that
Skills hardy 10 (4d6), combat 10 (4d6), with their natural climbing ability to drop
perception 3 (2d6), running (3d6), reactions down on unaware victims. This attack gains
10 (4d6), stealth 8 (3d6) +1d6 damage and knocks the target prone.
Gear -

»5.Building a Universe

291
 » Monster List
There is a free Bestiary online on listed here. Note that the statistics below
the official website at www.woinrpg. are a brief overview for quick use during
com containing hundreds of NPCs and the game, and are not full stat-blocks.
creatures—enough to populate a universe More detail, including exploit explanations,
of beings. Some of their basic statistics are can be found in the Bestiary.

DICE
NAME DEFENSES HLTH SOAK INIT PER SPD RCH ACT ATTACKS EXPLOITS
POOL
Fists 6d6 (3d6+3 blunt
6 damage), Thrown rock
Ape 6d6 24/18/12/18 36 6 6d6 5d6 5’ 2 Death From On High
(climb 6) 5d6 (2d6+3 blunt damage;
range 9)
Shortsword 4d6 (2d6+3
8 piercing damage), Laser rifle
Assassin 8d6 16/32/24/24 24 4 6d6 8d6 5’ 2 Achilles Heel
(climb 8) 8d6 (4d6 piercing damage;
range 18)
Brawling 5d6 (3d6+3 blunt Adaptive, Forcefield,
Assimilator 6d6 18/18/24*/18 36 6 5d6 5d6 6 5’ 2 damage), Laser implant 5d6 Assimilate, Hive Mind,
(3d6 heat damage; range 9) Integrated, Scanner
Spiked club 3d6 (2d6+2
blunt/piercing damage),
Bandit 5d6 10/20/15/15 15 3 4d6 5d6 5 5’ 2 Quick Escape
Laser pistol 5d6 (3d6 heat
damage; range 12)
Laser knife 4d6 (2d6+3 heat
damage), Psi-blast 7d6 (4d6
psionic damage; range 7),
Battle Psychic cone 4d6 (2d6+4
7d6 14/28/21/14 21 4 6d6 7d6 4 5’ 2 Telekinetic, Shield
psyche psionic damage; 30’ cone),
Electrokinetic blast 7d6
(4d6 electricity damage;
range 17)
Vine 6d6 (3d6+4 piercing/ Many Vines, Grab,
Biomech Hive
7d6 19/17/28*/23 42 7 6d6 6d6 7 40’ 3 electricity damage; reach Conversion, Pod,
Tree
6; grab) Called Shot
Biotech Bite 6d6 (3d6+3 piercing/ Lifesense, Nanites,
6d6 24/18/12*/18 36 6 6d6 5d6 6 5’ 2
Hunter Drone electricity damage; nanites) Filament, Called Shot
Biomech Bite 4d6 (2d6+2 piercing Lifesense, Called Shot
5d6 10/20/15*/15 15 3 4d6 5d6 5 5’ 2
Scouter Drone damage; nanite infection) Nanite, Infection
Blaster 5d6 (3d6 heat
Blaster Drone 5d6 12/22/15*/13 15 3 4d6 5d6 Fly 5 5’ 2 Draw A Bead, Cluster Fire
damage; range 12)
Brawling 4d6 (2d6+3 blunt
Crippling, Strike, Stunning,
Bounty Hunter 7d6 14/28/21/21 21 4 6d6 7d6 7 5’ 2 damage), Laser pistol 7d6
Attack
(4d6 heat damage; range 17)
Claws 7d6 (4d6+5 piercing
9 Psychic Suggestion, Web,
Brood 9d6 23/19/36/31 81 9 7d6 7d6 5’ 2 damage), Web 7d6
(climb 9) Brood-sac
(restrains; range 14)
Brawling 3d6 (1d6+2 blunt
damage)
Cadet 4d6 12/12/16/10 12 2 2d6 3d6 4 5’ 2 Follow Orders
Phaser pistol 4d6 (1d6 heat
damage; range 6)
Brawling 6d6 (3d6+4 blunt
Always Prepared,
Captain 7d6 21/21/28/21 42 7 6d6 6d6 7 5’ 2 damage), Phaser pistol 6d6
Leadership, Give Orders
(3d6 heat damage; range 11)
Carnivorous 3 Vine 5d6 (3d6 blunt damage;
6d6 22/10/12/26 60 17 3d6 3d6 5’ 3 Many Vines, Grab
Planet (climb 3) range 9)
Morphed weapon 3d6 (2d6+2
18 Morphed Weapon,
piercing or slashing or blunt
Changeling 6d6 12/18/24/12 (regen 3 6d6 6d6 6 5’ 2 Regeneration,
damage), Laser pistol 5d6
1d6) Shapechanger
(3d6 heat damage; range 9)
Club 2d6 (1d6+2 blunt or
slashing damage), Pistol
Civilian 4d6 12/12/16/10 12 2 2d6 3d6 4 5’ 2 Mob Attack
3d6 (1d6 blunt or ballistic
damage; range 6)
Needle 5d6 (3d6+3 poison
damage), Darts 5d6 (3d6 Poison, Clockwork, Repair,
Clockman 6d6 20/20/24*/16 36 6 5d6 5d6 6 5’ 2
piercing/poison damage; Augment, Wind-up
range 9)
Constrictor 6 Constrict 6d6 (3d6+3
6d6 22/14/12/20 36 11 6d6 5d6 5’ 2 Constrict
Snake (climb 6) crushing damage)

