Hyperdrive !
A Science Fiction RPG System by Andrea Back © Andrea Back, 2011
Introduction
Year 2550 AD. Or Centaurian Date 6-03.4. Or d 1098. Whatever you'd like like to call it, this is it : the Future. Earth was indeed not the only planet hosting life in the Galaxy. And Man was not the t he only intelligence that wished to explore its depths. Will there be war or cooperation, in the future of humanity? What will happen when Man will not be on top of the food chain anymore? Or, what the hell is this Humanity you're rambling so much about?! (We are Furnaxians, duh!) It's up to you to discover, discover, travelling at the Speed of Light towards the unknown and the impossible. Hyperdrive! Activate!
System SKILLS
& Rolling the dice:
Character will distribute points among these skills. The amount of points he can spend in each group depends on the character's race. The points are usually spent in Specializations for these skills. If a character uses a skill outside his specialization, his score is halved, rounding down. A character may attempt to use a skill in which he has no training (0 skill) whatsoever: he is allowed a Desperate Roll: he rolls 1d6, but this roll suffers -1 penalty (therefore, a roll of 5 becomes a 4). Any negative skill point below 0 becomes an extra -1 penalty (eg: a character with -2 Acrobatics will roll 1d6-3) When a character attempts to use a skill, he rolls a number of d6 equal to the score of that skill. He keeps the highest result. If more than one dice has the highest result, dice beyond the first that share the highest result will add +1 to the total result. Each 1 that comes out subtracts 1 from the result, after the highest result is picked. A roll that totals 0 or less is considered a Critical Failure. Failure. Examples: Examples: A roll of 4,3,2 will have a result of 4. A roll of 4,2,2 will have a result of 4. A roll of 4,4,3 will have a result of 5. ( highest is 4, +1 for another 4) A roll of 4,3,1 will have a result of 3. (highest is 4, -1 for a roll of 1) A roll of 3,3,1 will have a result of 3.(highest is 3, +1 for another 3, -1 for a roll of 1) A roll of 6,1,1 will have a result of 4. (highest is 6, -2 for two rolls of 1) A roll of 2,1,1 will have a result of 0. (a Critical Failure!) A roll of all 1s will have a result of 0. (a Critical Failure!) Failure!) Most actions are rolled against a static Difficulty Class. Some actions are contested, c ontested, therefore therefore two characters roll to beat each other's score. IMPORTANT IMPORTANT : The max amount of Dice you can roll is 5. Any extra die you should be rolling, translates into a +1 to the final result of the roll. (Therefore (Therefore 8d6 become 5d6+3) Experience : A character gains a Specialization check near any skill he uses. When he completes certain objectives, and gains 1 XP, XP, he can choose a skill where he gained a Specialization check and increase that Skill:Specialization by +1. Extras : Sometimes during its career a PC may gain “Extra” abilities, capabilities or flaws: he may get a psyonic ability, he may have one of its forearms replaced by a plasma rifle, or he may have a deep scar that crosses his face. These will need the GM's intervention.
Charact Character er Creation: tion: The S.S.S. Skill Skill Special Spec ializa izatio tion n Scheme Unlike many other RPGs, Hyperdrive! doesn't have an array of Stats to represent the virtues and flaws of a PC. Instead, a PC will be described only by his Skills. In this game, it's implied that learned skills are in general superior to inborn capabilities. When creating a character, first decide what role he will be serving in a spaceship crew, crew, or in a space colony. colony. Then choose a race (see next chapter).Then distribute Skill points according to that idea. Skills are divided in 3 groups: Physical, Mental and Social skills. (See Skill chapter) Physical Skills
Example Specialization
Mental Skills
Example Specialization
Social Skills
Example Specialization
Acrobatics
(Dodge)
Academics
(Terran History)
Criminal
(Steal)
Athletics
(Climb)
Analysis
(Autopsy)
Diplomacy
(First Contact)
Close Combat
(One-on-one)
Engineering
(Repair)
Disguise
(Facial Makeup)
Energy Weapons
(Light Laser)
Explosives
(Deactivate)
Empathy
(Share Emotions)
Firearms
(Guns)
First Aid
(Light Wounds)
Fast Talk
(Haggle)
Pilot
(Defensive Maneuvers)
Navigation
(Long Routes)
Handle Animals
(Ride)
Resistance
(Viruses)
Perception
(Spot)
Intimidate
(Torture)
Stealth
(Hide)
Science
(Medicine)
Language
(Centaurian)
Strength
(Bash Open)
Survival
(Track)
Leadership
(Inspire)
Politics
(Indipendence)
Wear Armour (Light Armour) Technologies (Hacking)
Example : John decides that his character, Ryna, will be a Lunar Colonist serving as a nurse on an exploration space vessel. Her father was a mechanic, so she knows the rudiments of Engineering; life was hard on Luna, so Ryna knows how to survive by herself (John chose Engineering and Survival as bonus racial skills). Ryna is trained to work with little or no equipment, and to face emergencies. He decides that Mental skills will receive a total of 6
points while her Social skills 4. Her Physical skills have been left with only 2 points, but that's that's fine, she'll she'll never go out of the sickbay, after all. Or will she? When distributing Skill points, you have to select a Specialization, which is a specific area of that field of expertise where you're you're actually trained. When you use a skill outside your field of expertise your score will be equal to half the score of your best Specialization in that skill (rounded down). If you put only 1 point in a Skill, you don't have to choose a Specialization for that skill : the first point in a Skill Sk ill is always considered for its generic use. Should you later gain another point, it will be a Specialization and it will be at level 2 (thus leaving Skill:Generic at 1, coherently with the rules written just above) Example : Ryna is a nurse, therefore she'll have a good training in First Aid. John decides to put 3 points in First Aid (Critical Wounds): Wounds): that's going to be useful if someone someone is in a critical condition. If Ryna will use her first aid skills to cure minor wounds, her score in First Aid:Generic will be just 1, because she halves her best Specialization rounding down.
