/
diceless roleplaying
-second edition-
2
e
k
Ta
special edition
www.pigames.net
ALL THE ADVENTURE, NONE OF THE DICE!
Version 1.5P
Written and Designed by Brett M. Bernstein. Edited by Matt Drake.
Contributions by Matt Drake and James Hargrove.
©2002-2004 Precis Intermedia and Brett M. Bernstein, All Rights Reserved.
Active Exploits, Active Exploits Take2, Impresa, genreDiversion, and
“All the adventure, none of the dice!” are trademarks of Precis Intermedia.
Special thanks to everyone on the Active Exploits Discussion List and all the past
supporters who have contributed to making this system what it is today.
For questions and comments: https://www.pigames.net/contact
or post at the pigames.net message boards.
table of contents
0. Introduction
1. Basic Exploits
Abilities/Special Abilities . . . 10
Aspects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Special Aspects. . . . . . . . . . 13
Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Gimmicks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Creating Characters . . . . . . 20
Task Resolution Basics . . . . . 24
Special Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Combat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Determining Damage . . . . . 29
Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Character Sheet . . . . . . . . . 32
2. Advanced Exploits
2
Combat Risks . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Damage Classes . . . . . . . . . 52
Drugs and Medicines . . . . . 53
Other Damage Sources . . . . 54
Armor Classes . . . . . . . . . . 55
Permanent Injuries . . . . . . . 55
Vehicles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Vehicle Abilities/Flairs . . . . . 57
Vehicle Aspects . . . . . . . . . 58
Vehicle Gimmicks . . . . . . . . 59
Vehicle Integrity . . . . . . . . . 59
Vehicle Task Conditions/Stunts. 60
Vehicle Task Risks . . . . . . . . 61
Vehicle Recovery . . . . . . . . 61
Vehicle Damage . . . . . . . . . 62
Character Sheet . . . . . . . . . 63
Vehicle Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . 64
3
9
33
Flairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Accented Abilities . . . . . . . . 37
Open Aspects . . . . . . . . . . 37
Fields of Expertise. . . . . . . . 37
Convictions . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Threads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Optional Forms of Health . . 43
Optional Aspects . . . . . . . . 44
Adv. Task Resolution Basics . 45
Task Conditions . . . . . . . . . 45
Task Risks/Stunts/Outcome. 47
Advanced Combat . . . . . . . 48
Combat Conditions . . . . . . 49
Combat Stunts . . . . . . . . . . 50
Weapon Traits . . . . . . . . . . 51
3. Live Exploits
4. Adaptive Exploits
5. Setting Specifics
65
71
79
The Arcane . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Martial Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
6.
7.
8.
9.
Director’s Notes
Impresa Express
genreDiversion i
Master Lists
103
115
123
135
Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Fields of Expertise. . . . . . . 144
Gimmicks. . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
introduction
3
Introduction
Welcome to the world of Active
Exploits Diceless Roleplaying TAKE2.
This is the second release of the core
rules. If you are familiar with the first
edition, learning TAKE2 should be a
breeze.
Extra
features
and
new/updated rules have been added
to both enhance and simplify game
play, while maintaining full compatibility with the original version and
existing settings.
TAKE2 has also been written so
that it maintains as much consistency as possible with Impresa
Modular Roleplaying System and
Impresa Express. These two systems
are very similar to Active Exploits in
their foundation, using abilities,
gimmicks, and so on. Whereas
Active Exploits uses diceless
mechanics, Impresa’s task resolution
is managed through rolling ten-sided
dice. Conversion between Active
Exploits and Impresa is relatively
simple—conversion guidelines are
available at the Precis Intermedia
web site.
Before we begin, let’s discuss what
2 means. You will see this symbol
throughout the book. It is a signal to
you, the reader, that the accompanying text indicates a change from
the first edition rules and how you
should go about reconciling your
existing characters or setting information. Changes will be minimal
and, in most cases, you will only be
required to make a mental note.
You will also see 3 appear with
some optional rules. This indicates
that the rules present are dependent
on other optional rules listed beside
the symbol.
The rules have been separated
into four distinct sections, with two
others as complimentary chapters.
Chapter 1: Basic Exploits
First we go over the basic rules,
intended to get you into the action
as quickly as possible.
Chapter 5: Setting Specifics
Once you have perused the rules
and have a firm understanding of
them, we move on to setting-specific
rules for the arcane (magic and
occult) and martial arts. New abilities, skills, and gimmicks can be
found here.
Chapter 2: Advanced Exploits
Then we move on to the
advanced and optional information,
such as convictions, threads, vehicles, expanded tasks, and combat
rules. This chapter can be used right
away by readers accustomed to the
first edition or by those wishing to
expand upon the basic rules.
4
Chapter 6: Director’s Notes
Finally, we touch on what the
director needs to know in order to
make his job a lot easier, while
helping his players enjoy the game.
Chapter 3: Live Exploits
If you are interested in live action
roleplaying (LARP), this section is a
must. These rules provide a common
method for interacting with large
groups of people.
Chapter 7: Impresa Express
This chapter expands upon the
existing rules to integrate our scalable dice-based system with Active
Exploits, providing better compatibility with our other games that have
a Going Diceless option.
Chapter 4: Adaptive Exploits
For those who want to modify an
existing system for diceless play, this
chapter provides some useful guidelines and tips for doing so.
Chapter 8: genreDiversion i
In the same fashion as the
previous chapter, this one is meant
to integrate Active Exploits with our
rules-lite, dice mechanics.
Now that you know what to
expect, let us review the purpose of
this book before continuing.
Introduction
Chapter 9: Master Lists
You’ll find a huge list of skills and
gimmicks here. Of course, not all of
them are necessary and you can
always add more, but this is a
master list you can use for easy reference.
C what is roleplaying----------------------------------------------------------Roleplaying is similar to the
production of a film and requires
two or more people. One person
assumes the role of director, who
sets the stage and casts the actors
and extras. The remaining players
are the actors, assuming the personalities of their respective characters
within the confines of the game.
The most important function of
the director is to produce an interesting story which flows smoothly
and quickly. He should also give the
players room to explore their characters while preventing them from
getting out of control.
There are many different schools
of thought as to how roleplaying
games should be played. Some
people let the dice determine their
fate, while others prefer to narrate
their own destinies. Whatever your
preference, roleplaying is a storytelling game meant to entertain.
C diceless roleplaying?----------------------------------------------------Roleplaying games typically use a
combination of dice to determine
the outcome of a situation. Active
Exploits removes that element of
chance to encourage players to think
before they act and then roleplay
their way out of situations or
describe their actions in such a way
as to inspire the others in their
group. Playing in this cinematic
fashion will make the game much
more entertaining than rolling dice
every few minutes. Some elements
of chance have been substituted
with a form of resource management and secrecy on the director’s
part. At the end of the day, don’t
worry about this and just have fun.
C what do i need to play?------------------------------------------This book is your por tal to adventure for any genre imaginable. It can
be expanded with new rules and
possibilities by adding supplemental
game settings published by Precis
Intermedia and licensed third parties.
Since Active Exploits was designed
to permit game play without the
need for dice, it only requires paper,
a pen or pencil, and these rules.
Although it is not necessary, you
should also have a photocopied or
printed character sheet (there are a
few different sheets provided) ready
for each player. Obviously, aside
from the materials listed above,
you’ll need two or more friends and
a little imagination.
5
Introduction
C basic concepts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------The rules presented here are only
guidelines for play. If you prefer not
to use a specific rule, that’s fine, but
consider what the rule does.
Chances are the rule won’t make
sense at first, but as you play and
understand how the system works,
you will probably come to realize
why it was included. The following
concepts will help familiarize yourself with the basics of the rules. You
won’t know how to play by reading
these descriptions, but they will help
you grasp the details presented in
later chapters.
Story
This is a complete plot line or
adventure which the director has
decided to utilize for play. It can
encompass many subplots or simply
consist of a single, long and complicated tale.
Episode
It is very likely that a well thoughtout story will take longer than a
single session of play. Each gaming
session is therefore referred to as an
episode since more than one is
required to make up a complete
story.
Scene
Scenes encompass an entire
exchange of dialog or non-time
specific actions (ritual prayer or
riding on a stagecoach, for example)
in one particular location. The exact
amount of time is irrelevant—it takes
as long as necessary to complete the
exchange. The purpose of a scene is
to allow for a quicker passage of
time, resulting in smoother game
play by ignoring tedious events.
6
Focus
This element of play represents a
point in the story when a scene is
broken down into an orderly and
detailed series of actions, rather than
using an abstract flow of time. Some
examples would be combat and
contests of skill.
Turn
Whenever the focus element is
used, turns are utilized to track its
progress. A turn represents five
seconds and is tracked in order to
ensure that players act in an orderly
and fair manner.
Player Character
Player Character is the term
applied to all roles which are
assumed by the players. These are
sometimes also referred to as principal or supporting characters, or
protagonists.
Non-Player Character
Non-Player Character is the term
applied to all major roles acted out
by the director as opposed to the
players. These are sometimes also
referred to as supporting characters
or antagonists.
Extra
Extras represent the minor roles
(characters not important to the
story) which are acted out by the
director. These are sometimes also
referred to as incidental characters.
Setting
This is the game-world in which
the story is told. The game could be
played in a futuristic utopia, ancient
fantasy land, or even an alternate
reality. These rules can be adapted
to fit whichever setting you require
by limiting or adding skills, or
creating new special abilities. We’ll
get to them later.
Abilities
Each character in the game has a
set of abilities which are used to
represent what he is capable of
Skills
Each character has some sort of
training or life experience which
provides knowledge and proficiency
used in aid of a career or simply
survival. Whereas abilities determine
a character’s potential, skills determine what he knows or is trained to
do.
Tasks and Effort
Whenever a character attempts to
put an ability or skill to use in order
to accomplish some feat, it is called
a task. More complex or difficult
tasks require the character to exert
effort, which represents the character’s concentration and energy
expended. Since effort is a measure
of the character’s potential, it is
derived from his abilities.
Exerting a lot of effort can be very
tiring and is limited by the discipline
ability. If a character exerts more
effort than his discipline rating in a
single turn, he begins to tire. This
may affect future tasks, because if
he becomes fatigued enough, it will
reduce the amount of effort which
he is capable of expending. There is
also something called free effort.
This works exactly the same as
regular effort, except that it does not
contribute to fatiguing a character.
Think of it more as a bonus to
succeed rather than actually an exertion by the character.
Skill is also important and
increases the amount of free effort
used on a task. Since the character is
somewhat versed in the skill, it
merely aids him in the task.
Let’s recap. Abilities exert effort as
a measure of potential. Skills add a
bonus due to training and experience. What do we measure these
numbers against? Difficulty. The
more difficult the task, the more
effort/skill is required to succeed at
it. There are five degrees of difficulty: trivial, routine, challenging,
improbable, and impossible. Each
requires a specific amount of effort
to be exerted in order for the task to
succeed. Now, the director is not
going to tell the players outright
what the difficulty is, so that it adds
an element of chance (and risk). The
players will not know how much
effort to exert, just like in real life,
making the game a bit more interesting.
Introduction
accomplishing. These abilities are
used to measure a character’s raw
talent and capacity to learn.
Experience
As skills are used by characters,
they will gain experience points.
These points may be used to add
effort to a related task, increase the
skill’s rating, or even learn a new
skill.
Health
As with reality, characters can tire
from excessive activity, collapse from
illness, or become comatose from
injuries. In order to simulate various
health conditions, all characters use
meters to track their level of fatigue
and injury. Additional meters, such
as dementia, toxemia, and etheria,
may also be added as optional
components. As a character’s health
degrades, he finds it more difficult to
accomplish certain tasks.
7
Introduction
C what else is there?--------------------------------------------------------------Apart from the rules presented in this book, you need nothing additional to
play. That is, nothing additional in the way of materials. You will need a little
imagination and inspiration—novels, television, and films are great resources
for ideas. Precis Intermedia also offers setting books should you wish to
further your exploits. There are both free and affordably-priced setting books
available for Active Exploits Diceless Roleplaying.
A wealth of new and optional rules is also available at:
https://www.pigames.net/store/articles.php
If you would like to keep up to date on the rules or new settings, share ideas
with others, or ask questions, feel free to check out the Precis Intermedia
message boards at:
https://www.pigames.net/forum
8
This chapter discusses
the quick-play variant of
Active Exploits. It is meant as an
introduction to diceless roleplaying
and can either be disregarded for the
advanced rules once the basics are
understood or utilized as the main rules
set for your gaming group.
All rules are subject to your own preferences,
so if you like a specific mechanic from the
advanced rules, but wish to continue using
these, it is just a matter of amalgamating the
two to make your own house rules. Nothing is
written in stone—please experiment and use
any combination of rules with which you feel
the most comfortable.
1
basic exploits
9
basic exploits
C Abilities------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The most important element of a
character (aside from his background, motivations, and nature) is
his potential, which is measured by
four abilities. These determine his
physical, sensory, spiritual, mental,
and social capacities.
Abilities are rated on a scale from
|-1| to |+5| and will most likely not
change during play. A negative value
denotes a penalty on all related
tasks, while a positive value indicates
the maximum amount of effort
which may be applied to related
tasks (and replenished at the end of
every turn). We will explore the
concept of effort soon, but in the
meantime, it describes how much
energy the character exerts in order
to accomplish a task.
ABILITY RATINGS
-1
0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
disabled
average
talented
very talented
super human
beyond human
unimaginable ability
Fitness
The fitness ability represents the
character’s strength, agility, and
physical health.
Awareness
The awareness ability represents
the character’s use of his senses, and
is the power of observation and intuition.
Creativity
The creativity ability represents
the character’s spiritual, personal,
and artistic affinity, or in other
words, inspiration, originality, and
style.
Reasoning
The reasoning ability represents
the character’s mental ability—logical
deduction, rational thought, and
memory.
Influence
The influence ability is optional
and relates to a character’s potential
in social situations—charisma and
popularity.
C special abilities---------------------------------------------------------------------------
10
Special abilities may also be used
to add magic and other powers to
the game. Since not all characters
possess these abilities, they are
ignored unless a specific game
setting makes use of any or all of
them. Special abilities function in the
same manner as standard abilities. A
few sample are included below, but
you can create your own depending
on your needs.
Special abilities may be designed
to work with existing skills or utilize
brand new ones based on your
needs There is no real limit as to
what they can represent—magical
power, new senses, business
contacts, super powers, or even a
hyperspacial link to other worlds.
SPECIAL ABILITY RATINGS
cursed or allergic reaction
no ability; typical
subtle ability
obvious ability
unusual ability
super ability
unimaginable ability
Conduction
The character is able to conduct
electricity. This ability measures the
level of his body’s safe conductance.
It allows characters to utilize conduction-based skills such as streaming
and pulsing.
basic exploits
-1
0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
ESP
The ESP special ability, better
known as extra sensory perception,
acts as an extension to awareness by
increasing a character’s sense of intuition. It also allows a character to
utilize ESP-based skills such as
telepathy and telekinesis.
EFFORT MAY BE EXERTED FOR THE FOLLOWING USES
FITNESS
• physical maneuvers such as in fights or sports
• maintaining and regaining balance
• climbing, jumping, throwing, and catching
• using physical strength
• increasing the speed at which one acts in combat
AWARENESS
• searching for hidden clues
• discovering someone sneaking about
• predicting the outcome of a situation based on intuition
• increasing the speed at which one acts in combat
CREATIVITY
• inventing a new fashion style or buzz word
• thinking up an elaborate speech or story
• finding new and useful ways to accomplish tasks
REASONING
• studying academia
• attempting an educated guess
• using common sense
• predicting the outcome of a situation based on logical deduction
INFLUENCE
• intimidating, interviewing, or interrogating people
• seducing members of the opposite sex
• bargaining and negotiating
ESP
• adding effort to awareness-based tasks (at director’s discretion)
In addition, all abilities may exert effort for tasks related to their use.
11
C aspects----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
basic exploits
2 Aspects were called Mutable Abilities in the first edition rules.
2 Revelation is not used in the basic rules.
Aspects can be used to regulate or
assist abilities, and as such, will
change very often. Unlike abilities,
these are not connected to skills and
do not replenish easily; once spent,
aspects can only be regained under
certain circumstances (discussed
below). Aspects are rated on a scale
from zero (0) to six (6), each having
its own measure of the scale.
Luck
The luck aspect is fate incarnate.
Consider what happens when the
universe intervenes on behalf of
your character—you get lucky. Luck
may be restored through the use of
principles (we will dicuss them soon)
or the director may decide to reward
a character with one (1) point for
good roleplaying.
Discipline
The discipline aspect describes a
character’s willpower, composure,
and resolve. It determines how much
effort a character can exert in a turn
before tiring and allows him to press
on in the face of danger and even
extreme pain. Although it cannot be
raised above the starting value, discipline is restored to that value at the
end of each episode.
DISCIPLINE RATINGS
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
feeble will
weak will
average will
strong will
iron will
super-human will
unimaginable will
LUCK RATINGS
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
unlucky
typical luck
lucky
very lucky
super lucky
supernatural influence
master of fate
POINTS MAY BE EXPENDED FOR THE FOLLOWING USES
LUCK
• increases the amount of effort used by one for each point expended
• one point may be expended to increase the amount of damage
inflicted in an attack against someone or something
• decreases the amount of fatigue or injury sustained by one for each
point expended
DISCIPLINE
12
• decreases the amount of fatigue or injury sustained by one for each
point expended
C special aspects------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ENDOWMENT RATINGS
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
no capacity
weak capacity
subtle capacity
obvious capacity
unusual capacity
super capacity
unimaginable capacity
Wealth
Wealth represents a character’s
overall assets and cash flow. The
character can produce the amount
of cash indicated on the table below
within a matter of hours by
expending
the
corresponding
number of points. The expenditure
of points is not required for loans,
credit, or the accumulation of cash.
Wealth is restored at either the end
of an episode or story (director’s
discretion).
WEALTH RATINGS
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
destitute
poor
privileged
comfortable
rich
millionaire
billionaire
$5
$20
$1000
$10,000
$250,000
$500,000
$5,000,000
Endowment
Endowment indicates that the
character has access to supernatural
powers granted by an entity existing
in another realm. Endowments are
typically granted in exchange for
favors and if a character does not
live up to his end of the bargain, this
aspect may be taken away or the
entity may punish him. Endowment
is used to supplement other abilities—choose an endowed ability and
expend points to add extra free
effort to tasks involving the chosen
ability. Endowment points may be
restored by renegotiating a new
agreement with either the same or a
different entity, but only one entity
at a time.
basic exploits
As with special abilities, special
aspects are used to add magic and
other powers to the game. Since not
all characters possess these aspects,
they are ignored unless a specific
game setting makes use of any or all
of them. Special aspects function in
the same manner as standard
aspects. A few samples are
presented below, but you can create
your own depending on your needs.
ENDOWMENTS
physical
sensory
spiritual
intellectual
social
affects
affects
affects
affects
affects
fitness
awareness
creativity
reasoning
influence
Regenerative Metabolism
The character is a mutant and
possesses an extra gland which
produces a chemical that stimulates
healing at an accelerated pace. Each
point expended restores one grade
of injury. This aspect is restored at
the end of each episode.
Aura
The character possesses a natural
defense against ESP. Each point
expended increases the difficulty of
an ESP-based task directed at him by
one grade. This aspect is restored
when the character completes a
restful night’s sleep of at least eight
hours.
13
C skills-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------edition of the rules does not differentiate between aptitudes and
2 This
academia, although skills which cannot be used unskilled (those followed by *)
basic exploits
are the same as the latter.
2 The apprentice skill rating has been replaced with novice. Feel free to use the
term with which you are more comfortable.
Skills are used to represent general
knowledge, training, and fields of
study for each character. Every skill is
governed by a single ability and
rated on a scale of unskilled, novice,
proficient, and expert.
A character’s ability and skill
ratings determine his chances of
success when attempting a task.
Other factors may also apply, but
these are directly related to the character. Any skill may be attempted
unskilled unless it has an asterisk (*)
next to it. Feel free to add your own
skills to fit the setting.
Unskilled
This is the default rating for all
skills and indicates that the character
has no training or experience with
the specific skill.
Novice
This rating (also called apprentice)
represents that the character has a
basic understanding of the skill or at
least the minimum of experience
and training required to use it.
Proficient
This level of prowess indicates that
the character has had professional
training or extensive experience in
the skill.
Expert
This level of mastery indicates that
the character is at the top of his
field. An expert is typically unsurpassed in understanding or experience.
14
Fitness-Based Skills
Archery covers the use and construction of bows and arrows.
Athletics helps a character climb,
swim, throw objects, perform
acrobatic stunts, and dodge
attacks.
Brawling covers punching, kicking,
grappling, and parrying in combat
situations.
Driving covers the operation of automobiles, trucks, and motorcycles.
It can also be used for general
vehicle maintenance when used
with reasoning instead of fitness.
Firearms covers the use of any pistol
or rifle. It can also be used for
general gun maintenance when
used with reasoning instead of
fitness.
Melee is used to fight an opponent
using hand-to-hand weapons such
as staves, knives, swords, and
clubs.
Piloting* covers the operation of airbased vehicles such as helicopters
and planes. It can also be used for
general vehicle maintenance when
used with reasoning instead of
fitness.
Riding is the knowledge of controlling horses (or other riding
animals) and steering horse-drawn
wagons and carriages.
Sailing is the art of steering and navigating a boat using only the wind
and the sails. It can also be used
for general sail-boat maintenance
when used with reasoning instead
of fitness.
Creativity-Based Skills
Crafts is the shaping and baking of
clay pottery and forging of crude
metallic alloys such as bronze.
Design covers all forms of artistic
training, including painting,
drawing, sculpting, metal working,
graphic design, photography, and
even forgery.
Instrument is the art of designing
and playing musical scores with a
specific type of instrument. For
example, string, percussion, or
horn.
Literacy is the art of language and
literature. Literacy is used for
reading and writing, and analyzing
the written word when used with
reasoning instead of creativity.
Performance is the art of oration,
singing, acting, and performing on
stage. Influence may be used in
place of creativity, if the director
prefers.
Reasoning-Based Skills
Boating is the building of small
wooden sea vessels, such as
canoes, rafts, or rowboats. It can
also be used to steer boats when
used with fitness instead of
reasoning.
Computers covers the operation,
hacking, and basic repair of all
computer systems.
Electrical is the knowledge of
designing, building, and repairing
electronic devices.
Financial covers all basic avenues of
monetary application, including
accounting, business management, and trading.
First Aid is the application of basic
medical techniques in order to
sanitize and bandage small
wounds, and act in emergency
situations. A successful task indicates that one grade of fatigue is
restored to the patient at the end
of the day.
Investigation is the acquisition of
data through examination, observation, inquiry, and research.
Engineering* covers a wide array of
construction arts—architectural,
civil, and aerospace.
Leadership is the art of delegating
responsibility and gaining the
trust, respect, and loyalty of one’s
subordinates. Influence can be
used in place of awareness, if the
director prefers.
Legends is the knowledge of superstitions, the occult, fairy tales, and
mythology.
Mechanical is the knowledge of
designing, building, and repairing
mechanical devices.
Medicine* is the knowledge of
healing and treating the wounded
or ill.
basic exploits
Awareness-Based Skills
Criminal covers racketeering, confidence scams, picking locks and
pockets, safecracking, hiding from
the law, and escaping from bonds
such as chains or ropes. Fitness
may be used instead of awareness
for physical maneuvers.
Gambling allows a character to play
games of chance and deduce the
odds of winning in a given situation. The character can also bluff
when this skill is used with influence in place of awareness.
Subterfuge is the art of concealing
one’s true motives. It can also be
used for disguises, forgery, and
sabotage when used with the
mechanical or electrical skills.
15
basic exploits
16
Natural Sciences* covers a wide
array of studies, including
astronomy, biology, chemistry,
geology, and physics.
Parapsychology* is the methodical
study and organization of the
paranormal and other occurrences
which are inexplicable by science.
It can also be used to identify
supernatural creatures and their
properties.
Social Sciences* covers a wide array
of studies, including economics,
law, politics, sociology, and
theology.
Streetwise is the knowledge to
survive on the streets. It is the
urban equivalent of the survival
skill. Influence can be used in
place of awareness, if the director
prefers.
Survival is the knowledge of staying
alive in the wilderness. Survival
allows characters to build shelters,
locate food sources, hunt, and
follow paths.
ESP-Based Skills
Mesmerism can be used to put
another person within eye contact
into a hypnotic trance. The target
character may then be given
instructions which he must carry
out. The difficulty of the task is
determined by the complexity of
the instructions—simple one-word
commands are routine, while
longer, more complex orders are
challenging. Tasks which instruct
the target to put himself in harm’s
way are improbable.
Telekinesis is the power to move
objects with the mind. Difficulty is
based on the range to target, but
the size of the item should also
affect it.
Telepathy allows a character to
communicate his thoughts to
another person or animal without
speaking. Reading someone’s
thoughts is a bit harder and
increases the difficulty by one or
two. The difficulty is determined
by range.
Influence-Based Skills (Optional)
Leadership (see Reasoning-Based
Skills)
Performance (see Creativity-Based
Skills)
Seduction is using the allure one has
with the opposite (or the same)
sex to convince them to listen to
the character.
Streetwise (see Reasoning-Based
Skills)
Conduction-Based Skills
Absorption allows a character to
absorb electricity directly into his
system. Once absorbed, it may be
redirected using another conduction-based skill (at the director’s
discretion).
Pulsing is the power to radiate multidirectional
electromagnetic,
signals at defined frequencies,
thereby jamming other signals or
using it to communicate. The
possibilities are endless and may
be further defined by the director.
Streaming allows a character to
radiate a focused bolt of electrical
energy from his body. This bolt
may be directed at a specific
target, or used to power or overload electrical items. For example,
a stream may power-up a television set or overload a computer
system.
C gimmicks---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Prestige indicates that the character
is widely known in a region,
nation, or even the world for one
reason or another. He could be a
famous musician, actor, political
figure, or businessman.
Servitude indicates that the character is in debt to another person
and must work it off as a servant
(butler, maid, assistant, etc.).
Tolerance to Pain indicates that the
character is somehow immune to
pain and can ignore all penalties
caused by fatigue and injury.
Vulnerability indicates that the character is extremely sensitive to a
specific substance or mystical
force (such as ESP). He receives
two (2) grades of fatigue when
directly exposed and double the
normal amount of injury or
fatigue when the contact is the
result of an attack.
Wealth indicates that the character
is extremely rich. He can usually
scrape together enough cash for
any deal.
basic exploits
Gimmicks are special properties
which may be used to better define
a character’s background, physical
oddities, or personality.
Authority indicates that the character has certain responsibilities
which permit him to exercise
special rights. He can be involved
in law enforcement, the justice
department, or even city hall.
Connections indicates that the character has friends or associates in
some sort of criminal, political,
community, religious, or military
organization which he can call on
for assistance. The connections
can also take the form of students,
followers, or employees.
Fugitive indicates that the character
is an outlaw and on the run from
law enforcement agencies. He
should avoid the law as much as
possible.
Internal Compass indicates that the
character can never become lost
in the wilderness or a city. He can
extrapolate his general location
from signs in nature.
Internal Clock indicates that the
character possesses a knack for
always knowing the exact time
and date.
Military Rank indicates that the character is in the military and holds
an officer’s rank. He may also
have access to sensitive material
and weapons.
Multilingual indicates that the character can speak up to two
languages in addition to his native
tongue as a result of growing up in
a household or culture where
more than one language is used.
17
C principles-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
basic exploits
is new to Active Exploits and is merely a simplified alternative to
2 This
convictions.
Principles represent a character’s
personal goals, mission objectives,
and aspirations. They help define a
character’s purpose in the game and
reward him for achieving that which
his principles represent. It is the
director’s task to announce when a
principle belonging to a character
comes into play. There are three
types of principles. Each has its own
method of interaction.
Codes
Codes represent a character’s
moral values and ideological beliefs.
This principle comes into play when
a character is faced with commiting
actions that oppose his code, or
receives information or witnesses
events contradicting it. Codes may
be suppressed by expending one
point of discipline or gaining one
grade of fatigue. Otherwise, the
character suffers from severe guilt or
distress and receives an increase in
difficulty by one grade on all nonfitness tasks until the effects subside
(typically a few days). Alternately, if
the player wishes to act out the
conflict (meaning roleplay it), he can
do so without expending discipline
or gaining fatigue. However, if the
director is not convinced by his
performance, he may still suffer
from effects of guilt.
Faults
Faults represent a character’s overwhelming personal demons. These
can take the form of habits, dependencies, and fears. This principle
comes into play when a character is
faced by one of his faults—it may be
suppressed by expending one point
of discipline or luck, or gaining one
grade of fatigue. Otherwise, the
character must react appropriately.
For example, a fear of spiders might
cause a character to scream or run
away at the sight of one; or the
smell of cigarette smoke may force a
character to partake of his nocotine
fix. Alternately, if the player wishes
to act out the urge (meaning role-
SAMPLE PRINCIPLES
18
CODES
• religion; the character is a devout follower and would not stray from the
teachings of his faith
• the character believes that the earth is alive, and protecting all animals and
ecosystems is his duty
• chivalry; the character follows the knightly code and would never hurt an
innocent or refuse aid to anyone in distress
FAULTS
• alcohol addiction
• acrophobia; the character is deathly afraid of heights
• nervous tics; the character has bizarre mannerisms which cannot be
controlled, except by extreme concentration
OBJECTIVES
• get married, own a house, and have two children
• secret mission; retrieve special document
• earn pilot’s license
play it), he can do so without
expending discipline or gaining
fatigue. However, if the director is
not conviced by his performance, he
may still indulge in the appropriate
behavior.
basic exploits
Objectives
Objectives represent a character’s
personal ambitions, life-long goals,
or even directives pertaining to his
occupation or other responsibilities.
This principle comes into play when
a character achieves his objective—
he receives one (1) point of luck for
short term objectives and either two
(2) points of luck or one (1) point of
discipline (not additional discipline,
it is merely restored to the character’s initial rating, if points have
been expended) for long term objectives.
C health---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2 All forms of health now have fives grades of severity instead of four.
2 Fatigue can either be represented by the symbol S or the abbreviation FAT.
2 Injury can either be represented by the symbol W or the abbreviation INJ.
Health is used to measure a character’s current physical condition.
There are two types of health which
are measured in this version of the
rules: fatigue and injury. Both have
five grades of severity. The amount
of effort which the character can
exert on a task may be reduced
when fatigued or injured. This
penalty is not applied from fatigue
during combat situations, however,
since a character is most likely
pumping large amounts of adrenaline to keep him going.
1
2
3
4
5
Fatigue
Fatigue represents excessive effort
which wears down a character,
causing him to tire. Fatigue can
result from blunt trauma and physical strain. When a character has
sustained five grades of fatigue, he
falls unconscious. If he receives any
more fatigue, it is applied as injury.
Injury
Injury represents the character’s
physical well being and can result
from lacerations, breaks, and burns.
When a character has sustained five
grades of injury, he falls unconscious
and is totally incapacitated. If he
receives any further injury, the character dies.
FATIGUE GRADE
INJURY GRADE
dazed
stressed
strained
exhausted
unconscious
bruised
sprained
wounded
maimed
incapacitated
PENALTY
-1
-2
-3
—
19
basic exploits
C creating characters--------------------------------------------------------The very first thing we must do
before creating characters is deciding
which reality level the game will
feature. There are three levels:
dramatic, heroic, and epic. This is
important, since the very nature of
the game will determine just how
powerful the characters truly are.
Once the director has chosen a
reality level, we can begin creating a
character. This is a relatively simple
process and involves assigning
ability, aspect, and skill ratings, and
choosing gimmicks and principles.
When designing your character,
please keep in mind that the purpose
here is to create someone you will
enjoy portraying. Having the power
to crush the other characters or win
every challenge set before him can
become monotonous after a while.
Remember, the best characters in
your favorite films and novels are
always flawed. They are not perfect,
because if they were, where would
all the fun be?
Dramatic
Dramatic games focus on story
and character development. They
are intended to simulate real world
situations rather than those present
in high octane movies.
Heroic
first edition rules used the term
2 The
pulp
instead of heroic. The terms
are identical for purposes of character creation.
Heroic games focus more on
action than drama, but character
development is still an important
element. They are intended to
provide swashbuckling and wild-ride
adventures.
20
Epic
Epic games focus on the surreal
and super-human ability. They are
intended to portay superheroes,
powerful wizards, giants, and creatures out of mythology rather than
mere mortals.
Step 1: Creating an Identity
What is the character’s age,
height, weight, hair color, eye color,
and style of dress? Is he attractive?
Does he have any disfiguring scars?
It is not necessary to provide exact
details. Approximations will suffice
as long as the director, other players,
and yourself can visualize him.
Where did he grow up? What is
his nationality? What language does
he speak? What does he like or
dislike? In which trade or profession
is he trained? What does he do for a
living? Is he wealthy?
Players should discuss all character
concepts with the director first. Bear
in mind that the director runs the
show. A particular concept may not
be compatible with the story he has
created.
Step 2: Assigning Ability Ratings
All characters possess a zero (0) in
all abilities by default. The reality
level is used to determine certain
factors.
Special abilities and aspects may
only be used if the director authorizes them. He may choose to restrict
their use or even create new ones.
The use of special abilities and
aspects also means that the director
will need to decide how many additional bonus/points are available to
be allocated to them.
a˘
The total number of bonuses
which may be allocated
among the abilities is:
Dramatic
|+2|
Heroic
|+4|
Epic
|+6|
Add +1 if using Influence
b˘
c˘
e˘
f˘
g˘
Step 3: Assigning Skills and Skill Ratings
The reality level determines the
number of skills at specific ratings
and how many extra experience
points to allocate among them (we’ll
discuss experience soon, so just trust
us when we say that they are important).
You may choose to lower the
rating of one of your character’s
skills by one level in return for an
incease of one level in another. This
can only be done once and as
always, it is subject to the director’s
approval. In addition, the director
may also allow extra novice-level
skills for heroic and epic characters
to fit their backgrounds, or allow
one expert-level skill for dramatic
characters for the same reason.
h˘
i˘
j˘
POOR ABILITY/ASPECT
BENEFITS
FOR EACH |-1| ABILITY OR
REDUCTION IN DISCIPLINE:
• you may add |+1| to any ability
as long as it does not go over
its maximum
• you may add one point to an
aspect as long as it does not go
over its maximum
• you may choose one additional
skill at novice level in step 3
k˘
The total number of novicelevel skills with which the
character automatically
begins play is:
Dramatic
2
Heroic
none
Epic
none
The total number of
proficient-level skills with
which the character
automatically begins play is:
Dramatic
3
Heroic
3
Epic
6
The total number of expertlevel skills with which the
character automatically
begins play is:
Dramatic
0
Heroic
2
Epic
3
The amount of extra experience points which may be
allocated among the skills
possessed by the character is:
Dramatic
3
Heroic
6
Epic
*
* 9 minus the total number
of skills chosen
basic exploits
d˘
The starting value for the
luck aspect is 4.
Dramatic
4
Heroic
4
Epic
4
The starting value for the
discipline aspect is:
Dramatic
2
Heroic
4
Epic
6
Discipline may be reduced by
one point to receive one
benefit (see the Benefits box
below).
The maximum rating for
each ability is:
Dramatic
|+2|
Heroic
|+4|
Epic
|+5|
If an ability’s rating is |-1|,
receive one benefit (see the
Benefits box below).
The maximum number of
|-1| abilities a character may
have is:
Dramatic
2
Heroic
3
Epic
4
The maximum rating for luck
is 6.
The maximum rating for
discipline is:
Dramatic
4
Heroic
5
Epic
6
21
basic exploits
Step 4: Assigning Gimmicks
Gimmicks are also important and
typically aid the character in some
way, although some can also be
detrimental to him. They add flavor
to the game, but are not necessary
in order to enjoy play. The director is
free to allow as many gimmicks as
he sees fit as long as it works with
the character’s background.
Step 5: Assigning Principles
Principles are optional, but like
gimmicks, they add flavor to the
game and can increase the entertainment factor. Remember, there
are codes, faults, and objectives.
Codes: What religious or political
views does the character have? Is
he honorable? Is he moral?
Faults: What kind of personality
does the character have? Does he
get upset easily? Does he suffer
from an irrational fear? Is he
mentally unstable or paranoid? Is
he in the habit of repeating a
particular phrase or making a
gesture?