292
 DICE
NAME DEFENSES HLTH SOAK INIT PER SPD RCH ACT ATTACKS EXPLOITS
POOL
Stun baton 5d6 (2d6+3
blunt/electricity damage),
Cop/Security 6d6 12/24/18/18 18 4 5d6 6d6 6 5’ 2 Dive For Cover
Pistol 6d6 (3d6 ballistic
damage; range 14)
5 Bite 6d6 (3d6+4 piercing
Crocodile 6d6 22/10/12/26 60 17 3d6 3d6 5’ 2 Grab
(swim 5) damage; grab)
Knife 4d6 (2d6+2 piercing
Cutpurse 5d6 10/15/20/10 15 3 5d6 5d6 5 5’ 2 Snatch
damage)
Bite 4d6 (2d6+2 piercing
Dog 4d6 18/14/10/10 24 4 4d6 3d6 8 5’ 2 Loyalty
damage)
Armblade 9d6 (5d6+6
Cloak, Draw a Bead,
Drahzik slashing damage), Plasma
9d6 36/18/18/36 90 18 5d6 4d6 5 5’ 2 Achilles Heel, Crippling
Trophy Seeker caster 7d6 (4d6 heat
Strike, Seeker’s Challenge
damage; range 14)
Gore 7d6 (4d6+6 piercing
Elephant 7d6 24/10/14/32 105 14 4d6 4d6 4 10’ 3 Trample
damage)
Disintegrate, Integrated
Disintegration ray 8d6 (4d6+5 Scanner, Self-Destruct,
Exterminator 8d6 32/16/16/32 80 16 4d6 4d6 FLY 4 5’ 2
heat damage) Disintegration Ecstasy,
Damage Modes
Claws 7d6 (4d6+4 slashing
Land On Your Feet, Killing
Felan Assasin 7d6 28/21/14/21 42 7 7d6 6d6 8 5’ 2 damage), Disruptor pistol 4d6
Blow, Weak Point
(2d6 heat damage; range 11)
Brawling 3d6 (2d6+2 blunt
Functionary 5d6 15/15/20/10 15 3 3d6 4d6 5 5’ 2 damage), Pistol 3d6 (2d6 Charm Offensive
ballistic damage; range 8)
3d6 Brawling 3d6 (2d6+2 blunt
Gambler 5d6 16/14/15/12 12 0 3d6 (insight 5 5’ 2 damage), Pistol 3d6 (2d6 Expert
4d6) ballistic damage; range 8)
Bite/claw 3d6 (2d6+2
Gobber 5 Pack Attack, Snatch,
5d6 12/22/15/13 15 3 4d6 5d6 5’ 2 piercing damage), Blaster 5d6
Scavenger (climb 5) Death From On High
(3d6 heat damage; range 12)
Brawling 4d6 (2d6+3 blunt
Empathy, Telepathic
damage), Psi-blast 8d6
Grey Traveller 8d6 18/26/32/14 24 0 8d6 8d6 8 5’ 2 Message, Telekinesis,
(4d6+4 psionic damage;
Combined Blast
range 12)
Claw swipe 6d6 (3d6+5
Grizzly Bear 6d6 22/10/12/26 60 12 3d6 3d6 5 5’ 2 slashing damage; Bearhug, Roar, Knockdown
knockdown)
Stun baton 4d6 (2d6+3
blunt/electricity damage),
Guard 4d6 15/15/20/15 30 5 4d6 4d6 5 5’ 2 Alert
Pistol 4d6 (2d6 ballistic
damage; range 8)
Pulse blasters 11d6 (6d6+7
heat damage; range 17),
Havoc Class
11d6 44/22/22/44 110 22 6d6 6d6 6 5’ 2 Grenade barrage 9d6 (5d6 Grenade Barrage
Assault Droid
heat damage; range 20;
burst 3; min 10)
Hologramatic Electrical discharge 3d6 (2d6 Intangible, Free Movement,
5d6 15/15/20/10 15 intangible 3d6 4d6 5 5’ 2
Servitor electricity damage; range 8) Immortal

»5.Building a Universe
Nightstick 8d6 (3d6 blunt
Freeze!, Backup, Stop Right
Inquisitor 8d6 32/16/16/32 80 16 6d6 6d6 4 5’ 2 damage), Carbine 8d6 (4d6+5
There!
ballistic damage; range 12)
Brawling 7d6 (4d6+5 blunt
Hunter-Killer Integrated Scanner,
7d6 28/14/14/28 70 14 4d6 4d6 4 5’ 2 damage), Pulse cannon 6d6
(HK-500) Detailed Anatomical Files
(3d6 heat damage; range 11)
Brawling 8d6 (4d6+5 blunt
Hunter-Killer Integrated Scanner,Detailed
8d6 32/16/16/32 80 16 4d6 4d6 4 5’ 2 damage), Pulse cannon 6d6
(HK-1000) Anatomical Files
(3d6 heat damage; range 12)
Morphed weapon 9d6 (5d6+5
54 Shapechanger, Integrated
Hunter-Killer slashing or piercing damage),
9d6 36/27/18/27 (regen 9 9d6 7d6 9 5’ 2 Scanner, Detailed
(HK-X) Pistol 9d6 (3d6 ballistic
1d6) Anatomical Files
damage; range 14)
Industrial Crush 6d6 (3d6+5 blunt Industrial Mechanoid, Lifter,
6d6 22/10/12/26 60 12 2d6 3d6 3 5’ 2
Robot damage; grabbed) Programmable
Insect Swarm 4d6 10/10/16/16 24 4 3d6 2d6 5 - - - Swarm, Variable Size
Pincers 7d6 (4d6+4 piercing
7 damage), Bite 4d6 (2d6
Izkik Warrior 7d6 26/17/14/23 42 7 7d6 7d6 5’ 2 Relentless, Poison Bite
(climb 7) piercing/poison damage;
nausea)
Knife 10d6 (5d6+5 slashing Surprise Attack, Achilles
Killer 10d6 40/30/20/30 60 10 10d6 8d6 10 5’ 2
damage; poison) Heel, Poison