After you have distributed distributed all your Skill points, you are free to write down your your other details, like race/origin, age, height, weight, sex and so on. Example: John decides to put 2 points in Science(Medicine) and 1 point in Analysis: Ryna has only the basic training in this skill, so it applies to its Generic use. John then spends the rest of Ryna's skill points like this: Empathy(Patients) 3, Diplomacy 1; Resistance(Viruses) 2. She will need these skills to deal with patients and to avoid contamination. John then has only to specify that Ryna is a Lunar woman aged 24, she has brown hair and green eyes, and she's about 5'2” foot tall.
Race and Origin Where a character comes from is something every player needs to put some thought into. It's not simply a matter of races: it's about different cultures and people.
Human Races Terrans
Humans that live on the Earth needed a name to differentiate their culture culture from those of the few established colonies on other planets and moons of the Solar System. Terrans, during the First Colonization, used to be an ambitious, curious and diplomatic people. However, since the beginning of the 23 th century, things changed: to oppose the claims for independence of the colonies on Luna (the official name of the Moon since its colonization)first and on Mars later, the newly born Terran Empire government coined the name “Terran” “Terran” to also a lso describe a citizen of the Earth (which has been called Terra Terra since then) and enacted a series of neo-colonial laws, that relegated the Lunar and Mar tian colonist to being B-class citizens. The effect of that nationalistic policy caused the people of Terra to rediscover their roots and a newborn love for their history, religions and
different cultures. As a society, they became pompous and prideful. They act as if only their Government Government should be recognized as a legitimate human government. At best, they tend to see the people from the colonies as space hicks. Terrans start any two of these bonuses: +1 Diplomacy, Diplomacy, +1 Academics, +1 Leadership or +1 Politics. Their Fragility is 3. They can spend only 6,4,2 points on Skills during Character Creation. Lunar Colonists
The Moon was the first place to be colonized, bringing about the time now called the First F irst Colonization, in 2082 AD. About 5000 settlers, mostly farmers but also doctors, engineers and other much needed professionals, were sent to inhabit the first colonial outpost of Earth in the Solar System. The Moon was called Luna, to avoid confusion with the other planets major satellites, and to give some sort of recognition to the colony. However, However, relations between Lunar Colonies and the Earth governements grew bitter over time (as it always happens with colonies) and eventually in 2196, the social unrest on Luna caused 10 of the 13 Lunar Colonies to ally and form L.A.S.I.R, the Lunar Alliance for Separation, Independence and Rights. The Terran Empire still officially refuses to acknowledge the claims of the LASIR, L ASIR, but in fact the Lunar Colonies have gained independence: Terrans Terrans were still too much concerned with the colonization of other planets and the exploration outside the Solar System to waste time and energy to hold on those first, uncomfortable uncomfor table outposts. Lunar Colonists are hard-working, independent and have a strong sense of freedom. Lunar Colonists start with any two of these bonuses: +1 Engineering, +1 Survival, +1 Diplomacy or +1 Politics. Their Fragility is 3. They can spend only 6,4,2 points on Skills during Character Creation. Martian Colonists
Martians are not the small, green aliens that people were so obsessed about in the 20 th century. Martians are the descendants of the settlers that made of the Red Planet their new home. Overpopulation in the 22 th century was getting out of hand and mankind needed new places to inhabit; the Lunar Colonies were but an experiment and they turned out to be troublesome, inhospitable to life and, ultimately, ultimately, not worth wor th the hassle. Therefore the Earth governements decided to enact the colonization of Mars, a long-time dream of humanity. humanity. The first Martian Colony dates back to 2204 AD. AD. Unlike those on Luna, the first colonies on Mars served as Detention Facilities: all of the criminals with more than a 2-year imprisonment sentence were transferred transferred to Mars Correction Facilities, were they would pay their debt with the Terran Empire through hardlabour, labour, preparing the planet for the real colonization. Something that has never really taken place. Between 2245 and 2265 there have been serious uprisings, rebellions and riots on the Martian Colonies, until eventually the Terran Terran Empire gave up on sending troops and trying to regain control of the lost facilities. The planet never really proclaimed its independence, so formally it's still under the jurisdiction of the Terran Empire.
Most Martian Colonists live in towns and villages scattered across the red desert that still covers the 76% of the surface, since the terraforming process has never been completed; few priviliged ones inhabit the terraforming colonies, verdant oasis that provide enough water and food to sustain their inhabitants. Martians are called Rust-eaters, Rust-eaters, for the red dust that usually covers them from head to toe; some tend to be menacing, harsh and dishonest, others are merely survivors of their own anarchic society. Martians start with two of these bonuses: +1 Resistance, +1 Criminal, +1 Intimidate or +1 Firearms. Their Fragility is 3. They can spend only 6,4,2 points on Skills during Character Creation.