Objectives: What motivates him?
Does he have a dream? Is he in
search of wealth, power, or some
archaeological artifact?
CHARACTER CREATION BY EXAMPLE
22
Our character, Detective Stan Winston, will be physically adept and intelligent at
the same time. He was a marksman at the police academy. That’s as much as we
need for Step 1. Of course, your characters should be fleshed out a bit more than
that.
On to Step 2. We’ll be using the dramatic level when playing Detective Winston,
so we’ll set up his abilities like this: fitness |+1|; awareness |0|; creativity |0|;
reasoning |+1|; and influence |+1|. Luck is at the default of 4 and discipline is at
the default of 2. If we wanted to increase his fitness rating to |+2|, we could do this
by reducing his discipline to 1, but that would leave him very susceptible to fatigue
and injury.
In Step 3, we assign skills. Here is what we decide: brawling (proficient); driving
(proficient); athletics (novice); investigation (proficient); criminal (novice); and the
director has authorized fireams (expert). We’ll dump his extra experience into
firearms to make him a real crack shot.
The only gimmick that fits his background is authority, so we give that to him in
Step 4.
Step 5 is all about principles and we decide that he believes in justice, but also
has violent outbursts due to stress from his job. So his code is justice and his fault
is rage. We decide not to give him an objective.
And that’s pretty much it. Sure, there are some loose ends in his background that
need to be tied up, but that’s easy enough, and you don’t need the rules for that.
Name
Detective Stan Winston
Setting
Luck
+1
diceless roleplaying
2
XXXX
IIIIII
IIIIII
XX
0
awareness
0
IIIIII
IIIIII
+1
awareness
reasoning
+1
influence
IIIIII
IIIIII
3
health
Principles and gimmicks
Code: Justice
Fault: Rage
Authority
5
7
Fatigue
dazed I
stressed I
strained I
exhausted I
unconscious I
4
-1
-2
-3
-—
injury
I bruised
I sprained
I wounded
I maimed
I incapacitated
basic exploits
Discipline
fitness
/
1
Skills
Brawling
Qn
QE Driving
Q
•n QP QE Athletics
Qn Q
•P QE Investigation
Q
•n QP QE Criminal
Qn QP Q
•E Firearms
•••
•
Q
•P
Qn QP QE
equipment
9mm
Brown 1994 Sedan
Handcuffs
QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
8
QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
background, notes, etc.
9
Qn QP QE
QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
Qn QP QE
QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
Qn QP QE
QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
Qn QP QE
QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
Qn QP QE
QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
Qn QP QE
QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
Qn QP QE
QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
Qn QP QE
QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
Qn QP QE
QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
Qn QP QE
QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
Qn QP QE
QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
Qn QP QE
QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
6
© 2003 Precis Intermedia. This form may be copied for personal use only.
1. Name and Setting
Write your character’s name and the
setting with which he will be used
here.
2. Aspects
Check off the current number of
points next to the appropriate aspect.
Write in the name of any special
aspects on the right, beside the gray
boxes, which should be checked as
well.
3. Abilities
Write in the rating of each ability, and
the name and rating for any special
abilities used in the gray boxes.
4. Health Meter
Check off the appropriate boxes
when fatigued or injured.
5. Principles
Write down the character’s principles.
6. Skills
Write down the character’s skills.
Check off the appropriate skill rating
for each, as well as the current
number of experience points.
7. Gimmicks
Write down the character’s gimmicks.
8. Equipment
Write down the character’s possesions or any equipment he is currently
carrying.
9. Background and other notes
Write down the character’s history or
any other information which would
prove useful during play.
23
C task resolution basics--------------------------------------------
basic exploits
2 The success table has been removed in favor of simple addition. Since the
mechanics are pretty much the same, the table is still usable if preferred by
players and can be found in Chapter 6. Conditions have also been simplified
into different types of tasks for the basic rules, making the game run more
smoothly.
2 The first edition rules used the symbol § to denote an increase in difficulty by
a number of grades equal to the number, while ¡ denoted a decrease.
Although you can still use these symbols, this version of the rules writes out
the change in difficulty. For example: increase by one grade of difficulty.
Tasks are tests of skill and/or
ability. There are many elements of a
task which can affect the outcome.
All tasks are resolved by exerting
effort from one or more abilities.
Characters may exert an amount of
effort up to the rating of the appropriate ability. If used in conjunction
with a skill, the appropriate ability is
that which the skill is based upon. If
the ability has a rating of |-1|, the
total amount of effort applied to the
task (from other sources) is reduced
by one (1).
Luck points may also be expended
(and not regained until a later time
determined by the director) in order
to increase the amount of free effort
by one (1) for each point.
Skills also add free effort to the
task. The actual amount depends on
the skill rating. In addition, up to
three (3) points of experience
belonging to the related skill may be
expended in order to increase the
amount of effort (not free effort) by
one (1) for each point.
FREE EFFORT
unskilled
novice
proficient
expert
24
0
+1
+2
+3
The amount of effort required for
a success is dependent upon the
difficulty of the task. Any effort
beyond what is needed to succeed is
called overkill and is used by the
director to determine additional
effects at his discretion (additional
damage, further distances, etc.).
Some examples of difficulty are
listed below.
EFFORT REQUIRED
trivial tasks
routine tasks
challenging tasks
improbable tasks
impossible tasks
1*
2
4
6
8
Trivial
Trivial tasks require a negligible
amount of effort and little or no
training. They represent actions
which we commonly take for
granted. The director has the option
to bypass task resolution and permit
the character to succeed automatically.*
Routine
Routine tasks require a minimum
of effort and very little skill. They
represent every day labors which
often become second nature. As
with the trivial difficulty, the director
may bypass task resolution and
decide for himself whether or not
the character succeeds at the task.
Challenging
Challenging tasks require significant effort and/or skill. They repre-
sent mostly innocuous action which
must rely on the proper training and
experience. Most challenging tasks
will only be successful by skilled
characters.
Impossible
Impossible tasks require a
maximum of effort and skill, and are
not likely to be successful. They
represent dangerous and infeasible
actions. The director should always
caution a player once he announces
how much effort is being applied to
the task (but not before). If the character decides to back down at this
point, he may do so, but cannot
alter the amount of effort exerted
on the task.
basic exploits
Improbable
Improbable tasks require extreme
effort and skill. These are typically
unfamiliar and somewhat dangerous
actions. It is unlikely that anyone
other than a highly skilled character
will be able to succeed at an improbable task.
SAMPLE DIFFICULTIES
TRIVIAL
• typing a letter
• walking up stairs
• making a sandwich
• chopping firewood
ROUTINE
• filleting a fish
• making an arrow
• riding a calm horse
• starting a fire
CHALLENGING
• writing an elegant poem
• picking a lock
• painting a landscape under time
constraints
IMPROBABLE
• forging a document based on
second hand knowledge
• swimming in rapids
• picking an unfamiliar lock
IMPOSSIBLE
• breaking a thick board with your
head
• shooting an arrow while
severely intoxicated
• properly cooking a whole
chicken in ten minutes
• finding a needle in a haystack
TASK RESOLUTION BY EXAMPLE
While chasing a suspect on rooftops, Detective Winston attempts to jump across
a wide gap. Since falling is rather low on his list of things to do, Winston exerts 1
point of effort from fitness to do so. Because jumping is covered by the athletics skill
(and his rating in athletics is novice), the detective receives +1 free effort. He also
decides to spend 1 point of luck just in case.
The director decides that the difficulty is challenging since the distance he must
jump is about 3 meters (or 10 feet) and the character has enough speed to give him
a boost. This means that the character needs a total of 4 points of effort in order to
succeed.
The 1 point of effort from fitness, 1 point from his athletics skill, and 1 point of
luck totals three, meaning he fails the jump and falls to the ground. Ouch!
Let’s suppose that he had a fitness of +2 and allocates 2 points instead of 1. This
is enough for him to succeed, so he would be able to continue his pursuit of the
suspect.
Let’s take this one step further. We’ll say that somehow he was able to exert 3
points of effort from his abilities (the how doesn’t matter, we’re concentrating on
the result). This means that he exerted more effort than his discipline rating, so he
gains 1 grade of fatigue. He can counter this by spending 1 point of discipline, but
he’d rather save that in case he fights the suspect, so his fatigue is increased by one
grade.
25
basic exploits
C special tasks--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Contested Tasks
A contested task is a direct
competition against another character. Both players attempt their
tasks with difficulties assigned by
the director (routine under normal
circumstances, but adjust for
weather, lighting, reach of weapon,
etc.). The character with the highest
overkill wins the contest. If there is a
tie, the director can either call it a
draw or base the win on who has
the highest relevant ability or skill
rating.
Resisted Tasks
A resisted task is one which is
attempted in order to counter a
previously successful task or thwart
one which is directed at the character (an attack, for example) using
a different skill or ability. For
example, attempting to parry a
punch. The original task’s overkill
determines the amount of effort
required to succeed, although in
cases where difficulty can vary
(ranged combat, for example), the
difficulty is increased by the amount
of overkill.
Sustained Tasks
Some tasks either require a
specific amount of time or may be
more easily acheived by spending
extra time on the attempt. The
director must decide the minimum
time required (if applicable; this
number can either be in turns,
minutes, or hours) and the incremental amount of time at which a
character receives a bonus. If a character spends more time on the task
than the minimum, add one (1)
point of free effort for each incremental amount of time beyond the
minimum spent concentrating. If the
minimum amount of time is not
met, reduce the amount of effort
applied to the task by one (1) or two
(2) points.
United Tasks
Some tasks can be performed by
multiple characters with one acting
as the leader. Only the leader must
check for success, but he may add
one (1) extra point of free effort for
each additional character assisting
who contributes more than one (1)
point of effort, and has a skill rating
of at least novice for simpler tasks
(such as lifting) or proficient for
more complex tasks (such as
surgery).
Prostrated Tasks
Whenever a character exerts an
amount of effort (but not free
effort) greater than his discipline
rating in a single turn, he gains one
(1) grade of fatigue. This represents
pushing one’s self by way of extreme
concentration or physical strain. This
effect may be countered by
spending one point of luck or discipline.
C experience------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
26
One point of experience is gained
whenever a character succeeds at a
challenging, improbable, or impossible task. Directors may also award
one point of experience for failed
tasks if the situation was roleplayed
in an entertaining manner by the
player. This experience point is
attached to the respective skill and
may be used to add extra effort to
tasks (see task resolution), but no
additional effort is gained in this situation. Twenty (20) experience points
can also be expended to raise the
respective skill rating by one level.
Abilities cannot be raised under
normal situations. Intense conditioning, however, can result in a
slight change in ability (no more
than one point). Maximums listed in
the character creation section still
apply. This increase costs twenty
experience points which may be
taken from any skill related to the
respective ability. For example,
intense physical training over a
period of several months can
increase a character’s fitness rating
by one (|+1|), but he must also
expend twenty experience points
from any fitness-based skills. All
changes are at the discretion of the
director.
basic exploits
New skills at novice level may also
be obtained by expending twenty
(20) experience points. These may
be taken from any existing skill(s).
The character must have a darn
good reason for gaining this new
skill, however. “Because I want to”
just doesn’t do it. The character
must have attempted to perform
tasks covered by the desired skill
many times throughout play or he
must have a highly skilled teacher
guiding him in its use. These rules
are not about maxing out characters,
but rather roleplaying, so make sure
there is a logical and story-driven
reason for a new skill.
C combat------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2 Combat has been drastically simplified in this version of the rules.
Whenever a situation arises which
calls for more detail (like combat),
the characters act on a turn by turn
basis. This is referred to as bringing
the scene into focus. Each turn represents approximately five (5) seconds.
The first step is to determine the
order in which characters act. By
default, all characters act simultaneously. Players may decide to exert
effort from fitness or awareness (or
ESP) in order to act in haste,
however. This means that they can
perform a task before the others,
usually at the expense of accuracy.
When haste comes into play, characters act in order of highest amount
of effort exerted to lowest. If there
are ties, the actions occur simultaneously.
More than one action may also be
attempted each turn, but once effort
has been exerted for a task (or
haste), it is not available until next
turn, and if too much effort is
exerted, the character can become
fatigued (see prostrated tasks).
Additional actions occur after every
character has had a chance to
complete their first. Effort may also
be exerted on additional actions in
order to act in haste. It is up to the
director to determine if multiple
actions chosen by the character are
feasible given the situation. Basically,
a character may run across the room
and fire his gun, or stay alert while
defusing a bomb, but he cannot run
across the room and defuse the
bomb at the same time.
If an action occurs before another
character may act, it is resolved
before play continues. All simultaneous actions have no effect on
each other. In other words, if Joe hits
Bob with his gun, Bob may still act.
After all simultaneous actions occur,
however, damage is applied, and
Bob may just be down for the count.
The following actions may be
attempted in a turn:
27
DIFFICULTY
basic exploits
trivial
routine
challenging
improbable
impossible
WALK
RUN
CRAWL/CLIMB
SWIM
2m
3m
5m
7m
9m
15m
20m
30m
40m
50m
1m
2m
4m
6m
8m
2m
4m
8m
12m
16m
Move
The character can walk, run,
crawl, climb, or swim. Distances are
in meters per turn. The amount of
effort (or difficulty) required for
these actions is determined by the
desired speed and the skill used is
athletics. The director may either
allow a character to move the
desired distance simply by forfeiting
the required effort for the remainder
of the turn or make the character
attempt a task.
Attack
The character may attack an opponent. The actual skill used varies by
attack, but the fitness ability is
almost always the source of effort.
Base difficulty for all attacks is
routine, except for ranged weapons
(listed below), or resisted and
contested tasks.
All hits are assumed to be nonspecific. In other words, the damage
is caused by hits to the chest or from
general bruising. If a specific body
part is targeted, the attack receives
an increase in difficulty by one
grade. A success indicates that the
targeted body part is hit. If the roll is
not successful, but it would have
been if a specific body part was not
targeted (i.e. one less difficulty), the
attack is successful, but the specific
body part is not hit.
RANGE
28
p
s
m
l
e
point blank
short
medium
long
extreme
DIFFICULTY
trivial
routine
challenging
improbable
impossible
Other modifiers may be applied to
attack tasks as well. Environmental
situations may increase difficulty. For
example, it may be improbable to hit
someone in the dark or challenging
when he is running. Other factors
such as technical knowledge may
increase a character’s free effort on a
task. For example, a character’s engineering skill may add an extra point
of free effort to his firearms skill to
correct a jam.
Archery: Indirect or direct projectile
attacks such as with bows, crossbows, and slingshots. An Aiming
Modifier is used if one turn is
spent aiming—the task receives
one (1) extra point of free effort.
Athletics: Thrown attacks such as
with rock, knives, and grenades.
Brawling: Unarmed attacks such as
punching, kicking, and grappling.
Firearms: Handgun attacks such as
with pistols and even shotguns
and assault rifles. A Recoil
Modifier is applied if burst fire is
used or mulitple shots are fired.
This number represents a decrease
in effort on the task (this can be
ignored if firing at targets within
short range or the weapon is
mounted or is otherwise stabilized), but also increases the
damage by one (1) grade if used.
THROWING DISTANCE
3m
6m
20m
50m
75m
Defend
The character may defend against
an opponent. As with attacks, the
actual skill used varies by defense.
This is a resisted task, so the amount
of overkill from the defense roll
becomes the amount of effort
required for all attacks except
firearm, thrown, and bow/crossbow;
the difficulty is merely increased for
these. No additional actions are
possible during a turn in which a
character blocks an attack. An even
simpler method for handling defense
is covered in Chapter 6.
Athletics: Unarmed blocks with the
whole body or arms and legs.
Brawling: Unarmed parries and
deflection of strikes.
Melee: Blocking incoming projectiles, unarmed strikes, or melee
attacks with a shield or melee
weapon such as an axe. The
director should increase the difficulty of the defense task for less
probably actions like blocking an
arrow with a sword. Also used to
parry or deflect the strike of a
melee attack.
Athletics: Evading and dodging
strikes, avoiding contact entirely.
This should be made more difficult
when dodging projectile attacks
(impossible
is
appropriate
depending on your setting).
basic exploits
An Aiming Modifier is used if one
turn is spent aiming—the task
receives one (1) extra point of free
effort.
Melee: Melee attacks such as with
swords, axes, staves, knives, and
clubs.
Use Skill
The character may attempt a noncombat related skill.
C determining damage-----------------------------------------------------------2 Damage classes are not used in the basic rules. See Chapter 2 for a discussion
on them.
Each type of weapon or strike
inflicts a specific amount of either
fatigue or injury if the attack is
successful. Unarmed attacks inflict
no damage unless there is overkill, in
which case it is limited to one (1) or
two (2) points of fatigue, depending
on just how much overkill. Special
attacks such as punching with brass
knuckles or biting may inflict injury
at the director’s discretion. Melee
attacks may inflict additional
damage (above and beyond their
damage rating) from overkill. All
extra damage from overkill is up to
the director, but it should be limited
to one to two points.
Armor can be used to protect
against certain types of damage.
When a character wearing armor is
attacked and the armor offers
protection against the type of
damage inflicted by that attack,
reduce the amount of damage by
the rating of the armor. It is important to note that not every part of
the body may be protected by the
armor. The director should also take
this into account when determining
damage. The armor rating is a fixed
value and would stop all attacks
which inflict an equal or lesser
amount of damage. In order to
produce realistic results when
29
basic exploits
dealing with armor (a lucky penetrating shot or striking between
joints), any attack which results in
more than two (2) points of overkill
partially penetrates the armor and
inflicts one to two points of damage.
30
A character may also expend luck
or discipline in order to ignore one
grade of fatigue or injury per point.
WEAPON TYPE
DMG
PB
snub nosed pistol
9mm and .45
magnum
carbine
assault rifle
heavy machine gun
hi-tech laser pistol
hi-tech laser rifle
club
knife
staff
sword
arrow
2INJ
3INJ
4INJ
4INJ
4INJ
6INJ
5INJ
5INJ
1FAT
1INJ
1FAT
2INJ
2INJ
5m
5m
5m
5m
5m
5m
10m
10m
10m
If a character receives two or more
grades of injury, or three or more
grades of fatigue (before the expenditure of an aspect to decrease
fatigue or injury), he is knocked
down and must spend the next turn
returning to his feet or may act on
the ground, but the total effort
applied to a fitness-based task is
reduced by two.
SHORT MEDIUM LONG
10m
10m
10m
10m
10m
20m
20m
20m
25m
TYPE OF ARMOR
ARMOR RATING
heavy skins/clothing
leather armor
medieval armor
older bullet-proof vest
modern armored vest
synthetics
hi-tech armor
hi-tech force field
1
2
1
2
3
3
4
5
40m
40m
40m
40m
50m
50m
30m
30m
75m
75m
75m
75m
100m
100m
150m
50m
75m
100m
AMMO
6
9
6
20
20-50
50-100
50
100
1
PROTECTION
fatigue
fatigue
fatigue
fatigue
fatigue
fatigue
fatigue
injury
& injury
& injury
& injury
& injury
& injury
COMBAT BY EXAMPLE
basic exploits
Detective Winston has found his suspect, who is holding a 9mm pistol. Both
parties have their guns drawn...
The suspect, who is currently doped up, decides to exert 1 point of effort from
fitness to act in haste. The detective does not. This means that the suspect can act
first. He shoots (using his novice firearms skill), exerting another point of effort from
fitness. Since the two of them are in short range, the effort required to succeed is
2. The suspect hits Winston, but with some quick thinking, he dives for cover (actually, he expends 2 points of luck) and is grazed by the bullet (the expenditure of 2
points of luck reduces the 3 grades of injury down to 1; the fact that he dived just
helps to explain why the damage was lessened). Since Winston is knocked down,
however, he cannot act until next turn.
On the next turn, Winston goes all out since his life depends on it. He exerts one
point of fitness to act in haste, but the suspect is a bit cocky and does not. The
detective fires his gun at the suspect (using his expert firearms skill), expending his
last 2 points of luck and 2 points of experience. Since the range is still short, the 7
points (2 from luck, 2 from experience, and 3 from expert skill) is plenty. In fact, all
this effort means that there is overkill (7 points less the 2 required). The director
decides that the overkill has killed the suspect, since 3 grades of injury is inflicted by
the weapon plus 2 extra grades from the overkill. There is always the chance of
revival by rushing the suspect to the hospital, but Winston is not in a charitable
mood after being shot himself.
C recovery----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recovery of a character’s health
and ability relies on treatment, rest,
and the passage of time.
Health
Fatigue may be decreased at a
rate equal to the character’s fitness
rating per day (negative and zero
values are counted as a one). For
example, if Jim’s fitness rating is
|+2|, he can remove two grades of
fatigue each day.
Injury may be decreased at a rate
equal to the character’s fitness rating
per week (negative and zero values
are counted as a one).
The first aid skill can increase the
rate at which fatigue is restored by
one grade, while the medicine skill
can increase the rate at which both
fatigue and injury are restored (also
by one grade). The difficulty is determined by the extent of injury (see
table at right).
Ability
Abilities are always restored to
their starting values at the beginning
of each scene or turn (if in a focus
situation like combat).
Aspect
Discipline is restored to its original
value at the beginning of each
episode, while other aspects may
not be restored except by specific
rules as previously mentioned
(achieving objectives, good roleplaying, etc.).
FIELD MEDICINE
bruised
sprained
wounded
maimed
incapacitated
trivial
routine
challenging
improbable
impossible
31
Name
/
Setting
diceless roleplaying
IIIIII
IIIIII
Luck
IIIIII
Discipline IIIIII
fitness
awareness
creativity
reasoning
IIIIII
IIIIII
influence
health
Principles and gimmicks
Fatigue
dazed I
stressed I
strained I
exhausted I
unconscious I
-1
-2
-3
-—
injury
I bruised
I sprained
I wounded
I maimed
I incapacitated
Skills
equipment
background, notes, etc.
© 2003 Precis Intermedia. This form may be copied for personal use only.
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Now that we’ve got the
basics out of the way, let’s
move on to some more advanced
options. First, we’ll discuss these
options related to abilities, special abilities, skills, and other concepts revolving
around characters. Then we’ll go more in
depth with tasks and focus situations, such
as combat.
Bear in mind that all of this is optional. You
can mix and match whichever rules work best
for your group. Whether you come up with a
completely new mechanic or just modify an
existing one, please share it with others.
2
advanced
exploits
33
C flairs----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2 This is new to Active Exploits and expands the definition of a character’s
advanced exploits
ability.
34
By now, it should be obvious that
abilities are somewhat generalized.
That is, each encompasses a wide
array of related traits. For example,
the fitness ability regulates both
strength and dexterity. Some players
may find this restricting and want to
further define specific functions of
an ability. To remedy this, let us
introduce Flairs.
Whereas abilities measure a
general talent of the character, flairs
modify those abilities by refining the
talent. Flairs can be either positive or
negative, but must follow the limitations established for abilities in the
character creation rules.
For every flair assigned during
character creation, there must be a
balance—each positive flair must
have a negative flair to balance the
character. The flair does not have to
belong to the same ability, however.
The purpose of flairs is actually
two-fold. The first, as mentioned
above, is to fine-tune a character’s
ability. The second is intended to
enhance player interaction. When a
player describes his character’s
actions, flairs may be called upon to
embellish the scene with the goal to
create a more cinematic atmosphere. This paints a clearer picture of
the action, thereby engaging the
players and increasing the excitement.
When a flaired ability of |+2| or
greater is used in this fashion and
the director believes that the player
properly conveyed the feel of the
task in narration alone, it is automatically successful without the
need to compare effort. Of course,
this assumes that the character had
the potential to accomplish the task
in the first place.
In the course of a game, a player
may realize that he can not succeed
at a task after he has already exerted
effort, but before determining the
outcome. If the character possesses
a flaired ability of |-2| or less, he has
the option to fail gracefully at a task
FLAIRS BY EXAMPLE
Going back to our friendly neighborhood detective, Stan Winston, we
decide that he would be better off
with better dexterity since he is a
marksman. To balance this, we’ll
make him a bit stiff and reduce his
flexibility. This means that his
dexterity flair is +1, but flexibility is -1.
So, his rating for dexterity-based tasks
is +2 (1 + 1), but for all tasks based on
flexibility, his rating is 0 (1 - 1).
We’ve also decided that he is
getting a bit senile, so we’ll reduce his
memory flair. To balance this, we
want to keep him on his toes, so we
increase his instincts. To recap, he has
the memory flair for reasoning at -1
and the instincts flair for awareness at
+1. He has a rating of 0 (1 - 1) for all
tasks which rely on his memory and a
rating of +1 (0 + 1) for all tasks when
he is surprised.
Assigning Flairs
A character with a fitness rating of
|+1| can also have a flair with a
rating of |-2| for all tasks involving
physical strength. This would mean
that the character has an ability rating
of |-1| (1 - 2) for situations where
strength is a factor, but the original
|+1| for all other fitness tasks. Since
|-1| is the lowest possible rating for
an ability, the flair could not be |-3|
(this would bring the rating down to
|-2| which is not possible).
Conversely, the flair’s rating could not
be more than |+1| for a dramatic
game, because |+2| is the maximum
allowed for dramatic level characters.
Fitness-Refining Flairs
Dexterity comes into play when a
character attempts tasks involving
hand-eye coordination, such as
firing a gun, using a pencil,
catching a ball, and parrying a
strike.
Muscle comes into play when a character attempts tasks involving his
strength. This includes arm
wrestling, kicking in a door, doing
push-ups, and blocking.
Agility comes into play when a character attempts tasks involving
physical grace and full body coordination, such as walking a tight
rope, swimming, and dodging a
blow.
Quickness comes into play when a
character attempts tasks involving
outrunning another person or
performing sustained tasks in
shorter times (counters part or all
of a penalty from acting in less
than the minimum time required).
It can also be used to add extra
effort in order to act in haste.
Flexibility comes into play when a
character attempts tasks involving
contorting or stretching one’s
body (even freeing oneself from
bonds).
Awareness-Refining Flairs
Hearing comes into play when a
character attempts to sense
anything by listening.
Vision comes into play when a character attempts to sense anything
by looking around.
Touch comes into play when a character attempts to sense anything
by touching with his hands, feet,
etc.
Smell comes into play when a character attempts to sense anything
by smelling.
Taste comes into play when a character attempts to sense anything
by tasting.
Instinct comes into play when a
character is surprised. He may
expend effort from this flair.
Cognizance comes into play when a
character attempts to observe his
surroundings without knowing
what it is he is looking for.
Empathy comes into play when a
character attempts to discern
what another character is thinking
or feeling.
advanced exploits
of challenging difficulty or greater.
The player must narrate the results
of the failure in a vibrant and cinematic manner. If this is accomplished
to the satisfaction of the director,
the character receives one point in
luck, revelation (see convictions), or
any aspect which has been reduced
during play (director’s choice).
When using flairs, the director
should prohibit the raising of ability
ratings by expending experience.
Instead, experience should be used
to raise a single flair at a time. For
example, since a player cannot raise
his character’s fitness ability, he opts
to increase the character’s dexterity
flair.
Creativity-Refining Flairs
Manipulation comes into play when
a character is negotiating terms of
a deal or attempting to bribe or
seduce.
Improvisation comes into play when
a character is performing tasks
which require materials, notes, or
rules which are not available.
Giving a speech without notes or
repairing a watch without a screwdriver are two examples. This basically allows him to find an alternate source when his plans have
been unexpectedly altered.
35
advanced exploits
Visualization comes into play when
a character is attempting to translate an image in his head (such as
a mental photograph) to a painted
or drawn form. In other words,
when he is trying to illustrate on
paper what he sees mentally.
Harmony comes into play when a
character is attempting to
compose a musical score or maintain harmony with a band or
orchestra while singing or playing
an instrument.
Emulate comes into play when a
character is attempting to mimic
another person, such as by acting
on stage or as part of a disguise.
Reasoning-Refining Flairs
Memory comes into play when a
character attempts to remember
something from his past or something which he observed recently.
Deduction comes into play when a
character attempts logical and
deductive analysis.
Numbers comes into play when a
character attempts mathematical
analysis.
Influence-Refining Flairs
Charm comes into play when when
a character attempts tasks in
which his personality is a factor—
making people like or trust him,
for example.
Financial comes into play when a
character attempts tasks in which
his wealth is a factor—convincing
someone to loan him money or
agree to a business deal, for
example.
Appearance comes into play when a
character attempts tasks in which
his appearance is a factor— getting
close to a child or another person
in a dark ally, for example.
36
ESP-Refining Flairs
Touch comes into play when a character attempts an ESP-based task
upon touching the target. For
example, when he is touching
someone with whom the character wishes to use telepathy.
Family comes into play when a character directs an ESP-based task at
a family member within two
generations. This would apply to
sibling, parents, grandparents,
parents’ siblings, children, and
grandchildren.
Conduction-Refining Flairs
Range comes into play when a character attempts to discharge electricity over a distance without
conductive materials other than
those normally present in an
atmosphere.
ADDING OTHER FLAIRS
It is also possible for flairs to be
used with special abilities. For
example, an ability for use with
magical spells, called arcane can be
modified by flairs so that more effort
can be exerted when used at specific
ranges or perhaps, less effort when
targeted at more than one person.
We’ll get to additional special abilities
and their compatible flairs later.
C accented abilities--------------------------------------------------------------------is new to Active Exploits and
2 This
serves to reduce the number of special
abilities required by characters if they
wish to use different properties of the
same ability.
advanced exploits
Accented abilities rely on flairs to
define their use and are, therefore,
always rated at zero (the flair represents the actual rating). Unlike
regular abilities, if a character does
not possess a particular flair, he
cannot benefit from the flair’s
effects.
USING ACCENTS
The director invents a new
accented ability for his space opera
campaign. He calls it ‘psionics’ and
creates the following flairs: active,
passive, and intrusive. Psionics may
not be used by a character without a
flair.
Julian takes psionics with the
passive flair at a rating of |+2|. This
means that he cannot use psionics for
tasks involving active or intrusive use.
When he attempts those involving
passive, however, he can exert a
maximum of 2 points of effort from
psionics.
C open aspects----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2 This is new to Active Exploits and replaces the Infinite Mutable Abilities as
introduced in Dreamwalker Diceless and the Ravaged Europe fantasy series.
Open aspects function in the
same manner as regular aspects,
except that there is no defined limit
to their rating. They can range from
zero (0) to infinity (∞); five (5), one
hundred (100), and one thousand
(1000) are all theoretically possible,
but will most likely be limited by
actual game usage. The director
may, at his option, impose a limit on
the ability in order to maintain game
balance. We have chosen to differentiate regular aspects from the
open variety for one reason—the
latter should be used sparingly. They
can be both burdensome and unbalancing to the game. Any given
setting should be limited to using no
more than one open aspect.
C fields of expertise----------------------------------------------------------------2 This is new to Active Exploits and is meant as an alternative to using skills.
Fields of expertise replace the
need for skills. Each represents a
single occupation or trade to which
the character belongs, but encompasses many skills. The use of fields
of expertise is different to that of
skills.
All fields of expertise are just
that—expert skill areas. This means
that all characters who possess a
field of expertise possess it at expert
level.
When attempting tasks, the
director must determine the appropriate ability to be used. If the action
is within the field, but not the
central focus (a policeman delivering
a baby, for example), the director
has two courses of action. He can
either reduce the field’s rating from
expert to proficient (or even novice),
or increase the difficulty of the task.
The former is best when using basic
tasks, while the latter is best for
37
FRINGE KNOWLEDGE BY EXAMPLE
advanced exploits
Sophie Nestine is a mighty heroine in a fantasy setting. One of her fields of
expertise is healer. For tasks directly related to healing, such as first aid and curing
the sick, she is an expert. When it comes to tasks such as finding antidotes to toxins
or defeating an epidemic, she is only a novice, because these situations do not
happen often (and can only be accomplished in theory); Sophie is not as experienced with these.
advanced tasks. This simulates how
a character may be well versed in
the field, but not its fringe, theoretical, or neglected components.
While fields of expertise may not
be raised (since they are already at
expert level), experience is used in
the same manner as skills when it
comes to task resolution. This comes
in handy when attempting those
fringe actions.
The director is free to create his
own fields of expertise for characters, but a sample list is provided in
Chapter 9.
When creating characters using
fields of expertise, the rules for abilities and aspects are unchanged, but
the number of fields of expertise
possessed by a character is limited
by the reality level.
FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
Dramatic
Heroic
Epic
1
2
3 to 5
C convictions----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------have been reorganized in this version of the rules, but their
2 Convictions
function remains the same.
3
38
Convictions require the use of Dementia (a form of health) and Revelation (an
aspect).
Most of us live in a society of
values, traditions, and beliefs. To
some, these concepts are nothing
more than unnecessary chores, while
others see them as the cornerstone
of humanity. Convictions are used to
simulate these notions as well as the
baser, instinctive and subconscious
concepts such as fears, desires, and
dependencies. Convictions are
broken down into five categories.
Each affects game play differently.
of history or everyday life. Beliefs
must be overcome in order to ‘think
outside the box’ (see Conviction
Tasks, below).
Beliefs
Beliefs
represent
particular
elements of a character’s perception
of reality. They are used to define
what the character thinks is going on
around him and how he views facets
Fears
Fears represent irrational anxiety
or dread often brought on by
phobias. Fears must be overcome in
order to act without apprehension or
panic.
Values
Values represent a character’s
moral or ethical code. They are used
to determine how the character
would react in certain situations.
Values must be overcome in order to
violate ‘proper’ behavior and protocols.
trigger must have one belief (the
character denies that the situation
every occurred), fear (the character
fears the situation), or temptation
(the character is tempted to ease his
anxiety by way of intoxication or
nervous tics) assigned to it. These
represent the mind’s way of coping
with whatever is associated to the
situation.
Triggers
Triggers represent situations which
cause irrational impulses upon which
the character reacts. These are often
the result of past experiences which
lead to emotional scarring. Each
———
SAMPLE CONVICTIONS
BELIEFS
• false memories of abuse/trauma
• schizophrenia
• paranoia
• paranormal occurences
• religious doctrine
VALUES
• code of honor
• chivalry
• loyalty
• religious teachings/piousness
• lawyer’s ethics
FEARS
• fear of spiders
• fear of heights
• fear of social interaction
• fear of divine justice
TEMPTATIONS
• drugs, alcohol, nicotine
• nervous disorders
• greed
• impulsive
• lust
• sadism
TRIGGERS
• disrespectful people
• failure of tasks
• witnessing injustice
• poverty
• social inequality
In order to gauge the severity of a
conviction, each is assigned one of
four ranks.
advanced exploits
Temptations
Temptations represent subconscious desires and dependencies.
Some are the result of past experiences (upbringing, trauma, etc.),
while others are brought on by
addictive substances such as drugs
and alcohol. Temptations must be
overcome in order to refrain from
the specified action.
Inclination
Inclination indicates that the character has strong tendencies toward
the conviction and often uses it as a
guide for behavior and/or ambition.
The character will not voluntarily
place himself in a situation which
requires the conviction to be overcome, unless it is the result of
another conviction or important part
of the story. The character can overcome it without effort, however.
Habit
Habit indicates that the character
has acted upon the conviction so
often, it has become a routine occurrence in his life. The character will
avoid the need to overcome the
conviction subconsciously, not even
realizing what he is doing. In order
to overcome it, the character must
realize that the conviction exists and
that he is facing it.
Commitment
Commitment indicates that the
character either has pledged to
uphold the conviction or acknowledges its existence and consciously
nurtures it to a point where it has
become a major factor is his life. The
character can easily overcome the
conviction with conscious effort, but
doing so would mean going against
his very nature.
39
advanced exploits
Compulsion
Compulsion indicates that the
character is psychologically or ideologically compelled to uphold or act
upon his conviction. It can not be
overcome without consequences. It
is also unlikely for a character to
even attempt overcoming a compulsion unless under extreme pressure
due to the presence of danger or
coercion.
Conviction Tasks
A conviction task is one which is
attempted to perform an action
which requires a conviction at
commitment or compulsion rank to
be overcome (for example, a character with a compulsion to not kill
attempting to shoot someone).
Experience may not be applied to
the task unless the character
expends one point of revelation. The
difficulty of the task is also increased
by one grade if the conviction is at
compulsion rank.