293
 DICE
NAME DEFENSES HLTH SOAK INIT PER SPD RCH ACT ATTACKS EXPLOITS
POOL
Longsword 6d6 (3d6+4
slashing damage), Laser
Kingpin 7d6 21/21/28/21 42 7 6d6 6d6 7 5’ 2 Leadership, Give Orders
pistol 6d6 (3d6 heat damage;
range 11)
Bite 9d6 (5d6+6 piercing
Four Arms, Bearhug,
Kremlin Beast 9d6 34/14/18/38 90 18 5d6 5d6 5 5’ 4 damage), Claw 7d6 (4d6
Charge, Berserker
slashing damage)
Bite 7d6 (4d6+5 piercing
Lion 7d6 26/10/14/30 70 14 4d6 4d6 8 5’ 2 Pounce, Roar, Pack Attack
damage)
Gore 8d6 (4d6+6 piercing
Mammoth 8d6 28/10/16/36 120 16 4d6 4d6 8 10’ 3 Trample
damage)
Longsword 5d6 (2d6+2
slashing damage), Laser Hunker Down, Protector,
Marine 6d6 12/24/18/18 30 8 6d6 6d6 6 5’ 2
rifle 6d6 (3d6 heat damage; Get On With It
range 14)
Syringe 5d6 (3d6+3 poison Medical Advice, Healing
Medic 6d6 18/18/24/18 36 0 3d6 5d6 6 5’ 2
damage) Hands, Alleviate Condition
Tentacle 3d6 (2d6+2
Medusa 5d6 10/20/15/15 15 0 4d6 5d6 Fly 5 10’ 2 Psionic Attack
electricity damage)
Mind Eeel 2d6 10/10/10/10 12 0 2d6 2d6 2 - 2 - Mind Control
Tool 3d6 (2d6+2 blunt
Miner 5d6 15/15/20/10 15 0 3d6 4d6 5 5’ 2 Tools
damage)
Nanobot Swarm (1d6 auto piercing/
4d6 10/10/20/20 15 5 4d6 3d6 FLY 8 - 2 Swarm
Swarm electrical damage)
6d6
Trident 4d6 (2d6+3 piercing Medical Marvel, Marine
Neron Healer 7d6 21/21/28/14 21 4 4d6 (insight Swim 7 5’ 2
damage) Friends, Superior, Darksight
7d6)
Rapier 3d6 (2d6+2 piercing
Noble 5d6 15/15/20/10 15 3 3d6 4d6 5 5’ 2 damage), Laser pistol 3d6 Charming
(2d6 heat damage; range 8)
Zweihander 11d6 (6d6+7
Ogron Elder 11d6 42/18/22/46 110 22 6d6 6d6 6 5’ 2 slashing damage), Brawling Smelly, Bearhug, Burst
9d6 (5d6 blunt damage)
Orange 7 Electro-mace 7d6 (4d6+4 Quickstand, Leaping,
7d6 28/21/14/21 42 7 7d6 6d6 5’ 2
Monkey (climb 7) blunt/electricity damage) Charge, Whirlwind, Frenzy
Laser rifle 8d6 (4d6+5 heat
damage), Energy whip 6d6
Ogron Slaver 8d6 30/12/16/34 80 16 4d6 4d6 4 5’ 2 Smelly, Come Here!
(3d6 electricity damage;
range 8)
Claw 6d6 (3d6+5 slashing
Pterodactyl 6d6 22/14/12/20 36 11 6d6 5d6 Fly 12 5’ 2 Dive, Grab
damage)
8 Boxing 6d6 (2d6+4 blunt One-Two, Knockdown, Beat
Pugilist 6d6 24/12/12/24 60 3d6 3d6 3 5’ 2
blunt) damage) the Count
Bite 6d6 (3d6+3 piercing/
Poison, Web, Death from
Robo-Attercop 6d6 24/18/12/18 36 6 6d6 5d6 6 5’ 2 poison damage; slows), Web
on High
5d6 (range 9; restrains)
Claws 7d6 (4d6+5 slashing
damage; knockdown),
Robobear 7d6 26/10/14/30 70 14 4d6 4d6 4 5’ 2 Bearhug, Knockdown
Bearhug 7d6 (4d6+5 crushing
damage; restrains)
Bite 12d6 (6d6+6 piercing
damage), Tail swipe 9d6 (5d6
Robo-Rex 12d6 44/16/24/52 180 24 6d6 6d6 6 10’ 3 blunt damage; 15’ cone; Charge, Roar, Tail Swipe
knockdown), Roar 6d6 (3d6+6
sonic damage; Burst 12)
Robotic 7
Constrict 7d6 (4d6+5
Constrictor 7d6 26/17/14/23 42 7 7d6 6d6 (swim, 5’ 2 Constrict
crushing damage; constrict)
Snake climb 7)
Laser knife 3d6 (2d6+2 heat
damage), Pistol 5d6 (3d6
Saboteur 6d6 12/18/24/12 18 3 6d6 6d6 6 5’ 2 ballistic damage; range Trapsetter
9), Bomb 5d5 (2d6 heat
damage; range 5; burst 2)
Bite 16d6 (8d6+15 crushing
8
damage; swallow whole), Devastation, Acid Blood,
Sandworm 16d6 32/10/32/80 800 32 8d6 8d6 (burrow 30’ 6
Tail swipe 8d6 (4d6+8 blunt Splash, Swallow, Whole
4)
damage; cone 12)
Bite 11d6 (6d6+9 piercing Opportunist, Stomp, Grab,
Slatherbeast 11d6 36/10/22/50 220 22 6d6 6d6 6 15’ 4 damage), Claw 9d6 (3d6+6 Swallow, Whole, Roar,
slashing damage) Quake
Brawling 3d6 (1d6+2 blunt Sage Advice, Analytical Eye,
Scientist 5d6 15/15/20/10 15 0 3d6 5d6 5 5’ 2
damage) Electronic Attack

294
 DICE
NAME DEFENSES HLTH SOAK INIT PER SPD RCH ACT ATTACKS EXPLOITS
POOL
Brawling 3d6 (2d6+3 blunt
Sentry Droid 5d6 10/20/15/15 15 3 4d6 5d6 5 5’ 2 damage), Pulse rifle 5d6 (3d6
heat damage; range 12)

4 Seedling 4d6 (2d6 blunt

Shatter Plant 3d6 10/18/12/10 12 0 3d6 4d6 5’ 2 Oxygen, Vampire
(climb 4) damage; range 9)

Brawling 4d6 (2d6+2 blunt

Smuggler 6d6 12/24/18/18 18 3 5d6 6d6 8 5’ 2 damage), Blaster pistol 6d6 Shoot First
(3d6 heat damage; range 14)

Redundant, Organs,
Spartan Spartan longsword 7d6
7d6 28/14/14/28 70 14 4d6 5d6 4 5’ 2 Regenerate, Fearless,
Berserker (4d6+5 damage)
Berserker

Martial arts 4d6 (2d6+3 blunt

Spy 7d6 14//21/28/14 21 4 7d6 7d6 7 5’ 2 damage), Pistol 6d6 (3d6 Suave, Taunt
ballistic damage; range 11)

Laser sword 8d6 (4d6+4 heat

damage), Psychic push 4d6 Missile, Deflection, Psychic
Star Knight 8d6 32/24/16/24 48 8 8d6 6d6 8 5’ 2
(2d6 blunt damage; range Leap, Summon
12; push 10’)

Club 4d6 (2d6+3 blunt

Thug 5d6 15/15/12/15 20 5 5d6 4d6 5 5’ 2 damage), Pistol 4d6 (2d6 Dive For Cover
ballistic damage; range 8)

Bite 7d6 (4d6+5 piercing

Tiger 7d6 26/17/14/23 42 7 7d6 6d6 7 5’ 2 Pounce, Rake, Roar
damage)

Stomp 12d6 (6d6+12 blunt

Titanosaur 12d6 32/10/24/56 360 29 6d6 6d6 6 20’ 5 Trample
damage)

Brawling 3d6 (2d6+2 blunt

Trader 6d6 12/18/24/12 18 3 6d6 6d6 5 5’ 2 damage), Pistol 5d6 (3d6
ballistic damage; range 9)

Gore 7d6 (4d6+6 piercing

Triceraboar 7d6 21/10/14/32 105 19 4d6 3d6 4 10’ 3 Impale
damage; impale)

Bite 11d6 (6d6+7 piercing

Tyrannosaurus
11d6 40/14/22/48 165 27 6d6 5d6 6 10’ 3 damage), Tail swipe 9d6 (5d6 Charge, Roar, Tail Swipe
Rex
blunt damage; cone 6)

Bite 8d6 (4d6+4 piercing

Velociraptor 8d6 32/24/16/24 48 13 8d6 6d6 8 5’ 2 Pack Attack, Pounce
damage)