Non Non-huma human n Rac Races es Juvians
This marine race has been the first form of extraterrestrial extraterrestrial intelligence to have been found. They seem to have inhabited the underground underground oceans of Europe, the 4 th largest moon of Jupiter, for an equivalent of at least 10'000 Terran years, probably more. The first contact with them happened in 2320, when an exploring crew landed on the surface of Europe and melted the icy surface to reach the underground ocean. Once beneath the ocean, the explorers found themselves face to face with the Juvians. Apparently, Apparently, all the probes that had been sent on Europe since the beginning of the 21 st century and were believed to have been destroyed by space radiations and magnetic disturbances from Jupiter, Jupiter, were destroyed by the natives. Contact with these superior technologies revealed to the less evoluted Juvians that there was something outside their dark, icy ocean. A whole universe, actually. Reverse-engineerin Reverse-engineering g of the probes improved their technologies a lot, and when encountered these Aliens were almost on par with Terran science, except that they were just about to try tr y and send their first space vessel outside the ocean. Juvians recognized the Terrans as the makers of the probes, and greeted them. Since then, Terrans and Juvians acted in good agreement to help the marine people in their conquest of the space: these marine creatures turned out to be very intelligent and talented with technologic devices. Juvians have a sleek, muscular body, body, covered in dark and thick skin. They have long arms with 7 oversized fingers. fingers. They have two large large eyes with miryads of pupils, pupils, and two series of gills on their backs. A membrane covers their face to protect the mouth and the organs from the glacial temperatures of Europa. Europa. They can be as tall as 10ft, but out of the water they cannot stad erected: they have to hunch their backs because their cartilagineous skeleton cannot sustain their weight, and every movement for them is slow and painful. A large dorsal fin and a flexible membrane like that of a mantaray helps their underwater agility. Juvians can live up to 160 Terran years. Juvians start with any three of these bonuses +2 Perception Perception (darkness), +2 Athletics (swimming), +2 Perception (darkness), +2 Athletics (swimming), +1 Strength a nd +1 Technologies. Outside water they suffer a -3 Athletics. They have Fragility 5. They can spend only 4,3,1 points on Skills during character creation.
Cent Cen taurian aur ians s
When Humans and Juvians developed in cooperation their first Hyperdrive engine in 2450 and flew the TSS Hermes to Mars in about 4 minutes at the Speed of Light, it entered a new era of Space Travel. Soon after, a delegation of Centaurians, a technologically advanced race from the only planet of the Tri-star system of Alpha Centauri, approached the experimental starship and made first contact. Centaurian culture being more advanced than Terran Terran culture (and of course, Juvian culture), the Centaurians had already been flying around the galaxy for thousands Terran Terran years before this First Contact, and welcomed both the Solar System races to the Galactic community: at least other 5 races were travelling around that sector of the galaxy at “faster-than-light” speed. Undoubtedly, Undoubtedly, countless more races inhabited the Galaxy: Centaurian claimed to have met more than 80 by then. Centaurians are a race of explorers, diplomats and scholars. They are physically weak , tall as humans but far thinner. thinner. They have a greenish, soft skin, often with stripes or patterns of scales of vivid colors. They heads are bald and with a colorful V crest that is more pronounced in males. Their faces have serpent-like features, features, and they have two pairs of arms. They have no legs, moving on long serpentine tails. Centaurians can live up to 200 Terran years Centaurians start with any three of these bonuses: b onuses: +1 Technologies, Technologies, +1 Intimidate, +1 Science, +1 Navigation, +1 Diplomacy or +1 Analysis. They have Fragility 2. They can spend only 5,5,3 points on Skills during Character Creation.
Jreshars
Jreshars are a race of wanderers and explorers whose planet was destroyed a long time ago. Since then, they travel around the galaxy as nomads, offering their services as mercenaries and filling the niches of the various alien societies. Their metabolism is accelerated so they need to consume a lot of food despite their small size, and they seem to be always on the edge. Their mother tongue is spoken so fast that a second is enough to present oneself to a stranger, stranger, also wishing him a good voyage. Jreshars have tiny bodies, hardly ever reachin 5 feet of height. They are covered in thick red, brown or black fur and have pointed, canine faces. They are a curious, hyperactive folk that can live only up to 60 Terran years. They have long rat-like tails, and usually don't bother wearing shoes over their oversized feet. They have a knack for mechanical devices and for dishonest activities in general. Jreshars start with any three of these bonuses: +1 Acrobatics, +1 Stealth, +2 Engineering (Salvaging Parts), +1 Fast Talk, +1 Criminal, +1 Pilot. They start with -1 Close Combat, -1 Strength and -1 Intimidate. Their Fragility is 3. They can spend only 4,4,4 points on Skills during Character Creation. Nebulans
The natives of the binary star system Rho Ophiuchi, which is located about 390 to 440 light years away from Terra, Terra, take their name from the Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex, a dark nebula of gas and stellar dust near their system. These people were among the first to deal with the last arrived and generally appreciate the Terrans, Terrans, even if they've always disliked disliked the Juvians. This is quite peculiar, peculiar, as Nebulans are famous for their emphatic powers that make communication and trust to be easily built within members of different species. They are highly valued as ar artists, tists, negotiators, diplomats, counselors and , more rarely, rarely, politicians. Women have pink to light purple skin, soft as silk , and thin, elegant bodies. Men have yellow to orange skin, soft as velvet and are considered athletic and handsome. They can alter their body features at will, but they seldom take advantage of this for illegal activities. They can live up to 80 years, but they don't show many signs of aging. Nebulans start with any three of these bonuses: +2 Disguise (racial features),+2 Disguise (racial features),+2 Empathy (read emotions), +2 Empathy (read emotions), +1 Languages , +1 Criminal. They suffer -2 Resistance and -2 Armour. Their Fragility is 3. Nebulans can only spend 6,2,2 points on Skills during Character Creation.
Skills Physical Skill Name
Description
Example Specializations
Who needs this skill?
Acrobatics
The ability to perform tumbles, car twheels, dodging and many other feats of agility.
(Dodge), (Dancing), (Balance), (Juggling)
Martial Artists, Poledancers, Burglars
Athletics
The overall capability of moving with ease or without getting hurt or weary.
(Jump), (Climb), (Swim), (Sprint), (Run)
Soldiers, Athletes, Hunters, Scouts
Close Combat
The ability to fight in close quarters with hand (Martial Arts), (Parry), weapons or bare-handed. (Stun), (Wrestle)
Policemen, Thugs, Soldiers, Infiltrators
Energy Weapons
The skill with high-tech weapons, like Laser guns, Tachyon guns or Plasma rifles.
(Light Laser), (T-gun), (Light Plasma)
Soldiers, Space Pirates, Gunners.