Changes in Conviction
Convictions can be very hard to
break for some people, especially
compulsions. Characters may,
however, reduce the severity of their
convictions by spending experience
points. Here’s the catch—the director
may only allow this if he feels that
the character has made sufficient
effort to control or resist the relevant
conviction. In other words, if the
SUCCEEDING AT
CONVICTION TASKS
40
• the character gains one point of
dementia as a result of guilt and
anxiety
• the character may not receive
any experience from the task
• the character receives one point
of revelation as a result of
accepting the fact that overcoming his conviction is a possibility, albeit a difficult one
EXPERIENCE COSTS
inclination
habit
commitment
compulsion
5
10
15
20
character is repeatedly going against
the conviction or otherwise
attempting to ignore it, the director
may allow him to reduce the conviction by one grade of severity. The
number of experience points
required is determined on the
current grade (see table at right).
Reducing an inclination means that
the character no longer possesses
the conviction.
It is also possible for characters to
gain or increase the severity of
convictions according to their
behavior. If the director witnesses a
trend or habitual behavior from the
character (or player), he may assign
a new conviction or an increase in
an existing conviction’s severity
based on that behavior. For
example, Bob, a private detective,
runs to the bar every single day after
work. Since he never goes a day
without drinking, the director may
give him the temptation (alcohol)
conviction at inclination level. If this
has been going on for years, the
director may even decide to make it
a commitment or compulsion.
CONVICTIONS BY EXAMPLE
Detective Winston is a gentleman.
He has a compulsive trigger whenever
someone strikes a lady. The good
detective is under cover on a drug
bust and sees the dealer slap
Veronica, the dealer’s mistress.
Winston must remain calm while
inspecting the merchandise. Using the
criminal skill, he makes sure the goods
are legitimate. The task receives an
increase in difficulty by one grade,
because of his trigger. He can only
spend experience on this task if he
expends one point of revelation.
C threads--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2 This is new to Active Exploits and is used to explore group interactions.
Rapport
Rapport represents a common set
of convictions
and/or career
training between characters. This
often strengthens the resolve of a
character when attempting to overcome his convictions.
Rivalry
Rivalry represents a set of
common temptations and/or triggers which often lead two characters
to compete for fame, riches, or other
objects of their desires. This can
often lead to one character crossing
the other in order to prevent him
from succeeding. While there is no
way to stop them from playing dirty,
violence should be avoided in favor
of eliminating clues or finding allies
to block a rival.
Dissent
Dissent represents a set of
opposing convictions (beliefs or
values) between characters which
leads to debates, arguments, and
animosity. This has the potential to
add conflict and subplots, increasing
the players’ immersion into the
game, and thereby enhancing
intrigue and excitement.
Synergy
Synergy represents an uncanny
connection linking two characters.
This is most often the result of the
characters being married to each
other, growing up in the same
household, or sharing occupational
duties. Being in the presence of
these characters can be very disconcerting as they tend to finish each
other’s sentences and operate as if
they were a single entity at times.
advanced exploits
Threads can be assigned within a
group of characters to help describe
its dynamics in terms of rapport,
rivalry, dissent, synergy, and adoration. The number of threads
connecting each character to
another is variable, depending on
the backgrounds and beliefs present
in the group. All threads should be
defined before play and at the
director’s discretion. Characters
linked with specific threads gain
certain advantages when the
director feels that the players have
narrated their actions appropriately.
Adoration
Adoration represents two characters linked by an overwhelming
desire to be with one another. This is
not necessarily a sexual attraction, as
SAMPLE THREADS
RAPPORT
• professor and his student
• doctor and his nurse
• fellow engineers
• brotherhood of policemen
RIVALRY
• competing safecrackers
• ambitious businessmen
• egotistical martial artists
• fellow drag racers
DISSENT
• liberals vs. conservatives
• satanists vs. christians
• parapsychologists vs. scientists
• new generation vs. the old
SYNERGY
• identical twins
• indoctrinated cult members
• husband and wife
• comedy writing team
ADORATION
• lovesick student and her college
professor
• master and his willing servant
• Patty Hearst and her kidnappers
41
it may also manifest as idol worship.
One character is typically in a more
dominant position and may use this
bond for his own profit. Examples
might be a character who is stalked
by another or a mentor using his
ever present student to perform
menial tasks such as laundry or
bringing him coffee.
advanced exploits
ADVANTAGES OF USING THREADS
42
RAPPORT
• a character may expend one point of revelation or luck on behalf of another
linked character attempting to overcome a shared conviction
• a sustained task using a skill possessed by linked characters receives one point
of free effort if both of them contribute
• a contested task using a skill possessed by linked characters receives one
point of free effort if it is established that the original task was performed by
the linked character
RIVALRY
• the character gains one point of luck if he manages to thwart the plans of a
linked character
• the character may automatically resist a temptation or trigger if it occurs
while he is attempting to thwart the plans of a linked character
DISSENT
• the character who wins a debate or argument receives one point of revelation
and automatically resists or opposes one conviction the next time it comes
into play
• the character who loses an argument cannot resist or oppose one conviction
the next time it comes into play
SYNERGY
• a united task using a skill possessed by linked characters receives one extra
point of free effort if both of them contribute
• a character may expend one point of revelation on behalf of another
linked character attempting an improbable or impossible task
ADORATION
• a subservient character may automatically resist a conviction if it occurs while
he is in the presence of a linked character
• a subservient character must obey a linked character unless he seeks to hurt
their relationship
1
2
3
4
5
DEMENTIA
ETHERIA
PENALTY
sensitive
agitated
distracted
irrational
delirious
pallid
enfeebled
impaired
muted
consumed
-1
-2
-3
—
TOXEMIA
exposed
tainted
infected
afflicted
diseased
C optional forms of health----------------------------------In addition to fatigue and injury,
three optional types of health may
be used.
Dementia
which rely on etherial power as well
as the creativity ability. Etheria may
be decreased at a rate equal to the
character’s creativity rating per week
or by select spiritual rituals.
2 Dementia
Toxemia
Dementia represents excessive
strain on one’s psyche, causing
severe mental issues such as
psychoses. It can result from fright or
altered states of reality. When a
character has sustained five grades
of dementia, he becomes delirious
and control of the character is
handed over to the director until the
dementia level is lowered. The
director may also choose to give the
character a mental illness as a result
of delirium (see new gimmicks).
Penalties from dementia are applied
to all reasoning and awareness tasks.
Dementia may be decreased at a
rate equal to the character’s awareness rating per week (negative and
zero values are counted as a one) or
by psychological treatment (the
psychology skill can increase the rate
at which dementia is restored by one
grade). The difficulty is determined
by the extent of dementia (see table
below).
Etheria
2 This is new to Active Exploits and is
represented by the abbreviation
ETH.
Etheria represents the character’s
detachment and isolation from his
spiritual self. Etheria typically results
from magical and otherworldly
attacks. When a character reaches
his maximum etheria, he is totally
separated from the magical and spiritual energies present in the world—
penalties from etheria are applied to
all tasks involving special abilities
2 This is new to Active Exploits and is
represented by the symbol T or
abbreviation TOX.
Toxemia represents a poisoned
blood stream, eventually causing
disease or even death. It can result
from viral or bacterial infections, and
the introduction of toxic material
such as poisons, alcoholic spirits, and
drugs. After the character receives
five grades of toxemia, the character
begins to receive fatigue, injury, or
dementia, depending on the source
of toxemia. For example, a hallucinogenic agent which is meant to
affect one’s reality would apply additional health levels to dementia,
while a sedative would go to fatigue.
The director should pick the most
obvious form based on the highest
dosage. The rate at which toxemia is
decreased is dependent on the type
of toxin or at the director’s discretion. Penalties are not used for
toxemia until another form of
health is affected because of it.
advanced exploits
can either be represented by the symbol D or the
abbreviation DEM.
FIELD TREATMENT
sensitive
agitated
distracted
irrational
delirious
trivial
routine
challenging
improbable
impossible
SURGERY w/PROPER FACILITIES
bruised
sprained
wounded
maimed
incapacitated
trivial
trivial
challenging
challenging
improbable
43
C optional aspects-----------------------------------------------------------------------Revelation
Mystic Edge
2 Revelation is no longer required for
3
advanced exploits
play unless convictions or flairs are
used.
The revelation aspect represents
moments of epiphany and sudden
clarity of thought. Its primary use is
for convictions and flairs.
Mystic Edge requires the use of
Etheria (a form of health).
The mystic edge aspect represents
magical power which may imbue
mundane objects such as swords,
rocks, and musical instruments. The
effect of the expended points on an
imbued item ceases after a number
of turns equal to the character’s original mystic edge rating (the value
before the expenditure).
POINTS MAY BE EXPENDED
FOR THE FOLLOWING USES
REVELATION
• increases the amount of effort used by one for each point expended on a
contested, resisted, sustained, or conviction-related task
• one point may be expended to cancel the effects of delirium
• one point may be expended to cancel the effects of overcoming a conviction
• one point may be expended to allow experience to be used with convictionrelated tasks
• six points may be expended to lessen a compulsion to a commitment
• decreases the amount of dementia sustained by one for each point expended
• one point may be expended to turn a normal success into a triumph (see task
outcome later in this chapter)
MYSTIC EDGE
• inflicts one grade of etheria per attack from an imbued weapon
• increases the amount of overkill achieved by one per point expended on a
successful task
• decreases the amount of etheria sustained by one for each point expended
POINTS MAY BE INCREASED
IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS
44
REVELATION
• a player narrates one of his character’s convictions in a convincing and entertaining manner
• a player acts out one of his character’s negative flairs in a cinematic style
• a character successfully resists a conviction at commitment or compulsion
level
MYSTIC EDGE
• a number of points equal to the character’s creativity rating is gained each day,
although the mystic edge rating may not be raised above its starting value
C advanced task resolution basics-DIFFICULTY BY EXAMPLE
An improbable task requires 6
points of effort for a success, but the
director may decide to lessen the
amount to 5 or increase it to 7 in
order to use less extreme changes in
difficulty.
Reducing the difficulty by one
would be noted as -1DIFF. Increasing
the difficulty by 1 would be noted as
+1DIFF. So, +2DIFF would increase a
task requiring 3 effort to 5. -3DIFF
would decrease a task difficulty of 7
down to 4.
advanced exploits
In addition to using grades of difficulty (routine, challenging, etc.), the
director can express difficulty as the
actual amount of effort required in
order for a task to succeed. The
following notation affects the
amount of effort required rather
than grades of difficulty: ±xDIFF;
where + or - is increase or decrease
respectively, and x is the amount of
change. To recap, changes in the
grade of difficulty refer to changes in
the established difficulties (trivial,
challenging, etc.), while ±xDIFF
refers to numeric changes in difficulty (+1, -3, etc.).
C task conditions---------------------------------------------------------------------------2 The first edition applied bonuses and penalties as changes in effort. They are
now changes in difficulty when using conditions.
In addition to the specific types of
tasks presented in the previous
chapter, the director can also apply
the effects from the following conditions when resolving tasks.
Harried
The character is attempting a task
at an accelerated pace. This task
may not be prostrated and receives
+1DIFF.
Surprised
This is an impulsive task
attempted when the character is
caught off guard. No more than
|+1| (or the rating of the character’s
INSTINCT flair if the task is related to
the AWARENESS ability or the director
decides that it may be used) may be
applied from an ability for this task.
Coerced
The character is attempting a task
against his will. The character gains
one grade of dementia if the task is
successful. This is used to simulate
the guilt and mental stress resulting
from the situation.
SURPRISE BY EXAMPLE
Detective Winston is patrolling a
dark ally. A perp tries to sneak up
behind him. Combat ensues with
Winston being surprised. Because of
this, Winston cannot exert more than
one point of effort this turn on haste
or the actual task. Fortunately, his
instinct flair is +1, so Detective
Winston can use that point of effort
towards haste or a task related to
awareness.
COERCION BY EXAMPLE
Detective Winston’s niece has been
taken hostage. Her captor insists that
if Winston does not hand over the
gun, the niece gets it. The good detective has run out of ideas and reluctantly gives his gun to his enemy.
Since this was a coerced task,
Winston is feeling stressed out and
guilty that he couldn’t save his niece.
Now he’s really in a mess. He gains
one grade of dementia to simulate
this.
45
advanced exploits
Encumbered
The character is carrying heavy or
bulky equipment which weighs him
down and affects his movement and
maneuverability. Fitness-based tasks
receive +1DIFF or +2DIFF (director’s
discretion)
Subdued
The character has been knocked
down, fallen, physically restrained,
or otherwise hampered in his movement and maneuverability. Fitnessbased tasks receive +2DIFF.
Feinted
The character is attempting to
bluff or misdirect others before
executing a planned action in the
same turn. Only one additional
action is possible that turn, but if the
feint is successful, it receives -1DIFF.
Additional actions may be permitted
for each additional point effort
exerted from the improvisation flair,
however.
FEINTS BY EXAMPLE
Detective Winston has been
jumped in a dark ally. He has decided
to feint a punch after returning to his
feet in order to gain the upper hand.
The attacker anticipated the punch
and tries to block it. Both the detective’s and the attacker’s tasks were
successful: the feint worked because
the attacker blocked it, not realizing
that it was not the main strike.
Winston follows up the feint punch
with a real one from the other hand.
This task receives a reduction in difficulty by 1, but he has less effort to
work with. Not to worry; the perp
used all of his effort to block. He
could use luck or experience to
increase effort, however, but so can
Winston.
46
Fatigued
The character has gained more
than one grade of fatigue. All tasks
receive an increase in difficulty
based on the severity of the fatigue
(but not during combat). This
replaces the method used in the
previous chapter.
Injured
is applied during combat
2 Injury
situations, unlike the first edition
rules.
The character has gained more
than one grade of injury. All tasks
receive an increase in difficulty
based on the severity of the injury.
This replaces the method used in the
previous chapter.
Demented
The character has gained more
than one grade of dementia. All
reasoning and awareness tasks
receive an increase in difficulty
based on the severity of the
dementia. This replaces the method
used in the Optional Forms of
Health section earlier in this chapter.
Etheriad
The character has gained more
than one grade of etheria. All tasks
involving special abilities which rely
on etherial power as well as the
creativity ability receive an increase
in difficulty based on the severity of
the etheria. This replaces the
method used in the Optional Forms
of Health section earlier in this
chapter.
FATIGUE
INJURY
DEMENTIA
ETHERIA
DIFFICULTY
stressed
strained
exhausted
sprained
wounded
maimed
agitated
distracted
irrational
enfeebled
impaired
muted
+1
+2
+3
C task risks--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Slight
The task can be somewhat
dangerous and if a character fails, he
gains one (1) grade of fatigue.
Precarious
The task is fairly dangerous and if
a character fails, he gains one (1)
grade of injury.
Disastrous
The task is extremely dangerous
and if a character fails, he gains two
(2) grades of injury.
advanced exploits
Some tasks are inherently
dangerous and pose the threat of
harm if not completed successfully.
There are several grades of risk and
the director is free to assign any one
to a task in order to raise the stakes
and simulate a real threat to the
character.
C task stunts---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Stunts are feats of ability which
are beyond the ordinary. They are
typically more difficult than your
average task and often increase the
risk. Stunts are similar to conditions,
except that instead of being the
result of situational or environmental
factors, they result from a character’s
choice of action. The director is free
to disallow certain stunts depending
on the degree of realism intended
for his setting. The director may also
allow characters to exert effort from
the creativity ability towards stunts.
This simulates a character’s style and
ingenuity when attempting unusual
and sometimes surreal feats. The use
of creativity should be limited,
however. It should be reserved only
for stunts which the director feels
are legitimately original and imaginative.
A few examples of stunts are listed
below.
Walking a Tight Rope
The character attempts to walk
across a narrow rope. The difficulty
for this stunt is impossible and if the
rope is high off the ground, the risk
is disastrous (or falling; see advanced
combat).
Impersonation
A character may attempt to impersonate another by altering his
speech and body patterns (using the
performance skill). This is mostly for
the sake of entertainment—anything
else may require additional skills and
increase the difficulty. The difficulty
for this stunt is improbable.
C task outcome---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Determining the outcome of an
advanced task is slightly different
from that of a basic task. In addition
to failing and succeeding, there are
two other possible outcomes—
triumphs and calamities. These
replace the use of overkill in most
situations and are completely
optional.
47
Triumph
The director declares a triumph
when a character achieves overkill
equal to two (2) or greater. This
represents a superb success and
provides extra effects.
Calamity
The director declares a calamity
when a character fails at a task by
two (2) or more points of effort.
This represents a miserable botch
and provides extra effects.
advanced exploits
THE EFFECTS OF TRIUMPHS AND CALAMITIES
TRIUMPH
• instead of the standard overkill rules, damage is either increased by two
points or doubled at the director’s discretion
• the character may narrate the outcome of the task in place of the director; he
can embellish his actions in order to paint a vibrant and entertaining picture
of events; the director must moderate his narration, however, preventing it
from hindering the story or game play
• another character may expend one point of luck in order to cancel this
triumph
CALAMITY
• if the task was assigned a risk, the damage to the character is either increased
by one or doubled at the director’s discretion
• the character may expend one point of luck in order to cancel a calamity
• the character may not gain experience from a calamity (unlike regular failures)
C advanced combat-----------------------------------------------------------------------Interrupting Haste
Let us suppose that a character
has decided to act in haste and runs
toward his opponent. Does this
mean that the opponent will get
attacked first? Not necessarily. If the
character has some distance to run
to reach his opoonent, he is ripe for
an attack from his opponent. Ouch!
INTERRUPTIONS BY EXAMPLE
48
Detective Winston is running to
dive at another character. His movement may be interrupted by an action
taken against him. If Winston gets
shot and falls to the ground, he no
longer has a target at which to dive.
Or, after he begins his run, the
target decides to take cover and he
can no longer dive at his opponent.
Or, his opponent is wielding a staff
and strikes Winston thanks to its long
reach. The strike causes Winston to
fall, thereby interrupting his movement.
The director needs to maintain a
sense of logical flow and progression. Just because a character acts
faster than another, it does not
mean that he will be able to strike
first. Elements such as distance and
a weapon’s reach must also be
factored into the equation.
Deferring Actions
Characters who act in haste are
not only permitted to declare and
execute actions before those who do
not, but they are also allowed to
save their actions and wait in a state
of readiness. Once their opponent
acts, the character may choose his
own course of action, executing it
simultaneously. Characters who
defer actions may not be surprised
unless they are totally oblivious to
the source of the surprise.
Continuous Actions
Actions from a previous turn
which are not dependent on timing
and position, such as blocking and
carrying objects are considered to be
still in effect the following turn until
the character gets a chance to
declare a new action.
CONTINUOUS BY EXAMPLE
advanced exploits
Detective Winston blocked a punch
last turn. His opponent exerted one
point of effort to act in haste this
turn, but Winston did not. Winston
must wait for his opponent to act
first. Then and only then may
Winston declare an action and
execute it. Until that point, however,
since he has not been able to declare
his action yet, the good detective is
still continuing his block from last
turn.
C combat conditions---------------------------------------------------------------3
Combat conditions require the use of Advanced Tasks.
Just as regular tasks may be modified by conditions, so may combat.
Concealment
The target of an attack is partially
hidden in a patch of similar color or
shading. For example, camouflage in
a jungle. While spotting the target
may be difficult, it is only marginally
more difficult to hit when his location is known. This task receives
+1DIFF.
Cover
The target is hiding behind partial
cover and makes it harder for the
attack to hit. This task receives +1 to
+3DIFF (director’s discretion based
on the degree of cover).
In/Under Water
The combat exchange is occurring
in or under at least a few feet of
water. This task receives +1DIFF
when the character is submerged up
to his waist and +2DIFF when totally
submerged.
Large Target
The target is larger than normal
and makes for easier prey. This task
receives -1 to -3DIFF (director’s
discretion based on the target’s size).
Poor Visibility
The target is hard to spot because
of poor lighting, fog, or smoke. This
task receives +1 to +4DIFF (director’s
discretion based on the level of visibility).
Small Target
The target is smaller than normal
and makes for tougher prey. This
task receives +1 to +3DIFF (director’s
discretion based on the target’s size).
Moving Target
The target is moving, preventing a
clear and stable shot. This task
receives +2DIFF.
49
C combat stunts---------------------------------------------------------------------------------3
Combat stunts require the use of Advanced Tasks.
advanced exploits
Combat stunts function the same
as regular task stunts. The more
common ones are listed below.
Wrong Hand
The character attempts to attack
using his off-hand. This is a rather
clumsy action, unless the character is
ambidextrous. This task receives
+2DIFF.
Precision
The character attempts to focus
his attack (a strike or gunshot) on a
particular location on a target (opponent’s body, bullseye, etc.). This task
receives +2DIFF.
Sweep
The character attempts to sweep
the legs of an opponent either with
his own legs or a melee weapons
such as a staff. A success indicates
that the opponent is knocked down.
This task receives +2DIFF.
Take Weapon
This is similar to the disarm stunt,
except the character actually
attempts to take the weapon. This
may be a contested task against
each character’s fitness (muscle,
agility, or even flexibility flairs may
be used) if there is sufficient warning
for the opponent to react. Success
indicates that the character now
wields the weapon. This task
receives +3DIFF.
Unbalance
The character attempts to make
his opponent fall to the ground by
way of shoving or throwing. This
task receives +2DIFF.
Quickdraw
The character attempts to ready
his weapon and use it in the same
action. This also requires the expenditure of two (2) points of effort
from either awareness or fitness and
it receives +1DIFF.
Pin
The character attempts to keep his
opponent on the ground once he is
knocked down. This is a contested
task against each character’s fitness
(muscle, agility, or even flexibility
flairs may be used).
Dive
The character attempts to plunge
head first away from an area or into
a body of water. The risk should be
gauged by the height of the dive.
Constrict
The character attempts to grapple
an opponent, making it difficult for
him to breathe. This is a contested
task against each character’s fitness
(muscle, agility, or even flexibility
flairs may be used).
50
Disarm
The character attempts to knock a
weapon (or other object) out of an
opponent’s hand. This can be done
by hitting it with a strike or melee
weapon, or by locking his joints in a
grapple (which may be contested). A
success indicates that the weapon
drops to the ground. This task
receives +2DIFF.
Unarmed Block
The character attempts to block a
melee weapon with his bare hands
(or arms or legs). This makes the
task a precarious risk if blocking a
weapon which causes fatigue and
disastrous if it causes injury.
Otherwise, the block is handled
normally.
C weapon traits----------------------------------------------------------------------------------3
Weapon traits require the use of Advanced Tasks.
Scope
The weapon may be aimed more
accurately by way of its attached
telescopic sight. The task receives
-1DIFF at medium, long, and
extreme ranges when at least one
turn is spent aiming.
Burst Fire
The weapon is capable of firing
short bursts of typically three
rounds. This increases the damage
by one (1) greade of injury when
directed at a single target, but the
task receives +1DIFF at medium,
long, and extreme ranges. Any additional attacks at the same target
next turn receive -1DIFF.
Spray Fire
The weapon is capable of firing a
large number of rounds at a high
rate (approximately twenty rounds).
This increases the damage by two
(2) grades of injury when directed at
a single target. The task receives
+1DIFF at medium, long, and
extreme ranges and -1DIFF at point
blank and short ranges. No other
actions are possible in a turn when
spray fire is used.
advanced exploits
We have covered two forms of
task modifiers so far—conditions
(environmental and situational
factors) and stunts (advanced skill
use). Weapon traits are also task
modifiers, but they are derived from
the abilities of weapons.
Heavy Weapons
The weapon is extremely heavy (a
sledge hammer, for example) and
may increase the difficulty of a task
(usually +1 to +3DIFF) when used by
weaker characters (fitness ratings of
|-1| and |0|). The decision to
increase the difficulty is up to the
director. It may not be necessary to
penalize all tasks, just those which
require a bit more muscle in order to
succeed. An increase in risk may also
be relevant. For example, a character
with a low fitness rating who is
attempting to hammer (with a maul
no less) a reinforced wooden door
may be required to make a task with
a +2DIFF penalty and a slight risk of
injuring himself with the maul.
C combat risks--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3
Combat risks require the use of Advanced Tasks.
While regular task risks are
abstract in nature, combat risks are
more defined. Either way, risks are
something which characters should
avoid unless seeking an adventurous
setting.
Confined Spaces
The area in which a character is
fighting is very restricting. The use of
large melee weapons such as swords
and staves may be blocked by an
obstruction and cause the weapon
to bounce back at the character,
51
advanced exploits
causing damage. Characters should
only receive a fraction of the
damage normally delivered by whatever weapon he is using.
Kinetic Damage
The character is attempting to
block an attack which may cause
fatigue (blunt trauma) from the
kinetic energy of the attack. For
example, blocking a club with a
shield or taking a bullet to armor
may still cause damage, because
while there is no bodily penetration,
there is impact on his person.
Falling
See Falls in Other Damage
Sources.
C damage classes------------------------------------------------------------------------------The basic rules included a damage
listing for the more common types
of weapons. Since this cannot
possibly include all forms of
weapons, we have included standardized classes of damage. Each
class represents a general category
of weapon or attack. You are free to
use this as a guide for designing your
own weapons or to simplify weapon
damage by referencing a single class
for all weapons of the same category.
52
Breaking Weapons
The character is attempting to
attack an opponent or structure
which is heavily reinforced. This can
potentially break a weak weapon,
such as a staff or wooden nightstick,
if striking a strong wall of cement
with excessive force.
DAMAGE BY EXAMPLE
All knives are of class B1 and inflict
1 grade of injury. While this may be
slightly innacurate since some knives
are sharper or longer than others, it
simplifies the process of determining
which weapon does what.
CLASS
WEAPON TYPE
A1
A2
A3
B1
B2
B3
C1
C2
C3
D
E
F1
F2
F3
wooden bludgeons
metal bludgeons
large smashing bludgeons
knives
swords and small axes
large axes
arrows and crossbows
antique firearms
modern firearms
explosives
heavy weapons and machine guns
stun weapons
laser wapons
particles weapons
DAMAGE
1FAT
2FAT
3FAT
1INJ
2INJ
3INJ
2INJ
3INJ
4INJ
4-10INJ
5-8INJ
4FAT
5INJ
6INJ
C drugs and medicines-------------------------------------------------------against a member of the opposite
sex in the presence of an aphrodisiac
receive -1DIFF.
Magical Potions
Magical spells can create potions
with special properties. The director
is free to invent whatever he desires.
One such use could be a way to
reduce a character’s level of etheria.
Poisons
Poisons are used to inflict injury
upon ingestion or any other means
which cause them to enter the
bloodstream. This can either be a
one time effect (three grades of
injury) or a continuing effect (one
grade of injury each hour) and represent snake venom, insect bites, or
poisonous substances such as
arsenic and cyanide. Weaker, nonfatal poisons are possible too—they
inflict fatigue instead of injury.
Anesthetics
Anesthetics are used to numb a
character’s pain (hence pain killers
like aspirin and morphine are also in
this category even though, they are
technically something different).
They are usually applied directly to
the skin, although ingestion or injection is also possible. Anesthetics
reduce the penalty on tasks for
being injured by one.
Radiation
Radiation, while not technically a
drug or medicine, functions similarly
to poisons and toxins, so it is
included here. Radiation can inflict
fatigue or injury as with poisons or
simply increase the character’s
toxemia level. The exact nature and
degree of the radiation is up to the
director.
Antidotes
Antidotes are used to counter the
effects of poisons. While antidotes
don’t reverse existing fatigue or
injury, they do cease the poison
from inflicting additional harm. All
poisons require specific antidotes—
the director should require players to
get their antidotes right or they
could do even more damage.
Relaxants
Relaxants are used to calm people
by numbing the senses. One grade
of dementia is automatically reduced
when ingested. One grade of fatigue
is inflicted by each dose. In addition,
all awareness-based tasks received
+1DIFF.
Aphrodisiacs
Aphrodisiacs use pheromones to
cause attraction between the sexes.
All influence-based tasks used
Salves
Salves are used to heal wounds.
One grade of fatigue is automatically reduced when applied, and one
additional grade of injury is restored
during normal recovery time.
advanced exploits
Drugs and medicines function
similarly, but are created by different
means. Drugs are synthetic in
nature, requiring a chemistry lab and
a lot of experimentation, more often
than not. On the other hand, medicines are typically herbal remedies,
created from plants and naturally
occurring substances. Many are
passed down from generation to
generation as cultural traditions.
The application of both drugs and
medicines are identical and affect a
character’s health or even a task.
Specific effects are categorized in
one of several ways. Each time a
medicine or drug is introduced into
the character’s body, he gains one
grade of toxemia in addition to the
specific effects. This represents the
presence of outside agents working
to alter or harm the character’s physiology.
53
advanced exploits
Toxins
Toxins are similar to poisons,
except instead of inflicting fatigue or
injury, they inflict toxemia through
any means desired by the director.
Toxins can take the form of radiation, bacterial and viral infections, or
even toxic gases.
C other sources of damage-----------------------------------Since natural disasters also occur
in this world, it is possible for characters to be harmed in situations
besides combat. A few are covered
below.
Smoke and Fire
Characters who are on fire suffer
one (1) to two (2) grades of injury
per turn (director’s discretion based
on the intensity of the flames) until
the fire is extinguised. If characters
are in enclosed spaces where smoke
becomes overbearing, they receive
one (1) to two (2) grades of fatigue
(director’s discretion based on the
amount of smoke) per turn.
Falls
Falling a great distance can either
cause fatigue or injury at the
director’s discretion. For example, a
fall on a padded mat may cause only
fatigue damage (‘having the wind
knocked out of you’), while a fall on
jagged rocks would most likely cause
sever injury. The damage is equal to
one (1) grade per six foot drop. This
can also apply to being thrown by
another character as part of an
attack, such as by martial artists (for
example, add extra grades for
overkill).
54
Sedatives
Sedatives are used to promote
sleep by inflicting two (2) grades of
fatigue per dose.
Asphyxiation
Characters can normally hold their
breaths for a minute or two at the
most. But when caught off guard,
they can receive damage from
asphyxiation. A character in this situation gains one (1) grade of fatigue.
Another grade of fatigue is then
sustained after a number of turns
equal to the character’s fitness rating
plus two. Once the character is
unconscious, he receives injury
instead of fatigue. It is also possible
to receive other damage from the
actual cause of the asphyxiation. For
example, if a character is being
choked by someone, he may also be
taking damage from whatever is
wrapped around his neck.
Exposure
A character who has been in the
wilderness during periods of extreme
heat or cold, or has been otherwise
exposed to the elements, is subject
to one (1) grade of fatigue per day
until he can find shelter or receive
medical attention. Characters with
the survival skill avoid gaining
fatigue each day if they take the
appropriate precautions. Injury is
also possible from severe conditions
such as frostbite and dehydration;
the exact details are up to the
director.
Radiation
Characters exposed to radiation
gain fatigue or injury once per hour.
The type of damage depends on the
the proximity of the source—a
nearby source inflicts injury, while a
distant one inflicts fatigue. The
damage rating should be adjusted
based on the strength and distance
of the source, ranging from one (1)
grade for slight exposure or extreme
distance to four (4) grades for direct
contact or active sources.
C armor classes---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Just as weapon classes simplify the
use of applying damage, armor
classes may be used to generalize all
types of armor which fall into the
same category. In addition, each
class offers specific protection
against different classes of damage.
ARMOR BY EXAMPLE
Medieval armor only protects
against damage from class A and B
weapons (bludgeons and bladed
weapons). This type of armor was
clearly never designed to stop bullets
or energy weapons.
PROTECTION
heavy skins/clothing
leather armor
makeshift shield
A
A
A
B
AB
AB
ABC
ABC
AB
C
ABC
F2
A
B
A
B
CD
E
ABC
DE
F2
ABC
F3
medieval armor
medieval shield
older bullet-proof vest
modern armored vest
modern shields
synthetics
pressure suit
armored pressure suit
hi-tech armor
hi-tech force field
D
D
D
D E F1 F2
RATING
1
2
2
1
1
2
2
3
3
1
3
1
3
1
4
2
3
1
4
3
2
5
3
advanced exploits
ARMOR TYPE
C permanent injuries---------------------------------------------------------------When a character has been
maimed or incapacitated, there is a
chance that he will suffer from
permanent injury due to infection or
improper treatment. For that matter,
it may be impossible to treat some
injuries. The director must decide
the outcome of these injuries at the
end of a story, although he can be
generous and allow the character to
heal completely. The following
outcomes may be used (or ignored):
55
advanced exploits
Small Scar(s)
Scar tissue from the character’s
injuries is barely noticeable to the
casual eye, but nevertheless, it is
present and apparent to anyone
looking carefully.
Disfiguring Scar(s)
The character carries a physical
reminder of his experiences. His scar
is apparent at first glance and may
unsettle some people. The character
gains the disfiguring scar gimmick
(see master gimmick list in the back
of the book).
Damaged Sensory Organ
The character’s awareness rating
(or a specific sensory flair) is reduced
by one (|-1|). This cannot be raised
via normal experience rules.
Head Injury
The character has suffered from
brain trauma and lost part of his
mental ability. The character’s
reasoning rating (or memory, deduction, or numbers flair) is reduced by
one (|-1|). This cannot be raised via
normal experience rules.
Muscle Atrophy
The character’s fitness rating (or
muscle, agility, or flexibilty flair) is
reduced by one (|-1|). These can be
raised via normal experience rules in
the Basic Exploits section.
C vehicles---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
56
Using vehicles, such as motorcycles, military jets, starships, and so
on, is based upon the same concepts
used for characters. Each has a set of
abilities, aspects, and health
assigned, although vehicle abilities
are actually limited by the skill of the
driver or operator (see below). The
only concept that really separates
vehicles from characters is that of
scale. Automobiles and Airplanes are
close enough in scale that they can
work together with some literary
license by the director. In other
words, having a military jet strafe a
highway with its machine gun would
work with little problems, although
racing a motorcycle against the
same jet would require a little
common sense from the director
(the jet would obviously win the
race).
There are two other types of vehicles which can only be pitted against
other like craft—starships and sea
vessels. These vehicles do not
normally cross into the domain of
others. For example, a starship operates in space and a sea vessel only
operates on or below the seas. There
may be times, however, when one
of these vehicles is required to function in a different domain. In such
cases, the director must use his own
judgement how to handle the situation. For example, a starship may be
able to operate within an atmosphere and land. If it comes under
attack while landing, the director
may assign a new set of abilities to
reflect its potential in a different
environment (perhaps its handling
rating is decreased and its speed is
increased within an atmosphere).
C vehicle abilties--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VEHICLE ABILITY RATINGS
-1
0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
poor performance
average performance
good performance
excellent performance
outstanding performance
next generation performance
unimaginable performance
Like character abilities, vehicle
abilities are rated on a scale from
|-1| to |+5|. The amount of effort
which may be exerted from these
abilities is limited by the piloting or
driving skill of a character, however.
MAX VEHICLE EFFORT
unskilled
novice
proficient
expert
0
+1
+3
+5
Speed
Speed represents the vehicle’s top
velocity and acceleration.
Handling
Handling represents the vehicle’s
maneuverability and responsiveness.
advanced exploits
Vehicles are capable of performing
certain abilities in much the same
way as characters. Every vehicle is
assigned two abilities: handling and
speed. These may be used to exert
free effort for piloting or driving
tasks. While it is considered free
effort when determining prostrated
tasks for characters, it is not free
effort when doing the same for
vehicle fatigue, referred to as
mechanical stress (see Vehicle
Integrity).
EFFORT MAY BE EXERTED
FOR THE FOLLOWING USES
SPEED
• outrunning another vehicle or
object
• catching up to another vehicle
or object
• reaching a destination in a given
time
HANDLING
• precision steering
• ramming another vehicle
• sharp turns, stunts, and regaining
control of vehicle
• dodging incoming fire
C vehicle flairs-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------These examples should help you
understand how to assign your own
flairs for use with the handling
ability.
Sub-Orbital
This flair covers the operation of
space vehicles when travelling with a
planet’s upper atmosphere.
Off-Road
This flair covers the operation of
land vehicles off the beaten-track.
Surface
This flair covers the operation of
sea vehicles on the surface of the
water.
Hyperspace
This flair covers the operation of
space vehicles when travelling at
super-luminal speeds.
Submerged
This flair covers the operation of
sea vehicles beneath the surface of
the water.
57
advanced exploits
C vehicle aspects-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Frame
The frame aspect represents the
size, efficiency, durability, and
degree of shelter offered to the
passengers of the vehicle. This
aspect functions in the same manner
as dicipline for characters. Whenever
effort exterted from vehicle abilities
is greater than the frame rating in a
single turn, the vehicle receives one
grade of mechanical stress (see
Vehicle Integrity).