Extendible quarterstaff
Flying Kick, Psychic Leap,
Venetian 9 9d6 (5d6+5 blunt damage),
9d6 36/27/18/27 54 9 9d6 7d6 5’ 2 Quickstand, Whirlwind,

»5.Building a Universe
Ranger (climb 9) Martial arts 5d6 (3d6+5 blunt
Frenzy
damage)

Laser rifle 6d6 (3d6 heat Leadership, Give Orders,

Veteran 7d6 21/21/28/21 42 7 6d6 6d6 5 5’ 2
damage; range 11) Charge

Bite 4d6 (2d6 piercing

Wolf 4d6 10/16/12/12 12 2 3d6 4d6 8 5’ 2 Pack Attack, Pounce
damage)

Tool 3d6 (2d6+2 blunt

Worker 5d6 15/15/20/10 15 0 3d6 4d6 5 5’ 2 Tools
damage)

Electric shock 8d6 (4d6

Gaseous, Electric Shock,
Xenobian 8d6 16/16/32/32 24 8 6d6 4d6 Fly 6 5’ 2 electricity damage; range
Feeding
8; slows)

Spear 6d6 (3d6+4 piercing

Zouklan 6 (climb
6d6 24/12/12/24 60 12 3d6 3d6 5’ 2 damage), Rifle 5d6 (3d6 Great Leap
Warrior 6)
ballistic damage; range 9)

295
 »APPENDIX 3: THE SULIMAN BROTHERS
By Malcolm Northwinter based on a novel by Mike Resnick

In this short encounter, the heroes are

on the frontier world Corvus and go after Corvus (L-a4t-C9II) is a temperate planet
a family of outlaws with a price on their with little to no real government, and has
heads. After a lengthy search of their area become the center point for underground
of the planet, the heroes can locate the transactions and something of a refuge
brothers’ ship and hopefully capture them for a good number of outlaws on the Inner
to recover stolen goods and claim the Frontier. Since real estate here is at a
bounty. premium, many of the local men and women
have no qualms about selling out somebody,
As with the start of any campaign, there especially when they think that person won’t
are many ways in which the party can form. be back to return the favor.
In this case, the heroes can be individuals
who just happen to be on the Inner Frontier The population is about 50% human,
planet of Corvus for their own reasons, or and 50% mixed aliens. The planet has no
they may be specifically seeking out the orbital spaceport, but a couple of small
Sulimans. ground-based spaceports exist which provide
shuttles to the nearby planets of Roosevelt
› The Post Office III and New Ecuador. The planet is poor, and
has a credit limit (maximum value of goods
which can be bought or sold) of 5,000cr.
When word reached you that the Sulimans
may be shacked up on Corvus, you probably
› Hunting The Sulimans
assumed it was fate, circumstance, or
just your time to shine. In any case, here When the PCs leave the post office, the
you are, standing in the local Post Office, search begins. Clever use of their skills can get
reviewing the wanted posters on the wall the heroes to the ship faster when they decide
until you find the three you’re looking for. to leave with their gathered information.
Ike, John, and William Suliman each stare
An extended minor task should be
back at you from holographs, their family’s
signature curly hair prominent in three conducted. The difficulty of this task is
different shades of color. Challenging [13] and five successful attribute
checks are required in total. Minor tasks
Whether you find it fortunate or not,
take one hour for each skill check, and the
there are others here with you. They, too,
amount of time taken will decide whether the
are looking over the pictures of the brothers.
PCs manage to get to the Suliman’s shuttle
One man even comments as he walks away
in resignation that the wall is missing the in time. Suggested activities include the
last two Sulimans, Phin and Alonzo. Rumor following:
has it that Phin and Alonzo Suliman are By traveling with purpose or moving across
somewhere on the planet as well, though rooftops of one-story buildings, the hero
neither has a warrant out for his arrest at covers more ground, and can discover the
this time. ship more quickly (acrobatics, climbing).
The Suliman Brothers are John, Phin, Ike, The PCs may decide to bribe, strong-arm,
William, and Alonzo. The only characteristic or otherwise convince a local into giving
shared by the brothers is a close crop of curly up his vehicle for easier travel (persuasion,
hair on their head, of which none have the intimidation). Checks (flying, driving) can
same color. then be used to drive the car safely.

296
 Speaking to locals who claim to have seen A machine to pump fuel sits blocking the
the Sulimans may yield at least some hangar door on the right, while the left is
useful information (various [social] skills). closed tight with an electronic lock. A good-
Procuring or stealing a vehicle means sized road leads from both hangars and the
faster travel around the area (thievery). ship out toward the town.
A quick search of the local database gives The Sulimans are three human street
a list of areas where ships have recently thugs, armed with pistols and knives.
landed (computers). Once the heroes have captured the Suliman
brothers, or if any got away, they can search the
› The Sulimans
ship and confiscate stolen valuables (art, credits,
As the scene comes to a close, the heroes and the like) equal to roughly 780 credits.
reach the Suliman brothers’ ship. If they do so
For each brother which they turn in for the
in six hours or less, the Sulimans have not yet
reward (dead or alive), the PCs earn 500cr.
arrived and the PCs can set an ambush. If they do
so in seven hours, they arrive at the same time as › The Ship
the Sulimans. If they take eight hours, they arrive
just as the Sulimans are about to take off. Longer The authorities on Corvus are not
than that, and they miss their quarry completely. particularly bureacratic, and if the PCs wish to
keep the Sulimans’ ship, they won’t question
The total area is about 100’ wide by 80’ them.
long. Several hangars sit on either edge of the The ship is a Junker Class I Courier, an
map, about 40’ in, and the Sulimans’ inactive unarmed ship designed for system-wide travel,
ship, an old courier that has seen better days, and a maximum speed of FTL-2. While it’s
rests at the edge of a ditch between and worth 28Mcr, nobody will buy an old piece of
below them in position. Barrels are strewn junk like that from the PCs, so it’s resale value
about semi randomly, with some in groups and is zero. In other words, the PCs can use it, but
others singled out. they can’t sell it.