Firearms
The skill with traditional projectile weapon, weapon, often using gunpowder
(Guns), (Rifles), (Machineguns)
Soldiers, Infiltrators, Thugs, Raiders
Pilot
The ability to maneuver a vehicle and perform (Land Vehicles), (Tanks), offensive or defensive stunts. (Corvettes)
Space Pilots, Stuntmen, Taxi Drivers
Resistance
The defense against any form of adverse condition or contamination.
(Xenoviruses), (Bacteria), (Radiations),
Settlers, Explorers, Soldiers, Nurses
Stealth
The ability to go unseen and undetected, through dexterity or craftiness
(Sneak) (Hide) (Shadow) (Ambush)
Bounty Hunters, Assassins, Thieves
Strength
The capacity of employing brute force to bash, bend, crush, lift or carry things.
(Bash Open) (Lift/Carry) (Wrestle) (Demolish)
Soldiers, Wrestlers, Slave, Labourer
Wear Armour
The capacity of wearing heavier kinds of armour comfortably and with ease.
(Light), (Heavy), (Shields), (Battle-suits)
Soldiers, Tribesmen, Pirates
Mental Skill Name
Description
Example Specializations
Academics
The knowledge in various fields of experience, (Art), (Terran (Terran History), from Religion to Art. (Juvian Religion)
Scholars, Preachers, Ambassadors
Analysis
The capacity of researching and elaborating information or situations.
(CSI), (Autopsy), (Calculate), (Decrypt)
Scientists, Investigators
Engineering
The ability to build or repair any type of machinery (see Technologies)
(Repair Weapon), (Repair Engineers, Mechanics, Spaceships), Spaceships), (Deconstruct) Salvagers, Saboteurs
Explosives
The skill with any type of explosive, like grenades, mines or bombs.
(Deactivate), (Timer), (Grenades), (Mines)
Artificers, Assault Soldiers, Sabouteurs
First Aid
The ability to heal freshly made wounds, operating with limited equipment.
(Critical Wounds), (Bleeding)
Nurses, Physicians, Surgeons, Explorers
Navigation
The ability to orientate oneself and to choose (Orientation), (Safe Route), Navigators, Explorers, the best route for a journey. (Escape Route) Tacticians
Perception
The acuteness of one's senses and the awareness of one's surroundings
Science
The expertise in the various fields of scientific (Xeno-Biology) (Xeno-Biology) (Physiscs) knowledge. (Astronomy)
Scientists, Doctors
Survival
The capacity of surviving in a hostile environment with little support
(Track), (Food/Water), (Natural Dangers)
Explorers, Survivors, Infiltrators
Technologies
The ability to operate any type of machinery (see Engineering) Engineering)
(Hacking) (Scan) (Cloaking) (Nebulan Technology)
Scientists, Hackers, Pirates
(Spot), (Hear), (Ambushes), (Disguises)
Who needs this skill?
Scouts, Guards, Hunters
Social Skill Name
Description
Example Specializations
Who needs this skill?
Criminal
Comprises a series of illegal activities, such as smuggling, pickpocketing and forging docs.
(Steal), (Smuggle), (Forgery)
Thieves, Assassins, Pirates
Diplomacy
The ability to conduct peaceful negotiations within official standards of conduct
(Etiquette) (First Contact) (Bureaucracy)
Diplomats, Ambassadors
Disguise
The capacity of changing one's appearance and hiding one's identity
(Racial Features), (Uniforms), (Make-Up)
Infiltrators, Spies
Empathy
The ability to read someone else's intentions and emotions, or to get well with others.
(Read Emotions), (Detect Ambassadors, Lies), (Perceive (Perceive Intentions), Psichiatrists (Perceive Innuendo)
Fast Talk
The ability to conduct advantageous negotiations, without any official standard of conduct.
(Lies), (Innuendo), (Omit), (Haggle)
Merchants, Spies
Handle Animals
The capacity of taming wild animals, riding tamed ones or dealing with them in general.
(Ride) (Ride),, (T (Tame), ame), (Acqu (Acquati atic) c)
Hunte Hunters, rs, Herder Herders, s, Tribesmen
Intimidate
The ability to impress someone through displays of violence, threats or fear.
(Scare), (Torture), (Veiled Threats)
Pirates, Thugs, Sergeants
Languages
The capacity of expressing oneself with another language.
(Centaurian), (Lunar Dialect), (Jresharian)
Ambassadors, Comm. Experts
Leadership
The ability to impress someone with displays of virtue, and to give orders to subordinates.
(Command) (Coordinate) (Coordinate) Explorers, Survivors, (Inspire) (Decision Making) Infiltrators
Politics
The knowledge of the different forms of governement and their institutions.
(Indipendence) (Indipendence) (Anarchy) (Bureaucracy)
Politicians, Revolutionaries
COMBAT Individual Indi vidual Combat Combat When two or more characters end up fighting against each other on an individual scale (that is, not on a spaceship or vehicle) they will enter what's called Individual Combat. They have to follow these steps. Initia Ini tiativ tive: e: •
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If the two characters are already facing each other, other, they have to roll an opposed Empathy check, since they rely on reading each others intentions for signs of aggression. If a character is not aware of the presence of the other character, character, he has to roll a Perception Perception check vs DC 4. If the other character is sneaking, his Stealth check is opposed to the Perception Perception check. It is possible that both characters are not aware of each other's presence, so they will have to roll independent Perception checks. Characters that take part into the combat, will act in order, order, with the highest roller first, alternating their own combat rounds.