FRAME RATINGS
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
feeble frame
weak frame
avrage frame
strong frame
reinforced frame
armored frame
next generation frame
Shields
The shields aspect represents the
effectiveness of a vehicle’s defensive
energy fields when used with science
fiction settings. All damage
sustained by the vehicle is reduced
by the current shields value. For
example, laser hit inflicting four
points of damage would be reduced
to one if the vehicle currently has a
shields rating of three. If the amount
of damage is greater than the
vehicle’s shields rating, however, not
only does the vehicle receive structural damage, but its shield rating is
also reduced by one (1) point.
SHIELDS RATINGS
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
no shields
weak shields
avrage shields
strong shields
reinforced shields
multi-layered shields
next generation shields
POINTS MAY BE EXPENDED FOR THE FOLLOWING USES
58
FRAME
• one point may be expended to negate one damage grade inflicted upon the
vehicle
• one point may be expended to negate one damage grade inflicted upon
passengers
SHIELDS
• one point may be expended to extend protection of shields to a nearby smaller
craft
• two points may be expended to extend protection of shields to a nearby craft
of the same size
C vehicle gimmicks-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cargo Capacity
The vehicle is able to carry a large
amount of cargo by way of roof
racks, cargo bays, or storage
containers.
Passenger Capacity
The vehicle is able to carry a large
amount of passengers by way of
extra seating. The number depends
on the purpose and frame of the
vehicle—the director is free to
decide.
Power Booster
The vehicle has a one-shot device,
which can boost the vehicle’s speed
ability by |+1| for five turns or |+2|
for two turns. Once used, the device
must be recharged. The director may
choose to limit recharging to fueling
stations, docks, or construction
yards.
advanced exploits
The director may assign (and
create his own) gimmicks to vehicles
as if they were characters. For
example, vehicles can use gimmicks
such as prestige, internal clock, and
vulnerability. Some additional
gimmicks specific to vehicles are
listed below.
C vehicle integrity-------------------------------------------------------------------------Vehicles possess health levels just
like characters. Rather than a
measure of health, however, we
refer to them as a measure of the
vehicle’s integity. There are two
types of vehicle integity: structural
damage and mechanical stress. Like
character health, both have five
grades of severity and the amount of
effort which may be exerted by the
vehicle’s abilities can be reduced
when damaged or stressed.
1
2
3
4
5
Mechanical Stress
Mechanical stress represents
fatigue and wear on the vehicle’s
drive components (engine, transmission, ailerons, etc.). When a vehicle
receives five grades of stress, it is
disabled and may not function.
Mechanical stress my be abbreviated
as MEC.
Structural Damage
Structural damage represents
damage sustained by the vehicle.
When it receives five grades of
damage, the vehicle may not function and offers no protection to its
passengers. Structural damage may
be abbreviated as STR.
STRESS GRADE
DAMAGE GRADE
engaged
distressed
overworked
overheated
disable
dented
impaired
breached
compromised
wrecked
PENALTY
-1
-2
-3
—
59
C vehicle task conditions-------------------------------------------
advanced exploits
3
Vehicle task conditions require the use of Advanced Tasks.
Stressed
The vehicle has gained more than
one grade of mechanical stress. All
tasks receive an increase in difficulty
based on the severity of the stress.
This replaces the penalties to effort
by normal health rules if conditions
are used in play.
Damaged
The vehicle has gained more than
one grade of structural damage. All
tasks receive an increase in difficulty
based on the severity of the
damage. This replaces the penalties
to effort by normal health rules if
conditions are used in play.
Poor Visibility
The target is hard to spot because
of poor lighting, fog, or smoke. This
task receives +1 to +4DIFF (director’s
discretion based on the level of visibility). Military vehicles, those fitted
with infrared technology, or characters with night vision can ignore this
condition.
Impediment
The vehicle’s performance is
hindered due to an obstacle, hill,
patch of mud, turbulence, or other
rough terrain. The task receives +1
to +4DIFF depending on the severity
of the impediment.
MECHANICAL STRESS
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE
distressed
overworked
overheated
impaired
breached
compromised
DIFFICULTY
+1
+2
+3
C vehicle task stunts------------------------------------------------------------3
Vehicle task stunts require the use of Advanced Tasks.
Vehicle stunts are usually a function of a pilot’s skill, although the
vehicle’s abilties may also be a
factor.
60
Aiming
The character attempts to aim a
projectile weapon while steering the
vehicle. This does not increase the
difficulty, but at least one point of
effort from fitness must be spent for
this stunt. The collision risk is also
present.
Precision
The character attempts to focus
an attack at a particular location on
a target vehicle’s frame or a specific
passenger. A success indicates that
the location or passenger is hit. The
difficulty to hit a passenger is
adjusted by the current integrity of
the target vehicle. For example,
targeting a passenger on a vehicle
with an integrity of 3 adds +3DIFF to
the task. The collision risk is also
present.
High-Speed Maneuvers
When a vehicle attempts
handling-based tasks at high speeds,
it receives +2 to +4DIFF and the collision risk is present.
C vehicle task risks-----------------------------------------------------------------3
Vehicle task risks require the use of Advanced Tasks.
All standard risks previously listed
may either be applied to the passengers or the vehicle itself. In the case
of the latter, mechanical stress may
be substituted for fatigue and structural damage may be substituted for
injury. The following risks may also
be used.
Collision
A failure indicates that the vehicle
has crashed into an obstacle,
another vehicle, or building. Assign a
number of damage grades equal to
the current amount of effort exerted
from speed. Luck and a character’s
own effort exerted for use with a
vehicle skill is also counted. This
damage is applied to both the
vehicle (structural damage) and the
passengers (injury). Characters
wearing seat belts receive one less
damage grade and half of that value
is converted to fatigue instead of
injury.
advanced exploits
Nudge
The character attempts to push
another vehicle off the road or to
follow a specific route. The collision
risk is also present.
Ram
The character attempts to steer
the vehicle into another, causing a
violent impact. The target vehicle
receives a number of grades of
damage equal to the amount of
effort exerted from the speed ability.
The ramming vehicle receives half of
that amount. The collision and flammable risks are also present.
Flammable
A failure indicates that the vehicle
bursts into flames, causing D class
damage to the vehicle as well as
injury to passengers.
C vehicle recovery-------------------------------------------------------------------------Mechnical Stress
Mechanical stress may only be
restored by one grade after at least
one hour of rest. This gives the
internal components time to cool
down. Repairs can be performed at
any level of stress, provided the
vehicle is at rest.
MAKESHIFT REPAIRS
dented
impaired
breached
compromised
trivial
routine
challenging
improbable
Structural Damage
The only way to remove a
vehicle’s structural damage is to
have it repaired, but only if it has not
passed beyond the compromised
level of damage. Repair requires the
appropriate engineering skill. A relevant piloting skill is also acceptable,
but the task should be penalized for
more difficult repairs. Parts may also
be a factor and should be taken into
account when characters are
performing repairs. The difficulty is
determined by the extent of damage
(see table at left).
61
C vehicle weapon damage----------------------------------------------
advanced exploits
Additional classes are provided for
larger vehicle weapons. They are
assumed to be used at the proper
scale (space ships vs space ships,
tanks against tanks and helicopters,
etc.)
CLASS
WEAPON TYPE
DAMAGE
D
U
V1
V2
X1
X2
X3
explosives
antique cannons
rockets
torpedoes and missiles
laser weapons
particle weapons
ion weapons
4-10STR
2STR
5STR
6STR
3-4STR
4-6STR
1-4MEC
C other sources of damage-----------------------------------Storms and Extreme Environments
These can all cause disruption to a
vehicle’s circuits and inflict one or
two grades of mechanical stress.
Shields may also fail to work in these
conditions.
Radiation
Light or latent exposure to cosmic
radiation can cause a vehicle’s crew
to sustain fatigue, while severe and
constant exposure can cause injury.
Shields can block an amount of
damage from radiation up to its
rating.
62
Shockwaves
Exploding vehicles and objects can
cause shockwaves which may
disrupt a vehicle’s course or cause
structural damage. Shields can block
an amount of damage from shockwaves up to their rating as well as
limit course deviation. The amount
of damage is left up to the director.
Impediments
Contact with small impediments
like speed bumps and buoys can
inflict one or two grades of mechanical stress.
Name
/
Setting
diceless roleplaying
IIIIII
IIIIII
Luck
IIIIII
Discipline IIIIII
fitness
awareness
creativity
reasoning
influence
health
flairs
gimmicks, convictions, and thr eads
IIIIII
IIIIII
Fatigue
dazed I
stressed I
strained I
exhausted I
unconscious I
+1DIFF
+2DIFF
+3DIFF
-—
injury
I bruised
I sprained
I wounded
I maimed
I incapacitated
dementia
sensitive I
agitated I
distracted I
irrational I
delirious I
+1DIFF
+2DIFF
+3DIFF
-—
etheria
I pallid
I enfeebled
I impaired
I muted
I consumed
toxemia
I exposed I tainted I infected I afflicted I diseased
Skills
background, notes, equipment, etc.
© 2003 Precis Intermedia. This form may be copied for personal use only.
Qn QP QE
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QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
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QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
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QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
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QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
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QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
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QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
Qn QP QE
QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
Qn QP QE
QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ QQQQQ
flairs
IIIIII
IIIIII
Gimmicks, cr ew, passengers, cargo, notes, etc.
handling
IIIIII
IIIIII
© 2003 Precis Intermedia. This form may be copied for personal use only.
speed
shields
frame
Setting
vehicle type
—
I wrecked
I compromised
I breached
I impaired
I dented
structural
damage
weapons and armor
-—
+3 DIFF
overheated I -3 EFFORT
disabled I
+2 DIFF
overworked I -2 EFFORT
-
ADVANCED
+1 DIFF
-
BASIC
distressed I -1 EFFORT
engaged I
mechanical
str ess
diceless roleplaying
/
Since the very nature
of Live Action Roleplaying
encourages social interaction
and only quick rules exchanges, the
Live Exploits rules have been streamlined to play very quickly and smoothly.
This is the most basic set of rules utilizing
Active Exploits.
This chapter is not about explaining how to
organize, plan, or design live action games,
since that is not the purview of this book.
Instead, you will find mechanics derived from
other parts of this book used to power a live
action game.
3
live exploits
65
C abilities------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Abilities work the same as the
rules presented in the Basic Exploits
section. Note that aspects are not
used, however, so fatigue is not
gained by over-exerting oneself.
Also, effort from only one ability
may be exerted per turn. Special
abilities may also be assigned
depending on the setting and discretion of the director.
C fields of expertise----------------------------------------------------------------live exploits
Fields of expertise are used in the same manner as described in the
Advanced Exploits section.
C gimmicks---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Gimmicks may also be used. No changes should be required in order to
accommodate them in these rules.
C health---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Injury is the only form of health
used for these rules. Injury reduces
the amount of effort exerted, as per
Basic Exploits. Injuries heal between
66
game sessions, but the number of
grades restored depends on the
amount of time which passes ingame.
PASSAGE OF TIME
GRADES RESTORED
none (no time passes)
days
weeks
months
years
1
2
3
4
all
C task resolution----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contested Tasks
Contested tasks are the only situation where effort comes into play.
All players involved in the contest
announce how much effort they are
exerting simultaneosuly—a good way
of doing this is by counting to three
and then holding out their hand(s)
with the chosen number of fingers
extended to represent the amount of
effort used. Effort may only be used
from one relevant ability (physical
exertion requires the effort to come
from fitnesss and writing poetry
requires effort from creativity, for
example).
If the task falls under the training
and knowledge of a field of
expertise, the amount of effort is
doubled (or increased to one if it
was zero). If the task is only loosely
connected to the field (fringe
training), the effort is increased by
one (1), but only if it is greater than
one (1). In other words, if the task is
somewhat covered by the field, but
not enough to warrant expert knowledge, the character must exert two
(2) or more points of effort in order
for it to gain the extra point.
Other modifiers may also come
into play, but these are at the
director’s discretion if he happens to
be judging the contest. Modifiers
directly affect the total amount of
effort which the character is using. A
positive modifier increases effort
and a negative modifier reduces it.
After all the modifiers are applied,
the winner of the contest is the character who has the largest amount of
effort. In the case of ties, both characters fail.
live exploits
Determining the outcome of tasks
in Live Exploits is quite easy
compared to the Advanced or even
Basic Exploits. Whenever a character
attempts an action and it is in the
purview of his training, he is
successful unless another character
contests the task or it is considered
a complex task.
The validy of a basic, successful
task may be questioned by players
and brought to the attention of the
director if he was not present to
witness it. The director has final say
as to the outcome of the task. Both
players questioning tasks and those
attempting them should carefully
consider their actions. Crying wolf or
performing game-balancing actions
can have serious consequences and
it is unlikely that any director will
stand for it.
Complex Tasks
Complex tasks are those which are
uncontested and either affect a
number of people, affect the plot of
a story directly, or are near-impossible. The director is required to
judge such tasks as they can create
serious problems in the game. The
following guidelines should be used:
• The character requires a field of
expertise which covers the situation completely.
• If the character has only fringe
training, he must also possess the
appropriate ability at a rating of at
least |+1|.
Ultimately, the decision is left up
to the director and he can ignore the
guidelines above if he so chooses.
67
C damage------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Successful attacks inflict damage
on the opponent. The amount is
determined by the nature of the
attack (see the Live Exploits
Reference page). The director may
also apply damage from other
sources as part of complex tasks or
the environment. All damage is
reduced by any armor being worn
(see the Live Exploits Reference
page). A character may also expend
up to two points of experience to
negate one grade of injury per point.
live exploits
C experience-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Each successful contested task
gives the character one (1) point of
experience if and only if it was a fair
match. This means that characters
cannot go around picking on weaker
individuals simply to gain experience. The opponent must possess
the same field of expertise or one in
which the action is a key component. The director may also award a
point to anyone he feels has done a
superb job of roleplaying when a
task would have normally determined the outcome of a situation.
Experience may be used to
increase the amount of effort used
in a task or negate one grade of
injury per point. No more than two
(2) points of experience may be
used at a time. Points used to
increase effort are counted after all
modifiers to the task—fields of
expertise do not double or otherwise alter this value.
C optional rules---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Threads and principles would also
work quite well with live action roleplaying (consult the respective
section of this book). House rules
and other options from the
Advanced Exploits section may be
employed, but please keep in mind
that live action is intended to be
quick and easy, so as not to drag out
encounters.
Another interesting option is to
have players make note of all tasks
at which their characters succeed
that are not central to their field(s)
of expertise. When this task is
performed more than four times
successfully, the player may spend
ten (10) points of experience to
make it part of his character’s field
of expertise.
NEW EXPERTISE BY EXAMPLE
68
Detective Winston, whose field of expertise is law enforcement, has successfully
completed five attempts at delivering babies over the course of his five month tour
(the tour being part of the live action game). As a result, he can spend 10 experience points (if he has them) to make this task part of his law enforment expertise.
All future attempts are considered to be central to law enforcement for him.
C contested task flow of events--------------
EXERT EFFORT
Exert effort from one ability.
FIELD OF EXPERTISE?
Double effort; or add 1 if it is 0.
UNSKILLED?
Proceed to next step.
FRINGE TASK?
Add 1 to effort if it is 2 or more.
live exploits
MODIFY TASK
The director may give extra effort
or penalize effort depending on
the circumstances.
ADD EXPERIENCE
If experience points are expended
on the task, count them as additional effort. Maximum is 2.
WEAPON TYPE
unarmed
club
knife
staff
sword
arrow
snub-nosed pistol
9mm and .45
magnum
carbine
assault rifle
heavy machine gun
hi-tech laser pistol
hi-tech laser rifle
DAMAGE
0/1*
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
4
4
4
6
5
5
* A difference of 2 or more points
of effort is required to inflict
1point of damage.
COMPARE EFFORT
The character with the largest
amount of effort wins the contest.
Both characters fail if it is a tie.
FAIR MATCH?
If the contest was fair, the winning
character receives one experience
point.
COMBAT?
Stop here unless the contest
occurred during combat and the
winner was the attacker.
medieval armor
older bullet-proof vest
modern armored vest
synthetics
hi-tech armor
hi-tech force field
RATING
1
2
3
3
4
5
ARMOR?
DAMAGE
Consult the table above to determine how much damage is
inflicted on the loser.
ARMOR TYPE
EXPEND EXPERIENCE?
If the loser is wearing armor,
consult the table above and
subtract it from the damage.
If the loser expends experience, he
may subtract it from the damage.
Maximum is 2.
HEALTH
Increase the loser’s injury by the
final damage value.
69
Name
/
Setting
diceless roleplaying
fitness
awareness
creativity
reasoning
fields of expertise
injury
I bruised
-
I sprained
-1
I wounded
-2
I maimed
-3
I incapacitated —
character background, gimmicks, notes
© 2003 Precis Intermedia. This form may be copied for personal use only.
This chapter is intended
to provide a framework for
the integration of Active Exploits
with other dice game systems based
on the ability/skill relationship. Two
methods are provided, one for
converting characters to Active Exploits
and one for adapting the existing system to
Active Exploits’ effort-based tasks resolution
mechanics.
A calculator is required, as is extreme familiarity with Basic and/or Advanced Exploits.
Because of this and the fact that the director
will need to improvise, it is recommended
that you get some practical experience with
those sections before attempting to integrate
another system.
4
adaptive
exploits
71
adaptive exploits
C lexicon------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Special terms are used to help
differentiate elements between
Active Exploits and the chosen
system for integration. Before
getting started with either methodology, definitions of these terms are
provided.
Active Gimmick
This is any gimmick used in Active
Exploits.
Ability/Skill-Based System
This is a set of gaming mechanics
which rely on abilities (otherwise
known as traits, stats, and attributes) and skills to define and regulate characters’ capabilities and
actions. Skills are often dependent
on a corresponding ability.
Active Skill
This is any skill used in Active
Exploits.
Active Ability
This is any primary ability used in
Active Exploits—fitness, awareness,
creativity, reasoning, and influence.
Active Category
This is a descriptive rating used to
convert a computed value from an
Adaptive Ability or Skill to an Active
Ability or Skill rating.
Active Scale
This is the level scale used to
define abilities in Active Exploits:
(-1) to (+5).
Adaptive Ability
This is any primary ability (trait,
stat, or attribute) used in the system
being adapted for diceless play.
Adaptive Gimmick
This is any trait, advantage, disadvantage, merit, or flaw in the system
being adapted for diceless play
which affects abilities, skills, or tasks
or adds new capabilities not relying
on itself to act as an ability or skill.
Adaptive Skill
This is any skill used in the system
being adapted for diceless play.
C converting to Active exploits-----------------Converting characters from other
ability/skill-based game systems to
Active Exploits is relatively easy.
Unless the scale used for the
Adaptive Abilities and Skills is not
collapsible into broad levels of capability and achievement, a calculator
is not necessary.
72
Converting Abilities
Determine a corresponding Active
Ability for each Adaptive Ability by
consulting the table below. If an
Active Ability has more than one
corresponding Adaptive Ability,
simply compute the average rating
of all corresponding Adaptive
Abilities.
ACTIVE ABILITY
CORRESPONDING ADAPTIVE ABILITIES
fitness
awareness
creativity
reasoning
influence
strength, dexterity, agility, coordination, movement
awareness, perception, intuition, insight, empathy, reflexes
style, cool, artistry, appearance
intelligence, intellect, reasoning, ego
presence, charisma, charm, manipulation, personality
AVERAGING BY EXAMPLE
System A uses two abilities which
can correspond to fitness—strength
and dexterity. As instructed, compute
the average rating of both Adaptive
Abilities. So a strength rating of 8 and
dexterity of 12 would result in an
average rating of 10 ((8+12)/2).
When using flairs, assign a flair to
each corresponding Adaptive Ability
to determine the rating (a further
step is added to properly assign flairs
later).
FLAIRS BY EXAMPLE
Special abilities may also be used,
especially if there is an Adaptive
Ability with no corresponding Active
Ability.
Once you have made a list of the
Adaptive Abilities to be converted,
the scale in which the Adaptive
Abilities are based must be
converted. In some cases, you can
arbitrarily separate the scale into the
Active Categories below.
Disabled is typically zero ability or
less, but can vary greatly from
system to system; the equivalent
of an Active Ability rating of -1.
Average Human is often quite
different from game to game. In
fact, this level may even be rare in
systems that feature larger than
life characters; the equivalent of
an Active Ability rating of 0.
Above Average Human is the norm
for most systems; the equivalent
of an Active Ability rating of +1 to
+2.
Superhuman is common among
operatic and pulp systems; the
equivalent of an Active Ability
rating of +3 to +4.
STEP 1 BY EXAMPLE
If the scale runs from 0 to 100,
there are 101 possible values. If the
scale runs from 5 to 20, there are 16
possible values.
adaptive exploits
Expanding on the example above,
the fitness (muscle) flair would have a
rating of 8 (from strength) and the
fitness (dexterity) flair would have a
rating of 12 (from dexterity).
Unimaginable is rare and may represent superheroes and magicallygifted characters; the equivalent
of an Active Ability rating of +5.
In cases when measurement of
the original scale is not very
apparent, conversion to the Active
Scale requires some math. This may
or may not be accurate as some
systems use exponential scales or
only measure mortal levels.
Discretion is required when applying
the results to Active Abilities. The
following steps are required to
convert the scale when you cannot
readily discern Active Categories.
1. Compute the maximum number
of values, by subtracting the
lowest possible value from the
highest and adding one (1).
2. If the lowest possible value is
greater than zero (0), reduce the
rating of each Adaptive Ability
by the difference between the
lowest possible value and zero.
STEP 2 BY EXAMPLE
If the scale runs from 5 to 20,
reduce the rating with which you are
currently working by 5 (5-0=5). This
would make a rating of 10 into a 5.
3. Divide the rating of each
Adaptive Ability by the result
achieved in Step 1 and multiply
the result by ten (rounding
down).
STEP 3 BY EXAMPLE
Continuing from the previous
example, divide a rating of 5 by the
possible values of 16. The result is
0.3125. Multiplying that by 10 results
in 3.125, rounding down to 3.
73
adaptive exploits
4. Consult the Master Conversion
Table (next page) to determine
the Active Category to which the
rating belongs. The final rating
can then be assigned to the
Active Ability based on the
values corresponding to each
Active Category.
If flairs are being used for the
Active Ability, the rating for the
Active Ability remains the same,
but the individual ratings for its
corresponding flairs may be
different—because flairs are
modifications to a specific ability,
only the difference between the
Active Ability and the flair are
noted as a final result.
74
STEP 4 BY EXAMPLE
Fitness (muscle) 1, fitness (agility)
6, and fitness (dexterity) 4 average
out to 3. Consulting the table below,
the character’s fitness rating is 0,
muscle flair is -1, agility flair is +2, and
dexterity flair is 0. This results in the
following: fitness 0 (muscle -1; agility
+2). We don’t need to indicate
dexterity since its rating is the same as
fitness.
Converting Aspects
Aspects such as luck and discipline
are converted in the same manner as
abilities, although their final ratings
are different since they use a slightly
different
scale
(see
Master
Conversion Table). Use the table
below to find a corresponding
Adaptive Ability for each. If none are
available, the director should assign
a rating based on the character’s
other abilities.
Skills
Most systems should provide
some description of what the
various skill ratings represent.
Adaptive Skills may either be
retained and associated with a
specific Active or Adaptive Ability, or
completely replaced with the closest
Active Skill. If the scale is not easily
apparent, use the same procedure
(the steps required to convert abilities and aspects) to convert
Adaptive Skills to the Active Skill
scale—unskilled, novice, proficient,
and expert (see Master Conversion
Table).
ASPECT
CORRESPONDING ADAPTIVE ABILITIES
luck
discipline
luck, fate, destiny, karma
willpower, endurance, stamina, constitution
RESULT
MASTER CONVERSION TABLE
FINAL
FINAL
ACTIVE CATEGORY ABILITY
ASPECT
FINAL
SKILL
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
disabled
disabled
average human
average human
average human
above average human
above average human
superhuman
superhuman
unimaginable
unimaginable
unskilled
novice
novice
novice
proficient
proficient
proficient
proficient
expert
expert
expert
-1
-1
0
0
0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
+5
0
1
2
2
2
3
3
4
5
6
6
SKILLS BY EXAMPLE
A character from System A has the
counterfeiting skill. This skill can either
be carried over to Active Exploits or
replaced with the design skill.
The skill’s rating is a 4 on a scale
from 0 to 6. Step 1 is to calculate the
maximum possible values: 7. Step 2
can be skipped since 0 is the lowest
possible value. Step 3 is to divide the
skill rating of 4 by the result from step
1 and multiply by 10: 4/7*10=5.7,
rounding down to 5. Step 4 is consult
the Master Conversion Table, which
gives a result of proficient for skills.
GIMMICKS BY EXAMPLE
adaptive exploits
A disadvantage which reduces the
character’s strength by 2 when faced
with a holy symbol could be made
into a gimmick which reduces the
amount of effort a character can exert
on muscle-based tasks by 1 when
faced with a holy symbol. Or, instead
of affecting effort, it could increase
the difficulty of the same task by
+2DIFF. There are no set rules, so the
director should experiment and use
his discretion.
Converting Gimmicks
There is no set way of handling
gimmicks. Adaptive Gimmicks may
either be converted to Active
Gimmicks, flairs, principles, or
convictions. The director should use
his best judgement. A few suggestions are presented below.
• If the Adaptive Gimmick modifies an ability, it should either be
made an ability flair or a
gimmick.
• If the Adaptive Gimmick modifies a skill, it should either be
made a new, special skill or a
gimmick.
• If the Adaptive Gimmick modifies a task, it should be made a
gimmick which alters the
amount of effort used or the
difficulty of the task.
• If the Adaptive Gimmick represents or causes emotional strain
or specific behavior, it should
either be made principle, conviction, or gimmick.
C adapting another system-----------------------------------Adapting your current system for
diceless play via Active Exploits can
also be accomplished with a few
easy steps. Unlike the previous
methodology, all conversions are
done during task resolution with the
exception of an initial set of calculations in order to speed the conversions.
Abilities
No changes to abilities are
required as all conversions are
performed by the director while
determining the outcome of tasks.
When players attempt tasks, they
may allocate a variable number of
points from an ability as if they were
exerting effort. Once allocated, the
points may not be used until the end
of the turn.
Aspects
Because the system’s own abilities
are being maintained rather than
converting to those normally used in
Active Exploits, aspects may feel
unnatural and should be ignored. If
the system has a willpower, stamina,
constitution, or endurance ability,
however, it should be used to mirror
the discipline aspect. That is, if the
number of points allocated from
abilities for a task is greater than the
willpower, stamina, constitution, or
endurance ability (choose one), the
character gains fatigue (see Health,
below).
Skills
Like abilities, no conversions are
necessary until a task is attempted.
75
adaptive exploits
Health
Active Exploits’ health system may
be used or you may stick with that
of the system you are adapting. If
you choose the latter, all weapons
and damage values must remain
consistent with those built for the
system which you are adapting. If
damage is determined by rolling an
amount of dice, the average value
capable of being delivered (or half
the maximum value) should be
chosen. Armor ratings may either be
deducted directly from the damage
value or you may find the
percentage of the maximum armor
value (armor value divided by
maximum armor value) and mutliply
the damage by that value.
HEALTH BY EXAMPLE
We are using a damage system
which has a health scale from 0 to 20
and adapting it to Active Exploits’
health system. A character sustains an
amount of damage equal to the roll of
two six-sided dice. The average of this
roll is roughly six and the character’s
armor value is five (maximum armor
value for the game is twelve). We may
either reduce the damage by the
armor value, making it one (6-5=1), or
multiply damage by 0.41 (percentage
of armor based on the maximum
permitted amount, or 6/12), reducing
the damage to two (6x0.41=2.46,
rounding down to 2). Of course, we
could have just simplified this by using
Active Exploits’ damage system with
general damage and armor classes to
determine these effects.
the system has a meter for tracking
fatigue rather than serious wounds,
it is applied to that meter.
OVER-EXERTION BY EXAMPLE
In a system that uses hit points, and
the maximum amount for a character
is 20, applying fatigue from over-exertion is done by inflicting an amount of
damage equal to 20 divided by 5
(one-fifth), or 4.
Penalties due to injury should also
be applied to tasks. If penalties are
not provided with the original
system, use the table below to determine the effects on tasks resolution.
Preparation
In order for the task resolution
process to move faster, the following
steps should be performed before
play begins.
1. Compute the maximum number
of ability values, by subtracting
the lowest possible value from
the highest and adding one. This
result is called the Effort Factor.
2. If the lowest possible value is
greater than zero, you will also
need to use an Effort Offset,
which is equal to the difference
between the lowest possible
value and zero.
When applying the effects of overexertion (gaining fatigue from
exerting too much effort), the reduction in health is equal to 20% (or
one-fifth) of the maximum value. If
HEALTH LEVEL
IS THIS % OF MAX
76
40-59%
60-79%
80-99%
PREPARATION BY EXAMPLE
If the scale runs from 2 to 20, there
are 19 possible values, and therefore,
the Effort Factor is 19. Because the
lowest value of 2 is greater than 0,
the Effort Offset is 2 (2-0=2).
PENALTY FOR
BASIC EXPLOITS
PENALTY FOR
ADVANCED EXPLOITS
-1EFFORT
-2EFFORT
-3EFFORT
+1DIFF
+2DIFF
+3DIFF
Tasks
Tasks are perfomed like Active
Exploits (either Basic or Advanced
Exploits), applying effort to tasks. A
character attempting a task may allocate any number of points from a
relevant ability. Free effort is also
applied from skills and any conditions, risks, or other factors are
applied to the total amount of effort
applied (Basic Exploits) or the difficulty rating (Advanced Exploits).
The total number of points allocated must be converted to Active
Exploits’ scale. This is done with the
following formula:
(
)
points allocated - Effort Offset
x 10
Effort Factor
RESULT
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
10 points are allocated to a task
from an ability. The Effort Factor is 19
and the Effort Offset is 2.
((10 - 2) / 19) x 10
breaks down as follows:
a) 10 - 2 = 8
b) 8/19 = 0.42
c) 0.42 x 10 = 4.2;
rounded down to 4
d) A result of 4 for an ability
converts to 0 effort on the
Master Effort Table.
Free effort from luck is computed
the same way. Experience may also
be applied directly to effort as it can
be used to alter the chance of
success, making it possible to
succeed at tasks normally impossible. Experience can either be
awarded to specific skills as it is
normally done with the Active
Exploits rules or awarded to the character as a lump sum for general use.
Skills also provide free effort
depending on their rating. If it is not
apparent to which Active Category a
skill belongs, it may be computed by
using the formula and consulting the
Master Effort Table.
MASTER EFFORT TABLE
LUCK
EFFORT
FREE EFFORT
-1
-1
0
0
0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
+5
0
0
+1
+1
+2
+3
+4
+4
+4
+5
+6
adaptive exploits
Put simply:
a) Subtract Effort Offset from
points allocated
b) Divide result by Effort Factor
c) Multiple result by 10 (rounding
down)
d) Consult the Master Effort Table
to convert effort and free effort
from abilities and skills.
TASK CONVERSION BY EXAMPLE
SKILL
FREE EFFORT
0
+1
+1
+2
+2
+2
+2
+2
+3
+3
+3
77
C common system scales------------------------------------------------1 TO 20 SCALE
ABILITY ASPECT SKILL
adaptive exploits
1-2
3-4
5-6
7-8
9-10
11-12
13-14
15-16
17-18
19-20
-1
-1
0
0
0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
0
1
2
2
2
3
3
4
5
6
unskilled
novice
novice
novice
proficient
proficient
proficient
proficient
expert
expert
LUCK
SKILL
EFFORT FREE EFFORT FREE EFFORT
-1
-1
0
0
0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
0
0
+1
+1
+2
+3
+4
+4
+4
+5
0
+1
+1
+2
+2
+2
+2
+2
+3
+3
0 TO 10 SCALE
ABILITY ASPECT SKILL
0-1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
-1
-1
0
0
0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
0
1
2
2
2
3
3
4
5
6
unskilled
novice
novice
novice
proficient
proficient
proficient
proficient
expert
expert
LUCK
SKILL
EFFORT FREE EFFORT FREE EFFORT
-1
-1
0
0
0
+1
+3
+3
+4
+5
0
0
+1
+1
+2
+3
+4
+4
+4
+5
0
+1
+1
+2
+2
+2
+2
+2
+3
+3
0 TO 8 SCALE
ABILITY ASPECT SKILL
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
78
-1
-1
0
0
0
+1
+2
+3
+4
0
1
2
2
2
3
3
4
5
unskilled
novice
novice
novice
proficient
proficient
proficient
proficient
expert
LUCK
SKILL
EFFORT FREE EFFORT FREE EFFORT
-1
-1
0
0
0
+1
+2
+3
+4
0
0
+1
+1
+2
+3
+4
+4
+4
0
+1
+1
+2
+2
+2
+2
+2
+3
Bold rows indicate super-human ability. If the original scale does not include
super-human ability or if it is mostly super-human ability, you will have to edit
the scale using the Active Categories rather than using the formulas.
This section presents
two specific sets of rules additions. Its purpose is twofold:
1. The information allows direct accesss
to the settings so the director does not
need to develop them.
2. The framework for each setting provides an
example of how to design new abilities,
gimmicks, and so on.
5
setting
specifics
79
the arcane
Magic can be a very diverse
element of play. It can take the form
of divinely inspired miracles, spirit
summoning, or even numerologybased inscriptions. Whatever the
form, all magic follows the same
simple mechanics as everyday tasks.
Each type of magic must be
powered by an ability and focused
into an effect by way of a skill. The
skill does not necessarily need to be
linked to the actual ability, however,
as in the case of the endowment
ability.
C astral inhabitants---------------------------------------------------------------
setting specifics
3
80
This addition to the Endowment ability may require the use of Convictions to
represent entity worship at the director’s discretion.
These are the entities which characters may call upon for power for
use with the endowment ability
(discussed in Chapter 1). They exist
in the Astral Realm, a dimension
mirroring ours, but lacking physicality and corporeality. The Astral
Realm is sometime entered unknowingly while we sleep, exposing
ourselves to the nightmares that
occupy it.
Some entities require they be
worshiped before granting endowments to mortals, while others will
only do so at their own whim. This
can also limit the manner in which
the endowment ability is used.
Some entities will also go out of
their way to ruin the plans of other
astral inhabitants. Because of this,
characters may expend endowment
points to cancel out the use of
endowment by other characters if
their respective entities oppose each
other (one point cancels out one
point). In addition, points may also
be used to add effort to a task
attempted by another character if
their respective entities do not
oppose each other (one point adds
one point of free effort).
Some of the more powerful entities that endow humans with power
in exchange for worship and favors
are:
Guardians
Guardians are the monitors of the
gateways between the realms. They
oppose actions taken by or on
behalf of the Shambalans and refuse
to be worshiped, endowing mortals
only when it suits their needs.
Guides
Guides often come to us in our
dreams, offering advice and knowledge. Their ultimate goal seems to
be the enlightenment of humanity.
While they do not typically make
their presence known, there are
times when they contact individuals
openly during meditation and
trances. They oppose actions taken
by or on behalf of the Overlords and
Jinn, and endow mortals without
the need of making covenants with
them. Their endowment may only
be used to add free effort to
reasoning-based skills.
Jinn
Jinn are the masters of the Astral
Realm and seek worship. They
oppose actions taken by or on
behalf of the Mythos and Oni, and
their endowment is used in the same
manner as the discipline ability.
Mythos
Mythos are the masters over man,
beast, and vermin, and commonly
recruit minions to interfere with the
societies and cultures of man. They
oppose actions taken by or on
behalf of the Jinn and Oni, and their
endowment may only be used to
add free effort to any fitness-based
skill.
Shambalans
Shambalans are the fabled
creators of our realm and everything
in it. They seek to inspire the
creativity of the mortal realm.
Shambalans oppose actions taken by
or on behalf of the Guardians, and
their endowment may only be used
to add free effort to any creativitybased skill.
C the channeling ability-------------------------------------------------Channeling is an accented ability
used to gather pure energy from
one’s surroundings, convert it to a
usable form of magical energy, and
focus it into an effect (or spell)
directed at the same type of source.