»5.Building a Universe

297
 » Useful Character Creation Tables

Skill Ranks Skill Level Dice Pool Career Grades Experience

1 Proficient 1d6 1 Novice/Rookie
2 Practised
3 Skilled 2d6
3 Experienced
6 Expert 3d6
4 Seasoned
10 Mastery 4d6 5 Veteran
15 Authority 5d6 6 Doyen

Attribute/Skill 1-2 3-5 6-9 10-14 15-20 21-27 28-35

Dice Pool 1d6 2d6 3d6 4d6 5d6 6d6 7d6

Max Dice
5d6 6d6 7d6 8d6 9d6 10d6 11d6 12d6
Pool
Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade
Grade Grade 5
6-7 8-10 11-14 15-19 20-25 26-32 33-40

Dice Pool STRENGTH AGILITY LOGIC REPUTATION Attribute

1d6 Weak Clumsy Low Unknown 1-2
2d6 Average Average Average Town or village 3-5
3d6 Strong Adroit Gifted Planet 6-9
4d6 Powerful Agile Genius System 10-14
Extraordinary
5d6 Mighty Remarkable Sector 15-20
genius
6d6 Superhuman Superhuman Supra-genius Galaxy 21-27

DICE POOL 1-2 3-5 6-9 10-14 15-20 21-27

DEFENSE 1d6 2d6 3d6 4d6 5d6 6d6

Size Tiny Small Medium Large Enormous Gigantic Colossal

DEFENSE +8 +4 +0 -4 -8 -16 -32

Equipment Quality Price Rarity Dice Pool

Improvised - - -2d6
Standard Normal Common -
High x3 then +100 Uncommon +1d6
Exceptional x5 then +250 Rare +2d6
Mastercraft x10 then +500 Very rare +3d6
Artisanal x100 then +1,000 Very rare +4d6
Legendary x1,000 then +2,500 Unique +5d6

298
» Quick Reference Tables
› Quality
Quality Price Rarity Dice Pool Min. Skill Upgrades Armor Vehicle
Improvised - - -2d6 - - - -
Standard Normal Common - - - - -
x3 then 1 (1d6;
High quality Uncommon +1d6 +1 +2 SOAK +1 SPEED
+100 proficient)
x5 then 3 (2d6;
Exceptional Rare +2d6 +1 +4 SOAK +2 SPEED
+250 skilled)
x10 then 6 (3d6;
Mastercraft Very rare +3d6 +2 +6 SOAK +3 SPEED
+500 expert)
x100 then 10 (4d6;
Artisanal Very rare +4d6 +2 +8 SOAK +5 SPEED
+1,000 mastery)
x1,000 then 15 (5d6;
Legendary Unique +5d6 +3 +10 SOAK +10 SPEED
+2,500 authority)

› Upgrade Slots
Size/type Upgrade slots*
Small (weapon or item); light armor 2
Medium (weapon or item); medium armor 3
Large (weapon or item); heavy armor 5

› Basic Weapons List

Cost Weight
Weapon Damage Type Range Size Availability Special
(cr) (lb)
Knife/dagger 2d6 Piercing - 2 T 1 1A Throw
Sword, laser 3d6 Heat - 400 M 2 9C
Pistol, slugger 2d6 Ballistic 10 75 S 3 5A Sidearm
Pistol, laser 1d6+4 Heat 10 100 S 2 7A Sidearm, beam
Pistol, sonic 1d6+2 Sonic 10 100 S 2 9C Sidearm
Rifle, slugger 2d6+2 Ballistic 20 100 M 4 5A
Rifle, laser 2d6+3 Heat 20 250 M 5 7A

› Armor
Item Cost (cr) Weight Avail Notes
Forcefield 2,000 1 10C +3 DEFENSE
Gauntlets, duranium 50 1 9A +1 unarmed damage
+1 unarmed damage;
Gauntlets, duranium, spiked 150 1 9A
damage becomes piercing
Gauntlets, kevlar 60 1 9A +1 unarmed damage
Helmet, blast shield 180 6 9A Special
Helmet, closed 175 5 9A +2 SOAK, -2 DEFENSE
Helmet, open-faced 70 2 9A +1 SOAK, -1 DEFENSE
Shield, energy 1,200 1 10C +2 DEFENSE
Shield, large, duranium 200 25 9A +3 DEFENSE
Shield, medium, duranium 90 10 9A +2 DEFENSE
Shield, small, duranium 40 6 9A +1 DEFENSE

299
 Master Attribute & Skill Chart
Attribute/Skill Dice Pool Average Roll*
1-2 1d6 4
3-5 2d6 7
6-9 3d6 11
10-14 4d6 14
15-20 5d6 18
21-27 6d6 21
28-35 7d6 25
36-44 8d6 28
45-54 9d6 32
55-65 10d6 35
66-77 11d6 39
78-90 12d6 42
91-104 13d6 46
105-119 14d6 49
120-135 15d6 53
136-152 16d6 56
153-170 17d6 60
171-189 18d6 63
190-209 19d6 67
210-230 20d6 70
*Rounded up to next whole number.

Difficulty Benchmarks
Benchmark Difficulty Roughly 50% Success By...
Trivial - -
Easy 7 2d6 (grade 2)
Routine 10 3d6 (grade 3)
Challenging 13 4d6 (grade 4)
Difficult 16 5d6 (grade 5)
Demanding 21 6d6 (grades 6-7)
Strenuous 25 7d6 (grades 8-10)
Severe 29 8d6 (grades 11-14)
Herculean 33 9d6 (grades 15-19)
Superhuman 37 10d6 (grades 20-25)
Impossible 40 11d6 (grades 26-32)
Legendary 42 12d6 (grades 33-40)
Mythical 45 13d6 (grades 41-49)

300
 Homeworld _________________
Origin ______________________

a ___________________________________ who/with _____________________________________________________

Attributes
STR AGI END INT LOG WIL CHA LUC REP PSI

d6 d6 d6 d6 d6 d6 d6 d6 d6 d6

Skills
DEFENSIVE
| d6 | d6 | d6 | d6 | d6 | d6

| d6 | d6 | d6 | d6 | d6 | d6

| d6 | d6 | d6 | d6 | d6 | d6

Movement
SPEED CLIMB SWIM JUMP OTHER Life Path
Paths Grades Age
INITIATIVE PERCEPTION CARRY ACTIONS NAT. DMG

Attacks
Weapon Attack Damage Range Notes
UNARMED

Current Age
Defenses
MELEE DEFENSE RANGED DEFENSE Total Careers
MENTAL DEFENSE VITAL DEFENSE
SOAK
HEALTH

Equipment weight

(maximum dice pool)

Psionic Points

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 Exploits & Trait
ATTRIBUTE

AIM OR FEINT

UNIVERSAL

Biography

WEALTH EXPERIENCE POINTS

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 NAME WORLD LOG
__________________________________________________________________________________________

Astronomical Data

Parent Star _______________________________________________________________________________

Orbital Position _____________; AU ____________; orbital period ____________; rotation ___________

Size ______________________ (radius _____________________km); gravity _________________________

Atmosphere _______________________________; composition ___________________________________

Type _____________________________________________________________________________________

Satellites _______________________________________; rings ____________________________________

Civilization Data

Civilization _______________________________________________________________________________

Advancement level ________________________________________________________________________

Wealth ______________________________________ (credit limit _________________________________)

Population Data

Population ________________________________________________________________________________

Government ______________________________________________________________________________

Lawfulness _______________________________________________________________________________

Habitability Rating ________________________________________________________________________

Catalog Code ___________________-___________________-___________________-___________________

NAME ORGANIZATION LOG

Size ________________________ (___________________); REP _________; Locate ________________