Comba Comb at Round: Ro und: •
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When it's a character's turn, turn, he can take any actio action n he could possibly perform in 10 seconds. If an action would take more than that, it will require more rounds. rounds. Attack : the character rolls an appropriate offensive skill check – like Close Combat (blade weapons), Firearms (Small Guns), Energy Weapons (Light Plasma) – while the defender rolls an appropriate defensive skill check – like Close Combat(Parry), Acrobatics(Dodge). Acrobatics(Dodge). If the attacker rolls higher than the defender, defender, he scored a hit! Damage: Damage: in the case of a hit , the difference between the Attacker's roll and the Defender's Defender's roll (plus any bonus Dice for weapons etc) is the Damage Dice Pool. The attackers rolls that number of d6 against a DC equal to the defender's Fragility. If the roll succeeds, the defender's health will shift one degree to the right. If the roll succeds by more than 3, it is a Critical Hit: health takes an extra shift to the right for each point beyond 3 in the difference between Damage Value and Fragility. Note: Record on the character's sheet the Damage Value suffered by your character, you will need that value to recover your health later la ter.. Wounds: A character has various degrees of health, and how easily he can go from one to the next depends on its race. The “Fragility” of a race is the DC to hurt members of that race: for humans, that's 3. Fragility can be increased by wearing armour. The various degrees of a character's health are : Healthy / Light Wounds / Severe Wounds / Critical Wounds. Beyond that, there's outright Death.
Example: An unknown alien lifeform is sneaking up on Ryna. It rolls Stealth (sneak) 4, and gets a 3. Ryna rolls Perception (which for her is a Desperate Roll with -1) and is is quite lucky. lucky. She rolls a 5, that is reduced to a 4 – enough to notice the aggressor just in time! Ryna runs
towards a desk, hoping to find something she can use as a weapon. The alien jumps on her with outstretched claws: it rolls Close Combat (Predator behaviour) b ehaviour) 4 because he's he's driven by hunger, obtaining a result of 5. Ryna tries to defende herself with Close Combat, but again for her i'ts a Desperate Roll at -1: se rolls 3, which is reduced to 2. The Damage Dice Pool of the hit is 3, thus the Alien rolls 3d6. It rolls a 6 which is way more than Ryna's Fragility of 3, therefore she is Lightly Wounded now. A gaping wound on her forearm soaks her shirt with blood.
Vehicl Vehicle e Comba Com bat Sometimes a combat will be between two or more vehicles – be it spaceships or war trucks. It has the same rules of Individual Combat, but relies on different abilities and often on the cooperation of more characters. Initia Ini tiativ tive e •
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If the vehicle allows one or more Characters to see any approaching enemy, enemy, they can roll a Perception check. Should the vehicle have radar technologies, the crew can roll a Navigation (Radar) check as well. Technologies(Cloaking) Technologies(Cloaking) can be used as an analog to Stealth, opposing radar technologies and sometimes even human senses. If a vehicle is aware of the presence of another vehicle, the crew can roll Technologies (Scan), if they have access to such a device, to obtain information about the other vehicle. If combat is imminent, the crew that rolled higher can act first.
Crew posts
& Roles
Every vehicle is different, so sometimes more duties will fall on the same crew c rew member – for example, on a small vessel the same character can be Commander, Commander, Pilot and Navigator. Navigator. Pilot : can use Pilot; governs the vehicle direction and acceleration. Gunner : can use Energy Weapons, Firearms; governs governs the vehicle weaponry weaponr y Engineer : can use Engineering and Technologies; governs the vehicle propulsion Navigator : can use Navigation and Perception; governs the vehicle navigation sys. Scientific Officer : can use Technologies, Science and Analysis; governs the vehicle scanning and analysis systems (6) Comm-expert : can use Perception, Languages, Empathy; governs the vehicle Communication systems (7) Captain : can use Leadership and Empathy; commands the course of action. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
Combat •
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When it's a crew's turn, they can take any action they could possibly perform in 30 seconds. If an action would take more than that, it will require more rounds. rounds. All crew members can act at the same time, or they can do up to three actions one after the other (thus approximatively 10 seconds per action), but the same character cannot act more than once per round.
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Attack : the Gunner will roll the appropriate offensive check, such as Energy Weapons (Laser Cannons) or Firearms (Turret (Turret Guns), while the enemy Pilot can attempt a Pilot(Defensive Maneuver), just as you can use Acrobatics(Dodge) in Individual Combat. If the Gunner wins the contested roll, he scored a hit against the enemy's vehicle. A Gunner can fire in a single round any number of weapons. Damage: When hit, vehicles don't take Wounds, they have breakdowns and failures, but they work in just the same way. The difference between the Gunner's roll and the enemy Pilot's roll roll is the Damage Dice Pool of the hit. The Gunner Gunner rolls that many d6s and tries to beat the GSI, “General Structural Integrity” DC of the enemy vehicle. If the roll succeeds, the Structural Integrity of the vessel goes down by 10%. If the roll succeds by more than 3, it is a Critical Hit: it does an extra 10% damage for extra each point beyond 3 in the difference between Damage Value Value and GSI. Note: the Engineer should record on his character's sheet the exact damage suffered by his ship, he will need that value to repair the ship later. Structural Integrity & Breakdowns: Breakdowns: When a vehicle takes a hit, some of its instrumentation may break. For every 10% of Structural damage taken by a vehicle, roll 1d6 to determine which crew member's member's instrumentation suffered the hit. The Captain has no instrumentation so he doesn't count. When the instrumentation of a crew member takes a hit, that crew member will suffer a -1 penalty to all checks associated with that instrumentation (Therefore, (Therefore, if a PC is both the Pilot and the Gunner of a spaceship, and Gunner's instrumentation is hit, the -1 penalty only applies to when he is acting as a Gunner, not when he's piloting). When the same instrumentation is hit for the third time, it simply breaks down. When Structural Integrity is at 0% the vehicle may explode. Aimed shots: shots: A skilled Gunner might want to call his shots, trying to disable specific parts of the enemy vessel. For example, he might want to tr y and disable its propulsion system (Engineer instrumentation), instrumentation), so it won't won't be able to escape or pursue. 1. First the the Scientific Scientific Officer Officer has has to pass a Techn Technologie ologiess check with with DC 4 to determine if he knows enough about the enemy vessel to aim at its weak spots. 2. Then, the Gunner Gunner has has to attack attack as usual, usual, but but with with a -2 to his Skill. 3. In case of a hit, hit, the Gunne Gunnerr rolls his his damage damage against against the SSI, “Speci “Specific fic Structu Structural ral Integrity” DC of the particular piece of equipment that was hit. 4. The overall overall Structu Structural ral Integrity Integrity of the the target target is damaged damaged as usual, don't don't roll for random hit location (obviously). Anyway, Aimed shots cannot deal more than 30% damage (once a piece of equipment is destroyed, you can't damage it any more) to S.I.