Channeling can be used to exert
effort for any applicable skill in
conjunction with the following flairs:
Air allows characters to focus energies from all gaseous materials,
including oxygen, methane, and
propane.
Earth allows characters to focus
energies from all solid minerals
substances, such as rock, dirt, and
raw gems.
Fire allows characters to focus energies from all occurrences of
flames, heat, or light.
Beast allows characters to focus
energies from living animals or
their derivatives, such as parchment and leather.
Man allows characters to focus energies from living human beings.
Plasma allows characters to focus
energies from electrical sources,
such as power lines, computers,
and wall sockets.
Water allows characters to focus
energies from all liquid materials,
such as the sea, alcohol, or soda.
Wood allows characters to focus
energies from all living vegetation
or their derivatives, such as trees,
shrubs, weeds, and paper.
setting specifics
Oni
Oni are the masters of nature and
seek to motivate change and evolution in all living creatures, while
preserving the harmony of shared
existence. They oppose actions
taken by or on behalf of the Mythos,
and their endowment may only be
used to add free effort to any awareness-based skill.
Overlords
Overlords are the masters of
mortal souls, and guide departed
souls to their destinies from behind
the scenes or by way of worshipping
minions. They oppose actions taken
by or on behalf of the Guides and
Jinn, and their endowment is used in
the same manner as the revelation
ability.
81
C the faith ability--------------------------------------------------------------------------3
Faith requires the use of Convictions.
Faith represents pure devotion to
the character’s deity and in return,
he radiates divine energies which
can be harnessed to create miracles.
This ability requires the character to
possess the beliefs and values
convictions (to represent his faith in
the deity and doctrines, respectively)
and cannot be used by anyone with
the channeling ability. Faith can be
used to exert effort for any applicable skill which does not violate the
character’s values.
C the necromancy ability----------------------------------------------
setting specifics
Necromancy is the ability to
command the spirits of the Astral
Realm. Spirits can resist the effects
of necromancy by contesting the
task with its manifestation ability
and an appropriate skill (director’s
discretion).
C the manifestation ability-----------------------------------Manifestation is a spirit’s ability to
interact with our world. This ability
may only be used by Astral inhabitants. In addition to providing access
to manifestation-based skills, astral
inhabitants may also use the manifestation ability to attempt any
fitness-based skill while in a corporeal state (manifested or in possession of a mortal or corpse). Most
manifestation-based tasks are
contested by the target’s discipline
rating (see the table at right).
MANIFEST DIFFICULTIES
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
trivial
routine
routine
challenging
improbable
improbable
impossible
C the transformation aspect---------------------------
82
Transformation allows a character
to change form at will. The type of
change is dependent on the number
of points expended, which are recovered at a rate of one per hour. Points
are not required to be expended in
order to return to the character’s
original appearance and he may do
so at his leisure.
TRANSFORMATION
EXPENDITURES
1
2
3
4
5
facial appearance only
mortal appearance only
wolf or similar-sized animal
bat or similar-sized animal
mist or a swarm of insects
C arcane skills--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The following skills are for use
with the new abilities presented
above as well as the ESP and
reasoning abilities.
ESP-Based Skills
Astral Projection allows a character
to remove his consciousness (or
soul) from his body while in a
dream state. It then manifests
midway between our world and
the Astral Realm. This renders his
soul incapable of interacting physically with either world (including
communication with both mortals
and astral inhabitants), but it can
move throughout either, seeing
whatever is present. The character’s soul must return to his
body within a specific time frame
(novice skill level: fifteen minutes;
Channeling-Based Skills
Conjuring is the art of illusion. It
allows a character to create an
insubstantial image which has no
physical properties other than
appearance. The illusion must be
fashioned after an appropriate
magical energy. For example, an
air-based illusion can appear as a
tornado or a water-based one may
appear as rain or a puddle. The
director should assign a difficulty
on the task based on the size of
the illusion. A fixed rule on difficulty is not included here so that
directors can alter the power of
the characters to fit the setting.
Countermagic is the art of draining
magical energy from any arcane
task in order to counter its
effect(s). In essence, this skill is
used to contest any channeling or
faith-based task. In addition, countermagic may also be used to
decrease the amount of etheria
sustained by a number of grades
equal to the amount of overkill, if
attempted in the same turn.
Summoning is the art of conjuring
physical objects or creatures. The
summoned target must be fash-
setting specifics
Reasoning-Based Skills
Alchemy allows a character to mix a
potion which, when activated
through ingestion or application
on a surface (painting or throwing
the potion on it), creates a single
effect from a channeling-based
skill. Once the potion has been
created, it may be activated by
anyone. The duration of the effect
is decided by the director as
appropriate for the circumstances,
but can be cancelled by the countermagic skill.
Runes allows a character to imbue a
series of symbols, called runes,
with any single effect from a channeling-based skill. The runes must
use a magical language and therefore, can only be read by those
who are familiar with the
language. Their effect can either
be activated upon being read or
made active at the time of writing.
The duration is typically permanent, but can be cancelled by the
countermagic skill.
proficient: forty-five minutes; and
expert: two hours) or his
consciousness will manifest
completely in the Astral Realm
and he will become trapped
forever.
Clairaudience allows a character to
communicate with astral inhabitants within the character’s immediate vicinity. He can hear them as
if they were speaking and vice
versa.
Clairvoyance allows a character to
look into the Astral Realm and see
all inhabitants present in his immediate vicinity.
83
setting specifics
84
ioned after an appropriate magical
energy. For example, a beastbased summoning can create a
mouse or a plasma-based one can
create a bolt of lightning. A fixed
rule on difficulty is not included
here so that directors can alter the
power of the characters to fit the
setting. Countermagic can be used
to dispel summoned items.
Warding allows a character to create
a protective sphere around himself
or a circle engraved or inscribed
on the ground. The difficulty
should be affected by the desired
size of the circle, but a fixed rule is
not included here so that directors
can alter the power of the characters to fit the setting. A success
indicates that all damage applied
to anyone within the perimeter of
the circle from a source outside of
it is reduced by a number of
grades equal to the amount of
effort applied from the channeling
ability.
Faith-Based Skills
2 The Inscription and Seals skills have
been replaced by skills representing
the different types of seals present
in the first edition rules.
Bless allows a character to imbue
another with divine emanations.
This causes all attempts at tasks by
the target character which do not
violate the original character’s
beliefs to receive a decrease in
difficulty by one grade for a
period of one day to a week
(director’s discretion).
Curse allows a character to block
divine emanations from another
character. This causes all attempts
at tasks by the target character
which violate the original character’s beliefs to receive an
increase in difficulty by one grade
for a period of one day to a week
(director’s discretion).
Divine Archway allows a character to
bless a door or other portal. Only
those who share the caster’s religious beliefs or values may pass
through the door.
Healing Touch allows a character to
restore a number of grades of
injury, fatigue, or dementia equal
to the amount of one plus any
overkill from the task.
Mana allows a character to pray for
food. When successful, mana, a
nutritious food source similar in
taste to coriander, will fall from
the heavens in the immediate
area. It will dissolve if not
collected within two hours on a
hot and sunny day.
Purify allows a character to eliminate
all sources of poison from a food
or beverage, or eliminate all toxins
from a person’s body (reduces
toxemia level to zero, but does not
heal the character if he has
sustained dementia, fatigue, or
injury).
Rapport allows a character to form a
bond with an animal or person,
causing the target to trust and feel
comfortable around him. This can
easily be countered if the character behaves in a manner which
conflicts with the target’s instincts
(in the case of animals) or convictions, or becomes hostile toward
him. This lasts for a period of one
to two days (director’s discretion).
Truth allows a character to sense if
the words coming out of another
character’s mouth are true.
Ward allows a character to create an
area around a holy symbol (which
the character must hold) which
protects all those touching him. A
success indicates that all attacks
made against anyone within the
perimeter of the circle receive an
increase in difficulty by one or two
grades (director’s discretion).
Characters or creatures opposed
to the character’s religious beliefs
receive one grade of injury if they
touch any of the affected characters.
Necromancy-Based Skills
Animate allows a character to bind a
nearby spirit into a human or
animal corpse for the purposes of
control. The spirit must obey the
character’s commands and in turn
animate the corpse’s lifeless body.
Banish allows a character to force
any Astral inhabitant (but not
powerful entities) to flee the
immediate area or leave the body
of a possessed mortal or corpse.
It may not attempt to return for at
least one day.
Name allows a character to call any
Astral inhabitant (but not
powerful entities) by speaking its
name.
setting specifics
Manifestation-Based Skills
Lure allows a spirit to entice a character to approach it. This will most
likely be a trap and lead to the
character’s demise. The difficulty
is based on the target’s discipline
rating (see the manifest difficulty
table).
Paralyze allows a spirit to cause a
target character to freeze in his
tracks. The character may not
move on his own (no walking,
crawling, swimming, etc.) for up
to five turns. The difficulty is
based on the target’s discipline
rating (see the manifest difficulty
table).
Possession allows a spirit to inhabit
the body of a living animal or
human. Once in possession, the
spirit can assume control of the
body at will. By expending one
point of discipline, the character
can temporarily overcome the
possession for up to one hour.
Silence allows a spirit to control the
speech centers of the human
brain. The target character may
not speak for up to ten turns. The
difficulty is based on the target’s
discipline rating (see the manifest
difficulty table).
Terrorize allows a spirit to manifest
an incorporeal appearance that
strikes fear in one’s very soul.
Characters that witness the manifestation gain one grade of
dementia.
85
C arcane gimmicks-------------------------------------------------------------------------Astral Magnet
For one reason or another, the
character attracts entities from the
Astral Realm that have manifested
into our world. There is no telling
what their motivations or intentions
are.
setting specifics
Astral Vision
The character is haunted by
visions of entities from the Astral
Realm. He can see those present in
the immediate vicinity, although he
cannot speak to or hear them. This
can be used to replace the clairvoyance skill if the director wishes to use
a more abstract method of visions of
the Astral Realm.
Disruptive Discharge
The character is capable of
directing focused energy using his
channeling ability in order to inflict
etheria-based damage by touching a
victim. The amount of damage is
equal to the amount of effort
exerted only from the channeling
ability. In addition, for every two
points of effort exerted, the character may throw a bolt of pure
magical energy at a target using a
normal athletics task.
Guardian Angel
The character enjoys the protection of a guardian angel, who
attempts to divert the character’s
from danger through naturalseeming occurrences. This is basically a part-time job for the director,
offering the player some helpful tips
in order to keep the character alive.
Gremlins
The character causes all machinery
or electronics in his immediate
vicinity to jam or malfunction.
Haunt
The Astral inhabitant is tied to a
particular piece of land, structure, or
individual and may not leave unless
banished.
Immortality
The character does not age and
will live forever unless killed by a
violent act.
Invulnerability
The character is supernatural in
origin and does not receive normal
damage unless exposed to a vulnerability. Treat this gimmick as if the
character has rmor ratings of 3
against ‘A’ damage, 2 against ‘B’ and
‘C’ damage, and 1 against ‘E’
damage.
Longevity
The character has ceased aging
due to a secret formula, fountain of
youth, or vampire bite which must
be reintroduced once per week.
Lycanthropy Bloodline
The character transforms into a
wolf during a new moon and a werewolf during a full moon.
Lycanthropy Curse
The character transforms into a
werewolf during a full moon. The
curse is passed on to anyone unfortunate enough to be bitten by the
character in werewolf form.
MANIFESTATION ABILITY AND DURATION
86
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
walking and creaking
shimmering lights
incorporeal human appearance
corporeal human appearance
corporeal human, animal, or object appearance
2 turns
10 turns
30 minutes
4 hours
1 day
Manifest
The spirit can assume a physical
form for short periods of time and is
capable of interacting with our
world. Once manifested, the creature can substitute the manifest
ability for tasks requiring the fitness
ability. The type of manifestation
and duration is determined by the
creature’s manifestation ability.
Mist
The Astral inhabitant causes a fog
or heavy mist to appear whenever it
uses a manifestation-based skill.
Mortal Focus
The character is susceptible to
channeling-based skills. Their difficulties are reduced by two (2) grades
(-4DIFF) when targeted at the character. In addition, all channelingbased tasks performed by the char-
Non-Reflective
The character casts no reflection
or shadow.
Protective Aura
The character has a natural resistance to etheria. This acts as armor
with a rating of 2 which protects
against all sources of etheria
damage.
Regeneration
The character heals at an accelerated pace; injury is restored by one
grade per day and fatigue is restored
by one grade per hour.
Resistant Aura
The character is incapable of using
the channeling ability and all channeling-based tasks directed at him
receive an increase in difficulty by
one grade.
Shivers
The Astral inhabitant causes the
air in his immediate vicinity to drastically decrease in temperature.
Wind
The Astral inhabitant causes
sudden breezes to emanate from his
location whenever he uses a manifestation-based skill.
setting specifics
Mortal Demise
The character dreams about his
death every night. He is now accustomed to it, but anything he experiences while he is wake that hints
that his time is near causes anxiety
and panic. On the other hand, the
character knows how he will die
(this should be fleshed out before
play) and may put himself in harm’s
way if it does not appear that his
course of action is linked to his
death.
acter receive a decrease in difficulty
by two (2) grades (-4DIFF) .
C the shaded veil-------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Shaded Veil is an imperfect
barrier which separates the Astral
Realm from our world. Parts of the
Veil thicken and thin during specific
times of the year. When the Veil is
thin, horrors from the other side visit
us; ghosts are more common and
creatures such as vampires and werewolves become stronger. This
change in the Veil is referred to as
shading.
The Astral World
Entering the Astral Realm is like
stepping into an abyss. It lacks physicality and is home to billions of
creatures and spirits capable of interacting with one another. Our world
is clearly visible, yet incorporeal to
the Astral inhabitants.
We sometimes unknowingly enter
the Astral Realm while sleeping,
exposing ourselves to the night-
87
setting specifics
mares of the other side. This also
leaves us vulnerable to possession
and ghostly influences.
Spirits wait for times of shading to
interact with us physically. These
occurrences are typically classified as
hauntings or poltergeist activity.
88
Times of Shading
Samhain (or more commonly All
Hallow’s Eve) occurs on October
31 and marks the period of
maximum thinning. More spirits
visit our world during this day
than any other. Channeling ability
is also more common during this
period because the thinning of the
Veil allows more magical energy
to permeate our world.
Yule occurs for twelve days beginning on December 20 and marks
the Veil’s recovery from its past
shadings. It is a period of reflection for most channeling practitioners. ESP ability is heightened
during this period due to the thinning, however.
Imbolc occurs around February 1
and is a period of rebirth for both
worlds. It is during this time that
the Veil acts as an umbilical cord,
connecting both worlds so that
order is restored.
Ostara marks the return of nature’s
power over our world. It occurs on
the first day of spring and lasts for
approximately three days. It is
during this period that we are
more susceptible to entering the
Astral Realm while dreaming and
are often assaulted by nightmares.
This period is also associated with
an increase in werewolf activity.
Beltane occurs for two days beginning on April 30. It marks a rise in
vampire activity. This is usually
credited to the increase in nightly
activity brought on by nice
weather.
Midsummer occurs for an entire
month beginning on June 15. It is
during this period that the Veil is
thickest.
Umhvar begins on September 21
and continues until Samhain. It
marks the beginning of an
increase in thinning which ends
after Samhain.
Locations of Shading
Holy Grounds include churches,
synagogues, and other places of
divine worship. They thicken the
Veil and disrupt manifestations
from the Astral Realm. The difficulty of all tasks involving the
manifestation ability while on holy
ground is increased by two grades
(+4DIFF).
Burial Grounds include cemeteries,
tombs, and other burial places.
They thin the Veil and strengthen
manifestations from the Astral
Realm. The difficulty of all tasks
involving the manifestation ability
while on burial ground is
decreased by one grade (-2DIFF).
Nature’s Grounds include forests,
lakes, and other dense areas in
nature. They strengthen the manifestation ability of spectres. The
difficulty of all tasks involving the
manifestation ability for a spectre
while on nature’s grounds is
reduced by one grade (-2DIFF).
TIMES OF SHADING
setting specifics
SAMHAIN
• the difficulty of all tasks involving the channeling ability during Samhain is
reduced by two grades (-4DIFF)
• the difficulty of all tasks involving the manifestation ability during Samhain is
reduced by two grades (-4DIFF)
YULE
• the difficulty of all tasks involving the channeling ability during Yule is
increased by one grade (+2DIFF)
• the difficulty of all tasks involving the ESP ability during Yule is reduced by
one grade (-2DIFF)
• the difficulty of all tasks involving the manifestation ability during Yule is
reduced by one grade (-2DIFF)
IMBOLC
• the difficulty of all tasks involving the manifestation ability during Imbolc is
reduced by one grade (-2DIFF)
OSTARA
• the difficulty of all tasks involving the ESP ability during Ostara is reduced by
one grade (-2DIFF)
• the difficulty of all tasks involving the manifestation ability during Ostara is
increased by one grade (+2DIFF)
BELTANE
• the difficulty of all tasks involving the channeling ability during Beltane is
increased by one grade (+2DIFF)
• the difficulty of all tasks involving the manifestation ability during Beltane is
increased by one grade (+2DIFF)
MIDSUMMER
• all vulnerabilities from herbs inflict one additional grade of fatigue or injury
when exposed during Midsummer
• the difficulty of all tasks involving the channeling ability during Midsummer is
increased by one grade (+2DIFF)
• the difficulty of all tasks involving the manifestation ability during Midsummer
is increased by one grade (+2DIFF)
• the difficulty of all tasks involving the ESP ability during Midsummer is
increased by one grade (+2DIFF)
UMHVAR
• the difficulty of all tasks involving the channeling ability during Umhvar is
reduced by one grade (-2DIFF)
• the difficulty of all tasks involving the manifestation ability during Umhvar is
reduced by one grade (-2DIFF)
LOCATIONS OF SHADING
• the difficulty of all tasks involving the manifestation ability while on holy
ground is increased by two grades (+4diff).
• the difficulty of all tasks involving the manifestation ability while on burial
ground is decreased by one grade (-2diff).
• the difficulty of all tasks involving the manifestation ability for a spectre while
on nature’s grounds is reduced by one grade (-2diff).
89
setting specifics
C astral horrors----------------------------------------------------------------------------
90
Entities
Entities are often mistaken for
gods, and are the dominant Astral
powers. There are seven recognized
entities (as already discussed), but it
is unclear if they are single beings or
a mass of influential factions. Entities
commonly endow mortals with
supernatural ability in exchange for
worship and subservience. They are
also referred to as totems or archetypes and do not manifest into our
world except to make covenants
with worshippers.
Spectres
Spectres are less powerful entities
that enigmatically manifest near
patches of undisturbed areas of
nature. They roam swamps, lakes,
forests, and the like. These nature
spirits can be childishly playful or
violently protective of their grounds.
Legends suggest they might be
related to the Oni (entities) and
were stripped of power. They can
manifest in various forms, including
nymphs,
hags,
and
wailing
banshees.
Ghosts
Ghosts are the disembodied souls
of the dead. It is believed that the
soul departs the body for the Astral
Realm shortly after death and is
eventually reborn into a new, suitable host. For one reason or another,
it is possible for souls to become
trapped in the Astral Realm, in
which case, they never find a new
mortal body and roam the incorporeal plains for all eternity.
Mortals occasionally use seances
to contact the dead, but the dead
attempt to contact us every day.
They exist in a state of limbo and
use every opportunity to communicate with the living. Most are
benign, although their activity can
certainly cause panic and nightmares. Ghosts are not particularly
powerful and have limited manifestation ability.
There comes a time when a
mortal soul can withstand only so
much pain and suffering. When it
reaches its limit, the ghost becomes
a poltergeist and the soul has only
one purpose—to terrorize the living.
Poltergeists use any means available
to them and can be quite effective.
Spirits
The Astral Realm is home to the
spirits which are the servants of the
entities. They are sometimes granted
power in order to manifest in our
world and carry out the entities’
wishes. Other times, their jealousy
of mortal freedoms motivates them
to manifest in our world and
attempt to live as we do. Many are
capable of possessing human bodies
or corpses. Spirits possessing living
bodies are called dybbukim, while
those in corpses are zombies.
Although, it is rare, spirits have
been known to animate stone and
earthen structures such as gargoyles
and golems.
C earthly horrors------------------------------------------------------------------------Cults
Many groups of worship exist in
our world to serve astral inhabitants.
They are often contacted by one
entity and carry out its wishes in
exchange for power. Often, cults are
violent and distance themselves
from humanity.
Werewolves
Two varieties of werewolves exist
in the world today: cursed and true.
The cursed ones carry an infectious
viral strain which is paranormal in
nature and passed on to their victims
setting specifics
Vampires
Vampires have been hunting
mortals for thousands of years. Their
origins are unclear, but some say
they resulted from cross-breeding
between Astral entities and mortals.
One legend describes how early
vampires were given the choice
between mortal life and an eternal
one. When they chose the latter, the
gods grew worried that the
vampires’ population would become
too powerful. In order to prevent a
conflict, they gave the vampires the
thirst for human blood with the
belief that humans would hunt them
and keep their populations small.
Instead, the vampires learned to
hunt mortals and prospered as a
society. By the middle ages, the
hunted had become the hunters;
man crusaded against evil and
destroyed all vampire settlements,
turning them into a society of
outcasts and creatures of the night.
Now, their presence has been
forgotten except by a select few.
Vampire’s are anarchistic by
nature. They play by their own rules
and take whatever they desire.
Many remain isolated from human
society, while others prefer to hunt
mortals in their own backyards.
Vampires
are
supernatural,
undead creatures. This means that
they walk and talk, but fail to
register as human beings (no heartbeat or pulse). Their only method of
reproduction is by draining a victim
completely of blood. If the body is
not disposed of properly (stake
through heart, decapitation, or
cremation) it will rise again as a
vampire, usually the following night.
There are four methods for killing
a vampire: driving a wooden stake
through its heart, chopping off its
head, setting it on fire, or allowing
sunlight to ignite its body into
flames. It is possible for a vampire to
become incapacitated, but its
wounds will soon heal and become
a threat again unless one of the
methods described above is
employed.
Vampires have large fangs which,
despite modern fiction, cannot be
retracted. They are used to drain
blood from their victims in order to
survive. This must be done once per
week or a vampire’s regenerative
powers will cease to work until fresh
blood is found.
Vampires sleep during the day,
using abandoned buildings, crypts,
caves, or whatever shelter is available. Sunlight is a vampire’s most
serious threat and will never willingly
expose itself to it.
Vampires usually employ ghouls to
protect them and perform chores
during the day. The vampire makes
them drink some of his own blood
which gives them supernatural physical ability. Ghouls receive a number
of physical endowment points equal
to the vampire’s fitness rating. These
points will disappear after one week
and can only be regained by
ingesting more of the vampire’s
blood.
91
setting specifics
92
through a single bite. True werewolves are the descendants of a
strange offshoot of man and wolf.
The curse of lycanthropy has been
traced back to a band of gypsies
who traveled Europe during the
middle ages. After being driven off a
patch of land, they put a curse on a
man, condemning him to a life of
uncontrollable savagery.
On the first full moon after the
incident, the man transformed into a
horrifying creature; that of half man
and half wolf. His instincts took over
and he mauled his entire family. He
awoke a few days later in an isolated
area with no memory of the past
days’ events. Upon arriving back at
his village, he learned of his family’s
fate as well as his own.
Over the course of several
months, the cursed man decimated
half of the village’s population. He
was finally killed by a hunting party,
but not before biting several others.
The ravaging continued the next
month by those who were bitten
and the curse of the werewolf began
to spread throughout Europe and
Asia.
The origins of the bloodline of
true werewolves are unknown, but
those born into it do not carry the
curse. It is purely a hereditary condition and cannot be transmitted by
any means other than reproduction.
Members of the bloodline undergo
painful transformations into wolves
during the new moon and werewolves during the full moon.
All werewolves act on instinct and
are extremely ferocious. Their sharp
fangs and long claws make them a
formidable opponent. Only cursed
werewolves are vulnerable to silver
(presumably, to give them a weakness the gypsies could exploit should
they become threatened). The
bloodlines are capable of regeneration, making them even more
dangerous.
Wild Animals
From snakes to bears to wolves,
wild animals are always a threat to
any adventurer. The Quick and Dirty
Extras rules (see page 108) work
best for adding wild animals to the
game.
Zombies
Spirits can animate both animal
and human corpses and do not feel
pain or possess values, moral or
otherwise. They are commonly
controlled by necromancers. Severed
body parts still function as long as
the spirit is in control of the body
proper. Banishing the spirit, decapitation, or a bullet in the head are the
only ways to ensure that a zombie
will stay down.
A selection of templates can be
found in the back of this book.
C relics------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ring of Akheton
This relic dates back to the time of
the Pharaohs. It provides an extra
two points of free effort to act in
haste each turn. It was originally
intended to give Akheton, a
despised Pharaoh, additional time to
get away from his many assassins.
The Skull of Hritt
Anyone who holds this skull in the
palm of his hand receives one extra
point of free effort when attempting
necromancy-based tasks.
The Ivory Queen
This is a chess piece (the Queen)
made out of ivory. It was endowed
with the magical ability to increase
one’s intelligence. A total of four
points can be expended to add one
point of free effort (for each) to
reasoning-based tasks when in a
character’s possession. Once each
point is used, it is lost. If all points
are used, the Ivory Queen becomes
a regular chess piece.
Zutya’s Crystal Ball
This relic was created by the
powerful gypsy medium, Zutya. It
was in her family for five generations
until it mysteriously disappeared.
The relic adds two points of free
effort to any ESP-based task when
used.
The First Bible
This is one of the first complete
bible manuscripts. It is hand-written
and has survived for over a thousand
years. The relic adds two points of
free effort to any faith-based task
when a full page is read aloud.
Four-Leaf Clover
Four-leaf clovers are rare, so don’t
expect a character to find one
anytime soon. If one does, however,
it provides him with four (4) extra
points of luck. Once the points are
used or the clover is no longer in the
character’s possession, it wilts and
becomes useless.
Tudor’s Sheathe
Tudor’s Sheathe is a leather scabbard fitted with small rubies along
one side, and large enough to hold a
long sword. When a sword is kept in
the sheathe for more than one day,
it inflicts one extra grade of fatigue
when used. No more than one
sword can gain this bonus at a time
and if even one ruby is removed, it
becomes just another scabbard.
setting specifics
Relics represent a unique magical
relic, and when in the possession of
a character, can either be used as an
ability or aspect. When used as an
ability, the relic has a limitless supply
of power and is only limited by its
rating (since it is a potential ability,
the rating replenishes each turn).
When used as an aspect, the relic
has limited power and when all
points are expended, it becomes a
mundane item. The director is free
to decide how a relic may be used.
For example, a magical sword may
add free effort when used to strike
an opponent, a magical crown may
add free effort when attempting
reasoning-based skills, or a magical
shield may allow its user to expend
points to reduce grades of damage.
The following examples are included
to help you understand how to
create your own relics:
Thor’s Hammer
This giant hammer gives its user
up to two extra points of free effort
when attacking, but it requires the
character to have a fitness ability of
|+2| or greater.
Vampyr Wine
This is the bottled and preserved
blood of a typical vampire. When
ingested, the character receives a
physical endowment of six points.
93
C arcane damage---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Damage inflicted by arcane effects
should be based on the source of the
effect—fire-based does fire damage,
water-based may cause asphyxiation,
telepathy-based causes dementia,
raw, unconverted energy causes
etheria, and so on. The amount of
damage should be limited to one (1)
to two (2) grades of damage and is
left up to the director’s discretion,
based on the amount of overkill (or
luck expended).
C what’s next-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
setting specifics
You should have enough of a base
from this section to provide a wealth
of ideas for creating your own
arcane abilities, skills, and gimmicks.
Imagination is your only limit. Give
your players ESP or faith to help
track down ghosts and demons
(don’t forget to also let them use the
94
martial arts rules in the next
section), make them par t of a
warlock cabal conspiring to take
over the world, or simply use it as-is
for a magical fantasy world. If you
come up with something cool, let us
know.
martial arts
There are two basic varieties of
martial arts—those which solely rely
on strength and positioning and
those which also focus a character’s
internal energy (or chi). These rules
are intended for the latter because
they rely on chi, which supplements
the fitness ability, primarily in
conjunction with the brawling and
melee skills. If you wish to use
martial arts without chi, simply work
with the fitness ability and skills such
as brawling and melee.
C chi------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------be in harmony with the entity or
object through which it flows. States
of unbalance result in illness and
disease. When a character learns to
balance his chi, it can become a
source of unbelievable power.
Chi is an accented ability (or, you
may choose to use it as an aspect,
replenishing only after rest or meditation) and can only be used to exert
effort in a manner described by one
of the following flairs (based upon
Japanese terminology, but generic in
nature):
setting specifics
Chi is the life energy of the
universe. It propagates itself in
nature and permeates all living
things. If this sounds like “the force”
then you already know what it is. It
is not a supernatural or mythical
concept—it is real to those who
understand and can control it.
The Chinese call it chi, the
Japanese call it ki. Regardless of its
pronunciation or spelling, it is universally recognized as the flow of life
energy throughout not only the
human body, but all animals, plants,
and even streams of water. Chi must
Ku
i
Ukemi
em
Uk
Ch
ik
ar
a
Ku
Kokyu
Tori
Fudoshin
Sabaki
Tori
Chikara
i
em
At
Sabaki
Fu
do
sh
in
Atemi
Kokyu
95
Ku is the discipline of emptiness of
the mind and one’s faith that
universal harmony will provide for
him. It allows a character to act on
reflexes and training without interference from emotions or
thoughts.
Ukemi is the discipline of protecting
one self from harm by preventing
weak points from being exposed
while in combat and minimizing
injury. It also allows a character to
regain his balance and recover
from a fall quicker and safer. This
is often observed as flexibility,
responsiveness, and subtle movements.
Tori is the discipline of restraining
one’s opponent by recognizing his
weak spots (balance, poor positioning, etc.).
Fudoshin is the discipline of immovability through blending with
outside momentum.
setting specifics
EFFORT MAY BE EXERTED FOR THE FOLLOWING USES
96
KU
• increasing haste while acting in combat
• tasks in which the character is surprised
• archery and firearm attacks
UKEMI
• parrying and dodging attacks or objects
• maintaining one’s balance
• recovering from a fall
TORI
• grappling, including increasing injury by way of adding to overkill
• unbalance an opponent by throwing, pushing, or tripping
• pinning a character on the ground
FUDOSHIN
• maintaining a strong balance and rooting one’s self to the ground
• blocking an attack or object
KOKYU
• relaxing one’s self to reduce fatigue sustained by a brawling attack; difficulty
should be challenging
• contested action involving strength
• throwing objects
ATEMI
• punching and kicking
• melee attacks
• feinted action
SABAKI
• walking, running, swimming, and jumping
• dodging an attack or object
• increasing haste while acting in combat
CHIKARA
• increasing injury when punching, kicking, and throwing objects by way of
adding to overkill
• unbalancing an opponent by grappling
• pinning a character on the ground
Kokyu is the discipline of breathing
and relaxation. It is often
observed as exhales and kiai
(short scream).
Atemi is the discipline of striking an
opponent, and understanding his
vulnerable areas and typical
responses from such a threat.
Sabaki is the discipline of moving
one’s body gracefully. Opponents
commonly speak of certain practitioners suddenly disappearing or
somehow appearing behind
them.
Chikara is the discipline of extending
one’s chi outside of his body. This
is often observed as unusually
warm emanations and static shock
from practitioners.
C martial arts ranks------------------------------------------------------------
Japanese Belts
Japanese martial arts use different
colored belts to track rank. There are
two clear sides of the track: white
belts (kyu ranks; also called
mudansha) are
for
beginning
students, while black belts (dan
ranks; also called yudansha) are
somewhat experienced and have
proceeded to learn more advanced
techniques. Within each group (or
belt color), there are multiple subranks, which denote progress. Many
styles (and schools), however, assign
additional belt colors (green and
brown, for example) to non-black
belt ranks, and some styles only use
five ranks of white belt rather than
ten. Of course, colors and ranks
used can vary from school to school
depending on traditions.
Korean Belts
The Korean belt system is similar
to those used in Japanese martial
arts.
Chinese Sashes
Traditionally, Chinese martial arts
were not taught with the aid of
progress ranks such as belts. Some
modern (western) school have
adapted the use of colored sashes in
order to give students incentive to
maintain rigorous practice. These
ranks can vary from school to
school.
Teaching Ranks
It is unlikely that a non-black belt
(or yellow or green sash) student will
be assigned to teach others except in
rare cases. Second or first kyu/gup
students are sometimes responsible
for assisting beginners, especially
when they are disciples, but other
than that, only black belts are
permitted to instruct when the head
teacher is not available.
The head teacher always has the
final say. He is the most respected
member of the school. Well, usually,
there are always exceptions. We
setting specifics
Many styles (and schools) of
martial arts track a student’s
progress by way of rank. Promotions
in rank are typically achieved by
passing a test encompassing specific
techniques and body movements.
Some promotions are given as a
result of the student’s dedication or
the amount of time he has been
practicing, however.
Ranks are not necessarily a measurement of skill, but they should be
a rough indication of it. Some
schools are lenient when it comes to
handing out promotions, while
others are quite finicky and rightfully
so. There can be a huge difference in
proficiency from two students of
identical rank, but from different
schools. It all boils down to the
teacher and his top students.
97
setting specifics
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
98
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
JAPANESE RANK
BELT COLOR
MAXIMUM SKILL
jukyu
kukyu
hachikyu
nanakyu
rokyu
gokyu
yonkyu
sankyu
nikkyu
ikkyu
shodan
nidan
sandan
yandan
godan
rokudan
nandan
hachidan
kudan
judan
white
white (yellow)
white (orange)
white (green)
white (green)
white (blue)
white (blue)
white (brown)
white (brown)
white (brown)
black
black
black
black
black
black (red & black)
black (red & black)
black (red & black)
black (red)
black (red)
unskilled
unskilled
unskilled
unskilled
novice
unskilled or novice
novice
proficient
proficient
proficient
proficient
proficient
expert
expert
expert
expert
expert
expert
expert
expert
KOREAN RANK
BELT COLOR
MAXIMUM SKILL
shipgup
koogup
palgup
chilgup
yookgup
ohgup
sagup
samgup
eegup
ilgup
ildan
eedan
samdan
sadan
ohdan
yookdan
childan
paldan
koodan
shipdan
white
white w/yellow stripe
yellow
yellow w/green stripe
green
green w/blue stripe
blue
blue w/red stripe
red
red w/black stripe
black
black
black
black
black
black
black
black
black
black
unskilled
unskilled
unskilled
unskilled
novice
novice
novice
proficient
proficient
proficient
proficient
proficient
expert
expert
expert
expert
expert
expert
expert
expert
CHINESE SASH COLOR
MAXIMUM SKILL
yellow
green
red
black
unskilled
novice
proficient
expert
Sidai (Cantonese; student junior to
another)
Sihing (Cantonese; student senior
to another)
Sa Bum Nim (Korean; teacher)
Kyo Bon Nim (Korean; assistant
teacher)
Kwan Chang Nim (Korean; grandmaster)
Sun Bae Nim (Korean; student
senior to another)
Hoo Bae Nim (Korean; student
junior to another)
C chi-based skills--------------------------------------------------------------------------There are also skills which are not
part of specific styles of martial arts,
but still utilize chi. They represent
training which is typically taught to
more experienced practitioners or
those of alternate philosophies.
Healing Arts
There are various forms of healing
arts, but all are based on the principles of Chi Kung, a series of exercises based on breathing, which are
used to channel energy for the
purposes of bringing one’s body into
harmony with the elements and
itself. Not all of the chi flairs are
compatible with healing arts, but
those which are promote different
effects. All healing arts tasks require
no less than five minutes worth of
preparation.
Kokyu Chi can be used to raise the
character’s body temperature,
thereby reducing injury due to cold
weather and the elements (see exposure in Advanced Combat). The
director must assign a difficulty
based on the degree of cold (maybe
challenging for freezing temperatures, improbable for -10°F; also
adjusting for wind chill). A success
indicates that one (1) grade of injury
is reduced when received due to the
conditions. Overkill can reduce two
(2) to three (3) grades.
Kokyu Chi can also be used to
raise the character’s inner power.
This functions in the same manner
as above, except that fatigue is
reduced from exposure and prostrated tasks. As an option, this may
also reduce etheria.