Sub-groups _______________________________________________________________________________

Type _______________________; Traits ____________________________________________________

Requisition Cap __________________________________________________________________________

DESCRIPTION
 INDEX

180 hammerhead 52 beacon, subspace 82 trait 57-60

academy 35 beam weapons 97 universal exploits 51-56
accommodation 93 bearhug 52 walkthrough 14
achilles heel 52 beasts see creature classifications character sheet 301-303
actions see combat benchmark 141, 144 CHA see CHARISMA
addiction see drugs berserker 271 charge 52, 269
adrenal dash 66 binoculars 82 CHARISMA 17
adrenalize 66 biofeedback 66 charmed 175
advancement 69 biopsychic 36 chases 148-149
by time 69 biopsionics 66 cinematic mode 62, 161, 236
by XP 70 black holes see space civilizations see star systems, design
incremental 70 bleeding 175 clairaudience 66
encounters 70 blind 175 clairsentience 66
milestones 70 blinding attack 52 clairvoyance 66
advancement level 237-239 blind shot 52 class, ship see starship operations
Kardashev Scale 238 blink 68 classifications, ship see starship operations
adventures 281 borians 25-26 climbing 65
random name 284 borian apprentice 31 climbing gear 93
Suliman Brothers 292-293 bounty hunter 37 climb speed 62
afraid 174 bounty hunter, NPC 289 clothing 88
age 56-57 brawny 24, 58 clumsy 58
by species 57 breaching charge 82 college 37
in the future 56 breath weapon 269 collisions see starship combat
AGI see AGILITY brilliant 58 combat 162-171
AGILITY 17 brush off 52 actions and turns 163-164
aiding another 143 bug 83 aiming & feinting 167
aim 52 bugsweeper 83 ambush turn 164
acetylene torch 82 burglar 37 attacks 166-167
alarm sensor 82 burning 175 attack modifiers 170
alcoholic 58 bursts 96, 277 bonus actions 164
Alcubierre Drive 207 burst of speed 52 called shots 167
alert 58 called shots 167, 271 combat sequence 162-163
always prepared 52 campaigns 280 combinations 168
ambidextrous 58 cannibalize 67 cover 169-170
ambush turn see combat career(s) 11, 29-49 critical hits 167, 173
ammunition see weapons academic 33 crossfire 170
analytics 52 attributes 30 darkness 170
androids 26 career list 30 dual-wielding 171
anemic 58 criminal 34 facing 169
angry 174 designing 258-259 flanking 170
anomolies, space see space exploits 30 free actions 164
aquatic see creature classifications investigative 34 high ground 169
arm lock 52 marine 34 line of sight 169
armor 111-120 military 34 movement 165-166
customizing 123-124 navy 34 overwatch 167-168
designing 278 origins 30-33 pinned down 170
SOAK 118 prerequisites 30 positional effects 169-170
Ashonn 74 psionic 34 reactions 164
assassin 35 ranks 50 signature moves 168
assisting another 143 repeating 33 starship 194-204
asthmatic 58 skill choices 30 suppressive fire 168
astroengineering see space species careers 35 theater of the mind 209-219
astromech see mechanoid vocational 34 combat phases see starship combat
athlete 35 XP cost 69 combat sequence see combat
athletic 58 CARRY 62 combinations see combat
attacks see combat casualties see starship combat combust 97
modifiers see combat cellular regenerator 88 commanding 58
notation 64 changeling see creature classifications communicator 88
attributes 16-17 character creation 13-68 complications see attribute check
bonus, species 23 age 56-57 computer, personal 88
XP cost 71 away teams 50 computing tasks 151-153
attribute check 16, 141-147 careers 11, 29-49 con artist 38
complications 144 career list 30 conditions 173-176
critical success 144 checklist 14 persistent 173
extended 146 derived statistics 61-64 removing 173
opposed 145 descriptor 14-16 confused 175
attribute trait 57-60 ethnicity 22 contests 146-147
aura 271 grade 18 cop, NPC 289
point defences 213 gender 22 coughing 58
auto 97 homeworld 28 countdown pool 11, 158-159
avian see creature classifications origins 30-33 counterhack 53
away teams 50 ranks 50 cover see combat
backpack 82 skills 19-21 craftsman 38
bartender 36 species 22-28 creatures 289-291
battlepsyche 36 starting grade 18 bounty hunter 289
 cop/security 289 dive for cover 53 falling 166
sentry droid 290 docking see space travel farmhand 31
thug 290 dodge 53 fatigued 175
xenomorph 291 domestic mech see mechanoid faster-than-light see FTL
creature design 264-274 double tap 53 fast recovery 67
generic NPCs 264 double weapons 97 feeble 59
creature classifications 271-272 downed 1 75 feint 53
aquatic 271 Drake Equation see space felans 27
avian 271 draw a bead 53 felan scavenger 31
beast 221 dressing, spray 88 fighters see starship combat
changeling 272 drifter 39 flamboyant 59
crystalline 272 Dr. Tiktok 75 flanking see combat
insectoid 272 drugs 127-130 flight 67
humanoid 272 addiction 127 flying kick 53
gaseous 272 creating drugs 130 foodstuffs 93
mechanoids 272 generic drugs 128 forcefield 116, 119
plant 272 side-effects 127 forensic kit 93
projection 272 drunk 175 forgetful 59, 175
reptile 272 dual-wielding see combat free actions see combat
swarm 252 Dyson Sphere see astroengineering FSS Endeavour 137, 263
credits, starting 64, 79 Earth 153, 204, 236, 241, 244 FTL 185, 191-192
currencies 79 egotistical 58 fuel see space travel
megacredits 79 electrokinetic blast 66 gambler 40
salary 79 electrokinetic fork 66 game master 6, 12, 140 280
crews see starship combat electronic warfare see starship combat gangster 40
crippling strike 53 EMP 88 gauntlets 116, 119
critical hit see combat empathic 59 gauntlets, telekinetic 92
critical success see attribute check empathy 68 gaseous see creature classifications
crossfire see combat encounter difficulty 69-70 geiger counter 88
cryokinesis 66 END see ENDURANCE gender 22
cryokinetic blast 66 Endeavour Class XI Cruiser 137, 222, 225, 263 generator 88
cryostasis unit 88 ENDURANCE 17 genre 81, 237
crystalline see creature classifications engineer 39 hard sci-fi 237
customizing gear 121-124 engineering tasks 149-150 sci-fi 237
cybernetics 131-135 engineering toolbox 93 space opera 237
advancement level 131 environment 182-187 science fantasy 237
organic limitations 131 example areas 185-186 GM see game master
d6 7, 11 stunt areas 186-187 Gorrat 73
d66 11 equipment 78-139 grade 12, 18
damage ammunition 104 starting grade 18
unarmed 64 armor 111-120 grab 167, 176, 270
conditions 173-176 availability 81 grappling harness 88
damage types 95-96 customizing 121-124 grasshopper 138
darkness see combat cybernetics 131-135 gravbelt 89
darksight see senses designing 274-279 gravitic nullifier 89
dazed 175 drugs 127-130 grenades see weapons
deadeye 58 explosive ordnance 105-107 habitability rating 243
deadly strike 53 general gear 82-93 hacker 31
deaf 175 improvised 80 hacking 151-153
death from on high 53, 253 weapons, melee 98-103 handcuffs 89
DEFENSE 62-63, 166, 167, 266-267 weapons, ranged 103-110 HEALTH 59, 61, 140, 166, 167, 172
armor modifers 63 out-of-time 81 calculating 61
e-DEFENSE 151, 212, 213 quality 80 daily recovery 173
objects 179 rarity 80, 81 emergency aid 173
shields 116, 119 shields 104 HEALTH damage 172-173
defensive skills 63, 64 special items 138-139 HealJel 129
derived statistics 61-64 vehicles 124-126 heavy weapons 97
descriptor 11, 14-16 ergokinesis 66 helmets 116, 119
detective 39 erudite 59 high energy turn 53
dice pool 11, 16, 61, 142-143 ethnicity 22 high ground see combat
dice pool, maximum 18, 143-144 evasive action 53 high-g speed 62
die bonus 11 events 283 Holmes 76
die penalty 11 everyman 31 hologuise 89
difficult terrain 165, 183 evolved combat suit 138 holoprojector 89
difficulty see benchmarks experience points 7, 11, 69-71 holosuit 89
dimensional step 68 experiment 31 holowall 89
diplomat 39 exploding ships see starship combat homeworld 28, 250
disarm 53, 167 exploits 11, 51-56 homing pill 89
disarmed 175 cost to use 51 hoverboard 90
disarmored 175 monster 269-271 humanoids see creature classifications
diseases 176-178 paying for effects 52 humans 24
catching 176 pre-requisites 51 hunker down 53
treating 177 species 254-255 hustling 165
disfigured 58 universal 51-56 hypercognition 66
disposable singularity 88 XP cost 70 hyperdrive 207
distances in space see space travel extended checks see attribute check illiterate 59
distracted 58 facing see combat immunities 95, 163, 274
distress calls see space travel fakedrive 207 INITIATIVE 62, 162-163
Inquisitor’s Carbine 138 difficult terrain 165 psionic points 66
insectoids see creature classifications falling 166 power 66
inspiring 59 hustling 165 skills 65
INT see INTUITION jumping 166 psionic points see PSIONICS
intelligence officer 41 mortgage 286 psi-scram helmet 91
interrogations 153 Murphy 220 psisense see senses
interrogation kit 93 crew 72-77 psychic 46
INTUITION 17 musical instrument 90 psychic cone 68