Life Life
& De Dea ath
Recove Rec overin ring g Heal Health A character can regain lost health right after the encounter that caused that wound with the First Aid skill, or after a while with the Science(Medicine) skill. Otherwise, he will simply heal with time.
First Aid
Only one roll can be attempted to apply First Aid on a wounded character after each encounter. encounter. If successful, the wound will be treated and the character's health will shift one degree to the left. The DC for healing a particular wound is the Damage that caused that wound. If the First Aid roll fails, the character will need intensive treatment treatment to recover that wound. Science (Medicine)
A wounded character should seek medical attention as soon as possible. Once for every day that the wounded character is being treated, the physician will roll Science (Medicine) and subtract the result from the Damage suffered by the character, character, starting with the last wound. When the Damage for a particular wound has been healed completely, completely, the character's health shifts one degree to the left. Natural Recovery Recove ry
A living organism will repair itself, itself, over time, unless Critically Wounded. A character will heal 1 Damage from his Severe Wounds at a rate of 1 damage per day. day. Then he will heal 1 Damage from his Light Wounds at a rate of 1 damage per 4 hours. This form of healing is not cumulative with medical treatment. A Critically Wounded character will have to roll his Resistance(Bleeding) Resistance(Bleeding) against a DC of 1 point for each hour that he has been left without treating. Should he fail, he'll be Dead. Example: Ryna has found one of her comrades critically wounded on Deck B-14. She pulls out her First Aid kit and tries to stop the bleeding: she rolls First Aid (Critical Wounds) 3, obtaining a 6: the wound had a DC of 5, therefore the roll was successful. The man is now only Severely Wounded. Later Ryna takes the man to sickbay, where he can receive proper medical treatment: after one day of treatment, Ryna rolls Science(Medicine) 2 and obtains a 3; she subtracts this result from the 5 Damage the man suffered for the Severe Wounds. Next day she will roll again, and if she rolls 2 or more, she will have healed the man's man's Severe Wounds.
Repairing A Vehicle The Crew of a vehicle can repair damage to their instrumentation once right after the encounter that caused that damage with with the Engineering Engineering skill, or after a while also with the Engineering skill. NOTE: Vehicles don't repair themselves over time, quite the opposite! Immedia Imme diate te Repair Repair
Only one roll can be attempted to repair a damaged piece of instrumentation, after each encounter. If successful, part of the damage will be repaired and the Structural Integrity of the Vehicle Vehicle will increase by 10%. The DC for repairing a loss of S.I. is the Damage that caused that loss. It goes without saying that a piece of instrumentation that had a Breakdown is restored at -20% if it's repaired. You cannot attempt Immediate Repair to take care of Breakdowns Spiral damage.
Station repair
An Engineer can only repair that much damage while his vehicle is on the move. To To be properly repaired repaired a vehicle needs to visit a proper repair station. Once every day that the vehicle is being repaired, the Engineer will roll Engineering and add the result to the t he vehicle Structural Integrity, Integrity, choosing which piece of instrumentation to start with. A vehicle being repaired in a Station won't suffer from the Breakdowns Spyral. Breakdowns spyral
While a living organism will repair itself, itself, over time, a piece of machinery machiner y will just have more and more breakdowns until it becomes completely useless. A vehicle with less than 80% S.I. will lose another 10% every week until repaired in a Station. That 10% will be lost on the most damaged system; in case of a draw, the Captain gets to choose. The crew Engineer can try and prevent the Breakdown Breakdown Spyral by making a Engineering check with DC of 1 point for each 10% of lost S.I., rounding up. When Structural Integrity Integrity reaches 0% the Crew has to roll immediately to see if there is a Massive Explosion (and the Crew will be killed). Roll 1d6 for each of the 6 systems (Piloting, Weapons, Hyperdrive, Hyperdrive, Navigation, Scientific and Communications) that hasn't hasn't suffered a Breakdown: the DC for this roll starts at a t 3. In case of failure, the vehicle will simply explode, killing all its crew. crew. In case of success, immediately roll for Breakdowns Spyral (the Engineer can as usual try to prevent it). After each hour without proper reparation, repeat the Massive Explosion roll. Every negative 10% of SI adds 1 to the DC of the roll. When all systems are down, the Massive Explosion is automatic. • •
Example: The crew of the Redhawk has just escaped a couple of outlaw spaceships; the Redhawk has been damaged in the battle, and its Structural Integrity is down to 60%: the Weaponry post has taken 2 hits, while the Navigation system and the FTL Propulsion system have taken 1 hit each. The chief Engineer tries to see if he can do something about it, before the situation goes worse: he rolls his Engineering (Repair Spaceship) 4 for each damaged piece of instrumentation. He doesn't doesn't roll very well, managing to repair only 10% SI on the Navigation System. The ship keeps on travelling through space, and after a week, the Crew has to check for any new failure in the already damaged systems (Breakdowns Spyral): the Weapon system risks taking the third 10% damage, leaving the Redhawk defenseless! The Engineer tries to prevent the Breakdowns Spyral, rolling Engineering (Repair Spaceships) 4 against DC 3 ( because the ship has lost 30% SI so far ). If he succeeds, he will postpone that damage for another week.