Chikara Chi can be used to
remove bruises from one’s or
another character’s body. By
setting specifics
won’t get into that, however. Here
are some common terms used:
Sensei (Japanese; head teacher and
all those above him)
Shihan (Japanese; senior teacher
for a region or style)
Sempai (Japanese; student senior
to another)
Kohai (Japanese; student junior to
another)
Deshi (Japanese; disciple, uchideshi is a live-in student)
Sifu (Cantonese; teacher)
Sigung (Cantonese; a teacher’s
teacher)
99
setting specifics
preparing his chi and working the
affected area, the character can
remove bruising. This can be simulated in game play by also removing
one grade of fatigue or injury,
although that decision is up to the
director. In heroic stories, it may also
be possible to use Chikara Chi to
remove scars.
Similarly, Chikara Chi can be used
to alter the chi flow in another character’s body, so that toxins are
secreted or moved to less susceptible
areas. This reduces a character’s
toxemia level in the same manner as
injury and fatigue above. As an
option, this may also inflict etheria.
Shadow Arts
In addition to fighting and healing
art, some secret societies specialize
in stealth and deception.
Sabaki Chi can be used to exert
effort on a stealth task.
Sabaki Chi can also be used on an
athletics task to allow him to walk
on water, or snow and sand without
leaving tracks.
Ukemi Chi can be used on a
parrying task to change all injury
sustained from a bladed weapon to
fatigue.
Killing Arts
There are various ways to kill a
man, but none more precise than
the killing arts. Rumored to exist,
and in reality only known to a few
masters, this knowledge uses chi to
cause an unbalance an opponent’s
own chi flow, leading to disease or
death. Different forms of chi create
different effects.
Chikara Chi can be used on a
punching task to instantly kill an
extra. This can also be used with a
time delay, causing the character to
suffer the attack’s effects up to two
days later.
Atemi Chi can be expended in a
turn to allow the character to make
a number of continuous attacks
equal to that amount of effort. Only
one task is made for all attacks and
no further actions are possible this
turn. The effort from Atemi Chi may
not be counted with the task.
C martial arts gimmicks----------------------------------------------Action Star
The character has starred in countless action movies and is well known
throughout the world. He can’t enter
a public place without being
surrounded by a horde of fans
seeking his autograph.
Competing School
The character’s school has a longstanding feud with another school.
Competitions are big deals as both
schools wish to defeat the other in
order to win the glory. Some
students of either school may even
go to extremes to win.
100
Disciple
The character is a dedicated
student to his teacher. He sleeps in
the school, watching over and maintaining it (i.e cleaning, repairs, etc.).
Famous School
The character’s school is known
for its extremely competent students
or constructive work in the community. As a result, other martial artists
view the character with respect
when they find out where he trains.
Famous Teacher
The character’s teacher is known
for being extremely adept or
compassionate. As a result, other
martial artists treat the character
graciously when they find out about
his teacher.
Infamous School
The character’s school is known
for its callous or incompetent
students, or break with traditions. As
a result, other martial artists view
the character with animosity when
they find out where he trains.
Infamous Teacher
The character’s teacher is known
for being particularly cruel or incompetent. As a result, other martial
artists view the character with
animosity when they find out about
his teacher.
School Rivals
The character is at odds with a
fellow student from his school. They
often compete in order to prove
which one is more proficient. Rivals
also try to show each other up in
other ways, such as career, wealth,
and love.
C martial arts styles-----------------------------------------------------------There are countless styles of
martial arts, each with its own
unique techniques and methods of
practice. It is these differences which
determine how chi may be used by
a character—the style indicates
which flairs may be used by the character and at which level (the skill
level determines the sum total
allowed of all forms of chi). This is
only a guide, however, so that directors are not left with characters who
are Chi Masters. Ignore it, if you’d
like. Each style is a separate skill.
Characters who wish to learn
other flairs, must train in another
style utilizing it or find a martial arts
grand master—they are accessible,
but require a great deal of practice
and
training.
Good
luck,
Grasshopper!
setting specifics
Inner Circle
The character is part of his
school’s inner circle when it comes
to making decisions and knowing
what is going on in its finances,
plans, and events. The character is
also very close to the other members
of this circle.
School Outcast
The character has been thrown
out of the school and excommunicated by its other students. The character may not join other schools
which are in some way affiliated
with this school or those with which
the teacher is a friend of the character’s own teacher. Other martial
artists view the character with
animosity when they find out about
his excommunication.
Studying martial arts can be a
long process, often taking five or ten
years, or even a lifetime to even
begin to grasp the underlying principles which give way to chi. Directors
are encouraged to make their characters work for their knowledge
when playing dramatic games—make
them ache and feel fatigued when
practicing a new style.
These are just a few examples and
one person’s observations. The
director is free to create his own
styles to fit his needs.
Aikido (Japanese)
Aikido focuses on one’s connection to the universe and is purely
defensive, although taking the offensive is quite simple with enough
training. Aikido uses an opponent’s
101
momentum against him. This results
in being thrown or guided to a
pinning position. Joint locks are also
used to immobilize and control
opponents—an experienced practitioner can control the degree of
force used. Training with Aikido
weapons (wooden sword, staff, and
knife) are also encouraged in order
to promote better movement and
timing.
setting specifics
Karate (Japanese)
There are many forms of Karate.
Some bear more resemblance to a
Chinese style rather than a Japanese
one. Indeed, Karate has many incarnations and the use of chi can vary
with each.
Tai Chi Chuan (Chinese)
Tai Chi Chuan is a fighting style
based on the intricate patterns of
movement and breathing of Tai Chi.
This style shares many similarities
with Aikido, although the movement
and use of chi are different. Tai Chi
Chuan also utilizes powerful strikes
intended to cripple and do serious
harm to an opponent. Weapons
such as the long sword and staff are
often taught in conjunction with Tai
Chi Chuan, although that training is
not technically part of the style.
Wing Chun (Chinese)
Wing Chun is a no-nonsense style
of martial arts. Its intent is to incapacitate an opponent as quickly and
efficiently as possible, utilizing
mostly punches and joint locks.
Kung Fu (Chinese)
Kung Fu is the term given to any
form of Chinese boxing style. Like
Karate, its function and form can
vary greatly.
Tae Kwon Do (Korean)
Tae Kwon Do shares many similarities with Karate, although is utilizes
kicks as a more central element.
Capeoria (Brazilian)
Capeoria was created by Brazilian
slaves and has to be one of the most
fascinating styles to watch.
Movements are based on rhythm,
similar to a dance, but with the
intent to confuse and misdirect an
opponent. Kicks are an important
element of Capeoria.
C what’s next----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Now that you have a framework
for martial arts games, you could use
it to play in a wuxia, street fighter, or
even anime setting. Use the rules to
create you own martial arts skills,
such as chi projection or chi sorcery,
102
or invent entirely new martial arts
styles. There’s also nothing stopping
you from adding new chi flairs or
creating a dark chi ability. If you
come up with something cool, let us
know.
While everything you
need to play has already been
presented to you, this chapter
contains additional material that
can extend its usefulness and make
the director’s job a little easier. This
includes additional changes from the first
edition,time-saving ideas for task resolution, balancing game play and characters,
working with non-player characters (or
extras), updating characters, an option for
using dice, and notes for creating your own
compatible products.
6
director’s
notes
103
C aptitudes & academia-----------------------------------------------------Although the terms aptitude and
academia are no longer used in
these rules, they represent an important distinction between skills. As
the director, you may choose to use
these labels so that players can
better identify with what their characters are trying to do.
Aptitudes can be attempted
unskilled. They represent general
knowledge and training, and therefore, anyone has a chance of
performing a task based on one.
Think of aptitudes as skills which are
developed from trade schools,
apprenticeships, and life experience.
Academia, on the other hand,
consist of a large body of knowledge
and rely on extensive training. These
are the skills listed with an asterisk
(*) beside them; the ones which
cannot be attempted unskilled.
Characters need to invest considerable time and dedication to studying
and practicing these skills in order to
even have a chance with them.
Think of academia as skills which are
developed from college, graduate
school, flight school, and other
extensive courses.
C outcome table--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
director’s notes
2 This is the success table used in the first edition rules.
Directors can use this success
table as reference to determine the
amount of effort required for each
level of skill. It is virtually identical to
the basic method for calculating
success, but does not reflect the use
trivial
routine
challenging
improbable
impossible
of advanced difficulty levels. The
director has the option to bypass
task resolution and permit the character to succeed automatically when
an entry is marked with an asterisk
(*).
UNSKILLED
NOVICE
PROFICIENT
EXPERT
1
2
4
6
8
0
1
3
5
7
0
0
2
4
6
0
0
1
3
5
C raw ability tasks-------------------------------------------------------------------There will most likely come a time
when a character will attempt an
action for which there is no apparent
skill. In this situation, the director
has two choices.
104
1. Choose a skill which is even
remotely close to what the character is attempting.
2. Decide whether the character
succeeds based on the needs of
the story (see Outcome without
Tasks). Or you could toss a coin as
a last resort, but please do not rely
on tossing a coin every time.
C outcome without tasks-------------------------------------------Trivial and routine tasks occur
every day and are annoyingly
common. So, why bother wasting
time in going through the motions
of exerting effort, determing the
outcome, and so on? You don’t. In
fact, unless the character is
attempting a contested task, don’t
bother. The story is more important.
If the task helps to progress the
story, let the character succeed. If it
hinders the story, make him fail. It is
as simple as that. Do not allow the
story to become sidetracked or
encumbered with monotonous and
unnecessary task attempts.
It’s all about the drama. Think of
yourself as the director of a movie or
play. Set the scene with language
that places the players in the action.
Setting the proper mood and maintaining it is more important than the
rules if the players are enjoying
themselves.
C balancing game elements---------------------------------------fears (people). These should be
called into play quite often so that
they become perceived as disruptive
to the character’s life and, in turn, a
negative influence. This is how game
balance is achieved. For while the
character may have better ability, it
does not come without a price.
The exact bonus received from
possessing a negative conviction or
gimmick is up to the director. For an
example of use, see the box below.
director’s notes
Some directors may wish to use
game elements such as convictions
and gimmicks to balance characters.
This is a way for characters to
possess higher than normal ratings
for skills and abilities by suffering
from the detriments of a gimmick or
conviction. For example, a character
may use a conviction such as a temptation for alcohol as a way to
balance an above normal ability or
skill rating.
The director is free to assign
specific convictions and gimmicks as
negative elements, which would
provide bonuses for a character
during his creation. This assignment
is completely relative to the game
setting and other characters in the
group. Put simply, the fugitive
gimmick in a setting where the law
is everywhere would be detrimental
to a character and therefore, negative.
Some negative gimmicks may
include fugitive, mannerisms, vulnerability. Some negative convictions
may include temptation (alcohol),
belief (delusions), triggers (insult),
RULE OF THUMB FOR USING
NEGATIVE CONVICTIONS
AND GIMMICKS
• each negative gimmick or
conviction increases any one
ability by |+1|. this ability may
not be affected by another
gimmick.
OR
• each negative gimmick or
conviction increases any one
skill rating by one level. this skill
may not be affected by another
gimmick.
105
C rules extortion-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
director’s notes
With the variability of players’
actions, it may be hard for directors
to keep the story properly focused.
Directors may be tempted to force
their players into a particular course
of action, but this could give the
impression of a lack of freedom,
hindering the players’ enjoyment of
the game.
One way around this is to extort
players to do what the director
wants so that a character’s actions
appear normal. Since aspects and
health change during play, they are
the perfect element with which to
extort players. Directors can offer
players the choice of gaining fatigue,
injury, or dementia, or the reduction
of an aspect in exchange for a particular course of action. This works
particularly well as a form of
willpower for the character. In other
words, giving the player a choice
between losing a point of discipline
106
or acting on a conviction retains the
illusion of freedom. He may not
make the best decision, but at least
the director has not taken away his
free will.
EXTORTION BY EXAMPLE
Detective Winston (who has a
trigger of disrespect at the compulsion
level) is questioning a suspect. The
director wants the Detective to attack
the suspect, so he has the suspect
insult Winston’s mother. Winston can
either ignore the insult or strike the
suspect. Since his trigger encourages
the detective to act, he must do so to
stay in character.
The director offers a deal with the
player controlling Winston: either
spend a point of discipline to remain
calm or strike the suspect (remaining
calm requires discipline). The director
can also offer this deal: either gain
one grade of fatigue to remain calm
or strike the suspect (remaining disciplined takes a toll on your energy).
C supplemental experience----------------------------------------Additional experience may be
awarded to characters at the end of
each episode and story.
After Each Episode
Players who chose to forego
violence and acted their way out of
dangerous situations receive two (2)
points of experience in any combination of creativity, reasoning, or
influence-based skills for each occurrence.
Players who won an honest duel
receive one (1) point of experience
in any combination of combatoriented skills for each occurrence.
Players who did not stray from
their character’s beliefs or backgrounds, receive three (3) points of
experience in any combination of
skills.
Players who described their character’s actions cinematically or
creatively receive two (2) points of
experience in any combination of
creativity-based skills.
After Each Story
Players who acted heroicly
throughout the story receive two (2)
points of experience in any combination of skills.
Players who accomplished all
goals set before them receive two
(2) points of experience in any
combination of skills.
Players who were successful at
uncovering dastardly plans, secret
plot elements, etc. receive two (2)
points of experience in any combination of awareness-based skills.
C exploits experience--------------------------------------------------------------Players may prepare a list of situations during the character creation
process in which their characters
have had previous experience. These
are called exploits. If a character
should find himself in one of these
situations, he gains the use of extra
experience points. Exploits should fit
logically within a character’s background.
The maximum number of exploits
which may be chosen for each character is limited by the reality level
chosen for the game.
To determine how many experience points are gained for each
exploit, consult the table below,
using the rating of the most appropriate ability .
ABILITY RATING
-1
0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
EXPERIENCE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
MAXIMUM EXPLOITS
dramatic
heroic
epic
2
3
4
EXPLOITS BY EXAMPLE
Lonnie has been playing a lot of
poker lately. His most appropriate
ability for gambling is awareness (or
could also be influence if he bluffs a
lot), which has a rating of +1.
Therefore, he receives 3 experience
points which can be used whenever
he plays poker.
In order to speed up combat resolution, these rules require only two
elements to determine the outcome:
total effort exerted by each
contestant and a damage value for
attacks.
1. All actions occur simultaneously,
unless effort has been exerted in
order to act in haste.
2. Each contestant determines the
form his task will take. This can be
an attack or defense. Effort is
applied and total effort is determined by factoring in the free
effort from the skill level of the
relevant skill. Other modifiers may
also be applied, such as those
from conditions (read changes in
difficulty as inverse changes in
effort: nDiff x -1 = -nEffort) from
the Advanced Exploits section.
The director is free to assign modifiers as needed—one contestant
swinging a staff on higher ground,
for example, may receive one
extra point of effort.
3. The contestant with the most
effort is the victor. If he attacked,
damage is applied to his opponent
(factoring in armor, of course). If
the victor defended, he has
successfully parried or evaded his
opponent’s attack.
If the contest was a tie, an
attacker deals one grade of the relevant type of damage (fatigue or
injury) to his opponent.
director’s notes
C quick and dirty combat------------------------------------------
That’s it. Repeat as needed.
107
C quick and dirty extras-------------------------------------------Extras can be important in a
game. They are used as henchmen,
friends, obstacles, sources of information, and of course, cannon
fodder. The following text explains
how to quickly create extras for use
in any genre. You will need to
become familiar with the Fields of
Expertise optional rules from
Advanced Exploits, but apart from
that, it is relatively simple.
director’s notes
Abilities
Extras only possess one ability
which determines their primary function. Awareness is not an important
ability for extras, as its use is not relevant much of the time, but feel free
to use it should the need arise.
TYPE OF EXTRA
ABILITY
physical
intelligent
artistic
social
spiritual
fitness
reasoning
creativity
influence
awareness
The director must also decide
whether the extra is feeble, typical,
or talented in his ability. This decision along with the game’s reality
level determines the ability rating.
Luck
Extras typically do not use luck,
although the director may add +1
effort to any one task or ignore one
successful attack targeted at the
extra per episode.
Discipline and Health
Extras do not normally use discipline, gain fatigue from expending
REALITY LEVEL
108
dramatic
heroic
epic
effort, or require the director to keep
track of health (although the
director may still choose to do so).
Instead, successful attacks which
inflict fatigue cause extras to fall
unconscious, and attacks which
inflict injury cause extras to become
incapacitated. In addition to one
successful attack being ignored from
luck, an additional attack may be
ignored for every two points in the
fitness ability. Dementia, etheria,
and toxemia are not used with
extras.
Fields of Expertise
All extras should have one area of
knowledge in which they specialize
(a scientist specializes in science, a
police detective specializes in investigation, a thief specializes in
burglarly, for example). The director
must use his discretion as to which
field of experience an extra
possesses.
Gimmicks
Some extras may possess
gimmicks just like regular characters.
Police would possess the authority
gimmick, while a famous actor
would possess prestige, for example.
The director must choose the most
relevant gimmick(s) for the extra, or
ignore them completely—gimmicks
are not necessary for extras, but go
that extra mile to flesh them out.
Gear
The equipment an extra carries
should be limited to that which his
field of expertise requires. The
director is free to give an extra the
property gimmick, however.
FEEBLE
TYPICAL
TALENTED
0
+1
+2
+1
+3
+4
+2
+4
+5
C basic dice option----------------------------------------------------------------------There may be times when a more
random method is desired for determining the outcome of a task. For
this purpose, we have included a set
of optional rules utilizing multiple
six-sided dice. Since the purpose of
this system is to participate in a diceless roleplaying experience, the use
of dice should be reserved for action
sequences or tense moments where
luck could help break up monotony.
Tasks require a number of dice
equal to the total amount of effort
exerted. This effort can be exerted
by abilities, aspects, or bonuses. Skill
ratings add a bonus to the die roll
rather than free effort. Add this
bonus to the sum of the dice rolled.
SKILL BONUS
unskilled
novice
proficient
expert
0
+5
+10
+15
REQUIRED TOTAL
trivial tasks
routine tasks
challenging tasks
improbable tasks
impossible tasks
3
6
16
26
36
When using advanced tasks, all
references to ±xDIFF (a change in
actual effort required for success)
should be multiplied by five (5) in
order to make them compatible with
the dice rules. If you would prefer a
more thorough set of rules for dice,
try Impresa Express (a basic version
of our expandable and customizable
house system, utilizing multiple tensided dice) or genreDiversion i (a
rules-lite system for our line of minigames which uses two six-sided
dice). Both can be found later in this
book for convenience. The foundation (abilities, skills, and gimmicks)
of both is identical to Active Exploits.
director’s notes
If the final total is equal to or
greater than the required total, the
task is successful. If the dice total is
greater than the required total by
ten (10), it is a triumph. If the dice
total is less than the required total by
ten (10), it is a calamity.
USING DICE BY EXAMPLE
Detective Winston is exerting 3 points of effort on an investigation task. He rolls
3 dice (one for each point of effort) and gets a 2, 5, and 6, totalling 13. Now, he
adds his skill bonus of +10 (for proficient) to it, making a grand total of 23.
The director has determined that the difficulty of the task is challenging, or 16.
Since 23 if higher than 16, Winston is succesful at the task.
If a condition was applied to the task, however, requiring +2DIFF, the director
would multiply the 2 by 5, making an increase in the difficulty of this dice roll of 10
(2x5), bringing it up to 26. Since the 23 that he rolled is less than 26, Winston fails
this task.
109
director’s notes
C social contracts------------------------------------------------------------------------
110
Sometimes players wish to have
more of a say in the game by taking
on the roles of additional characters
or even sharing their own. This form
of play is beyond the purview of
Active Exploits, but can be easily
adopted as part of a loose framework. As entertaining as it may
sound to roleplay in this manner, the
activity shifts to more of storytelling
rather than roleplaying, and can
easily turn to chaos without some
kind of formal agreement between
the players. Enter the social contract.
Prior to beginning the game, all
players should participate in the
drafting of a social contract. A social
contract is an implicit verbal or
written agreement made among
individuals that results in the defined
organization of a game’s premise,
setting, and other tenets. That is, a
social contract is a mutual agreement drafted by all of the players to
adhere to certain rules in regard to
given elements of a game.
When drafting a social contract,
the most important thing to
remember is that it exists to organize
a game according to the wishes of
all participating players. As the
contract exists to ensure that all
players enjoy the game, all players
should have an equal say in the
drafting process.
While some concessions will
undoubtedly be made by individuals
during the drafting process, a good
rule of thumb to which to adhere is
that of majority rule. In the interest
of promoting fairness, players may
want to consider actually voting on
individual tenets of a social contract.
Once a social contract has been
drafted, however, it is important to
remember that it is not set in stone.
Social contracts by their very nature
are mutable. There may come a time
when the players decide that they
want to alter the social contract
during the course of a game, and
this is perfectly acceptable.
A list of common game elements
addressed by social contracts is
presented on the next page. This list
is by no means all encompassing,
nor is it intended to be. It is simply
included as an aid to assist players in
drafting their own social contracts,
providing them with some insight
into the myriad of possible factors
that can be encompassed by such
agreements.
CONTRACT BY EXAMPLE
Rachel, Jon, Ben, and Chris are
preparing to play a game based in
ancient Greece. They all agree beforehand that they want the game to
focus on soldiers, do not wish the
Gods to be anything more than idealistic theory, and want to stay as true
to historical Greece as possible (as
opposed to mythic Greece). In addition, the Basic Exploits, Quick and
Dirty Extras, and Quick and Dirty
Combat rules will be utilized in order
to keep the action fast-paced. Finally,
all players may portray up to two
extras in addition to their regular characters on a first come first served
basis, and Chris will be the director.
In this example, the players have
drafted a simple social contract which
restricts their characters to being
soldiers, expressly forbids the appearance of Gods as physical entities (no
supernatural elements), suggests the
exclusion of larger than life heroics
(dramatic rules), defines which rules
will be used, indicates that players can
control more than one character, and
states who the director is. This is, of
course, only one of many possible
variations of the social contract.
Depending upon the preferences of
individual players, many other
elements of a game may need to be
addressed in a social contract.
COMMON GAME ELEMENTS
Sample Social Contract: Dark Alleys
The game hereafter known as
Dark Alleys will combine elements of
both hard-boiled detective fiction
and supernatural horror, though the
primary focus should remain on the
hard-boiled
elements.
Special
elements for Active Exploits include
arcane abilities, aspects, gimmicks,
and skills, as well as the revelation
aspect, convictions, and dementia.
The players will cooperatively tell a
story that centers on the principal
character of Ivy Ford; each player
taking turns adding narrative to the
story with play proceeding around
the table in a clockwise motion,
beginning with Rachel. Turns shall
consist of a player adding a line or
two of narrative to the story,
possibly a bit more if all parties
agree, though dragging out narrative
to hog the spotlight is not allowed.
Finally, although it may be genre
appropriate, no lengthy internal
monologues shall be allowed. Basic
Exploits shall be used to resolve
tasks, except for those during
combat which will be resolved using
the Quick and Dirty Combat rules.
Players are encouraged to set up
conflicts for other players.
Sample Social Contract: Reclaimation
The game hereafter referred to as
Reclaimation takes place at the
dawn of Earth’s Second Aeon,
director’s notes
GENRE
• What genre best describes the game that you want to play and what tropes
are common to that genre?
• Are all of the players familiar with the chosen genre and its tropes? If not,
should these elements be explained in more detail for players that are not
familiar with them?
• On what elements of the chosen genre will the game focus?
• Will any elements of the chosen genre be implicitly ignored? If so, which
elements will be ignored?
SETTING
• On what elements of the chosen setting will the game focus?
• Will any elements of the chosen setting be expressly ignored? If so, which
elements will be ignored?
• Will any elements be added to the chosen setting? If so, which elements will
be added?
TONE
• What tone will be the established standard for the game?
• Will the game be entirely serious or entirely humorous?
• If serious, will the game allow for any humor at all?
• If humorous, will the game allow for moments of serious drama?
CHARACTER POWER
• Will characters be individual people, entire cultures, or physical objects?
• Will characters be represented as average examples of their type or will they
be represented as extremely powerful (which reality level will they use)?
RULES
• Which version of the rules will be used (Basic Exploits, Advanced Expoits,
etc.) and will any optional rules be implemented? If so, which ones?
• Will the game use the rules as written, or will it allow house modifications to
the rules? If modifications are made to the rules, what will they be?
111
following the decline of humanity
and the subsequent war that
scorched the surface of their planet.
Special elements for Active Exploits
include fields of expertise and principles. Additionally, characters will be
designed based on the stories developed for them by their players rather
than the normal character creation
rules. Chad is designated as the
director, while Herman and Harry
will assume the roles of the two
protagonists. These protagonists
find themselves in the Northern
Wastes on a mission to reclaim a religious artifact of Earth’s First Aeon
for their liege, Lord Griffon.
Accompanying these two principle
characters is a non-player character
named Gregor Storch who has been
hired by their liege in the capacity of
a guide. The outcome of all tasks
will be resolved by the players’ narrative rather than any set rules,
although tasks during combat situations will be resolved using the
Advanced Tasks rules.
C updating characters-------------------------------------------------------
director’s notes
Using characters created for the
first edition rules with Take2 is very
simple. The only change required is
that of organizing the older separate
convictions into the newer cate-
112
gories or principles. The following
table lists the first edition conviction
and the appropriate Take 2 category
to which it should be grouped.
FIRST EDITION
CONVICTION
PRINCIPLE
dependency
delusional
duty bound
egotist
greedy
honor bound
impulsive
judicial
loyalty
money hungry
moralistic
paranoid
passionate
phobic
pious
power hungry
raging
sadistic
timid
worship
temptations
beliefs
values
beliefs
temptations
values
triggers
values
values
temptations
values
beliefs
temptations
fears
values
temptations
triggers
temptations
fears
beliefs
faults
faults
codes
faults
faults
codes
faults
codes
codes
objectives
codes
faults
faults
faults
codes
objectives
faults
faults
faults
codes or faults
C genres--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The number of settings and
themes available for your game is
mind-boggling. You can get good
ideas from watching movies or television, or reading books. There are
numerous sources for stories available, so we will not disucss that
element of playing, but a few
common genres are listed below. If
you like the sound of one, do a little
research and try your hand at
penning a story around it.
Anachronism
Create a new world where technology is either more advanced than
it should be or strangely different to
what we are familiar. Try adding
magically-powered appliances to
modern day or electrically-charged
swords to a world of holy knights
and their crusade against evil.
Apocalyptic
It’s the end of the world as we
know and only a handful have
survived. Those who did have
mutated and must scrounge to
survive.
Creatures of the Night
The heroes are the monsters. Will
they embrace their instincts? Will
they survive the hunt?
Espionage
Go under cover and discover plots
to overthrow the world or assasinate
world leaders.
Fantasy
Go back to the Middle Ages or
create a custom fantasy world,
where magic is prevalent and the
sword rules.
Monster Hunters
Call on super-soldiers, vampire
stalkers, and demons born unto man
to hunt down and destroy the
powers of darkness and man’s worst
nightmares incarnate.
Mystery
Call on the heroes to investigate a
murder—Sherlock Holmes to the
rescue.
Occult
Hunt ghosts, investigate the paranormal, battle evil minions, or introduce other tales of horror.
Pulp Action
Heroes are larger than life and
villains seek to dominate all. Try it
using the epic reality rules and see
just what your characters can get
away with. Combine this with
Science Fiction and set course for
wild space opera.
director’s notes
Anime
Put together your own Japanese
animated cartoon. Portray wild
heroes or clever villains. Anything
can happen in a universe based on
anime.
Historical
Fight in the American Civil War;
flee Tibet and the Chinese invasion;
explore the pyramids and unlock the
mummy’s curse; sail the high seas in
search of treasure; enforce the law in
the old west; track down Jack the
Ripper in London; or even act out
Greek tragedies.
Science Fiction
This can include just about
anything futuristic in nature. Take to
the stars in starships the size of small
cities or go to work in the dark
future of cybernetics and psionicswielding punks.
Superheroes
Villains have threatened to destroy
the city. Only one group is powerful
enough to stop them.
Wild Adventure
Hit the wilds of Africa or explore
the Brazilian rain forest.
113
director’s notes
C final words for the director----------------
114
The director is responsible for
creating the plot, setting, and cast of
characters. He is also charged with
propelling the story forward. Hence,
he can also be called a storyteller.
A good plot will keep the players
guessing. It should be well thoughtout and planned. Since no one can
predict every decision made by the
players, many of the roads travelled
will need to be improvised by the
director. As long as a basic storyline
has been prepared, any divergence
can be made into an interesting
addition. Movies, books, and television can all be good sources for
stories and plots, even if they come
from different genres—the human
condition is a constant.
Powerful wizards and quicktempered gangsters can make the
ultimate villains in a story. This
forces all of the characters to pull
together for a common goal. Any
back story will do, but a more interesting villain will make for a more
interesting story. Supporting characters are also an important factor in
any roleplaying game. They are
friends, family, enemies, and
unnamed extras.
Drama is yet another important
factor in storytelling. The director
should impart all the gritty details to
the characters by using the mood of
the setting. If the characters are
tracking down a killer in a dark,
wooded area, describe what they
glimpse out of the corner of their
eyes, the hoots of an owl, or even
how they might be feeling. When
describing what a supporting characters says, do it with feeling. Act it
out and make the players really
experience it.
The director must also know the
rules if he is to be a referee. It is
unlikely that anyone will remember
every single rule, but the director
should make sure that he understands the basic rules foundation
(i.e. Basic Exploits), combat, and
perhaps a few options.
Players will undoubtedly raise
questions during the course of play
and it is the director’s job to answer
them. No one wants to sit around
waiting for him to find the answer.
The longer it takes, the more
distracted the players will be. If it
takes more than a few minutes to
find the answer, make an educated
guess. While Active Exploits is structured, it lends very well to a more
freeform style of play, so the rules
are not all-important. After all, the
director is the referee and can make
any call he sees fit (as long as it is
fair). In the end, the game is about
having fun, so all players should be
given chances to interact with the
world and become heroes, even if
the rules say otherwise.
The director must also watch over
his players without sacrificing the
enjoyment of the game. He is the
characters’ guardian angel and inner
voice. There will always be times
when players act foolishly or inappropriately. This is a sign for good
directors to either question their
actions or subtly and fairly punish
them.
Players should always be free to
have their characters act in any
manner they see fit, but just like the
real world, actions always have
consequences. When a person
commits acts that go against their
nature, they are viewed in a whole
new light. Relationships may be
strained and their reputation may
either be blemished or elevated.
Impresa Express is
closely related to Active
Exploits, sharing the same underlying framework. It uses multiple
ten-sided dice to determine the
outcome of tasks rather than Active
Exploits’ allocation of effort. Impresa
Express shares the same relationship to the
full version of Impresa as Chapter 1 of this
book does to Active Exploits.
Because much of Impresa Express is similar to
Active Exploits, only required changes are
noted. Active Exploits is used as the foundation, with the following information amending
the previously established rules.
7
1
express rules
115
C abilities and aspects-----------------------------------------------------Abilities in Impresa Express are
identical to those in Active Exploits.
The ratings system, however, is
somewhat
different.
Because
Impresa does not rely on effort, abilities are rated on a scale from zero
(0) to six (6) (the full version of the
Impresa rules accomodates ability
ratings up to twenty). These ratings
determine how many dice are rolled
when attempting tasks dependent
on the relevant ability. Additionally,
IMPRESA RATING
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
flairs may also be used in the same
manner, changing the amount of
dice rolled instead of the amount of
effort exerted.
Special abilities, such as ESP and
conduction may be added in the
same manner.
Although creating new aspects for
Impresa Express is simple enough to
do, the only one used by default is
luck.
DESCRIPTION
disabled
child-like or poor
low average
average
talented
gifted
unimaginable ability
AE EQUIVALENT
-1
0
0
+1
+1
+2
+3
impresa express
C skills-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Skills are also identical to those in
Active Exploits, although the ratings
are different. Skills are measured on
a scale from two (2) to eight (8);
zero (0) is the default rating for
academia, while one (1) is the
IMPRESA RATING
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
default for aptitudes. In other words,
academia have no chance of success
when attempting them unskilled,
but aptitudes have a minimal chance
to succeed. (Skills with an asterisk
beside them are academia.)
DESCRIPTION
AE EQUIVALENT
undertrained
novice
capable
proficient
seasoned
professional
expert
unskilled
novice
novice
proficient
proficient
expert
expert
C gimmicks---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------116
Gimmicks are used to modify
tasks with changes in ability, skill, or
difficulty. Their use is little different
from that of Active Exploits,
although some adjustments may be
required. These are covered on the
next page.
C health---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------No changes are required to the
health system. It functions in the
same manner as that of Active
Exploits, except that penalties due to
health reduce the number of dice
rolled for a task just like the amount
of effort is exerted in the Basic
Exploits rules.
C quick character creation---------------------------------Characters for use with Impresa
Express can be designed in four easy
steps. Please note that Impresa
Express is not designed for heroic
and epic-level games (although the
full version of Impresa is).
Step 1. Choose a name, profession, and background. Complete the
remaining steps, using this one as a
guide.
Step 2. Up to three gimmicks may
be chosen for each character.
Positive gimmicks (director’s discretion; see Balancing Game Elements,
REALITY LEVEL
dramatic
loose dramatic
light heroic
page 105) reduce the amount of
points available in step 3 by one or
step 4 by three. Negative gimmicks
add points instead of reducing them.
Step 3. Allocate points to abilities.
The exact number of points depends
the nature of the game and is determined by the director. No ability
may be less than one or greater than
six.
Step 4. Allocate points to skills. No
skill may be less than two (unless
unskilled) or greater than eight.
ABILITY POINTS
SKILL POINTS
14
18
22
25
32
40
All tasks are resolved with tensided dice. The proper notation for
dice rolls is xD, where x corresponds
to the number of dice used. For
example, 2D indicates that two dice
are rolled.
The number of dice rolled is equal
to the rating of the appropriate
ability. Luck points may also be
expended in order to increase the
number of dice rolled by one (1) for
each point. The result of each rolled
die which is less than or equal to the
skill rating is called a step. This represents how close (how many steps)
the character has come to
succeeding at his task. Unskilled
attempts must roll a one in order to
achieve a step. The number of steps
required for success is dependent
upon the difficulty of the task.
impresa express
C task resolution----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adjusting Tasks
When adjusting tasks between
Active Exploits and Impresa Express,
please bear the following in mind:
1. Changes in effort are identical to
changes in ability. Therefore, you
can substitute ±xD where ±x Effort
is found. For example, if a task in
Active Exploits calls for +1 effort,
the same task in Impresa Express
would be modified by +1D.
117
2. Changes in difficulty for Basic
Exploits may be converted to
changes in difficulty for Impresa
Express on a 2:1 ratio. Put simply,
every two changes in grade of
difficulty in Active Exploits is equal
to ±1DIFF in Impresa Express. For
example, if a task in Active
Exploits calls for a decrease of two
grades of difficulty, the same task
in Impresa Express would be modified by -1DIFF.
3. Changes in difficulty for Advanced
Exploits are identical to changes in
difficulty for Impresa Express. For
example, if a task in Active
Exploits calls for +2DIFF, the same
task in Impresa Express would be
modified by +2DIFF.
Automatic Tasks
If a character with a skill rating of
four (4) or more is attempting a
trivial or routine task which is not
resisted or contested, it is an automatic success as long as the number
of dice rolled from the appropriate
trait only is greater than or equal to
the difficulty.
impresa express
Contested Tasks
The dice roll with the highest
number of steps wins the contest.
Resisted Tasks
The number of steps achieved by
the original task becomes the difficulty, although in cases where difficulty can vary (ranged combat, for
example), the difficulty is increased
by the number of steps achieved
instead.
DIFFICULTY SCALE
118
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
trivial
routine
complex
challenging
formidable
improbable
impossible
Sustained Tasks
If a character spends more time on
the task than the minimum, add 1D
to the roll for each incremental
amount of time beyond the
minimum spent concentrating. If the
minimum amount of time is not
met, reduce the number of dice
rolled (director’s discretion).
United Tasks
Only the leader of a sustained
task makes a roll, but he may add
1D to it for each additional character
assisting who is able to use all his
dice relative to the skill (all dice for
one specific ability are available) and
has a skill level of two (2) or greater
for simpler tasks (such as lifting), or
four (4) or greater for complex tasks
(such as surgery).