invisibility cloak 90 Myths of the Far Future 285 psychic healing 66
ion weapons, ship see starship combat naïve 60 psychic leap 66
jet pack 90 natural damage 64 psychic resuscitation 66
jock 32 creature 269 psychic suggestion 68
JUMP 62, 166 navy brat 32 psychokinesis 67
jumping 166 navy cadet cruise 43 pyrokinetic blast 67
jump drive 207 navy tour 43 pyrokinetic burst 67
jump gates 207 nebulae see space quickstand 54
Junker Class I Courier 223 necrophony 66 quickdraw 54
jury-rig 53 neutron stars see space races 22-28
Kardashev Scale see advancement level Newtonian movement see starship combat ranks 50
knockback 54 nimble 60 medic ranks 50
knockdown 54, 253 non player character 12 navy ranks 50
lairsense see senses designing 264-274 police ranks 50
lame 59 novice 32 star knight ranks 50
landing see space travel N.O.W. 11 technician ranks 50
leadership 54, 161, 271 NPC see non-player character rarity 80, 81
levitation 67 objects 179-181 reach 97
lifesense see senses objects, in space 212 reactions see combat
lightstick, chemical 84 obnoxious 60 realdrive 207
light year see space travel ogrons 24-25 reckless 60
line of sight see combat O.L.D. 10, 11 reckless act 54
locations 282 old characters 57 regeneration 271
LOG see LOGIC one-sheet 283 reinforce shield 54
LOGIC 17 open gaming 236 relativity corkscrew 54
LUC see LUCK opportunist stomp 54 REP see REPUTATION
LUCK 17, 160-161 opposed checks see attribute check replicator 91
lucky escape 54 orphan 32 reptiles see creature classifications
LUXURY see starship operations organizations 136-137 REPUTATION 17, 50, 76
magboots 90 designing 259-264 organizations 136-137, 260
magnetars see space organization log 299 rank 50
maintenance mech see mechanoid ranks 50 starting money 79
manic 176 oversized weapons 99 requisitions 136-137
marine cadet 41 overwatch see combat resistance see weapons
marine tour 41 pain 176 respirator 91
Mars 204, 244, 287 parachute 90 restrains 97
massive 59 parsec see space travel restrained 176
maximum dice pools 18, 143-144 pep talk 54 retrocognition 66
of creatures 264-265 perception filter 68 ricochet 54
mechanoid 90 performer 43 roar 270
astromech 90 personal transmat 90 rogue planets see space
creature see creature classifications persuasive 60 roll with it 54
domestic mech 90 piledriver 54 rugged 60
maintenance mech 90 pilot 44 rule zero 9
medical mech 90 pinned down see combat salaries 79
protocol mech 90 planetary catalog code 241-243 Sasha Bolotnikov 72
medic 42 plants see creature classifications saurians 254-255, 257
medical pouch 93 point defenses see starship combat scanner 91, 155
medical scanner see scanner poison 96, 270, 271 medical scanner 91, 155-156
medical mech see mechanoid antidote 128 military scanner 91, 155-156
medical tasks 153-155 poisoned 176 mining scanner 91, 155-156
mental defense skills 30, 61, 62, 64 police officer 44 science scanner 91, 155-156
metapsionics 67 positional effects see combat scanning 155-157
metric 163 precognition 66 scattershot 54
microchip 90 predictive reflexes 54 science scanner see scanner
milestones see advancement pregenerated characters 72-77 scientist 46
military scanner see scanner premise 281 scion 32
Millenial Class II Freighter 224 priest 45 scout 46
mind control 68 prisoner 45 scrambler 91
mind fortress 67 prodigy 32 seismic mapper 91
mindprobe 68 protector 54 sense psionics 67
mindread 68 protocol mech see mechanoid sensors, starship see starship operations
mind shield 67 PSI see PSIONICS sentience 265-266
mindwipe 68 psi-blast 68 non-sentient 266
miner 42 psi-cop 45 semi-sentient 266
miniature EMP 90 PSIONICS 65-68 sentient 266
mining scanner see scanner boosting 65 super-sentient 266
moisture farmer 32 checks/attacks 65 sentry droid 290
movement 61, 165-166 cost 65 service droid 33
climbing 165 maintenance 65 services 93
servobot 91 SPEED 61-62 telepathy 68
settings 9-10, 235-236 spendthrift 60 teleport 68
shield other 67 spinning kick 55 teleportation 68
shields 116, 119 spy 41 temporal resonator 92
shields, starship see starship combat squad tactical computer 91 tent 92
sick 176 starbase assignment 48 theater of the mind see combat
sickbay see starship operations star knight 48-49 thieves tools 93
sidestep 54 stars see space throw 98
signature moves see combat starfighters see starship combat TikTok, Dr. 75
skills 12, 19-21 starship combat 209-219 time, XP 70
levels 21 actions 210-211 time dilation see space travel
notation 21 casualties 212 tracking 157
skill list 19-20 collisions 214 trader 49
XP cost 71 combat phases 219 trait 57-60
sidearm 97 crews 219 tractor beams see starship operations
size 265 electronic warfare 213 transport 93
sleeping 176 exploding ships 213 transporters see starship operations
slowed 176 fighters 213 tone 12
sniper 47 firing weapons 212 toolkit 92
SOAK 94, 118 ion weapons 213 climbing gear 93
armor-piercing 104 Newtonian movement 218-219 engineering toolbox 93
monsters 267 non-grid movement 214-217 forensic kit 93
objects 180 play sequence 210 interrogation kit 93
resistance 95 point defences 213 medical pouch 93
stacking 112 shields 212 survival kit 93
starships 212 tactical combat 217 thieves tools 93
types 112 starship operations 225-234 torpedo spread 55
ion weapons 213 LUXURY 232-233 tottering 60
vulnerability 95 recreation 232 tough-as-nails 60
socialite 47 roles aboard ship 227-229 trample 270
sociological rating 243 sensors 230-231 traveller 33
solar system 287-288 ship class 225 trip 55
Sollustran Battle Armor 139 ship classifications 225-227 troupe-style play 11
Sollustran Helm 139 sickbay 231 unarmed damage 64
sonic tool 91 tractor beams 231-232 undersized weapons 99
space 188-208 transporters 232 upgrades 121-124
anomalies 192 Starmaster’s Saber 139 upgrade slots 126
astroengineering 192 star systems, design 244-250 utilikit 55
astronomical objects, list 197-198 atmosphere 247 unflappable 60
black holes 191 civilizations 250-251 universal exploits 51-56
Drake Equation 191 life 248 unwashed 60
exotic stars 192 orbit and distance 248 vehicles 124-126
magnetars 191 planet names 248-250 venetians 25
nebulae 192 planet types 245-247 venetian retreat 49
neutron stars 190 rocky planets 246-247 VITAL DEFENSE 62, 96, 166, 167, 267
random phenomena 194-196 star type 245 vulnerability see weapons
rogue planets 191 world log 299 warp drive 207
scale 188-189 starting grade see grade warp maneuver 55
spectral classification 190 starting money 64, 79 weapons 94-110
stars 189-190 stunt areas see environment ammunition 104
space jockey 48 STR see STRENGTH customizing 121-123
space travel 199-208 street thug 49 damage types 95-96
attribute checks 201 STRENGTH 17 designing 254-278
distances 199-200, 203 stoic 60 exotic melee 98
distress calls 202 stun 97 exotic ranged 106
FTL speeds 200 suave 60 explosive ordnance 105, 107
FTL in systems 204-205 Suliman Brothers 296-297 grenades 103
fuel 205 summon 67 melee weapons 99
inner-system travel 202-203 suppression 67 range 95
landing & docking 205 suppressive fire see combat ranged weapons 105-110
time dilation 203 survival kit 93 resistance 95
travel time 199-200 swim speed 61, 271 size 94
types of FTL 206-207 system override 55 slang terms 102
spartans 27 systems upgrade 55 weapon traits 96-98
spartan battle school 48 tac-com network relay 92 well-known 60
spectral classification see space tailing 157 whirlwind frenzy 56
special forces 46 tail swipe 169, 269 WIL see WILLPOWER
species 12, 22-28 talent 33 WILLPOWER 17
androids 26 Talik 77 wingover 56
borians 25 Talon Class VI Scout 221 wizard 10, 240
designing 254-257 target engines 55 Xanadian Shroud 139
felans 27 task forces 11, 50 xenomorph 291
humans 24 taunt 55 XP 7, 11, 69-71
ogrons 24 telekinesis 67, 68 young characters 57
saurians 2571 telekinetic gauntlets 92 zero-g backpack 93
spartans 27 telekinetic shield 68 zero-g speed 62
venetians 25 telepathic message 68
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 VOYAGE INTO THE FAR FUTURE IN THIS VERSATILE
TABLETOP GAME OF SCIENCE FICTION ADVENTURE
Bounty hunters track down outlaws hiding in trader towns on
worlds at the fringe of the galaxy. Starships explore unknown
worlds, going where nobody has gone before. Great generational
arks seek somewhere to call home. Detectives investigate a murder
on a trail which will take them from Mars to Jupiter’s moons.
Agents infiltrate a criminal organization, going undercover to
take down a galactic crime boss. A group of smugglers locates a
new hyperdrive system to increase the speed of their freighter.
Play a brave starship captain, a reckless smuggler, a hardy marine, or
a daredevil pilot. Are you a cunning bounty hunter, a clever engineer,
or a charismatic trader? Over sixty science fiction careers await you!