Equipment Here you will find some example items, but the GM is encouraged to develop his own.
Weapons Precision is added to the character's Attack Dice Pool while Power is added to the Damage Dice Pool, both in the form of extra D6s. Weapon
Description
Prec Pow.
Wasp 27.7
The most common lasergun, lightweight and precise
+1d +0d
Falcon 35.4
Larger version of the Wasp, it packs more powerful energy cells.
+1d +1d
Centaurian CPC
The Concussive Plasma Cannon is the trademark weapon of Centaurian battle cruisers.
-3d
S&W Frontier v4
The most common traditional ha handgun, lightweight but lethal.
+0d +1d
Remington 2050/H
A weapon weapon develo developed ped for for World World War War III, still still in use. use.
-2d
+5d
+3d
XM-8000 “Stinger” The latest reincarnation of the XM series Assault Rifle.
+2d +2d
Combat Knife
A short steel blade, standard issue of Terran militar y forces.
+1d +0d
Juvian Spear
The The rit ritua uall J-s J-sha hape ped d wea weapo pon n of of Juv Juvia ians ns,, sti still ll use used d by by the their ir ass assau aull tea teams ms..
+0d +0d +2d +2d
Nebulan Bakkar
This traditional weapon is similar to a whip with 4 tails, with a small steel ball at the end of each tail. It is rotated in circles around the user and takes a lot of mastery to use.
-2d
+2d
Armours Armour Rating is the required Armour skill to use (if the AR is greater than a character's Armour skill, the difference is applied to all his Acrobatics, Athletics, Close Combat, Stealth and Strength skills). Protection is added to one's one's fragility. Deflection can be used instead of an Acrobatics (Dodge) roll. Name
Type
Description
AR
Prot Defl.
Heavy Clothes
Light Light
Any kind kind of of mildly mildly prot protect ective ive clot clothes hes,, like like biker biker or wint winter er clothes.
1
+1
0
K-55 Lightweight
Light Light
The last last kevl kevlar ar body body armo armour ur produ produced ced for for World World War War III, III, still still valued for its cheapness and comfort.
2
+1
1
Juvian Bodice
Heavy This heavy heavy bodice bodice is especia especially lly designed designed to to protect protect the the weak spots in Juvian anatomy, but can be adjusted for other races.
3
+1
2
Space Legion Armour
Heavy The standard standard armour armour adopte adopted d by Terran Terran infantry infantry,, made of of ceramic materials and organic interactive polymers.
4
+2
3
Centaurian Bipedal Armour
Battle- Centaurian employ these nimble but powerful battle-suits to suit protect their fragile bodies in land conflicts.
4
+3
3
Other Equipment Skill Bonuses are added to a character's Skill. Name
Description
Skills
Instant Regeneration Stimulant
This has been the greatest Terran Terran invention since the microchip. It First Aid 1 helps organisms recover from injuries and stops bleeding. Other races have their own analogs, and most are universal.
“Rhyno II” Multi-tool
Mechanics and Engineers no more need to carr y with them bag full of Engineering 1 tools: the Rhyno II is a modular, modular, all-purpose instrument.
Jresharian Pilot Helmet
Jresharians have developed this useful pilot headgear that, despite being rather low tech, is cheap and efficient.
Pilot 1 Perception(spot) Perception(spot) 1
Centaurian Universal Translater
This small device employs complex algorythms algor ythms to decipher spoken languages; only the latest versions are highly reliable, but the cheapest ones are likely to make some mistakes.
Languages 1
Juvian Humidity Breathing System
This complex device is necessary for Juvians that want to venture utside water. water. It extracts oxigen from the air, and combines it with hydrogen to make it breathable for the Juvian gills.
(none)
Vehicles •
•
•
•
•
•
Level is an indication of the quality and value of a vehicle: it's obtained by adding General Structural Integrity (GSI) and the Total Total Bonus to Skills. Acceleration Ratings are added to Pilot checks during chases or escapes. The result of an Engineering(Push Engine) check can be added to the Acceleration Rating, up to doubling the original value. Pushing an Engine damages it by 10%. This can be repaired repaired on a subsequent turn as any other damage. Bonus to Skills are added to any Skill check performed by a particular crewmember. crewmember. Some extra instrumentation might improve these bonuses. Cooldown indicates after how many rounds of continuous fire the weapon needs some other rounds of cooldown without shooting: without cooldown, the Weaponry system automatically takes 10% damage per round. Weapon Slots can be : Pivoting (can attack in any direction), Front/Back/Side (can attack only in a 120° in that direction); different Weapon Slots that state a different angle are possible ( as Front 180° or Right Side 90°) Vehicles with Hyperdrives can travel at FTL speeds, using a notation called Warp Speed, that uses this formula:
V=W3c
•
The Speed (V) of a vessel travelling at FTL speeds is equal to the Speed of Light ( c ) multiplied by the cube of the Warp Speed (W). The power of a Hyperdrive Hyperdrive engine with X batteries with K capacity, and with max Warp speed speed M, is calculated as: Power = X * K * M. It's measured measured in Hyperdrive Hyperdrive Power units. One HyDP is worth roughly 3600 hp.