Prostrated Tasks
A character may exert an extra 1D
for any fitness-based task roll by
choosing to gain one (1) grade of
fatigue.
Composure Tasks
There are times when a character
must restrain himself or overcome
his convictions. To do so, he must
make a successful composure roll.
The difficulty is determined by the
character’s level of conviction (or
may be assigned by the director for
similar tasks not involving convictions; fright, for example) and the
ability used is based on the nature of
the restraint.
LIFTING CAPACITY
45kg / 100lbs
60kg / 125lbs
80kg / 175lbs
115kg / 250lbs
160kg / 350lbs
230kg / 500lbs
320kg / 700lbs
CONVICTION
inclination
habit
commitment
compulsion
DIFFICULTY
1
2
4
6
Fitness is used when the character
is attempting to control responses
from physical stimuli such as crying
out or flinching from pain.
Awareness is used when the character must recognize and prevent his
habits such as nervous tics and
unconscious speech patterns like
stutters, as well as controlling his
temper.
Reasoning is used when the character must prevent either compulsive
patterns of behavior such as addictions, or immoral acts such as sadism
or infidelity.
Experience
The use of experience in tasks is
slight different for Impresa Express.
Otherwise, it is handled the same
way as in Active Exploits.
The number of points which can
be expended per task is limited by
the skill from which the experience
originates.
Combat is handled similarly to the
methods presented in Active
Exploits. Because dice are used and
can potentially allow for more detail,
some elements are more expanded.
RATING
0
2-3
4-6
7-8
EXPENDITURE
0
1
2
3
C combat tasks--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------based task per point of awareness
allocated to reaction.
The first action occurs in the order
determined by the roll. If a character
is attempting a second action, it
occurs after everyone else has
completed their first action; if others
are also attempting a second action,
the initial reaction roll, once again,
determines the order in which they
act. This continues in the same
manner until all actions have been
completed. A character may allocate
impresa express
Reaction
To determine the order in which
characters act, each player rolls 1D.
This is called a reaction roll. They
may act in the order of lowest result
to highest. If there are ties, compare
fitness ratings—higher acts first.
Players may also add 1D to the roll
for each point of either fitness or
awareness sacrificed for the turn in
order to increase reaction speed
(these points may not be used for
the remainder of the turn). The
lowest die is used as the result for
the reaction roll.
A character may perform one
action of any kind per turn, plus as
many additional actions as the
number of extra dice added to his
reaction roll. Additional actions are
dependent upon the abilities used to
increase his reaction roll—one extra
fitness-based task per point of fitness
allocated to reaction and one extra
awareness, reasoning, or influence-
REACTION BY EXAMPLE
Joe allocates one point from his
awareness rating of 4 in order to
increase his reaction speed, so he rolls
2D. He may now only roll 3D (4
minus 1) for awareness-based tasks
until next turn.
Because he has added 1D from
awareness to the reaction roll, he may
perform one extra awareness,
reasoning, or influence-based task this
turn.
119
dice from the appropriate abilities to
each action, but once used, they are
not available for the remainder of
the turn. It is up to the director to
determine if multiple actions chosen
by a character are feasible given the
situation. For example, a character
may run across the room and fire his
gun, or stay alert while defusing a
bomb, but he cannot run across the
room and defuse the bomb at the
same time.
impresa express
Movement
The move action distances are
somewhat different since the difficulty scale is more detailed.
Otherwise, movement is handled
the same way as in Active Exploits.
Attacking
The
attack
skills
remain
unchanged from the Active Exploits
rules, but weapon accuracy is somewhat different.
Recoil modifiers can either be
used as described in Active Exploits,
or as specific values defined by each
firearm and applied directly to the
attacker’s skill rating.
Maximum Accuracy indicates the
maximum number of bonuses which
are applied from bracing the
weapon. Bracing indicates that the
weapon has been made more stable
for the purposes of accuracy. There
are three types of bracing—using two
hands, using a shoulder, and using a
mount to stabilize the weapon. Each
DIFF
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
120
RANGE
p point blank
s short
m medium
l long
e extreme
type of bracing adds one to the skill
level for the roll, but two hands must
be used in order to receive additional bonuses. Maximum Acccuracy
is different for each firearm.
+1 the weapon can only be braced
by using two hands.
+2 the weapon can be braced by
using two hands (+1) or two
hands AND a shoulder (+2).
+3 the weapon can be braced by
using two hands (+1); two hands
AND a shoulder (+2); or two
hands, a shoulder, AND a mount
(+3).
Defending
Like attacking, the skills used
remain unchanged from the Active
Exploits rules. The number of steps
from the defense roll, however,
becomes the difficulty for all attacks
except firearm, thrown, and
bow/crossbow; the difficulty is
merely increased for these by the
number of steps achieved.
WALK
RUN
CRAWL
CLIMB
SWIM
THROW
2m
3m
4m
5m
6m
7m
9m
15m
20m
25m
30m
35m
40m
50m
1m
2m
3m
4m
5m
6m
8m
2m
4m
6m
8m
10m
12m
16m
3m
6m
12m
20m
35m
50m
75m
WEAPON TYPE
-1
-1
-2
-3
-
RECOIL
+1
+1
+1
+2
+2
+3
+1
+2
+1
+1
-
MAX ACCURACY
1i
2i
3i
4i
5i
6i
5i
7i
2f
1i
3f
3i
1i
DAMAGE
5m
5m
5m
5m
5m
5m
10m
10m
10m
PB
10m
10m
10m
10m
10m
20m
20m
20m
25m
SHORT
40m
40m
40m
40m
50m
50m
30m
30m
75m
MED
75m
75m
75m
100m
100m
150m
50m
75m
100m
LONG
6
9
6
20
20-50
50-100
50
100
1
AMMO
impresa express
snub nosed pistol
9mm and .45
magnum
carbine
assault rifle
heavy machine gun
hi-tech laser pistol
hi-tech laser rifle
club
knife
staff
sword
arrow
121
impresa express
C determining damage------------------------------------------------------------
122
In order to determine damage, roll
a number of dice equal to the
weapon’s damage rating. Unarmed
attacks inflict fatigue and use one
die, plus an extra 1D if the attacker’s
fitness is three or greater. Melee
attacks use an amount of dice equal
to the damage rating and +1D if the
attacker’s fitness is three or greater.
The attacking character may also
expend luck to increase damage. For
each point expended, he may roll an
additional die for damage.
Each die which is equal to or less
than the armor rating (add one to
armor rating if the target’s fitness
rating is four or greater) prevents
one grade of fatigue or injury from
penetrating. Each die which does
penetrate inflicts one grade of the
relevant damage to the target character.
If the character is not wearing
armor and his fitness rating is less
than four, no roll is required. Instead,
he receives one grade of injury or
fatigue (depending on the source of
damage) per die.
A character may expend luck in
order to ignore one grade of fatigue
or injury per point. If a character
receives two or more grades of
injury, or three or more grades of
fatigue, he is knocked down and
must spend the next turn returning
to his feet or may act on the ground
with a -1D on all fitness-based tasks
as well as reaction
amount of damage
against a character is
his fitness rating, he is
down.
rolls. If the
dice rolled
greater than
also knocked
Smoke and Fire
A damage roll is required to determine the number of grades of
fatigue (one or two dice) or injury
sustained (one to five dice), using
the character’s fitness rating as the
armor rating.
Falls
This is treated in the same manner
as a damage roll from an attack. The
damage rating is equal to one (1)
per six-foot drop. This can also apply
to being thrown by another character as part of an attack, such as by
martial artists (add one to damage
for every three steps achieved in the
attack).
Asphyxiation
A character must succeed at a
fitness-based composure roll in order
to avoid gaining one (1) grade of
fatigue when caught off guard.
Another roll is then made after a
number of turns equal to the character’s fitness rating, and so on until
he is no longer being asphyxiated or
he dies. Once the character is unconscious, he receives injury instead of
fatigue.
TYPE OF ARMOR
ARMOR RATING
heavy skins/clothing
leather armor
medieval armor
older bullet-proof vest
modern armored vest
synthetics
hi-tech armor
hi-tech force field
2
3
2
4
5
5
7
8
PROTECTION
fatigue
fatigue
fatigue
fatigue
fatigue
fatigue
fatigue
injury
& injury
& injury
& injury
& injury
& injury
genreDiversion i is
closely related to Active
Exploits, sharing the same underlying framework. It uses two sixsided dice to determine the outcome
of tasks rather than Active Exploits’ allocation of effort. genreDiversion i is considered a rules-lite system, offering quick and
tidy rules, yet maintaining the flexibility
needed to tackle various genres.
Because much of genreDiversion i is similar to
Active Exploits, only required changes are
noted. Active Exploits is used as the foundation, with the following information amending
the previously established rules.
8
q
123
C character abilities and aspects-----Abilities in genreDiversion i are
identical to those in Active Exploits.
The ratings system, however, is
somewhat
different.
Because
genreDiversion i does not rely on
effort for determining the outcome
of tasks, abilities are rated on a scale
from zero (0) to five (5). While flairs
are not used in genreDiversion i,
GDi RATING
0
1
2
3
4
5
those in Active Exploits can easily be
converted to gimmicks, altering difficulty instead of effort.
Special abilities are not normally
used with genreDiversion i, but this
should not stop you from doing so.
Likewise, aspects are not used with
genreDiversion i, but can be easily
added.
DESCRIPTION
AE EQUIVALENT
disability
low average
average
high average
noteworthy
gifted
-1
0
0
+1
+1
+2
C vehicle abilities and aspects---------------------
genrediversion i
The vehicle Abilities of speed and
handling in genreDiversion i are
identical to those in Active Exploits,
although the ratings are slightly
different. genreDiversion i uses
vehicle abilities to modify a character’s task roll. They represent a
penalty or bonus to the operator’s
own ability, although his ability
rating may not be reduced below
zero (0) or increased beyond twice
its value when applied.
124
GDi RATING
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
The vehicle aspects of frame and
shields are utilized as regular
genreDiversion i abilities, ranging
from zero to five.
ABILTIES BY EXAMPLE
A character with a fitness of 3 is
attempting to outrun his competition
in a race. Because his heavily modified
spacecraft’s speed rating is +4, his
total ability would be 7. However, his
fitness rating doubled is only 6, so the
total ability for speed-based tasks
would be 6.
DESCRIPTION
abysmal performance
dreadful performance
poor performance
poor performance
below average performance
average performance
above average performance
good performance
good performance
exceptional performance
wonder of engineering
AE EQUIVALENT
-1
-1
-1
-1
-1
0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
GDi RATING
0
1
2
3
4
5
FRAME
SHIELDS
feeble/exposed
average
above average
reinforced
armored
next-generation
none
weak
average
strong
multi-layered
next-generation
AE EQUIVALENT
0
2
3
4
5
6
C skills-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Skills are also identical to those in
Active Exploits, although the ratings
IMPRESA RATING
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
are different. Skills are measured on
a scale from one (1) to eight (8).
DESCRIPTION
AE EQUIVALENT
passing knowledge
undertrained
novice
solid training
proficient
seasoned
professional
expert
unskilled
unskilled
novice
novice
proficient
proficient
expert
expert
C gimmicks---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Gimmicks are used to modify
tasks with changes in ability, skill, or
difficulty. Their use is little different
from that of Active Exploits,
although some adjustments may be
required. These are covered on the
next page.
C health and integrity--------------------------------------------------------except that penalties due to
health/integrity increase the difficulty of a task just like in the
Advanced Exploits rules.
C vehicle weapons---------------------------------------------------------------------------All vehicle weapon systems are
either fixed to fire in one direction or
mounted on rotating turrets, capable
of targeting any object within
multiple bearings. Half of all the
turreted systems may target any
logical firing arc at any given time—
front, left, right, side, up, down.
Please use your best judgement.
FIRING ARCS BY EXAMPLE
A space cruiser with four turrets
could lock two of them onto a target
in front of it. The other two can be
locked onto any other firing arc. A
naval battleship, on the other hand,
cannot target every arc, since its
turrets cannot be aimed straight down
or completely vertical.
genrediversion i
No changes are required to the
character health and vehicle integrity
systems. They function in the same
manner as that of Active Exploits,
125
C quick character creation---------------------------------Characters
for
use
with
genreDiversion i can be designed in
four easy steps.
Step 1. Choose a name, profession, and background. Complete the
remaining steps, using this one as a
guide.
Step 2. Up to three gimmicks may
be chosen for each character.
Positive gimmicks (director’s discretion; see Balancing Game Elements,
page 105) reduce the amount of
points available in step 3 by one or
step 4 by three. Negative gimmicks
add points instead of reducing them.
Step 3. Allocate ten (10) to
sixteen (16) points to abilities. The
exact number of points depends on
the nature of the game and is determined by the director. No ability
may be less than one or greater than
five.
Or, for a random option, a single
die may be rolled for each ability,
rerolling sixes.
Step 4. Allocate twenty (20) to
thirty (30) points to skills. Again, the
number is up to the director. No skill
may be less than one (unless
unskilled) or greater than eight.
genrediversion i
C task resolution----------------------------------------------------------------------------
126
All tasks are resolved with two sixsided dice. The first step is to determine the character’s skill total. This
is equal to the sum of the relevant
ability and skill ratings. Next, roll two
dice and calculate their sum—this is
called the dice total. Snake eyes
(double ones) is an automatic
success and box cars (double sixes)
is an automatic failure. The difference between the skill total and dice
total (skill total - dice total) is called
the margin. A basic task is successful
when the margin is zero or greater.
Different margins are required for
the various difficulty values. These
values differ from those used in
Active Exploits.
Adjusting Tasks
When adjusting tasks between
Active Exploits and genreDiversion i,
please bear the following in mind:
1. Changes in effort should be
converted to changes in difficulty.
Therefore, you can substitute
–(±DIFF) where ±x Effort is found.
For example, if a task in Active
Exploits calls for +1 effort, the
same task in genreDiversion i
would be modified by -1DIFF. A
simpler option (although not
consistent with the genreDiversion
i rules) is to convert changes in
effort directly to changes in skill
total. For example, -1 effort would
subtract 1 from the task’s skill
total.
DIFFICULTY/MARGIN
DESCRIPTION
-2 to -1
0 to 1
2 to 3
4 to 5
6 to 7
trivial
routine
complex
challenging
impossible
RANGE
p point blank (-2)
s short (0)
m medium (4)
l long (6)
2. Changes in difficulty for Basic
Exploits may be used directly in
genreDiversion i. For example, a
change of one grade of difficulty
in Active Exploits (increasing
routine to challenging) would be
the same as one grade of difficulty
in genreDiversion i (going by the
names of difficulty ratings, this
would increase routine to
complex).
3. Changes in difficulty for Advanced
Exploits are identical to changes in
difficulty for genreDiversion i. For
example, if a task in Active
Exploits calls for +2DIFF, the same
task in genreDiversion i would be
modified by +2DIFF.
Calamities and Triumphs
If a task not of trivial or routine
difficulty results in margin less than
the assigned difficulty rating minus
ten (margin < difficulty–10), it
results in a calamity. If a task results
in a margin equal to or greater than
the difficulty rating plus six (margin
=> difficulty+6), it results in a
triumph.
Contested Tasks
The character with the highest
margin wins the struggle. If neither
roll is successful or in the case of ties,
both parties fail.
Sustained Tasks
This type of task is not normally
used with the genreDiversion i rules,
although it may be adapted from the
Active Exploits rules, reducing the
difficulty of a task rather than
adding effort to it.
United Tasks
As with sustained tasks, this form
of task is not normally used with the
genreDiversion i rules, but may be
Prostrated Tasks
A character may choose to overexert himself in order to receive
-2DIFF on any fitness-based task roll.
In exchange for this bonus, the character receives one (1) grade of
fatigue. Vehicles may also be prostrated to receive -2DIFF on any speed
or handling-based task roll in
exchange for one (1) grade of
mechanical stress.
Composure Tasks
There are times when a character
must restrain or overcome his
convictions. To do so, he must make
a successful composure roll. The
difficulty is determined by the character’s level of conviction (or may be
assigned by the director for similar
tasks not involving convictions;
fright, for example) and the ability
used is based on the nature of the
restraint.
Fitness is used when the character
is attempting to control responses
from physical stimuli such as crying
out or flinching from pain.
Awareness is used when the character must recognize and prevent his
habits such as nervous tics and
unconscious speech patterns like
stutters, as well as controlling his
temper.
Reasoning is used when the character must prevent either compulsive
patterns of behavior such as addictions, or immoral acts such as sadism
or infidelity.
CONVICTION
inclination
habit
commitment
compulsion
genrediversion i
Resisted Tasks
The difficulty should be increased
by an amount roughly proportional
to the original success.
adapted by reducing difficulty
instead of adding effort to tasks.
DIFFICULTY
-2
0
4
6
127
Automatic Tasks
Automatic tasks allow a character
to forego the process of rolling dice.
Instead, the director can look at the
character’s ability or skill rating and
choose to make the task an automatic success if all of the following
conditions are met:
• The character’s raw ability is equal
to or greater than the assigned
difficulty or the character’s skill
rating is equal to or greater than
two plus the assigned difficulty.
• The task is not contested.
• The player provides a descriptive
explanation of his actions.
• The task does not disturb the
director’s vision of the story.
Automatic tasks can also be used
for situations not covered by skills or
as a replacement for composure
rolls—if the character’s raw ability is
equal to or greater than the assigned
difficulty and the task is not
contested or disruptive to the story,
it is successful.
Experience
Experience may not be used to
alter tasks when using the
genreDiversion i rules.
C personal combat tasks-------------------------------------------Reaction
To determine the order in which
characters act, each player rolls one
die and adds his fitness and awareness ratings to it. The characters may
then act in the order of highest
result to lowest. If there are ties,
compare fitness ratings. Various
conditions may affect the reaction
roll, by modifying the result. A character may perform only one action
per turn (unless defending).
genrediversion i
REACTION MODIFIERS
128
wearing ‘heavy armor’
-1
knocked down
-2
surprised
-2
carrying heavy/bulky items -1/-2
stressed/sprained
-1
strained/wounded
-2
exhausted/maimed
-3
Attacking
The
attack
skills
remain
unchanged from the Active Exploits
rules. Some weapons have accuracy
modifiers which are applied to the
difficulty. Weapon ranges can be
handled as they are in Active
Exploits (as abstracts) or calculated
using a single long-range value.
Defending
Like attacking, the skills used
remain unchanged from the Active
Exploits rules. This is treated as a
contested task and if a character
chooses to defend but an attack
never comes, he may attempt
another action at the end of the
turn.
Aiming
Characters may aim a ranged
weapon attack, providing -1DIFF for
each turn spent aiming (up to three
turns)—being struck by an attack
interrupts a character’s aim and he
loses the use of the aiming bonus.
CALCULATING RANGES
point blank
short
medium
long
=
=
=
=
within 10m
value / 4
value / 2
value
C determining character damage------------In order to determine damage, roll
a number of dice equal to the
weapon’s damage rating. Unarmed
attacks inflict fatigue and use one
die, plus an extra die if the attacker’s
fitness rating is four or greater.
Melee attacks use an amount of dice
equal to the damage rating and an
extra die if the attacker’s fitness
rating is four or greater. Prostrated
attacks add one extra die of
damage. Triumphs can add one,
two, or even double the amount of
dice at the director’s discretion.
WEAPON
ACCURACY
DAMAGE
RANGE
+1DIFF
-1DIFF1
-1DIFF
-1DIFF
-2DIFF
+3DIFF2
1INJ
2INJ
3INJ
2INJ
4INJ
5INJ3
2INJ4
4INJ4
4FAT
1FAT
2FAT
3INJ
1-2INJ
50m
75m
100m
75m
300m
300m
120m
120m
25m
200m
musket/flintlock
revolver
magnum
semi-auto pistol
rifle
assault rifle
blaster pistol
blaster rifle
stun pistol
club/baseball bat
lead pipe/crowbar
sword
arrow
point blank and short burst fire only
indirect fire only
point blank and short +1INJ
point blank and short +2INJ
TYPE OF ARMOR
ARMOR RATING
heavy skins/clothing
leather armor
medieval armor
kevlar vest
flight suit
armored flight suit
hi-tech armor
hi-tech force field
1
1
2
3
3
4
5
5
PROTECTION
fatigue
fatigue
fatigue
fatigue
fatigue
fatigue
fatigue
injury
genrediversion i
1
2
3
4
Each die which is equal to or less
than the armor rating (add one to
armor rating if the target’s fitness
rating is four or greater) prevents
one grade of fatigue or injury from
penetrating. Each die which does
penetrate inflicts one grade of the
relevant damage to the target character.
If the character is not wearing
armor and his fitness rating is less
than four, no roll is required. Instead,
he receives one grade of injury or
fatigue (depending on the source of
damage) per die.
& injury
& injury
& injury
& injury
129
MULTI-STRIKES BY EXAMPLE
Josh is wearing a kevlar vest and
three people have taken shots at his
stomach. Since each attack is
successful, the armor is worn down in
that location. The armor rating is 3
against the first attack, 2 against the
second, and 1 against the third. If
there was a fourth attack, the armor
would remain at 1.
genrediversion i
If a character receives a number of
grades of injury or fatigue greater
than his fitness rating, he is knocked
down and must spend the next turn
returning to his feet or may act on
the ground with +2DIFF on all fitnessbased tasks. If the amount of
damage dice rolled against a character is greater than his fitness
rating, he is also knocked down.
When multiple called strikes are
directed at the same location of a
target and a damage roll applies, the
armor rating used for each attack
past the first is reduced by one (but
never less than one).
Optional: If the total amount of
injury sustained by a character from
a single attack is less than his armor
rating, it is converted to fatigue
damage. This simulates the physical
impact of the attack even when
armor does its job.
130
Smoke and Fire
A damage roll is required to determine the number of grades of
fatigue (one or two dice) or injury
sustained (one to five dice), using
the character’s fitness rating as the
armor rating.
Falls
This is treated in the same manner
as a damage roll from an attack. The
damage rating is equal to one (1)
per six-foot drop.
Asphyxiation
A character must succeed at a
fitness-based composure roll in order
to avoid gaining one (1) grade of
fatigue when caught off guard.
Another roll is then made after a
number of turns equal to the character’s fitness rating, and so on until
he is no longer being asphyxiated or
he dies. Once the character is unconscious, he receives injury instead of
fatigue.
Radiation
Characters exposed to radiation
gain fatigue or injury once per hour.
The type of damage depends on the
the proximity of the source—a
nearby source inflicts injury, while a
distant one inflicts fatigue. The
damage rating should be adjusted
based on the strength and distance
of the source, ranging from one (1)
grade for slight exposure or extreme
distance to five (5) grades for direct
contact or active sources. A damage
roll is made in the same manner as
damage from an attack, except that
the character’s fitness rating is used
as the armor value.
C vehicle combat tasks-----------------------------------------------------Reaction
This works the same as it does
with genreDiversion i combat,
except that the vehicle’s speed rating
is added to the reaction roll.
REACTION MODIFIERS
confined regions
-2
obscured regions
-3
surprised
-2
hauling heavy cargo
-1/-2
distressed/impaired
-1
overworked/breached
-2
overheated/compromised
-3
disable (for weapons fire only) -4
Attacking
As with all vehicle tasks in
genreDiversion i, the speed or
handling ability is added to the character’s own ability (but it will not
reduce it to less than zero or increase
it to more than double the original
rating). A target vehicle’s speed
rating also modifies the difficulty of
the task.
Evading
This is the same as defending, but
is most commonly used to avoid
collisions or weapons fire. This is
treated as a contested task and if a
character chooses to evade but an
attack never comes, he may attempt
another action at the end of the
turn.
Aiming
Characters may aim a turreted
weapon, providing -1DIFF for each
turn spent aiming (up to three
turns)—being struck by an attack
interrupts a vehicle’s aim and it loses
the use of the aiming bonus.
TARGET’S SPEED MODIFIER
-5
-4
-3
-2
+2
+3
+4
+5
-3DIFF
-2DIFF
-2DIFF
-1DIFF
+1DIFF
+2DIFF
+3DIFF
+4DIFF
C determining vehicle damage--------------------------attacks add one extra die of
damage. Triumphs can add one,
two, or even double the amount of
dice at the director’s discretion.
Energy weapons may also be overloaded to add one extra die at the
expense of gaining one (1) grade of
mechanical stress, but only one
weapon may be overloaded per
turn.
Each die which is equal to or less
than the target’s frame rating
prevents one grade of mechanical
stress or structural damage from
penetrating. Each die which does
penetrate inflicts one grade of the
relevant damage to the target
vehicle.
genrediversion i
Before damage from energy
weapons (laser, particle, and ion
cannons) can be applied to a vehicle,
it is reduced by the vehicle’s shields—
decrease the damage value by the
current shields rating. The shields
rating is also reduced by one if the
damage value is greater than its
current rating. Otherwise, the
shields rating will increase by one
each turn until it is restored to its
original value. The damage from all
called strikes to the same location by
energy weapons is added together
when subtracting the shields rating.
A damage roll is then made using
the remaining damage value as the
number of dice rolled. Prostrated
131
SHIELDS BY EXAMPLE
A space fighter with a shields rating
of 2 has been hit by a laser cannon
with a damage rating of 2STR. Luckily,
the shields reduce the damage to 0,
and since the damage value is not
greater than the shields rating, the
shields remain intact. On the other
hand, if the damage rating was a 3, 1
point of damage would have penetrated the shields and the shields
rating would have been reduced by 1.
Shields may also be extended to
protect other smaller vehicles which
are in extremely close proximity at
the expense of gaining one (1) grade
of mechanical stress. Extending the
shields around another vehicle of the
same size (doubling shields) would
cause two (2) grades of mechanical
stress.
If the total amount of dice rolled
against a vehicle for damage in one
attack is greater than its frame
rating, it is knocked off course and
either must spend the next turn
correcting its heading or continuing
on the new course.
If a personal weapon attack is
made against a vehicle, the vehicle’s
frame is a five (5) for purposes of
the damage roll. If a personal
genrediversion i
WEAPON
132
antique cannon
machine gun
cannon
rocket
torpedo/missile
laser cannon
laser cannon (linked pair)
laser cannon (linked trio)
laser battery
particle cannon
ion cannon
hunter-killer missile
rocket battery
weapon attack is made against
passengers as a called strike, two
sets of damage rolls are made. The
first determines how much damage
makes it inside the vehicle (using the
vehicle’s frame as the armor rating).
The second is a standard damage
roll against the target character, but
the number of dice rolled is equal to
the resulting damage from the first
roll.
PASSENGERS BY EXAMPLE
Chin Ho is firing his gun at a fleeing
car. It has a damage rating of 3INJ.
Let’s assume he hit the car, which has
a frame rating of 5. We would roll 3
dice (one for each point of damage),
but a roll of 6 is required for each to
actually do damage to the car.
Let’s further assume that one point
of damage penetrated the car’s frame
and the shot was originally a called
strike to the driver. We now have to
make a damage roll against the driver
for the 1INJ if the driver is wearing
armor. Fortunately for Chin Ho, he is
not, so the driver sustains one grade
of injury.
ACCURACY
DAMAGE
+2DIFF
-1DIFF (PB & S)
+2DIFF
-1DIFF
-2DIFF
-3DIFF
+2DIFF
+3DIFF (L)
-2DIFF (PB & S)
- (M)
+4DIFF (L)
2STR
1STR
3STR
5STR
6STR
2STR
3STR
4STR
6STR
5STR
4MEC
8STR
5STR
3STR
1STR
C making the game more heroic------------------Normal characters probably won’t
last long in a combat-intensive
game—players should either learn to
avoid combat or understand the
advantages of taking cover. One
way to keep characters in the game
longer is to make them heroes—
simply give them a constant armor
rating of four (4) or five (5). By
going this route, it will take considerable firepower to incapacitate
them.
Another method is to make all
players roll a bonus die when
attempting tasks. Now heroes can
use the sum of the two lowest dice
as the dice total. This will greatly
increase a character’s odds of
success. This style of play works best
for one-shot and operatic games,
and can also be used to simulate
Active Exploits abilities of +4 and +5.
Prop Plane
Private Jet
Jet Fighter
Helicopter
Motorcycle
Typical Car
Sports Car
Luxury Car
VIP Limousine
Truck
Tank
VEHICLE TYPE
+3
+2
0
+3
+2
+3
-1
-2
+2
+3
+4
+2
+1
+1
+2
+2
+2
0
+1
SPEED
-1
+1
+1
0
+2
+1
0
-3
+1
+2
+4
+2
+2
+1
+2
+1
+1
-1
0
HANDLING
3
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
1
1
2
2
0
1
1
2
3
4
5
FRAME
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
SHIELDS
WEAPONSLAND
—
—
—
—
—
—
cannon
machine gun
machine gun
12 rockets
—
—
machine gun
4-6 missiles
lots of bombs
—
—
—
—
—
—
8 cannons
genrediversion i
Bomber
Motor Boat
Sail Boat
Speed Boat
Patrol Boat
Cutter
Yacht
Galleon
133
134
genrediversion i
0
-2/0*
+1/+3*
0/+4*
+4
+2/+1*
+1/+3*
-2/+2*
-4/+2*
Space Shuttle
Cargo Transport
Scout
Explorer
Fighter
Patrol Craft
Corvette
Cruiser
Dreadnought
* Second speed is for supralight travel.
SPEED
VEHICLE TYPE
-3
0
-1
+2
0
0
+2
-1
+3
HANDLING
5
4
3
1
1
2
1
2
1
FRAME
4
4
3
2
—
1
1
1
2
SHIELDS
—
2 laser turrets
laser turret (linked pair)
2 laser turrets (linked pair)
laser canons (linked pair;
forward only)
laser canons (linked pair; turret)
HK Missile Launcher
(forward)
6 particle cannons
(2 forward; 2 aft; 2 turrets)
HK Missile Launcher (turret)
8 laser battery turrets
2 HK Missile Launchers
(turrets)
1 rocket battery (forward)
10 particle cannons (turrets)
2 HK Missile Launchers
(turrets)
4 rocket batteries
(2 port; 2 starboard)
WEAPONSLAND
This section provides
comprehensive lists of skills
(plus sample stunts), gimmicks,
extras, arcane creatures, plus reference sheets and more. The lists are
compiled from the previous sections of
this book, as well as some new items. They
are intended to give directors a helping hand
when designing characters and stories, or
developing ideas.
9
master lists
135
C skills of the times---------------------------------------------------------------While the director is free to use
any skills described in this book, not
all are relevant for specific time
periods. For example, no one would
have any knowledge of computers in
a fantasy setting (unless, of course,
they are aliens or time travelers). In
order to indicate the proper usage,
symbols are listed with each skill.
Bear in mind that any skill followed
by an asterisk may not be used
unskilled. Some of the skills listed
also include sample stunts in order
to better illustrate their use.
SKILLS OF THE TIMES
F
A
M
X
fantasy settings
16th century and older
antique settings
17th - 19th centuries
modern settings
20th - 21st centuries
science fiction settings
22nd century and up
C fitness-based skills---------------------------------------------------------Archery
FAMX
Use and construction of bows,
arrows, and crossbows.
Athletics
FAMX
Running, climbing, swimming,
throwing, dodging, and gymnastics.
Precision
+2 to +4DIFF
Stunts requiring delicate movements
such as walking on narrow ledges,
swimming between sharp coral, and
back flips. The director should adjust
the risk accordingly.
Sling
+2DIFF
Hurling items at a target from a slinglike pouch.
master lists
Evade
+1DIFF
Dodging incoming projectiles while
running in a zig-zag motion or erratic
pattern. This is a resisted action,
affecting the difficulty of the attack.
136
Dive
+2DIFF
Plunging head first away from an area
or into a body of water. The risk of
falling is gauged by the height of the
dive.
Dive for Cover
+1DIFF
Getting under cover as quickly as
possible. This takes an entire turn and
can also be used as a dodge with a
+1DIFF.
Roll
+2DIFF
Rolling can be used to lessen injury
received from falls by one grade. It
can also help a character restore
balance. The difficulty is +2 if the
cause of the fall did not inflict injury,
otherwise it is +4.
Unarmed Block
Block a weapon with bare hands.
Precarious risk if weapon inflicts
fatigue or disastrous if it causes injury.
Brawling
FAMX
Punching, kicking, parrying, and
wrestling. See Advanced Combat for
more rules regarding Brawling.
Wrong Hand
+2DIFF
Strike with character’s off-hand.
Precision
+2DIFF
Strike to a particular location.
Sweep
+2DIFF
Sweep legs of opponent to cause him
to fall.
Unbalance
+2DIFF
Grappling attack to cause the opponent to fall.
Pin
Keep opponent immobile. Contested
against fitness.
Constrict
Strangle opponent. Contested against
fitness.
Disarm
+2DIFF
Make opponent lose grip on weapon.
May be contested by fitness.
Take Weapon
+3DIFF
Take weapon away from opponent.
May be contested by fitness.
Driving
MX
Operation and maintenance of
automobiles, motorcycles, and
trucks. See the vehicle rules in
Chapter 2 for more rules regarding
Driving.
Nudge
Push another vehicle off the road. Risk
of collision.
Ram
Steer vehicle into another. Risk of
collision and flammability.
High Speed Maneuvers +2 to +4DIFF
Controlling the vehicle at high speeds.
Risk of collision.
Maintenance
Uses reasoning.
Makeshift Repairs
Restore one grade of structural
damage without the aid of a fully
equipped garage. The difficulty is
dependent on the extent of damage
(see the Makeshift Repairs Table on
page 61). Uses reasoning.
Firearms
AMX
Operation and maintenance of
pistols, rifles, shotguns, and submachine guns. See Advanced Combat
for more rules regarding Firearms.
Heavy Weapons
MX
Operation and maintenance of
machine guns, grenade launchers,
and mortars.
Precision
+2DIFF
Shoot weapon at a particular location.
Maintenance
Uses reasoning.
Jousting
Using a lance on horseback.
F
Melee
FAMX
Use of knives, swords, staves,
axes, and clubs. See Advanced
Combat for more rules regarding
Melee.
Wrong Hand
+2DIFF
Use weapon with character’s offhand.
Precision
+2DIFF
Use weapon to strike a particular location.
Sweep
+2DIFF
Sweep legs of opponent with weapon,
causing him to fall.
Quickdraw
+1DIFF
Ready weapon and use it in same
turn. Requires expenditure of two
points of effort from awareness or
fitness.
Disarm
+2DIFF
Make opponent lose grip on weapon.
May be contested by fitness.
Precision
+2DIFF
Aim and shoot weapon at a particular
location.
High Speed Maneuvers +2 to +4DIFF
Controlling the vehicle at high speeds.
Risk of collision.
Quickdraw
+1DIFF
Ready weapon and shoot in same
turn. Requires expenditure of two
points of effort from awareness or
fitness.
Maintenance
Uses reasoning.
Maintenance
Uses reasoning.
Makeshift Repairs
Restore one grade of structural
damage without the aid of a fully
equipped garage. The difficulty is
dependent on the extent of damage
(see the Makeshift Repairs Table on
page 61). Uses reasoning.
master lists
Wrong Hand
+2DIFF
Shoot with character’s off-hand.
Piloting (aircraft)*
MX
Operation and maintenance of
airplanes and helicopters.
137
Ram
Steer vehicle into another. Risk of collision.
Makeshift Repairs
Restore one grade of structural
damage without the aid of a fully
equipped garage. The difficulty is
dependent on the extent of damage
(see the Makeshift Repairs Table on
page 61). Uses reasoning.
Atmospheric Maneuvers +1 to +3DIFF
Controlling the vehicle at high speeds
while in the atmosphere. Risk of collision or flammability.
Riding
FAMX
Controlling horses and other
riding animals.
Piloting (spacecraft)*
MX
Operation and maintenance of
starships and space shuttles.
Maintenance
Uses reasoning.
Makeshift Repairs
Restore one grade of structural
damage without the aid of a fully
equipped garage. The difficulty is
dependent on the extent of damage
(see the Makeshift Repairs Table on
page 61). Uses reasoning.
Piloting (watercraft)*
AMX
Operation and maintenance of
motorboats, yachts, and trawlers.
See Vehicles for more rules regarding
Piloting.
Nudge
Push another vehicle into an obstacle.
Risk of collision.
Ram
Steer vehicle into another. Risk of collision.