This roleplaying game allows you to create and run adventures in

any sci-fi setting!

* A range of alien species, and over 60 careers which allow you to

generate any far-future character with a fun, intuitive life-
path system.

* A wide array of science fiction equipment, including weapons,

armor, drugs, cybernetics, vehicles, and more. Wield anything
from a laser sword to a sonic pistol; use a gravbelt or a handheld
scanner; wear a kevlar vest or a powered suit of armor.

* Full rules for running the game, including fast but tactical
combat, environments, and extended scientific, medical and
engineering tasks.

* Starship combat rules, both using detailed hex-based miniatures

and abstract theatre of the mind.

* Rules for creating ship crews from which to form specialized Away
Teams for specific missions.

* Astronomical information, space travel, and information on starship

crews and operations.

* Extensive guidelines for building a far-future game setting, with

detailed rules for creating star systems, planets, civilizations,
races, careers, monsters, and more, along with discussion on genre,
theme, and technology.

Whether you’re aboard a starship exploring new worlds, a bounty

hunter tracking down outlaws on the fringes of civilisation, an agent
infiltrating an intergalactic criminal organization, an intrepid
hunter of exotic alien species, fighting a galactic civil war, or
just a trader trying to make your way in an uncaring universe, N.E.W.
has you covered!

This is a What’s O.L.D. is N.E.W. core rulebook.

www.woinrpg.com