Martian This large all-purpose truck was largely used on Mars because it was cheap to produce and Olympus E850 easy to repair. repair. Its not too complex machinery machiner y could also stand the planet's hostile environment (especially the rust winds) and its Electric Engine was easily recharged by solar panels. Nowadays these trucks have been mostly converted to war trucks, with reinforced plates and traditional firearms. Type
Engine Fuel
Autonomy
Recharge
Land Vehicle
8 x 50hp Electric Batteries
512 km
1 battery / 4 hours
Level
Engine Power
Top Speed
Acceleration Rating
2
400 hp
100 km/h
2
Crew Roles
4
Pilot( Pilot(1), 1), Captain( Captain(7) 7) Gunner Gunner(2) (2),, Navigator(4)
Engineer(3)
Scientific Off.(5), Comm-expert(6)
Structural Integrity
General 5
Pilot 5
Gunner 4
Engineer 8
Navigator 5
Scientific Off. 3
Comm-expert 4
Bonus to Skills
(Total -3)
-1
-1
+2
+1
-2
-2
Standard Weaponry Weapon Slots
Pivoting : Double MHMG .50 Heavy Machine Guns
Precision -1
Power +3 Pivoting , Front 90° , Back
Cooldown 3 rounds / 1 round
Centaurian “Basilisk” i9000
The Basilisk is the jewel in the Centaurian fleet. While Centaurian seems to be a peaceful, meditative folk, and they seldom engage in battles, their superior technology makes them formidable foes. All the vessels in the Enlightened Fleet that defends the borders of the Alpha Centauri system are masterpiece of engineering, and the Basilisk is one of their most powerful ship, second in firepower only to the Hydra; it's superior agility and speed makes the Basilisk the biggest threat to the enemy, though.
Type
Engine Fuel
Autonomy
Recharge
Battle-cruiser
25 x Fusion Cells Cells 0.38WP
9,5 light-years
1 Cell / day
Level
Engine Power
Top Speed
Acceleration Rating
10
6840 HyDP
Warp 7.2 = 373,3 c
4
Crew Roles
Pilot (1)
7
Gunner (2)
Engineer Navigator Scientific Comm(3) (4) Officer (5) expert (6)
Captain (7)
General 7
Pilot 7
Gunner 6
Engineer 8
Navigator 6
Scientific Off. 9
Comm-expert 5
Bonus to Skills
(Total +4)
-2
+3
-2
+2
+2
+1
Standard Weaponry
Pivoting : Phoenix C-Laser Cannon
Precision -1
Power +5
Cooldown 1 round/3 rounds
2 x Front 180°: Concussive Plasma Cannon
Precision -3
Power +5
Cooldown 2 rounds / 1 round
1 x Back 90°: Greenlight T-Cannon
Precision -5
Power +4
Cooldown 5 rounds / 1 round
Structural Integrity
Weapon Slots
2 x Pivoting, 2 x Front 180°, 2 x Right Side 180°, 2 x Left Side 180°, Back 90°
Other Aliens Besides the Alien races that cooperate with the Terran Empire on regular basis (those presented during Character Creation) there are a number of other people that don't don't have that good a relationship with Terrans. Terrans. These races are not meant for Pcs, but it's a GM call.
Eridanians Native to the binary star system Epsilon Eridani, at about 10.5 light-years from the Solar System, this race is mistrusted by everyone ever yone in the sector. Eridanians don't don't even trust each others. They are cunning, deceitful, selfish and ambitious. They had set eyes on the Solar System back when humanity was still going through the middleages, but the Centaurians always prevented them from interfering with Terran culture: most probably, if it weren't for the snake-people of Alpha Centauri, humans would be the slave race serving their Eridanians masters. Eridanians are humanoid, have very ver y long tentacle-hair, long crooked noses and angular features. Their skin is a reddish brown, that turns greyer with age and protects them from radioactive sources. They live about as long as a Terran ( 90 years ). Eridanians start with any three of these bonuses: +2 Resistance(Radiations), +2 Resistance
(Radiations), +2 Fast Talk(Haggle), +2 Criminal(Forgery) , +2 Analysis(Evaluate) or +2 Fast Talk(Lie). They have Fragility 3. They can spend only 4,3,3 points on Skills during Character Creation.
Talithians This race of fearless conquerors and coldblooded bounty hunters comes from the Tau Ceti system, about 12 light-years away from the Terran Terran Empire. They value success, victory and power over everything, and they shun cowardice, failure and compromise as signs of weakness. However, However, they are not just ruthless mercenaries and bloodthirsty warmongers: they value honour, honour, they respect their foes and a nd admit defeat. Their empire has entertained various wars against nearby cultures, until they clashed with the Centaurians, the first strong enough to oppose them. Talithians Talithians retired admitting that further conflict would not bring any good to either sides. Now they are mercenaries, smugglers, pirates but rumours run that their empire is planning for another war against the Centaurians. Talithians are slightly taller than humans, averaging 6.5 feet. They are strong and muscular: two hearts pump blood through their body alternating beats. Their face resembles an hybrid between a shark, a lizard and a man. They can live up to 120 Terran Terran years. Talithians start with any three of these bonuses: b onuses: +1 Resistance, +2 Intimidate(Scare), +2 Energy Weapons (Light Lasers), +2 Close Combat (Martial Arts), +1 Wear Armour, +1 Strength . They have Fragility 3. They can spend only 7,2,1 points on Skills during Character Creation.
Furnaxians Native to a yellow dwarf dwar f star some 41 Light-years away from the Solar System, this race of stout, potbellied swines, really has a knack for engineering. While their technology might not be the more advanced of the sector, but they are formidable at repairing and building things out of scratch. They would be the most highly valued engineers of the sector, if it weren't weren't for the fact that they don't don't accept any technical advice and they are a very stubborn and rather touchy lot. Furnaxians and Jreshars don't like each other much, since the pig-people think the Jreshars are but parasites that steal and deconstruct their machines, and flow the market with their “dangerous “dangerous and unreliable stuff”. Furnaxians are almost as wide as they are are tall, reaching about 5 feet and 200 lbs on average. They have
ugly swine faces, with the male showing a longer snout than the female. They can live up to 90 Terran years. Furnaxians start with any three of these bonuses: +1 Technologies, Technologies, +1 Engineering, +1 Engineering, +1 Engineering, +1 Explosives, +1 Firearms. They suffer -2 Acrobatics, -2 Athletics. They have Fragility Fragility 4. They can spend only 6,4,1 points on Skills during Character Creation.