Wild Animals
+2DIFF
Controlling or riding wild, untamed
animals. Risk of falling if riding the
animal.
Training animals
Uses reasoning.
+1DIFF
Sailing
FAMX
Operation, navigation, and maintenance of sail boats.
Maintenance
Uses reasoning.
Makeshift Repairs
Restore one grade of structural
damage without the aid of a fully
equipped garage. The difficulty is
dependent on the extent of damage
(see the Makeshift Repairs Table on
page 61). Uses reasoning.
High Speed Maneuvers +2 to +4DIFF
Controlling the vehicle at high speeds
while in the atmosphere. Risk of collision or flammability.
Maintenance
Uses reasoning.
master lists
C awareness-based skills-------------------------------------------
138
Criminal
FAMX
Racketeering, scamming, picking
locks, pilfering, and other criminal
activities.
Gambling
FAMX
Playing games of chance and
bluffing.
Subterfuge
FAMX
Disguises, forgery, misdirection,
and sabotage. Director may decide
on best ability for the circumstances:
creativity for disguise; influence for
fast-talking, etc.
C creativity-based skills------------------------------------------Crafts
FAMX
Creating pottery and forging
crude alloys.
Design
FAMX
Painting, drawing, sculpting, metal
working, and graphic design.
Literacy
FAMX
Reading and writing.
Performance
FAMX
Oration, singing, acting, and
performing.
Instrument
FAMX
Playing musical score with a
specific type of instrument.
C reasoning-based skills-------------------------------------------Advanced Sciences*
X
Advanced theoretical sciences
such as genetic engineering,
temporal physics, and robotics. Use
this skill when you don’t require a lot
of individual skills.
Alchemy
AMX
Brewing potions with magical
effects.
Astronomy*
AMX
Knoweldge of the stars, constellations, and other heavenly bodies.
Biology*
AMX
Science of living organisms such as
humans, animals, plants, viruses,
and insects.
Boating
FAMX
Constructing and steering canoes,
rafts, and rowboats.
Botany*
AMX
Science of plant life. Also see
herbal medicine.
Computers
MX
Operation and maintenance of
computer systems.
Reconfiguring
+2 to +4DIFF
Reprogramming a system for a
completely new use.
Court Etiquette
MX
Behaving properly and understanding the protocols of a royal
court.
Manipulate the court
Uses influence.
Economics*
AMX
Knowledge of taxes, commodities,
currency, and business practices.
Electrical
MX
Designing, building, and repairing
electronic devices.
Hot Wiring
+1 to +3DIFF
Engaging a device without the
required key.
Engineering (Aerospace)* MX
Designing and constructing
airplanes and space shuttles.
Engineering (Astronautical)*
X
Designing and constructing starships and space shuttles.
Engineering (Architectural)* MX
Designing and constructing buildings.
master lists
Chemistry*
AMX
Design, construct, and analyze
chemical formulas.
Hacking
+1 to +3DIFF
Breaking in and locating information.
139
Engineering (Civil)*
Designing and
bridges and damns.
MX
constructing
Investigation
AMX
Examination, observations, and
research.
Engineering (Electrical)*
MX
Designing and constructing
complex electrical and electronic
systems.
Masonry
A
Designing and constructing buildings from stone.
Engineering (Mechanical)* MX
Designing and constructing
complex mechanical systems such as
engines.
Engineering (Nano)*
X
Designing and constructing microscopic machines.
Engineering (Temporal)*
X
Designing and constructing time
travel devices.
Leadership
FAMX
Command over others.
Financial
AMX
Accounting, business management, and trading.
First Aid
AMX
Basic and emergency medical
techniques.
Legends
FAMX
Occult, superstitions, and mythological stories.
General Medicine
AMX
Performing standard medical
procedures, diagnosis, and treatment.
Parapyschology*
MX
Study of supernatural elements
such as ESP and ghosts.
Genetics*
MX
Design, construct, and analyze
DNA.
master lists
Law*
AMX
Knowledge of corporate, criminal,
tax, and probate law.
Rallying Troops
+1 to +3DIFF
Increase the morale of troops by
oration—provides one extra point of
effort to each character present on
their next relevant task. Uses
Influence.
Field Medicine
Restore one grade of injury without
the aid of a fully equipped hospital.
The difficulty is dependent on the
extent of damage (see the Field
Medicine Table on page 31).
140
Mathematics*
AMX
Advanced theoretical mathematics
including, but not limited to statistics, trigonometry, and calculus.
Geology*
MX
Science of rock, minerals, tectonic
plates, and other terrestrial
elements.
Herbal Medicine
FAMX
Using herbs and other plants to
create a medicine.
Pathology*
MX
Study and diagnosis of diseases
and their effects on organs. Also
used for autopsies.
Pharmacology*
MX
Study of the effects of drugs and
chemicals on the human body.
Photography
AMX
The art of taking and developing
photographs.
Physics*
MX
Study of the building blocks of the
universe: gravity, magnetism, and
electricity, and the theories which
attempt to bind them together: relativity, quantum theory, and string
theory.
Politics*
AMX
Knowledge in the workings of
government.
Psychology*
AMX
Performing standard psychological
diagnosis and treatment.
Field Treatment
Restore one grade of dementia
without proper extended treatment.
The difficulty is dependent on the
extent of dementia (see the Field
Treatment Table on page 43).
Runes
AMX
Inscribing magical effects.
Sociology*
AMX
Knowledge of cultural and social
traditions and behavior.
Surgery*
MX
Performing medical procedures to
repair serious injuries using a fully
equipped hospital. Overkill can be
used to heal more than one point of
injury. The difficulty is dependent on
the extent of injury (see the Surgery
Table on page 43).
Survival
FAMX
Staying alive in the wilderness.
Theology*
AMX
Knowledge of religion and its
origins.
Veterinary Medicine*
MX
Knowledge of animal anatomy
and performing medical procedures,
diagnosis, and treatment on animals.
Warfare
AMX
Knowledge of military tactics and
strategy, as well as explosives.
Defusing a Bomb
+1 to +3DIFF
Disarm an explosive device.
Xenobiology*
AMX
Science of non-terrestrial living
organisms (aliens).
Field Medicine
Restore one grade of injury without
the aid of a fully equipped hospital.
Overkill can be used to heal more
than one point of injury. The difficulty
is dependent on the extent of damage
(see the Field Medicine Table on page
31).
C influence-based skills-------------------------------------------------
Performance
FAMX
See Performance under CreativityBased Skills.
Seduction
FAMX
Using the allure one has with the
opposite (or the same) sex to
convince him to listen to the character.
Streetwise
AMX
Surviving on the streets.
master lists
Leadership
FAMX
See Leadership under ReasoningBased Skills.
141
C ESP-based skills------------------------------------------------------------------------Astral Projection
FAMX
Removing one’s consciousness
from his body and exploring the
Astral Realm.
Clairaudience
Communicating
Inhabitants.
FAMX
with Astral
Clairvoyance
FAMX
Seeing Astral Inhabitiants.
Mesmerism
FAMX
Hypnotising other characters.
Dig
+2DIFF
Determine specific commands previously implanted in another character’s
subconscious.
Deprogram
+2DIFF
Remove specific commands previously
implanted in another character’s
subconscious.
Telekinesis
FAMX
Moving objects with the power of
the mind.
Strike
+1DIFF
Telekinetically project mental energies
at a specific target with the intent of
causing harm. This causes the target
to gain one or more grades of fatigue
or injury if there is sufficient overkill
(director’s discretion).
Wall
+2DIFF
Project a physical barrier around self
or another character in order to
deflect incoming attacks. This is the
same as blocking, but by using effort
from ESP instead of fitness.
Telepathy
Communicating
another character.
FAMX
thoughts to
Noise
+2DIFF
Scramble mental processes in order to
confuse telepathic intruders. This is a
contested task.
Shock
+1DIFF
Telepathically project mental energies
into the mind of a specific target with
the intent of causing harm. This
causes the target to gain one or more
grades of dementia if there is sufficient overkill (director’s discretion).
C conduction-based skills--------------------------------------Absorption
FAMX
Absorbing electricity into one’s
system.
Streaming
FAMX
Radiating a focused bolt of electrical energy.
master lists
Pulsing
FAMX
Radiating electromagnetic signals
at defined frequencies.
142
C necromancy-based skills------------------------------------Animate
FAMX
Binding and corntrolling spirits.
Banish
FAMX
Forcing Astral inhabitants to flee.
Name
FAMX
Calling Astral inhabitants by
name.
C channeling-based skills----------------------------------------Conjuring
FAMX
The art of illusion.
Countermagic
FAMX
The art of nullifying arcane effects.
Absorb
+2DIFF
Draw energy from a countered effect
instead of simply dispelling it. The
character may redirect all overkill from
his successful absorption to a channeling-based effect of his own.
Summoning
FAMX
The art of manifesting solid
matter.
Warding
FAMX
The art of creating protective
circles.
C faith-based skills-----------------------------------------------------------------Bless
FAMX
The miracle of divine intervention
(reduces difficulty on tasks which do
not violate the character’s beliefs).
Curse
FAMX
The miracle of divine intervention
(increases difficulty on tasks which
violate the character’s beliefs).
Divine Archway
FAMX
Only those who do not violate the
character’s beliefs may enter the
doorway.
Healing Touch
FAMX
Restores injury, fatigue, or
dementia.
Mana
FAMX
The miracle of food from heaven.
Purify
FAMX
Eliminates toxins and toxemia.
Rapport
FAMX
Helps people trust the character.
Truth
FAMX
Detects the truth of another character’s words.
Ward
FAMX
The miracle of divine intervention
(increases difficulty on attacks
against the protected area).
C manifestation-based skills---------------------------
Paralyze
FAMX
Freezing a character dead in his
tracks.
Possession
FAMX
Inhabiting and controlling the
body of a living animal or person.
Silence
FAMX
Rendering a character speechless.
Terrorize
FAMX
Manifesting with a horrific appearance.
master lists
Lure
FAMX
Enticing characters to approach a
spirit.
143
C chi-based skills--------------------------------------------------------------------------Healing Arts*
Restores health.
AMX
Shadow Arts*
AMX
Keeps a character out of sight.
Killing Arts*
AMX
Makes attacks more efficient.
C fields of expertise----------------------------------------------------------------This is by no means a complete
list. The fields below are intended to
give directors a better understanding
of fields of expertise, so that they
may create their own to fit the
setting in which they are running.
Actor
FAMX
Performer extraordinaire.
Combat Pilot
MX
Trained in aerial warfare and
combat.
Doctor
AMX
Includes training by physicians. It
can be used for surgery, pharmacology, pathology, and biology.
Investigative Priest FAMX
A special agent of the Vatican in
search of stigmata or demons.
Trained in theology, the occult, and
parapsychology.
master lists
Law Enforcement
AMX
includes the training required by
police officers, detectives, and
federal investigators. It can be used
for tasks related to weapons, investigation, computers, and the law.
144
Magician
FAMX
Trained in the art of illusion.
Nothing magical, just sleight of hand
tricks.
Organized Crime Boss AMX
Trained in all aspects of criminal
activity, as well as firearms and
surviving on the streets.
Psychologist
AMX
Mental health professionals. Used
for psychology.
Parapsychologist
MX
Includes training in parapsychology, the occult, and investigation.
Psychiatrist
AMX
Mental health professionals. Used
for psychology and general medicine.
Rogue
FAMX
Includes training by cat burglars,
racketeers, and con artists. It can be
used to pick pockets, bypass security
systems, attempt confidence scams,
and escape from bonds.
Scholar
FAMX
An academic. Studies many
different fields of knowledge, such
as history, art, and literature.
Scientist
AMX
Inventors and theorists, scientists
may have training in just about any
scientific field.
Sensei
FAMX
A martial arts master.
Soldier
AMX
Trained in warfare and combat.
May specialize in a particular technical field such as aircraft mechanic.
Wizard
FAMX
A practitioner of the arcane.
C generic gimmicks-----------------------------------------------------------------------Animal Kinship
The character can understand the
language of one classification of
animal (birds, felines, canines,
rodents, etc.). He may speak to
them in his own language and they
speak to him in their own.
Authority
The character has certain responsibilities which permit him to exercise
special rights. He can be involved in
law enforcement, the justice department, or even city hall.
Connections
The character has friends or associates in some sort of criminal, political, community, religious, or military
organization which he can call on for
assistance. The connections can also
take the form of students, followers,
or employees.
Dependent
The character is in charge of
protecting or caring for someone. It
could be a professional assignment,
sick family member, or minor.
Enemies
Someone doesn’t like the character and either enjoys or is duty
bound to thwart his efforts. The
enemy may even go so far as to
actively hunt the character or put a
price on his head.
Immunity
The character can ignore all
damage from one source. Bullets,
extreme color, and fire are some
examples.
Internal Clock
The character possesses a knack
for always knowing the exact time
and date.
Jack of All Trades
The character has a knack for
learning new skills. Whenever he
succeeds at a task for a skill which
he does not possess, the character
may spend ten experience points
(taken from any skills) to gain that
skill at novice level. This skill may
never be raised above proficient,
however, since he is a jack of all
trades, but master of none.
Lackies
The character has an entourage of
fans, devotees, or henchmen. In any
case, they are always around to
protect the character and can be
sent away to run errands for him.
Military Rank
The character is in the military and
holds an officer’s rank. He may also
have access to sensitive material and
weapons.
Multilingual
The character can speak up to two
languages in addition to his native
tongue as a result of growing up in a
household or culture where more
than one language is used.
Natural Armor
The character has some sort of
tough hide, scales, or other defensive covering which increases his
armor rating. The armor value and
form of protection may vary, but the
table below should be used as a
guide.
master lists
Fugitive
The character is an outlaw and on
the run from law enforcement agencies. He should avoid the law as
much as possible.
Internal Compass
The character can never become
lost in the wilderness or a city. He
can extrapolate his general location
from signs in nature.
145
NATURAL ARMOR
tough hide
scales
carapace
genetically modified armor/hide
Natural Weapon
The character has some sort of
natural weapon (claws, fangs, etc.)
which can be used to damage an
opponent. This damage rating can
vary, but the table below should be
used as a guide. Some weapons may
also be used to inject venom.
master lists
RATING
A
AB
AB
AB
1
1
2
3
Peripheral Vision
The character can see out of the
corner of his eye. This allows him to
spend one point of effort on tasks
while surprised (normally a character
cannot
spend
effort
when
surprised).
NATURAL WEAPON
CLASS
DAMAGE
small fangs
large fangs
stingers
small claws
large claws
horns
strong tails
A1
A2 or B1
A1 or B1
B1
B2
B3
A3
1FAT
2FAT or 1INJ
1FAT or 1INJ
1INJ
2INJ
3NJ
3FAT
Prestige
The character is widely known in a
region, nation, or even the world for
one reason or another. He could be
a famous musician, actor, political
figure, or businessman. This gimmick
can be used to add one (1) point of
free effort to an influence-based task
a number of times per episode equal
to the character’s influence rating
(|+2| would allow a character to use
it two times, for example).
146
PROTECTION
Property
The character carries a particular
item wherever he goes, such as a
cane or a pocket watch. No matter
what happens, the item is never
lost—merely misplaced. It always
turns up before the end of an
episode.
Servitude
The character is in debt to another
person and must work it off as a
servant (butler, maid, assistant, etc.).
Stoic
The character is very rational and
can control his emotional responses
when faced with trauma and the
supernatural. He can ignore all
penalties caused by dementia, but is
not immune to the effects of
delirium once the dementia has
reached that point.
Tolerance to Pain
The character is somehow
immune to pain and can ignore all
penalties caused by fatigue and
injury.
Vulnerability
The character is extremely sensitive to a specific substance or
mystical force (such as ESP). He
receives two (2) grades of fatigue
when directly exposed and double
the normal amount of injury or
fatigue when the contact is the
result of an attack.
Wealth
The character is extremely rich. He
can usually scrape together enough
cash for any deal.
C arcane gimmicks-------------------------------------------------------------------------Astral Magnet
For one reason or another, the
character attracts entities from the
Astral Realm which have manifested
into our world. There is no telling
what their motivations or intentions
are.
Astral Vision
The character is haunted by
visions of entities from the Astral
Realm. He can see those present in
the immediate vicinity, although he
cannot speak to or hear them. This
can be used to replace the clairvoyance skill if the director wishes to use
a more abstract method of visions of
the Astral Realm.
Gremlins
The character causes all machinery
or electronics in his immediate
vicinity to jam or malfunction.
Haunt
The Astral inhabitant is tied to a
particular piece of land, structure, or
individual and may not leave unless
banished.
Immortality
The character does not age and
will live forever unless killed by a
violent act.
Invulnerability
The character is supernatural in
origin and does not receive normal
damage unless exposed to a vulnerability. Treat this gimmick as if the
character has armor ratings of 3
against ‘A’ damage, 2 against ‘B’ and
‘C’ damage, and 1 against ‘E’
damage.
Longevity
The character has ceased aging
due to a secret formula, fountain of
youth, or vampire bite which must
be reintroduced once per week.
master lists
Disruptive Discharge
The character is capable of
directing focused energy using his
channeling ability in order to inflict
etheria-based damage by touching a
victim. The amount of damage is
equal to the amount of effort
exerted only from the channeling
ability. In addition, for every two
points of effort exerted, the character may throw a bolt of pure
magical energy at a target using a
normal athletics task.
Guardian Angel
The character enjoys the protection of a guardian angel, who
attempts to divert the character’s
from danger through naturalseeming occurrences. This is basically a part-time job for the director,
offering the player some helpful tips
in order to keep the character alive.
147
Lycanthropy Bloodline
The character transforms into a
wolf during a new moon and a werewolf during a full moon.
Lycanthropy Curse
The character transforms into a
werewolf during a full moon. The
curse is passed on to anyone unfortunate enough to be bitten by the
character in werewolf form.
Manifest
The spirit can assume a physical
form for short periods of time and is
capable of interacting with our
world. Once manifested, the creature can substitute the manifest
ability for tasks requiring the fitness
ability. The type of manifestation
and duration is determined by the
creature’s manifestation ability.
Mist
The Astral inhabitant causes a fog
or heavy mist to appear whenever it
uses a manifestation-based skill.
master lists
Mortal Demise
The character dreams about his
death every night. He is now accustomed to it, but anything he experiences while he is awake that hints
that his time is near causes anxiety
and panic. On the other hand, the
character knows how he will die
(this should be fleshed out before
play) and may put himself in harm’s
way if it does not appear that his
course of action is linked to his
death.
148
Mortal Focus
The character is susceptible to
channeling-based skills. Their difficulties are reduced by two (2) grades
(-4DIFF) when targeted at the character. In addition, all channelingbased tasks performed by the character receive a decrease in difficulty
by two (2) grades (-4DIFF) .
Non-Reflective
The character casts no reflection
or shadow.
Protective Aura
The character has a natural resistance to etheria. This acts as armor
with a rating of 2 which protects
against all sources of etheria
damage.
Regeneration
The character heals at an accelerated pace; injury is restored by one
grade per day and fatigue is restored
by one grade per hour.
Resistant Aura
The character is incapable of using
the channeling ability and all channeling-based tasks directed at him
receive an increase in difficulty by
one grade.
Shivers
The Astral inhabitant causes the
air in his immediate vicinity to drastically decrease in temperature.
Wind
The Astral inhabitant causes
sudden breezes to emanate from his
location whenever he uses a manifestation-based skill.
C martial arts gimmicks----------------------------------------------Action Star
The character has starred in countless action movies and is well known
throughout the world. He can’t enter
a public place without being
surrounded by a horde of fans
seeking his autograph.
Infamous Teacher
The character’s teacher is known
for being particularly cruel or incompetent. As a result, other martial
artists view the character with
animosity when they find out about
his teacher.
Disciple
The character is a dedicated
student to his teacher. He sleeps in
the school, watching over and maintaining it (i.e cleaning, repairs, etc.).
Inner Circle
The character is part of his
school’s inner circle when it comes
to making decisions and knowing
what is going on in its finances,
plans, and events. The character is
also very close to the other members
of this circle.
Famous School
The character’s school is known
for its extremely competent students
or constructive work in the community. As a result, other martial artists
view the character with respect
when they find out where he trains.
Famous Teacher
The character’s teacher is known
for being extremely adept or
compassionate. As a result, other
martial artists treat the character
graciously when they find out about
his teacher.
Infamous School
The character’s school is known
for its callous or incompetent
students, or break with traditions. As
a result, other martial artists view
the character with animosity when
they find out where he trains.
School Rivals
The character is at odds with a
fellow student from his school. They
often compete in order to prove
which one is more proficient. Rivals
also try to show each other up in
other ways, such as career, wealth,
and love.
School Outcast
The character has been thrown
out of the school and excommunicated by its other students. The
character may not join other schools
which are in some way affiliated
with this school or those with which
the teacher is a friend of the character’s own teacher. Other martial
artists view the character with
animosity when they find out about
his excommunication.
master lists
149
C extras--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------DESCRIPTION
ABILITY
FIELD OF EXPERTISE
GIMMICKS
police officer
police detective
security guard
soldier
military officer
government agent
mercenary
hitman
tradesman
artist
computer tech
design professional
surgeon
street thug
mobster
politician
knight
man at arms
fighter pilot
space marine
spy
fitness +1
reasoning +1
fitness +1
fitness +2
awareness +1
reasoning +2
fitness +1
fitness +2
influence +1
creativity +2
reasoning +1
reasoning +2
reasoning +2
fitness +1
influence +2
influence +2
fitness +2
fitness +1
fitness +2
fitness +2
influence +2
law enforcement
law enforcement/investigation
surveillance
infantry/marine training
officer/special training
law enforcement/investigation
warfare
assassination
small business
the arts
computer science/engineering
architectural/civil engineering
medicine
street life
racketeering
politics
chivalry and combat
combat
aerial/space combat piloting
zero-g combat
espionage
authority
authority
–
–
military rank
authority
connections
fugitive
connections
–
–
–
wealth
–
lackies
prestige
authority
–
military rank
–
connections
master lists
C animals----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
150
DESCRIPTION
ABILITY
EXPERTISE
GIMMICKS
bat
crocodile/alligator
awareness +2
fitness +2
giant rat
fitness +4
giant spider
fitness +4
poisonous snake
constricting snake
poisonous snake
rat
wolf
rat
cat
lion/tiger
hawk
horse
awareness +1
fitness +1
awareness +1
awareness +2
fitness +2
awareness +2
awareness +2
fitness +2
fitness +1
fitness +2
nocturnal hunting natural weapon (small fangs)
hunting
natural weapon (teeth, claws, tail),
natural armor (tough hide)
foraging
natural weapon (fangs, claws),
natural armor (tough hide)
trapping
natural weapon (large fangs,
natural armor (tough hide)
hunting
natural weapon (fangs, veonom)
hunting/grappling natural weapon (fangs, constriction)
hunting
natural weapon (fangs, venom)
foraging
natural weapon (teeth, disease)
hunting
natural weapon (fangs, claws)
foraging
natural weapon (teeth, disease)
hunting
natural weapon (small fangs, claws)
hunting
natural weapon (large fangs, claws)
hunting
natural weapon (talons)
running
natural weapon (legs)
C creatures-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------DESCRIPTION
ABILITY
EXPERTISE
GIMMICKS
GHOSTS
ancestral ghost
manifestation +1
–
murder victim
manifestation +2
–
war casualty
manifestation +3
–
poltergeist
manifestation +3
terrorize
haunt (family members),
manifest, shivers
haunt (murder scene),
gremlins, manifest, shivers
haunt (battlegrounds),
manifest, mist, shivers
haunt (house),
manifest, shivers, wind
SPECTRES
banshee
manifestation +3
silence, terrorize
hag
manifestation +4
terrorize
wood nymph
siren
manifestation +3
manifestation +4
–
lure, silence
SPIRITS
gargoyle
golem
dybbuk
ZOMBIES
graveyard zombie
fallen comrade
mummy
skeleton
hell hound
haunt (rustic villages),
manifest, wind
haunt (abandoned cottage
in the woods), gremlins,
manifest
haunt (tree), manifest
haunt (the sea), manifest
manifestation +5 paralyze, possession
awareness -1
manifestation +1 terrorize
fitness +2
awareness -1
manifestation
possession
(director’s discretion)
tolerance to pain,
invulnerability
tolerance to pain,
vulnerability (water)
manifestation +4 –
fitness -1
manifestation +4 possession
(fitness same as character’s original rating)
manifestation +2 –
fitness -1
awareness -1
manifestation +4 –
tolerance to pain,
vulnerability (salt)
tolerance to pain
manifestation +2
fitness +2
hunting
tolerance to pain
master lists
tolerance to pain,
vulnerability (salt),
natural armor (tough hide)
tolerance to pain,
invulnerability
tolerance to pain,
invulnerability,
natural armor (fangs, claws)
151
YOUNG VAMPIRE
Abilities: fitness +3, awareness +2
Aspects: discipline 6
Skills/Expertise: variable as per character
Gimmicks: immortality, vulnerability (sunlight, fire, symbols of faith), night vision, regeneration,
natural weapon (fangs), non-reflective, invulnerability
Convictions: temptations (human blood: compulsion), fears (symbols of faith, running water:
compulsion), fears (garlic: habit)
TYPICAL VAMPIRE
Abilities: fitness +4, awareness +2, ESP +2
Aspects: discipline 6, transformation 3
Skills/Expertise: mesmerism (proficient); others variable as per character
Gimmicks: immortality, vulnerability (sunlight, fire, symbols of faith), night vision, regeneration,
natural weapon (fangs), non-reflective, invulnerability, tolerance to pain
Convictions: temptations (human blood: compulsion), fears (symbols of faith, garlic: commitment)
ELDER VAMPIRE
Abilities: fitness +4, awareness +2, ESP +4
Aspects: discipline 6, transformation 6
Skills/Expertise: mesmerism (expert); others variable as per character
Gimmicks: immortality, vulnerability (sunlight, fire), night vision, regeneration, natural weapon
(fangs), non-reflective, invulnerability, tolerance to pain
Convictions: temptations (human blood: compulsion), fears (garlic: compulsion)
master lists
GHOUL
Abilities: fitness +1
Aspects: discipline 6, endowment (physical) 4
Skills/Expertise: variable as per character
Gimmicks: longevity
Convictions: temptations (loyalty to vampire master: compulsion)
152
CURSED WEREWOLF (WEREWOLF FORM)
Abilities: fitness +4, awareness +1
Aspects: discipline 4
Skills/Expertise: hunting; others variable as per character
Gimmicks: vulnerability (silver), night vision, natural weapon (fangs, claws), lycanthropy curse,
natural armor (tough hide)
Convictions: triggers (rage, threat of attack: commitment)
TRUE WEREWOLF (WEREWOLF FORM)
Abilities: fitness +4, awareness +1
Aspects: discipline 4
Skills/Expertise: hunting; others variable as per character
Gimmicks: night vision, natural weapon (fangs, claws), lycanthropy bloodline, regeneration,
natural armor (tough hide)
Convictions: triggers (rage, threat of attack: commitment)
C vehicles--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------VEHICLE TYPE
Motorcycle
Typical Car
Sports Car
Luxury Car
VIP Limousine
Truck
Tank
Helicopter
Private Plane
Private Jet
Fighter Jet
Motor Boat
Sail Boat
Yacht
Space Shuttle
Space Cargo Transport
Space Fighter
Space Explorer
Space Cruiser
Space Dreadnought
+1
+1
+2
+2
+2
0
+1
+2
+2
+3
+4
+2
0
+1
0
-1
+2
+3
+1
+2
SPEED
+2
+1
+2
+1
+1
-1
0
+2
+1
+2
+4
+2
+1
+2
0
0
+3
+2
+1
+1
HANDLING
0
1
1
2
2
3
6
3
2
2
4
2
1
3
1
2
2
3
4
5
FRAME
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
2
3
4
5
SHIELDS
WEAPONS
master lists
ARMOR
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
3
—
—
cannon, machine gun
4
10 rockets
2
—
—
—
—
machine gun, 4 missiles
2
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
laser cannon
—
twin laser canons
1
4 laser turrets
2
8 laser turrets, 4 torpedo tubes 4
10 laser turrets, 10 torpedo tubes5
153
C basic exploits reference--------------------------------------FITNESS-BASED SKILLS
ESP-BASED SKILLS
Archery
Athletics
Brawling
Driving
Firearms
Melee
Piloting*
Riding
Sailing
Mesmerism
Telekinesis
Telepathy
CONDUCTION-BASED SKILLS
Absorption
Pulsing
Streaming
AWARENESS-BASED SKILLS
Criminal
Gambling
Subterfuge
CREATIVITY-BASED SKILLS
Crafts
Design
Instrument
Literacy
Performance
master lists
REASONING-BASED SKILLS
154
Boating
Computers
Electrical
Financial
First Aid
Investigation
Engineering*
Leadership
Legends
Mechanical
Medicine*
Natural Sciences*
Parapsychology*
Social Sciences*
Streetwise
Survival
INFLUENCE-BASED SKILLS
Leadership
Performance
Seduction
Streetwise
ATTACK SKILLS
unarmed
melee
gun
thrown
bow
brawling
melee
firearms
athletics
archery
DEFENSE SKILLS
unarmed block
unarmed parry
shield/missile block
melee parry
dodge
athletics
brawling
melee
melee
athletics
FREE EFFORT
unskilled
novice
proficient
expert
0
+1
+2
+3
C basic exploits reference--------------------------------------WEAPON TYPE
DMG
PB
snub nosed pistol
9mm and .45
magnum
carbine
assault rifle
heavy machine gun
hi-tech laser pistol
hi-tech laser rifle
club
knife
staff
sword
arrow
2INJ
3INJ
4INJ
4INJ
4INJ
6INJ
5INJ
5INJ
1FAT
1INJ
1FAT
2INJ
2INJ
5m
5m
5m
5m
5m
5m
10m
10m
10m
SHORT MEDIUM LONG
10m
10m
10m
10m
10m
20m
20m
20m
25m
40m
40m
40m
40m
50m
50m
30m
30m
75m
ARMOR TYPE
75m
75m
75m
100m
100m
150m
50m
75m
100m
6
9
6
20
20-50
50-100
50
100
1
ARMOR RATING
heavy skins/clothing
leather armor
medieval armor
older bullet-proof vest
modern armored vest
synthetics
hi-tech armor
hi-tech force field
1FAT
2FAT
1FAT/INJ
2FAT/INJ
3FAT/INJ
3FAT/INJ
4FAT/INJ
5INJ
EFFORT REQD
trivial
routine
challenging
improbable
impossible
1*
2
4
6
8
DIFFICULTY
THROW
3m
6m
20m
50m
75m
CARRYING
LIFTING
RANGE
15kg/35lbs
30kg/65lbs
60kg/125lbs
75kg/165lbs
100kg/225lbs
45kg/100lbs
60kg/125lbs
115kg/250lbs
230kg/500lbs
320kg/700lbs+
point blank
short
medium
long
extreme
JUMP
WALK
RUN
1m
2m
3m
4m
5m+
2m
3m
5m
7m
9m+
15m
20m
30m
40m
50m+
CRAWL/CLIMB
1m
2m
4m
6m
8m+
SWIM
2m
4m
8m
12m
16m+
master lists
DIFFICULTY
trivial (1*)
routine (2)
challenging (4)
improbable (6)
impossible (8)
AMMO
155
C advanced exploits reference----------------------FITNESS-REFINING FLAIRS
CREATIVITY-REFINING FLAIRS
Dexterity
Muscle
Agility
Quickness
Flexibility
Manipulation
Improvisation
Visualization
Harmony
Emulate
AWARENESS-REFINING FLAIRS
REASONING-REFINING FLAIRS
Hearing
Vision
Touch
Smell
Taste
Instinct
Cognizance
Empathy
Memory
Deduction
Numbers
ESP-REFINING FLAIRS
CONDUCTION-REFINING FLAIRS
Touch
Family
Range
INFLUENCE-REFINING FLAIRS
Charm
Financial
Appearance
BASIC RISKS
master lists
slight
precarious
disastrous
156
+1 fatigue
+1 injury
+2 injury
harried
+1DIFF
encumbered
+1 or +DIFF
subdued
+2DIFF
stressed (fatigue)
+1DIFF
sprained (injury)
+1DIFF
agitated (dementia)
+1DIFF
enfeebled (etheria)
+1DIFF
distressed (mechanical)
+1DIFF
impaired (structural)
+1DIFF
strained (fatigue)
+2DIFF
wounded (injury)
+2DIFF
distracted (dementia)
+2DIFF
impaired (etheria)
+2DIFF
overworked (mechanical)
+2DIFF
breached (structural)
+2DIFF
exhausted (fatigue)
+3DIFF
maimed (injury)
+3DIFF
irrational (dementia)
+3DIFF
muted (etheria)
+3DIFF
overheated (mechanical)
+3DIFF
compromised (structural)
+3DIFF
concealment
+1DIFF
cover
+1 to +3DIFF
in/under water
+1 to +2DIFF
large target
-1 to -3DIFF
poor visibility
+1 to +4DIFF
small target
+1 to +3DIFF
moving target
+2DIFF
impediment
+1 to +4DIFF
C advanced exploits reference----------------------CLASS
WEAPON TYPE
DAMAGE
A1
A2
A3
B1
B2
B3
C1
C2
C3
D
E
F1
F2
F3
U
V1
V2
X1
X2
wooden bludgeons
metal bludgeons
large smashing bludgeons
knives
swords and small axes
large axes
arrows and crossbows
antique firearms
modern firearms
explosives
heavy weapons and machine guns
stun weapons
laser wapons
particles weapons
antique cannon
rockets
torpedoes/missiles
laser weapons
particle weapons
PROTECTION
heavy skins/clothing
leather armor
makeshift shield
A
A
A
B
AB
AB
ABC
ABC
AB
C
ABC
F2
A
B
A
B
CD
E
ABC
DE
F2
ABC
F3
medieval armor
medieval shield
older bullet-proof vest
modern armored vest
modern shields
synthetics
pressure suit
armored pressure suit
hi-tech armor
hi-tech force field
D
D
D
D E F1 F2
RATING
1
2
2
1
1
2
2
3
3
1
3
1
3
1
4
2
3
1
4
3
2
5
3
master lists
ARMOR TYPE
1FAT
2FAT
3FAT
1INJ
2INJ
3INJ
2INJ
3INJ
4INJ
4-10INJ
5-8INJ
4FAT
5INJ
6INJ
2STR
5STR
6STR
3-4STR
4-6STR
157
index
Abilities 6, 10, 20, 31, 34, 37, 56-57,
66, 72, 73, 75, 81-82, 95,
104, 108, 116, 124
Accented Abilities 37, 95
Actions 27-29, 48-49, 120, 128, 131
Armor 29, 55, 76, 122, 129
Aspects 12-13, 31, 37, 44, 56, 58,
74-75, 82, 116, 124
Astral Inhabitants 80, 82
Astral Realm 80, 87, 90
Categories 72-73, 77
Conditions 45, 49, 60
Convictions 38, 118-119, 127
Damage 29, 52, 54, 62, 68, 76, 94,
122, 129, 131
Dice 109, 117, 126, 129, 131
Difficulty 24, 43, 45, 117-118, 126-127
Effort 7, 10, 12-13, 19, 24, 27, 67,
76-77
Entities 80, 82, 90
Episodes 6, 106
Experience 7, 24, 26, 35, 38, 40, 68,
106-107, 119, 128
Extortion 106
Extras 6, 108, 150
Fields of Expertise 37, 66, 108, 144
Flairs 34, 57, 73
Focus 6, 27
158
Genre 6, 113
Gimmicks 17, 22, 59, 66, 72, 75, 86,
100, 108, 116, 125, 145
Health 7, 19, 29, 31, 42-43, 46-47,
53-56, 58, 59, 61, 66, 76,
116, 125
Integrity 57-59, 61, 125
Martial Arts 95, 97, 101
Open Aspects 37
Outcome 37, 104-105
Overkill 24, 47
Principles 18, 22, 68
Reality Levels 20, 108
Relics 93
Risks 47, 51, 61
Skills 7, 14, 21, 24, 72, 74-75, 83, 99,
104, 116, 125, 136
Social Contract 110
Steps 117
Stories 6, 106
Stunts 47, 50, 60
Tasks 7, 24-26, 37, 43, 45, 47, 67-68,
77, 104, 109, 117-119,
126-128, 131
Threads 41, 68
Turns 6, 27
Vehicles 14, 56, 124, 153
Weapon Traits 51
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